Remember “no blood for oil”? Decades ago, the slogan emblematized opposition to the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Its logic subsequently shifted as the United States experienced a gas and oil revolution thanks to fracking.
It has cycled back into relevance following the Trump administration’s invasion of Venezuela and the seizure of its oil, which, despite its carnivalesque tone, left at least 80 people dead. The Iran war has now ...
Category: Military
China’s Foreign Policy Faces a Dual Test as It Challenges U.S. Power and Manages Turbulence at Home
By Lukas Fiala Earlier this week, I was asked to reflect on the main drivers of Chinese foreign policy in the coming months and into next year, in the context of the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine.
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
China Warns U.S. Against Building Ammunition Facility in Philippines
China warned the United States on Thursday against bringing "conflict and the chaos of war" to the Asia-Pacific, after Washington and its allies said they would weigh building a weapons base in the Philippines. A U.S.-led intergovernmental defence group agreed last ...
Every Missile Fired Over Iran Burns Through U.S. Tungsten Stocks
By Andy Home The U.S. and Israel have used thousands of munitions in their air campaign against Iran. Most, if not all of them, contain tungsten - a super-hard metal that allows missiles to penetrate armour or ...
China Calls Killing of Iran’s Larijani, Leaders ‘Unacceptable’
China condemned on Thursday the killing of Iranian national security chief Ali Larijani by an Israeli air strike, calling it "unacceptable". Beijing is a partner of Iran but has also criticised Tehran's strikes against Gulf states housing U.S. military bases.
Philippines Rejects Beijing’s Claim to Sovereignty Over Entire South China Sea
The Philippines said on Monday it rejected Beijing's assertion of sovereignty over the entire South China Sea, disputing a claim by China's embassy that a Filipino diplomat had once conceded the disputed Scarborough Shoal was not part of Philippine territory. ...
Australia Complains to China After Encounter Between Military Helicopters
Australia has raised concerns with China following an "unsafe and unprofessional" encounter between two military helicopters, the defence department said on Friday. An Australian military helicopter was flying over international waters in the Yellow Sea when it was intercepted by a Chinese helicopter ...
Some Wealthy Asians Look to Move Dubai Assets Closer to Home on Iran War Fears
By Xinghui Kok, Rae Wee and Yantoultra Ngui Soon after the first Iranian missile and drone attacks on Dubai last week, two Indian entrepreneurs based there tried to move more than $100,000 each from their local bank accounts to Singapore ...
China Boosts Defence Spending 7% in Drive to Modernise by 2035
China will boost defence spending by 7% in 2026, it said on Thursday, the lowest rate in five years but still outpacing wider economic growth targets and the rest of Asia at a time of growing regional tension, including over Taiwan. ...
Attack on Iran Could Buoy Trump in Talks With China’s Xi
By Michael Martina, Mei Mei Chu and Trevor Hunnicutt The U.S. military campaign against Iran has put Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the back foot ahead of an expected summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, who ...
With Pakistan and Afghanistan at War, China Confronts a Strategic Moment on Its Frontier
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif declared "open war" against Afghanistan on Friday amid a surge of fighting between the two South Asian neighbors. Pakistan said it's retaliating against Afghanistan for a series of attacks, including a suicide bombing in early February that killed ...
China Highlights Tracking of U.S. Military Movements Near Iran
People’s Liberation Army-linked analysts and social media accounts have publicized satellite imagery and flight-tracking data purporting to show U.S. military aircraft and naval movements near Iran, raising questions about whether Beijing is signaling its intelligence reach. The reports, amplified by Chinese commentators ...
Chinese Commentator’s Defense of Missile Sale to Iran on Russian TV Lends Credence to Report
While the Chinese government has not officially commented on the reported sale of supersonic anti-ship missiles to Iran, one of China's most outspoken media provocateurs appeared on Russian state television on Tuesday to defend the move. Victor Gao, vice president of ...
China Close to Deal Selling Supersonic Anti-Ship Missiles to Iran
After two years of negotiations, Iran is close to finalizing a deal with China to buy supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles, according to Reuters. Reuters cited six sources who confirmed that Iran is poised to acquire Chinese-made CM-302 missiles, nicknamed "Carrier-Killers," that are ...