In terms of geopolitical optics, this week was nothing short of a banquet. It served up at least two sets of images that seem to crystallize our historical moment and that will live on in the Wikipedia of history as shorthand for where the world was in 2025.
One is the waves of uncannily synchronized soldiers and a bewildering array of high-tech weaponry gliding down Beijing’s Chang’an Avenue. The ...
Category: Security
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, ...
China Defense Minister Slams ‘Hegemonic Logic’ at Beijing Forum
By Ludovic Ehret Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun denounced "hegemonic logic and acts of bullying" during remarks Thursday at a Beijing forum that were full of thinly veiled references to the United States. Organisers say ...
Australia, Papua New Guinea Delay Mutual Defense Treaty
Australia and Papua New Guinea will not sign a long-awaited mutual defense treaty as expected on Wednesday, the two countries said. The deal was set to see the two nations commit to defending each other from armed attacks as they face ...
Papua New Guinea, Australia Will Commit to Mutual Defense to Counter “Emerging Threats”
A new defense treaty between Australia and Papua New Guinea commits to defending each other if they are attacked in the face of "emerging threats", a copy of the deal seen by AFP on Tuesday showed. The pact -- seen as ...
Australia to Spend $8 Billion on Nuclear Sub Shipyard Facility
Australia will spend an initial $8 billion to upgrade shipyard facilities for a future fleet of nuclear-powered submarines, the government said Sunday. The investment is to be spent over a decade to transform a shipbuilding and maintenance precinct in Perth, Western ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Chinese Firms Pay Price of Jihadist Strikes Against Mali Junta
Jihadists allied to Al-Qaeda have launched a blitz of raids on Malian industrial sites run by foreign firms, especially Chinese, as a tactic to undermine the ruling junta. While present across wider west Africa, the powerful Group for the Support of ...
Xi Pushes for Security Boost in Pakistan
Chinese President Xi Jinping increased pressure on Pakistan to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel working in the country during a meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit. Chinese work teams ...
German Foreign Minister Says China’s ‘Assertiveness’ Threatens European Interests
China's assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea and tensions in the Taiwan Strait threaten international security and European interests, Germany's foreign minister said on Wednesday. "What happens here in the Indo-Pacific has a direct impact on European security and vice ...
China Slams Germany for ‘Hyping’ Regional Tensions in Asia
China lashed out at Germany on Monday, warning Berlin against "inciting confrontation and hyping up tensions" after its foreign minister said Beijing was "increasingly aggressive" in the Asia-Pacific region. During a visit to Japan, Johann Wadephul said China had made repeated ...
Australia Moves to Counter China With Vanuatu Security Pact
Australia on Wednesday hailed a breakthrough in efforts to sign a security agreement with Vanuatu, a deal that could dilute China's influence in the Pacific island nation. A delegation of Australian ministers ironed out the deal during negotiations on the slopes ...
Philippines’ Marcos Strikes Defense Deals in India
The Philippines and India signed a raft of security deals Tuesday aimed at strengthening strategic ties between the nations as they navigate tensions with China across the Asia-Pacific. President Ferdinand Marcos, on a five-day visit to India, was accorded a red carpet ...
Australian Police Charge Chinese National With ‘Foreign Interference’
Australian police said Monday they had charged a Chinese national with "reckless foreign interference", accusing the woman of spying on a local Buddhist group for Beijing. Assistant police commissioner Stephen Nutt said the woman had been covertly gathering information on the ...