https://www.scmp.com/rss/503018/feed Jack joined the Post in 2020 after studying journalism at the University of Hong Kong. Before that, he read law in London and Hong Kong, where he assisted with research in Chinese legal institutions and civil dispute resolution. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com In a remote village in the Himalayas, inside a border zone that has long been disputed by China and Bhutan, 18 new Chinese residents stood waiting to enter their newly built homes. Each carried a freshly framed portrait of China’s President Xi Jinping – large enough to leave only their heads and lower legs exposed – while behind them a bright red banner welcomed them in Chinese and Tibetan script. It was December 28 and they were the first batch of people – made up of 38 households from the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3251394/chinese-village-construction-disputed-zone-outpaces-china-bhutan-border-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3251394/chinese-village-construction-disputed-zone-outpaces-china-bhutan-border-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Feb 2024 15:00:14 +0000 A prominent Chinese rocket scientist will be expelled from China’s top advisory body after a meeting on Monday, a development that comes amid Beijing’s investigation into leaders of the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force on suspicion of corruption. Wang Xiaojun, who led the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, will be removed as a representative on the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), state broadcaster CCTV said without detailing why Wang was being... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3250256/china-expel-prominent-rocket-scientist-top-body-corruption-probe-keeps-sights-defence-aerospace?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3250256/china-expel-prominent-rocket-scientist-top-body-corruption-probe-keeps-sights-defence-aerospace?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Jan 2024 05:32:43 +0000 Chinese military enthusiasts are claiming a win for a Chinese-made fighter jet against a European counterpart in a military exercise between Pakistan and Qatar. The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) fielded its Chinese-made J-10CE jets against Qatar’s Eurofighter Typhoon fighters for the first time in the Zilzal-II air exercise, which got under way in Qatar on January 10. Chinese social media users saw the exercise as a test for the Chinese 4.5-generation fighter against a European-made jet of the same... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3250201/chinas-j-10ce-vs-eurofighter-typhoon-jets-face-pakistan-qatar-air-drills?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3250201/chinas-j-10ce-vs-eurofighter-typhoon-jets-face-pakistan-qatar-air-drills?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Jan 2024 16:05:15 +0000 China has hit out at Canada’s plan to stop funding sensitive research linked to certain Chinese, Russian and Iranian military and security institutions, saying it politicises and weaponises technological cooperation. “The relevant policy from Canada is short-sighted, unwise and harms another without benefiting itself,” Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters in Beijing on Wednesday. Ties between Canada and China have been strained in recent years, even after the saga ended... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3248809/china-takes-aim-canadas-move-block-chinese-russian-iranian-research-links?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3248809/china-takes-aim-canadas-move-block-chinese-russian-iranian-research-links?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Jan 2024 12:30:13 +0000 After a brief lull around the elections on the weekend, the People’s Liberation Army has resumed military activities around Taiwan – although not at higher levels. The PLA sent no planes near Taiwan as part of its regular activities around Taiwan on Saturday, when independence-leaning William Lai Ching-te won a three-way race for the island’s presidency. But by Tuesday, mainland Chinese military activities had returned to usual levels, with PLA planes making 15 trips near Taiwan in the 24 hours... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3248670/taiwan-election-wake-pla-resumes-regular-military-activities-near-island?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3248670/taiwan-election-wake-pla-resumes-regular-military-activities-near-island?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Jan 2024 12:49:51 +0000 China and the United States exchanged contrary views over Taiwan at a defence policy meeting that ended on Tuesday, days before the island’s voters select their next president and lawmakers. At the Defence Policy Coordination Talks in Washington, Chinese officials urged the US to stop arming Taiwan and oppose its independence, while Pentagon officials said Washington was committed to its one-China policy, which requires the US government to sell arms to Taipei for the island’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3247934/us-chinese-officials-remain-odds-over-taiwan-during-military-talks-days-ahead-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3247934/us-chinese-officials-remain-odds-over-taiwan-during-military-talks-days-ahead-election?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Jan 2024 08:36:11 +0000 As many as 19.3 million voters in Taiwan will elect a new president on January 13. Their vote will not only decide the self-ruled island’s policy with Beijing for years to come, but also geopolitics in the Asia-Pacific region and US-China relations. Washington views Taiwan as a bastion of democracy next to autocratic mainland China and a strategic foothold for a peaceful Asia-Pacific. Though, like most other countries, it does not see the island as an independent state. Beijing sees Taiwan as... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3247639/why-does-taiwan-matter-so-much-both-mainland-china-and-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3247639/why-does-taiwan-matter-so-much-both-mainland-china-and-us?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Jan 2024 08:00:09 +0000 As Taiwan’s general elections on January 13 draw near, the island’s defence ministry reported it had seen 17 balloons from mainland China cross the median line in the Taiwan Strait since the beginning of December. Since New Year’s Day, balloons have crossed the median line daily, with some floating above the island, according to the ministry. The data for Friday is not yet available. For decades, Beijing and Taipei tacitly agreed not to let military actions cross the median line, which separates... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3247474/taiwan-reports-17-airborne-balloons-approaching-mainland-china-run-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3247474/taiwan-reports-17-airborne-balloons-approaching-mainland-china-run-election?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jan 2024 13:47:02 +0000 China has offered its first official look at the advanced plane catapults on its latest aircraft carrier, featuring the vessel in the state broadcaster’s flagship nightly news programme on Tuesday. The CCTV evening newscast showed the Fujian, China’s first carrier to be fitted with electromagnetic catapults, pulled by three tugboats and with what appeared to be a J-15 fighter jet on its flight deck. It is the first time the Fujian has been shown in state media news since April, and was part of a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3247178/china-gives-first-official-look-fujian-aircraft-carriers-advanced-catapult-launch-system?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3247178/china-gives-first-official-look-fujian-aircraft-carriers-advanced-catapult-launch-system?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jan 2024 14:00:12 +0000 The threat posed by an advanced Taiwanese missile that could strike mainland China is limited, according to an article in a major Chinese military magazine. The weapon, an extended-range variant of the Hsiung Feng IIE missile, can strike eastern, southern and central mainland China. But an article in the late November issue of Ordinance Industry Science Technology said the weapon’s relatively large size, subsonic speed and lack of stealth technology made it vulnerable to detection. The land... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3246642/taiwans-mysterious-extended-range-missile-poses-limited-threat-chinese-mainland-military-article?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3246642/taiwans-mysterious-extended-range-missile-poses-limited-threat-chinese-mainland-military-article?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 Dec 2023 02:00:26 +0000 Military talks on Thursday between China and the United States – the highest level in more than a year – were a “good step” towards restoring strained ties, but it remained to be seen what concrete actions would follow, Chinese analysts said. “It was a significant step towards restoring relations between the two militaries,” said Wu Xinbo, director of the American Studies Centre at Fudan University in Shanghai. The discussions would not resolve “hardcore” geopolitical disagreements over Taiwan... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3246066/ice-breaking-direct-us-china-military-talks-good-step-serious-disputes-remain?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3246066/ice-breaking-direct-us-china-military-talks-good-step-serious-disputes-remain?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Dec 2023 14:05:07 +0000 Nato envoys on a recent visit to Japan and South Korea learned about ways to protect their technological edge from being blunted by China’s “classic hybrid playbook”, the US ambassador to the transatlantic security alliance said. Julianne Smith, the United States’ permanent Nato representative, said American and European ambassadors believed that China was using disinformation, cyberattacks, economic pressure and other means to try and undermine the technological advantage of countries including... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3245785/china-using-classic-hybrid-playbook-bid-blunt-nato-tech-edge-us-envoy-says-after-japan-south-korea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3245785/china-using-classic-hybrid-playbook-bid-blunt-nato-tech-edge-us-envoy-says-after-japan-south-korea?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Dec 2023 12:59:47 +0000 Philippine coastguards have escorted boats to the South China Sea to resupply its military base on the disputed Second Thomas Shoal seven times in the past four months. Each time, they have complained about China’s coastguards and maritime militia obstructing their journey to the disputed reef in the South China Sea or making dangerously close passes. On Sunday, a steel-hulled Chinese coastguard ship used its water cannon against a much smaller Philippine supply boat and eventually collided... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3245197/will-more-assertive-philippine-approach-south-china-sea-pay-long-run?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3245197/will-more-assertive-philippine-approach-south-china-sea-pay-long-run?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Dec 2023 10:00:23 +0000 The United States has sanctioned another two Chinese officials over alleged links to human rights abuses against Uygurs and other ethnic minorities in the far western region of Xinjiang. The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said on Friday that the sanctions applied to Gao Qi, a former police chief at the Ili Kazakh autonomous prefecture in northern Xinjiang, and Hu Lianhe, an official from the Communist Party’s United Front Work Department responsible for shaping... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3244558/xinjiang-us-adds-more-chinese-officials-and-companies-sanctions-list?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3244558/xinjiang-us-adds-more-chinese-officials-and-companies-sanctions-list?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Dec 2023 13:00:21 +0000 Chinese naval ships have arrived for a military exercise at a Cambodian naval port where the United States has previously expressed concern about the possible involvement of the People’s Liberation Army. It is the first time ships from a foreign navy are known to have used the new pier at Ream naval base, which Chinese companies helped build. The ships, including the Wenshan, a Type 056A corvette, were seen moored at the base on Sunday in photos posted on Facebook by General Tea Seiha, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3244083/chinese-warships-visit-controversial-cambodian-naval-base-joint-exercise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3244083/chinese-warships-visit-controversial-cambodian-naval-base-joint-exercise?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Dec 2023 10:59:40 +0000 The Chinese military described the United States as “the biggest threat to peace and stability” in the South China Sea after an American warship sailed close to a disputed reef on Monday. The People’s Liberation Army said a US ship had entered waters near the Second Thomas Shoal “illegally” and without its permission. It did not say which laws it thought were being breached. “The United States has deliberately disrupted the South China Sea, seriously violated China’s sovereignty and security,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3243709/chinas-military-says-us-combat-ship-illegally-entered-territorial-waters-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3243709/chinas-military-says-us-combat-ship-illegally-entered-territorial-waters-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Dec 2023 00:08:17 +0000 Even as China and the US race for supremacy in the military use of artificial intelligence, their presidents have recognised the need to “address the risk of advanced AI systems and improve AI safety”. Xi Jinping and Joe Biden, meeting for a rare summit in San Francisco last month, agreed to work together on regulating the military application of AI. However, there were no specifics, and differences remain between the rival powers. “I don’t know if they can go beyond what has already been agreed... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3243662/china-us-see-risks-ai-systems-can-bring-can-they-see-past-military-tech-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3243662/china-us-see-risks-ai-systems-can-bring-can-they-see-past-military-tech-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Dec 2023 04:02:08 +0000 China’s most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, has moved dozens of metres from its usual berthing place in what analysts say could be a sign the warship is moving towards a sea trial. The country’s third carrier moved around 27 metres (89 feet) from the quay in the Jiangnan shipyard in Shanghai on November 19, then returned to its normal position within two days, according to imagery from the Sentinel-2 satellite operated by the European Space Agency. Aircraft carriers are a part of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3242991/chinas-fujian-aircraft-carrier-spotted-new-position-bringing-it-step-closer-sea-trial-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3242991/chinas-fujian-aircraft-carrier-spotted-new-position-bringing-it-step-closer-sea-trial-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Nov 2023 12:29:31 +0000 China has agreed to address its ban on Japanese seafood, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said after talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in San Francisco. China banned all seafood imports from Japan in August after it began to release treated waste water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which was crippled by an earthquake and tsunami in 2011. Kishida said he discussed the waste water row with Xi when they met on Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific economic leaders’ summit. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3242023/china-open-expert-level-talks-seafood-ban-japanese-prime-minister-fumio-kishida-says-after-talks-xi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3242023/china-open-expert-level-talks-seafood-ban-japanese-prime-minister-fumio-kishida-says-after-talks-xi?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Nov 2023 12:00:26 +0000 President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr of the Philippines said he told Chinese leader Xi Jinping that disputes over the South China Sea should not define bilateral ties. “But nonetheless, the problems remain and it is something that we will need to continue to communicate to find ways to avoid such incidents,” Marcos told reporters following a meeting with Xi on the sidelines of the Apec summit in San Francisco. The two leaders met on Friday to seek ways to defuse tensions over territorial rights in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3242013/south-china-sea-disputes-should-not-define-ties-philippine-leader-marcos-tells-chinas-xi-apec?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3242013/south-china-sea-disputes-should-not-define-ties-philippine-leader-marcos-tells-chinas-xi-apec?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Nov 2023 11:42:57 +0000 Defence dialogues between Beijing and Washington have been restored following a rare meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Joe Biden near San Francisco on Wednesday. However, analysts were less optimistic that these lines of communication could resolve deep-seated disagreements between China and the US on security in the Asia-Pacific. Disagreements over Taiwan and US sanctions against Beijing’s former defence minister have suspended these lines of communication for... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3241980/xi-biden-talks-help-restore-us-china-defence-dialogues-analysts-say-security-disputes-wont-go-away?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3241980/xi-biden-talks-help-restore-us-china-defence-dialogues-analysts-say-security-disputes-wont-go-away?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Nov 2023 14:00:18 +0000 Chinese President Xi Jinping has told his US counterpart Joe Biden to stop arming Taiwan and denied Beijing has imminent plans for military aggression, in a candid exchange on the “most dangerous” issue in the bilateral relationship. During his four-hour meeting with Biden on Wednesday in California, Xi said Beijing’s preference was for peaceful reunification with Taiwan, but went on to talk about conditions in which force could be used, according to a senior US official. Xi was trying to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3241699/xi-biden-summit-military-military-talks-resume-equality-and-respect?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3241699/xi-biden-summit-military-military-talks-resume-equality-and-respect?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Nov 2023 01:20:58 +0000 Beijing is willing to negotiate with Washington on “everything else” as long as the one-China principle is respected, a veteran Chinese diplomat said on the sidelines of the inaugural Family Business Summit in Hong Kong on Monday. Cui Tiankai, the longest-serving Chinese ambassador to the United States, was among a dozen heavyweight speakers at the closed-door event attended by over a hundred family office owners and managers from around the world. The participants discussed the impact of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3241401/xi-biden-summit-heed-chinas-taiwan-red-line-and-everything-else-table-us-former-envoy-cui-tiankai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3241401/xi-biden-summit-heed-chinas-taiwan-red-line-and-everything-else-table-us-former-envoy-cui-tiankai?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Nov 2023 22:00:19 +0000 The People’s Liberation Army’s most advanced aircraft carrier sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, Taipei said. It also marked the first time the Shandong carrier strike group crossed the strait after training in the western Pacific. Taipei’s defence ministry said the Shandong and its escort vessels had reached waters off northern Taiwan on Thursday morning, after travelling along the strait median line separating mainland China from the island. “We have deployed appropriate forces to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3240954/chinese-shandong-carrier-strike-group-sails-through-taiwan-strait-after-western-pacific-drills?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3240954/chinese-shandong-carrier-strike-group-sails-through-taiwan-strait-after-western-pacific-drills?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Nov 2023 12:10:15 +0000 “The people of Taiwan are determined to protect our hard-earned freedoms and democracy,” President Tsai Ing-wen told a security forum on Wednesday, as she directed a veiled accusation at Beijing for trying to polarise the island’s civil society with misinformation ahead of crucial elections next year. “We must remain steadfast in our defence of freedoms and democracy,” Tsai told researchers, former foreign officials and diplomats gathered for the Taipei Security Dialogue. The annual conference... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3240811/taiwan-will-defend-freedoms-and-democracy-tsai-tells-security-forum-takes-veiled-swipe-beijing-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3240811/taiwan-will-defend-freedoms-and-democracy-tsai-tells-security-forum-takes-veiled-swipe-beijing-over?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Nov 2023 11:35:30 +0000 Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has pledged to pursue a “patient, calibrated and deliberate way of engaging in Australia’s national interest” when he holds talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Monday. Speaking in Shanghai on Sunday, Albanese declined to offer details on what he would discuss with Xi, but did say he would not hesitate to be direct on contentious issues. “Australia will cooperate where we can, disagree where we must and engage in our national interest,”... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3240415/australias-albanese-promises-patient-calibrated-talks-xi-jinping-beijing-monday?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3240415/australias-albanese-promises-patient-calibrated-talks-xi-jinping-beijing-monday?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Nov 2023 14:00:21 +0000 China and the United States will discuss arms control and nuclear non-proliferation next week in the first talks of their kind in over four years. The Chinese delegation will be led by Sun Xiaobo, who leads the foreign ministry’s arms control department, Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for the ministry, told a news conference on Thursday. The US will be represented by Mallory Stewart, the assistant secretary of state for arms control, verification and compliance, according to the Wall Street Journal.... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3240123/china-and-us-set-first-nuclear-non-proliferation-talks-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3240123/china-and-us-set-first-nuclear-non-proliferation-talks-years?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Nov 2023 14:00:26 +0000 China’s Xiangshan security conference, which finished on Tuesday, heard several suggestions from American delegates about how the two countries could improve relations and build trust in the Asia-Pacific. During the three-day forum, the first held in person since 2019, many former officials and researchers speaking at the Beijing Xiangshan Forum focused on the main areas of disagreement such as Taiwan and the United States’ Pacific strategy. Chad Sbragia, the former deputy assistant secretary of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3239965/us-china-relations-xiangshan-security-conference-delegates-suggest-ways-build-trust?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3239965/us-china-relations-xiangshan-security-conference-delegates-suggest-ways-build-trust?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Nov 2023 10:18:01 +0000 The Pentagon missed a “good opportunity” to send US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin to the Beijing Xiangshan Forum, where he could have met top brass of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and resumed long-stalled dialogues between senior military officials, a Chinese lieutenant general has said. “Does he really want to meet senior Chinese officials? If he genuinely wanted to make contact, then he should have come,” He Lei, former vice-president of the PLA Academy of Military Sciences, told the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3239871/lloyd-austins-absence-xiangshan-forum-missed-opportunity-pentagon-says-chinese-general?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3239871/lloyd-austins-absence-xiangshan-forum-missed-opportunity-pentagon-says-chinese-general?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Oct 2023 14:07:37 +0000 The People’s Liberation Army will “show no mercy” against any moves for Taiwan independence, a top Chinese military official told a regional security forum on Monday. “No matter who wishes to separate Taiwan from China in any way, the Chinese military will never agree to it,” General Zhang Youxia, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, said in a speech at the Beijing Xiangshan Forum. He said Taiwan was the “core of China’s core interests”. Zhang also met Russian Defence Minister... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3239656/pla-will-show-no-mercy-against-taiwan-independence-moves-top-general-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3239656/pla-will-show-no-mercy-against-taiwan-independence-moves-top-general-says?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Oct 2023 06:05:25 +0000 Uncertainty still clouds China-US dialogue, according to Cui Tiankai, Beijing’s former ambassador in Washington, despite visits by US cabinet officials, lawmakers and politicians to improve ties. Giving his assessment at the Xiangshan defence forum in Beijing on Sunday, Cui hinted that February’s “spy balloon” incident was one of a number that impeded a commitment by the US and Chinese presidents to maintain open communication between their senior officials. Joe Biden and Xi Jinping made the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3239582/xiangshan-forum-questions-about-biden-xi-bali-pledge-hang-over-us-china-apec-summit-prospects?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3239582/xiangshan-forum-questions-about-biden-xi-bali-pledge-hang-over-us-china-apec-summit-prospects?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Oct 2023 14:00:24 +0000 Beijing has remained silent over why General Li Shangfu – now China’s shortest-serving defence minister – was sacked, but signs leading up to his dismissal suggested that he may have been implicated in corruption, against which President Xi Jinping has launched an aggressive campaign since taking power in 2012. Li’s fall came after multiple efforts by the Communist Party to ramp up scrutiny over corruption in areas closely related to him. On July 26, the equipment development department of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3239308/li-shangfus-dismissal-defence-minister-came-no-details-few-clues-observers-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3239308/li-shangfus-dismissal-defence-minister-came-no-details-few-clues-observers-say?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Oct 2023 11:17:11 +0000 China has dismissed General Li Shangfu as defence minister, the second senior official to be ousted in the past three months with no explanation given. State broadcaster CCTV reported on Tuesday that Li had been removed from his position, after weeks of speculation over the fate of the US-sanctioned general who has not been seen in public since the end of August. The decision to remove him was approved by the National People’s Congress Standing Committee. The report did not say who would take... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3239030/li-shangfu-axed-defence-minister-second-china-leadership-shock?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3239030/li-shangfu-axed-defence-minister-second-china-leadership-shock?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Oct 2023 11:15:28 +0000 China’s military, under the command of President Xi Jinping, has faced increasing global scrutiny amid rising tensions with the United States and in other geopolitical hotspots. This, the first story in a three-part series, examines how Beijing’s new-found focus on smart and AI-powered weaponry has Washington worried. The Chinese military raised eyebrows in Washington with its “assassin’s mace” weapons that aimed to blunt the United States’ cutting-edge advantage at a time when Beijing’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3237839/when-chinas-military-lagged-behind-us-it-pursued-assassins-mace-tactic-smart-weaponry-and-ai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3237839/when-chinas-military-lagged-behind-us-it-pursued-assassins-mace-tactic-smart-weaponry-and-ai?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Oct 2023 03:00:23 +0000 China’s coastguard says it drove away a Philippine navy gunboat near the contested Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on Tuesday. The coastguard said the ship had ignored verbal warnings so it had followed and monitored the vessel before forcing it to leave the area, where China claims sovereignty. “The operations at the scene were professional, standard and legitimate,” the Chinese coastguard said. The statement added that China would continue to enforce its maritime rights and accused... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3237441/china-drives-away-philippine-gunboat-near-disputed-scarborough-shoal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3237441/china-drives-away-philippine-gunboat-near-disputed-scarborough-shoal?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Oct 2023 09:16:11 +0000 The Taiwanese vice-president and front runner in next year’s presidential election, William Lai Ching-te, has said Japan should work with Taipei on regional security because it would be threatened if mainland China “invaded and annexed” the island. “Taiwan is in a key [geographical] position … and we will fulfill our responsibilities, demonstrate our determination to protect the country and work with the camp of democracies to exert deterrence,” he told the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3237088/taiwanese-presidential-front-runner-william-lai-says-japanese-support-could-help-deter-security?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3237088/taiwanese-presidential-front-runner-william-lai-says-japanese-support-could-help-deter-security?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Oct 2023 12:00:30 +0000 Former US state secretary Henry Kissinger said a US-China decoupling would lower living standards in both countries and harm their ability to manage the emerging field of artificial intelligence. “In this sense, it is essential that we learn from each other,” he said via video link at the Bund Summit, a finance forum in China’s financial hub of Shanghai. “It is essential that we should not proceed in the decoupled way.” Kissinger said China’s deep integration into the global economy has... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3235574/henry-kissinger-warns-us-china-decoupling-would-harm-ai-governance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3235574/henry-kissinger-warns-us-china-decoupling-would-harm-ai-governance?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Sep 2023 08:00:13 +0000 European Commission trade chief Valdis Dombrovskis has told China that the bloc does not intend to decouple from the country, one of its largest trading partners. “De-risking is not decoupling. And the EU has no intention of decoupling from China,” Dombrovskis said when addressing the Bund Summit in Shanghai on Saturday, ahead of a high-stakes dialogue with Chinese leaders including vice-premier He Lifeng next week in Beijing. Dombrovskis vowed to step up ties with China to manage trade issues... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3235566/eu-trade-chief-valdis-dombrovskis-says-bloc-doesnt-intend-decouple-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3235566/eu-trade-chief-valdis-dombrovskis-says-bloc-doesnt-intend-decouple-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Sep 2023 05:24:09 +0000 In the early hours of September 8, two Philippine boats and their two coastguard escorts sailed towards the contested Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea. It was their third mission in five weeks to deliver food, water and fuel to troops on the submerged reef in the Spratly archipelago. To Beijing, those troops – who use a grounded World War II warship as a base – are illegally occupying the Chinese territory of Renai Jiao. The reef is controlled by Manila but also claimed by Beijing,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3235426/how-beijing-using-fishing-militia-assert-its-claims-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3235426/how-beijing-using-fishing-militia-assert-its-claims-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Sep 2023 22:00:20 +0000 China and the United States announced on Friday that they have set up joint working groups on finance and the economy after months of talks on easing trade tensions. The joint effort, under the auspices of Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng and US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, would be the first tangible outcome of commitments Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden made at their first face-to-face meeting as their countries’ leaders last year. “The two working groups will hold... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3235533/china-and-us-set-finance-and-economic-discussion-channels-after-talks-ease-trade-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3235533/china-and-us-set-finance-and-economic-discussion-channels-after-talks-ease-trade-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Sep 2023 13:38:12 +0000 The United States has pledged to build thousands of uncrewed ships, aircraft and other autonomous systems in the latest move to sharpen its edge against China’s military. Analysts say it is similar to what China has been doing in the past decade. Jon Grevatt, head of Asia-Pacific news at defence intelligence firm Janes, said large numbers of unmanned systems had been built in China quickly, easily and cheaply by leveraging the power of an integrated military-commercial sector. “I would say that... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3233146/us-replicating-what-chinas-been-doing-decade-drone-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3233146/us-replicating-what-chinas-been-doing-decade-drone-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Sep 2023 08:00:16 +0000 The Chinese military will work more closely with African countries in combined drills and training as well as peacekeeping missions, China’s defence minister said at a security forum in Beijing on Tuesday. “The principle of seeing each other as equals will not change in China-Africa cooperation, and the tradition of helping each other will not change,” General Li Shangfu was quoted as saying by state-run tabloid Global Times. Li said military cooperation would make the world more stable and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3232722/chinas-defence-chief-tells-african-officials-tradition-helping-each-other-will-not-change?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3232722/chinas-defence-chief-tells-african-officials-tradition-helping-each-other-will-not-change?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Aug 2023 13:00:17 +0000 China is hosting defence officials from nearly 50 African countries at a security conference as Beijing seeks to expand its presence and shore up ties with the continent amid its rivalry with the United States. According to the Chinese defence ministry, the third China-Africa Peace and Security Forum will focus on President Xi Jinping’s Global Security Initiative (GSI), which sets out Beijing’s policy principles for managing conflicts and keeping the world at peace. The forum, which runs until... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3232607/china-welcomes-dozens-african-states-security-conference-it-seeks-greater-role-continent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3232607/china-welcomes-dozens-african-states-security-conference-it-seeks-greater-role-continent?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Aug 2023 22:00:15 +0000 When the WeChat account of China’s Ministry of State Security came to life late last month, it appeared to have two missions: pushing back at Western criticism of its national security efforts and enlisting the public in counter-intelligence. Accusing the United States of double standards and playing up the China threat to bridge the domestic political divide, the ministry took the rare move of twice accusing the CIA by name of trying to recruit Chinese informers. It also called on the Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3232392/be-alert-china-enlists-public-push-back-us-spying-efforts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3232392/be-alert-china-enlists-public-push-back-us-spying-efforts?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Aug 2023 08:00:15 +0000 As many as 17,000 high school graduates joined China’s military academies this year, the highest enrolment tally since the completion of reforms in 2017 aimed at training a more modernised armed force. The total intake – spread across China’s 27 military academies that accept high school graduates – was 2,000 more than last year, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA)’s official newspaper reported on Tuesday. Almost all places for this cohort had been filled, the PLA Daily report said. This comes... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3231921/chinas-military-academies-enrol-record-17000-high-school-graduates-youth-joblessness-soars?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3231921/chinas-military-academies-enrol-record-17000-high-school-graduates-youth-joblessness-soars?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Aug 2023 10:23:43 +0000 Chinese financial regulators vowed on Sunday to intensify policy coordination to address risks of local government debt and pledged to improve credit policy for the real estate sector. Their statement, aiming to mitigate two major systemic risks to the country’s economy, came after the central bank, the country’s top financial regulator and the securities watchdog met major financial institutions on Friday. ‘Hang on to cash’: China’s would-be homebuyers opt to wait out housing downturn The... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3231716/chinese-financial-regulators-pledge-further-measures-tackle-local-government-debt-and-property?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3231716/chinese-financial-regulators-pledge-further-measures-tackle-local-government-debt-and-property?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Aug 2023 13:21:21 +0000 Beijing is prepared to speed up talks with Asean on a long-delayed South China Sea code of conduct, the Chinese foreign minister said on the weekend while warning against external interference in the region. “China is willing to work with Asean countries to ... make effective and meaningful regional rules that can make the South China Sea a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation,” Wang Yi told his Thai counterpart, Don Pramudwinai, in Beijing on Saturday. A new round of talks is scheduled to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3231690/south-china-sea-china-warns-external-influence-lead-code-conduct-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3231690/south-china-sea-china-warns-external-influence-lead-code-conduct-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Aug 2023 09:00:17 +0000 China appears to be building a runway on an island also claimed by Vietnam, according to satellite images, in Beijing’s latest move to build military facilities in contested South China Sea territory. A new airstrip started to appear in mid-July on Triton Island, the southernmost and westernmost of the Paracel Islands, known in Chinese as the Xisha Islands and in Vietnamese as the Hoang Sa Islands. Vietnam also claims the islands, as does Taipei, whose South China Sea claims mostly overlap with... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3231431/south-china-sea-beijing-appears-be-building-runway-disputed-island-claimed-vietnam?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3231431/south-china-sea-beijing-appears-be-building-runway-disputed-island-claimed-vietnam?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Aug 2023 11:00:43 +0000 China’s military will work more closely with other countries on hi-tech weapons and equipment, logistics support and international counterterrorism, the country’s defence minister said on Tuesday during a trip to Moscow. At the Moscow Conference on International Security, General Li Shangfu also said in a speech that China was willing to hold more military exercises and training with other countries and expand the scope of the drills. These combined exercises are a core part of China’s military... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3231262/chinas-defence-chief-pushes-pla-force-peace-during-russia-trip-blames-us-chaos-and-disaster?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3231262/chinas-defence-chief-pushes-pla-force-peace-during-russia-trip-blames-us-chaos-and-disaster?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Aug 2023 08:00:19 +0000 The Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s official newspaper published several commentaries criticising Japan’s defence and Taiwan policies on Tuesday – the 78th anniversary of the unconditional Japanese surrender in World War II. One of the articles in the PLA Daily accused Japan of posing a “serious challenge” to world peace by raising its defence budget and abandoning its “exclusively defence-oriented policy”, in a reference to Tokyo’s new national security strategy announced in December. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3231167/chinas-military-paper-slams-japanese-defence-and-taiwan-policies-tokyo-marks-78th-year-world-war-ii?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3231167/chinas-military-paper-slams-japanese-defence-and-taiwan-policies-tokyo-marks-78th-year-world-war-ii?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Aug 2023 10:42:49 +0000