Articles in this Cluster
31-12-2025
China conducted a second day of live-fire military drills around Taiwan, code-named 'Justice Mission 2025', involving dozens of fighter aircraft, navy vessels, and missile launches. Taiwan condemned the drills as 'highly provocative and reckless', while China claimed they were a response to Taiwan independence separatist forces and a necessary action to defend national sovereignty. The drills simulated a blockade of Taiwan's key ports and assaults on maritime targets, with China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) stating that they achieved the desired effects. The exercises come amid tensions between China and Taiwan, with the US and Japan also involved in the geopolitical dynamics.
Entities: China, Taiwan, Xi Jinping, Donald Trump, United States • Tone: neutral • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
31-12-2025
China conducted large-scale live-fire military drills near Taiwan, firing rockets into waters north of the island and surrounding it with warships, aircraft, and military pressure. The drills, dubbed 'Justice Mission 2025,' were the largest military encirclement of Taiwan in eight months and came amid rising tensions following a record U.S. arms sale to Taipei. Taiwan's Defense Ministry reported that 130 PLA aircraft, 14 naval vessels, and eight official ships were operating around the island, with 90 sorties crossing the median line into Taiwan's air defense identification zone. Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te condemned China's actions as 'not the behavior of a responsible world power,' while China claimed Taiwan as its territory and warned 'separatist' forces and outside powers.
Entities: China, Taiwan, People's Liberation Army (PLA), William Lai Ching-te, Xi Jinping • Tone: neutral • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
31-12-2025
The article explores China's six-decade campaign to dominate the rare earths industry, tracing its origins to an iron ore mine near Baotou in 1964. China's leadership, including Deng Xiaoping and Xi Jinping, played a crucial role in developing the industry through strategic planning, investment, and consolidation. The country's control over rare earths has given it significant leverage over global supply chains and clean energy technologies. The article highlights key figures, such as Xu Guangxian, who invented a new method to refine pure rare-earth metals, and discusses China's use of rare earths as a tool in its trade war with the US.
Entities: China, Deng Xiaoping, Xi Jinping, Rare earths, Baotou • Tone: neutral • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
31-12-2025
The Japanese government has expressed concern to Beijing over China's military drills around Taiwan, amid tensions between the two countries. The drills, which include live-fire exercises and blockade maneuvers, are seen as a warning to 'independence forces' and against external interference. The tensions have escalated after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's comments in early November about a potential Taiwan contingency, which Beijing views as interference in China's internal affairs. Japan has conveyed to Beijing that it expects issues concerning Taiwan to be resolved peacefully through dialogue. The situation is further complicated by a recent US$11 billion weapons package approved by the US State Department for Taiwan, which Beijing has condemned as 'flagrant interference in China's internal affairs'.
Entities: Japan, China, Taiwan, Beijing, Tokyo • Tone: neutral • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
31-12-2025
Australia has expressed deep concern over China's recent large-scale military exercises near Taiwan, calling them 'destabilising' and risking 'inflaming regional tensions'. The exercises, dubbed 'Justice Mission 2025', involved the People's Liberation Army (PLA) firing 27 missiles into waters near Taiwan, as well as detecting 70 war planes, 11 navy ships, and 14 coast guard vessels. Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Dfat) stated that the country opposes any actions that increase the risk of accident, miscalculation, or escalation, and that differences should be managed through dialogue, not force or coercion. The PLA's actions are seen as part of a broader strategy to assert control over Taiwan, which Beijing claims is a Chinese province. The international community, including the US, is watching the situation closely, with the US president, Donald Trump, downplaying the significance of the exercises.
Entities: Australia, China, Taiwan, People's Liberation Army (PLA), Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Dfat) • Tone: neutral • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform