Military Power

Buying certainty: How Hormuz is redefining global shipping

As conflict reshapes the Strait of Hormuz, markets are placing a premium on geopolitical certainty. The shift could redefine not only global shipping but the future of maritime governance, says US academic John Calabrese.

John Calabrese

21 Jul 2026

Ten years after the South China Sea ruling: Is China’s position better or worse?

The reality of the South China Sea is increasingly being shaped by Chinese power. This is the outcome that could matter more than 2016’s arbitral ruling and the countries rallying around it, says commentator Deng Yuwen.

Deng Yuwen

16 Jul 2026

What China’s submarine missile test reveals about its nuclear strategy

China’s submarine launch shows that Beijing intends to remove strategic vulnerability before accepting strategic constraint. But showing its ability for a second-strike capability does not guarantee stability in Asia, says academic Hao Nan.  

Hao Nan

09 Jul 2026

Purged generals, flying missiles: China’s military paradox

As sweeping anti-corruption investigations continue to shake the People’s Liberation Army, Beijing has responded not with words but with high-profile missile tests, seeking to demonstrate that its strategic nuclear deterrent remains intact despite the ongoing purge. Lianhe Zaobao associate China news editor Sim Tze Wei explains.

Sim Tze Wei

09 Jul 2026

Why the Pacific is filling with warships: China, RIMPAC and a new military contest

As the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise kicks off and China’s Liaoning wraps up its drills, the Western Pacific is witnessing a strategic shift from simple carrier standoffs to a complex battle of military systems. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Miao Zong-Han speaks with analysts to find out more.

Miao Zong-Han

25 Jun 2026

A tungsten mine exposes Myanmar’s China-Russia balancing act

Russia’s recent entry into tungsten mining in Myanmar reveals a three-way resource-security triangle: China controls much of the flow, Russia seeks a stake, while Myanmar’s military government is using access to resources as leverage. Academic Hao Nan gives his assessment.

Hao Nan

22 Jun 2026

How China sustains the illusion of equality with Russia

Amid its meetings with US and Russian leaders, academic Marcin Kaczmarski observes that China holds a firm upper hand in its relations with Russia, while continuing to massage Russia’s great-power ego.

Marcin Kaczmarski

22 May 2026

China is arming the Global South — and expanding its influence

China has turned its defence industry into a formidable exporter, reshaping security across the Global South. As researcher Tahir Mahmood Azad argues, its weapons come bundled with ties that draw states into Beijing’s strategic orbit.

Tahir Mahmood Azad

05 May 2026

How civilisational politics fuels today’s wars

Academic Ma Haiyun traces the history of civilisational conflict narratives in Western strategic thinking, built on Jewish intellectual foundations, long before the rise of Samuel P. Huntington’s The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order. Such approaches have had a profound effect on influencing the US’s behaviour in the Middle East and spillover effects in the region.

Ma Haiyun

22 Apr 2026

Why China’s firepower fails to translate into sales

Is China poised to capture a greater share of the rapidly expanding global arms market? Academic Ghulam Ali looks into China’s arms export policy, the quantity and quality of its previously exported arms, and the challenges associated with expanding arms trade to evaluate this.

Ghulam Ali

13 Apr 2026

[Video] Is the world entering a more dangerous nuclear era?

The collapse of the last US-Russia nuclear constraints under New START leaves the world’s nuclear guardrails in tatters, raising fears of great power friction and a renewed arms race. As limits fall away, states from Iran to North Korea are reassessing their options. With extended deterrence under strain, ThinkChina’s Lu Lingming and Yi Jina examine how this unravelling nuclear order is reshaping global and regional security.

Lu Lingming, Yi Jina

10 Apr 2026

How China and Russia keep Iran fighting — without firing a shot

The Iran war is exposing how great powers wage proxy conflict at arm’s length. China sustains Tehran’s missile and drone industry with dual‑use components, chip tools and BeiDou access, while Russia boosts its punch with satellite imagery, upgraded drones and electronic‑warfare know‑how. Together they keep a heavily sanctioned state in the fight, as researcher Tahir Mahmood Azad explains.

Tahir Mahmood Azad

10 Apr 2026