China on Tuesday dismissed a recent Pentagon report that said China could have 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035 as "groundless speculation" and said the US was "hyping up" the threat of Beijing's military. Current estimates put China's nuclear arsenal at about 350...
Papua New Guinea Says It Can’t Get Caught In US and Australia’s Standoff With China
Papua New Guinea cannot afford to be caught in a standoff between the US, Australia, and China, the country's prime minister told The Guardian. Prime Minister James Marape was invited to Washington in September for a summit with other Pacific nations as the US is...
Lloyd Austin Says the Pentagon Is ‘Aligning’ Its Budget Like Never Before to Face China
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Saturday delivered a speech where he reaffirmed that the Pentagon's top priority is countering China, which he accused of seeking to reshape the so-called "international order." "Now, the National Defense Strategy is clear-eyed...
Lavrov Says Russia, China Stepping Up Military Cooperation in Response to NATO
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Thursday that the US and NATO's move to focus on countering China in the Asia Pacific has led to an increase in military cooperation between Moscow and Beijing. "We know how seriously the People’s Republic of China regards...
NATO Members Discuss Ways to Confront China at Bucharest Summit
NATO foreign ministers on Wednesday discussed ways to confront what they call the "challenge" posed by China as Secretary of State Antony Blinken is trying to convince alliance members to take a more hawkish stance toward Beijing. "What we talked about today...
Pentagon Claims China Could Have 1,500 Nuclear Warheads by 2035
The Pentagon this week issued its annual report on China's military power that claimed Beijing could nearly quadruple its nuclear stockpile by 2035, bringing it to 1,500 warheads. Current estimates put China's nuclear stockpile at about 350, although the Pentagon...
US Warship Sails Near Disputed Spratly Islands in South China Sea
A US Navy guided-missile cruiser sailed near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea on Tuesday in the latest US challenge to Beijing's claims in the region. China's military said that the vessel, the USS Chancellorsville, entered the area illegally, a...
US Military Set to Return to Subic Bay, Philippines to Counter China
The US will likely return to Subic Bay, Philippines, 30 years after closing what was once the largest US military base in Asia, Kyodo News reported on Thursday. The US is planning to build new military facilities in the Philippines as part of its effort to confront...
Lloyd Austin Holds In-Person Talks With Chinese Counterpart
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met with his Chinese counterpart, Wei Fenghe, in Cambodia on Tuesday as the US and China continue to maintain high-level dialogue following the meeting between President Biden and President Xi Jinping. Austin and Wei agreed to resume...
Kamala Harris Hits Out at China in Speech on Philippine Coast Guard Ship
Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday wrapped up her trip to the Philippines with a visit to Palawan, an island province with a coast on the disputed South China Sea. From there, Harris delivered a speech onboard a Philippine Coast Guard vessel and said the US would...