China Archives - Defence Monitor

18 Sep

China flies 103 military planes towards Taiwan in a new high of activity

Taipei, Sep 18, In 24-hour period, China’s military sent 103 warplanes towards Taiwan, which the island’s defense ministry claimed on Monday was a new daily record in recent times. The planes were noticed between 6 a.m. on Sunday and 6 a.m. on Monday, the ministry said. As is customary, they turned back before reaching Taiwan. China, which asserts Taiwan as part of its territory, has conducted increasingly large military drills in the air and waters around Taiwan as tensions have grown between the two and with the United States. The US, which is Taiwan’s main supplier of arms, opposes any…

22 Aug

BRICS summit: Navigating uncertainties through Indian and global south partnership

New Delhi, Aug 22, The BRICS group will conduct its 15th summit from August 22 to 24 at the Sandton Convention Centre (SCC) in Johannesburg, South Africa, during which it is likely to discuss a proposal for a new currency backed by gold, aimed at decreasing dependence on the US dollar, though its motivations are debated. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for South Africa to participate in the summit. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazil's President Luiz InacioLula da Silva are expected to be present in the summit, which will be the…

19 Aug

China launches military exercises around Taiwan

Nanjing, Aug 19, The Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Saturday launched joint air and sea patrols and military exercises of the navy and air force around Taiwan. The patrols and exercises are meant to train the coordination of military vessels and airplanes and their ability to seize control of air and sea spaces, Shi Yi, a spokesperson for the command, was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency. The armed forces' ability to fight in real combat conditions will be tested, Shi said, adding that the patrols and exercises serve as a "stern warning…

10 Aug

US announces new bans on investments in China, Beijing disappointed

Washington, Aug 10, US President Joe Biden has slapped new bans on investments in advanced technology industries in China in order to protect national security. President Biden signed an executive order late on Wednesday, banning US investments in certain key tech sectors of China. The new rules would place restrictions on investments by US private equity and venture capital firms, as well as joint ventures, in Chinese artificial intelligence, quantum computing and semiconductors, reports CNN. China’s Ministry of Commerce said in a statement on Thursday that “the ban greatly disrupts the normal pace of business decision-making, the international trade order,…

08 Aug

South Africa ready to host BRICS summit: Minister

Johannesburg, Aug 8, South Africa is ready to host the much-anticipated 15th BRICS summit, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor has said. "President Ramaphosa has confirmed South Africa's readiness to host the 15th BRICS summit in person, in Sandton, Johannesburg. The president has therefore invited 67 leaders from Africa and the Global South to attend the BRICS-Africa outreach and BRICS Plus dialogues," Pandor said on Monday while briefing the media about the country's preparations for the summit, which will be held on August 22-24, Xinhua news agency reported. The leaders invited to attend the summit cover all the…

23 Jul

Space Activity Bill, revised FDI policy top wishlist of private players

Chennai, July 23, Experts say that a revised policy on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) for the space sector, coming out with the Space Activity Bill, encouraging upstream industries are some of the big moves that await the Indian space sector. Two years after opening up the space sector for private players, the Indian government recently came out with the sectoral policy. According to industry experts, apart from the policy, the Space Activity Bill and a revised FDI policy should be announced. “The next move should be to create a strong upstream industry in India. This is essential for the start-ups…

26 Jun

New images show Chinese ‘spy’ balloons over Asia

London, June 26, New evidence of China's 'spy' balloon programme - including flights over Japan and Taiwan has been uncovered, media reports said. Japan has confirmed balloons have flown over its territory and said it's prepared to shoot them down in future, BBC reported. US-China relations were thrown into turmoil earlier this year, when an alleged Chinese spy balloon was shot down off the US coast. China claimed the balloon seen over north-western US in late January was a civilian airship, used for scientific research such as meteorology - and that it was an unintended and isolated event. John Culver…

24 Jun

South Africa to host BRICS political parties dialogue in July

Johannesburg, June 24 (IANS) South Africa's governing party, the African National Congress (ANC), has said that political parties from the BRICS countries will meet next month to discuss how to strengthen the BRICS mechanism, economic recovery and conflict resolutions. The dialogue will be held in Johannesburg on July 18-20 to deliberate on issues of mutual interest, and it will be attended by party leaders and representatives of political parties across the world, the ANC said on Friday in a statement. "The 2023 BRICS Political Parties Plus Dialogue will deliberate on reforming and strengthening mechanisms for inclusive multilateralism, and resolving conflicts through…

23 Jun

Shehbaz to virtually attend SCO India meeting

Islamabad, June 23, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will virtually attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting chaired by India on July 4. "We have received the official invitation from Indian Prime Minister for our Prime Minister for the virtual meeting of Heads of State of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation that is due to take place on July 4," The News quoted a spokeswoman at the Foreign Office as saying at a briefing. "Pakistan will be represented at the summit. We will be making an announcement regarding our participation in coming days," she added. Earlier this month, the Centre said that it…

19 Jun

Modi’s silence on Galwan clash hit India’s negotiating position, says Jairam

New Delhi, June 19 (IANS) Congress on Monday condemned Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving a clean chit to China on the Galwan valley clash in June 2020, adding that his silence thereafter has contributed to weakening of India's negotiating position. Taking to Twitter, party general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "Today three years ago the Prime Minister gave this clean chit to China. Just listen to him. It has hurt and will continue to hurt India very badly. His continued silence thereafter both in Parliament and outside has contributed to a weakening of India's negotiating position." He also attached a video…