Category: Politics

On Wednesday, China announced a 7.2% increase in its 2025 national defense and military budget, bringing total military spending to $249 billion. This marks the 10th consecutive year of single-digit growth in defense expenditure, a pattern Beijing maintains is measured ...

U.S. President Donald Trump's decision this week to pause military funding for Ukraine and to align his government with Russia further widens the cleavage between the United States and Europe — effectively breaking what has long been known as "the West." ...

By Isabel Kua and Peter Catterall China's largest political event of the year begins in Beijing on Tuesday, as U.S. tariffs cast a cloud over closed-door meetings involving thousands of delegates from across the country. ...

The Cook Islands prime minister survived a no-confidence vote on Wednesday, blaming "misinformation" from former colonial ruler New Zealand for destabilizing his Pacific country. The parliament voted 13-to-9 against the motion of no-confidence in Prime Minister Mark Brown's government, sparked by ...

China recently appointed Colonel-Major Chen Xuming as its first-ever defense attaché to Niger. In the wake of the expulsion of French and U.S. forces from large parts of the Sahel, this could signal an interest in heightening the security aspect of China’s regional engagement.

The U.S.-China relationship is at a critical inflection point as Donald Trump tries to reset ties with his counterpart Xi Jinping. The U.S. President has repeatedly said he wants to negotiate a comprehensive trade agreement that would, in his view, lead ...

China is boldly staking its claim as a trustworthy and reliable friend to Latin America. “China will always be Latin America's 'trustworthy' friend and partner,” declared Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to his Bolivian counterpart, signaling Beijing’s intent to deepen ...

Singapore’s defense chief, Ng Eng Hen, highlighted Asia’s shifting view of the U.S. during a roundtable at the Munich Security Conference. Eng Hen said that once seen as a force of “moral legitimacy” following World War II, Asia now views the ...

There is mounting evidence that indicates the United States government may force South Africa to make a once-unthinkable choice: it's either the U.S. or China, but it can't be both. The president addressed the issue this week and said, "the South Africa ...

By Lukas Fiala With Panama’s proclaimed exit from the BRI and the likelihood of hardline ambassadorial appointments to BRICS countries such as South Africa, we’ve been thinking about Washington’s ability to make countries choose sides between China and the U.S..

Australia said Thursday that a Chinese fighter jet dropped flares near an Australian Air Force plane patrolling the South China Sea, accusing Beijing of "unsafe" military conduct. Beijing swiftly hit back, accusing the Australian plane of "violating Chinese sovereignty and endangering Chinese ...

New Zealand said Friday it had been "blindsided" by the Cook Islands' plans to sign a major agreement with China and issue its own passports. Foreign Minister Winston Peters said he had not been consulted on the moves by the Cook ...