A Chinese court gave a suspended death sentence to a China-born Australian democracy blogger on Monday. The Australian government, which has repeatedly raised his case over the years, said it was appalled. Yang Hengjun was found guilty of espionage and sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said. Such … Read more
With less than a month until the Taiwanese presidential elections, concerns are on the rise regarding how China might attempt to interfere in the elections. Chinese military threats directed at Taiwan continue, with daily air incursions and naval activity. This month saw Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense publicize information about movement by a Chinese surveillance … Read more
The Diplomat author Mercy Kuo regularly engages subject-matter experts, policy practitioners, and strategic thinkers across the globe for their diverse insights into U.S. Asia policy. This conversation with Alex Joske ̶ senior risk advisor at McGrathNicol, former analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, and author of “Spies and Lies: How China’s Greatest Covert … Read more
Advertisement In early June, a Wall Street Journal report revealed a deal worth “several billions of dollars” between the Chinese and Cuban governments to install a signals and electronics intelligence (SIGINT and ELINT) collection facility at the western end of the island in Bejucal, about 160 kilometers away from the U.S. mainland. The move provided … Read more
Advertisement “We must better balance development and security,” said Xi Jinping at this year’s National People’s Congress, shortly after being reappointed as China’s president. These words reflect Xi’s preference for putting political and national security ahead of economic growth, an approach that appears to be gathering pace at the start of his third term in … Read more