Reuters – The glitch in Japan’s plans to bolster U.S. defence

Reuters – ‘Negative’ factors building in U.S.-China ties, foreign minister Wang tells Blinken

The United States is suppressing China’s development, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday during talks with his U.S. counterpart Antony Blinken who is on a visit to Beijing aimed at resolving trade and policy differences between the superpowers.

The Diplomat – Pursuing Rapprochement Between China, Japan, and South Korea

In November 2023, when the foreign ministers of China, Japan, and South Korea finally met after a four-year hiatus in trilateral cooperation, hopes were high for the long-awaited Northeast Asia rapprochement.

Associated Press – $8 billion US military aid package to Taiwan will ‘boost confidence’ in region: president-elect

A $8 billion defense package approved by the U.S. House of Representatives over the weekend will “strengthen the deterrence against authoritarianism in the West Pacific ally chain,” Taiwan’s President-elect Lai Ching-te said Tuesday, in a reference to key rival China.

Associated Press – Blinken begins key China visit as tensions rise over new US foreign aid bill

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has begun a critical trip to China armed with a strengthened diplomatic hand following Senate approval of a foreign aid package that will provide billions of dollars in assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan as well as force TikTok’s China-based parent company to sell the social media platform -– all areas of contention between Washington and Beijing.

CNN – US sends land-attack missile system to Philippines for exercises in apparent message to China

China has accused the United States of “stoking military confrontation” with the recent deployment of a powerful missile launcher capable of firing weapons with a range of up to 1,600 kilometers to exercises in the Philippines.