By: Nigel Pittaway, defensenews    3 days ago

MELBOURNE, Australia — Australia and the United States are partnering to develop and test an air-launched hypersonic cruise missile under the bilateral Southern Cross Integrated Flight Research Experiment program, or SCIFiRE, the two countries announced Monday.

From the U.S. perspective, the effort falls under the Allied Prototyping Initiative, which is managed by the Directorate of Advanced Capabilities within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.

The program will be executed by the U.S. Air Force under the auspices of the weapons program executive officer, and it will leverage more than 15 years of collaboration on research into scramjets, rocket motors, sensors and advanced manufacturing materials between the two countries.

Continue reading on CVD >>

The American and Chinese flags are displayed outside a hotel in Beijing on May 14, 2019. (File photo: AFP/Greg Baker) 03 Dec 2020 04:42PM(Updated: 03 Dec 2020 09:31PM) WASHINGTON: Washington issued new entry rules for Chinese Communist Party (CCP) members travelling to the United States, the New York Times reported on Thursday (Dec 3), citing the State Department. The new policy – which took immediate effect on Wednesday – caps visas of Communist Party members and their immediate families to one month and a single entry into the country, the report said. Continue reading on CVD >>

BBC

China has introduced tough new laws which restrict the export of “controlled items”.

The rules primarily focus on the export of military technologies and other products that might harm China’s national security.

The export controls are widely believed to be in response to similar actions by the US.

TikTok, Huawei and Tencent are among the casualties of Washington’s Chinese technology crackdown.

Continue reading on CVD >>

By DAVID HUTTNOVEMBER 28, 2020 Asia Times

Biden’s top envoy says China decoupling was a ‘mistake’ but ASEAN nations will still be pressed to pick superpower sides 

The incoming Joe Biden administration is expected to be more dependable and predictable than Donald Trump’s, a potential cause for relief among Southeast Asian governments that have struggled to read and react to the outgoing US president’s mercurial leadership.

The region, a key battleground for influence between the US and China, may also benefit from a possible de-escalation of tensions between the two superpowers after Biden is inaugurated on January 20.

Continue reading on CVD >>

Chinese and US flags flutter near The Bund in Shanghai, China, Jul 30, 2019. (Photo: REUTERS/Aly Song/Files)

23 Nov 2020 12:06PM(Updated: 23 Nov 2020 05:57PM)

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration is close to declaring that 89 Chinese aerospace and other companies have military ties, restricting them from buying a range of US goods and technology, according to a draft copy of the list seen by Reuters.

The list, if published, could further escalate trade tensions with Beijing and hurt US companies that sell civil aviation parts and components to China, among other industries.

Continue reading on CVD >>

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian attends a news conference in Beijing, China September 10, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins23 Nov 2020 04:35PM(Updated: 23 Nov 2020 05:38PM) CNA

BEIJING: China will respond to the reported visit of a US Navy admiral to Taiwan and firmly opposes any military relations between Taipei and Washington, China’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday (Nov 23).

A two-star Navy admiral overseeing US military intelligence in the Asia-Pacific region has made an unannounced visit to Taiwan, two sources told Reuters on Sunday.

Continue reading on CVD >>

Sunday, November 22, 2020, 14:51 GMT+7 tuoitrenews

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and United States National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien discussed the two countries’ bilateral relationship in Hanoi on Saturday.

The meeting was convened within the framework of O’Brien’s visit to Vietnam on November 20-22, which is conducted on the occasion of the two nations’ 25th anniversary of diplomatic ties.

The relationship has seen comprehensive and practical development, which significantly contributes to regional and global security, peace, cooperation and development, PM Phuc said at the talk.

Continue reading on CVD >>

November 25, 2020, By David Leonhardt Good morning. Biden introduces his foreign policy team. The Dow breaks 30,000. And Pennsylvania is banning alcohol sales. How Biden will confront China The presidents who came just before Donald Trump took a mostly hopeful view of China. Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and the two George Bushes all tried to integrate China into the global economy and political system. Doing so, they believed, could persuade China to accept international rules and become more democratic. The strategy largely failed. China used access to the world’s markets to grow richer on its own terms. It rejected many international rules — on intellectual property, for example — while becoming more authoritarian at home. As a recent Times story puts it, China has adopted “increasingly aggressive and at times punitive policies that force countries to play by its rules.” Continue reading on CVD >>

23 Nov 2020 08:56AM(Updated: 23 Nov 2020 09:52AM) CNA

TAIPEI: A two-star Navy admiral overseeing US military intelligence in the Asia-Pacific region has made an unannounced visit to Taiwan, two sources told Reuters on Sunday (Nov 22), in a high-level trip that could vex China.

The sources, who include a Taiwanese official familiar with the situation, said the official was Rear Admiral Michael Studeman. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity.Advertisement

According to the Navy’s website, Studeman is director of the J2, which oversees intelligence, at the US military’s Indo-Pacific Command.

Continue reading on CVD >>

The Guardian

Move is latest chapter in deteriorating relationship with Beijing and improvement under Joe Biden is unlikely

Helen Davidson in Taipei @heldavidson Mon 23 Nov 2020 10.52 GMT

Donald Trump has banned US investment in a further 89 Chinese companies, and reportedly sent a navy admiral to Taiwan, as he seeks to secure a tough-on-China foreign policy legacy.

Multiple media outlets have reported plans by the Trump administration for a series of confrontations with China before Biden’s inauguration on 20 January, and the moves were largely expected. Foreign policy and political analysts believe Trump wants to leave a legacy of being tough on China, while simultaneously conducting a “scorched earth” policy on his way out of the White House.

Continue reading on CVD >>

21 Nov 2020 02:09PM CNA

TAIPEI:  The US and Taiwan are stepping up cooperation in a newly created economic dialogue, in another move from the outgoing Trump administration to increase official exchanges with the self-ruled island.

The two sides signed a five-year agreement establishing the US-Taiwan Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue, which is meant to be held annually. The deal falls short of a long-desired bilateral trade agreement, but is a significant step that increases ties between Washington and Taipei.

Continue reading on CVD >>

By Nguyen Quy   November 19, 2020 | 11:46 am GMT+7 VNExpressNational security adviser Robert O’Brien speaks to the media outside the White House in Washington, U.S., November 17, 2020. Photo by Reuters/Leah Millis.

U.S. national security adviser Robert O’Brien left Thursday for Vietnam and the Philippines to discuss regional security cooperation, the White House National Security Council said.

He would meet leaders in both countries “to reaffirm the strength of our bilateral relationships,” it tweeted on Thursday.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswomen Le Thi Thu Hang said at a press meet the same day that O’Brien will be in Vietnam from Friday to Sunday for high-level meetings to discuss bilateral relations and regional and international issues that concern both Vietnam and the U.S.

Two weeks ago U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Hanoi where he affirmed his nation’s continued support for a strong, prosperous and independent Vietnam.

Continue reading on CVD >>

Peter Martin November 16, 2020, 9:38 PM GMT+7 Bloomberg

•  World could slide into catastrophe like World War I: Kissinger
•  Says Biden, Xi should agree not to resort to military conflict

Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said the incoming Biden administration should move quickly to restore lines of communication with China that frayed during the Trump years or risk a crisis that could escalate into military conflict.

“Unless there is some basis for some cooperative action, the world will slide into a catastrophe comparable to World War I,” Kissinger said during the opening session of the Bloomberg New Economy Forum. He said military technologies available today would make such a crisis “even more difficult to control” than those of earlier eras.

Continue reading on CVD >>