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Taiwan’s Latest Military Drill Highlights a More Dangerous Status Quo
Taiwan’s armed forces will begin a five-day combat readiness exercise this week, marking another step in the island’s effort to reshape its military planning around a stark strategic reality: any future conflict with China may arrive with little warning. The…
Xi’s North Korea Visit Tests China’s Control Over a Nuclear Ally Moving Closer to Russia
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s arrival in Pyongyang for talks with Kim Jong Un marks more than a symbolic revival of China-North Korea ties. It is also a test of Beijing’s ability to manage a nuclear-armed neighbour that has gained new…
China Opens New Maritime Pressure Point East of Taiwan
China has opened a new point of maritime pressure east of Taiwan after launching what Beijing described as a special maritime law-enforcement operation in response to planned boundary talks between Japan and the Philippines. The operation, announced through Chinese state…
Taipei and Beijing Test Boundaries Again at Pratas as South China Sea Tensions Deepen
A fresh confrontation between Taiwanese and Chinese coast guard vessels near the Pratas Islands has underscored how the South China Sea is becoming an increasingly important theatre in the broader contest between Taipei and Beijing. What might once have been dismissed…
China’s desert missile build-up raises new questions for Europe’s Indo-Pacific posture
China’s rapid expansion of military infrastructure around its nuclear missile fields is no longer only a question for Washington. It is becoming part of the wider strategic calculation for Europe, whose security now depends on how far the United States…
Taiwan Strait pressure tests US resolve as China expands military activity around island
China’s sustained military operations around Taiwan are increasing pressure on Taipei, raising questions over US deterrence and exposing the strategic importance of the island’s semiconductor industry. China’s military activity around Taiwan has entered a more sustained and politically sensitive phase,…
Taiwan Scrambles Jets as Chinese Forces Circle Island Again
China intensified military pressure on Taiwan for the second time in less than a week on Monday, dispatching fighter aircraft, drones and naval vessels around the island in what Taipei described as a coordinated “combat readiness patrol”, underlining the increasingly…
Tokyo Clearly Understands the Taiwan Threat Better Than Donald Trump Does
For decades, Japan’s post-war military posture was defined by restraint, caution and constitutional ambiguity. Yet in the increasingly dangerous waters of the western Pacific, a new realism is taking hold in Tokyo — and not a moment too soon. This…
US Sanctions Chinese Satellite Firms Over Alleged Support for Iran Strikes
Washington has targeted three Chinese commercial satellite companies and an Iranian defence export body, alleging that satellite imagery helped Tehran conduct strikes against US forces in the Middle East. The United States has imposed sanctions on three Chinese commercial satellite…
Taiwan Defence Budget Delay Raises Capability Gap Concerns
Taiwan’s parliament has approved a reduced supplementary defence package, prompting concern in Washington and warnings in Taipei that delays to domestic drone, missile and air defence projects could weaken deterrence against China. Taiwan’s delayed supplementary defence budget has exposed a…