South East Asia

USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) asserted navigational rights and freedoms in the vicinity of the Paracel Islands, consistent with international law. This freedom of navigation operation (“FONOP”) upheld the rights, freedoms and lawful uses of the sea recognized in international law by challenging the unlawful restrictions on innocent passage …

The leader of al Qaeda’s affiliate in Yemen has been under arrest for several months, the United Nations disclosed Thursday in a development that may have opened up a goldmine of information for counterterrorism agencies in their campaign against the global al Qaeda network.

India may supply Egypt with its BrahMos missile systems as part of New Delhi’s efforts to emerge as a major arms exporter and Cairo’s push to diversify its weaponry.

Once more, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Syria’s Idlib is making appearances in public places and visiting camps in a bid to present himself as a popular leader and to have his organization’s name removed from the international terrorist list.

The USS Nimitz spent more than 270 days at sea conducting exercises with the Indian navy and seeking to deter Iran from retaliating for last year’s killing of Qasem Soleimani. The US Navy’s Nimitz carrier strike force has left the Middle East after a nine-month deployment abroad that was extended …

Japan has proposed to the administration of new U.S. President Joe Biden signing a tentative one-year deal on sharing costs for hosting American troops while negotiations on a longer-term agreement continue, government sources say.

Beijing’s embassy here hit out at the Philippines on Monday for what it called “false accusations” about a new law allowing the Chinese coast guard to use force in South China Sea waters claimed by the Asian superpower. In a statement on its Facebook page, the Chinese Embassy in Manila …

China launched the second Type 054A/P frigate for Pakistan on Friday in Shanghai, as the Pakistan Navy Chief Naval Overseer highlighted at the launch ceremony that induction of the Type 054A/P warships will significantly enhance Pakistan’s maritime defense and deterrence capabilities.

Xi told Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam that the “patriots ruling Hong Kong” was a fundamental part of Beijing’s policy towards the city, adding that it affected national sovereignty and security.

The Czech Communist Party’s brazen siding with China worries parts of the political establishment and the security services, especially given it provides support to the minority government in return for influence on policy. Facing a panel of stern officials backed by red flags in a cavernous chamber, a pudgy grey-haired …