This is your US-China CyberPulse: Defense Updates podcast.

Listeners, it’s Ting here with another spicy CyberPulse update, and buckle up because the virtual chess match between the U.S. and China just upgraded its firewalls—and set off plenty of alarms.

So first, let’s talk tech tug-of-war. Just days ago, Beijing officially accused the U.S. National Security Agency of a sophisticated cyberattack targeting China’s national time system. Wildly enough, this echoes the global game of “spy vs. spy” that’s been intensifying since both sides rolled out more assertive cyber measures in 2025. National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross didn’t mince words, urging action to counter what he called China’s attempt to “export a surveillance state across planet Earth,” and he’s got Congress pushing bipartisan bills to shore up U.S. cyber defenses. Who says cyber isn’t patriotic?

If you thought that’s all, think again. Down at the United Nations on Saturday, the world’s first comprehensive cybercrime treaty got a boatload of signatures. Of course, it’s not all kumbaya—Russia and China pushed for this UN agreement largely because they don’t like the existing Budapest Convention that most Western countries use. The U.S. decided to sign anyway; apparently, it’s easier to fix a broken dinner party from inside than to shout from the window. But this treaty is a hot potato: leading tech firms like Microsoft have major beef with its vague language, worrying it could criminalize legitimate bug-hunting and even basic digital rights. Let’s just say nobody’s popping champagne—or Baijiu—yet.

Meanwhile, here at home, the Cyberspace Solarium Commission’s blueprint is still the backbone of U.S. cyber thinking, but a new report from the FDD highlights some very real potholes: weakened leadership at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, cuts to cyber diplomacy, and a lot of vacant seats where permanent, Senate-confirmed cyber chiefs should be sitting. We’re seeing new layered cyber deterrence, yes—think: coordinated botnet takedowns and deeper public-private partnerships—but also worrying cracks in interagency teamwork. The prescription: get that Senate moving, supercharge CISA, return investment to cyber-diplomacy, and—please—train more cyber pros. Think of it as mandatory two-factor authentication for D.C.

In private sector news, the DOJ’s new Bulk Data Transfer Rule means U.S. companies have to think twice before sharing sensitive info with “countries of concern”—yeah, China tops that list. This comes as another congressional wave pushes liability shields for private sector partners, aiming to spark more sharing of threat intelligence between industry and government. If you’re a cloud provider or data host, the compliance headache is real, but it’s all about keeping the gates locked, especially as China ramps up AI regulation and digital decoupling.

Oh, speaking of decoupling, remember Huawei? Despite the U.S. government’s years-long, Swiss cheese patchwork of bans and entity listings, their telecom empire is still growing like bamboo—over 3 billion people outside China live in countries with Huawei 5G infrastructure! U.S. export controls—especially the try at choking off Huawei’s access to Nvidia chips—backfired spectacularly: America’s own tech exports plummeted while Huawei just built its own, even more China-centric, alternatives. The moral for policy wonks: working with allies on export controls does more to deter China than going it alone. Try collective defense, not cyber island-hopping.

In short, it’s a mosaic of firewalls and friction: international treaties scrambling for consensus, private firms running interception drills, and Uncle Sam’s cyber bureaucracy stubbing its toes on its own shoelaces—but the underlying trend is clear. Defense is getting smarter, more international, and, frankly, still learning.

Thanks for tuning in—don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a byte. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

For more http://www.quietplease.ai


Get the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOta

This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI