DefenceTalkTalks between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and 10 Pacific Island nations failed to reach an agreement on a wide-ranging security deal Monday, after sharp warnings the proposal would push the region into “Beijing’s orbit”. A virtual summit of leaders and foreign ministers was expected to discuss proposals to radically increase China’s involvement in the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-fails-to-ink-security-pact-with-pacific-nations-78841/

DefenceTalkChina has “no intention at all” to build a military base in the Solomon Islands, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Thursday, dismissing speculation about the purpose of its recent security pact with the island state. The Chinese minister, who was in Honiara at the start of an extensive tour of Pacific island states, said the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-says-no-intention-to-build-solomons-military-base-78820/

DefenceTalkTaiwan has opted out of purchasing anti-submarine helicopters from the United States because they are too expensive, its defence minister said Thursday. The island was planning to buy up to 12 Seahawk choppers but the deal has been scrapped as Taipei prioritises lower cost, more mobile weaponry to counter any threat from China. Local media […]https://www.defencetalk.com/taiwan-scraps-deal-to-buy-us-anti-submarine-helicopters-78780/

DefenceTalkTaiwan’s military published a handbook on Tuesday advising civilians on how to prepare for a potential Chinese invasion, including where to find bomb shelters and how to stockpile emergency supplies. China’s Communist Party has never controlled self-ruled Taiwan but it nonetheless views the island as part of its territory and has vowed to one day […]https://www.defencetalk.com/taiwan-issues-wartime-survival-handbook-78669/

DefenceTalkIndia on Thursday claimed it foiled an attempted cyber-attack by Chinese hackers targeting its power distribution system near a disputed frontier where the two countries are engaged in a military stand-off. Ties between the world’s two most populous nations are at a low ebb after a deadly skirmish in the Himalayan region of Ladakh that […]https://www.defencetalk.com/india-claims-it-foiled-chinese-cyber-attack-on-disputed-border-78654/

DefenceTalkChina on Wednesday called reports of civilian deaths in the Ukrainian city of Bucha “deeply disturbing”, as international condemnation grows over what Kyiv has described as “genocide” carried out by Russia. Beijing has throughout refused to condemn Moscow’s invasion, now into its fifth week, as it treads a diplomatic tightrope between backing its close ally […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-calls-bucha-civilian-deaths-deeply-disturbing-78614/

DefenceTalkThe US announced Tuesday it has approved the sale of up to $95 million worth of training and equipment to support Taiwan’s Patriot missile defense system, something Taipei said would help protect the island from any invasion by China. “The proposed sale will help to sustain (Taiwan’s) missile density and ensure readiness for air operations,” […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-approves-sale-of-missile-defense-support-to-taiwan-78611/

DefenceTalkSolomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said Friday his government would not allow a Chinese military base to be built in his country “under its watch” as he defended a pending security agreement with Beijing. Sogavare, echoing a fiery speech he made to Honiara’s parliament this week, dismissed concerns the deal would allow China a […]https://www.defencetalk.com/solomons-leader-rules-out-hosting-china-military-base-78565/

DefenceTalkChinese and US warships sailed through the flashpoint Taiwan Strait on Friday, Taiwanese and US officials said, shortly before China’s Xi Jinping issued a warning to Joe Biden that ties could suffer if there is a “mishandling” of the island’s status. The two warships sailed through the strait — which separates China from Taiwan — […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-aircraft-carrier-sails-through-taiwan-strait-ahead-of-biden-xi-talks-78451/

DefenceTalkHundreds of Taiwanese military reservists carried out training exercises on Monday after the island’s president called for “unity” as the Ukraine war rattles nerves over the threat of invasion from China. Taiwan last year stepped up its training regime for reservists as tensions rise with Beijing, which sees the self-ruled island as part of its […]https://www.defencetalk.com/taiwan-military-reservists-train-under-cloud-of-ukraine-war-78401/