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Could Russia Join a Chinese Invasion of Taiwan?
Russia and China are drawing ever closer in ways that should send shivers through Western capitals. Leaked documents, recently verified by defence analysts, reveal Moscow is supplying Beijing with advanced airborne assault equipment and training. This is not simply an…
Trump says US seeking to regain control of Afghanistan’s Bagram airbase
U.S. President Donald Trump has said his administration is seeking to re-establish control over Bagram airbase in Afghanistan, four years after American forces vacated the facility during the 2021 withdrawal. Speaking alongside UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on 18 September,…
Trump withholds Taiwan security aid as White House pursues talks with Beijing
President Donald Trump declined to approve a US$400 million–plus military aid package for Taiwan over the summer, as his administration seeks a trade agreement and a possible autumn summit with China’s leader, Xi Jinping, according to multiple reports. The move…
Chinese and Philippine vessels collide near Scarborough Shoal as Beijing cites ‘control measures’
China and the Philippines have reported a collision between their vessels near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, with Beijing accusing a Philippine ship of “deliberately” ramming a China Coast Guard craft and Manila flatly denying the claim. China…
Beijing’s Parade of Power: A New Axis of Evil Emerges
Tomorrow, Beijing will not so much commemorate history as parade its ambitions for the future. Xi Jinping has ordered the largest military spectacle in China’s modern history, ostensibly to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan’s defeat in the Second World…
Putin and Xi’s Authoritarian Club is No Joke
Vladimir Putin arrived in Tianjin this weekend like a man determined to prove he still matters. At the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, hosted by China and hailed by state media as a “historic moment”, the Russian president clasped hands…
Beijing’s 3 September parade to bring together Putin, Kim and a small group of other foreign leaders
China will stage a large military parade in Beijing on 3 September to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan’s formal surrender in the Second World War. The event, centred on Tiananmen Square, will be led by President Xi Jinping and…
China and Russia Join Forces in Pacific Drills, Sparking Alarm in Canberra
China and Russia have concluded a five-day series of joint naval patrols in the waters off Vladivostok, deepening military cooperation between the two authoritarian powers and delivering what many in the West see as a provocative signal of growing strategic…
Lights Out Over the Strait: Taiwan, Blockade, and a Conflict That Could Reshape the Pacific
This week the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) released Lights Out? Wargaming a Chinese Blockade of Taiwan, a detailed simulation-driven enquiry by Mark F. Cancian, Matthew F. Cancian and Eric Heginbotham. Over the course of 26 separate wargames, Beijing…
Spy Scandal in Kyiv Deepens Tensions Between Ukraine and China
A recent espionage incident involving Chinese nationals detained in Kyiv has reignited scrutiny over China’s intelligence activities in Ukraine and its broader geopolitical ambitions. On 9 July 2025, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) apprehended two Chinese citizens allegedly attempting to smuggle…