DefenceTalkDefenceTalkChinese investment in Australia almost halved in 2019, new data released Monday showed, as relations between the two countries deteriorated. Researchers from the Australian National University said Chinese investment Down Under plunged from Aus$4.8 billion (US$3.5 billion) to just Aus$2.5 billion last year. Professor Peter Drysdale, who led the data research, said the Aus$1.43 billion […]https://www.defencetalk.com/chinese-investment-in-australia-plunges-as-tensions-mount-76321/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkUS-China rivalry is set to dominate discussions as the foreign ministers of 10 Southeast Asian countries begin an online summit Wednesday, with Washington’s top diplomat ready to take aim at Beijing’s “bullying” in the South China Sea. The summit comes just days after China launched ballistic missiles in the flashpoint waters as part of live-fire […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-china-tensions-set-to-dominate-southeast-asia-summit-76293/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkGeorgia on Monday launched large-scale joint military exercises with NATO forces as part of its longstanding bid to join the alliance, which has angered Tbilisi’s Soviet-era master Russia. Some 2,800 troops from the United States, France, Britain, and Poland will take part in the Noble Partner 2020 exercises held at the Vaziani and Camp Norio […]https://www.defencetalk.com/georgia-hosts-major-drills-with-nato-forces-76275/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkThe US Department of Defense said Friday it is sticking with its decision to award a $10 billion cloud computing contract to Microsoft, despite Amazon’s claims that President Donald Trump improperly influenced the process. After a second look at proposals for the “JEDI” cloud computing contract, the Pentagon concluded anew that Microsoft is the preferred […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-military-sticks-with-microsoft-for-10-bn-cloud-contract-76272/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkThe tiny Pacific nation of Palau has urged the United States military to build bases on its territory — which lies in a region where Washington is pushing back against growing Chinese influence. US Defense Secretary Mark Esper visited the island nation last week and accused Beijing of “ongoing destabilising activities” in the Pacific. Palau […]https://www.defencetalk.com/palau-invites-us-military-to-build-bases-as-china-seeks-regional-clout-76253/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkChina on Wednesday condemned a Pentagon report for claiming Beijing wants to double its stockpile of nuclear warheads within a decade as it seeks to deter the United States from any intervention linked to Taiwan. The Pentagon’s annual study on China’s military power issued Tuesday said it has already matched or outstripped the US military […]https://www.defencetalk.com/beijing-pillories-pentagon-report-on-chinese-military-ambitions-76233/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkChinese experts warned that the United States military is “walking on thin ice” by allowing one of its U-2 spy planes to trespass into a no-fly zone over Chinese live-fire military drills, calling the move extremely provocative and prone to misjudgement. On Tuesday, a Lockheed U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft trespassed into the no-fly zone that […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-walking-on-thin-ice-with-spy-plane-flight-76208/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkIndia on Thursday pledged $500 million to build bridges and causeways in the Maldives, as New Delhi seeks to counter growing Chinese influence in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives borrowed billions of dollars from Beijing and hired Chinese firms for infrastructure projects under previous President Abdulla Yameen. This stoked concerns in India and the West […]https://www.defencetalk.com/india-seeks-to-counter-china-sway-in-maldives-with-bridge-project-76172/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkWashington is getting ready to unveil its plans for repositioning of US forces in Europe in the coming days, including a reduction in troop levels in Germany, sources in both countries say. US President Donald Trump approved plans in late June to withdraw 9,500 American troops from Germany, and was to present them first to […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-to-unveil-plans-soon-for-repositioning-forces-in-europe-76074/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkChina on Friday ordered the closure of the US consulate in the southwestern city of Chengdu in retaliation for America shuttering Beijing’s diplomatic mission in Houston this week. The move was a “legitimate and necessary response to the unreasonable measures by the United States”, the foreign ministry said in a statement. “The current situation in […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-orders-closure-of-us-consulate-in-chengdu-76005/