48 h. ago Taiwan ramps up coast guard and military readiness in face of Beijing’s ‘gray zone’ warfare

Taiwan ramps up coast guard and military readiness in face of Beijing’s ‘gray zone’ warfare  wwbl.com

Events

59 h. ago China and South Africa strengthen defense ties at 10th meeting

China and South Africa strengthen defense ties at 10th meeting  ecns.cn

Events

3 d. ago This move by China in Africa is making US restless, top American military official claims Beijing is copying Washington's..., aim is to...

This move by China in Africa is making US restless, top American military official claims Beijing is copying Washington's..., aim is to...  DNA India

Events

3 d. ago As the PLA adopts civilian technology, Chinese bureaucracy could hinder progress

For decades, China’s talk of letting the private sector bid for defence orders had mostly been just that: talk. State-owned conglomerates had dominated the sector for decades, but in the middle of 2016, Beijing started to step up its military-civilian fusion strategy, publishing an official list of the sectors where private firms were being encouraged to contribute, such as swarming drone technologies. The plan is a central pillar of China’s ambition to develop a modernised military by 2035 and...

Politics

7 d. ago China’s increased training of African military, arms sales and aid ‘concerns’ US

An increasing number of African military officers receiving training in China has concerned the Pentagon, with a top US military chief saying the PLA was replicating its training programmes for African personnel. Meanwhile, Beijing is expanding its footprint in Africa with a combination of military aid, training and arms sales in ways that experts warn could erode US influence. General Michael Langley, who leads the US Africa Command (AFRICOM), warned that China was replicating its training...

Events

7 d. ago South Korea has a new president. Will it have a new China policy?

South Korea’s new progressive president is likely to adopt a more “prudent” stance on Taiwan than his predecessor and focus on boosting economic ties with Beijing, according to observers. But they also expect continuity in trilateral military cooperation with the US and Japan. Lee Jae-myung was sworn in after winning a snap election held on Tuesday, two months after his predecessor – Yoon Suk-yeol – was impeached and removed over his abrupt declaration of martial law in December. Lee and his...

Politics

7 d. ago South Korea has a new president. Will it have a different China policy?

South Korea’s new progressive president is likely to adopt a more “prudent” stance on Taiwan than his predecessor and focus on boosting economic ties with Beijing, according to observers. But they also expect continuity in trilateral military cooperation with the US and Japan. Lee Jae-myung was sworn in after winning a snap election held on Tuesday, two months after his predecessor – Yoon Suk-yeol – was impeached and removed over his abrupt declaration of martial law in December. Lee and his...

Politics

7 d. ago South Korea has a new president. Will it get a new China policy?

South Korea’s new progressive president is likely to adopt a more “prudent” stance on Taiwan than his predecessor and focus on boosting economic ties with Beijing, according to observers. But they also expect continuity in trilateral military cooperation with the US and Japan. Lee Jae-myung was sworn in after winning a snap election held on Tuesday, two months after his predecessor – Yoon Suk-yeol – was impeached and removed over his abrupt declaration of martial law in December. Lee and his...

Politics

8 d. ago New PLA force university to offer training in AI, unmanned operations

A new university under the Chinese military’s mysterious Information Support Force plans to offer training in artificial intelligence (AI), unmanned operations and other key technology, according to its first public enrolment notice. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Information Support Force Engineering University in the central city of Wuhan will offer 10 undergraduate majors in information and intelligent technology, according to a Thursday report by state broadcaster CCTV. It added that...

Culture

8 d. ago US Senate panel passes Taiwan, mainland China overseas military growth measures

The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved a slate of China-focused measures on Thursday, including bipartisan bills to counter Beijing’s overseas military expansion and bolster Taiwan’s role in global finance while advancing the nomination of a former ambassador to lead US diplomacy in East Asia. The Counter Act of 2025, co-authored by Senators Chris Coons, Democrat of Delaware, and Pete Ricketts, Republican of Nebraska, calls on the US government to develop a strategy to respond to the...

Events

9 d. ago US still king of critical tech, but China quickly closing gaps: report

The United States continued to lead China in critical technologies, namely artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology, semiconductors, space and quantum, according to a report released on Thursday by Harvard University. The authors of the Critical and Emerging Technologies Index, released by the university’s Belfer Centre for Science and International Affairs, said the US maintained its competitive edge because of large-scale American public and private investment, a top-notch and diverse...

Science

1 week ago Military mishap risks rise with PLA’s ‘grey zone operations’: Taiwan ex

The risks of a cross-strait military accident are on the rise as Beijing steps up pressure on Taiwan, a former Taiwanese defence official has warned, citing the lack of direct communication channels between the two sides. Andrew Yang Nien-dzu, who served as Taiwan’s deputy defence minister for four years and briefly held the role of minister, spoke to the South China Morning Post on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier security conference. Yang raised concerns over the...

Events

1 week ago Chinese spies at Stanford? US tightens visa policies over espionage fears

Chinese spies at Stanford University. American and Chinese pawns for Beijing at Duke Kunshan. Chinese student scouts near a military site in Michigan. These are some of the “bombshell” allegations that have been fuelling online buzz and US government efforts to sever educational ties between the US and China in recent months. A day after The Stanford Review – a student-run conservative newspaper – published a report on May 7 alleging that Beijing was conducting a “widespread...

Events

1 week ago More attention coming to China advancements in AI, humanoid tech: Morgan Stanley

China’s advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and humanoid technology will continue to capture the imaginations of investors as the world turns its focus to the region, according to Morgan Stanley’s director of pan-Asia research. “The DeepSeek announcement has shifted the fundamental discussion about China to technological innovation,” said Magdalena Stoklosa in an interview last month. “This theme is multi-year and incredibly important.” Her team identified technological diffusion and...

Politics

1 week ago How US tech curbs pushed China to innovate, and where a ‘super AI’ could emerge

Angela Zhang is a law professor at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law. Zhang is an expert on technology regulation and antitrust in China, and her research focus has recently been on artificial intelligence oversight. This interview first appeared in SCMP Plus. For other interviews in the Open Questions series, click here. How will the new US-China tariff war affect the Chinese technology sector and competition between the two countries on artificial intelligence? Tariffs...

Politics

1 week ago US warns China is ‘preparing’ to use military force in Asia; Beijing hits back

US warns China is ‘preparing’ to use military force in Asia; Beijing hits back  Kashmir Reader

Events

2 w. ago Chinese forces patrol Scarborough Shoal to ‘defend sovereignty’

The Chinese military and coastguard on Saturday launched a sea and air combat readiness patrol around Scarborough Shoal, known as Huangyan Island in China, to “further strengthen its control and defend its sovereignty”, according to an official statement. The show of force came a day after China’s state broadcaster aired rare footage of Chinese military drills in contested waters near the Spratly Islands, known as the Nansha Islands in China, highlighting Beijing’s ability to take military...

Politics

2 w. ago US military personnel in Taiwan, paraglider cheating death: 7 highlights

We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. US’ 500 military personnel in Taiwan an ‘open test’ of Beijing’s red lines Washington’s disclosure that around 500 US military personnel are stationed in Taiwan signals more open and substantial defence support for the island – a...

Events

2 w. ago Malaysia’s first AI preacher stirs debate on Islamic principles

The launch of artificial intelligence-powered Islamic preachers has raised questions in Malaysia over the technology’s potential to distort local Islamic teachings and undermine the role of qualified scholars. In Malaysia, where Islam is the state religion, religious discourse is tightly regulated and preachers must obtain official credentials and strictly adhere to state-sanctioned interpretations of the faith – or risk infringing sharia court rulings of “deviant teachings”. But AI avatars are...

Politics

2 w. ago How China plans ‘new breakthroughs’ in IT manufacturing amid US tech curbs

China has unveiled a detailed plan to upgrade its information technology (IT) manufacturers as it doubles down on achieving self-sufficiency in technologies including semiconductors, batteries, satellite navigation and artificial intelligence (AI), and sidestepping US tech curbs. The 18-point action plan calls for the deepening of AI integration and the fostering of a new class of industry service providers by 2027. It aims to see more than 85 per cent of manufacturers using computer numerical...

Politics