The US and Chinese militaries this week held “frank and constructive” maritime security talks, the Chinese navy said yesterday, as the two superpowers gradually restore military-to-military communications after several months of trade tensions.
The working-level meetings took place from Tuesday to Thursday in Hawaii, according to a post on the official social media account of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy.
US and Chinese military officials previously held talks in April — the first such working-level meeting on military issues since the beginning of the second term of US President Donald Trump. The twice-yearly talks are known as the military maritime consultative agreement working group.
Photo: EPA
“The two sides had frank and constructive exchanges ... mainly exchanging views on the current maritime and air security situation between China and the US,” China’s navy said in its statement.
China also criticized US freedom-of-navigation operations in the statement. These are frequently carried out in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea, international waters over which China claims sovereignty.
“China ... resolutely opposes any infringement and provocation,” China’s navy said, referring to those maritime and overflight transits by US forces.
Both sides also discussed “typical cases of naval and air encounters between the two militaries... to help the frontline naval and air forces of China and the US interact more professionally and safely,” it said.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth raised concerns about Chinese activity in the South China Sea and around Taiwan in a meeting with Chinese Minister of National Defense Dong Jun (董軍) last month.
China has been steadily increasing air, naval and coast guard deployments around Taiwan.
The Pentagon has been pushing for improved communications with China over its military modernization and regional posture, calling for greater transparency on its nuclear weapons build-up and more theatre-level discussions with military commanders.
The working group would have a follow-up meeting next year, the statement said.
NETWORK-MAPPING PROJECT: The database contains 170 detailed files of Taiwanese politicians and about 23 million records of household registration data in Taiwan China has developed a network-mapping project targeting political figures and parties in Taiwan to monitor public opinion during elections and to craft tailored influence campaigns aimed at dividing Taiwanese society, according to documents leaked by Chinese technology firm GoLaxy (中科天璣). The documents, collected by Taipei-based Doublethink Lab, showed a database was specifically created to gather detailed information on Taiwanese political figures, including their political affiliations, job histories, birthplaces, residences, education, religion and a brief biography about them. Several notable Taiwanese politicians are in the database, including President William Lai (賴清德), former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍),
RECOGNITION: Former Fijian prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry said that Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy serves as a stabilizing force in the Indo-Pacific region Taiwan can lead the unification of the Chinese people, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former Polish president Lech Walesa said in Taipei yesterday, adding that as the world order is changing, peaceful discussion would find good solutions, and that the use of force and coercion would always fail. Walesa made the remarks during his keynote address at a luncheon of the Yushan Forum in Taipei, titled “Indo-Pacific Partnership Prospects: Taiwan’s Values, Technology and Resilience,” organized by the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Walesa said that he had been at the forefront of a big peaceful revolution and “if
North Korea tested nuclear-capable rocket launchers, state media reported yesterday, a day after Seoul detected the launch of about 10 ballistic missiles. The test comes after South Korean and US forces launched their springtime military drills, due to run until Thursday. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Saturday oversaw the testing of the multiple rocket launcher system (MRLS), the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The test involved 12 600mm-caliber ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers and two artillery companies, it said. Kim said the drill gave Pyongyang’s enemies, within the 420km striking range, a sense of “uneasiness” and “a deep understanding
UPGRADED MISSILE: The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology is reportedly to conduct a live-fire test of the Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missile on Thursday next week The US Army is planning to build new facilities to boost explosives production and strengthen its supply chain, a move aimed at addressing munitions shortages and supporting obligations to partners including Taiwan, Ukraine and Israel, Defense News reported. The army has issued a sources sought notice for a proposed Center of Excellence at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky, the report said. The facility would serve as a hub within the US industrial base for the production of key military explosives, including research department explosives (RDX) and high melting explosives (HMX), while also supporting research and development of next-generation materials. The proposed
RSS