Israel’s aerial defense system Iron Dome destroys rockets fired from Southern Lebanon in Haifa, Israel on September 23, 2024. (Saeed Qaq/Anadolu via Getty Images) WASHINGTON – A new executive order from President Donald Trump calls for greater investments for a multilayered homeland air defense system, including a requirement for the development of space-based interceptors. On…
Seven Chinese citizens were arrested on charges of illegally entering Guam around the time the US Missile Defence Agency conducted a key missile interception test using a new radar, the island’s Customs and Quarantine Agency has said. The agency said at least four of the people arrested on December 10-11 were found “in the vicinity…
The Chinese military has “the world’s leading” hypersonic missile arsenal, weapons that are helping it to operate “deeper into the Indo-Pacific region”, according to the Pentagon’s latest assessment of its rival’s armed forces. In its annual report to the US Congress on Wednesday, the Department of Defence said the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) remained focused…
In the second of a three-part series on mainland China’s increasing military presence around the self-governed island, Hayley Wong looks at how the People’s Liberation Army has been stepping up its efforts away from the Taiwan Strait. To city dwellers and tourists in Taiwan, the island’s eastern coast is all about pristine mountains, deep gorges,…
Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China and economy stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. US conducts first ballistic missile intercept in Guam amid contest with China Washington has conducted the first-ever test of a ballistic missile interception from Guam, which US…
Taiwan said China restricted airspace off its southeastern coast and sent naval vessels near the strait separating them, a sign Beijing may hold military drills in one of the world’s most tense geopolitical hotspots. China reserved seven airspace areas east of its Zhejiang and Fujian provinces through Wednesday, the Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense said…
Lai, who returned on Friday from a weeklong visit to three of Taipei’s Pacific allies, maintained a relatively low profile during his layovers in the US territories, meeting only local leaders and politicians. Lai was greeted on his arrival in Honolulu last Saturday by Ingrid Larson, managing director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT),…
Beijing has vowed to take “resolute countermeasures” to defend its sovereignty following US approval of US$385 million in arms sales to Taiwan. The foreign ministry said on Sunday that the US decision was an infringement of China’s sovereignty and would harm relations between the two countries. It urged the United States to immediately stop arming…
The United States is set to host Taiwan President Lai Ching-te during stopovers in Hawaii and Guam as part of the first international trip of his tenure, defying protests from China. Lai, who took office in May, will depart on Saturday for a two-night stop in Hawaii before heading to the Marshall Islands and Tuvalu,…
The United States has upgraded its naval power to keep China at bay by deploying an advanced nuclear-powered submarine to a key Pacific Ocean strategic outpost. The USS Minnesota, a Virginia-class fast-attack submarine, and about 140 sailors arrived at their new home at Naval Base Guam on Tuesday. The U.S. Navy said it stationed the…