Category: International Relations

Chinese Spy Balloon Part of ‘Sustained’ Intelligence Collection Activities: Former NSA Director

The penetration of U.S. airspace by a Chinese spy balloon last week was a significant violation of American sovereignty and part of a larger intelligence collection campaign, according to two retired military leaders. Retired Navy Adm. Michael Rogers, who previously served as the commander of U.S. Cyber Command and as director of the National Security…


Indonesia and Australia Boost Regional Security Ties

Indonesia and Australia are set to boost regional security ties after the countries announced that they would upgrade their existing defence partnership agreement to a cooperation agreement that will be binding under international law. In a joint media release on Feb. 10, Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles and his Indonesia counterpart,…


UK Government Told to ‘Get a Grip’ on China Issues Over Plans to Meet Xinjiang Governor

Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Alicia Kearns told the UK government to “get a grip on China issues” on Thursday after a minister defended a potential visit of Xinjiang Governor Erkin Tuniyaz. MPs urged the government not to give him a visa and to ramp up sanctions against human rights abusers in China. Tuniyaz, governor and deputy…


US, UK, and Australia Carry Out China-Focused Air Drills

NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nevada—The United States, Britain, and Australia carried out joint air drills on Wednesday over the Nevada desert and beyond as part of an effort to simulate high-end combat operations against Chinese fighter aircraft and air defenses. Reuters accompanied British forces for several hours during the U.S.-hosted, three-week-long Red Flag exercises aboard…


‘A Lot of Unanswered Questions’: Senators React After Classified Briefing on Chinese Spy Balloon

Republicans are reacting with disapproval following a hearing which examined the Biden DoD’s response to a Chinese spy balloon that traversed the continental United States last week. Pentagon officials testified before a Senate Appropriations Defense hearing on Feb. 9, where they defended the department’s decision not to engage with China’s high-altitude surveillance balloon for an…


FBI Has Recovered ‘Extremely Limited’ Chinese Spy Balloon Debris, Says Most Parts Still Underwater

Most of the debris from the Chinese spy balloon shot down by the U.S. military last week is still lying in the ocean. The FBI has so far recovered very limited physical evidence from the Chinese surveillance balloon shot down off the coast of South Carolina on Feb. 4, and senior FBI officials said that…


China’s Entropic War Operations in South Asia Seeks to Undermine India: Experts

China’s entropic war in South Asian nations like Nepal, Sri Lanka and Maldives is at an advanced stage, according to strategists. These unrestricted war operations are to ensure China’s hegemony in its backyard where it wants to push its agendas and counter adversaries like India, an important US ally in the Indo-Pacific, they say. The…


AUKUS Increases Australia’s Sovereignty, Not Dependence on US: Defence Minister

Australia’s alliance with the United States, including the AUKUS partnership, enhances rather than diminishes the country’s sovereignty, Defence Minister Richard Marles remarked. In a statement to the House on Feb. 9, Marles repudiated critics of the AUKUS alliance, such as former prime ministers Paul Keating and Malcolm Turnbull, who argue the acquisition of nuclear submarines…


DOD Under Fire for Response to Chinese Spy Balloon

U.S. Defense officials are under fire for their decision to allow a Chinese spy balloon to traverse the continental United States. Lawmakers told members of the defense community that they would be held accountable should Congress find fault with the Department of Defense’s (DOD) decision-making during a Senate Appropriations Defense hearing on the issue of…


Pentagon Under Fire for Response to Chinese Spy Balloon

U.S. Defense officials are under fire for their decision to allow a Chinese spy balloon to traverse the continental United States. Lawmakers told members of the defense community that they would be held accountable should Congress find fault with the Department of Defense’s (DOD) decision-making during a Senate Appropriations Defense hearing on the issue of…