Short updates with clear sources, dates, and the context that matters.
India’s ambition to grow its navy past 200 ships within the next decade has taken on fresh urgency as China expands the world’s largest naval fleet and Pakistan adds advanced Chinese-built attack submarines, heightening New Delhi’s anxieties in the Indian Ocean. Analysts see this month’s commissioning of the stealth frigate INS Mahendragiri and submarine…
A new wave of US tariffs that hit seven Southeast Asian countries is set to reinforce perceptions of Washington as an unreliable partner to the region, according to analysts. Citing what it said were forced labour practices uncovered in its latest investigations, the US on Thursday imposed levies ranging from 10 to 12.5 per cent on 60 economies – with the…
Nippon Ishin has, through its alliance with Takaichi, exerted an influence on the Japanese government that far exceeds its parliamentary strength.
North Korea is pushing its navy higher in the defense hierarchy, signaling that sea-based nuclear forces are becoming a more central part of Pyongyang’s deterrence strategy.
Australia has secured the Nakamal Agreement with Vanuatu, but at what diplomatic cost? Siobhan McDonnell examines the pressure tactics used, the one-sided obligations imposed on Vanuatu and the goodwill Canberra may have sacrificed for a single treaty. About the author/s Siobhan McDonnell Siobhan McDonnell is an Associate Professor at the Crawford School of…
Shares of Chinese chip makers tumbled on Thursday after state fund support that had briefly steadied broader tech stocks earlier in the week failed to hold back a sector that analysts say has long been overvalued. Among the hardest hit, Hua Hong Grace Semiconductor plunged 12.58%, Beijing YanDong Micro Electronic fell 10.55%, Ningbo Silicon Electronics […]…
The reorientation – and restriction – of the city's once-vibrant civil society continues.
For China, planetary defense is about building its international image and strengthening national security. However, the same factors also constrain China's global contribution.
Australia successfully tested a “Frankenstein” medium-range air defense system last month harnessing existing and new capabilities in a novel way.
Vanuatu's government has condemned the country's customary leaders who have reportedly called for revoking the appointment of the first woman to lead the Melanesian Spearhead Group.
Both nations have accused the other for instigating the incident at Second Thomas Shoal, which has overshadowed this week's ASEAN meetings in Manila.
An important first step, with much work still ahead.
Japan now needs to formulate its response.
Israel's foreign minister says the Nauru embassy would be in Jerusalem.
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te reviewed domestic drone industrial efforts last week ahead of his administration’s push for a $6.6 billion attack drone plan to enhance the island’s defense against Chinese aggression. On Friday, Lai and members of the Taiwan Cabinet visited the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology’s (NCSIST) Taichung…
A Hong Kong kindergarten clerk who was seriously injured by a taxi during the 2019 anti-government protests has told the High Court she has been unable to resume a normal life, citing ongoing mobility limitations, extensive leg scarring and the likelihood of future knee replacement surgery. Park Hoi-lam’s lawyers on Tuesday urged the court to find taxi…
Indonesia has further reduced its budget for President Prabowo Subianto’s signature free school meals programme to 229 trillion rupiah (US$12.81 billion) from 268 trillion rupiah and more cuts are possible, senior officials running the project said on Tuesday. The programme is Prabowo’s most important and expensive election campaign pledge and has been…
A groundbreaking cross-border insurance policy covering a piloted aircraft has cleared a key regulatory obstacle, allowing the Shenzhen vehicle to take to the sky in Hong Kong. Shenzhen-based aircraft developer Yivtol recently obtained a policy for an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, underwritten in its home city but issued in…
Nvidia’s H200 chips, a step down from its most advanced Blackwell line, have resumed imports into China, albeit in small quantities. Meanwhile, China’s chip exports nearly doubled in the first half of this year. Much of these exports are mature logic integrated circuits for applications in consumer electronics and automotive sectors. While the US is the…
A line in a draft of the blueprint that had suggested a weakening of central bank autonomy has been rewritten in the final version.
China has lodged a formal protest with the Philippines, accusing it of initiating an attack on its coastguards following the latest clash between the two sides in the South China Sea. Monday’s clash near the disputed Second Thomas Shoal involved a Chinese coastguard vessel and two Philippine Navy rubber dinghies. The China Coast Guard said the Philippines…
The annual economic policy guidelines referenced goals announced by NATO and two U.S. allies and pledged to "transform the country's defense capabilities within five years."
China has rejected Japanese reports that a PLA Navy ship conducted a live-fire drill within its exclusive economic zone on the weekend, saying Tokyo’s claims to the zone are illegal. Japan’s defence ministry said on Tuesday that the People’s Liberation Army vessel was one of three conducting exercises with a Russian navy ship in the Pacific on Sunday. It…
The “disappearance” of Miraj Sheikh has become more than a missing-person case. It has emerged as the first major test of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government’s pledge to break decisively with the human rights practices that defined the final years of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s rule. Before investigators have established what…
Questions surrounding South Korean Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back’s military service have resurfaced, with the government and his accuser offering conflicting accounts of what happened more than four decades ago. At the centre of the dispute is a gap in Ahn’s military record. His record shows he began mandatory service on November 5, 1983, and was discharged…
South Korea has said it wants to establish a new semiconductor hub in its southwest within four years, but local opposition to the project's massive power and water needs is set to be among its biggest obstacles.
Sri Lanka’s public health services and hospitals are battling the worst outbreak of mosquito-borne dengue in nearly a decade, and turning to the island nation’s armed forces to help curb the spread of the disease. The efforts range from air force drones tracking stagnating rooftop pools of water after monsoon rains to military and police officers helping…
The United States and South Korea describe the latter’s defense buildup with the same enthusiasm but mean two different things. American officials call it “alliance modernization,” while South Korean officials increasingly call it “autonomous defense.” Neither side has much incentive to dwell on the difference, but it is getting harder to avoid. As the…
The two sides traded accusations over the confrontation at Second Thomas Shoal, a long-standing focus of maritime tensions between Manila and Beijing.
Fiji's government is finalising a comprehensive policy to smooth paths for overseas citizens whose soaring investments and remittances drive the national economy, the country's trade minister says.
Ioane Naivalarua has explained is recent parliamentary statement about FJ$4 billion worth of illicit drugs being circulated within local communities, clarifying it was "misleading".
China is telling us what to do and, for once, our complying would be rather helpful. In fact, China is telling us to do what it does. With its new tariff on Australian beef, which ...
The Solomon Islands prime minister arrives in Washington for high-level US talks ahead of a meeting with Japanese prime minister in Tokyo.
Global tech governance is taking an institutional turn as a bloc-based system continues to solidify.
The law forbids publicly damaging, removing, or defacing a Japanese flag in a manner likely to cause others “extreme discomfort or disgust.”
The Falepili Union offers Tuvaluans “mobility with dignity.” But unless Australia also protects Tuvalu’s workforce, the landmark agreement could weaken the country years before rising seas make it uninhabitable.
These disputes could reshape the geopolitical order in East Asia – or even spark a war.
The third India-Australia Annual Summit in Melbourne on July 9 produced outcomes across defense, energy, critical minerals, technology and education — 18 in all. But by far the most significant deliverable centered on Australian uranium exports to India. After nearly 12 years of a civil nuclear agreement on paper, Australia and India finalized the…
Amid a rise in smuggling, Anutin Charnvirakul has recently come out against the policy he once championed: the decriminalization of marijuana.
Australia needs to talk less about critical-mineral supply chains and more about specific minerals. Generic discussions about supply-chain resilience have become a substitute for strategic thinking. They encourage governments to speak in broad concepts while ...
Fiji's public debt is set to hit 85% of GDP, and its new tourism tax won't fix the problem. Satish Chand warns that without broader tax reform and spending restraint, a painful fiscal reckoning lies ahead. About the author/s Satish Chand Satish Chand was the Chair of the National Security and Defence Review Taskforce for the Fijian Government. He is a…
The Hong Kong government has indicated that it is unlikely to hold a by-election to fill the vacancy left by former lawmaker William Wong Kam-fai’s resignation over his drink-driving and hit-and-run case, citing time constraints and concerns about cost-effectiveness. Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Janice Tse Siu-wa also said on Saturday…
Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged Thailand and Cambodia to resolve their border dispute after meeting both countries’ leaders on the same day. The dispute escalated into the deadliest fighting between the neighbours in more than a decade last year, resulting in more than 100 military and civilian deaths and hundreds of injuries. A ceasefire reached in…
Taiwan’s biggest food safety scandal in years has become a political liability for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), giving the opposition valuable ammunition ahead of November’s local elections. The latest controversy centres on soybean salad oil produced by Central Union Oil Corporation and found to contain excessive levels of benzo[a]pyrene…
Newly declassified US intelligence records show Chinese actors collected or acquired voter information covering millions of Americans and that Beijing developed capabilities that could be used to influence political opinion, but the documents do not substantiate US President Donald Trump’s claims that China stole the records of 220 million voters or…
"They just don't keep promises, no matter what. Even if they make a promise, they flip it right away," said Hideki Makihara.
Nuclear reactor exports are becoming an increasingly important arena of strategic competition.
Taiwan’s diplomatic space is shrinking along a vital Pacific energy route.
Four months out from the critical November midterms, President Donald Trump delivered a primetime address on Thursday night (July 16) attempting to sow doubt about the integrity of US elections, repeating well-worn lies about the 2020 contest that he lost and claiming to have uncovered a sprawling Chinese plot to meddle in the voting process. Trump, who […]…
The Department of Foreign Affairs demanded the "immediate takedown” of the AI-generated video, in which the Philippines was depicted as a monkey.
The revised code will prohibit prosecutors from appealing court orders to initiate retrials in principle, while some exceptions will be allowed on sufficient grounds.
Ratu Tevita Mara, who submitted a proposal to the Constitutional Review Commission this week, also wants a return to the civic name "Fiji Islander".
Advocates hope the new policy will help deportees rebuild their lives upon returning to the kingdom.
Beijing is now looking to jostle with the U.S. — the leading AI power — for influence through a new group of nearly 30 countries.
The nation is looking to expand and balance its economic and security relationships – and India is at the top of the list.
Analysis: The termination of Tokelau's participation with the eight-member Parties to the Nauru Agreement has been shrouded in mystery, writes Giff Johnson .
Papua New Guinea's foreign minister says this administrative action underscores commitment to honouring the country's foundational One-China Policy.
New Caledonia has a new Congress, but the Pacific territory remains deeply divided between pro-independence and loyalist factions.
ASEAN special envoy Ma. Theresa Lazaro held separate talks with military-backed negotiators and six rebel groups in Pattaya earlier this week.
The revision comes amid rapid technological innovation, including the launch of U.S. startup Anthropic's Claude Mythos.
Some officials believe Trump is particularly disinclined toward registering any objection that could endanger his plans to host Xi for a lavish state visit in September.
From floods to heatwaves, cascading climate disasters expose mounting vulnerabilities demanding coordinated scientific and policy responses.
Taiwan’s most capable missile launchers are being deployed across the island for a five-day defense drill designed to enhance joint operations and develop concepts for targeting enemy aircraft and vessels. Newly procured American M142 High Mobility Rocket Artillery Systems (HIMARS) and domestically-produced Hsiung Feng anti-ship missile launchers will be…
The following is the July 14, 2026, Congressional Research Service report, Japan’s Evolving Defense Policy and the U.S.-Japan Alliance. From the Report In 2026, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has been implementing major changes to Japan’s security policies, with important implications for the U.S.-Japan alliance and the Indo-Pacific region. Forged…
As a key reason for the initiative, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi cited growing responsibilities as the ministry builds up defense ties with like-minded nations.
There is growing debate within the global space policy community about whether space is becoming a ‘warfighting domain’. As adversaries develop increasingly sophisticated counterspace capabilities, Australia should consider how to strengthen resilience and assure access ...
The Papua New Guinea prime minsiter has announced a cabinet reshuffle, which sees him personally take up the important Correctional Services portfolio.
The Taliban has issued a decree that further enables child marriages in Afghanistan and restricts women’s and girls’ ability to leave such unions. As the repression accelerates, Australia should build on its record of holding ...
A recent prison riot at Negombo underscores the need for the government to dismantle drug trafficking networks, contain criminal activity and carry out prison reforms.
The visit comes amid a campaign by Naypyidaw to normalize its relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its member states.
Indonesia’s central government risks incurring public dissatisfaction with its cuts to regional budgets. If left unchecked, the president’s re-election prospects might dim in time.
India’s ethanol push boosts energy security and farm incomes, but consumers remain unconvinced amid mileage and price concerns.
What did the arbitral tribunal's award actually achieve?
Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi claims government plans to investigate him and two senior members of parliament for treason and defamation have stalled due to a lack of evidence.
Hong Kong police have arrested five people and seized books during a raid on two independent bookshops, the South China Morning Post has learned. A source told the SCMP that national security police searched Have a Nice Stay bookshop in Prince Edward and Greenfield Book Store in Mong Kok on Wednesday. Officers seized books and made multiple arrests during…
New Zealand’s interest in joining a newly signed defence pact between Australia and Fiji may mark the start of a broader hard security alliance covering the South Pacific, but analysts warn smaller states’ concerns are likely to go unaddressed. The Ocean of Peace Alliance, signed by Australia and Fiji on July 6, binds Canberra and Suva to come to each…
The Papua New Guinea Correctional Service confirms three prisoners have been killed in the Western Highlands after they tried to "jump over the fence" at Baisu Correctional Institution Services.