In first under Trump, U.S. warship challenges Beijing’s claims in South China Sea
A U.S. Navy warship sailed within 12 nautical miles of an artificial island built up by China in the South China Sea, U.S. officials said on Wednesday, the first such challenge to Beijing in the strategic waterway since U.S. President Donald Trump took office. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the USS Dewey […]
Forget Korea for a Moment: China Joins Ranks of Carrier Navies in Less Than 5 Years
While the eyes of the world are focused on security developments on the Korean peninsula, two recent events should re-sharpen attention on the Taiwan Straits. The Chinese launched a new aircraft carrier, and President Donald Trump indicated that he would check with Xi Jinping before he would take another phone call from the President of […]
China presses South Korea on Thaad missile system
China’s president has set out his opposition to the deployment of a US missile system, in his first discussion with the new South Korean leader. The Thaad missile system, aimed at intercepting attacks from North Korea, was made operational in South Korea last week. But Beijing says the system will spy on its territory and […]
What are 5,000 Chinese fighters doing in Syria?
Up to 5,000 ethnic Uighurs from China’s violence-prone far western region of Xinjiang are fighting in various militant groups in Syria, the Syrian ambassador to China Imad Moustapha said on Monday, adding that Beijing should be extremely concerned about it. China is worried that Uighurs, a mostly Muslim people who speak a Turkic language, have […]
North Korea turns its hostility on Beijing
Tensions on the Korean peninsula are reaching an unprecedented boiling point, as North Korea’s leader threatens war with China, its strongest and most important ally, over its “nuclear betrayal.” A Beijing official told both the U.S. and North Korea, along with Japan and South Korea, to “stop irritating each other” on Wednesday, prompting the Korean […]
North Korea crisis: North in another ‘failed’ missile launch
North Korea has test-fired another ballistic missile, South Korean and US military officials say. The missile exploded shortly after take-off, they said – the second failed launch in the past fortnight. US President Donald Trump accused North Korea of showing “disrespect” towards China and its president. The missile was fired from a site in South […]
China bans its construction crews from the West Bank over opposition to Israeli settlements
China is not allowing Chinese construction crews to work in the West Bank because it opposes Israeli settlements in what it considers occupied Palestinian territory. Israel officials said Sunday they had signed a deal with China to bring Chinese construction crews to Israel. They would not address reports that the work would be restricted to […]
China warns North Korea another nuclear weapons test would take relations beyond ‘point of no return’
North Korea has been warned not to go past the “point of no return” with another nuclear test by China, as the US and South Korea carry out high-profile military exercises. An editorial in the Global Times, regarded as a mouthpiece for the ruling Communist Party, said Beijing was hoping for a peaceful outcome but […]
Chinese pressure on North Korea ‘working,’ UN Ambassador Nikki Haley says
North Korea is trying to show strength at home by detaining another U.S. citizen, but overall, Chinese pressure on the regime is “working,” U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley said this morning. “I think that North Korea’s been playing games from the very beginning,” Haley said today on ABC News’ “Good Morning America.” “What […]
China and Europe have responsibility to avert North Korea crisis
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini expressed concern Thursday about rising tensions over North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, and said China and Europe have a common responsibility to avoid a military escalation on the Korean Peninsula. In a speech at Tsinghua University on her final day of a three-day trip to Beijing, Mogherini warned of […]