Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi has urged Japan to more openly debate nuclear weapons' role in the country's defense, a rare instance of a sitting Cabinet member broaching the highly contentious issue.

Important changes to the CMC: 1) Zhang Shuguang (张曙光), promoted to General, and takes over as head of CMC Discipline Inspection Commission and director of the CMC’s supervision committee, replacing Zhang Shengmin. 2) Wang Gang (王刚) promoted to General, and new Commander of the PLA Air Force. That means Zhang Shengmin will retire soon and Zhang Shuguang will likely become new Vice Chair of CMC. Wang will likely be part of new CMC lineup in 2027. Other recent developments, Defence Minister Dong Jun and General Han Shengyan, commander of the Central Theatre Command, were pictured on Monday seated next to each other at a gala marking the 105th anniversary of the Communist Party’s founding. It was the first time they had been pictured alongside other senior PLA commanders. This could be an indication that both Dong and Han may be on track to become CMC members as well. If I were to guess, new CMC leadership could include Zhang, Wang, Dong, Han, and Yang Zhibin, who was appointed commander of the Eastern Theatre Command in December.

Editorial from Global Times today on China's nuclear submarine - take it for what you will "The Stronger China's Strategic Nuclear Forces, the More Secure Regional Peace Will Be" Editor's Note: As China continues to strengthen its strategic deterrence system—including its "nuclear triad"—it will fundamentally break the dangerous logic that "whoever holds absolute military superiority can pressure others at will." As for those voices with ulterior motives, or those with guilty consciences, whether they feel nervous or afraid, this is something they will sooner or later have to accept and get used to. China's nuclear capability development has once again reached a milestone moment. On July 6, a People's Liberation Army Navy strategic nuclear submarine successfully launched a submarine-launched strategic missile carrying a training simulation warhead toward relevant high seas waters in the Pacific Ocean, accurately landing in the designated area. The last such launch took place in 2024, when China conducted a land-based intercontinental ballistic missile test launch in relevant high seas waters of the Pacific. Two years later, the new-type submarine-launched strategic missile test proceeded smoothly as planned, marking a significant enhancement in the overall deterrent effectiveness of China's "nuclear triad" strategic forces. This not only demonstrates to the outside world that China has both the resolve and the capability to firmly safeguard national sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity, but also provides a strong guarantee for peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. Regarding the specific model of the submarine-launched strategic missile tested—a subject of great external interest—analysts widely believe it is highly likely to be the JL-3. This missile has a range exceeding 10,000 kilometers and was officially unveiled at the 2025 military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory in the War of Resistance. This successful test comprehensively verified the operational reliability of the entire weapons system, demonstrating extremely strong strategic deterrent capability. In international military activities—particularly in the field of strategic weapons testing—giving advance notification of launch plans to relevant countries is an important measure for maintaining peace and stability in the international situation. During the Cold War, the US and USSR conducted thousands of missile weapons tests, but rarely gave advance notice. Since the end of the Cold War, notifications by some countries—even nuclear powers—have remained confined to bilateral notification mechanisms. International law does not even stipulate a dedicated diplomatic notification obligation. However, according to foreign media reports, relevant countries received a public maritime advance warning from China a full day ahead, as well as diplomatic notification before the launch on the 6th—a goodwill gesture by China aimed at proactively reducing the risk of misjudgment. China's approach in this regard is open, reasonable, and lawful, fully demonstrating the sense of responsibility befitting a major power. Strategic nuclear capability is one of the areas that best embodies the principle of "using force to deter war." As is widely known, submarine-launched strategic missiles are a critical component of the strategic nuclear deterrence system and are recognized as a key force for second-strike nuclear capability. This is because sea-based nuclear forces possess strong survivability, ensuring that no country can completely destroy another nation's nuclear forces through a first strike. As the only one of the five nuclear weapons states to have pledged no first use of nuclear weapons, China's strengthening second-strike capability means a greater role in "using nuclear weapons to deter the use of nuclear weapons"—this is the fundamental path to breaking the nuclear deterrence and nuclear blackmail of certain countries, and a crucial element in preventing nuclear war. Beneath the surface of the Asia-Pacific's sustained rapid growth in recent years, various undercurrents are stirring. In the Taiwan Strait, external forces are colluding with "Taiwan independence" forces, increasing the risk of regional war. In the South China Sea, countries from outside the region regularly conduct reconnaissance and patrols, continually stirring up maritime disputes. The United States is also building various "minilateral" security mechanisms in the Asia-Pacific, attempting to create Cold War-style divisions, with small cliques like AUKUS further highlighting the risk of nuclear proliferation. In addition, Japan has completely abandoned its "exclusively defense-oriented" policy, with "new-style militarism" continuously growing and delusions of nuclear possession stirring. Some have never abandoned a "salami-slicing" style of risk-taking mentality, betting that China "wouldn't dare to actually act." The root of this mentality lies precisely in blind faith in and worship of America's strategic nuclear strike capability. China's continued strengthening of its strategic deterrence system—including its "nuclear triad"—will fundamentally break the dangerous logic that "whoever holds absolute military superiority can pressure others at will," causing forces outside the region and their regional dependents to abandon their scheme of forcing China to compromise through extreme military pressure and first-strike tactics, thereby reducing at the source the risk of large-scale conflict erupting in the Taiwan Strait, the East China Sea, the South China Sea, and elsewhere. We have noted that although China gave advance notification to relevant countries, there remain some discordant voices internationally—mainly from Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and some Western media. But for the most part, these are just grumblings from certain functional departments, and overall the volume seems to have decreased considerably compared to 2024. This, on one hand, shows that China's approach is beyond reproach, and on the other hand, demonstrates that China's peaceful practices in recent years have earned broad trust from the international community. China's display of nuclear capability is necessary yet restrained, and China consistently maintains its nuclear forces at the minimum level required for national security needs. China's nuclear policy has always maintained a high degree of stability, continuity, and predictability, which is conducive to safeguarding global strategic stability. As for those voices with ulterior motives, or even those with guilty consciences, whether they feel nervous or afraid, this is a situation they will sooner or later have to accept and get used to. History has already proven that the weaker and poorer China is, the more war-torn the Asia-Pacific becomes, while the stronger and more prosperous China grows, the more conducive it is to regional peace and prosperity. The successful test launch of this submarine-launched strategic missile is a powerful footnote to China's efforts to shore up its security bottom line and firmly walk the path of peaceful development amid a complex external environment. It sends a clear signal to the world: China has both the resolve and the capability to safeguard its core interests, while also being willing to contribute to strategic stability in the Asia-Pacific and the world at large through transparent, restrained, and responsible means.