The US attack on Venezuela will embolden China to strengthen its territorial claims over areas such as Taiwan and parts of the South China Sea but will not hasten any potential invasion of Taiwan, analysts said. Chinese President Xi Jinping’s considerations about Taiwan and his timeline are separate from the situation in Latin America, influenced […]
Read MoreUS military strikes hit Venezuela’s capital before dawn on Saturday, shaking Caracas as US President Donald Trump reported that Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife were captured and flown out of the country by US forces. The attack followed months of US sabre rattling and Chinese warnings over growing US military and economic pressure […]
Read MoreBy Julian Ryall An editorial in the Sankei Shimbun has reopened a long-taboo debate in Japan over whether the country should even discuss acquiring nuclear weapons, after off-the-record remarks by a senior security official arguing the country should have them sparked domestic and regional backlash. The conservative daily argued that growing threats from Japan’s neighbours […]
Read MoreBy Liu Zhen China’s first fixed-wing carrier-based early-warning aircraft may have sacrificed aerial refuelling to be able to operate from both ski-jump and catapult-equipped vessels, according to a Chinese military magazine. The KJ-600 airborne early warning and control aircraft was designed for catapult-launched operations and made its debut at the Victory Day parade in early […]
Read MoreBy William Zheng Beijing has condemned Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te’s New Year’s Day speech – including his vow to boost the island’s defences – as full of “lies, falsehoods, hostility and malice” and an attempt to “mislead the Taiwanese people and international public opinion”. Chen Binhua, spokesman for Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO), said […]
Read MoreBy Orange Wang With less than a week to go until a presidential summit, China’s top diplomat has used talks with his South Korean counterpart to reassert Beijing’s stand on Taiwan and take aim at Tokyo. In a phone call with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on Wednesday, China’s Wang Yi raised the spectre […]
Read MoreBy Park Chan-kyong A multibillion-dollar contract signed by Seoul this week to supply arms to Poland has underscored the strength of South Korea’s defence industry. Observers, however, warn that a growing global trend involving bloc-based arms trade could cast a shadow over the country’s future as a major weapons exporter. The consortium of Hanwha Aerospace […]
Read MoreBy Vanessa Cai in Shanghai and Meredith Chen in Hong Kong Tensions over the Taiwan Strait are likely to persist in 2026, but analysts expect Washington and Beijing to manage risks to ensure that reciprocal state visits planned for the new year are not derailed. Beijing launched massive live-fire drills around Taiwan on Monday and […]
Read MoreBy Khushboo Razdan in Washington US President Donald Trump on Monday described Beijing’s large-scale military exercises around Taiwan as routine activities that have occurred “for 20-25 years”, expressing no concern over the escalation and instead citing his personal rapport with Chinese President Xi Jinping. “I have a great relationship with President Xi, and he hasn’t […]
Read MoreBy Fan ChenandAlyssa Chen South Korean President Lee Jae-myung will make a state visit to China next week as the two countries try to find a way through their intense economic rivalry to improve ties. The trip will make Lee the first sitting South Korean president to travel to China since 2019, and will include […]
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