Chronologies
Regional Overview
Chronology from May 2023 to Aug 2023
: US deploys B-1B bombers for separate drills with South Korea, Japan as the three allies step up responses to counter threats from North Korea. A US B-1B flew alongside South Korean FA-50 jets and US Air Force F-16 fighters as part of Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises.
: State Department notifies Congress of $80 million arms deal to Taiwan through the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program, which is usually reserved for sovereign states.
: South Korea, Japan, and the US hold a trilateral missile defense exercise in respond to North Korea’s failed satellite test.
: Taiwan warns of surge in tensions after reporting renewed Chinese military activity including fighter jets crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait. The ministry spotted 12 Chinese military aircraft in its air defense identification zone, of which seven crossed the median line in addition to five Chinese ships which carried out “combat readiness patrols” in the region.
: In a speech to mark Navy Day, North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un condemns “gang bosses” of the US, Japan, and South Korea after they announced regular joint military exercises, apparently referring to their Aug. 18 summit as a “confrontational move” forcing the waters off the Korean Peninsula to be reduced to “world’s biggest war hardware concentration spot.”
: China and Japan agree to postpone visit by head of Japan junior coalition partner “in light of current China-Japan relations.” China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin remarks that the country “stands ready to work with it to make active efforts for improving and growing China-Japan relations.”
: South Korean government announces that the amount of tritium in seawater after Japan began discharging ALPS-treated wastewater is safe and well below the standard limit.
: Japan complains of harassment calls from China over Fukushima water release, with condemning the instances of stone-pelting of the Japanese Embassy in Beijing.
: Three US marines killed when an Osprey aircraft crashes near Darwin, Australia during an exercise.
: US Navy official highlights the need for China’s ‘aggressive behavior’ in South China Sea to be challenged and checked after the country used the water canon of its coast guard against a Philippine vessel.
: Russian ships return after more than three weeks of joint-patrolling the Pacific Ocean with Chinese navy ships. Warships of Russia’s Pacific Fleet, together with a detachment of Chinese navy ships travelled more than 7,000 nautical miles through the Sea of Japan, the Sea of Okhotsk, the Bering Sea, and the Pacific Ocean.
: Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo visits China to meet with counterparts, and the two sides agree to new consultations on trade and export control systems.
: Chinese police experts arrive in Vanuatu amid political crisis in which Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau lost a no-confidence vote for signing a security pact with Australia.
: Taiwan reports 20 Chinese air force planes entering the island’s air defense zone, including a combat drone that flew along Taiwan’s Pacific east coast.
: Japan’s ASDF scrambles jet fighters to monitor two Chinese H-6 bombers flying between Okinawa and Miyako islands.
: Japan scrambles jet to monitor Chinese military drone flying near the country’s westernmost Yonaguni island and Taiwan. As per the Defense Ministry, the spy drone came from the East China Sea north of Taiwan and went to the Bashi Channel that separates Taiwan’s southern coast and the Philippines.
: China’s Defense Ministry urges the US to stop “arming” Taiwan, after the State Department approved a $500 million sale of infrared search, track systems for F-16 fighter jets and well as other equipment, to the island.
: Australia acknowledges its security interest in the South China Sea and vows to work more closely with the Philippines on joint patrols. More than 2,000 Australian and Philippine defense personnel, as well as US Marines, are participating in amphibious landing and air assault drills and conducting bilateral exercises with the Philippine Navy.
: Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka indicates that the Pacific Islands should remain a “zone of peace,” adding that he hopes a rivalry between the US and China does not develop into a military conflict.
: China and Australia raise climate change, security at Pacific leaders’ summit as the leaders of four nations debate declaring the strategic region “neutral” as China and the US jostle for influence. Climate change, security and trade dominate the opening day of a summit of the leaders of PNG, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji and New Caledonia’s ruling FLNKS party.
: Taiwan’s presidential front-runner William Lai Ching-te pledges to adopt “values-based diplomacy” to support democracies in the region, an apparent sign of a shift from President Tsai’s approach of prioritizing commerce and countries that formally recognize Taiwan.
: Japan commences releasing treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean, prompting China to announce an immediate blanket ban on all aquatic products imported from the former.
: Deputy Treasury Chief Adeyemo says the US is well-prepared to weather China’s economic headwinds and is closely monitoring economic developments in China, where growth is faltering amid a worsening property slump, weak consumer spending, and tumbling credit growth.
: Taiwan proposes $3 billion spending on new weapons.
: United States seeks a six-month extension to a science and technology agreement with China, to undergo negotiations with the latter to “amend and strengthen” the landmark deal.
: US State Department approves sale of equipment worth $500 million to Taiwan, to upgrade infrared search and track systems for F-16 fighter jets, as well as other machinery.
: China suspends imports of Taiwanese mangoes, citing a “severe threat” to China’s agricultural and ecological security posed by citrus mealybugs in shipments of the fruit, making full use of its economic and military playbook to scare the Taiwanese electorate ahead of January’s presidential election. Imports of Taiwanese apples, pineapples, and grouper fish had previously been banned by Beijing.
: North Korea claims a failed satellite launch.
: China’s climate envoy Xie Zhenhua and US counterpart Kerry hold video talks on climate-change cooperation.
: US Treasury expands use of sanctions in Myanmar to impose penalties on any individual or entity operating in the jet fuel section of the country’s economy, designating two individuals and three entities involved in procuring and distributing jet fuel to the its military.
: Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen makes rare visit to a memorial park on Kinmen Island, less than 1.2 miles from Chinese-controlled territory, to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the beginning of the Second Taiwan Strait crisis.
: Philippines completes resupply mission to grounded warship on Second Thomas Shoal despite attempts by the China Coast Guard and Chinese Maritime Militia “to block, harass, and interfere.”
: Cambodian legislature approves nomination of Hun Manet, eldest son of former prime minister Hun Sen, as prime minister, marking a generational shift in the dominant Cambodian People’s Party (CPP).
: China firmly opposes the Philippines exploiting the opportunity of resupplying troops to transport “illegal” construction materials to a grounded warship Sierra Madre, in Second Thomas Shoal.
: After more than three months of political and judicial maneuvering, the Thai Parliament approves nomination of the Pheu Thai Party’s Srettha Thavisin for prime minister. On the same day, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra returns to Thailand after a 15-year exile.
: 15th BRICS Summit is held in Johannesburg, South Africa and invites six countries (Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates) to join the group, from Jan. 1, 2024.
: China lodges representations with relevant parties over US, Japanese, and South Korean leaders’ criticism of China at Camp David.
: South Korea and India join the US, Japan, and European countries in supporting the Philippines in its maritime disputes with Beijing in the South China Sea, as China’s recent use of water cannon against a Philippine resupply ship creates a global backlash.
: Central American parliament expels Taiwan, replacing it with China at the behest of Nicaragua, which switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in December 2021.
: South Korea and the US begin joint large-scale military exercise aimed at bolstering defense and preparedness against North Korea’s evolving nuclear and missile threats.
: Vietnam announces plans to fortify its military presence on the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, where it is locked in territorial disputes with China and the Philippines. The project, led by Vietnam’s defense ministry and navy, involves constructing and expanding military and other facilities on Pearson Reef and Pigeon Reef, over which Hanoi holds effective control.
: US tightens export controls of nuclear power items to China to ensure that items are used only for peaceful purposes rather than proliferation of atomic weapons.
: Chinese sources denounce the spirit of Camp David—the meeting of President Biden, President Yoon, and Prime Minister Kishida—as “hypocritical anti-China pantomime with a mini-NATO in the making.”
: Indonesia taps local fishers to boost Natuna Islands defense, which have transformed into the front lines of the country’s remote island protection, amid increased Chinese activity in the area.
: President Biden, President Yoon, and Prime Minister Kishida hold historic trilateral summit at Camp David, and adopt the Spirit of Camp David and the Camp David Principles. They commit to immediately consult in event of common threat.
: Associated Press reports that China appears to be constructing an airstrip on a disputed South China Sea island.
: US cements “game-changing” defense ties with Australia and Japan amid growing concerns posed by China, following a new security deal between Canberra and Tokyo.
: South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol calls for real-time nuclear and missile information sharing with Japan and the US as Seoul marks Liberation Day.
: Beijing concludes agreements with government of Guinea to build a trans-Guinean railway to carry iron ore from the nation’s inland to the coast to cut China’s reliance on Australia iron-ore.
: During US visit, Taiwan’s Vice President Lai vows that his country shall remain unafraid and never back down in the face of authoritarian threats.
: Japan and US begin discussions on joint development of an interceptor missile for hypersonic projectiles, expected to improve deterrence against China, Russia, and North Korea.
: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un calls for increase in missile production to help secure “overwhelming military power” and be ready for war, as South Korea and the US prepare for annual military drills.
: China’s foreign ministry condemns brief US visit by Taiwan Vice President William Lai Ching-te, saying he is “troublemaker through and through” and Beijing would take strong steps to protect its sovereignty.
: China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi visits Cambodia to reaffirm his country’s commitment to the country after its incumbent prime minister handed off the job to his son, Hun Manet following an election in July.
: Malaysia holds six state elections, a contest between the government coalition (PH) led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and the opposition coalition (BN), which includes the Islamist fundamentalist party PAS. As expected, results are split evenly—each side won three states each—but the PH won their states with a smaller majority than previously, with gains by PAS.
: New Zealand acknowledges awareness of China-linked intelligence activity in country, calling it a “complex intelligence concern.” The accusations are the latest comments from the New Zealand government outlining concerns about China’s behavior and its destabilizing impact.
: India, Japan, the US, and Australia hold naval exercise off Sydney, and Japanese and Indian navy vessels make pit-stops in Solomon Islands and PNG on the way to Sydney, highlighting the strategic importance of the region. In a news conference in Sydney, Vice Adm. Karl Thomas, commander of the US Seventh Fleet notes that the deterrence that the four Quad nations provide as they operate together “shall serve as a “foundation for all the other nations operating in this region. “
: Australia revamps Pacific Island foreign aid by unveiling a new international development aid policy focusing on climate change. The policy, revised for the first time in roughly a decade, will establish a fund of up to A$250 million ($163 billion) to encourage private-sector investment in Pacific Island and Southeast Asian nations.
: Secretary of Defense Austin pledges to defend Philippine vessels if attacked in the South China Sea, after the China Coast Guard ship water cannon firing incident.
: President Biden signs executive order requiring US persons to notify the Treasury Department of certain transactions and investments in China, particularly those in high-tech sectors such as semiconductors, quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and other technologies with potential military applications.
: China asks Philippines to remove grounded ship from Second Thomas Shoal after blocking two Manila supply ships with water cannons, as both sides assert their claims of the area.
: US weighs deploying new military elements in Japan to better coordinate operations with the JSDF under the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), as a Taiwan contingency would necessitate a swift collective response.
: Chinese Coast Guard and maritime militia vessels use water cannons and other maneuvers to obstruct a Philippine resupply mission to Second Thomas Shoal. The State Department issues an immediate statement of support for the Philippines. The Philippine military condemns this as “excessive and offensive,” to block a Filipino supply boat from delivering
: China deepens military ties with Russia for “non-Western” front, as Russian anti-submarine ships and fighter jets join the Northern Theater Command of the PLA for joint exercises.
: China to lift tariffs on Australian barley imports that had been in place for three years affecting billions of dollars of trade, as the two nations repair strained ties.
: Xi Jinping announces that China seeks advances in artificial intelligence-powered drones and hypersonic weapons in a broader military buildup, as Xi prepares the country for “extreme” scenarios.
: US extends invite to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, during meeting at the State Department between Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink and Yang Tao, director-general of North American and Oceanian Affairs at China’s Foreign Ministry.
: Xi appoints new chief of China’s nuclear arsenal to oversee conventional and nuclear missiles, one day before the anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army. Wang Houbin, former deputy commander of the navy, is named head of the PLA Rocket Force, and Xu Xisheng its new political commissar.
: President Xi calls “for enhancing the planning of war and combat, strengthening the command system for joint operations, and stepping up training under real combat conditions to raise the forces’ capabilities to fight and win,” during visit to PLA Eastern Theater Command headquarters.
: China announces curbs on exports of drone-related equipment including drone engines, lasers, communication equipment, and anti-drone systems; set to take effect Sept. 1 2023, amid US tech tensions.
: State Administrative Council (SAC) on Myanmar extends the state of emergency for another six months.
: Ten Chinese and Russian naval vessels pass through the Soya Strait between Cape Soya in the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido and the Russian island of Sakhalin in the first China-Russia joint naval vessel sailing near Japan since September 2022.
: US and Australia agree to upgrade two additional air bases in northern Australia and to step up cooperation on weapons production and maintenance, as China’s growing strategic ambitions solidify defense ties between Washington and Canberra.
: US bars Hong Kong leader from APEC summit, for his role in crackdowns against pro-democracy protests under a stringent national security law enacted by Beijing in 2020.
: Japanese defense ministry announces the presence of five Chinese and five Russian warships in its territorial waters, as they sailed through the Soya Strait between Hokkaido and Sakhalin to the Sea of Okhotsk, possibly in connection with a joint patrol in the Pacific Ocean.
: US announces $345 million in military aid for Taiwan that includes defense, education and training for the Taiwanese, in addition to supply of man-portable air defense systems, or MANPADS, intelligence and surveillance capabilities, firearms, and missiles.
: Indonesia secures at least $13 billion in investment pledges from Chinese companies following meeting between Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and President Xi in Chengdu.
: Japan releases 2023 Defense White Paper saying that the international community is facing its greatest trial since World War II and has entered a new era of crisis. This includes China rapidly enhancing its military capability qualitatively and quantitatively, including nuclear and missile forces.
: White House announces $345 million military aid package for Taiwan—including anti-air and anti-armored munitions—through the fast-track “Presidential Drawdown Authority,” prompting China to accuse the US of turning the island into a “powder keg and ammunition depot” a day later.
: South Korea and the US stage joint air drills with F-35A and F-16 jets.
July 28-Aug. 21, 2023: Chinese and Russian navies conduct the third joint patrol of the western and northern Pacific.
: North Korea and South Korea mark 70th anniversary of the Korean Armistice agreement.
: Secretary Blinken visits Tonga, dedicating a new embassy there as part of efforts to shore up the US presence in the Pacific.
: Qin Gang is replaced in as China’s foreign minister by his predecessor Wang Yi.
: Australia to buy 20 Hercules military planes worth $6.6 billion ahead of visit by Secretary Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
: China and Russia conclude four-day military exercise in the Sea of Japan to, according to the Chinese defense ministry, “enhance strategic cooperation between the two countries and strengthen their ability to jointly safeguard regional peace and stability.”
: Following general elections in Cambodia in which the Cambodian People’s Party won 120 out of 125 seats, the State Department said it had “taken steps” to impose visa restrictions “on individuals who undermined democracy and implemented a pause of foreign assistance programs” after determining the elections were “neither free nor fair.”
: US commissions warship in Sydney, the first time a US Navy vessel joined active service at a foreign port, as the allies step up military ties in response to China’s expanding regional reach.
: China seeks to reassure multinationals over anti-spying law and pledges transparency to Western, Japanese, and South Korean business lobbies by increasing the predictability of policies via regular exchanges with foreign partner companies.
: Japan returns South Korea to its white list of preferred trading partners, four years after removing it from the list.
: Russia and China conduct joint sea and naval drill “North/Interaction-2023” in the Sea of Japan. Five Russian and five Chinese naval ships participate.
: US climate envoy Kerry urges China to separate climate from politics in a meeting with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, calling it a “universal threat” that should be handled separately from broader diplomatic issues and be treated as a “free-standing” challenge that requires the collective efforts of the world’s largest economies to resolve.
: US nuclear missile sub visits South Korea for the first time since the 1980s, as the allies launched Nuclear Consultative Group talks to coordinate responses in the event of a nuclear war with North Korea.
: Officers from the JSDF and the Chinese military meet in Beijing, resuming an in-person exchange program for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
: Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry visits China where he holds meetings with top Chinese climate officials to discuss opportunities for cooperation.
: US calls for UN Security Council action against North Korea’s ICBM test, but permanent members China and Russia oppose it.
: Secretary Blinken holds “candid and constructive” talks with Wang Yi in Jakarta in interactions Washington says are aimed at managing competition between the rival superpowers.
: Solomon Islands denies suggestions by the US, New Zealand, and Australia on its policies dealing with Beijing and maintains that China will enhance the capability of its 1,500 police officers in cybersecurity and community policing.
: South Korea and the US stage air drills involving s B-52H strategic bomber in response to the North’s launch.
: Japanese government signs a new partnership agreement with NATO to enhance security coordination with Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg explicitly referencing concern China’s military buildup.
: Philippines launches website containing “official information” about Manila’s arbitration victory against Beijing in their South China Sea territorial dispute. The site’s launch represents the latest effort by President Marcos’ administration to firm up Manila’s position in the dispute.
: North Korea fires an intercontinental ballistic missile.
: Chinese company launches world’s first methane-liquid oxygen rocket- Zhuque-2, beating US rivals in sending what could become the next generation of launch vehicles into space.
: State-owned Bank of China (BOC) opens first representative office in Papua New Guinea, kick-starting Xi Jinping’s plans to build a comprehensive strategic partnership with PNG.
: North Korea accuses the United States of violating its airspace.
: North Korea denounces US move to introduce a nuclear missile submarine to waters near the Korean Peninsula, stating that the action brings a nuclear conflict closer to reality.
: China and the Solomon Islands announce a comprehensive strategic partnership, as they bolster relations four years after the Pacific nation switched ties from Taiwan to China.
: China and South Korea push for deep-sea mining as a United Nations body convenes a meeting in Jamaica to discuss setting guidelines for such activities.
: 10 members of South Korea’s National Assembly, civic activists, and South Korean fishermen protest Japan’s planned discharge of Fukushima water outside Japanese Prime Minister Kishida’s residence in Tokyo.
: China conducts a week of naval and air exercises in the Taiwan Strait.
: Justice ministers from Japan and ASEAN pledge to cooperate in promoting the rule of law amid China’s increasing maritime assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.
: Treasury Secretary Yellen visits China where she has “frank, pragmatic, in-depth and constructive” meetings with top Chinese officials in charge of economic affairs.
: Taiwan Vice President and Democratic Progressive Party Presidential candidate Lai Ching-te, publishes an opinion column in the Wall Street Journal promising to defend Taiwan’s democracy against Chinese coercion.
: Chinese media announce that a PLAN flotilla led by a Type 075 amphibious assault ship recently passed through the first island chain from straits south of Japan, marking the first time that this type of large warship was reported operating in the vicinity of Japan.
: An investigative report says Russia has been importing drones from Chinese companies explicitly for use in its invasion of Ukraine, despite denials from Beijing.
: South Korea and US stage air drills involving a B-52H strategic bomber.
: Japan’s Ministry of Defense announces that engineering company IHI will begin repairing engines in F-35 fighter jets used by the SDF and the US military, in a move that will enable troops to move more quickly and act as a deterrent against aggressive neighbors.
: China signs cooperative arrangements with “friend” New Zealand, aimed at improving market access for a Western country that has long maintained a conciliatory approach toward China.
: A Chinese survey vessel is detected in the waters near the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture, though there is no intrusion into Japanese territorial waters.
: China issues warnings to foreign consulates, reminding them that dual-national detainees cannot receive visits from consular officers.
: Taiwan says it spots two Russian frigates sailing through waters near Taiwan, in a move that could heighten tensions in the region.
: Suspicions over Chinese intelligence collection outposts in Cuba renew concerns over its efforts to establish a global network for power projection.
: US convenes a meeting of working-level experts from China, France, Russia, and the UK to discuss nuclear weapons issues including strategic risk reduction, as a part of “a routine, continuing dialogue and ongoing exchange in the context of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.”
: US Coast Guard ship Stratton sails through the Taiwan Strait, after Secretary Blinken’s high-profile visit to Beijing. The US Navy’s 7th Fleet in an official statement declares that “Stratton’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
: US and India declare themselves “among the closest partners in the world” during a state visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Washington hosted by President Biden.
: G7 affirms unity and need for close coordination on China after Secretary Blinken’s meeting with Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the EU on the sidelines of a conference in London.
: Chancellor Olaf Scholz addresses German Parliament, vowing to reject all unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East and South China Seas by force or coercion, especially Taiwan. He reiterates concern for human rights and the state of the rule of law in China.
: In the 18th intrusion this year, four Chinese coast guard Haijing vessels sail near the contested Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands for around two hours.
: US Treasury announces new sanctions on Myanmar and designates two regime-controlled banks, Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank (MFTB) and Myanma Investment and Commercial Bank (MKN), both of which have been instrumental in facilitating the military’s use of foreign currency to procure arms and jet fuel abroad.
: Taiwan raises caution over a Chinese aircraft carrier group led by the vessel Shandong, sailing through the Taiwan Strait amid heightened military tension.
: Taiwan on alert for Chinese-funded election interference through means of illicit funding of Beijing-friendly candidates using communications apps or group tours, according to three internal security reports released by the government.
: Annual position paper released by the European Chamber of Commerce in China notes slowdown in both the Chinese and global economies as the biggest issue affecting European firms in the country. The number of European companies reporting China-sourced revenues decreased in 2022, while the importance of China to companies’ global profits fell for a second consecutive year.
: North Korea criticizes Blinken’s China visit as “begging trip,” in what it called a policy failure to pressure China. The commentary carried by KCNA news agency, states that the US is responsible for escalating regional tensions with “anti-China complexes,” such as the Quad grouping with Japan, India, and Australia, and the AUKUS pact with Britain and Australia.
: Japan to harmonize standards for domestically produced defense equipment with those of the US and Europe to reduce maintenance costs and increase business opportunities for Japanese defense companies, under draft guidelines issued by the government.
: Secretary Blinken voices deep concerns over Chinese military activities in Cuba, at a press conference in London.
: Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov shows confidence in Russia’s strategic partnership with China. He acknowledges that China has the sovereign right to forge ties with other countries and that Russia is not worried about US attempts to sway the former’s policy toward Moscow.
: Wall Street Journal report suggests that China and Cuba negotiating to establish a new joint military training facility on the island, sparking alarm in the US that it could lead to stationing Chinese troops and other security operations 100 miles off Florida’s coast.
: Lowy Institute Poll of Public Attitudes finds 82% of Australians support the security alliance with the US. They also favored responding to a Chinese attack on Taiwan with economic sanctions, arms supplies, or using the navy to prevent a blockade, without becoming an active combatant. The prospect of a military conflict between the US and China over Taiwan is seen as a “critical threat” by 64% of Australians, twice as many people as two years ago. The top threat cited by 68% percent of respondents, was cyber attacks from other countries.
: Secretary Blinken urges China’s vigilance on its firms providing technology to Russia that could be used against Ukraine.
: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz rejects blanket state supervision of exports to China, noting that the country has drafted a new laws to guarantee the security of the economy.
: US Navy runs rehearsal for ballistic submarine USS Michigan visit to Busan amid tensions driven by North Korea’s weapons testing, and as Seoul and Washington are bolstering their military cooperation to deter Pyongyang.
: Secretary of State Blinken visits Beijing where he holds 12 hours of meetings with top Chinese officials including President Xi—the first visit of its kind since 2018. Blinken also holds meetings with then-Foreign Minister Qing Gang and Central Foreign Affairs Commission director Wang Yi. Xi and Blinken agree to stabilize US-China relations in Beijing talks, while failing to produce any breakthrough during Blinken’s visit to the city.
: Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, share pessimism on Myanmar, calling for continued pressure on the military junta and sustained efforts to scale-up negotiation across all stakeholders.
: National security advisers of the US, Japan and the Philippines hold trilateral meeting to discuss regional security issues and ways to strengthen relations. They deliberate contentious issues in the South and the East China Sea, North Korea and reiterate the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
: China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong condemns Hong Kong resolutions passed by the European Parliament, calling them a “despicable act” that “trampled” on principles of international law.
: National Security Advisers for the US, Japan, and South Korea discuss maintaining stability in the Taiwan Strait and coordination in the East China and South China Seas. At a trilateral meeting in Tokyo, they also examined North Korea’s “illicit nuclear and missile programs and most recent provocations and identified next steps to strengthen their cooperation.”
: North Korea condemns South Korea’s live-fire drills with the United States and threatens to sternly respond to “any kind of protests or provocations by enemies” in the region.
: US targets North Korea’s missile development in new sanctions after South Korea’s military raps Pyongyang for firing two short-range missiles less than an hour after it warned of an “inevitable” response to military drills staged by South Korean and US troops.
: Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu discusses the need for maintaining the status quo in its relationship with neighboring China, encouraging European states to offer support and courage for resilience; while addressing a press conference in Prague.
: China holds military exercises in the East China Sea north of Taiwan, including live-fire exercises from warships, as the US and its allies conduct their drills in the Western Pacific.
: Biden administration adds 43 entities to an export control list, including Frontier Services Group Ltd, a security and aviation company previously run by Erik Prince, for training Chinese military pilots and other activities that threaten US national security.
: China deploys a reconnaissance aircraft over Pacific waters east of Taiwan to monitor and gather intelligence on an exercise involving the navies of the United States, Japan, France, and Canada.
: South Korea and the US stage the Combined Distribution Exercise in Pohang.
: Taiwan military releases updated civil defense handbook including a section on differentiating between Chinese and Taiwanese soldiers based on uniforms, camouflage, and insignia.
: Taiwan’s Air Force scrambles after spotting 10 Chinese warplanes crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait, in its second recce in less than a week after 37 Chinese military aircraft flew into the island’s air defense zone.
: China’s Assistant Foreign Minister Nong Rong summons South Korean ambassador to express “serious concern and dissatisfaction” over Seoul’s “improper reaction” to comments made by the Chinese envoy, who warned Seoul against making “wrong bets” in the Sino-US rivalry.
: Honduras opens embassy in China after cutting diplomatic relations with Taiwan earlier this year.
: With eye on China, the Five Eyes (Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and the US) and Japan condemn trade practices that amount to economic coercion in a joint declaration.
: China’s largest naval training ship sails for the Philippines on a regional “friendly” tour, amid growing unease over Chinese maritime activities in the South China Sea. Training conducted by the ship, is expected to focus on navigation, anti-piracy and shooting exercises with light-weight weapons, according to Chinese state media.
: Chinese coastal patrol ship Haixun03 starts patrolling waters around Hainan Island and Paracel Islands in the South China Sea and aims to inspect ships in these waters. The patrol is expected to continue for around one month and cover 900 nautical miles.
: US Senate panel approves measure to strip China of “developing” status after passing the “Ending China’s Developing Nation Status Act” without dissent.
: ASEAN announces it will hold its first joint military exercise in the North Natuna Sea, the southernmost waters of the South China Sea, in its latest multilateral security drills.
: Japan conveys “strong concern” and lodges protest against China after the PLA Navy enters Japan’s waters near Yakushima Island. Two Chinese Coast Guard vessels also reportedly entered Japan’s territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands, which China calls Diaoyu, and attempted to approach a Japanese fishing boat.
: Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar notes that India and China must find a way to step back from potential confrontation in the western Himalayas, as militarized, disputed border could lead to conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
: China, Pakistan, and Iran hold their first trilateral meeting on counter-terrorism in Beijing, involving “in-depth” exchanges on the prevailing regional counter-terrorism situation.
: Two Russian Tu-96 and two Chinese H-6K strategic bombers conduct the sixth joint patrols of the Sea of Japan, East China Sea, and Western Pacific. Russian bombers landed and took off from a Chinese military airfield.
: US and India release a Roadmap for US-India Defense Industrial Cooperation prior to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s four-day state visit to the US.
: North Korea denounces UN Security Council for holding a meeting on its recent satellite launch upon “robbery demands” from the US, vowing to continue rejecting sanctions and taking “self-defensive” action.
: US, Japan, Australia, and the Philippines hold first quadrilateral defense chief talks in Singapore on the sidelines of the SLD to ponder challenges posed by China in the South China Sea and in waters around Taiwan.
: Japan, US, and South Korean defense chiefs agree to real-time sharing of information about North Korean missiles by the end of 2023. This system will allow the three nations to detect and track projectiles fired by the North more accurately and swiftly
: Defense Minister Andrew Little acknowledges New Zealand’s interest in cooperating with Australia, the UK, and the US under their AUKUS trilateral security framework in nonnuclear areas such as artificial intelligence, cyber-security and quantum computing.
: Japanese, US, and Philippines Coast Guards conduct joint drills, the first exercise of its kind between the three countries, in the face of China’s expansion in the South China Sea.
: 20th Asia Security Summit (Shangri-la Dialogue, SLD) is held in Singapore. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin meets on the sidelines with counterparts from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.
: Defense Secretary Austin shakes hands with Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu at 20th SLD, but they hold no “substantive dialogue”; Beijing rejected Washington’s request for a meeting on the conference’s sidelines.
: China and Singapore defense establishments agree to set up a secure, bilateral hotline to strengthen high-level communication between their defense leaders.
: CIA announces that Director William Burns made a secret trip to China in May in an attempt to keep lines of communication open despite security and economic tensions.
: At US-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework meeting, trade ministers agree to strengthen supply chains for essential materials such as chips and critical minerals to reduce dependence on China. This is the first time the 14 participating countries–the US, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, India, Fiji, and seven members of ASEAN–agreed on specific measures since IPEF launched in May 2022.
: South Korea and US stage massive live-fire drills marking the 70th anniversary of their alliance.
: United States and Papua New Guinea conclude a Defense Cooperation Agreement and an Agreement Concerning Counter Illicit Transnational Maritime Activity Operations.
: Leaders of the Quad countries—the US, Japan, India and Australia—meet on the sidelines of the G7 summit and hold brief discussion releasing a joint statement, vision statement, and fact sheet, which includes support for quality undersea cable networks in the Indo-Pacific.
: G7 communique, released by member countries lays out common “de-risking” path on China, and calls for international standards that regulate artificial intelligence.
: US and Japan impose sanctions on hundreds of people and organizations connected to Russia’s war on Ukraine, including businesses involved in aerospace, quantum computing and finance as the G7 reiterates its determination to raise the costs of Moscow’s invasion.
: President Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio meet, seeking unified G7 policies on China and agree to work together to counter “coercive behavior.”
: Biden cancels visit to Papua New Guinea to return to Washington for debt ceiling negotiations.
: United States and Palau agree to renew COFA.
: US and Micronesia agree to renew a key strategic pact—the Compact of Free Association Agreement—as the US shores up support among Pacific Island states to counter competition from China.
: Thai general elections are held, with a record turnout of 75.22%. Parties cover the political spectrum from the pro-democracy Move Forward Party to two parties —Thai Union and Phalang Pracharat—headed by the organizers of the 2014 coup.
: President Yoon hosts former Japanese Prime Minister Aso Taro for dinner.
: Japan and South Korea announce aim to lower blind spots on North Korean missile activity by linking radar systems through the US, a move designed to allow the sharing of launch data in real time. The US would link the radar systems used by the Japanese Self-Defense Forces, the South Korean military, and US troops stationed in both Japan and South Korea, to share data such as where North Korean missiles are launched, as well as the speed and distance travelled.
: US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen calls on G7 democracies to build economic resilience to help developing nations counter the threat of nondemocratic states like China and Russia.
: House Rules Committee holds a hearing on “Examining China’s Coercive Economic Tactics.”
: National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan meets Chinese Communist Party Politburo Member and Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission Wang Yi in Vienna.
: Indonesia hosts the first ASEAN Summit of the year in Labun Bajo. Myanmar is not represented .
: Flotilla of Chinese vessels enters Vietnamese waters and loiter in a Russia-Vietnam offshore lease. A Chinese research vessel moves at speed appropriate for surveying,
: US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns meets China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang in Beijing where they agree on the need to stabilize relations between the two countries.
: US moves a $500 million proposed arms sale package bound for Taiwan to a fast track through the “Presidential Drawdown Authority” created for streamlining aid to Ukraine.
: Philippine President Marcos expands upon his agreement to grant the US access to more military bases in his country and reassures Chinese officials by stating that the bases will not be used for “offensive action” against any country. He also clarifies that the US has not asked the Philippines to provide troops in case of war between China and the US over Taiwan.
: US and the Philippines move toward real-time sharing of military information and greater coordination to guard against any coercive behavior by China in the South China Sea.