World News by Wild Rose

Mainland Chinese shipyards delivered more than twice as much naval tonnage as their US counterparts in 2024 and 2025, according to a new survey, exposing a growing production gap that analysts say could weigh heavily in a prolonged conflict over Taiwan. Tonnage alone is an imperfect measure of naval power, specialists cautioned, pointing to ongoing US advantages in submarine technology, aircraft carriers and operational experience. They also highlighted China’s ability to draw on commercial...

Taiwan’s defence ministry has confirmed for the first time that it has allocated funding for the US Indo-Pacific Command to send a retired general and other personnel to observe the island’s largest annual war games. The disclosure sheds rare official light on military exchanges that Taipei and Washington have traditionally kept out of public view, as security cooperation between the two sides deepens amid growing pressure from Beijing. According to a defence ministry report submitted to the...

Japan says it has spotted PLA aircraft, spy drones and warships, including a supply ship that could support the Liaoning aircraft carrier, in recent days as Tokyo and Washington started drills focused on a potential Taiwan contingency. Three People’s Liberation Army military aircraft – two drones and a reconnaissance plane – flew through international airspace between Japanese islands into the Pacific before heading back towards mainland China on Monday, prompting Japan to scramble fighter jets,...

China is ramping up its presence around Taiwan, in a pattern that Taipei said is designed to 'alter the status quo'.

Palau authorities are investigating an alleged underwater attack by a South Korean divemaster on Taiwanese musician Devon Song and his Bangladeshi divemaster. Song, a member of the music group Nan Quan Mama, posted on social media that he and his divemaster, Sobuj Patwary, were attacked by a South Korean divemaster known as “Romeo”. Song said they were diving at Siaes Corner, a popular site west of Koror, when Romeo suddenly charged at them from below, about 25 metres underwater. Romeo allegedly...

"The Pulse With Francine Lacqua" is all about conversations with high profile guests in the beating heart of global business, economics, finance and politics. Based in London, we go wherever the story is, bringing you exclusive interviews and market-moving scoops. Today's guests: Ludovic Subran, Allianz Chief Investment Officer & Chief Economist; Elisabeth Braw, The Atlantic Council Senior Fellow; Dambisa Moyo, Versaca Investments Principal; Gustavo Pimenta​, Vale CEO (Source: Bloomberg)

The United States Army has launched a new task force aimed at countering Chinese efforts to block American and allied warships and aircraft in a potential conflict. The 4th Multi-Domain Task Force (MDTF) – established at Fort Carson, Colorado on October 8 – is the latest addition to a series of specialised formations developed for operations in the western Pacific. Those formations were earlier activated in Washington state, Germany and Hawaii. The new unit includes nearly 2,100 soldiers and...

Beijing’s Liaoning aircraft carrier on Wednesday started its second training in the western Pacific this year, with the drill likely to coincide with an expanded US-Japan military exercise that may have implications for a Taiwan contingency. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy was organising the drill for the Liaoning formation in “relevant waters” of the western Pacific Ocean as part of its annual training plan, China’s defence ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. While it did not...

Taiwan’s defence ministry plans to allow military pilots to serve until the age of 58 as it grapples with the prospect of “having fighter jets but no pilots”. The proposed retention scheme comes as the island’s air force prepares to form operational squadrons around 66 new F-16V Block 70 fighters ordered from the United States, adding pressure to an already stretched pool of experienced pilots. Under the plan, pilots could serve until 58 – up from about 48 for lieutenant colonels and 52 for...

President Lai Ching-te emphasises peace and freedom, vows not to tolerate aggression in Taiwan Strait.

Japan and the United States will rehearse moving anti-ship missiles, air defences and communications networks onto islands near Taiwan this month in an expanded military exercise that analysts say could complicate Beijing’s planning for a Taiwan or East China Sea conflict. Keen Sword 27, which runs from October 19 to 29, will involve about 45,000 Japanese personnel, 6,100 vehicles, 40 ships and 260 aircraft, up from about 33,000 personnel, 30 ships and 250 aircraft in 2024. About 12,000 US...

The first two of 66 Lockheed Martin F-16V Block 70 fighters landed in Taitung on October 2, 2026, after years of production delays. The post Taiwan’s First F-16V Block 70 Jets Arrive, What Changes appeared first on The Rio Times.

The United States has accused mainland China of hiring an American citizen of Chinese origin to surveil the family of Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te, days after President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington. The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Sunday arrested 34-year-old Zhang Wanying at Los Angeles International Airport, alleging that she attempted to flee the country and charged her with acting as an unregistered agent for the Chinese government. The FBI accused her of surveilling...