TOPIC

Defence

Defence
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Defence. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Practitioners perform martial art next to a BYD Sealion 7 electric vehicle at Singapore Motorshow on January 9. Photo: AFP
US-China relations

Tesla’s defeat, Harvard’s success, Beijing’s shock: 7 US-China relations reads

From China’s EV power to Hegseth’s new threat, here are highlights from the SCMP’s overseas correspondents in the first half of January 2026.

The Philippines

French ‘intimacy’: Philippines, France near deal for Indo-Pacific strength

videocam
Pakistan

Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia plan defence deal to counter chaos in Middle East

videocam
4
Japan

Japan, US vow ‘unshaken’ defence ties despite Trump’s pivot from Asia

‘We talk about America first, yes, but it doesn’t mean America alone,’ Pentagon chief Hegseth tells Japanese Defence Minister Koizumi.

videocam
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth (right) welcomes Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi at the Pentagon in Virginia on Thursday. Photo: Getty Images/AFP
Japan

Japan’s next-generation fighter jet project gets boost as European rival stalls

Germany, France and Spain have put their project on hold, prompting speculation that some may turn to the Japan-UK-Italy programme.

5
US-China relations

US bill for US$300 million arms sale to Taiwan passed in House

The 482-page bill outlining varying military assistance comes as Taipei announced that more US weapons sales to Taiwan are in the pipeline.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Greenland

Europeans send military personnel to Greenland in message to Trump

Initial deployments are small, but Denmark is planning a ‘larger, more permanent’ Nato presence.

17
A Royal Danish Air Force plane carrying personnel in military fatigues after landing at Nuuk airport in Greenland. Photo: Reuters
Ukraine war

Kremlin warns Ukraine running out of time to accept peace terms

The Kremlin insists Ukraine is running out of options as US-led talks stall, warning that the ‘situation is deteriorating’ for Kyiv daily.

European Union

Opinion | An internally split Europe can never fully engage China and Asia

The Brussels effect is real but so is Europe’s strategic subordination to the US. For China, and Asia, this means proceeding with pragmatism.

videocam
Pakistan

Pakistan’s arms deals cleared for take-off as orders soar for JF-17 jets

The jets, co-produced with China, proved their worth during the India-Pakistan tensions, when they destroyed an S-400 air defence system.

videocam
5
A visitor takes a look at a JF-17 jet fighter during an air show in Dubai in 2017. Photo: Reuters
The Philippines

New deal eases logistics for Japan-Philippines drills amid China tensions

The agreement removes taxes on military supplies, including weapons and fuel used in joint exercises.

videocam
A Japanese naval ship docks at the Manila Port, Philippines, last year. Photo: EPA-EFE
US-China relations

‘Wartime footing’: US Navy chief unveils Trump’s Golden Fleet shipbuilding push

John Phelan says it is essential that America matches China’s superior production capacity and manufacturing workforce.

videocam
79
India

Opinion | Is India fuelling an arms race in Asia or closing a deterrence gap?

The challenge for New Delhi is to solve its deterrence shortfall without letting competition harden into permanent confrontation.

United States

Republican bill eyes Greenland as 51st US state in Trump’s arctic power play

Republican congressman from Florida, Randy Fine introduced a bill to annex Greenland, citing national security.

6
Protesters rally outside the US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, on March 15, 2025, declaring “Greenland belongs to the Greenlandic people”. Photo: Reuters
India

Germany’s Merz backs India-EU trade deal during first official visit to Asia

The German chancellor and India’s Modi have signed agreements aimed at boosting bilateral trade and enhancing defence cooperation.

videocam
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrives for an appointment on Monday as part of his state visit to India. Photo: dpa
Espionage

Former US Navy sailor gets 16 years for selling ship secrets to Chinese contact

Jinchao Wei, 25, provided information about the USS Essex and other ships in exchange for about US$12,000.

Taiwan

Opinion | The US wants to block China’s peaceful reunification. It won’t work

US weapons sales to Taiwan violate the one-China principle but won’t sway Asean or the wider international community.

videocam
10
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
The Pentagon

US senator sues Pentagon chief Hegseth over demotion threats

Retired US Navy captain and astronaut seeks to block a Pentagon demotion process triggered by his video urging troops to refuse ‘illegal orders’.

US Senator Mark Kelly has filed a lawsuit against the Pentagon and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. Photo: AFP
Diplomacy

Opinion | Why China now needs North Korea’s denuclearisation

As optimism grows over an end to the Ukraine war, a weakening of Moscow’s support for Pyongyang may give Beijing new leverage to stabilise the Korean peninsula.

videocam
7
Greenland

Greenland says it should be defended by Nato, rejects any US takeover

The Arctic island’s government insists that security must happen through the Western alliance, not via US ownership.

30
China's military weapons

Chinese state media repositions sci-fi space, air combat aircraft as tech target

Military analyst on CCTV says frontier technologies reflect ‘expectations for future aerospace and space superiority’.

videocam
11
A CCTV report on January 9 quotes an expert who says concept “space-sky integrated” fighter jets in China’s sci-fi Nantianmen Project will eventually become reality. Photo: CCTV
Diplomacy

China’s oil risks worsen as Trump threatens Iran

The US president’s suggestion of potential intervention in Iran after the fatal suppression of protests adds new jeopardy to China’s oil imports.

Iranian protesters from footage on social media validated by AP. (Photo: UGC via AP)
Japan

Japan’s top diplomat heads to Philippines with South China Sea top of mind

The talks are likely to focus on Manila’s push for a South China Sea code with ‘teeth’ as this year’s Asean chair, analysts say.

5
North Korea

‘Gang of hooligans’: rebuke from North Korea signals icy ties with South

The unusually coarse language from Kim Jong-un’s sister shows that Pyongyang has no intention of reconciling with Seoul, experts say.

videocam
4
US-Venezuela conflict

Could China execute special forces operation like US precision Maduro abduction?

The Pentagon sees China’s 20,000-30,000 special operation personnel as limited by logistics support and fragmented command structure.

videocam
110
On January 5, Nicolas Maduro is escorted towards the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse in Manhattan after being abducted from Caracas by US forces. Analysts ask whether China has the capacity to carry out a similar opertion. Photo: Reuters
China's military weapons

China set to supercharge radar, engine and AI in fifth-gen J-20 stealth fighter

Analyst tells state media Mighty Dragon’s airborne weapons are expected to have a longer range and stronger anti-interference capabilities.

videocam
35
A military analyst interviewed by state broadcaster CCTV indicates that China’s J-20 stealth fighters are set for avionics upgrades on its radar, engines and AI integration. Photo: CCTV
United States

Editorial | What happens next in Venezuela should be of international concern

If the US can take over the running of a country in this way, it could be the beginning of a slippery slope.

Taiwan

F-16 fighter crash brings fresh scrutiny to Taiwan’s ageing military equipment

Opposition politicians frame incident as readiness problem created by high operational tempo, ageing airframes and slow equipment delivery.

videocam
39
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement