China and America have escalated uncrewed aircraft deployments across sensitive Indo-Pacific waters, with mainland drones patrolling strategic passages near Japan while a US Marine detachment operates near disputed South China Sea islands.
In recent days, Japan has detected an uptick in Chinese military aircraft operations in important waters that enable Beijing’s naval forces to transit beyond the first island chain.
The activity coincided with large-scale joint military exercises between Tokyo...
China and the European Union can resolve their differences through dialogue, Chinese President Xi Jinping told his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Friday.
“China has always regarded the European Union as a partner,” Xi said, according to state broadcaster CCTV, adding that cooperation between the two sides outweighed competition.
“As long as [both sides] stay anchored to their partnership and engage in dialogue on an equal footing, differences and challenges can always be resolved...
Beijing is expected to gradually restore military representation in its top leadership, analysts say, as the Communist Party seeks to strike a delicate balance in its relations with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) amid an anti-corruption drive that has hit the top ranks.
They said the process was expected to be completed at next year’s 21st party congress, which will usher in a new leadership line-up for both the party and military.
The party wrapped up its fifth plenum of the 20th Central...
At the recent Valdai Discussion Club, I asked Russian President Vladimir Putin if he would be open to meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum in Shenzhen. I also asked, more broadly, what role China could play in promoting peace in Ukraine, mediating and contributing to peacekeeping.
Putin was receptive, warmly welcoming the idea of a China-hosted meeting. Trump, too, has expressed a willingness to meet Xi and...
China’s coastguard has carried out an exercise featuring water cannons and drones near two disputed reefs at the centre of its simmering South China Sea contention with the Philippines to prepare for “foreign infringement”, according to state media.
A China Coast Guard flotilla “recently” conducted “comprehensive maritime law-enforcement training” in the waters around Second Thomas Shoal and Sabina Shoal, according to state broadcaster CCTV, which did not specify dates.
The official television...
As tightening US visa restrictions and geopolitics lock out Asian researchers from Western institutions, South Korea is emerging as a new academic sanctuary for top talent.
According to Yoo Ji-beom, president of Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) in Seoul, that reflects a broader trend that has seen the West giving way to Asia after decades of dominance – particularly in the field of applied technology in China, Japan and South Korea.
“Technological competition and global talent mobility are...
China successfully conducted take-off and landing operations of the GJ-21 drone from its first Type 076 warship, the Sichuan, this month, Xinhua said on Friday.
More to follow …
SCMP - 2026-10-30 09:00:31 - Raymond Ma,Neil Denslow
Chinese President Xi Jinping renewed a years-long anti-corruption drive at a major Communist Party meeting, while the general who led a military anti-graft purge was promoted to the Politburo.
The party must “ensure that officials do not have the audacity, opportunity, or desire to commit corruption”, read a communique passed at the fifth plenum of the party’s Central Committee. The document also highlighted “unwritten rules” as a key issue to address.
Zhang Shengmin, Xi’s vice-chairman on the...
A leading economist warned on Thursday that the United States and China are in a “conflicted co-dependency” that this year’s two bilateral summits failed to address.
“I think there’s a good chance that we’re in a temporarily more stable place. But to say that has solved the deep-rooted problems between us, I think is a real stretch,” said Stephen Roach, a veteran China-watcher and the former chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia, at the China Institute of America.
“You mentioned the two summits that...
Amid attempts this year to impress each other with splendour, US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping appear to have decided that the relationship between their two countries should primarily run through their personal relationship.
This has been a hallmark of the Trump years. The American executive branch has always held near-unilateral authority over foreign policy, but Trump has concentrated that in himself. Dozens of ambassadors and senior national security advisers have...
Beijing has given new details about the scale of its anti-corruption drive into the People’s Liberation Army and defence industry, with fresh names confirmed as being investigated.
They include top generals who once oversaw theatre commands, heads of the powerful Central Military Commission’s General Office and executives in key defence companies.
The names are included in a communique released at the close of the fifth plenum of the 20th Central Committee on Thursday, as the party concluded its...
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to travel to Beijing next month as Canberra seeks to deepen a relationship which stabilised after years of trade disputes but has been recently complicated by geopolitical tensions.
Sources told the South China Morning Post that Albanese would first attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) leaders’ summit in Shenzhen, which runs from November 18 to 19, before travelling to the Chinese capital.
It will be Albanese’s third visit to...
Modern medicine has spent the past few decades rediscovering the connection between a healthy gut and a healthy mind and body, something traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners have understood for many hundreds of years.
In China and around the world, doctors and scientists trained in Western medicine have learned the importance of maintaining a balance between “good” and “bad” bacteria in the human microbiome – the scientific name for the collection of microorganisms in the gut – and...
The Communist Party of China has pledged to vigorously crack down on the “unwritten rules” that enable corruption in the party, deepening its long-running campaign to keep officials in line.
At a Friday press conference, senior officials described the important takeaways from the 20th Central Committee’s Fifth Plenum, which concluded the day before. They underscored President Xi Jinping’s assertion that corruption remains a serious challenge that requires sustained pressure and targeted action...
We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.
1. Win for Lula boosts China’s foothold and gives Brazil rare earths leverage
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s re-election preserves Beijing’s most critical foothold in Latin America, while positioning Brasilia to leverage...