DefenceTalkDefenceTalkTaiwan on Tuesday demanded that China “back off” and accused it of threatening peace, after a Beijing official rejected a largely respected marine boundary following recent incursions. Foreign minister Joseph Wu urged Beijing to “return to the civilised international standards” after a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said there was no so-called median line in the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-must-back-off-says-taiwan-76366/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkChina accused the US of becoming “the biggest driver of militarization” in the contested South China Sea, as tensions between Washington and Beijing look set to swamp a regional Asian summit. US-China rivalry is expected to dominate discussion at this year’s ASEAN conference, which comes just days after Beijing launched ballistic missiles in the flashpoint […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-says-us-biggest-threat-to-peace-in-south-china-sea-76310/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkThe first five Rafale fighter jets bought from France in a multi-billion-dollar deal landed in India on Wednesday, and the defence minister used their arrival to launch a veiled warning to neighbouring China over territorial tensions. A water-cannon guard of honour greeted the five jets when they landed at the Ambala air base in Haryana […]https://www.defencetalk.com/india-uses-arrival-of-new-fighter-jets-to-warn-china-76099/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkThe United States and Australia said Tuesday they will expand military cooperation as tensions soar with China, presenting a common front between the allies. Going ahead in Washington with annual talks despite the coronavirus pandemic, Australia’s foreign and defense ministers offered clear, if more mildly stated, support for a hawkish shift on China by President […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-australia-seek-new-military-cooperation-in-face-of-china-76092/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkChinese and Indian troops have “completed disengagement” on most parts of the disputed border between their two countries, China’s foreign ministry said Tuesday, after violent clashes broke out earlier this year. Tensions soared between the world’s two most populous nations in June after the deadliest fighting in decades erupted between Indian and Chinese troops on […]https://www.defencetalk.com/beijing-says-troops-disengaged-on-most-of-china-india-border-76071/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkSecretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday the United States would treat Beijing’s pursuit of resources in the dispute-rife South China Sea as illegal, ramping up support for Southeast Asian nations and triggering a furious response from Beijing. It was the latest forceful statement by President Donald Trump’s administration to challenge China, which he has […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-brands-beijings-south-china-sea-claims-illegal-75896/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkUS military aircraft reportedly conducted close-up reconnaissance operations on China’s southern coast for three consecutive days, which is a dangerous sign, as the moves could let the US grasp the technical parameters, locations and movements of the Chinese military’s weapons and equipment over the South China Sea and Taiwan island, Chinese military experts warned on […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-militarys-frequent-close-up-air-recons-on-chinas-coastal-area-dangerous-75882/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkJOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii: One B-52 Stratofortress bomber from the 96th Bomb Squadron, 2nd Bomb Wing, Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, took off from home station and participated in a maritime integration exercise with the USS Nimitz and USS Ronald Reagan carrier strike groups in the South China Sea before landing at Andersen Air […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-sends-b-52-bomber-over-south-china-sea-as-china-steps-up-naval-drills-75849/

Taiwan said it scrambled fighter jets Monday after Chinese military aircraft briefly crossed into its airspace, the first major incursion since the island’s Beijing-wary president was re-elected in January. Taiwan’s defence ministry said Chinese H-6 bomber and accompanying aircraft briefly crossed over a “median line” in the Taiwan Strait It was only the second time […]

China must accept that Taiwan is already independent, President Tsai Ing-wen has said, warning Beijing that any attempt to invade the democratic island would be “very costly”. Tsai won a second term over the weekend with a record 8.2 million votes, an outcome that was seen as a forceful rebuke of China’s ongoing campaign to […]