China is calling for restraint in the standoff over North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, one day after North Korea complained the United States is pushing the region closer to nuclear war. Chinese President Xi Jinping, in a phone call Wednesday with Philippine counterpart Rodrigo Duterte, urged all parties in the standoff to use restraint […]
BEIJING — China has launched its first domestically built aircraft carrier, marking an important military milestone. The vessel will become the second carrier in the country’s expanding naval fleet. Analysts say the launch highlights the strides China has made in advancing its carrier program, as well as its ambitions to project power further into the Pacific […]
Reporters Without Borders said Wednesday that globally “media freedom has never been so threatened,” as it released its annual press freedom index. The media rights group pointed in particular to democratic countries as places where press freedoms declined during the past year. “In sickening statements, Draconian laws, conflicts of interest, and even the use of […]
SEOUL — Analysts say confusing or deceptive messages about a U.S. naval “armada” heading to waters off the Korean peninsula undermines the United States’ credible threat of military force against North Korea. The White House and the U.S. military’s Pacific Command were not quite accurate in early April when they said the USS Carl Vinson aircraft […]