https://www.scmp.com/rss/519387/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Associated Press Associated Press A dangerous super typhoon in the Pacific Ocean is barrelling towards a group of remote US islands. Super Typhoon Sinlakua is expected to make landfall on Tuesday in the Northern Mariana Islands and bring destructive winds, widespread heavy rain and flooding, the National Weather Service said on Monday. Power cuts on the islands could be lengthy, forecasters warned. Guam, a US territory with American military installations and about 170,000 residents, could also see damaging winds and is under a... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3349957/pacific-ocean-super-typhoon-sinlakua-bears-down-group-remote-us-islands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3349957/pacific-ocean-super-typhoon-sinlakua-bears-down-group-remote-us-islands?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 17:42:11 +0000 Reuters Reuters An earthquake of magnitude 7.6 struck in Indonesia’s Northern Maluku Sea on Thursday, killing one person, damaging buildings and triggering tsunami waves, authorities and witnesses said, though monitoring agencies said the likelihood of further casualties was low. Indonesia’s meteorology agency BMKG said tsunami waves were reported in five locations, the highest at 0.75 metre (2.46 feet) in North ‌Minahasa in North Sulawesi and about 50 aftershocks were monitored, the largest at a magnitude of... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3348725/tsunami-warning-indonesia-philippines-malaysia-after-maluku-sea-quake?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3348725/tsunami-warning-indonesia-philippines-malaysia-after-maluku-sea-quake?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:45:58 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Recent reports of Japan exploring the feasibility of using the remote Pacific island of Minamitorishima as a final disposal site for high-level radioactive waste have raised concern at home and abroad. An official request to carry out a survey assessing the island’s suitability for the facility was presented to the mayor of Ogasawara village, which nominally administers the island some 1,900km (1,200 miles) southeast of Tokyo, earlier this month. Similar requests have been made of two towns in... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3348336/where-can-japan-store-its-nuclear-waste-island-plan-raises-alarm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3348336/where-can-japan-store-its-nuclear-waste-island-plan-raises-alarm?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 02:30:18 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin The balance of power in the Russia-China relationship has evolved to the point that Beijing is now the dominant partner and the primary threat to the United States, according to US Congressman Pat Fallon. Speaking at the Hudson Institute during a discussion about the first year of US President Donald Trump’s foreign policy, Fallon said while Russia and China have long had a strategic partnership, the world has now “seen that senior partnership shift”. “It was clearly the Soviets. Now it’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343120/beijing-dominant-partner-russia-china-relationship-us-congressman-fallon-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343120/beijing-dominant-partner-russia-china-relationship-us-congressman-fallon-says?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Feb 2026 23:37:40 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang The rebuilding of a World War II-era airfield in Micronesia with the help of Chinese companies has raised alarm in the United States, with US defence analysts warning about Beijing’s growing footprint in the strategic western Pacific. Cleo Paskal, a non-resident senior fellow at the Washington-based Foundation for Defence of Democracies, posted a video on social media last week showing an airport runway being rebuilt on Woleai, a remote 4.5 sq km atoll in Micronesia’s Yap state. “Chinese company... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3337115/chinas-rebuilding-micronesian-airport-runway-raises-alarm-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3337115/chinas-rebuilding-micronesian-airport-runway-raises-alarm-us?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Dec 2025 15:00:10 +0000 William Zheng William Zheng Chinese aircraft carriers have undergone intensive far-sea training to forge strong combat readiness, carrying out dozens of “train-as-you-fight” drills beyond the island chains and ramping up the frequency of aircraft launches. The revelation was just one detail in a PLA Daily article last week that shed light on the training activities of China’s three aircraft carriers – a subject that the People’s Liberation Army has previously guarded closely. The details come less than two weeks after... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3333118/china-reveals-guarded-carrier-tactics-train-you-fight-drills-beyond-island-chains?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3333118/china-reveals-guarded-carrier-tactics-train-you-fight-drills-beyond-island-chains?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Nov 2025 10:24:44 +0000 Alcott Wei Alcott Wei China’s third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, is expected to achieve combat readiness sooner than the first two, and the country has the potential to produce more carriers for regular deployment on the high seas, according to state media. The reports also said China had the technology to build nuclear-powered carriers. The Fujian, the nation’s most advanced carrier and the first with electromagnetic catapults, was officially commissioned in Sanya, Hainan province, on Wednesday. It will now focus... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3332111/chinas-fujian-carrier-track-rapid-combat-readiness-will-there-be-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3332111/chinas-fujian-carrier-track-rapid-combat-readiness-will-there-be-more?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Nov 2025 12:18:12 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang The Pentagon’s coming defence strategy report will contain major changes in the US’ plans to counter China’s military and economic strength, according to Chinese defence researchers. The new National Defence Strategy, a road map of defence priorities for each US president’s term, is expected to be released in the coming weeks. According to a Defence Department memo in May, the report will “prioritise defence of the US homeland, including America’s skies and borders, and deterring China in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3328996/will-china-be-lower-us-defence-priority-new-strategy-report-will-soon-tell?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3328996/will-china-be-lower-us-defence-priority-new-strategy-report-will-soon-tell?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Oct 2025 12:00:08 +0000 Christopher Cottrell Christopher Cottrell A new chapter in Pacific security began this week as Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) signed a mutual defence agreement that draws the strategically vital yet volatile Melanesian nation further into Canberra’s sphere of influence – as China watches closely. The “Pukpuk Treaty”, signed in Canberra on Monday by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Papua New Guinean counterpart James Marape, is Australia’s largest Pacific security pact in seven decades. Named after the Tok Pisin... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3328115/what-australias-pukpuk-pact-png-means-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3328115/what-australias-pukpuk-pact-png-means-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Oct 2025 08:27:53 +0000 Olga Wong Olga Wong This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Hong Kong’s weather forecaster has said the No 3 warning signal will remain in force until at least noon on Sunday, with Typhoon Matmo expected to be closest to the city in the early hours. The Observatory raised the No 3 typhoon signal at 12.20pm on Saturday. “According to the present forecast, Matmo will be closest to Hong Kong in the small hours and Sunday... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3327858/hong-kong-issue-t3-between-noon-and-2pm-saturday-matmo-nears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3327858/hong-kong-issue-t3-between-noon-and-2pm-saturday-matmo-nears?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Oct 2025 00:45:11 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau Plans for a Singaporean fighter jet training presence in the US territory of Guam have been shelved, both governments have confirmed, despite years of preparation and investment in upgrading the US Air Force base on the Pacific island. Singapore and the United States had agreed to “discontinue discussions” on deploying 12 Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) F-15 fighter jets to Guam, the city state’s defence ministry announced on Tuesday. This followed an earlier statement from the US Air... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3321552/singapore-us-scrap-plans-f-15-fighter-jet-training-guam?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3321552/singapore-us-scrap-plans-f-15-fighter-jet-training-guam?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Aug 2025 07:08:13 +0000 Liu Zhen Liu Zhen Chinese warships have sailed into the main port of Russia’s Pacific Fleet ahead of a joint naval exercise this week in the Sea of Japan – also known as the East Sea, according to Russian media. The guided-missile destroyers the Shaoxing and the Urumqi arrived at the eastern port city of Vladivostok for the five-day joint naval drill that starts on Friday, state news agency Sputnik reported on Thursday, quoting Russia’s Pacific Fleet. The drills will also involve diesel-electric submarines and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3320195/china-announces-joint-naval-exercise-russia-pacific-august?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3320195/china-announces-joint-naval-exercise-russia-pacific-august?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Jul 2025 19:03:59 +0000 Enoch Wong Enoch Wong New details emerging about a rare Chinese military drill involving two aircraft carriers in the Western Pacific last month reveal that the vessels are training with greater intensity and complexity, according to experts. One analyst said that by testing themselves against each, the Liaoning and Shandong carriers could gain a level of experience that even the United States military could not gain in battle because it was usually engaged with far less powerful rivals. Since Monday, state... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3316817/how-are-chinese-aircraft-carriers-pushing-limits-and-testing-boundaries-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3316817/how-are-chinese-aircraft-carriers-pushing-limits-and-testing-boundaries-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Jul 2025 12:00:08 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi America’s view of China as a “pacing threat” has shaped its defence priorities as the military seeks to maintain an edge over a rapidly modernising PLA. In the first of a three-part series on how US budget tensions will affect efforts to deter China, we look at the Golden Dome missile defence system. China’s expanding military footprint in the Indo-Pacific is now a focus of America’s defence strategy, with a renewed emphasis on space-based capabilities since Donald Trump returned to the White... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3316381/trumps-golden-dome-will-numbers-add-deter-china-indo-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3316381/trumps-golden-dome-will-numbers-add-deter-china-indo-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Jun 2025 22:00:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters The United States is moving B-2 bombers to the Pacific island of Guam, two US officials said on Saturday, as US President Donald Trump weighs whether the United States should take part in Israel’s strikes against Iran. It was unclear whether the bomber deployment is tied to Middle East tensions. Speculation about a potential US strike has focused on the B-2s, which would be needed to drop 30,000-pound (1,360kg) GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators – so-called “bunker busters” – if Trump decided... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3315355/us-b-2-bombers-moving-guam-amid-israel-iran-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3315355/us-b-2-bombers-moving-guam-amid-israel-iran-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Jun 2025 17:09:10 +0000 Enoch Wong Enoch Wong China’s navy is pushing past the strategic island chains that for decades have marked defensive boundaries for the United States and its allies in the Western Pacific. The deployment of two Chinese aircraft carrier groups in the open waters of the Pacific Ocean since late May has underscored a critical advance in Beijing’s ambitions to become a blue-water navy by 2035. The Liaoning and Shandong have been on a routine training exercise to test their “far-sea defences and joint operational... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3314589/can-island-chain-strategy-contain-chinas-blue-water-naval-ambitions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3314589/can-island-chain-strategy-contain-chinas-blue-water-naval-ambitions?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Jun 2025 08:34:18 +0000 Liu Zhen Liu Zhen In an unprecedented show of strength, the Chinese aircraft carriers Liaoning and Shandong have been conducting exercises in the western Pacific Ocean beyond the second island chain. The People’s Liberation Army’s Navy said on Tuesday it had deployed two carrier groups in the Western Pacific and surrounding waters and conducted exercises to test their “far-sea defences and joint operational capabilities”. “It is a routine training exercise organised according to the annual plan, aiming to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3313809/chinas-liaoning-and-shandong-aircraft-carriers-sail-beyond-second-island-chain?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3313809/chinas-liaoning-and-shandong-aircraft-carriers-sail-beyond-second-island-chain?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Jun 2025 08:26:17 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong Talk of a possible US troop reduction in South Korea is fuelling anxiety in Seoul ahead of the June 3 snap presidential election, with analysts warning that Washington’s shifting defence priorities could reshape the alliance amid rising regional tensions, posing an early test for the next administration. With just over a week until South Koreans head to the polls, concerns have been reignited over the long-debated issue of “strategic flexibility” – the idea that US Forces Korea (USFK) might be... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3311863/could-us-troop-cuts-south-korea-become-reality-seoul-edge-june-3-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3311863/could-us-troop-cuts-south-korea-become-reality-seoul-edge-june-3-election?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 May 2025 00:00:14 +0000 SCMP SCMP We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Pakistan claims Chinese-made J-10C fighter jets used against India’s air force Pakistan has claimed it used Chinese-made J-10C fighter jets against India’s air force in a brief military encounter on Wednesday. 2. Cathay crew member... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3309640/pakistan-claims-china-made-jets-india-clash-boy-given-wine-scmps-7-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3309640/pakistan-claims-china-made-jets-india-clash-boy-given-wine-scmps-7-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 May 2025 04:12:07 +0000 The United States has conducted the first-ever test of a ballistic missile interception from Guam amid the growing missile competition with China in the Indo-Pacific. Military officials described the test as a “critical milestone” to “defend against evolving adversary threats”. The Missile Defence Agency (MDA), a subsidiary of the US defence department, said it had “successfully conducted” the first live intercept of a ballistic missile on Monday. During the experiment, dubbed Flight Experiment... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3290317/defence-guam-us-conducts-first-ballistic-missile-intercept-amid-contest-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3290317/defence-guam-us-conducts-first-ballistic-missile-intercept-amid-contest-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Dec 2024 10:02:07 +0000 The US has deployed one of its newest nuclear-powered, fast-attack submarines to Guam – the first vessel of its class to be based at the strategic military outpost – in a strengthening of its power projection in the face of growing rivalry with China. The Virginia-class USS Minnesota, based in Hawaii since 2022, arrived at its new home port on Tuesday in what the US Navy described as its “strategic laydown plan for naval forces in the Indo-Pacific region”. It joins Submarine Squadron 15’s fleet... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3288281/washington-adds-nuclear-powered-submarine-guam-outpost-china-rivalry-grows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3288281/washington-adds-nuclear-powered-submarine-guam-outpost-china-rivalry-grows?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Nov 2024 04:00:09 +0000 The potential return of Donald Trump to the US presidency could not only increase Taiwan’s costs for defence and trade, but also raise questions about how the island’s new government would rally Washington to counter Beijing, analysts said. The US Republican presidential nominee, who is seeking a second term in the White House, has said that it is “stupid” for the United States to offer protection to Taiwan for free, insisting that Taipei must pay more if it wants Washington to help defend the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3271103/protection-fees-can-taiwan-still-rely-us-defence-if-trump-returns-office?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3271103/protection-fees-can-taiwan-still-rely-us-defence-if-trump-returns-office?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Jul 2024 14:00:11 +0000 South Korea’s opposition parties controlling the National Assembly are set to introduce a bill to prevent the South Korean military from intervening in a crisis over Taiwan, a top opposition leader said on Thursday. Kim Joon-hyung, interim head of the Rebuilding Korea Party, told This Week in Asia in an exclusive interview that his party and the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea planned to jointly introduce the bill to parliament soon. “There have been growing discussions in Washington... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3270929/south-korea-opposition-aims-stop-militarys-taiwan-entanglement?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3270929/south-korea-opposition-aims-stop-militarys-taiwan-entanglement?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Jul 2024 07:38:31 +0000 Recent satellite images appear to show that the Chinese military has been practising for attacks on US fighter jets and aircraft carriers in the deserts of Xinjiang, offering possible clues about what its strategy would be in the event of conflict. The images, taken by Google Earth on May 29, feature a model aircraft carrier and more than 20 replicas of jets resembling US stealth fighters. “Chinese PLA Air Force pilots are learning to practice air strikes on American F-35 and F-22 mock-ups,”... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3269927/do-these-satellite-images-hint-chinas-strategy-war-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3269927/do-these-satellite-images-hint-chinas-strategy-war-us?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Jul 2024 22:00:14 +0000 Chinese scientists say they have achieved an advance in radar technology that may turn up the heat in the race for hypersonic weapons. The project team led by Zheng Xiaoping, a professor with Tsinghua University’s department of electronic engineering, said it had built a radar capable of tracking 10 incoming hypersonic missiles at Mach 20 with unprecedented precision, and it could also identify false targets. During ground-based simulations, the new radar showed an error of 28cm (11 inches) in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3269347/chinas-new-interception-radar-can-track-10-hypersonic-missiles-mach-20?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3269347/chinas-new-interception-radar-can-track-10-hypersonic-missiles-mach-20?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Jul 2024 14:00:09 +0000 When Wu Tingfang, the first English-speaking Chinese minister to the United States (serving 1897-1902), arrived in Washington, the stakes could not have been higher. China’s existence as a state was in play, and Wu’s diplomacy and careful cultivation of a bilateral relationship with the US would play a key role in ensuring his country’s survival. A key element of Wu’s background that enabled him to play such a pivotal role in US-China relations was the unconventional diplomat’s combination of... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3268112/how-former-hong-kong-court-translator-became-chinas-man-washington-crucial-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3268112/how-former-hong-kong-court-translator-became-chinas-man-washington-crucial-time?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Jun 2024 23:15:08 +0000 Better known for its sandy beaches and Second World War wrecks, the tropical Pacific island of Saipan will soon host the final act of Julian Assange’s 14-year legal odyssey. Assange is en route to a courtroom on the island where he is expected to plead guilty on Wednesday to a single criminal charge in a plea deal that will see him walk free and return home to Australia. Where is Saipan? Saipan is the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands (NMI), a US commonwealth in the western Pacific which... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3267976/why-julian-assange-flying-remote-pacific-island-saipan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3267976/why-julian-assange-flying-remote-pacific-island-saipan?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Jun 2024 09:00:20 +0000 China’s increased focus on nuclear-powered submarines is aimed at boosting long-distance naval combat and deterrence power amid growing risks of high-seas confrontation with the US, according to military analysts. The People’s Liberation Army has for the first time publicly acknowledged a strategic shift away from conventional submarines, as Beijing pushes to build a modernised military by 2027. “The current development of China’s submarine fleet is dual-capable, both nuclear-powered and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3267590/chinese-military-focusing-nuclear-powered-subs-eye-us-navy-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3267590/chinese-military-focusing-nuclear-powered-subs-eye-us-navy-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Jun 2024 14:00:09 +0000 Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party scored a surprising victory over the Okinawa governor’s coalition in his prefecture’s recent elections, despite broad support for his opposition to expanding US military bases, an upset analysts suggest could be linked to growing security concerns over China. Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki had campaigned on a platform of halting the enlargement of a US base in the far northeast of the prefecture to take over the functions of Futenma Air Base in central... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3267269/did-china-security-concerns-help-japans-ruling-ldp-score-surprise-win-okinawa-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3267269/did-china-security-concerns-help-japans-ruling-ldp-score-surprise-win-okinawa-election?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Jun 2024 04:00:09 +0000 This is the second in a four-part series about China’s military development, from weapons and aircraft to its role in the global supply chain and how it compares with the United States. China’s H-20 bomber is nicknamed the “Water”, and it may just be the quenching solution the country seeks as it anticipates its next generation of strategic power. There have been repeated signals, whispers, speculation, hearsay and rumours that China’s next generation stealth bomber could be ready “soon”. But,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3266645/china-lacks-advanced-bomber-can-h-20-water-quench-its-need?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3266645/china-lacks-advanced-bomber-can-h-20-water-quench-its-need?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Jun 2024 21:00:16 +0000 A shorter quarantine period for pet dogs and cats coming into Hong Kong may reduce demand for smuggling across the border, an expert and lawmaker have said, respectively calling for a reduction from four months to one or waiving the rule for vaccinated animals. Environmental authorities earlier said they were in the final stages of a study on reducing the current 120-day quarantine period for pet dogs and cats from locations considered to be high risk for rabies, such as mainland China, Macau,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3265989/reducing-hong-kongs-pet-quarantine-period-might-curb-cross-border-smuggling?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3265989/reducing-hong-kongs-pet-quarantine-period-might-curb-cross-border-smuggling?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Jun 2024 04:00:21 +0000 The recent deployment of a highly advanced US supersonic bomber to the Korean peninsula may have been intended as a show of force against North Korea, but analysts say Pyongyang could use the drill as a pretext to enhance its nuclear arsenal. One B-1B Lancer bomber from Guam dropped Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) on Wednesday at Hwasung, some 50km west of Seoul, while being escorted by South Korean jets, in the first such bombing drill involving a US bomber over the Korean peninsula since... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3265674/north-korea-will-react-angrily-how-us-bomber-drill-could-backfire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3265674/north-korea-will-react-angrily-how-us-bomber-drill-could-backfire?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Jun 2024 00:00:17 +0000 Hong Kong environment minister Tse Chin-wan told lawmakers on Wednesday that the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department was finalising a study on shortening the 120-day quarantine period for certain imported pet dogs and cats, which is among the longest in the world. The Post compares the quarantine policy in the city with the rules adopted in other places, and the need behind the possible relaxation. 1. How long is the quarantine in Hong Kong? The quarantine period for pets in Hong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3265547/hong-kong-may-ease-pet-quarantine-rules-how-do-they-compare-rest-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3265547/hong-kong-may-ease-pet-quarantine-rules-how-do-they-compare-rest-world?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Jun 2024 02:30:08 +0000 Certain cats and dogs being imported to Hong Kong may be allowed a shorter quarantine period under a proposal being readied by the government, but they must still be vaccinated and tested for rabies, the city’s environment chief has said. Pets currently brought in from countries or places considered high-risk areas, such as mainland China, Macau and Malaysia, must undergo a 120-day quarantine before they are allowed entry into the city. Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan told... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3265507/hong-kong-may-reduce-quarantine-imported-pets-animals-must-be-vaccinated-tested?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3265507/hong-kong-may-reduce-quarantine-imported-pets-animals-must-be-vaccinated-tested?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Jun 2024 10:54:59 +0000 When the Trinidad, Victoria and Concepcion anchored off Leyte island in 1521, the destiny of the Malay/Austronesian peoples inhabiting a chain of more than 7,000 islands was to be forever changed. The Spanish had arrived in what would come to be known as the Philippines. Things did not get off to a good start. The expedition leader, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, found willing converts to Christianity on Cebu, but Lapu-Lapu, rajah of neighbouring Mactan, did not take kindly to cavalier... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3261982/spanish-philippines-what-there-see-colonial-buildings-cebu-manila-and-beyond?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3261982/spanish-philippines-what-there-see-colonial-buildings-cebu-manila-and-beyond?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 May 2024 05:15:11 +0000 US bases and aircraft in the Pacific are facing intense threat from Chinese missiles, and the Pentagon isn’t doing enough to counter that challenge, according to American lawmakers. In a Wednesday letter to Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall and Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro, 13 members of Congress pointed out glaring vulnerabilities in the Pacific region and demanded “immediate changes.” “We are concerned about the alarming lack of urgency by the Department of Defence in adopting such defensive... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3262301/us-military-bases-and-aircraft-pacific-most-vulnerable-chinese-missile-strikes-lawmakers-warn?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3262301/us-military-bases-and-aircraft-pacific-most-vulnerable-chinese-missile-strikes-lawmakers-warn?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 May 2024 06:00:30 +0000 Hollywood director Oliver Stone’s scathing comments about Japan’s leaders being too “gutless” to stand up to the US over its usage of Okinawa to build military facilities have cast the spotlight on local and international opposition to the construction of a new base in the town of Henoko. But while the support of the Oscar-winning director may lead to headlines and raise awareness about the resistance of the Okinawan people toward the US military’s presence, analysts expect that opposition to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3262294/oliver-stone-amplifies-okinawans-opposition-new-us-military-base-calls-japans-leaders-gutless?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3262294/oliver-stone-amplifies-okinawans-opposition-new-us-military-base-calls-japans-leaders-gutless?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 May 2024 06:00:28 +0000 It will be entirely up to Australia to decide the use of its Aukus nuclear-powered submarines, said the commander of US military forces in the Pacific, after a senior US official raised eyebrows last week by suggesting the vessels could be deployed in a potential war over Taiwan. “I think that will be Australia’s call, how they decide to utilise their operational units when and if the time comes,” Admiral John Aquilino said when asked to confirm US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell’s... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3258425/australia-will-decide-use-its-aukus-submarines-us-pacific-commander-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3258425/australia-will-decide-use-its-aukus-submarines-us-pacific-commander-says?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Apr 2024 23:30:21 +0000 Washington’s deployment of ground-based launchers for its medium-range missiles in the Asia-Pacific region for the first time in nearly four decades is a “warning” to Beijing against military advancement and a conflict across the Taiwan Strait, according to analysts. During a visit to South Korea on Saturday, General Charles Flynn, the US Army Pacific commander, said the army would soon deploy a new missile launch system that could fire its latest “long-range precision fires”, such as the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3258327/us-viewed-warning-china-against-military-advancement-its-plan-medium-range-missile-launchers-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3258327/us-viewed-warning-china-against-military-advancement-its-plan-medium-range-missile-launchers-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Apr 2024 06:17:18 +0000 The United States is set to deploy a new medium-range missile launch system to the Asia-Pacific before the end of the year, according to the US Army Pacific’s commanding general, with reports suggesting it will be the state-of-the-art Typhon system that can address threats from North Korea and China. Deploying the system to the Asia-Pacific is likely to be part of the testing and training process, an analyst told This Week in Asia. The first prototypes of the Typhon were delivered to the US Army... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3258233/us-deploy-new-mid-range-missile-system-asia-pacific-end-year-top-general-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3258233/us-deploy-new-mid-range-missile-system-asia-pacific-end-year-top-general-says?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Apr 2024 00:30:28 +0000 An official Chinese military newspaper has accused Japan of moving away from its pacifist constitution after it established a new anti-ship missile unit on Okinawa. The Japanese Self-Defence Forces last month upgraded its missile defences by setting up the 7th Surface-to-Ship Missile Regiment, the first on the main island of the Ryukyu chain. US renames key military unit in Japan’s Okinawa amid perceived Chinese aggression A commentary in the official military newspaper People’s Liberation Army... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3258256/japan-showing-obvious-offensive-characteristics-new-okinawa-missile-unit-says-chinese-military?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3258256/japan-showing-obvious-offensive-characteristics-new-okinawa-missile-unit-says-chinese-military?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Apr 2024 10:44:07 +0000 Russia’s use of North Korean missiles in its assault in Ukraine is giving Pyongyang a rare chance to test its weapons in combat and perhaps take away lessons that could improve their performance, a top US general said. “I don’t believe that in my recent memory that the North Korean military has had a battlefield laboratory quite like the Russians are affording them to have in Ukraine,” said General Charles Flynn, the US Army Pacific’s commanding general. That gives North Korea an opportunity to... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3258119/russia-gifts-north-korea-battlefield-laboratory-weapons-tests-using-its-missiles-against-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3258119/russia-gifts-north-korea-battlefield-laboratory-weapons-tests-using-its-missiles-against-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Apr 2024 05:31:49 +0000 Some employers in Japan are offering “tropical escape” programmes, where workers with bad seasonal allergies get subsidised trips to regions with lower pollen counts, according to The Washington Post. One example cited by the Post came from the IT company Aisaac, which provides around US$1,300 to employees to temporarily relocate to areas of Japan where hay fever symptoms are less severe. Such programmes are seen as a way to enhance worker productivity in Japan, where hay fever is much more... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3257947/japanese-companies-offer-pollen-allergic-workers-subsidised-tropical-trips-battle-against-hay-fever?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3257947/japanese-companies-offer-pollen-allergic-workers-subsidised-tropical-trips-battle-against-hay-fever?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Apr 2024 07:15:17 +0000 After decades of empty threats, much of the world tunes out when North Korea vows to unleash destruction on its enemies. But in the past few months, some prominent analysts began warning that Kim Jong-un may actually be serious about preparing for war. Now in his 13th year running North Korea, Kim is more aggressively testing the boundaries of what his adversaries will tolerate. Backed by rapid progress in his nation’s nuclear capabilities and missile programme, the 40-year-old dictator began... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3257652/how-second-korean-war-might-unfold-if-kim-jong-un-follows-through-his-threats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3257652/how-second-korean-war-might-unfold-if-kim-jong-un-follows-through-his-threats?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Apr 2024 03:04:42 +0000 Beset by controversies about share-price manipulation and a costly gifted handbag, South Korea’s first lady has not been seen in public since December 15, but few in Seoul were surprised as a high-stakes parliamentary election approaches this month. President Yoon Suk-yeol is not running in the April 10 election in which his People Power Party faces an uphill battle to win back control of parliament, and is also barred from campaigning, as he already holds public office. Still, the unprecedented... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3257530/south-koreas-controversy-prone-first-lady-kim-keon-hee-keeps-low-profile-ahead-parliamentary-polls?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3257530/south-koreas-controversy-prone-first-lady-kim-keon-hee-keeps-low-profile-ahead-parliamentary-polls?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Apr 2024 04:32:03 +0000 China’s fourth aircraft carrier is expected to help expand its maritime presence in Asia, but a lack of naval combat experience and insufficient supply bases in the region could hamper its power projection. While the mainland Chinese military’s focus for its aircraft carrier deployment is likely Taiwan, it could also engage in sabre-rattling measures in the South China Sea, security analysts say. During a legislative session in Beijing earlier this month, Yuan Huazhi, the political commissar of... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3257264/will-chinas-fourth-aircraft-carrier-steer-towards-troubled-waters-asia-and-challenge-us-navy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3257264/will-chinas-fourth-aircraft-carrier-steer-towards-troubled-waters-asia-and-challenge-us-navy?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 Mar 2024 01:30:16 +0000 Chinese researchers say they have designed a surface-to-air missile that will vastly outstrip its rivals, with a kill range of more than 2,000km (1,240 miles), according to a peer-reviewed paper published by the Chinese language Journal of Graphics. Ultra-long-range air defence is considered infeasible, with surface-to-air missiles typically having a flight range of tens of kilometres and the fastest few reaching several hundred kilometres. The team, led by Su Hua, an associate researcher at... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3256914/chinese-scientists-plan-surface-air-missile-2000km-range?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3256914/chinese-scientists-plan-surface-air-missile-2000km-range?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Mar 2024 02:00:14 +0000 “Sometimes I feel like John the Baptist out in the desert,” Arnold Palacios, the governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, declared recently in Washington. Speaking not at a church service but at a think-tank discussion during a recent visit to the US capital, Palacios put his pivot away from China in doleful terms that underscore the dire economic times that he is trying to manage back home. Drawing a parallel with the biblical prophet, the governor of the US territory... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3256969/leader-us-pacific-territory-tells-lonely-pivot-away-china-amid-dire-economic-crunch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3256969/leader-us-pacific-territory-tells-lonely-pivot-away-china-amid-dire-economic-crunch?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Mar 2024 14:00:13 +0000 When Donald Trump’s White House established the US Space Force in 2019 as the sixth branch of the US military, Washington boasted control of “the ultimate high ground”. But four years before the formal establishment of that military service branch, Beijing had already established a new branch of its military, also aimed at outer space. The People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA’s) Strategic Support Force (SSF) is designed to expand the military’s space, cyber, electromagnetic and psychological warfare... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3256763/strategic-support-force-chinas-mission-win-future-wars-hinges-shadowy-military-branch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3256763/strategic-support-force-chinas-mission-win-future-wars-hinges-shadowy-military-branch?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Mar 2024 16:00:21 +0000 Okinawans are delighted over the return of cultural treasures that were apparently looted by US troops during the bitter fighting for the islands in the closing days of World War II and recently rediscovered in an attic in Massachusetts. “It is a great joy for the people of the prefecture to have this Okinawan treasure back, allowing us to directly connect with the days of the Ryukyuan kingdom,” said Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki after the artefacts were handed over last week. The 22 artefacts –... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3256406/return-japans-culturally-significant-treasures-okinawa-us-sparks-joy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3256406/return-japans-culturally-significant-treasures-okinawa-us-sparks-joy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Mar 2024 05:30:12 +0000