Day: June 7, 2025

Ukrainian attacks targeting airbases deep inside Russian territory despite lacking long-range missiles or bombers could offer important lessons about modern warfare in the event of any conflict in the Taiwan Strait. Advertisement Under the operation, code-named Spider’s Web, Ukraine smuggled drones into Russian territory undetected and hired unwitting drivers to transport them in modified containers to locations near airbases, some of them thousands of kilometres from Ukraine’s border. The drones were then launched remotely to destroy surveillance planes and long-range bombers as they sat on the tarmac. The innovative approach…

China has condemned “political manipulation” by the United States and its “overstretched concept of national security”, days after two Chinese researchers were charged with illegally importing a toxic fungus described by US authorities as a “dangerous biological pathogen”. Advertisement The Chinese Consulate in Chicago said in a statement on Saturday that it was seeking information about the case and had lodged a “stern representation” with the US side. This comes after the US Department of Justice announced on Tuesday that Chinese citizens Jian Yunqing, 33, a research fellow at the…

US-China trade talks in London next week would signal positive development in ties but the negotiations would not be easy, observers said. Advertisement Meanwhile, Chinese state media reaction to the expected talks was muted, with commentaries reminding the US to honour its pledges while asserting Beijing’s red lines. On Friday, a day after his much-anticipated phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, US President Donald Trump announced that a new round of high-level bilateral meetings were due to take place in the British capital. Beijing’s foreign ministry confirmed the meeting…

Selecting which crops to grow each season can be a make-or-break decision for farmers. And in the ancient Chinese town of Baisha, famous for its liquor production, more and more are sowing seeds of change in a bid to capitalise on the evolving tastes of consumers. Advertisement Located in the southwestern megacity of Chongqing and home to the distillery of Chinese baijiu distilled-liquor brand Jiang Xiao Bai, the town is seeing its farmland increasingly being used to grow green plums instead of sorghum grain. Both are key ingredients in producing…

Taiwanese authorities are moving to tighten security protocols on cross-strait travel by expanding oversight to include grass-roots public officials and newly hired staff members of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Advertisement At the centre of a growing scandal is former DPP aide Huang Chu-jung, who is under investigation for allegedly using an encrypted messaging app developed on the mainland to leak classified information. Notably, the information in question involves the travel details of Taiwan’s second most senior official at the time – now the island’s leader – William Lai…

Rokid, a Chinese maker of augmented reality (AR) glasses, is set to launch its latest AR Spatial eyewear globally through Alibaba Group Holding’s AliExpress e-commerce platform, as the company pushes into overseas markets amid rising competition in the industry. Advertisement The Hangzhou-based company will debut the glasses overseas on June 16 during the AliExpress 618 summer sale period this month, leveraging the e-commerce giant’s “BigSave” programme to offer a nearly US$100 discount, bringing the cost down to US$568 for a limited time, Rokid announced on Thursday. Alibaba owns the Post.…

Vietnam has continued to expand land reclamation on its occupied features in the South China Sea, with military-related construction of new ports and airstrips, according to a Chinese think tank. Advertisement Citing satellite images, the Beijing-based South China Sea Probing Initiative (SCSPI) said on Friday that Vietnam had reclaimed nearly 0.78 sq km (0.3 square miles) of land in the past six months on 11 features in the contested Spratly Islands, which are known as the Nansha Islands in China. In total, Vietnam had reclaimed over 8.5 sq km of…

South Korea’s new progressive president is likely to adopt a more “prudent” stance on Taiwan than his predecessor and focus on boosting economic ties with Beijing, according to observers. But they also expect continuity in trilateral military cooperation with the US and Japan. Advertisement Lee Jae-myung was sworn in after winning a snap election held on Tuesday, two months after his predecessor – Yoon Suk-yeol – was impeached and removed over his abrupt declaration of martial law in December. Lee and his progressive Democratic Party of Korea are largely regarded…

Advertisement Sandwiched between two uncompromising superpowers, a growing number of European leaders are pushing for Europe to become a more self-reliant force. They want the bloc to free itself from dangerous dependencies on the US for defence and technology, on China for raw materials and cleantech goods, and on Russia for energy. “A new international order will emerge in this decade,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said last week. “If we do not want to simply accept the consequences this will have for Europe and the world, we…