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PLA

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks during the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 1, 2024
U.S. defense chief stresses commitment to Asia as concerns mount
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Washington was focused on the region even as the White House grapples with the conflicts raging in Ukraine and Gaza.
U.S. soldiers participate in a joint exercise conducted for South Korean and U.S. soldiers in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi province, South Korea, on March 20.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 31, 2024
China's military drills 'remain underdeveloped' amid regional tensions
Noting the U.S. military may eventually lose its edge over China in the region, a new study says China is challenged by a lack of combat experience.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te makes a speech during his visit to a military camp in Taoyuan, Taiwan, on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 26, 2024
After China drills, Taiwan president again offers talks
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te said Sunday he was still open to working with China on building "mutual understanding and reconciliation."
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks during a media briefing at the Pentagon in Washington on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 25, 2024
U.S. and Chinese defense chiefs to meet this week, as military drills around Taiwan end
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will meet his Chinese counterpart, Dong Jun, this week for the first time, the Pentagon said Friday.
Chinese military vessels sail in an unknown location around Taiwan on Thursday amid joint military drills aimed at punishing the self-ruled island and its new president.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 24, 2024
China says Day 2 of Taiwan drills tests ability to 'seize' key areas
The Chinese military said the exercises test its ability “to jointly take control of (the) battlefield and launch joint strikes, and to seize control of crucial areas.”
A Chinese military ship northwest of Pengjia Island, off the coast of northern Taiwan, on Thursday
ASIA PACIFIC
May 23, 2024
China's military kicks off large-scale 'punishment' drills around Taiwan
The large-scale joint military exercises come days after the self-ruled island’s new president was sworn into office.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te (left) and Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim wave to a crowd following his swearing-in at the Presidential Office in Taipei on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 21, 2024
As new Taiwan leader takes office, a fragile status quo and power struggle at home await
New Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has pledged to build on the legacy of his predecessor.
New Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te (right) waves alongside outgoing leader Tsai Ing-wen during the presidential inauguration ceremony at the Presidential Office in Taipei on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 20, 2024
‘Cease the intimidation,’ Taiwan’s new president tells China in inaugural speech
New leader Lai Ching-te used his inauguration speech to deliver a clear message to Beijing: Taiwan will not be subordinate to China.
China Coast Guard vessels fire water cannons toward a Philippine resupply vessel as it made its way to the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea in March.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 19, 2024
Philippines replaces its military commander for disputed waters
Rear Adm. Alfonso Torres Jr. will replace Vice Adm. Alberto Carlos as chief of the Western Command on Palawan island.
Taiwan's Albatross II unmanned aerial vehicle is displayed as the island's Defense Ministry showcases its domestically developed drones to the media in Taichung, Taiwan, in March last year.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
May 19, 2024
Taiwan's Lai to bolster 'porcupine' defense against China threat
Lessons learned from the war in Ukraine about how rapidly developing drones can outfox traditional weaponry hint at new Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te's defense policy.
Taiwan President-elect Lai Ching-te arrives at the CyberSec 2024 Exhibition in Taipei on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 15, 2024
New Taiwan president to set tone for ties with China at inauguration
President-elect Lai Ching-te will have the world's attention when he delivers his inaugural address on Monday.
Members of Taiwan's Navy and media onboard a special operation boat navigate near a Kuang Hua VI-class missile boat, during part of a demonstration for the media to show combat readiness ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays, on the waters near a military base in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on Jan. 31.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 14, 2024
U.S. and Taiwan navies quietly held Pacific drills in April
The exercises, which were not publicized and involved "multiple military assets," took place last month in the Western Pacific, according to sources.
Philippine and U.S. Marines watch as a projectile hits a target at sea during a live-fire exercise against an imaginary "invasion" force as part of the annual joint military drills, on a strip of sand dunes in Laoag on Luzon island's northwest coast, on May 6.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 11, 2024
U.S. builds web of arms, ships and bases in the Pacific to deter China
With missiles, submarines and alliances, the Biden administration has built a presence in the region to rein in Beijing’s expansionist goals.
Soldiers load boxes of relief goods into a U.S. CH53 Sea Stallion aircraft at Lal-lo Airport in Cagayan province, northern Philippines, last August. The Lal-lo Airport is one of the additional sites for the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between the Philippines and the United States.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 11, 2024
China woos Philippine elites near base U.S. needs to defend Taiwan
The moves come as Washington and Beijing remain locked in a struggle for influence that is still playing out.
From left: U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Australian defense chief Richard Marles, Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro hold a joint news conference in Honolulu on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 3, 2024
With eye on China, defense chiefs agree to bolster interoperability
Although “China” was not uttered by the officials during their news conference in Hawaii, Beijing’s growing assertiveness was clearly on their minds.
Visitors walk past an image of Chinese leader Xi Jinping inspecting the Shandong aircraft carrier, at the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Naval Museum on the 75th founding anniversary of the PLA Navy, in Qingdao, China, on April 23.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 1, 2024
China's newest aircraft carrier begins first sea trials
Experts say the Fujian aircraft carrier — Beijing's most advanced yet — will take it closer to its goal of projecting its military far beyond its shores.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken holds a news conference at the end of a Group of Seven foreign ministers meeting on Capri Island, Italy, on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 23, 2024
Top U.S. diplomat returns to China, but breakthroughs unlikely
From Ukraine and Taiwan to the South China Sea and the Middle East, the list of bilateral and global issues on the agenda will be long.
Lt. Gen. William Jurney, U.S. director for the Balikatan joint military exercise, talks during an opening ceremony in Quezon City, suburban Manila, on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 22, 2024
U.S. and Philippine troops kick off drills as China tensions mount
The U.S. and Philippine militaries will exercise outside of Philippine territorial waters in the South China Sea for the first time since 1991.
An employee handles 155 mm-caliber shells after the manufacturing process at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on April 16.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 22, 2024
Conflicts push military spending to all-time high, report says
Nations around the world are spending more than ever on their militaries as conflicts continue across various regions.
Taiwanese flags are seen at the island's Defense Ministry in Taipei in December 2022.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 21, 2024
Taiwan says it will discuss with U.S. how to use new funding
The funds were part of a $95 billion legislative package mostly providing security aid to Ukraine and Israel passed by the U.S. House of Representatives.

Longform

Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals