BEIJING (REUTERS) – China’s defence ministry on Monday (Aug 8) defended its shelving of military talks with the United States in protest against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei last week, warning that Washington must bear “serious consequences”. Mrs Pelosi’s visit last week infuriated China, which regards the self-ruled island as its own and […]
TOKYO (REUTERS) – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will reshuffle his Cabinet next week to address mounting issues, including the coronavirus, inflation, Taiwan and the economy, he said Saturday (Aug 6). “We need to set off a new formation as soon as possible, considering the various issues,” he told a news conference in Hiroshima after […]
TAIPEI (REUTERS) – Suspected drones flew over outlying Taiwanese islands and hackers attacked its defence ministry website, authorities in Taipei said on Thursday, a day (Aug 4) after a visit by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi that outraged China. Taiwan has been on alert as China conducts a series of military exercises in response […]
TAIPEI – Taiwan has ended a week-long annual air-raid exercise and military drills as the island steps up preparations in the event of a Chinese attack. From Monday to Thursday, sirens rang across the island as part of the Wan An air defence drill, aimed at raising civilian awareness of what to do in an […]
SEOUL (REUTERS) – South Korea and the United States will resume long-suspended live field training during their joint military drills, Seoul’s defence ministry said on Friday (July 22), as they work to curb North Korea’s evolving nuclear and missile programmes. The allies are set to kick off their annual summertime exercises next month, after South […]
TOKYO (REUTERS) – Japan warned on Friday (July 22) of escalating national security threats, including repercussions from Russia’s war with Ukraine, Chinese intimidation of Taiwan, and vulnerable technology supply chains, in its annual defence white paper. The report sets out the government’s security concerns as it prepares the defence ministry budget request due next month, […]
NARA, JAPAN (REUTERS) – After a strong showing in an election overshadowed by the killing of former premier Shinzo Abe, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida may have fresh momentum to hike defence spending on a scale beyond the grasp of his slain mentor. In doing so, Mr Kishida, a moderate from Hiroshima who wants nuclear […]
WELLINGTON (REUTERS) – New Zealand Defence Force said on Wednesday (July 6) it had flown a team of civilian doctors, nurses and defence force personnel along with personal protective gear to tiny pacific island Niue to help with the country’s Covid-19 outbreak. Niue, a self governing state that is in free association with New Zealand, […]
JAKARTA (THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – The upcoming Group of 20 (G-20) Summit, which will be held in Bali in early November, has been sapping the energy and attention of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, especially after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine in February, which has directly impacted the course of the […]
SYDNEY (REUTERS) – Australia will set up a defence school to train Pacific island militaries, Canberra’s new Pacific minister said, amid mounting competition for security ties in the region and as China lays plans for a rival meeting to next month’s Pacific Islands Forum. Australia will double its funding for aerial surveillance of the Pacific […]