The growth of China’s fixed-asset investment (FAI) and retail sales has remained slow so far this year as falling home prices continue to suppress property investment and people’s spending.  The country’s FAI increased 3.6% to 28.7 trillion yuan (US$4 trillion) in the first seven months of this year from a year ago, according to the […]

The post Property crisis still haunts China investment, consumption appeared first on Asia Times.

Cutting-edge AI-enabled AUKUS drone tests highlight the alliance’s push for tech-driven military superiority but industrial limitations and Chinese market dominance may undermine its readiness for future conflicts. This month, the UK’s Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) reported that the AUKUS nations – Australia, the UK and the US – have successfully tested AI-enabled uncrewed […]

The post AUKUS AI drones shadowed by China’s tech supremacy appeared first on Asia Times.

China’s nuclear expansion has put a spotlight on the US nuclear arsenal’s outdated state, forcing a critical rethink of US nuclear strategy amid a possible lowered threshold of nuclear weapons use over Taiwan. This month, the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) released a report saying that the evolving nuclear dynamics in the Indo-Pacific […]

The post US ill-prepared for a nuclear showdown with China appeared first on Asia Times.

North Korea’s ballistic missile buildup and Japan’s interceptor missile production plan with the US might fuel a missile war of attrition in Ukraine. This month, Reuters reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has overseen the delivery of 250 new tactical ballistic missile launchers to Korean People’s Army (KPA) units stationed along the border […]

The post New Cold War missile race kicks into higher gear appeared first on Asia Times.

Japan is bolstering its maritime capabilities with Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USV) in response to China’s aggressive actions in the East China Sea, marking a strategic shift in defense technology and the US-Japan alliance. This month, the Indo-Pacific Defense Forum (IPDF) reported that the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) is advancing its maritime capabilities by prioritizing […]

The post Japan floating robo-ships to meet China’s sea challenge appeared first on Asia Times.

The USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) aircraft carrier has stolen the show at the RIMPAC 2024, flexing a powerhouse air wing and cutting-edge naval capabilities. Naval News reported that the USS Carl Vinson showcased its advanced air wing, known as CVW-2, during July’s biannual Rim of the Pacific Exercise, the world’s largest international maritime warfare exercise. […]

The post US flaunts the future of naval airpower appeared first on Asia Times.

The US Army’s recent Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) report warns that near-peer adversaries China and Russia are gearing up for unprecedented hybrid warfare tactics targeting the US homeland. The report says the US homeland, traditionally considered a sanctuary, is now vulnerable to its near-peer adversaries’ conventional, hybrid and irregular warfare tactics. The TRADOC report […]

The post US mainland ultra-vulnerable to China, Russia hybrid attacks appeared first on Asia Times.

For the Kremlin, its “partner of no limits”, China, isn’t doing enough to aid Russia’s war against Ukraine. So, Russia has signed a peace treaty with North Korea, hoping to pressure China into backing Moscow’s war effort further. Meanwhile, the West sees China as far too helpful to Russia. The sentiment in the West was […]

The post China needs to pick a side, and it just might pick the West appeared first on Asia Times.

Kamikaze drones have been widely touted as a modern warfare “game-changer” but questions abound whether the new-age weapons are really revolutionary enough to reshape European and Asian battlefields of the future. Last month, The War Zone reported that the US is considering the potential of kamikaze drones in its military strategy. In a recent virtual […]

The post US kamikaze drones: war game-changer or buzzing boondoggle? appeared first on Asia Times.

Chinese warships were recently spotted sailing close to the Aleutian Islands, just off the Alaskan coast. Meanwhile, naval boats have begun to dock at a Beijing-built military port in Cambodia. While these two events took place on different sides of the globe, they’re both part of an important geopolitical development – one that may lead […]

The post Chinese warships off Alaska, Cambodia signal shifting seas appeared first on Asia Times.

A newly spotted Chinese submarine with an advanced rudder design signals China’s rapid advancements in submarine technology, potentially shifting the balance of power in underwater warfare vis-à-vis the US. Last month, The War Zone reported that a Chinese submarine featuring an innovative X-form rudder has been identified at the Wuchang Shipyard in central Wuhan. The […]

The post China’s conventional subs shifting underwater war balance appeared first on Asia Times.

Some American legislators have proposed a bipartisan legislative bill that will require United States-listed firms to disclose their assets and businesses in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and estimate the economic losses they will suffer if China invades Taiwan.  The PRC Risk Transparency Act, if passed and implemented, will amend the Securities Exchange Act […]

The post Legislation forces US firms to prepare for a Taiwan war appeared first on Asia Times.

In the 1980s, the United States faced a profound challenge: winning a conventional war in Europe against a numerically superior Soviet army.  Technological innovation – most notably the development of smart, precision munitions – provided a solution. Instead of needing tens or even hundreds of unguided munitions to hit a target, one smart munition would […]

The post US needs to double down on directed energy weapons appeared first on Asia Times.

The US has signaled a potential strategic pivot from legacy intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) systems to more advanced platforms leveraging new technologies like space-based assets and stealth drones. This month, The War Zone reported that US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall hinted at a new ISR platform during a roundtable discussion before the Farnborough […]

The post US hints new stealth drone tech built to beat China appeared first on Asia Times.

This article was originally published by Pacific Forum, a Honolulu-based foreign policy research institute founded in 1975.  In 2014, at the inaugural meeting of the National Security Commission, China officially introduced the concept of “comprehensive national security,” framing economic security as its basis. Safeguarding economic security, under this framework, entails improving China’s economic strength while controlling […]

The post Risk to resilience: China’s economic security strategy appeared first on Asia Times.

Seven years seems a lifetime in politics. In 2017, President Donald Trump announced the United States would withdraw from the Paris Agreement. It prompted Canada, China and the European Union to convene an urgent meeting to reaffirm political commitment to global climate action. The successful meeting became an annual event which, this week, took place […]

The post China quietly taking the lead in climate diplomacy appeared first on Asia Times.

The UK has started building its first sixth-generation fighter demonstrator, aiming to field a next-gen combat aircraft by 2035. The UK is steaming ahead with the program despite cost issues with similar fighter projects and questions of strategic value in the evolving air power space.  This month, the UK Defense Journal reported that the UK’s […]

The post UK pulls the throttle on Tempest next-gen fighter appeared first on Asia Times.

The US has upgraded its legacy B-2 Spirit stealth bombers with cutting-edge software, slashing update times and supercharging combat readiness against near-peer adversaries. The move comes amid potential production shortfalls in the next-generation B-21 Raider stealth bomber program under development for the US Air Force by private contractor Northrop Grumman. This month, Air & Space […]

The post US boosts B-2 bombers amid B-21 production delays appeared first on Asia Times.

Chinese scientists have proposed developing laser-equipped submarines to kill satellites stealthily from underwater, potentially revolutionizing anti-satellite (ASAT) warfare. The South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that People’s Liberation Army (PLA) scientists, led by Professor Wang Dan of the Naval Submarine Academy, have suggested that Chinese submarines could be equipped with megawatt-class, solid-state laser weapons capable […]

The post Chinese subs may soon sport satellite-killing lasers appeared first on Asia Times.

The 20th Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) Central Committee’s third plenary session concluded on Thursday (July 18) with the adoption of a five-year plan that aims to upgrade Chinese industries and push forward economic reforms.  About 200 CCP Central Committee members adopted the “Resolution on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese Modernization” during the four-day […]

The post Beijing highlights self-reliance at Third Plenum appeared first on Asia Times.