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Chinese Defense Minister Calls for Closer Cooperation with South Africa

Dong Jun, China’s Minister of Defense, called for closer military cooperation with South Africa following a meeting with General Rudzani Maphwanya, chief of the South African National Defence Force, in Beijing on Tuesday. Dong said Beijing is ready to work with Pretoria against outside “bullying and hegemony.”

Philippine Defense Chief in Testy Exchange at Shangri-La Dialogue

Gilberto Teodoro, the Defense Secretary of the Philippines, got into a tense back-and-forth with Chinese officials at the Shangri-La Dialogue on Sunday. During a plenary session, two People’s Liberation Army officers asked him if Manila would adopt a friendlier attitude to China or serve as a U.S. ...

U.S.-China Tensions Rise at Defense Dialogue

Global tensions ticked up this weekend as U.S. Secretary of State Pete Hegseth said China wants to “fundamentally alter” security relations in the Asia-Pacific region. Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday, Hegseth said possible Chinese action on Taiwan is “real and could be imminent.”

Pentagon Chief Warns China ‘Preparing’ to Use Military Force in Asia

By Ty McCormick U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth warned Saturday that China was "credibly preparing" to use military force to upend the balance of power in Asia, vowing the United States was "here to stay" in the Indo-Pacific region.

Macron Urges Asia, Europe to Unite to Resist ‘Spheres of Coercion’

By Damon Wake and Francesco Fontemaggi French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday urged Europe and Asia to build a new alliance to hold off big powers seeking to build "spheres of coercion", in a swipe at China and Russia.

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

The G20 Summit and the Half-Life of a Joke

When it was announced in 2023 that the African Union would become a full member of the G20, I darkly joked on a podcast that the AU’s entry into the body could very well mark the moment the G20 lost its status as one of the most important global coordination forums. Mark my words, I said, soon The Economist will be like “Uhhh, the G20 is OVER – it’s the ...

No Top Defense Officials in China Delegation at Key Summit

No top Chinese defense officials will attend a key regional summit in Singapore this week, Beijing said Thursday, despite ongoing tensions with the United States. The Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's top international defense forum, kicks off in the city-state on Friday.

Chinese Colonel Confronts U.S. Defense Secretary About Whether Washington Plans to Build a “NATO-like Alliance” in Asia

Chinese concerns about the U.S.' vast alliance network in the Asia-Pacific region were on full display at this weekend's Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. Chinese military officers at the event appeared convinced that the United States plans to establish a "NATO-like ...

U.S., Chinese Defense Chiefs Meet in Singapore

By Jing Xuan Teng and Martin Abbugao The U.S. and Chinese defense chiefs held rare direct talks in Singapore on Friday, offering hopes for more military dialogue that could help prevent disputes over Taiwan and other flashpoint issues from spinning out ...