https://www.scmp.com/rss/522624/feed The latest news and top stories on He Xianqing, Associate Researcher at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies. She provides analysis on potential provocations and border defence strategies. Her work likely involves in-depth research into maritime security, international relations and geopolitical dynamics within the South China Sea region. As part of a national professional think tank, her responsibilities would include contributing to policy-relevant insights and potentially... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Liu Zhen,Zhao Ziwen Liu Zhen,Zhao Ziwen America’s increasing use of MQ-9 drones near China poses a challenge to Beijing and makes it more urgent for the People’s Liberation Army to improve counter-reconnaissance, according to military experts. The MQ-9 Reaper can carry out both reconnaissance and strike missions. It has been used for numerous high-profile operations, including the 2020 assassination of Iranian major general Qassem Soleimani. And it has been deployed as part of the US military’s surveillance network in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3343673/why-growing-network-american-mq-9-drones-challenge-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3343673/why-growing-network-american-mq-9-drones-challenge-china?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Feb 2026 14:00:17 +0000 Zhao Ziwen Zhao Ziwen India earlier this month inaugurated a high-altitude airbase near its disputed border with China, prompting analysts to suggest that the development capped long-term efforts to upgrade infrastructure there rather than posing a threat to Beijing. According to reports from multiple media outlets, the Mudh-Nyoma Air Force Station is perched at a height of about 13,700 feet (4,176 metres) and is only 30km (19 miles) from the Line of Actual Control, the de facto boundary separating India and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333815/indias-new-airbase-china-border-infrastructure-upgrade-not-threat-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333815/indias-new-airbase-china-border-infrastructure-upgrade-not-threat-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Nov 2025 04:00:11 +0000 Zhao Ziwen Zhao Ziwen A new defence pact between Tokyo and Manila allows the Japanese military to deploy in the Philippines for the first time since World War II – with the goal of deterring Beijing in the South China Sea. Analysts said the “quasi-security alliance” – which took effect in September and is known as a reciprocal access agreement – could harden Manila’s stance in the contested waters, and that other US allies in the region could follow suit. Ding Duo, an associate research fellow at the National... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3332807/how-japan-philippines-defence-pact-could-become-template-deter-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3332807/how-japan-philippines-defence-pact-could-become-template-deter-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Nov 2025 04:00:09 +0000 Zhao Ziwen Zhao Ziwen From a new border agreement to resuming direct flights and deepening economic cooperation, China and India appear to be entering a new diplomatic chapter following Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s first visit to New Delhi in three years. There could be a further thaw in ties when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi travels to Tianjin at the end of the month – his first trip to China in seven years – for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, when he could also meet Chinese leader Xi... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322621/china-and-india-are-rebuilding-relations-will-it-be-cold-peace?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322621/china-and-india-are-rebuilding-relations-will-it-be-cold-peace?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Aug 2025 07:00:08 +0000 Zhao Ziwen Zhao Ziwen US counterterrorism efforts in Pakistan could improve security in the South Asian country for Chinese workers, who have been the repeated targets of separatist groups in recent years, according to observers. It could also open the way for China to work with the US via Pakistan on a common counterterrorism cause, they said. On Monday, the US Department of State added “the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its alias, the Majeed Brigade”, to its list of foreign terrorist organisations. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3321846/hopes-china-us-side-effect-washington-boosts-pakistan-counterterrorism-measures?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3321846/hopes-china-us-side-effect-washington-boosts-pakistan-counterterrorism-measures?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Aug 2025 08:08:39 +0000