3 d. ago Chinese missile destroyer seen passing Japanese island in East China Sea: Tokyo

A Chinese missile destroyer was seen passing by a Japanese island in the East China Sea, having nearly circled the country’s archipelago in a month-long sailing, Japan’s defence ministry said. According to the ministry, the Chinese navy’s Type 052D guided missile destroyer, also known as the Luyang-III class, bearing hull number 134, and its replenishment ship were spotted about 120km (75 miles) east of Miyako island of Okinawa prefecture by Japan’s Maritime Self-Defence Force on Sunday. “It was...

Events

3 d. ago Filipinos target ‘nepo babies’, Malaysia’s electric train: 7 Asia highlights

We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week 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. What Vietnam’s South China Sea island-building spree means for Asean Vietnam’s rapid expansion of artificial island construction in the disputed Spratly Islands has put it on track to surpass China’s land reclamation in the South China Sea, according to new satellite...

Events

4 d. ago Vietnam builds islands to counter threat of Beijing in South China sea

Vietnam builds islands to counter threat of Beijing in South China sea  The Times

Events

4 d. ago Will China boost defence posture as Vietnam deepens footprint in Spratlys?

Beijing may be prompted to fortify its defences in the disputed South China Sea, observers have warned, after new satellite images showed Vietnam had stepped up island-building in the Spratly Islands. Vietnam occupies the most features on the contested Spratlys, which China claims as the Nansha Islands. Rival claimants over all or part of the archipelago include Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei. Satellite images released on August 22 by the US think tank Centre for Strategic and...

Politics

5 d. ago How China could turn Paracels into a submarine kill zone in South China Sea

Four years after the USS Connecticut, one of the most advanced nuclear submarines in the US Navy, slammed into an uncharted seamount in the South China Sea, the site of that near-catastrophic grounding may now become a deadly minefield for future naval battles. Chinese military scientists are proposing to transform the dangerous underwater terrain where the Connecticut crashed into a strategically engineered kill zone, packed with powerful mines designed to exploit the very same acoustic blind...

Events

6 d. ago Typhon warning: China hits out at Japan over US missile system deployment

Japan is expected to deploy the US-made Typhon missile system for the first time during joint military exercises with the United States next month, according to Japanese media. Analysts view the move as a strategic signal against Beijing, especially in the event of a conflict over Taiwan. The Chinese foreign ministry criticised the move on Friday, saying Beijing firmly opposed “the US deployment of the Typhon intermediate-range missile system in Asian countries”. “The deployment of the system in...

Events

7 d. ago Vietnam is taking a leaf out of China’s playbook to build fortified islands in the disputed South China Sea

Vietnam is taking a leaf out of China’s playbook to build fortified islands in the disputed South China Sea  CNN

Politics

8 d. ago Satellite Photos Show China Turning Artificial Island Into Military Base

Satellite Photos Show China Turning Artificial Island Into Military Base  Newsweek

Events

1 week ago New Satellite Images Reveal More Artificial Islands in South China Sea

New Satellite Images Reveal More Artificial Islands in South China Sea  Newsweek

Politics

1 week ago China vows defence amid US report on Vietnam’s accelerated Spratly efforts

Beijing has vowed to defend its maritime rights after a US report that Vietnam has sped up its island-building efforts in the contested Spratly Islands this year. In a report on Friday, the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), part of the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said Vietnam had ramped up construction on multiple reefs in 2025. Responding to the report on Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said the islands “are China’s...

Politics

1 week ago China vows to stand maritime ground as Vietnam ‘expands’ Spratlys construction

Beijing has vowed to defend its maritime rights after a US report that Vietnam has sped up its island-building efforts in the contested Spratly Islands this year. In a report on Friday, the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), part of the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said Vietnam had ramped up construction on multiple reefs in 2025. Responding to the report on Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said the islands “are China’s...

Politics

1 week ago Typhoon Kajiki drenches southern China's Hainan island and heads toward Vietnam

Typhoon Kajiki drenches southern China's Hainan island and heads toward Vietnam  ABC News

Events

1 week ago China’s Tropical Resort Island Orders Evacuations as Typhoon Kajiki Nears

China’s Tropical Resort Island Orders Evacuations as Typhoon Kajiki Nears  The New York Times

Politics

2 w. ago Vietnam island building in Spratlys may soon surpass China's, report says

Vietnam island building in Spratlys may soon surpass China's, report says  Reuters

Politics

2 w. ago China’s carriers cruised past the Second Island Chain. What now?

China’s carriers cruised past the Second Island Chain. What now?  Breaking Defense

Politics

2 w. ago Amid Beijing tensions, Australia, Philippines team up in South China Sea drills

Off the shores of Palawan, more than 3,600 troops from Australia and the Philippines are taking part in their largest-ever military drills, marking a decisive shift in Canberra’s Indo-Pacific security strategy. Exercise Alon, launched on Friday, is taking place less than 300 nautical miles (555km) from the Philippine-held Thitu Island in the Spratly archipelago – an area at the heart of escalating territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Beijing claims the Spratly island group alongside...

Events

2 w. ago America's Counterattack on China’s Growing Influence in the Pacific Islands

America's Counterattack on China’s Growing Influence in the Pacific Islands  RealClearDefense

Events

2 w. ago Japan deploys large drone over Senkakus Islands amid China ship intrusions

Japan deploys large drone over Senkakus Islands amid China ship intrusions  english.kyodonews.net

Events

2 w. ago China’s lunar rocket test marks milestone in bringing astronauts to moon

China has completed a critical test for its moon rocket, moving a step closer to landing astronauts and building a base on the lunar surface. A full-size first stage of the Long March-10 was fired for about 30 seconds at around 3pm on Friday at the Wenchang spaceport on Hainan Island, according to the China Manned Space Agency. Bolted to the ground, its seven YF-100K engines roared to life together, generating nearly 900 tonnes of thrust. “The test confirmed the engines could run in sync under...

Events

3 w. ago Chinese military ‘warns off’ US destroyer from vicinity of Scarborough Shoal

A US destroyer has entered disputed waters in the South China Sea, less than two days after an apparent collision involving a Chinese coastguard vessel and a PLA Navy ship while the former was pursuing a Philippine coastguard vessel in the area. The People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theatre Command said on Wednesday that the USS Higgins destroyer, type DDG-76, had “illegally entered China’s territorial waters around Huangyan Island without the approval of the Chinese government”. The PLA...

Events