Defence

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".

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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?