The defence minister used a meeting with his Chinese counterpart to raise Australia’s concerns about “unsafe” encounters between the PLA and the Australian navy.
The US and its allies face a grim choice if China escalates tensions with Taiwan. It could lead to an economic catastrophe.
China has started its most expansive military drills in a year around Taiwan,just days after Lai Ching-te took over as the island’s new president.
This is the atmosphere in which Taiwan on Monday inaugurated its new president,Lai Ching-te.
Australia,the US,Japan and the Philippines have made a show of strength against China’s growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific.
Australia will take part in an annual military exercise beginning this week that will send thousands of Philippine and American military personnel into contested waters.
The trove catalogues apparent hacking activity and tools to spy on both Chinese and foreigners.
The navy’s $11 billion reboot is fine on paper - as long as we don’t need to go to war any time in the next decade.
From covering Shane Warne’s tragic death to travelling with Penny Wong to her home town,Chris Barrett saw a bit of everything.
The noontime assault by Chinese ships is the latest flare-up of seething territorial disputes in the South China Sea,a flashpoint that has put the US and China on a collision course.
The first combined operation began on Saturday and comes after months of intensifying friction in the contested waterway.