Category: weapons

China’s ‘One-and-Done’ Arms Buyers

Commentary What is the secret to success as an arms exporter? Repeat business. Countries buy arms from certain suppliers for specific reasons: performance, reliability, cost, alliance politics, and so on. An important sign of success as an arms producer is building up a large and reliable overseas customer base—countries that return, year upon year, to…


The Weapons Expert in the Alec Baldwin Case Was Hungover on Set, Prosecutors Say

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—The weapons supervisor on the film set where Alec Baldwin shot and killed a cinematographer was drinking and smoking marijuana in the evenings during the filming of “Rust,” prosecutors are alleging, saying she was likely hungover when she loaded a live bullet into the revolver that the actor used. They leveled the accusations Friday…


South African Weapons to Russia ‘Possible but Doubtful,’ Say Arms Control Experts

JOHANNESBURG—Several weapons experts with knowledge of the international arms industry have told The Epoch Times it’s “highly unlikely” that South Africa secretly exported weapons or ammunition to Russia. On 11 May, at a press conference in Pretoria, United States ambassador to South Africa Reuben Brigety made headlines around the world when he said: “The arming…


Trudeau Announces New Military Aid, Bilateral Agreements During Ukraine PM’s Visit

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a new round of military and economic support for Ukraine on April 11, coinciding with a visit from Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal to Canada. At a joint press conference in Toronto, Trudeau also announced several new bilateral agreements and a plan for Canada to ship $59 million in weapons to…


Ukraine’s Zelenskyy Aims for Western Warplane Coalition; Russians Pressure Bakhmut

KYIV—Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a trip to Warsaw on Wednesday that Poland would help form a coalition of Western powers to supply warplanes to Kyiv, adding that Ukrainian troops were still fighting for Bakhmut in the east but could withdraw if they risked being cut off. Neighboring Poland is a close ally of…


China Says It Will Not Deliver Weapons to Russia: German Chancellor

The Chinese regime has declared that it will not supply Russia with weapons to aid in its invasion of Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on March 5. Scholz made the comments at a press conference at the German government retreat in Meseberg, north of Berlin on Sunday, where he was joined by European Commission President Ursula von…


Taiwan Military to Get $619 Million US Arms Boost

TAIPEI—The United States has approved the potential sale of $619 million in new weapons to Taiwan, including missiles for its F-16 fleet, as the island reported a second day of large-scale Chinese air force incursions nearby. The arms sales are likely to further sour already tense ties between Washington and Beijing, which has repeatedly demanded…


China’s Potential to Aid Russia’s War in Ukraine

Commentary A quick survey of China’s well-stocked pavilions at the International Defense Exhibition (IDEX) in Abu Dhabi on Feb. 20–24 makes clear that China need only apply a fraction of its military-technical might to enable a Russian victory in Ukraine. The Biden administration is fearful this prospect is nigh. On Feb. 19, U.S. Secretary of…


Only ‘A Matter of Weeks’ Before Iran Could Be Able to Manufacture Nuclear Weapons: CIA Chief

It could “only be a matter of weeks” before Iran is capable of enriching uranium to 90 percent purity, at which point the country could manufacture nuclear weapons, according to CIA Director William Burns. “To the best of our knowledge, we don’t believe that the supreme leader in Iran has yet made a decision to resume…


Vancouver Airport Border Security Seizes Almost 1,400 Prohibited Weapons From China

A Chilliwack, B.C., man has been arrested for allegedly importing a weapons cache of almost 1,400 prohibited weapons brought into the country illegally from China. A Feb. 27 news release issued by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) indicated that in January, border guards at the Vancouver International Airport intercepted several large parcels, destined for…