A new United States congressional report openly contemplates not selling any nuclear submarines to Australia as promised under the Aukus agreement because America wants to retain control of the submarines for a potential conflict with China over Taiwan. The report by the US Congressional Research Service, Congress's policy research arm, posits an alternative military division of labour under which the submarines earmarked for sale to Australia are instead retained under US command to be sailed out of Australian bases.
Japan and Britain agreed Saturday to accelerate cooperation on cybersecurity and the supply of critical minerals, as China's influence grows in the region. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his visit to Japan comes at a time "when geopolitical, economic and technological shocks are literally shaking the world." Starmer's overnight Tokyo visit comes on the heels of his trip to Beijing, where he and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to seek a long-term, stable "strategic partnership."
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) the military wing of the ruling Communist party in China said it had sent naval, air force and rocket forces to surround Taiwan on Monday morning. The exercise, named Justice Mission 2025, was a a stern warning against Taiwan independence' separatist forces and external interference forces, said a spokesperson for the PLA's eastern theatre command, Col Shi Yi. It is a legitimate and necessary action to safeguard China's sovereignty and national unity.
The Chinese military is encroaching on Taiwan's sea lanes, its airspace, its cyberspace. I know you have said that Xi Jinping wouldn't dare move militarily on Taiwan while you're in office. But what if he does? Would you order U.S. Forces to defend Taiwan? You'll find out if it happens, Trump replied, coyly. And he understands the answer to that.
During July and August at least 12 oil and gas vessels and permanent structures were detected inside Taiwan's EEZ including one within 50km of the restricted-waters border of the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands as well as several steel supports for fixed offshore drilling platforms, called jackets. Their presence inside Taiwan's EEZ have not been previously reported. Experts said the activity fit the pattern of Beijing's greyzone strategies for seizing disputed territory.
