Category: Military

WEEK IN REVIEW: India–China Flights Ramp Up After Curbs Lifted

The UK will take targeted action against Chinese and Indian firms facilitating Russian oil access to the international market, Finance Minister Rachel Reeves said on Wednesday. London imposed sanctions on Russia’s biggest oil producers and two Chinese energy firms that buy Russian oil. These are the first such ...

Indonesia Confirmed 42 Chinese J-10C Jets Buy in $9 Billion Deal

Indonesia buys 42 J-10C “Vigorous Dragon” fighter jets from China. “They will be flying over Jakarta soon,” Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin said Wednesday, October 15, 2025, confirming the long-rumored purchase at the ministry’s headquarters in central Jakarta. Sjafrie did not ...

Malaysia Raises 2026 Defense Budget, South China Sea Priority

Malaysia raises 2026 defense budget and will spend $5.15 billion in 2026, linking the buildup to South China Sea operations, officials said Saturday. “This is particularly important as we face various challenges, including those in the South China Sea,” Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin said on ...

Japan, Philippines Inaugural Joint Exercises Begin as China Announces Plans for South China Sea Drills

Japan and the Philippines kicked off a five-day joint air force exercise this week on the central island of Cebu, marking the first time the two militaries have trained together since a Reciprocal Access Agreement was signed last year. The drills, known ...

India and Pakistan Are Still Arguing Over How Many Chinese Fighter Jets Were Shot Down in Last May’s War

More than five months after India and Pakistan engaged in a brief military conflict in early May, the two countries are still squabbling over how many of each other's fighter jets they shot down. The issue resurfaced last week when a ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

How to Lure Chinese Financing Back to the Global South: Report

Global South countries face increasing financing pressure, endangering their ability to keep developing while also implementing measures to deal with a growing climate crisis. The disruption of global trade is coupled with a larger megatrend: flows of international capital to the developing world have turned negative. This means that countries are now routinely paying more to service loans than they receive in disbursements.

The vast majority of Global South borrowers ...

China-Built Frigate for Cambodia Clears Trials; Second Ship at 50%

One of two China-built frigates for Cambodia has completed assembly and passed technical trials, with a second vessel halfway built, former Cambodia defense minister Tea Banh said in a Facebook post dated Oct. 3. Tea Banh said the frigate is ...

China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan Reject U.S. Bagram Airbase Return

China, Russia, Iran, and Pakistan jointly opposed any move for the U.S. military to regain a presence at Afghanistan’s Bagram airbase, China’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said China’s Afghanistan envoy, Yue Xiaoyong, met counterparts from ...

WEEK IN REVIEW: African Exporters Lobby U.S., While Eyeing Chinese Alternatives

Reuters reports that African exporters have embarked on a final effort to save the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a trade pact that gives the continent duty-free access to the U.S. market. The act will expire at the end of the month. Delegations from five African manufacturing ...

Thailand, China Seal Amended Submarine Deal, 2028 Delivery

China’s state shipbuilder CSOC and the Royal Thai Navy signed an amended contract in Beijing to restart Thailand’s long-delayed S26T submarine program. The deal replaces the originally specified German engine with a Chinese diesel and sets delivery for the end ...

China’s Defense Minister Lays Out Security Priorities

China’s Defense Minister Dong Jun laid out the country’s defense priorities in his opening speech at the Beijing Xiangshan Forum. About 1,800 representatives from more than 100 countries attended the annual defense gathering. Dong met with defense heads from Malaysia, Cambodia, ...

Cambodia Deepens China Defense Ties at Xiangshan Forum

Cambodia deepened defense ties with China and opened talks with regional counterparts at the Xiangshan Forum in Beijing, China. Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Tea Seiha addressed the conference and held a meeting with China’s defense minister. Seiha ...

Pakistani President Becomes First Foreign Leader to Visit Chinese Weapons Factory

Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari visited China’s largest manufacturer of military aircraft on Sunday, becoming the first foreign state leader to do so. He toured the assembly line of Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the maker of the J-10C fighter jet.
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