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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).
US President Donald Trump at Morristown Municipal Airport in New Jersey on Sunday. Photo: Getty Images via AFP
Donald Trump

Trump orders Pentagon to scale back joint military exercises with South Korea

After South Korea declined to help denuclearise Iran, Trump said the exercises are costly and send a ‘hostile’ signal to North Korea.

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US, Israel war on Iran

51st strait? Trump says he’ll soon declare Hormuz to be US territory

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US-China relations

After China’s missile test, US and allies demand 24-hour warning next time

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North Korea

North Korea missile launch hints at upgraded weapons exports to Russia

North Korea usually reports launches but its silence in the recent tests raises the possibility they involved a top-secret new missile.

People in Seoul watch a news broadcast about a North Korean missile launch on Wednesday. Photo: EPA
North Korea

Japan slams North Korea’s ballistic missile firing ahead of US-Seoul drills

Japan’s Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi called the launch a ‘threat to peace and security in our region’.

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Ukraine war

Ukraine says Russia fired North Korean missiles in deadly attack

‘The city was struck with North Korean ballistic missiles, Zircons,’ President Zelensky said of the strike on Zaporizhzhia that killed 7.

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Diplomacy

Opinion | A strong China is the best hope for the ‘long peace’ to endure

If China’s rise shows it rejects hegemonic ambitions, the hope is that it can make a difference and foster a more peaceful world.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
North Korea

North Korea fires ‘unidentified projectile’: South Korea

The launch came a day after Pyongyang accused Japan of turning ‘into a war state’ as Tokyo beefs up its military stance in the Pacific.

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China's military weapons

Why did a Chinese bomber carry a nuclear-capable missile in an anti-ship exercise?

PLA documentary showcases enough air power in its combination of the Jing Lei-1 on board an H-6N to cover ‘almost the entire Pacific Ocean’.

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United States

Pentagon signs US$3 billion deal to ramp up Patriot, THAAD missile parts production

Agreements with Lockheed and Northrop seek to address supply shortages driven by conflicts.

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A Patriot missile battery at the Prince Sultan air base in al-Kharj, central Saudi Arabia in 2020. Photo: AP
US-China relations

Open Questions | China’s military goal is to stand neck and neck with US: ex-PLA colonel Zhou Bo

Prominent commentator shares insights on the PLA’s 2027 goal, competition with the US, the Taiwan issue and the peacetime dilemma.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
China's military weapons

Why China’s JL-3 made waves with first sub-based missile test in over 40 years

The weapon is capable of striking targets in the continental US from Chinese waters, making it a key element of Beijing’s nuclear strategy.

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China's military weapons

China signals buildout of nuclear missile silos for ‘strategic trump cards’

CCTV documentary interview suggests the construction was for the DF-5 series of intercontinental ballistic missiles.

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China's military weapons

China’s military modernisation

Chinese President Xi Jinping is boosting the nation’s defence capabilities ahead of the 2027 centenary of the People’s Liberation Army, overseeing improvements in hardware and high-level purges of generals.

China’s military modernisation
China’s military

The PLA at 99: how China’s military went from ragtag rifles to world-class force

From revolutionary group to hi-tech machine, the PLA’s transformation has been a long pursuit of strength and self-reliance.

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Illustration: Davies Christian
US-China relations

Open Questions | Ex-PLA colonel on US’ decline and China’s nuclear arsenal

Zhou Bo of Tsinghua University weighs US’ commitment to Taiwan, how big a nuclear deterrent China needs and the risks of AI warfare.

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Defence

Letters | Missile test shows major-power rivalry is spilling into the Pacific

Readers discuss the fallout of China’s recent missile test, the massive protests in India sparked by exam irregularities, and dwindling sales at the Hong Kong Book Fair.

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Middle East

US unveils civilian nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia

Some US lawmakers and Israeli officials fear that such a project could help the kingdom develop nuclear weapons.

Saudi and US flags flutter on a road in Riyadh in May 2025, ahead of a visit by US President Donald Trump. Photo: AFP
Ukraine war

Opinion | Russia’s grinding war in Ukraine shows the impotence of nuclear weapons

Having the world’s biggest nuclear arsenal has not helped Russia on the battlefield.

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Ukraine war

Kyiv pounded in Russian missile barrage as air defences run low

At least one person was killed and 16 were wounded, heaping pressure on Kyiv’s foreign partners to accelerate supply of anti-ballistic defences.

China’s military

Opinion | China’s missile test from a submarine is no guarantee of regional stability

Beijing’s ICBM test from a nuclear-powered submarine is a win from a defence perspective but comes with greater responsibilities.

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Illustration: Mario Cameira
Pacific nations

China sends a message to Pacific islands amid unease over missile test

Solomons prime minister has pledged to review China pact while advancing talks on a comprehensive treaty with Australia.

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi holds talks in Beijing on Tuesday with Rick Houenipwela, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of the Solomon Islands. Photo: Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs
China's military weapons

Opinion | China’s missile test is a signal. How non-nuclear states respond matters

The reactions to Beijing’s ‘routine’ exercise put into focus a nuclear order that is rapidly fluctuating from Tehran to Tokyo.

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Ukraine war

Ukraine allies meet in Paris to boost air defence, pressure Russia to end war

The 37-member Coalition of the Willing aims to develop ‘purely defensive’ anti-ballistic capabilities in Europe.

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Pacific nations

Opinion | Panic over China’s missile test is born of Western bias

Every nuclear power routinely tests its arsenal. The outcry over Beijing’s launch reveals a glaring double standard.

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A long-range ballistic missile bursts out of the sea during a test launched from a Chinese nuclear-powered submarine in the South Pacific on Monday. Photo: Xinhua/AP
China’s military drills

The radar system that Taiwan says tracked the PLA’s ballistic missile launch

The Pave Paws early-warning unit detected the launch from waters near the mainland’s southern coast, report says.

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Beijing has not confirmed the type of missile used in the test but a senior Taiwanese security official says it was a JL-2. Photo: Kyodo
China's military weapons

What does China’s submarine missile test mean for its nuclear triad expansion?

More than a technical milestone, undersea launch sends strategic signal to the US and Beijing’s neighbours in Asia-Pacific, analysts say.

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US-China relations

Nato can’t be ‘naive’ about China as it ramps up military might, Rutte claims

Nato’s secretary general contacts Japan’s defence minister after Chinese nuclear submarine fires test missile into Pacific.

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