China Preps Nipah Virus Test Kits Despite Claiming No Cases | China in Focus

Welcome to China In Focus. I'm Tiffany Meyer. Our top story. Stockpiling oil. China is filling its reserves faster than the United States, now surpassing the U.S. by nearly three-fold. And China is rolling out Nipah virus testing kits nationwide and identified a potential drug for the virus despite claiming no cases yet. The deadly virus is spreading in India and could trigger a pandemic. DJI drones have been banned in the U.S., but new look-alike models are appearing in American markets. Are they alternatives or just a rebrand of banned Chinese technology? Sending humans to the moon again after half a century, NASA is planning its next launch in March. Three American astronauts and one Canadian will join the mission. The European Commission has launched a probe into China's gold wind over concerns the company may have benefited from foreign subsidies that distort competition with European companies. Strengthening a critical minerals alliance in the race with China. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will host the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial in Washington on Wednesday. Delegations from more than 50 nations are expected to attend. That includes allies from Europe, the European Union, the U.K., Germany, France and Italy. Also attending are the countries bordering the U.S., Canada and Mexico. And U.S. allies from the Indo-Pacific including Australia, India, Japan and South Korea. The gathering is focused on diversifying global critical minerals supply chains. It's tied to both economic and national security. Ahead of the summit, countries are being asked to commit to a non-binding framework on sourcing and processing. The framework outlines coordinated policies to accelerate investment in the critical mineral sector and reduce reliance on China. China is rolling out testing kits nationwide for the deadly Nipah virus. That's despite claiming there are no confirmed cases so far. The Chinese regime has a history of under-reporting virus cases, making it difficult to know the true extent of infections in China. An outbreak of the Nipah virus in India has put Asia on high alert. Although rare, the virus kills more than half of those it infects. According to the World Health Organization, the virus has the potential to trigger a pandemic and there's currently no cure or vaccine. However, just one day after infections of the deadly virus were reported in India, the Wuhan Institute of Virology announced it has identified a potential drug for Nipah. And yes, you heard that right. It's the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Meanwhile, Chinese authorities say local CDCs nationwide can now conduct lab tests for the virus. They have also stockpiled chemicals for emergency testing. One Chinese company has also rolled out a testing kit for the Nipah virus. In the meantime, Asian countries are beefing up health screenings at airports to prevent the virus from spreading. Countries including China, Thailand, Singapore, and Vietnam are stepping up precautions. The Nipah virus can take up to 45 days to show symptoms after infection. The virus can spread from animals like pigs and fruit bats to humans. It can also transmit between people through contaminated food. Those infected with the virus could experience symptoms like fever, headaches, vomiting, and sore throat, or no symptom at all. And one of our viewers asked about the U.S. Petroleum Reserve. It's one of the most important reserves any country can have, not just a small stockpile, but enough oil to actually make a difference. The U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve is the world's largest storage of emergency crude oil. It can hold up to 714 million barrels, enough to supply the country for tens of days in a national emergency. It's currently less than 60 percent full. A large amount of oil was released from the reserve in 2022 to help stabilize global oil prices after Russia invaded Ukraine. Meanwhile, China is rapidly building up its oil reserves, importing large amounts of crude and expanding its storage facilities. Beijing has not made public how many barrels of oil are in its stockpile. However, many analysts estimate China's reserves at around 1.2 to 1.3 billion barrels. That's nearly three times the size of the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Chinese drone manufacturer DJI has been blocked from U.S. markets, but are they really gone? Two companies are now selling products in America that look nearly identical to drones made by DJI. Back in December, the FCC cracked down on the Chinese firm over national security concerns. They claim these drones allow China to conduct espionage on critical U.S. infrastructures, government officials and average Americans. They effectively blocked new Chinese-made drones from being registered and sold in the U.S. But shortly afterward, two new firms, Xtra and Skyrover, began selling drones and cameras that differ from DJI products, mostly by name only. It's raising questions about whether DJI is really gone or just rebranded. Xtra claims to be a 2025 startup based in Delaware. In less than a year, it's launched multiple drones and cameras that mirror DJI models almost exactly down to the specifications. A teardown by The Verge found Xtra's Muse cameras share the same components as DJI's Osmo Pocket, with DJI branding simply removed. Then there's Skyrover that's based in Hong Kong. It's selling drones that closely resembles DJI's Mini series. The company even claims some of its engineers previously worked at DJI. So far, the FCC ban has only blocked certification of new drones, but not its cameras. And it doesn't stop the import of existing products already on the market. So while new DJI drones are effectively banned, the technology appears to be entering under new names and possibly shell companies right here in the U.S. A major step in the U.S.-China space race, NASA is gearing up for a historic launch. Three American astronauts and one from Canada are set to lift off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida bound for the moon. The launch originally planned for this upcoming Sunday has been postponed until March. If all goes as planned, this will be humanity's first crewed lunar mission in more than 50 years. The project is called the Artemis 2. It's the second mission under NASA's multi-billion dollar Artemis program. The first one flew in 2022 without a crew. This time astronauts will be on board. They won't land on the moon, but they'll orbit around it. The 10-day journey will take them further into space than any human has ever gone. The launch was scheduled for this upcoming weekend, but on Monday, engineers at Florida's Kennedy Space Center discovered a hydrogen leak at the base of the Space Launch System rocket. It was found during a dress rehearsal where launch day practice runs are conducted. NASA says the launch is now postponed with a new target date later in March and the possibility of holding off until April. The mission is a major step toward returning humans to the moon and beyond while helping the U.S. pull ahead of China in the space race. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer slammed by the UK opposition leader on Monday as he briefed lawmakers about his trip to China last week. Here's what Starmer had to say For eight years, no British Prime Minister visited China. Eight years of missed opportunities. Starmer is the latest European leader to engage with China, aiming to improve trade ties with the country. The move resulted in tensions escalating with the U.S. President Trump warned the UK against the dangers of making a deal with China. Starmer's visit also drew sharp What did his trip achieve for Jimmy Lai? Nothing. Did China promise to stop fueling Putin's war machine in Ukraine? Doesn't sound like it. What did this trip achieve for the Uyghurs who are being enslaved? Absolutely nothing. Have China agreed to stop their relentless cyber attacks? Have they? We all know the answer to that. The reality is that China Since taking office in July 2024, Starmer has faced challenges boosting the UK's economy. To remedy the country's weak GDP of about 0.1 percent in the third quarter of last year, he prioritized building stronger ties with China. Prior to his meeting with Xi Jinping, Starmer approved plans for a new Chinese mega-embassy in London. The decision drew major pushback over national security concerns, with critics warning Beijing could use the embassy for espionage. Meanwhile, trade talks yielded limited results. China cut tariffs on British whiskey by 5 percent and introduced 30-day visa-free travel for British citizens. Starmer also announced that China had lifted travel restrictions on some British lawmakers. The European Commission on Monday announced the launch of an in-depth investigation into Goldwind, China's largest wind turbine manufacturer. The probe focuses on concerns that foreign subsidies may be distorting the EU's internal market. The EU's investigation into Goldwind began back in 2024. That came after the Chinese wind turbine giant participated in wind power projects across five countries, Spain, Greece, France, Romania and Bulgaria. At the time, the European Commission launched its first self-initiated investigation. Now that's been upgraded to an in-depth investigation. EU officials suspect Goldwind may have benefited from Chinese state support, including government grants, tax incentives and low-interest loans. Brussels says those subsidies could let Goldwind bid at highly competitive or even below-market prices on European wind projects. That could undercut local manufacturers and distort competition. The investigation could end in several ways. The EU could accept commitments from Goldwind to adjust pricing or operations, or impose measures that limit the company's access to public contracts. The probe is being conducted under the EU's foreign subsidies regulation, which took effect in July 2023. It gives the Commission new powers to address market distortions caused by foreign state support. This isn't the first time the EU has applied the regulation to Chinese firms. Under the foreign subsidies regulation, Brussels has launched several in-depth investigations into Chinese companies in green energy and critical infrastructure. In February 2024, an EU probe into CRRC Qingdao Sofong locomotive forced the company to withdraw from a public procurement procedure contract with the Bulgarian government valued at over 700 million dollars. A couple months later, the EU opened investigations into Shanghai Electric and Longji Green Energy over their subsidiary's involvement in the design and construction of a solar power park in Romania. In December 2025, the Commission launched an in-depth probe into Nuktec, alleging that Chinese security equipment firm used state subsidies to gain unfair advantages in airport and port screening contracts across Europe. China's Chamber of Commerce to the EU has responded, expressing strong concern and firm opposition to the investigation. Next, more news from inside China for zooming in on the southwestern China Sichuan province. Police have arrested a former investigative reporter and content creator after they posted a report exposing the corruption of local officials. According to police, they're suspected of defamation and illegal business operations. These charges are often used by Chinese authorities to target dissidents. The international NGO Reporters Without Borders says China jailed more journalists than any other country, with a total of 121 in 2025. Switching over to Shanghai, Zhang Xiaoqiu has been demanding justice for her late mother-in-law for almost a decade. Nine years ago, Zhang's mother-in-law, who was over 90 years old, died mysteriously while under house arrest at a government facility. To this day, her family has not been allowed to see her body, despite repeated requests. Around 2005, authorities forcibly demolished Zhang's mother-in-law's house and built a hotel on the land, reportedly earning substantial profit. According to Zhang, her mother-in-law has been under house arrest by local authorities for more than 12 years before her death. Zhang says she will continue to fight for justice. Turning now to another case in China, a citizen's whereabouts were finally confirmed to his family and friends on Sunday after four years in prison. He's from central China's Hunan province and was sentenced in 2022 to seven and a half years. The sentence came after he founded a pro-democracy group and called on the Chinese people to oppose the one-party system. He's reportedly being detained in a prison in Sichuan province. China is under scrutiny over contaminated baby food. A global infant formula, Recall, has traced its source to a biotech company in Wuhan, China. NTD's Dana Monaghan has more on the case and new steps to address it. Three major dairy groups, Nestle, Lactalis, and Danone, pulled baby formula products over concerns about cerealide, a toxin made by a food poisoning bacteria. The French agriculture ministry said a Chinese company, Cabio Biotech, was the producer of arachidonic acid or ara oil at the source of the contamination, according to a Reuters report. Nestle says it has recalled infant formula in nearly 60 countries, one of the largest recalls in its history. Brands affected include SMA, Beba, Nan, and Alfamino, with national alerts issued across Europe, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific region. Health officials say symptoms tied to the toxin can include vomiting, diarrhea, or unusual lethargy. Signs may appear within 30 minutes to six hours after exposure and typically resolve within 24 hours. Cabio Biotech is a major supplier to both international dairy companies and leading Chinese producers, highlighting the global reach of the supply chain. Europe is now tightening its response. The European Food Safety Authority has advised a new maximum threshold for the toxin cerealide in infant formula, proposing a limit of 0.014 micrograms per kilogram of body weight for infants. The agency says very young babies process substances differently and require added protection, with vomiting identified as the key short-term symptom used to set the guideline. Some French producers have already withdrawn additional products following the recommendation. Infant formula safety remains a sensitive issue in China after the 2008 melamine scandal, which affected an estimated 30 million children. Daniel Monaghan, NTD News. Coming up, reaching out to Chinese officials for talks at this particular time. Is it a waste of time or a one-time chance? Informer U.S. Defense Attaché in Beijing weighs in. The Thai military recovered evidence of transnational fraud from a Cambodian scam compound, including cases linked to Chinese nationals. More on that after the break here on China In Focus. Welcome back to China In Focus. I'm Tiffany Meyer, reaching out for talks. General David Stilwell believes it's a waste of time based on his experience as U.S. Defense Attaché in Beijing and as Assistant Secretary of State. But now, after Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping purged its highest-level military officials for the first time in decades, Stilwell says it might be different this time. We spoke with him for more. It would be, I'm not an advocate for reaching out for talks. I don't think talks accomplish what we think they would as they would with another ally per se, where you actually have quiet conversations and hear the other side out. My experience with the PRC is that never works. Talks are basically a waste of time, and they only play into the PRC's hands. You don't get anything out of it. They know what you're going to say already. I mean, they completely understand our position, and they're in no position to switch. But what would be interesting here would be some sort of a low-level outreach to the PLA just to see how they are. Are they rattled? Are they gearing up? But I mean, do they just outright ignore any requests for a conversation? This would be one time, you know, given all the turbulence, it might be worth quietly reaching out. Not publicly, quietly just going, hey, I don't know, you guys want to talk? They've been asking for talks. Generally speaking, the Trump 1.0, we did not fall into that trap, like I said, because they work against us for the most part. But this might be an opportunity to hear them out. And given, you know, all that's happening in the world right now, there is so much, right? There's a lot of focus on Iran, Greenland, Venezuela, still semi in the headlines. Panama also, that's still happening as well. There was recently Carney with Canada's visit there, and some deals that are maybe going through, maybe not, after President Trump put pressure. There's also the Chagos Islands, right, where it seems like that's also being perhaps withdrawn a bit again with President Trump's pressure. There is, though, as well in the Pacific, the Yap Islands, where China has been rebuilding a runway there. So there's so much to watch for. What are you watching for in this space? What should people focus on here? So what I'm watching is Beijing's response to Venezuela. And it's been fairly muted, but it also, they came out real strong about US poking around in Panama. You know, the Panama Canal Treaty in the handover says that we tell Panama, you will not allow a third country to own the canal, which they've done. So I don't know how they can be surprised that we're doing something about that. But look, if the national defense strategy and national security strategy focus on this hemisphere, I think that's where we should be paying attention as well. What's going on elsewhere? I mean, we know how the PRC works. What Marshall Islands, that Chinese couple tried to like buy an island and split it off. It's happening everywhere. So I'm watching more of their reaction to Cuba. There's a strong relationship with the PRC and Cuba because of Cuba's location. Cuba is going to get its oil cut off here momentarily. China's sending rice to Cuba to keep them from starving. It's just interesting to see how the PRC reacts to these actions against their interests in our hemisphere. That's interesting. And then here's one separate, but still, hopefully, productive is there's more and more recognition of PRC manipulation of our academic system. Charles Lieber, the Dean of Chemistry from Harvard, arrested and tried and convicted for selling, actually, I think he was convicted for false statements, but basically selling US research on battery technology, taking money from the Defense Department, pocketing that, and then taking money from the PRC and selling research we funded to the PRC. And guess what? Now he is in China as a researcher there. So actually, as the contest between the US and China goes, I'm more worried about their activities, United Front activities in the United States, which are only increasing right now. As the tension rises, you're going to see more and more of this. And we should say something about it and shut it down where we can. The Thai military on Monday said it had recovered a trove of evidence of transnational fraud from a Cambodian scam compound. The compound had been seized during clashes last year between Thailand and Cambodia along their disputed border. Thailand's military said Monday that it had recovered evidence of transnational fraud from a Cambodian scam compound, The Osmak Complex, which is located along the disputed Cambodia-Thailand border, was seized by Thai forces during clashes last year between the two countries. Thai military officials said the complex had housed thousands of people, many of them victims of human trafficking who were forced to scam strangers or face punishment. Osmak has previously been named as a base for scam operations by the United States. In one of the buildings, documents containing apparent target lists, contact details and scripts for scam dialogues can be seen strewn everywhere. Rooms set up to imitate police officers from different countries, including China, Brazil and Australia, were also observed. Lieutenant General Tirana Nantakwang is the Director General of the Royal Thai Army's Directorate of Intelligence. He said there was evidence of a sophisticated system of operations at the scam centre, while other evidence found included SIM cards and fake materials used to convince victims. Tush Sokak, a spokesperson for Cambodia's Interior Ministry, told Reuters Thailand had used scam centres as a pretext for military attacks, adding that Cambodia was carrying out a crackdown on scams and had pledged to eradicate the illicit industry before April. During last year's clashes, the Thai military struck several casino complexes it alleged were scam compounds, saying they were also used to store weapons and launch attacks. That's all for today's China In Focus. I'm Tiffany Meyer. If you have any feedback on the show or have something you'd like to see us cover, send us an email at chinainfocusintd.com. We'd love to hear from you. For around the clock original news coverage, visit us at ntd.com or download our NTD app. Thanks for watching. See you tomorrow.