This is your Tech Shield: US vs China Updates podcast. Hey listeners, Ting here, your go-to cyber sleuth with a front-row seat to the US-China tech tussle. Picture this: it's February 13, 2026, and the cyber battlefield's buzzing like a Beijing street market on steroids. I'm diving into Tech Shield updates from the past week—US defenses scrambling against Chinese threats, but with some eyebrow-raising detours. First off, the Trump admin just hit pause on key China tech curbs, according to Reuters sources. Bans on China Telecom's US ops, China Unicom and China Mobile's internet biz, TP-Link routers, and Chinese gear in US data centers? All mothballed ahead of Trump's April Beijing summit with Xi Jinping. Commerce Undersecretary Jeffrey Kessler reportedly dragged feet, shifting focus to Iran and Russia post-October trade truce. Critics like Matt Pottinger, ex-deputy NSA, are fuming: "We're handing Beijing leverage in telecoms, AI data centers, and EVs while rare-earth tensions simmer." David Feith warns of "Chinese digital sovereignty islands" in our AI backbone. Witty move, right? Trade peace over cyber armor—classic Washington tango. Meanwhile, China's flexing with its amended Cybersecurity Law, effective January 1 per Greenberg Traurig analysis. Fines jacked up—no more warnings first; straight penalties from 10K to 2 million RMB for data leaks or critical infra hits. Now they can chase foreign orgs anywhere jeopardizing "cybersecurity," including data hoards outside China. AI gets a glow-up too: state backing for algorithms, data centers, ethics regs. Multinationals, polish those compliance boots—CAC's got teeth. Threats? Google Threat Intelligence drops a bomb: China-nexus UNC3236 (Volt Typhoon) probing US defense logins with ARCMAZE stealth, UNC6508 hitting research labs via REDCap exploits for INFINITERED malware. Palo Alto's Unit 42 exposed "Shadow Campaigns" by TGR-STA-1030—Asia-based state-aligned spies breaching 37 countries' govs and infra. Draft linked 'em to Beijing, but execs softened it, fearing retaliation after China's ban on Palo Alto software, Reuters reveals. SentinelOne's Tom Hegel calls it classic Chinese global espionage. US ripostes: CISA mandates federal patches for exploited SolarWinds, Microsoft, Apple bugs today, per The Record. They updated Brickstorm malware guidance—new .NET variant; block rogue DNS over HTTPS, least-privilege service accounts. EPA bolstering water system defenses. US-China Economic Security Review Commission hearing looms March 2 in DC. Effectiveness? Patches and advisories are solid bandages, but pausing bans leaves gaping holes—data centers exploding 120% by 2030, per JLL. Gaps scream: no new vuln patches named beyond CISA's orders, industry's tiptoeing like Palo Alto. Emerging tech? AI defenses lag; China's CSL pushes theirs while we play nice. NATO's deputy sec-gen urges costing Russia-China hybrid hits, but US solo? We're reactive hackers in a proactive spy war. Stay vigilant, listeners—cyber's no game. Thanks for tuning in; subscribe for more edge-of-your-seat intel! This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.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