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Guam

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Guam. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Hagåtña

Head of State

President of the US Joe Biden

Head of Government

Governor Lou Leon Guerrero

The airport runway is located on Woleai, an atoll in Micronesia’s Yap state. Photo: X/Cleo Paskal

US-China relations

China’s rebuilding of Micronesian airport runway raises alarm in US

At least two Chinese companies appear to be involved in the Woleai project in the strategically important region.

19 Dec 2025 - 11:00PM

China’s military drills

China’s aircraft carriers put to ‘train-as-you-fight’ test beyond island chains

17 Nov 2025 - 7:53PMvideocam

China's military weapons

China’s Fujian carrier on track for rapid combat readiness. Will there be more?

9 Nov 2025 - 8:44PM

US-China relations

Will China be a lower US defence priority? A new strategy report will soon tell

The Pentagon is preparing a National Defence Strategy that might point to a change in American tack.

14 Oct 2025 - 8:00PMvideocam

The US Navy has embarked on a large-scale modernisation of the Joint Base Pearl Harbour-Hickam. Photo: US Navy

Australia

What Australia’s ‘Pukpuk’ pact with Papua New Guinea means for the Pacific

While China has voiced misgivings, the pact is seen as necessary by some – even if it could draw Australia into PNG’s domestic conflicts.

7 Oct 2025 - 5:25PMvideocam

Hong Kong weather

Typhoon Matmo: Hong Kong T3 signal to remain in force until noon on Sunday

Matmo will be closest to Hong Kong in the small hours, the Observatory says.

4 Oct 2025 - 10:35PM

Singapore

Singapore, US scrap plans for F-15 fighter jet training in Guam

The planned deployment, which would have been Singapore’s fourth training detachment on US territory, was set to begin in 2029.

12 Aug 2025 - 9:48PM

An RSAF F-15 air-superiority fighter (centre) and two F-16s fly in formation over the South China Sea in 2018. Photo: AFP

China’s military drills

Chinese warships arrive in Russia for joint Pacific naval exercise

Destroyers Shaoxing, Urumqi arrive in Vladivostok for 5-day ‘Joint Sea 2025’ drill beginning on Friday.

31 Jul 2025 - 5:14PMvideocam

China’s military drills

How are Chinese carriers pushing limits and testing boundaries in the Pacific?

Training Liaoning and Shandong carriers against each other offers experience that even US military cannot gain in battle: analyst.

3 Jul 2025 - 8:00PMvideocam

US-China relations

Trump’s Golden Dome: will the numbers add up to deter China in the Indo-Pacific?

Planned defence system could make it harder for PLA to strike US bases like those in Guam and Okinawa, or warships trying to defend Taiwan.

3 Jul 2025 - 9:04AMvideocam

Israel-Iran conflict

US B-2 bombers moving to Guam amid Israel-Iran tensions

The aircraft can carry the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators designed to strike underground targets like Iran’s Fordow nuclear site.

22 Jun 2025 - 7:34AMvideocam

A US Air Force B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber is flanked by four F-35 fighters during a flyover of military aircraft down the Hudson River and New York Harbour past York City, and New Jersey in July 2020. Photo: Reuters

China’s military drills

Explainer | What is the US’ island chain strategy and what does it mean for China?

Two PLA Navy aircraft carriers are pushing past the limits set by the US and its allies since the Cold War in the Pacific Ocean.

16 Jun 2025 - 5:35PMvideocam

China's military weapons

China’s Liaoning and Shandong aircraft carriers sail beyond second island chain

The two carrier groups have been spotted in the western Pacific Ocean, with the Liaoning’s passage taking it past Guam.

10 Jun 2025 - 6:45PMvideocam

South Korea

Talk of US troop cuts rattles nerves in South Korea ahead of snap election

The Pentagon has denied reports of a drawdown, but analysts say it remains possible given Washington’s shifting defence priorities.

27 May 2025 - 8:43AMvideocam

South Korean and US soldiers pose for photos after a live-fire exercise in Pocheon last year as part of the annual Freedom Shield joint military exercise. Photo: Reuters

SCMP Highlights

Pakistan claims China-made jets in India clash, boy given wine: 7 highlights

From Pakistan claiming Chinese-made J-10Cs in India clash to a Cathay Pacific oversight, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting.

9 May 2025 - 12:43PM

Pakistan Air Force J-10C fighter jets perform at a rehearsal ahead of the country’s national day parade in Islamabad on March 21, 2024. Photo: AFP

US-China relations

US conducts first ballistic missile intercept in Guam amid contest with China

Spokesman says ‘it confirmed our ability to detect, track and engage a target missile in flight, increasing our readiness to defend’.

11 Dec 2024 - 9:08PMvideocam

US-China relations

US deploys fast-attack submarine to an outpost closer to Beijing than Hawaii

The Virginia-class vessel is the first of its kind to be deployed at the strategic military base, which is closer to Beijing than Hawaii.

27 Nov 2024 - 10:34PMvideocam

Taiwan

Can Taiwan still rely on US defence if Trump returns to office?

The former president’s ‘transactional’ nature means he might be ‘comparing offers’ from Taipei and Beijing if he wins re-election, analysts say.

20 Jul 2024 - 10:26PM

Recent remarks by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump have raised new uncertainties about Taiwan’s future defence ties with the United States. Photo: US Navy via AFP

South Korea

Exclusive | South Korea opposition aims to stop military’s Taiwan entanglement

Lawmaker Kim Joon-hyung says the opposition will introduce a bill to prevent South Korea from partnering with the US over Taiwan.

18 Jul 2024 - 5:15PMvideocam

China’s military

China’s military has been simulating attacks on US jets, satellite images show

Pictures published online suggest PLA has been practising strikes on stealth fighters and aircraft carriers.

12 Jul 2024 - 1:19AMvideocam

Science

China’s new interception radar ‘can track 10 hypersonic missiles at Mach 20’

New microwave photonic radar boasts a detection range of over 600km and can identify false targets, according to Chinese scientists.

7 Jul 2024 - 10:00PMvideocam

Hypersonic weapons are faster than traditional ballistic missiles and can also make unpredictable manoeuvres, enabling them to penetrate air-defence networks. Photo: Lockheed Martin/USAF

History

From Hong Kong court translator to the top Chinese diplomat in Washington

Wu Tingfang went from court translator to English barrister, helped negotiate an end to the Sino-Japanese war, then went to Washington, where his diplomatic skills earned him kudos. Until he overreached.

30 Jun 2024 - 9:26AM

Wu Tingfang in Washington circa 1900. Photo: Getty Images

WikiLeaks

Explainer | Why is Julian Assange flying to the remote Pacific island of Saipan?

Better known for its sandy beaches and Second World War wrecks, the tropical Pacific island of Saipan will soon host the final act of Julian Assange’s 14-year legal odyssey.

25 Jun 2024 - 5:02PM

China’s military

As PLA admits focus on nuclear-powered subs, analysts point to US Navy

The PLA submarine force, which is marking its 70th anniversary, has for the first time publicly acknowledged a strategic shift away from conventional subs.

22 Jun 2024 - 12:14AMvideocam

Japan

Did China concerns help Japan’s ruling LDP score surprise win in Okinawa?

Okinawan voters have been rethinking their priorities as tensions continue to grow over the future of Taiwan, which is just over 100km from the most westerly island in the Okinawa archipelago.

20 Jun 2024 - 12:00PMvideocam

Military aircraft in flight after taking off from the US air base in Futenma. Photo: AFP

China’s military

China lacks an advanced bomber. Can the H-20 ‘Water’ quench its need?

‘A new generation of equipment would bring a new generation of combat power,’ PLA Air Force deputy commander says of mystery project.

15 Jun 2024 - 8:22AMvideocam

Animal welfare in Hong Kong

Reducing Hong Kong’s pet quarantine period ‘might curb cross-border smuggling’

Lawmaker and academic say reducing city’s 120-day quarantine for dogs and cats might reduce demand for pet smuggling services across border.

10 Jun 2024 - 2:59PM

South Korea

‘North Korea will react angrily’: how a US bomber drill could backfire

The first B1-B drill in 7 years comes amid heightened tensions after Pyongyang floated hundreds of huge waste-filled balloons south.

7 Jun 2024 - 8:04AMvideocam

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Guam

China’s rebuilding of Micronesian airport runway raises alarm in US

At least two Chinese companies appear to be involved in the Woleai project in the strategically important region.

China’s aircraft carriers put to ‘train-as-you-fight’ test beyond island chains

China’s Fujian carrier on track for rapid combat readiness. Will there be more?

Will China be a lower US defence priority? A new strategy report will soon tell

The Pentagon is preparing a National Defence Strategy that might point to a change in American tack.

What Australia’s ‘Pukpuk’ pact with Papua New Guinea means for the Pacific

While China has voiced misgivings, the pact is seen as necessary by some – even if it could draw Australia into PNG’s domestic conflicts.

Typhoon Matmo: Hong Kong T3 signal to remain in force until noon on Sunday

Matmo will be closest to Hong Kong in the small hours, the Observatory says.

Singapore, US scrap plans for F-15 fighter jet training in Guam

The planned deployment, which would have been Singapore’s fourth training detachment on US territory, was set to begin in 2029.

Chinese warships arrive in Russia for joint Pacific naval exercise

Destroyers Shaoxing, Urumqi arrive in Vladivostok for 5-day ‘Joint Sea 2025’ drill beginning on Friday.

How are Chinese carriers pushing limits and testing boundaries in the Pacific?

Training Liaoning and Shandong carriers against each other offers experience that even US military cannot gain in battle: analyst.

Trump’s Golden Dome: will the numbers add up to deter China in the Indo-Pacific?

Planned defence system could make it harder for PLA to strike US bases like those in Guam and Okinawa, or warships trying to defend Taiwan.

US B-2 bombers moving to Guam amid Israel-Iran tensions

The aircraft can carry the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators designed to strike underground targets like Iran’s Fordow nuclear site.

.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}Explainer | What is the US’ island chain strategy and what does it mean for China?

Two PLA Navy aircraft carriers are pushing past the limits set by the US and its allies since the Cold War in the Pacific Ocean.

China’s Liaoning and Shandong aircraft carriers sail beyond second island chain

The two carrier groups have been spotted in the western Pacific Ocean, with the Liaoning’s passage taking it past Guam.

Talk of US troop cuts rattles nerves in South Korea ahead of snap election

The Pentagon has denied reports of a drawdown, but analysts say it remains possible given Washington’s shifting defence priorities.

Pakistan claims China-made jets in India clash, boy given wine: 7 highlights

From Pakistan claiming Chinese-made J-10Cs in India clash to a Cathay Pacific oversight, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting.

US conducts first ballistic missile intercept in Guam amid contest with China

Spokesman says ‘it confirmed our ability to detect, track and engage a target missile in flight, increasing our readiness to defend’.

US deploys fast-attack submarine to an outpost closer to Beijing than Hawaii

The Virginia-class vessel is the first of its kind to be deployed at the strategic military base, which is closer to Beijing than Hawaii.

Can Taiwan still rely on US defence if Trump returns to office?

The former president’s ‘transactional’ nature means he might be ‘comparing offers’ from Taipei and Beijing if he wins re-election, analysts say.

Exclusive | South Korea opposition aims to stop military’s Taiwan entanglement

Lawmaker Kim Joon-hyung says the opposition will introduce a bill to prevent South Korea from partnering with the US over Taiwan.

China’s military has been simulating attacks on US jets, satellite images show

Pictures published online suggest PLA has been practising strikes on stealth fighters and aircraft carriers.

China’s new interception radar ‘can track 10 hypersonic missiles at Mach 20’

New microwave photonic radar boasts a detection range of over 600km and can identify false targets, according to Chinese scientists.

From Hong Kong court translator to the top Chinese diplomat in Washington

Wu Tingfang went from court translator to English barrister, helped negotiate an end to the Sino-Japanese war, then went to Washington, where his diplomatic skills earned him kudos. Until he overreached.

Explainer | Why is Julian Assange flying to the remote Pacific island of Saipan?

Better known for its sandy beaches and Second World War wrecks, the tropical Pacific island of Saipan will soon host the final act of Julian Assange’s 14-year legal odyssey.

As PLA admits focus on nuclear-powered subs, analysts point to US Navy

The PLA submarine force, which is marking its 70th anniversary, has for the first time publicly acknowledged a strategic shift away from conventional subs.

Did China concerns help Japan’s ruling LDP score surprise win in Okinawa?

Okinawan voters have been rethinking their priorities as tensions continue to grow over the future of Taiwan, which is just over 100km from the most westerly island in the Okinawa archipelago.

China lacks an advanced bomber. Can the H-20 ‘Water’ quench its need?

‘A new generation of equipment would bring a new generation of combat power,’ PLA Air Force deputy commander says of mystery project.

Reducing Hong Kong’s pet quarantine period ‘might curb cross-border smuggling’

Lawmaker and academic say reducing city’s 120-day quarantine for dogs and cats might reduce demand for pet smuggling services across border.

‘North Korea will react angrily’: how a US bomber drill could backfire

The first B1-B drill in 7 years comes amid heightened tensions after Pyongyang floated hundreds of huge waste-filled balloons south.

Explainer | What is the US’ island chain strategy and what does it mean for China?