https://www.scmp.com/rss/524388/feed Royal United Services Institute (RUSI): A London-based independent, non-profit think tank, RUSI is dedicated to defence and security research, aiming to promote a deeper understanding of international security issues and contribute to a safer world. Founded in 1831 by the Duke of Wellington, it is the world’s oldest defence and security think tank. Its main areas of focus include military sciences, international security, terrorism, cyber, nuclear proliferation, and financial crime. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse By firing ballistic missiles at the UK-US Diego Garcia base nearly 4,000km (2,485 miles) from its shores, Iran is sending a message that it still has cards to play after three weeks of war, according to experts. A UK official source said Iran was “unsuccessful” in targeting the Indian Ocean military facility, one of two bases that London has allowed the US to use for certain missions in its war against Iran. Until now, most had believed Iran – under US-Israeli bombardment since February 28 – was... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347468/what-4000km-diego-garcia-missile-launch-reveals-about-irans-intentions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347468/what-4000km-diego-garcia-missile-launch-reveals-about-irans-intentions?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 07:30:16 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain Three weeks into the Iran war, tit-for-tat escalations on multiple fronts have dragged the Middle East to the brink of the region-wide conflict that its governments have repeatedly warned about – and tried to avert – since Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023. Israel has launched a ground invasion of southern Lebanon in recent days, after Hezbollah entered the conflict in response to the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Iraq has been turned into a shooting range, as... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3347363/iran-war-nears-3-front-tipping-point-gulf-energy-hubs-burn?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3347363/iran-war-nears-3-front-tipping-point-gulf-energy-hubs-burn?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Mar 2026 04:30:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Russia and Iran “brothers in hatred” on Tuesday as he sought support from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at a time when the Iran conflict has robbed momentum from US-brokered talks to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. During talks with Starmer at 10 Downing Street, Zelensky urged Ukraine’s allies not to forget about his country and suggested the US and others should make use of Ukraine’s anti-drone technology during a Middle East war that has also... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346941/zelensky-starmer-urge-continued-support-ukraine-iran-conflict-steals-focus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346941/zelensky-starmer-urge-continued-support-ukraine-iran-conflict-steals-focus?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Mar 2026 21:43:37 +0000 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 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain The killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the latest US-Israeli strikes on the country has triggered not only a leadership vacuum but also a high-stakes test of whether the Islamic Republic’s system can endure without the man who dominated it for nearly four decades. Analysts said the immediate signs point less to collapse than to hardening continuity, at least for now, as security institutions close ranks, the battlefield expands and signs of internal rupture remain... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3345033/will-iran-collapse-without-khamenei-or-can-its-regime-endure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3345033/will-iran-collapse-without-khamenei-or-can-its-regime-endure?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Mar 2026 11:35:53 +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 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain With the recent arrival of a US Navy aircraft carrier task force in the Middle East near Iran, President Donald Trump is set to have all the military assets in place needed to launch a war against Tehran by the end of this week. While a last-minute diplomatic breakthrough is still on Washington’s cards, Trump may soon have to pick one of the plans drawn up by the Pentagon to meet his desired outcomes – none of which have been made public. Washington has maintained diplomatic backchannels open... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3341529/us-naval-strike-force-sails-near-iran-trump-faces-no-easy-levers-against-tehran?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3341529/us-naval-strike-force-sails-near-iran-trump-faces-no-easy-levers-against-tehran?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jan 2026 08:03:52 +0000 Shi Jiangtao Shi Jiangtao In an era of ruptured global order, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s much-anticipated visit to China, scheduled for later this week, marks the culmination of London’s “re-engagement” strategy with Beijing, prioritising trade and growth amid escalating geopolitical risks, according to observers. The Chinese foreign ministry announced on Tuesday that Starmer would visit Beijing and Shanghai between January 28 and 31. Starmer’s government had expressed its desire for a stable and strategic... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3341324/keir-starmers-china-trip-test-labours-push-reset-bilateral-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3341324/keir-starmers-china-trip-test-labours-push-reset-bilateral-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jan 2026 04:00:13 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi By 2030, China could operate about 1,000 units of the J-20 fifth-generation fighter jet, possibly challenging the US and its allies’ air power projection near the first island chain, according to a British think tank. A report this month by the London-based Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) found a “dramatic increase” in the past five years in China’s capacity to contest Western air power, citing the production of “modern and highly capable” fourth- and fifth-generation fighters. While the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3340871/how-1000-chinese-j-20s-could-challenge-us-dominance-indo-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3340871/how-1000-chinese-j-20s-could-challenge-us-dominance-indo-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Jan 2026 13:00:10 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain Washington’s allies in the Middle East and beyond are facing the prospects of joining rival blocs in alignment with the different visions of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates following a rare clash between the two countries over war-torn Yemen. The Saudi bombing of an arms shipment reportedly provided by the UAE to separatists in southern Yemen last week has exposed the two Arab heavyweights’ divergent foreign policy approaches in the strategically important Red Sea and Horn of Africa,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339089/us-allies-saudi-arabia-uae-risk-split-middle-east-over-competing-visions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339089/us-allies-saudi-arabia-uae-risk-split-middle-east-over-competing-visions?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Jan 2026 04:00:10 +0000 Shi Jiangtao Shi Jiangtao The conviction of former media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying in a high-profile Hong Kong trial has drawn sharp reactions in London, casting uncertainty over thawing Sino-British ties before Keir Starmer visits China. Although the outcome of Lai’s 156-day national security trial was widely expected, observers say it poses a significant test for the Labour government’s balancing act on China, which could narrow the space for engagement even if its immediate impact on bilateral relations is... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3336815/how-will-jimmy-lais-conviction-affect-china-uk-ties-and-keir-starmers-planned-visit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3336815/how-will-jimmy-lais-conviction-affect-china-uk-ties-and-keir-starmers-planned-visit?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Dec 2025 14:00:25 +0000 Fan Chen Fan Chen British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called China a security threat this week, but analysts said the statement was motivated by domestic politics and did not negate London’s goal of deepening economic ties with Beijing. Meanwhile, disputes around a new Chinese embassy are expected to continue to test this desire for stronger relations as the British leader plans a state visit. Starmer said on Monday that his government would focus on the relationship with China, which would help protect national... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3335230/despite-starmers-china-threat-rhetoric-britain-seeks-tighter-ties-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3335230/despite-starmers-china-threat-rhetoric-britain-seeks-tighter-ties-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Dec 2025 14:00:09 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain The shortest Silk Route between China and Europe is set to reopen for the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union, following last Friday’s agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan to end the conflict that had been blocking the way. Ironically, the obstacle was cleared by China’s nemesis, United States President Donald Trump: his administration’s involvement was key to pushing the framework peace deal across the finishing line. Shoehorned last minute into negotiations by Azerbaijan’s... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3321800/revived-silk-route-allows-us-steam-ahead-china-russia-south-caucasus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3321800/revived-silk-route-allows-us-steam-ahead-china-russia-south-caucasus?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Aug 2025 04:12:37 +0000