Has Beijing snared itself in its own debt trap? The lure of cheap cash has bought it diplomatic support and access to ports across Africa, Asia and the Pacific. But now those nations are struggling to meet repayments. And someone still has to pay. “China is a loan shark withContinue Reading
Japan’s Prime Minister has eaten fish from the ocean off the Fukushima coast to dispel safety concerns amid an escalating row over the release of radioactive water — sparking comparisons with The Simpsons. Fumio Kishida and three of his ministers sat in front of cameras in the PM’s Tokyo officeContinue Reading
More photos have emerged of a fake “Chinese police car” in Melbourne that sparked outrage on social media earlier this week. The dark grey Nissan Altima sedan has Chinese characters for “police” stencilled on the bonnet and “special police” along the side, and a Chinese police badge on the frontContinue Reading
China is angry that Australia’s building eight submarines. Meanwhile it’s busily expanding its own fleet to 70. It’s part of what Chairman Xi Jinping this week declared will be a “Great Wall of Steel”. And neighbouring countries are increasingly worried they’ll get trapped behind it. In the first speech ofContinue Reading
The man tasked with stabilising trade relations with China is “very confident” both he and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will still visit China this year, despite Beijing’s strong criticism of the AUKUS deal. But the Opposition has conceded the relationship with China is “not at its best” at the momentContinue Reading
China has reacted to Australia’s monumental nuclear submarine deal, warning the AUKUS pact it has begun to go “further down a dangerous road”.. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, alongside British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and American President Joe Biden in San Diego announced the historic AUKUS deal on Tuesday, which willContinue Reading
Inherently explosive? Or just a load of hot air? Beijing’s brazen bid to send a spy balloon over some of the US’ most secret sites has sparked a diplomatic firestorm. But strategic analysts are struggling to come to grips with what it all means. It was just a balloon. ItContinue Reading
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has made a “deep mistake” with Beijing’s spy balloon saga, a former head of the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service says. Sir Alex Younger, the former head of Britain’s spy agency, told the BBC that China’s assumption of how the US would react to surveillance balloons beingContinue Reading
The Philippines condemned Tuesday the “aggressive” actions of a Chinese security vessel, which is accused of using a military-grade laser light against a Philippine patrol boat in the disputed South China Sea, leaving crew members temporarily blinded. The incident happened on February 6 nearly 20 kilometres from Second Thomas ShoalContinue Reading
BEIJING: Beijing said Monday that Washington had sent balloons into its airspace more than 10 times since January 2022, deepening a row between the two powers after an alleged Chinese surveillance craft was shot down over the United States.“Since last year alone, US balloons have illegally flown above China moreContinue Reading