https://www.scmp.com/rss/522361/feed The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) is an independent international research institute based in Stockholm, Sweden, with a presence in Beijing. Established in 1966, SIPRI is dedicated to conducting scientific research into conflict, armaments, arms control, and disarmament. Its primary mission is to provide data, analysis, and recommendations to policymakers, researchers, and the public, fostering an understanding of conditions for peaceful conflict resolution and... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage Living in container houses under the constant shadow of terrorism, Chinese diplomats in Somalia represent the extreme front line of a new, assertive era in Beijing’s foreign policy. During a video call to staff at the Chinese embassy in Mogadishu, Foreign Minister Wang Yi laid bare the “complex and severe risks of terrorism”, using the situation in the war-torn nation as a stark reminder of why China was overhauling how it protected its citizens and interests overseas. The call was made in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346474/chinas-new-security-era-africa-protecting-assets-citizens-dr-congo-somalia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346474/chinas-new-security-era-africa-protecting-assets-citizens-dr-congo-somalia?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Mar 2026 10:00:12 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi Beijing’s arms imports have nose-dived by nearly three-quarters over the past five years, as it has replaced overseas weapons purchases with domestic technology, according to a Swedish think tank report. However, other countries in the region have increased in their overseas weapons purchases amid “fears over China’s intentions”. A report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released on Monday said countries in Asia and Oceania imported 31 per cent of the world’s arms... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3345868/why-have-chinas-arms-imports-plummeted-72-over-past-5-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3345868/why-have-chinas-arms-imports-plummeted-72-over-past-5-years?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Mar 2026 00:00:16 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage As France’s influence fades and with Russian weapons in limited supply, a “military vacuum” has been created in West and Central Africa that China is uniquely positioned to fill, according to analysts. In a January report in the official journal China Military to Civilian, arms supplier China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation said Beijing was leveraging its reputation for “cost-effective technology and flexible financing” in Africa. This follows a wave of military coups across... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342903/how-military-vacuum-west-and-central-africa-opened-new-markets-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342903/how-military-vacuum-west-and-central-africa-opened-new-markets-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Feb 2026 04:00:11 +0000 Yuanyue Dang Yuanyue Dang An international organisation responsible for monitoring global nuclear testing has denied allegations by the United States that China has conducted secret nuclear tests. The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), the global body tasked with detecting nuclear explosions, said its monitoring system “did not detect any event consistent with the characteristics of a nuclear weapon test explosion” at the time of the alleged Chinese test. Robert Floyd, the body’s executive... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3342957/why-chinas-nuclear-arsenal-under-fire-us-russia-pact-falls-apart?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3342957/why-chinas-nuclear-arsenal-under-fire-us-russia-pact-falls-apart?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Feb 2026 13:00:28 +0000 Yulu Ao Yulu Ao Hong Kong stocks fell on Friday, losing ground for the week, as a sell-off in technology stocks continued and dropping prices for gold, silver and cryptocurrencies rattled investors. The Hang Seng Index lost 1.2 per cent to 26,559.95, marking a 3 per cent weekly loss. The Hang Seng Tech Index lost 1.1 per cent. On the mainland, the CSI 300 Index fell 0.6 per cent and the Shanghai Composite Index slipped 0.3 per cent. Technology heavyweights led losses. Search-engine operator Baidu dropped 2.2... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3342582/hong-kong-stocks-plunge-led-mainland-tech-firms-amid-global-sell-gold-crypto?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3342582/hong-kong-stocks-plunge-led-mainland-tech-firms-amid-global-sell-gold-crypto?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Feb 2026 02:08:07 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage Just days after Chinese ambassador Yang Renhuo met Guinea-Bissau’s President Umaro Sissoco Embalo to donate airport security inspection equipment, the West African nation was hit by a military coup that ousted Embalo. The November 26 coup marked yet another military takeover along Africa’s “coup belt”, adding Guinea-Bissau to nations like Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Niger and Gabon that had recently seen leaders toppled. The political turmoil has raised the stakes for China’s vast economic... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3336160/how-will-china-respond-latest-west-africa-coup-economic-footprint-expands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3336160/how-will-china-respond-latest-west-africa-coup-economic-footprint-expands?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Dec 2025 10:35:08 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi Despite a sharp and record-breaking rise in overall global arms sales last year, the combined revenue of the eight Chinese firms listed in the weapons industry’s Top 100 fell drastically, a Swedish think tank has found. The 10 per cent fall to US$88.3 billion was also the biggest aggregated percentage drop among the countries with companies in the list, released on Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The performance of the Chinese weapons giants was in stark... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3334509/chinas-scandal-hit-weapons-firms-drag-down-regional-sales-record-breaking-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3334509/chinas-scandal-hit-weapons-firms-drag-down-regional-sales-record-breaking-year?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Nov 2025 23:01:08 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang China will not seek a nuclear arms race and opposes the United States’ deployment of offensive missiles in Asia, according to Beijing’s latest white paper on nuclear policy. The paper – titled “China’s Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation in the New Era” – updates the previous 2005 version of the document. In the white paper released on Thursday, Beijing said it had consistently kept its nuclear forces at the minimum level required for national security. Beijing has long underscored... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3334403/china-has-minimal-nuclear-arsenal-seeks-no-arms-race-us-white-paper?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3334403/china-has-minimal-nuclear-arsenal-seeks-no-arms-race-us-white-paper?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Nov 2025 14:00:11 +0000 Amber Wang,Seong Hyeon Choi Amber Wang,Seong Hyeon Choi China is expected to expand and modernise its nuclear arsenal to narrow the gap with the US and Russia following Beijing’s fresh pledge to strengthen its “strategic deterrence” to safeguard the global balance, according to analysts. The pledge was part of the proposed 15th five-year plan which was endorsed last week by the Communist Party’s Central Committee and will cover the years 2026-2030. Details of the proposal were released on Tuesday, including a pledge to “strengthen strategic... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3330774/chinas-next-5-year-plan-aims-narrow-nuclear-gap-us-and-russia-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3330774/chinas-next-5-year-plan-aims-narrow-nuclear-gap-us-and-russia-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Oct 2025 15:00:19 +0000 Shi Jiangtao Shi Jiangtao US President Donald Trump’s summit in Alaska last month with Russian leader Vladimir Putin failed to revive long-stalled nuclear negotiations or advance efforts to preserve the last major arms control pact between Washington and Moscow, which is set to expire in February. Trump’s subsequent push for trilateral “denuclearisation” talks involving China elicited a firm refusal from Beijing, underscoring challenges to extending the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) amid fears of a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3326243/can-us-russia-and-china-break-their-nuclear-talks-impasse?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3326243/can-us-russia-and-china-break-their-nuclear-talks-impasse?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Sep 2025 22:00:21 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi China’s display of advanced military technology at its Victory Day parade could help it overtake Russia in global arms sales, but geopolitical factors might keep it from entering markets with ties to the US, according to analysts. During the military parade on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan’s defeat in World War II, China showcased its advanced weapon systems. In addition to President Xi Jinping, state leaders of 26 countries attended, including a handful from Southeast Asia... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3324377/could-chinas-hi-tech-military-display-help-it-surpass-russia-arms-sales?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3324377/could-chinas-hi-tech-military-display-help-it-surpass-russia-arms-sales?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Sep 2025 12:20:54 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage When more than two dozen officers from the Somali National Armed Forces were awarded Chinese training scholarships this month, Beijing’s ambassador to Somalia Wang Yu assured them and the rest of the country that “China will not be absent” in helping the East African country achieve peace. Since the 1991 overthrow of president Siad Barre, Somalia has been plagued by civil war and conflict with extremist groups such as al-Shabab. The training aims to help Somalia build a self-reliant defence... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3323696/new-model-peace-china-takes-its-global-security-initiative-africa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3323696/new-model-peace-china-takes-its-global-security-initiative-africa?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Aug 2025 10:00:12 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi China is on a mission to turn its military into a modern fighting force. In this four-part series, we look at the rapid transformation of the People’s Liberation Army, starting with changing perceptions of its capabilities. A decade ago, China held a military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of Japan’s defeat in World War II. Back then, the People’s Liberation Army was seen as no match for the United States military in the Indo-Pacific. But with an ambitious modernisation effort under way,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3322788/chinas-military-has-made-dramatic-about-turn-world-watching?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3322788/chinas-military-has-made-dramatic-about-turn-world-watching?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Aug 2025 22:00:14 +0000 Yulu Ao Yulu Ao Hong Kong stocks on Wednesday reversed course to snap a four-day losing streak, spurred by comments from China’s foreign ministry that traders interpreted as a sign of potential progress in the US-China trade talks. The Hang Seng Index closed 0.2 per cent higher at 25,165.94, recovering from a loss of as much as 0.9 per cent in the morning session. The Hang Seng Tech Index was little changed. On the mainland, the CSI 300 Index jumped 1.1 per cent and the Shanghai Composite Index advanced 1 per... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3322438/hong-kong-stocks-fall-fifth-day-amid-us-china-tariff-fears-wall-street-sell?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3322438/hong-kong-stocks-fall-fifth-day-amid-us-china-tariff-fears-wall-street-sell?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Aug 2025 02:34:16 +0000 David Dodwell David Dodwell The commitment by Nato’s 32 members to lift their defence spending to 5 per cent of their gross domestic product by 2035 has generated something between shock and awe and a feeling of being plunged into an Alice-in-Wonderland world. Above all, the agreement, which would lift Nato defence spending from an estimated US$1.5 trillion to around US$4.2 trillion over the next 10 years, was an attempt to prevent US President Donald Trump from pulling the United States out of the transatlantic security... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3316861/europes-vow-trump-push-defence-budget-5-rings-hollow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3316861/europes-vow-trump-push-defence-budget-5-rings-hollow?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Jul 2025 08:30:08 +0000 Hayley Wong Hayley Wong Instead of crushing Tehran’s nuclear programme, Israeli and US strikes on Iranian facilities in the past week might have dealt a blow to international nuclear non-proliferation efforts. Analysts warned that the attacks might not only encourage Iran to accelerate its nuclear weapon programme, but also prompt countries such as China and North Korea to expand their deterrence efforts. The pre-emptive strikes also risked setting a precedent for US adversaries to justify similar action against any... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3316141/will-us-strikes-iran-push-china-and-north-korea-ramp-their-nuclear-arms-programmes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3316141/will-us-strikes-iran-push-china-and-north-korea-ramp-their-nuclear-arms-programmes?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Jun 2025 14:00:07 +0000