by Christian Shepherd (Reuters) - China’s navy carried out drills in the South China Sea to simulate fending off an aerial attack, state media said on Friday, as the country trades barbs with the United States over responsibility for heightened tension in the disputed waterway. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed concern during a visit to Beijing on Thursday over … [Read more...]
China’s Naval Master Plan: A Military Threat In The Pacific And Beyond
(This is the first in a series of columns Bloomberg is publishing on China's effort to supplant the U.S. as the world's pre-eminent geopolitical power.) by Hal Brands (Bloomberg) I wrote a column recently about how a longstanding assumption of America’s China policy -- that economic integration between the two countries is an unalloyed good -- has now been overtaken by … [Read more...]
China’s Secretive Home-Built Aircraft Carrier Sets Out for Sea Trials
BEIJING, May 13 (Reuters) - China's first domestically developed aircraft carrier left its northeastern port to begin sea trials on Sunday, state media said, the latest milestone in the country's efforts to modernise its military. The still-unnamed carrier was launched this time last year but since then has been undergoing fitting of weapons and other systems and has not yet … [Read more...]
How To Avoid A Naval Cold War In The High North
By James Stavridis (Bloomberg) In the classic Cold War novel (and fine 1965 film) "The Bedford Incident," a U.S. destroyer on a NATO mission tangles with a Soviet submarine in the frigid waters near the Arctic Circle. Mayhem ensues in a tautly described set of interactions that lead the world to the brink of nuclear war. Today, as we watch U.S. and Russia continue to … [Read more...]
China’s 1st New Aircraft Carrier To Start Sea Trials
by Ben Blanchard (Reuters) China first domestically developed aircraft carrier looks set to begin sea trials after pictures appeared on the Chinese internet on Monday of it leaving its dock in the northeastern port of Dalian. The still-unnamed carrier was launched this time last year but since then has been undergoing fitting of weapons and other systems and has … [Read more...]