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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

A Standard Missile-3 Block IIA is launched by the Aegis Guam System during the US Missile Defence Agency’s test at Andersen Air Force Base on December 10. Photo: Handout/Reuters

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

27 Nov 2024 - 10:34PMvideocam

Taiwan

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

20 Jul 2024 - 10:26PM

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

South Korean and US soldiers bump fists as they take part in the joint river crossing operation drill, in Yeoju, South Korea in 2022. Photo: Reuters

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

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

Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Explainer | Hong Kong may ease pet quarantine rules. How do they compare with rest of world?

Conservation authorities finalising study on shortening 120-day quarantine period for certain imported pet dogs and cats, which is among longest in the world.

6 Jun 2024 - 11:58AM

The quarantine period for pets in Hong Kong depends on the origin of the animals, with authorities classifying the areas into three groups. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Hong Kong may reduce quarantine for imported pets but animals must be vaccinated

Environment chief says government in ‘final stage’ of study on quarantine rules, will next explore ‘implementation details’.

5 Jun 2024 - 8:35PM

A veterinarian prepares to vaccinate a pet cat. Photo: Shutterstock

Asia travel

The Spanish Philippines: what is there to see in Manila, Cebu and beyond?

Natural disasters and war have destroyed many of the buildings erected in the Philippines under Spanish colonial rule. But in historical areas of the archipelago, impressive examples still stand.

12 May 2024 - 1:15PM

United States

US Pacific bases, jets ‘most vulnerable’ to Chinese missiles, lawmakers warn

In a letter to the navy and air force chiefs, 13 Congress members said ‘China can attack all US bases in the region’, demanding the Pentagon boost passive defences.

11 May 2024 - 2:00PMvideocam

Japan

Director Oliver Stone amplifies Okinawans’ opposition to new US military base

A survey found over 70 per cent of Okinawans are against the new base, but analysts say the opposition is unlikely to sway Tokyo’s position.

11 May 2024 - 2:00PMvideocam

US Air Force personnel conduct a parachute drill at an airbase in Kadena, Okinawa. Photo: Kyodo

Australia

How should Australia use Aukus submarines? Up to them, says US Pacific commander

Canberra insists the Aukus submarines are being acquired to strengthen Australia’s defence, and maintain that the nation will have sovereignty over the vessels.

10 Apr 2024 - 8:59AMvideocam

US-China relations

‘A message for China’: US’ new missile launchers in Asia a ‘warning’ to Beijing

Chinese foreign ministry says China does not compete with other nations in military power and ‘firmly pursues a defensive national defence policy’.

9 Apr 2024 - 5:13PMvideocam

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Japan

US to deploy new mid-range missile system in Asia-Pacific by end-2024

Reports suggest it will be the new medium-range Typhon system, capable of firing high-speed anti-shipping projectiles or Tomahawk cruise missiles to address threats from North Korea and China.

9 Apr 2024 - 8:30AM

A Tomahawk cruise missile is seen being fired from a US guided-missile destroyer. Typhon launchers are designed to fire either Tomahawk missiles or the US Navy’s Standard Missile 6. Photo: US Navy via AP

China’s military

Japan showing ‘obvious offensive characteristics’ with new missile unit, says PLA

A new Japanese regiment equipped with advanced anti-ship missiles was established in the strategically vital Ryukyu island chain last month.

8 Apr 2024 - 8:34PMvideocam

A Japanese military ceremony to mark the deployment of the missiles in Okinawa. Photo: Kyodo

North Korea

In Ukraine, Russia gifts North Korea ‘battlefield laboratory’ for missile tests

The North Korean military wouldn’t otherwise have had the opportunity to combat test its weapons and take away lessons to improve them, according to a top US general.

7 Apr 2024 - 1:39PMvideocam

Japan

‘Many are jealous’: Japanese firms offer workers tropical trips amid hay fever

IT company Aisaac gives around US$1,300 to employees to temporarily relocate to areas of Japan where hay fever symptoms are less severe.

5 Apr 2024 - 3:15PMvideocam

North Korea

How a new Korean war may unfold – if Kim Jong-un follows through on his threats

Read on for a closer look at the potential conflict scenarios, after two prominent analysts set North Korea watchers’ tongues wagging by warning Kim ‘has made a strategic decision to go to war’.

3 Apr 2024 - 2:49PMvideocam

North Korean tank crews and helicopters conduct joint drills in an undisclosed location last month in this picture released by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency. Photo: KCNA via KNS / AFP

South Korea

Yoon’s controversy prone wife keeps a low profile ahead of South Korea’s polls

The unprecedented absence of first lady Kim Keon-hee, who has not appeared in public since December 15, is seen by analysts as a political decision to shield President Yoon’s party from any negative comment.

2 Apr 2024 - 12:33PMvideocam

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol walks alongside his wife, Kim Keon Hee, as they arrive at Seoul Air Base on December 15 after finishing a four-day state visit to the Netherlands. Photo: Yonhap/via EPA-EFE

China’s military

Will China’s fourth aircraft carrier steer towards troubled waters in Asia?

The US Navy has an edge over its Chinese counterparts in terms of firepower and access to its supply bases in the region, analysts say.

31 Mar 2024 - 9:30AMvideocam

Science

Chinese scientists plan surface-to-air missile with 2,000km kill range

Researchers from sanctioned university said the weapon will be able to shoot down early-warning aircraft and bombers from unprecedented distance.

28 Mar 2024 - 10:29AMvideocam

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