Defence

Philippines and US officers link arms during the opening ceremony of US-Philippines Arm-to-Army exercise at Fort Magsaysay, in Nueva Ecija province, north of Manila on 13 March 2023. (Ted Aljibe/AFP)

Is Philippine President Marcos Jr swinging too far back to the US?

The Marcos Jr administration’s defence cooperation policy that hews closer to the US is facing domestic criticism, even from his sister. China is also growing increasingly uncomfortable with recent moves between the Philippines and the US, and posturing that suggests that the Philippines could be enlisted to part of the "China containment club".
A painting of former Taiwan President Chiang Kai-shek and a Taiwan flag remains on the wall of a house in Kinmen, Taiwan, 16 October 2021. (Ann Wang/Reuters)

The case of a missing Taiwanese soldier at Kinmen outpost: Desertion, defection or something else?

The case of a Taiwanese soldier who had gone missing from his post at Lieyu Garrison Battalion on Erdan Islet, an atoll off Kinmen County’s Lieyu Island, has drawn speculation of a possible “defection” to the mainland. But this incident and recent instances of military food shortages and missing weapons have kept negative attention on Taiwan’s military amid increasingly tense geopolitics. Zaobao’s China Desk examines the issue.
A cyclist rides on a bicycle past a house destroyed by shelling in Hostomel near Kyiv, on 19 March 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Sergei Chuzavkov/AFP)

The hypocrisy of big country politics in the Ukraine war

Former journalist Goh Choon Kang notes that while Singapore’s stand against the Russian invasion of Ukraine is clear, the conditions that led to the current situation are complicated, beginning with Ukraine's internal politics that weakened it considerably for others to take advantage of.
A Ukrainian soldier of the 10th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade "Edelweiss" fires a French MO-120-RT61 mortar towards Russian positions at a front line in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, on 4 March 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Anatolii Stepanov/AFP)

US strategists are rethinking the way they see China and Russia

Researcher Wei Da observes that amid increasing US-China tensions and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, US strategists are rethinking the way they see China and Russia. This revised worldview keenly shapes their calculations of various flashpoints, not least the Ukraine war and the Taiwan issue.
Rescuers work at a site of a residential building heavily damaged by a recent Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, 4 March 2023. (Stringer/Reuters)

Chinese academic: Lessons for China from the Russia-Ukraine war

Russia’s failure in winning its war in Ukraine has been largely due to its weak soft power as well as the poor performance of its weaponry, which had initially given the country false confidence in its ability to gain a quick victory. Chinese academic Deng Qingbo tells us what China can learn from Russia’s mistakes in this respect.
A general view of a Chinese military vessel docked at the port in Richards Bay on 22 February 2023, during a 10-day joint military exercise with Russia and South Africa. (Guillen Sartorio/AFP)

The Chinese offer of a Global Security Initiative: Anything new?

Last week, the Chinese foreign ministry launched "The Global Security Initiative Concept Paper", following from the Boao Forum for Asia in April 2022, when Chinese President Xi Jinping raised the concept of a Global Security Initiative, which includes respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, abiding by the UN Charter, and taking the legitimate security concerns of all countries seriously. What does all this mean for ASEAN?
Taiwan's armed forces pose for a photo with a Taiwan flag during a routine drills to show combat readiness ahead of Lunar New Year holidays at a military base in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 11 January 2023. (Ann Wang/Reuters)

Can Taiwan stay safe in the next decade?

As the sabre-rattling continues in the Taiwan Strait, there seems to be no clear solution in sight for reunification. Zaobao’s correspondent Woon Wei Jong speaks to commentators and experts to take soundings on feasible solutions.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III (right) meets Philippines President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. (left) at the Malacanang presidential palace in Manila, Philippines, 2 February 2023. (Jam Sta Rosa/Pool via Reuters)

Chinese academic: The Philippines' closer ties with US could cross China's bottom line

Chinese academic Peng Nian looks at the US expanding its access to new military bases in the Philippines, which China is particularly concerned with. He says that while the Philippines want to find a sweet spot in navigating China-US competition, it must be extra vigilant in dealing with security cooperation with the US in the South China Sea so as not to aggravate China-Philippines relations.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (right) shakes hands with China's Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission Wang Yi at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Munich, southern Germany, on 17 February 2023. (Thomas Kienzle/AFP)

China’s strategy to resist the US but bring Europe close

Over the past few days, China’s top diplomat Wang Yi has been on a tour of Europe, where he met some European leaders and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Zaobao correspondent Yu Zeyuan takes a look at Wang’s goodwill diplomacy towards European countries and harsh criticism of the US. What do they indicate of future China-US and China-Europe relations?