PINGTUNG (AFP, REUTERS) – Taiwan’s military held a live-fire artillery drill on Tuesday (Aug 9) simulating a defence of the island against an attack after days of massive Chinese military exercises, an AFP journalist at the site of the exercise said. China launched its largest-ever war games around Taiwan last week in a furious response to […]
Tag: military
Taiwan to hold anti-invasion drills after China exercises
TAIPEI (AFP) – Taiwan will hold live-fire military drills this week simulating a defence of the island against a Chinese invasion, officials said on Monday (Aug 8), as Beijing carries out fresh exercises around its neighbour. The Taiwanese drills were already scheduled and are not being held in response to China’s exercises, authorities said. The […]
Military drills in ‘our own waters’ open, transparent: China foreign ministry
BEIJING (REUTERS) – The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Monday (Aug 8) that Taiwan is part of China, and China is conducting normal military exercises “in our own waters” in an open, transparent and professional way. The relevant departments have also issued announcements in a timely manner, and this is in line with both domestic […]
China announces fresh military drills around Taiwan on Monday
TAIPEI (REUTERS) – China’s military announced fresh military drills on Monday (Aug 8) in the seas and airspace around Taiwan – a day after the scheduled end of its largest ever exercises to protest against last week’s visit to Taipei by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. China’s Eastern Theatre Command said it would conduct joint drills focusing on […]
Taiwan says flights through its airspace resuming after Chinese military drills end
TAIPEI (REUTERS) – Taiwan on Sunday (Aug 7) said flights through its airspace had gradually resumed from about noon as most notifications for Chinese military drills near the island were “no longer in effect”. The Transport Ministry said in a statement, however, that Taiwan would continue to direct flights and ships away from a Chinese military […]
Scrapping US-China military talks deepens risk at dangerous time, analysts and officials
HONG KONG (REUTERS) – China’s cutting of some of its few communication links with the US military raises the risk of an accidental escalation of tension over Taiwan at a critical moment, according to security analysts, diplomats and US officials. China called off planned formal talks involving theatre-level commands, defence policy co-ordination and military maritime […]
China’s military makes dozens of crossings of Taiwan median line
TAIPEI (AFP, REUTERS) – About 10 Chinese navy ships and 20 military aircraft briefly crossed the Taiwan Strait median line on Friday morning (Aug 5), a Taiwan source briefed on the matter told Reuters. Around 10 Chinese navy ships crossed the median line and remained in the area on Friday morning, and about 20 Chinese […]
China to hold fresh drills around Taiwan despite US condemnation
PINGTAN, FUJIAN (AFP) – China was set to press ahead on Friday (Aug 5) with its largest-ever military exercises encircling Taiwan despite firm statements of condemnation by the United States, Japan and the European Union. Beijing’s decision to fire ballistic missiles and deploy fighter jets around Taiwan saw Washington lambast what it said was a […]
Myanmar junta charges Japanese journalist with encouraging dissent
YANGON (AFP) – A Japanese journalist detained in Myanmar has been charged with breaching immigration law and encouraging dissent against the military, the junta said Thursday (Aug 4). Myanmar’s military has clamped down on press freedoms since its coup last year, arresting reporters and photographers, as well as revoking broadcasting licences as the country plunged […]
China to stage major military drills around Taiwan after Pelosi visit
BEIJING (AFP) – China is due on Thursday (Aug 4) to kick off its largest-ever military exercises encircling Taiwan, in a show of force straddling vital international shipping lanes following a visit to the self-ruled island by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Mrs Pelosi left Taiwan Wednesday after a less than 24-hour visit that defied […]
Pakistan insurgents claim downing army helicopter, killing six
QUETTA (REUTERS) – Separatist insurgents in Pakistan’s resource-rich Balochistan province said they shot down a military helicopter that went down during a flood relief operation on Monday (Aug 1 ), killing all six on board including a top army commander. A senior military official dismissed the insurgents’ claim as propaganda and fake news. The military […]
Chinese military drills ‘threaten’ Taiwan ports, urban areas
TAIPEI (AFP) – Planned Chinese live-fire military drills encircling Taiwan threaten the island’s key ports and urban areas, Taipei’s defence ministry said on Wednesday (Aug 3), vowing “strengthened” defences and a resolute response as cross-strait tensions soar. Island authorities pilloried Beijing’s bellicose military posture just hours after China flew 21 military planes into Taiwan’s air […]
Pelosi’s roundabout flight to Taiwan shows China’s long reach
TAIPEI (BLOOMBERG) – The path of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s US military plane en route to Taiwan was notable for how carefully it avoided the South China Sea. The closely watched trip was one of the most controversial official US visits in recent memory, and the flight path underscored a remarkable degree of caution as […]
After Pelosi’s arrival, China declares 4 days of military drills in areas encircling Taiwan
BEIJING (BLOOMBERG) – China declared it would conduct missile tests and military drills around Taiwan shortly after US House speaker Nancy Pelosi defied Beijing on Tuesday (Aug 2) by landing on the island. The People’s Liberation Army said it would stage a series of military drills including “long-range live firing in the Taiwan Strait” from […]
Indonesia, US begin ‘Super Garuda Shield’ military exercise
JAKARTA (AFP) – Thousands of Indonesian and American troops began a two-week joint military exercise on Monday (Aug 1) that Washington said aims to advance “regional cooperation in support of a free and open” Asia-Pacific region. The US and its Asian allies have expressed growing concern about China’s increasing assertiveness in the Pacific, but Washington […]
On navy day, Putin says US main threat to Russia
Russia's President Vladimir Putin (center) reviews naval troops as he attends the main naval parade marking the Russian Navy Day, in St. Petersburg on July 31, 2022. (OLGA MALTSEVA / AFP) ST PETERSBURG, Russia – President Vladimir Putin on Sunday signed a new naval doctrine which cast the United States as Russia's main rival and […]
No evidence of looming Chinese military action against Taiwan, US official says
WASHINGTON (REUTERS) – The United States has seen no evidence of looming Chinese military activity against Taiwan, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said on Friday (July 29) when asked about a possible visit to the island by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi. “(We’ve) seen no physical, tangible indications of anything untoward […]
Taiwan ends week-long defence drills amid China tension
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 […]
Executions of pro-democracy activists display lack of respect for human life: Yomiuri Shimbun
TOKYO (THE YOMIURI SHIMBUN/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – Pro-democracy activists were among the four people Myanmar’s military executed as it continues its oppressive rule. Atrocities that violate the rule of law and democracy must never be allowed. The four executed had been calling for democratisation in defiance of the military, which took power in a coup in […]
Japan urges Russia not to hold military drills around disputed islands
TOKYO (REUTERS) – Japan urged Russia to exclude areas around disputed northern islands from military drills Moscow is planning to conduct in the country’s Far East from late August, a Japanese government spokesperson said on Thursday (July 28). Japan lays claim to the Russian-held southern Kuril islands that Tokyo calls the Northern Territories, a territorial […]