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Nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs)

Nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs)
Nuclear weapons continue to be a topic of tension in the modern world, particularly with concerns from the US and its partners over Iran's nuclear development programme, which Iran says is for medical and industrial use only. Such armaments can be delivered by intercontinental ballistic missiles, which have with a range of over 5,500km (3,400 miles).
President Donald Trump with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung at a dinner event in Gyeongju, South Korea, on October 29. Photo: AP
Diplomacy

Opinion | Seoul holds the key to US-North Korea denuclearisation talks

South Korea is taking steps to cool tensions – from moving to opening joint military drills to consultations to easing up on immediate denuclearisation demands.

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Middle East

Iran and Gaza plan to top agenda for Netanyahu-Trump meeting

North Korea

North Korea warns ‘mankind will face great disaster’ if Japan gets nuclear arms

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Ukraine war

Russia deploys nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile to Belarus amid Ukraine talks

Russian state media says it would take the weapon only 17 minutes to reach Nato headquarters in Brussels.

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Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko delivers a speech in Minsk on Thursday. Photo: Belarusian presidential press service via AFP
Japan

Japan vows never to possess nuclear weapons, rebuffing official’s idea

The government’s response came after a senior security official suggested that Tokyo needed nuclear arms to deter ‍potential aggressors.

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Science

China’s ‘dirt cheap’ missiles could shake up global defence market: state media

The ‘cement-coated’ YKJ-1000 could prove ‘formidably competitive’ internationally if sold at the relatively cheap price of US$99,000.

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Open Questions series

Open Questions | Ex-PLA colonel on Taiwan, the Ukraine war, China-US ties

Zhou Bo ponders Japanese PM Takaichi’s recent remarks, lessons from the Ukraine conflict and why China won’t be world’s policeman.

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez
China’s military

China has minimal nuclear arsenal, seeks no arms race with US: white paper

Document criticises Trump’s planned Golden Dome system, saying it would ‘pose a serious threat to outer space security’.

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War and conflict

Opinion | Why advances in conventional weapons tech should worry China, Russia and US

Washington, Beijing and Moscow must realise that rapid expansion of precision non-nuclear strike capabilities does not deter war, but instead invites miscalculation.

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Science

Chinese civilian firm starts mass production of Mach 7 missiles at low cost

Beijing-based Lingkong Tianxing Technology releases video showing the YKJ-1000 striking a target in a desert testing range.

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An animation released by Lingkong Tianxing Technology shows eight missiles flying in formation towards Japan. Photo: Handout
North Korea

North Korea’s nuclear arsenal shows ‘exponential growth’ in new satellite images

Renovations at Yongbyon seemingly prove Kim Jong-un is serious about expanding his arsenal – but Seoul has a bunker-busting response.

Yongbyon Nuclear Research Facility complex pictured from space in 2021. Photo: 2021 Maxar Technologies/AFP
United States

Opinion | How South Korea’s nuclear sub deal with US could torpedo inter-Korean peace

Seoul is clearly prioritising advancing its military capabilities with Washington’s help, rather than improving ties with Pyongyang.

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North Korea

‘Hostile to the end’: North Korea’s shock at US subs approval sinks talk hopes

Now the North sees the South as a ‘quasi-nuclear weapons state’ with US help, a fourth Trump-Kim summit appears less likely than ever.

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China-Japan relations

Beijing warns Japan after PM’s Taiwan comments fuel nuclear shift concerns

Beijing says Japanese moves mark a ‘major negative policy shift’ as it urges Tokyo to abandon military build-up and regain regional trust.

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Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian says Beijing is “seriously concerned”. Photo: Kyodo
Middle East

US sanctions firms from China to India over Iranian weapons

The US also targeted Ma Jie, an individual based in China, who is accused of helping Iranian defence officials meet Chinese suppliers.

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Iranians visit an exhibition showcasing missile and drone achievements in Tehran on Wednesday. Photo: AFP
France

‘War of tomorrow will begin in space,’ Macron says, singling out Russia

The leader unveiled a multibillion euro increase in French military spending for space activities, citing Russia’s threat of nuclear arms.

United States

Opinion | Trump’s nuclear turn risks upsetting fragile global strategic balance

US president may have wanted to project strength, but nuclear weapons testing could further isolate America and spark a new cold war.

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United States

Opinion | Devil in the details as US agrees to a South Korean nuclear-powered sub

Will the Australian experience be shared? Will it be a Virginia-class vessel or an indigenous design? And where will funding come from?

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A bottle of champagne is smashed on the hull of South Korea’s first 3,600-ton-class naval submarine during a ceremony held at the Hanwha Ocean dockyard, in Geoje, South Korea, October 22. Photo: Photo: EPA/Yonhap
Science

PLA team’s ‘dirty bomb’ fallout in rare field test as nuclear tension heats up

China’s weather modification tech can help fight radioactive fallout, study finds.

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South Korea

US’ nuclear submarine nod gives South Korea massive depth of power

The move would not only strengthen deterrence but also reduce the risk of open conflict in Northeast Asia, analysts say.

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Russia

Putin warns Russia may restart nuclear tests after Trump threat

No country apart from North Korea has carried out explosive tests of atomic weapons in the 21st century.

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A Yars intercontinental ballistic missile is seen at the Plesetsk testing field in northern Russia during nuclear drills in October. Photo: Russian Defence Ministry via AFP
South Korea

Hegseth confirms Trump support for Seoul’s nuclear submarine programme

The pledge accelerates Seoul’s long-sought military goal and signals a major shift in US policy on nuclear naval technology transfer.

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US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a conference in Seoul, South Korea, on Tuesday. Photo: EPA
North Korea sanctions

US wants UN sanctions on 7 ships over North Korea exports to China

The ships are carrying illegal North Korean coal and iron exports to China, a State Department official said.

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US-China relations

Will Trump’s call to resume nuclear testing fuel a US-China arms race?

US president’s order could spur Beijing to speed up development of nuclear weapon systems, observers say.

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Science

PLA releases photo of hypersonic ‘morphing’ missile that changes shape at Mach 5

China’s groundbreaking design features retractable wings that minimise drag for high-speed cruising.

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An example of the hypersonic morphing missile prototype. Photo: NUDT
Japan

‘Utterly unacceptable’: Trump’s bomb testing call vexes nuclear-scarred Japan

‘In a nuclear war, there are no winners or losers; all of humanity becomes the loser,’ Hiroshima-based organisations say.

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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and US President Donald Trump aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington in Yokosuka on Tuesday. Photo: AP
South Korea

Doubts surface over Trump’s South Korea nuclear submarine plan

Construction of the US-built submarines is likely to run into cost and feasibility issues and nuclear proliferation worries, experts say.

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China's military weapons

China’s next 5-year plan aims to narrow nuclear gap with US and Russia: analysts

Beijing’s proposed national blueprint links strategic forces with the global balance for the first time.

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