Tag: Defense and Military Forces

Why Pakistan and Afghanistan Are Still Fighting

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Pakistan’s leaders are playing a big role on the global stage, traveling around the world to try to broker peace between the United States and Iran. But while it plays peacemaker, Pakistan remains locked in a conflict of its own, battling its neighbor, Afghanistan, with no end in sight. Since Pakistan declared an “open war” on Afghanistan in late February, the two countries have been clashing regularly, despite efforts by China to resolve the dispute by sending an envoy to both capitals and hosting talks last month. As the violence…

U.S. Might Restart Strikes on Iran, Trump and Hegseth Warn

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The United States could end the month-old cease-fire and resume its attacks on Iran, President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday, a day after Mr. Trump dismissed Tehran’s latest offer to end the war as “garbage.” “We’re either going to make a deal or they’re going to be decimated,” Mr. Trump told reporters in Washington as he prepared to travel to Beijing for a summit with China’s top leader, Xi Jinping. “One way or the other, we win.” Mr. Hegseth told a congressional hearing: “We have a…

Why the Trump-Xi Summit Matters, Even if Little Seems to Come of It

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President Trump and China’s leader, Xi Jinping, are scheduled to meet in Beijing this week for a high-stakes summit that could shape the next stage of rivalry between the world’s two major powers. Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi are expected to discuss the war in Iran, trade, Taiwan and other points of contention during a two-day summit beginning on Thursday. Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi last met in October in South Korea, where they agreed to pause a bruising trade war in which the U.S. imposed triple-digit tariffs on Chinese…

Japan to Sell More Weapons Abroad, Breaking With Postwar Pacifism

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The Japanese government moved on Tuesday to allow the sale of more weapons abroad, in the latest shift away from pacifist policies imposed after World War II, as it grapples with rising security threats from China and a rapidly changing global order. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and her top officials, at a meeting in Tokyo, reversed longstanding limits on the sale of Japan-made weapons overseas. The move comes days after Japan welcomed more than 30 NATO envoys for a visit meant to show stronger ties, and after Tokyo sealed a…

What the Iran War Means for the U.S.-China Relationship

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The war in Iran is threatening a fragile détente between China and the United States, with the two powers now moving to postpone a much anticipated summit meeting after President Trump demanded that China send warships to the Gulf. Mr. Trump on Monday said that he had requested that his visit to Beijing at the end of the month be postponed because of the war. Just a day earlier, he threatened to delay the meeting if China did not contribute warships to end Iran’s de facto blockade of the Strait…

In the Latest Space Race, It’s China vs. SpaceX

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new video loaded: In the Latest Space Race, It’s China vs. SpaceX By Selam Gebrekidan, Nikolay Nikolov, Jon Hazell, Laura Salaberry and Malika Khurana•July 24, 2025 China has made it a national priority to catch up with SpaceX’s nearly 8,000 Starlink internet-providing satellites in low-Earth orbit, which it regards as a military threat. Despite successes in other parts of its space program, China has just 124 internet-providing satellites in low-Earth orbit. Selam Gebrekidian, an investigative reporter for The New York Times, explains why China is lagging behind in this new…

Blinken Warns China Against Armed Attack on Philippines

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Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken warned China on Tuesday that an “armed” attack against Philippine vessels in the South China Sea would trigger a mutual self-defense pact between Washington and Manila, a reflection of rising tensions in the region that risk dragging the United States into armed conflict with Beijing. But in a sign that the United States hopes to de-escalate the situation, Mr. Blinken, on a visit to Manila, gave no indication that recent Chinese provocations — which include ramming Philippine vessels and blasting them with water cannons…

Taiwan Is Building a Satellite Network Without Elon Musk

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In Taiwan, the government is racing to do what no country or even company has been able to: build an alternative to Starlink, the satellite internet service operated by Elon Musk’s rocket company, SpaceX. Starlink has allowed militaries, power plants and medical workers to maintain crucial online connections when primary infrastructure has failed in emergencies, such as an earthquake in Tonga and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Officials in Taiwan face constant reminders that its communication infrastructure must be able to withstand a crisis. The island democracy sits 80 miles from…

China’s New Economic Agenda, a Lot Like the Old One: Takeaways

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Beijing was abuzz with politics on Tuesday. China’s annual legislative meeting — the National People’s Congress, when Communist Party leaders promote their solutions for national ills — opened for business. The event is a chance for the leaders to signal the direction of the economy and outline how and where the government will spend money in the coming year. Yet while aiming high, they offered little. Officials signaled that they were not ready for any showstopping moves to revive an economy battered by a property crisis, the loss of consumer…