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Israel, Hamas and other Islamic terror groups- All at fault.
Stop The Senseless Slaughter and Starvation in Gaza.

While the world waits and watches for a settlement of the Central European crisis, Gazans die from starvation and from wounds inflicted by Israeli bombs. Much of the world has ignored the suffering there in the same way nations did during the 1930s and 1940s when the United States and its allies were indifferent to the Nazi slaughter of millions of Jews in Europe.

The Gaza Health Ministry run by Hamas estimates that since the Hamas attack on Israeli civilians on Oct. 7, 2023, the number of dead Palestinian men, women and children comes to more than 60,000, with 80 percent of them civilians. The Reuters news agency reports that food supplies are at an all-time low and starvation is at a record high. Parents are watching their children suffer horribly, slowly waste away and eventually die a painful death. Enough already.

Israel claims that it’s military goes to great lengths to avoid civilian casualties. If that is true, military officials are doing a horrible job. Israel has already decapitated Hamas leadership and killed thousands of their soldiers. The nation’s renewed aggression is an attempt to kill a mosquito with a sledgehammer. Things are so horrible in Gaza that even diehard conservatives like Tucker Carlson and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green (R-Ga.) have complained about Israeli policies there.

Irish support for Palestinians comes naturally and runs deep. My ancestral homeland was the first member of the European Union to endorse Palestinian statehood. The Irish fully appreciate the horrors of starvation.

The great Irish famine in the 1840s was a product of deliberate state sanctioned starvation. The Bannon and Ryan families came to America in the 19th century because of English starvation policies. There was actually plenty of food in Ireland but the Brits exported everything back home except for potatoes. When the potato blight hit and the crop failed, approximately one million Irish men, women and children died from starvation and sickness and another million left their cherished homeland to settle in America and around the world.

To make the lot of the Palestinians worse, if that’s even possible, Israel wants to launch an another offensive in Gaza City and turn it into a military enclave by removing the native population. The big difference between the Irish diaspora and the natives of Gaza is they have nowhere to go to begin a new life like my family did. Trump’s crusade to deport Mexicans and Muslims doesn’t allow any opportunities here for displaced Arabs. Even the European nations sympathetic to the Palestinian cause are under pressure from anti-immigration groups.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cruel policies create more problems than it solves with military aggression and starvation in Gaza. Israeli government policies will produce short-term gain of territory for long-term pain.

Israeli’s actions will create a new generation of terrorists which will plague the nation and its allies for a generation. Clear out Gaza for the valuable real estate that may one day house a luxury Trump casino and resort on the Mediterranean. The new lavish coastal resorts inevitably will become a target for attacks by a new generation of displaced Gazans.

Israel is a small nation surrounded by danger. Survival requires friends and allies abroad. But the country’s draconian actions have eroded the respect of Europeans and Americans who have stood by the nation in the past.

Trump broke with Netanyahu who denied the existence of starvation in the strip. But the president hasn’t done anything to follow up on his pledge to feed the hungry. Napoleon said that an army marches on its stomach. Terrorists attack on empty stomachs.

Trump’s former national security advisor John Bolton believes that more than anything else his former boss wants a Nobel Peace Prize. Give the devil his due and let him have the honor if he’s brave and caring enough to send massive supplies of food and medicine there, to stop the Israeli military offensive and to force Hamas to release the Israeli hostages. If he alleviates the crisis, the world will see him in a much brighter light.

If Trump really wants to stop the senseless civilian slaughter and starvation and earn the great honor, he must turn the screws on Netanyahu. The ball is in Trump’s court.
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South Sudan ‘approves’ Israeli plan to send Gazans to country-
South Sudan’s cabinet has agreed to receive Palestinians from the Gaza Strip following a request from Israel, The Telegraph has learnt.

A foreign ministry official in Juba said the government had approved the request as part of a deal which also involved the US and United Arab Emirates.

The move comes as Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, is attempting to revive the controversial idea of “voluntary” resettlement of civilians from the enclave.

On Wednesday, South Sudan described claims of a deal as “baseless” and not reflective of official government policy.

However, it has been claimed that the government has in fact agreed to work with Israel, raising the potential of a serious row from countries who oppose any suggestion of resettlement of Gazans.
The UAE would provide accompanying funding, which would be an economic lifeline for one of the poorest countries on Earth, the foreign ministry official said.

Meanwhile, America would lift sanctions on South Sudan, and Israel would invest in health and education.

“The South Sudanese land is enough to host more people from different nations, and also it’s good for the South Sudanese to open wide the window for external business to grow the economy,” the official said.

He added that the deal had been agreed by the cabinet but faced stiff opposition elsewhere, meaning the government was unwilling to acknowledge it.

“This kind of deal is not easy for South Sudanese to understand right now and also we have a very complex political situation in South Sudan,” he said.

One MP told The Telegraph that the matter had been discussed in Parliament but rejected by a majority of parliamentarians.

He said: “I myself reject it because South Sudan is a very young country. We are not able to feed ourselves, how can we get more people to live with us?

“In the next meeting we are going to reject it again from the Parliament. This idea is unacceptable to us.”
The debate came as Sharren Haskel, Israel’s deputy foreign minister, arrived in Juba to sign a “memorandum of understanding on bilateral consultations”.

Moving them from one land already ravaged by war and famine to another would only amplify that concern.

‘Voluntary’ relocation
News of the possible South Sudan deal broke after Mr Netanyahu appeared on Israeli television to revive discussion about relocating civilians from the Strip.

The idea was first proposed by Donald Trump, the US president, in February. He said the population should be removed and Gaza completely redeveloped to become part of what he envisaged as a “riviera” in the Middle East.

The Israeli government has floated the idea of relocation, but always said that it should be voluntary.

“Give them the opportunity to leave, first of all, combat zones, and generally to leave the territory, if they want,” said Mr Netanyahu on Tuesday, in comments that did not mention South Sudan.

“We will allow this, first of all within Gaza during the fighting, and we will certainly allow them to leave Gaza as well.”

Numerous foreign capitals and international bodies have previously warned against the plan, with some questioning if resettlement from Gaza could be considered genuinely voluntary, given the catastrophic damage to infrastructure and the dire humanitarian situation.

They have also voiced fears that voluntarily displaced Palestinians would not be allowed to return, citing comments made by Mr Netanyahu’s ultra-nationalist coalition partners calling for the re-establishment of Jewish settlements in Gaza.
A feature of the recent Operation Gideon’s Chariots, Israel’s new ground offensive, has been the wide-scale demolition of residential buildings. It is likely the same tactic will be used in the upcoming assault on Gaza City, confirmed last week.

Forcibly displacing a population could be considered a war crime.

Investigating feasibility
The Associated Press reported multiple sources as confirming the current talks between Israel and South Sudan.

Joe Szlavik, founder of a US lobbying company working for South Sudan, also said that he had been briefed by officials on the talks.

He said an Israeli delegation planned to visit the country to investigate the feasibility of setting up camps.

Ms Haskel’s trip is the first official visit to South Sudan by an Israeli government representative.

In a statement, she said: “While the international community is focused solely on Gaza, South Sudan is facing a real humanitarian crisis and the threat of genuine famine.”

Obvious destinations
As neighbours with formal relations with Israel, Egypt and Jordan would be the most obvious destinations for any departing Palestinians.

However, both have staunchly opposed any such scheme, despite significant pressure from Mr Trump.

Israel is said to have held talks with Indonesia, Libya, Ethiopia, Somalia and Somaliland about the possibility of accepting Gazans, but it was reported that these had not borne fruit.

South Sudan is in desperate need of foreign cash to help itself rebuild after years of instability and war with Sudan, its Arab-dominated neighbor.

It has been reported that they accepted help from Israel’s Mossad spy agency during their civil war with Khartoum.

Emigration inevitable
South Sudan also wants Mr Trump to lift the US travel ban on the country.

But Egypt has reportedly lobbied South Sudan not to co

“Sky Is NOT The Limit”: Su-57, S-500, R-37M In Spotlight As IAF Thrilled By Super Success Of S-400 & BrahMos (Part2)

Let us look at the two Russia-origin systems.

S-400 Missile System “Sudarshan Chakra”
The S-400 is a Russian mobile SAM system developed in the 1990s by Russia’s NPO Almaz as an upgrade to the S-300 family of missiles.

The S-400 joined the Russian armed forces in 2007. The system is complemented by its successor, the S-500. The S-400 system has four radars and four sets of missiles covering different ranges and vertical bubbles.

The maximum target detection range is 600 kilometres, and targets can be engaged as far as 400 kilometres. The five S-400 batteries contracted by India in 2018 cost $5.43 billion, including reserve missiles.

All the sub-units are data-linked and controlled by a central command and control system with sufficient redundancy. The system is capable of layered defence and integrates with other Indian air defences.

One system can control 72 launchers, with a maximum of 384 missiles. All missiles are equipped with directed explosion warheads, which increases the probability of complete destruction of aerial targets.

The system is designed to destroy aircraft, cruise, and ballistic missiles, and can also be used against ground targets. It can engage targets up to 17,000 km/h or Mach 14. It can intercept low-flying cruise missiles at a range of about 40 km due to the line-of-sight requirement. The anti-ballistic missile (ABM) capabilities of the S-400 system are near the maximum allowed under the (now void) Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. The number of simultaneously engaged targets by the full system is 36.

The system ground mobility speed is close to 60 km/h on roads and 25 km/h cross-country. It takes 5 minutes to be operational and fire when ordered while driving. Otherwise, the system response time is just 10 seconds. The time between major overhauls is 10,000 hours. The Service life is at least 20 years.

In Russia, the system was made operational around Moscow in 2007. Russia reportedly deployed S-400 in Syria. The system has been widely used in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, and it is claimed to have shot down many aircraft.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has reportedly used Western weapons, mainly U.S.-made ATACMS missiles, to hit S-400 units on the ground.

Belarus has unspecified numbers of S-400 units. Deliveries to China, of the six batteries ordered, began in January 2018. Four batteries consisting of 36 fire units and 192 or more missiles were delivered to Turkey.

Algeria is another operator. Some other countries, like Iran, Egypt, Iraq, and Serbia, have also shown interest. South Korea is developing the KM-SAM, a medium-range SAM system based on technology from S-400 missiles, with assistance from NPO Almaz.

Three of the five batteries have arrived in India. India took deliveries despite the American threat of CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act).

The remaining two are expected in 2025/26. The recent conflict has revealed the rough location of two systems, one each in Punjab and Gujarat. As per open sources, the third is somewhere in the east. The systems have been tested in various Indian military exercises.

BrahMos
The BrahMos is a long-range ramjet supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from land, submarines, ships, and fighter aircraft. It is a joint venture between the Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Russian Federation’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya, which together have formed BrahMos Aerospace.

The missile is based on Russian P-800 Oniks. The name BrahMos is a portmanteau formed from the names of two rivers, the Brahmaputra of India and the Moskva of Russia. India holds 50.5 percent share of the joint venture. 75 percent of the missile is manufactured in India and there are plans to increase this to 85 percent.

Large numbers of land-launched, ship-launched as well as air-launched versions have been inducted and are in service with the Indian armed forces.

The missile guidance has been developed by BrahMos Aerospace. In 2016, after India became a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), India and Russia gradually increased the range of the missile to 800 km. The latest deliveries to the Indian Navy are of this type.

The cruise missile has anti-ship and land-attack roles, and has been in service since June 2007. The other operator is the Philippine Marine Corps. The unit cost is around $ 3.5 million.

The extended range variant costs around $4.85 million. Many futuristic variants are evolving. The BrahMos-A is a modified air-launched variant of the missile with a reduced size and weight (2.55 tons). It has a range of 500 km when launched from Su-30 MKI, and it can carry only one BrahMos missile.

50 IAF SU-30MKI were modified to carry the BrahMos-A missile. Smaller-sized variants like BrahMos-NG could be carried on more types of aircraft, even on LCA. Additionally, the BrahMos-NG will have an AESA radar rather than the current mechanically scanned one.

The Sukhoi Su-30MKI will carry three NG missiles, while other IAF fighters will carry one. The BrahMos-NG will be ready by the end of 2025. BrahMos-II will be a hypersonic cruise missile. A UCAV variant is planned.

This solid propellant missile can carry a 200–300 kg warhead that could be nuclear or conventional semi-armour-piercing. Max operational ranges are up to 8-900 kilometres. Export variants are currently restricted to 290 kilometres.

The BrahMos is generally considered the world’s fastest supersonic cruise missile. Currently, the missile speed is Mach 3. Later variants will be hypersonic (M 5+). The missile is very accurate with a CEP of less than one metre.

BrahMos was first test-fired on 12 June 2001 from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, in a vertical launch configuration. The September 2010 test of BrahMos created a world record for being the first cruise missile to be tested at supersonic speeds in a steep-dive mode.

BrahMos was tested with an Indian seeker for the first time in March 2018, and was tested with an India-developed propulsion system, airframe, and power supply in September 2019. On 30 September 2020, India successfully test-fired an extended-range BrahMos, offering a range of around 350 km, at speeds up to Mach 2.8.

The submarine-launched variant of BrahMos was test-fired successfully for the first time from a submerged pontoon on 20 March 2013. Even BrahMos Block III land-attack variants are operational. There are plans to have missiles with a range of 1500 km or more.

BrahMos is operationally deployed in large numbers by the three services. Additional missile orders have been recently placed for extended-range variants.

The Philippines has placed a substantial order for their services, and deliveries began in 2024. Russia, too, has plans to buy many missiles. Brazil has shown interest in the missile system. Vietnam and Indonesia have already signed deals.

Sky Is Not The Limit
Resolute political will, choice of targets, weapon matching and accuracy, actionable intelligence, strong Indian air defences, and great IAF professionals. and hitting strategic targets in depth were the clear clinchers.

Aerospace has become the primary means of prosecuting war. India-Russia relations are time-tested. Nearly 60 percent of IAF aircraft are of Russian origin.

Russian platforms and weapons with the Indian armed forces have performed exceedingly well for many decades, since the MiG-21s of the 1960s. The S-400 and Su-30MKI-BrahMos combination have excelled in Op Sindoor.

Could S-500 (600 km) be the next acquisition? Will India select the Su-57 fifth-generation aircraft and Make in India? Can Russia help accelerate the Indian nuclear submarine program? Should India acquire the “AWACS Killer” Russian R-37M AAM and collaborate on developing futuristic long-range aerial missiles?

Should there be more work together on the Su-30MKI upgrade? Can the two enter into a joint venture for Kamikaze drones required by both sides in large numbers, and India can help scale up production?

The Sky is NO more the limit!

China’s Darwin Port Control: Trump’s ‘New Appointee’ Fuels Australia’s Plan To End Landbridge‘s 99-Year Lease?

Is the appointment of Stephen Andrew Feinberg, an American businessman and investor, as the 36th United States deputy secretary of defense by President Donald Trump, the prime reason for Australia considering terminating the Chinese-owned company Landbridge‘s 99-year lease for the strategically important Darwin port?

“Not exactly” could be the answer, though Feinberg’s private equity group Cerberus (he is the founder and co-CEO, but had to resign from the post for joining the Pentagon) is reported to be one of the bidders, along with the Japanese logistics company Toll Group, to buy back the lease from Landbridge.

If done, it will be on the pattern of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison’s proposed sale of Panama Canal ports to Swiss-Italian Mediterranean Shipping Co and BlackRock, following pressure from the Trump Administration over alleged Chinese influence at the vital waterway.

There is also the possibility of Australia not leasing the port to any other country after taking it back from the Landbridge, based on recent statements by Australian politicians. The country will manage the port itself.

Landbridge’s lease has been a controversial issue in Australian politics ever since it was signed on November 15, 2015.

In fact, the debate surrounding the port predates the Trump Presidency. The lease was opposed by even President Barack Obama. But the then Liberal government led by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull gave the go-ahead for the lease. The Labor Party, then in opposition, had opposed the move.

Now in power, Labor has not changed its position, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanes, who got reelected in May this year, asserting during his election-campaign, “ “Obviously we live in an uncertain world at the moment, the idea that you would have the major port in northern Australia owned by any foreign interest is not in Australia’s national interest”.

The Liberals, now in opposition, have also changed their position. They are now against the lease. Thus, there is now a more or less political consensus in Australia against the Darwin port remaining in Chinese hands.

It may be noted that Darwin Port, located in Australia’s Northern Territories (NT), was leased for $506 million by the Landbridge, which is controlled by Chinese billionaire Ye Cheng, who was a member of the national committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, a political advisory body, from 2013 to 2018.

The Labor Party, then, had alleged that Landbridge had “extensive connections” to the Chinese Communist Party and People’s Liberation Army, warning that the lease “compromised Australia’s long-term strategic security”.

However, it is also noteworthy that Australia’s Defence Department had in 2015 reviewed the strategic and operational risks of the deal, including cyberattacks, intellectual property theft, infrastructure degradation, and port shutdowns, and okayed it. Likewise, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) was equally satisfied with the level of due diligence conducted before the lease was approved.

Reconsideration Of The Lease
So, why is security a factor now in the demands behind the reconsideration of the lease?

It is because the geopolitical considerations in 2015 of the Australian security elites have changed. The optimistic perception of China in Australia in 2014 seems to be no longer there today, thanks to Beijing’s increasing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region in recent years.

After all, so runs the argument, every civilian Chinese farm, state-owned or not, and the Landbridge being no exception, has to comply with the ruling Communist Party’s mandates on matters relating to national security. Businesses do constitute a geopolitical cudgel for Beijing.

And that being the case, Darwin’s strategic location is significant as it is Australia’s northernmost maritime facility, situated on the edge of Southeast Asia and the South China Sea.

Maritime forces stationed there can always enjoy a central position just outside the southerly arc of Asia’s first island chain, which runs from Japan through Taiwan, the Philippines, and the Indonesian archipelago before terminating at the Strait of Malacca.

The Sunda and Lombok straits, key alternatives to the Malacca Strait, are within Darwin’s reach. Amid China’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea, U.S. Marine forces, allies of Australia, have direct access from Darwin, with approximately 2,500 Marines from the I Marine Expeditionary Force rotating through the port annually.

Among other functions, these Marines are also said to be honing tactics for “access denial” while helping beleaguered allies and partners like the Philippines and Taiwan.

In other words, with Darwin occupying such a strategic position, it is argued that Australia and its allies cannot afford to leave the port in Chinese hands.

As James Holmes of the U.S. Naval War College fears, Chinese observers at the port could gather intelligence on the Australian Defense Force and allied comings and goings while abetting net assessment of allied capabilities, tactics, techniques, and procedures.

“In so doing, they help acquaint the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) with potential foes, the first step toward defeating them. Nor is it far-fetched to imagine Chinese port operators slow-rolling—or, more likely, actively hampering—allied military movements and resupply in wartime”.

All these apprehensions, when fitted in the overall framework of China outpacing the developed Western countries in general and the United States in particular in investing in “the port infrastructure around the world”, have further sharpened the geopolitical focus on Darwin.

Incidentally, as per the latest available data, China operates or has ownership in at least one port on every continent except Antarctica. Of the 129 projects, 115 are active, whereas the remaining 14 port projects have become inactive due to cancellation or suspension over environmental concerns, souring of political relations, financial problems, and security issues raised domestically and internationally.

It is said that China has ownership of 91 active port projects across the globe, where military use is a possibility, providing it with a foothold on every continent except Antarctica.

These projects are part of its Maritime Silk Road (MSR). If the American military analysts are to be believed, China’s position of control and influence over the majority of port infrastructure globally poses a significant economic and military security threat to the United States and its allies.

It is feared that China could always use its power to interfere with operations that rely on port access—including military and economic operations that are vital to American interests and those of its allies and partners.

In fact, according to a study, out of the 70 commercial port projects that China has in the “Global South,” which includes Australia, an estimated 55 projects have the potential for naval use as well.

In addition to commercial and military use, China is believed to be using port infrastructure for spying and intelligence gathering. Apparently, a U.S. Congressional probe in 2024 showed communications equipment in Chinese-made cranes at U.S. ports, suggesting vulnerabilities to supply chains, trade data, and other sensitive information.

It is also said that China has secured a commanding position through Logink (also known as the National Transportation and Logistics Public Information Platform), a Chinese state-owned digital logistics platform.

At least 24 ports worldwide reportedly have adopted the Logink system, which could allow China to access significant amounts of confidential information related to transportation, pricing, and management of goods (including military equipment), threatening its rivals’ security.

Given all this, the United States would obviously like Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to keep up his election promise of taking back Darwin from the Chinese hands. But then, it is easier said than done.

Albanese had avoided giving a definite answer when questioned on this during his six-day trip to China, one of Australia’s “strategic partners”, last month.

In any case, China is speaking out vehemently opposing the termination of the lease, terming the move as “ethically questionable.”

Chinese Premier Li Qiang has called for his country’s companies to be treated properly, saying, “We hope that the Australian side can provide a fair, open, and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises in Australia”.

But the point is that gone are the days when China was seen in Australia as a benign trade partner. China’s lease of the port is no longer an issue limited to trade; it has become the battleground over Beijing’s overall geopolitical ambitions, something Australia’s ally, the United States, is trying to keep limited.

After Combat Debut Of JAS-39 Gripens, Thailand To Add More SAAB Fighter Jets To Boost Its Air Force.
Thailand has finally approved the acquisition of four SAAB Gripen-E/F fighter jets as it modernizes its aging air force amid rising security threats, as seen in the recent border conflict with Cambodia.

What began as skirmishes between the two countries in July 2025 quickly escalated into full-scale firefights, with artillery and gunfire rattling border villages for nearly a week. The conflict lasted for about five days before the two warring sides decided to accept an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire” on July 28.

The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) currently operates the Gripen-C/D and the older American F-16 Fighting Falcons. Both aircraft were deployed in combat and used to launch strikes on Cambodian artillery positions.

This marked the combat debut for the Gripens anywhere in the world, 37 years after their first flight.

The conflict, rooted in a century-long border dispute, has raised concerns about further escalation. However, the purchase of Gripen-E/F was decided well in advance of this latest conflict and is not directly influenced by the hostilities with Cambodia.

The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) officially announced its decision to buy a dozen Saab Gripen-E fighter jets over the American Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70/72 aircraft in June. The Gripen-E outperformed the American F-16 Block 70/72 by offering technological and financial advantages that made its offer far more appealing and beneficial to Thailand.

The deal is a part of a long-term plan to acquire all 12 Gripen E/F aircraft by 2035 and integrate them operationally. The newly purchased Gripen-E variant will replace the archaic F-16 A/B and will be integrated into the RTAF alongside the existing SAAB Gripen jets.

Saab describes Gripen-E as “Designed to defeat any adversary. Made for forward-thinking air forces, Gripen E incorporates cutting-edge technologies, the latest systems, sensors, weapons, and pods to ensure combat advantage, delivering air superiority in highly contested environments. Silent networking and total sensor fusion across a tactical air unit to blind and confuse the enemy. One aircraft is active, the others go passive.”

The Swedish manufacturer promises that the aircraft allows the first missile launch opportunity and the first kill. Saab claims its design represents a breakthrough, allowing it to swiftly integrate new hardware and update software applications to adapt to evolving mission requirements. Further, the fighter jet incorporates more prominent air intakes and is powered by the enhanced General Electric F414-GE-39E engine.

It is designed for quick field deployment, especially at remote bases, and can be effectively maintained by a few people.

While Thailand was impressed by the cutting-edge features of the Gripen, it was the large scope of the Swedish deal, particularly the technology transfer, that mainly bore fruit. Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer of the F-16, was a lot more conservative in offering a deal to Thailand, as previously explained in detail by the EurAsian Times.

With a fighter fleet including upgraded F-16s, F-5s, and Gripens, Thailand has been steadily modernising its capabilities with multi-role platforms. That dominance became apparent during the border clashes. Cambodia, with no dedicated fighter jets in its inventory, had little ability to deter or respond to Thailand’s precision air strikes.

This may come as an added impetus to the acquisition.

However, Thailand is not the only country in the Southeast Asian region to go on fighter jet shopping in recent times. Several others, including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, are exploring options and looking to sign new deals.

New And Advanced Fighter Jets In SEA
In addition to Thailand, Indonesia has been in the headlines for its intention to acquire new and more advanced combat aircraft.

The Indonesian government recently signed a contract to acquire 48 KAAN fighter jets from Turkey. The agreement covers extensive collaboration in manufacturing, technology transfer, engineering, and includes the establishment of a local aerospace infrastructure.

Indonesia is also co-developing the KF-21 4.5th generation aircraft, along with South Korea, and has a deal for 42 Rafale fighter jets with French Dassault Aviation. It could acquire an additional batch of Rafales from France, as indicated by the letter of intent (LoI) signed by the government recently.

Another Southeast Asian country, Malaysia, is building up its air power amid rising security threats in the South China Sea. On June 17, Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) Chief General Tan Sri Asghar Khan Goriman Khan confirmed that Washington had approved the third-party transfer of up to 33 F/A-18C/D Hornets currently in service with the Kuwaiti Air Force (KAF). In addition to this, the RMAF is also acquiring the South Korean FA-50.

Malaysia launched the MRCA (Multi-Role Combat Aircraft) program to acquire advanced fighter jets that could replace its aging fleet and help enhance Malaysia’s air power with a modern, multi-role fighter jet. This program has remained in limbo for several years. Some unconfirmed reports earlier suggested that Malaysia was interested in Russia’s Su-57 but those rumours have now fizzled out.

The most significant fighter jet acquisition in the region is the purchase of the US F-16 by the Philippines. The United States approved the sale of F-16 fighter jets worth US$5.58 billion to the Philippines in April as Manila builds capability to deter an increasingly aggressive China in the South China Sea. The Philippines Air Force (PAF), like its Thai counterpart, had earlier been examining two combat aircraft on offer, the Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70/72 and the Saab Gripen-E.

The upgrade of the PAF would be essential for enhancing the Philippines’ ability to project power beyond its territorial waters. In addition to a new multi-role fighter, the country is also considering purchasing a dozen additional FA-50 fighters from South Korea to increase its numbers and boost readiness.

Meanwhile, Vietnam has reportedly been discussing a potential purchase of two dozen F-16s from the United States, in what is being interpreted as a break in the country’s strategic alignment with Russia.

The move is aimed at deterring China, which claims almost the entire South China Sea, has several territorial disputes in the region, and has been steadily expanding its military influence in the region.

Though unconfirmed, the reports suggest that Vietnam has been on the lookout for an alternative to its retired MiG-21, the Soviet-designed supersonic jet fighter and interceptor aircraft. There is no information on which F-16 is being negotiated and whether it would be a new aircraft or a used one.

The war-torn country of Myanmar has also made a significant acquisition. In January 2025, the Myanmar Air Force took delivery of its six Su-30 SMEs from Russia.

The six Russian jets were acquired under a 2018 contract valued at US$400 million. The acquisition has been financed through a Russian loan, and the final two fighter jets were commissioned on December 15, 2024, at Meiktila Air Base in Mandalay.

These Su-30 jets will serve as Myanmar’s primary aircraft for safeguarding territorial integrity and countering terror threats, and are stationed at Naypyidaw Air Base, enabling coverage of the entire country.

The Myanmar Junta is strengthening its air capabilities to deal with the rebels. On December 15 alone, the military commissioned six Russian-made Mi-17 helicopters, six Chinese-made FTC-2000G fighter jets, one K-8W fighter jet, and one Y-8 support aircraft, as earlier reported by the EurAsian Times.

Though attention has largely been focused on the turbulence and military build-up in Asia, the above-listed acquisitions suggest that Southeast Asia is evolving and going through a catharsis of its own as new security threats emerge and existing threats become bigger and more pronounced

From BrahMos To Maritime Drills: India-Philippines Military Partnership Redefines Indo-Pacific Security.

The strategic partnership announced between India and the Philippines during the successful visit of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to India this month is significant and unique in several ways, with far-reaching implications.

The Philippines is geographically the farthest ASEAN member from India and has traditionally had limited engagement with New Delhi.

Its severe challenge from China over the Scarborough Shoal and nearby islets in the South China Sea (or West Philippine Sea) has reshaped its strategic outlook. Despite winning the 2016 arbitral award that rejected China’s so-called traditional rights over the “nine-dash line,” the then-Philippine administration chose not to press its advantage and instead sought to accommodate Beijing.

This approach brought few tangible benefits.

Upon assuming office, President Marcos reversed this policy of accommodation at all costs, taking a firm stand against Chinese assertiveness, a lonely position within ASEAN.

The Philippines has borne the brunt of aggressive actions by Chinese coast guard vessels, including ramming incidents and injuries to its seamen.

This shift aligns closely with India’s evolving stance: over the last three years, Indian statements have moved beyond general support for freedom of navigation and UNCLOS implementation to openly endorsing the arbitral award.

This convergence forms the foundation of the new strategic partnership, rooted in shared security concerns rather than primarily economic ties. Bilateral trade remains modest, and unlike with other ASEAN members, the partnership with the Philippines is driven by genuine strategic considerations.

Notably, the Philippines has emerged as a major buyer of Indian defence equipment, particularly the BrahMos missile system.

In a determined manner, it overtook earlier interest shown by Vietnam and Indonesia, both existing strategic partners of India, and has begun deploying BrahMos batteries.

Although no new weapons deals were announced during the visit, it is clear that Manila seeks to strengthen its coast guard, coastal defence, and related capabilities, and sees India’s competitive defence pricing as an advantage.

The Philippines has acknowledged the BrahMos system’s operational effectiveness during Op Sindoor. The Philippines has relatively few strategic partnerships: this is only its fifth, after those with Japan, Australia, Vietnam, and South Korea.

Traditionally, its strategic lens has been regional, but it now recognizes the Indo-Pacific framework, in which India plays a central role.

Since China’s assertive posture in the South China Sea became evident two decades ago, ASEAN unity in challenging Beijing has steadily weakened.

In 2012, at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, all but Cambodia criticized China. By 2017, when the Philippines last hosted the ASEAN Summit, only Manila and Hanoi remained openly critical.

Today, even Vietnam has shifted towards compromise, leaving the Philippines as perhaps the only ASEAN state willing to confront China directly. This isolation has led it to adopt an “ASEAN Plus” approach, engaging robustly with Japan, the U.S., and Australia to strengthen its defence and strategic posture.

The reopening of U.S. bases in the Philippines, including one in the northern islands, underscores its role in any potential Taiwan crisis. Japan is also supplying substantial defence equipment under its new Official Security Assistance policy.

With the Philippines already aligned closely with the Quad countries, a strategic partnership with India is a natural progression.

The Philippines will chair ASEAN in 2026. During its chairmanship, India is expected to hold the second ASEAN–India Maritime Exercise (AIME). The first, in May 2023, included a harbour phase at Changi Naval Base in Singapore and a sea phase in the South China Sea.

These exercises enhance interoperability between Indian and ASEAN navies and demonstrate their ability to operate jointly to promote regional security. It remains to be seen whether the next exercise will be held closer to Philippine waters.

Indian naval and coast guard presence in the Philippines has grown steadily, with visits averaging twice a year. During President Marcos’s visit, Indian ships had just completed a joint exercise with the Philippine Navy, including three warships and a hydrography vessel.

The newly signed strategic partnership document, detailed and resembling a joint statement, marks the 75th anniversary of India–Philippines diplomatic relations and sets out the Plan of Action 2025–2029 to guide cooperation.

On the strategic front, India and the Philippines have had a Defence Cooperation Agreement since 2006, supported by mechanisms such as the Joint Defence Cooperation Committee and the Joint Defence Industry and Logistics Committee.

These bodies are working to deepen defence industrial collaboration, technology research, and training. Efforts are underway to institutionalize military training across the tri-services. The two sides will also hold the India–Philippines Maritime Dialogue annually, following its inaugural session in December 2024.

The partnership includes enhanced maritime domain awareness, shipbuilding cooperation, maritime connectivity, coastal surveillance, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, co-development and production of defence equipment to achieve self-reliance, and joint investments in defence R&D and supply chains.

The AIME, Philippine maritime cooperation activities, and the MILAN naval exercise are all identified as platforms for collaboration.

Both countries are committed to counter-terrorism through more frequent dialogues, information-sharing, and best-practice exchanges, with zero tolerance for terrorism.

The Philippines values India’s naval capacities, a fact underscored by President Marcos’s public thanks for India’s 2024 rescue of Philippine seafarers after a Houthi rebel attack in the Red Sea. For Manila, which sees itself as the “Sentinel of the Pacific,” and for India, positioned at the heart of the Indian Ocean, this partnership broadens their shared strategic horizons.

Key outcomes of the visit include:
Terms of Reference for tri-service staff talks between the two armed forces.
A Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty in criminal matters.
A Statement of Intent for cooperation between the Indian and Philippine space agencies.
Terms of Reference for enhanced coast guard cooperation.
An invitation for the Philippines to participate in the Information Fusion Centre for the Indian Ocean Region in Gurugram.
Philippine interest in collaborating under one of the pillars of India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI), complementing the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) provides further opportunities ahead.

With converging strategic perceptions, a record of successful defence cooperation, and a shared commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, the India–Philippines partnership has entered a new and more ambitious phase.

The Philippines and United States militaries have sailed together in the South China Sea for a seventh time to boost interoperability between the two sides, Manila's armed forces said on Thursday.

The exercises, held on Wednesday in waters off the provinces of Occidental Mindoro and Zambales and away from contested features, included joint operations near shorelines as well as fire support.

"The MCA (maritime cooperative activity) is a demonstration of both nations' resolve to deepen cooperation and enhance interoperability in line with international law," the Philippine armed forces said in a statement.

The joint sail also showcased the Philippine vessel Miguel Malvar, a 118-metre guided missile frigate commissioned last month. It is one of two corvettes built by South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries under the Philippines' military modernisation programme.
Military engagements between the treaty allies have soared under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has pivoted closer to Washington in response to China's growing presence in the South China Sea.

China claims sovereignty over nearly all the South China Sea, including parts of the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

The Chinese embassy in the Philippines urged the European Union to stop "provoking trouble" in the South China Sea on Thursday, and advised Manila not to "fantasise" about relying on outside forces to resolve disputes in the waterway.

An embassy spokesperson made the comments after EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas visited the Philippine capital and voiced concern over China's activities in the busy waterway, where its claims overlap those of some Southeast Asian nations.

"We urge the EU to genuinely respect China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea and to stop provoking trouble," the spokesperson said in a statement on the embassy website, noting the bloc has no right to interfere.

The spokesperson also said Manila should return to dialogue and consultation to manage differences with China instead of "fantasising about relying on external forces" to resolve the South China Sea dispute.

The Philippine embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

The EU and the Philippines have expressed concerns about China's "illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive measures" against Philippine vessels and aircraft conducting lawful maritime operations in the South China Sea, according to a joint statement after Kallas met with Philippine foreign minister earlier this week.

China claims sovereignty over nearly all the South China Sea, including parts of the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

Between jabs at Donald Trump's US trade tariffs and criticism of Beijing's assertiveness in the South China Sea, French President Emmanuel Macron warned Vietnamese students Tuesday that "on the impulse of a superpower, everything can change".

Macron was in Vietnam as part of a six-day Southeast Asian tour, as he tries to pitch his offer of a "third way" between the United States and China to a region caught up in a confrontation between the two.

He left Hanoi and arrived in Indonesia on Tuesday evening, the next stop on his trip which also includes Singapore.

Earlier he spoke to a group of around 150 students at the University of Science and Technology in Hanoi, who listened through translation headsets.
"The conflict between China and the United States of America is a geopolitical fact that casts the shadow of risk of a much larger conflict in this important region," he told them.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday that he hoped to strike deals for France in areas such as defence, energy and tech innovation, as he arrived in Vietnam for the start of a roughly week-long trip in Asia.
Macron arrived in Hanoi on Sunday, marking the first trip to Vietnam by a French president in nearly a decade.

After Vietnam, Macron will then go to Indonesia and finish up in Singapore, where he will speak at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's top defence conference.

Macron's visit comes as France and the European Union aim to strengthen their commercial ties in Asia to offset uncertainty over U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff measures.
"I am coming here to strengthen our ties in key areas - defence, innovation, the energy transition, and cultural exchanges," wrote Macron.
"France is a reliable partner, one which believes in dialogue and co-operation," Macron said.

French President Emmanuel Macron will travel to south east Asia to pitch France and Europe as reliable partners with "no strings attached" as the U.S. and China use more aggressive ways to gain influence in the region, officials said.

Macron is set to arrive in Hanoi on Sunday, the first trip to Vietnam by a French president in nearly a decade, move on to Indonesia and finish up in Singapore, where he will speak at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's top defence conference.

Macron will present France and Europe as defenders of international cooperation and rules-based trade, at a time when other world powers such as the U.S. under President Donald Trump and China use more "coercive" or "predatory" methods.

"As far as we're concerned, we defend the idea of rules for international trade, we don't advocate for the law of the jungle, where it's about survival of the fittest," a French presidential adviser said on Wednesday.

An American basketball player for the Indonesian league was arrested for allegedly attempting to smuggle illegal drugs to the country, police said.

The Southeast Asian country has extremely strict drug laws, and convicted smugglers are sometimes executed by firing squad.

Jarred Dwayne Shaw, 34, from Dallas, Texas, was arrested May 7, after police raided his apartment in Tangerang regency, just outside the capital, Jakarta, and seized 132 pieces of cannabis candies, said Ronald Sipayung, the Soekarno-Hatta Airport police chief.

The arrest followed a tip from the airport’s customs that reported Shaw had received a suspicious airway package from Thailand, Sipayung said. Cannabis has been decriminalized in Thailand since November 2024. Under Indonesia’s anti-drug laws, Shaw faces up to life sentence or death penalty if found guilty, Sipayung said.

Australia has rejected as “propaganda” Moscow’s assertions that it had “no cards” to play in a regional military cooperation between Russia and Indonesia.

In a pointed letter published by The Jakarta Post, Russia’s ambassador to Indonesia, Sergei Tolchenov, dismissed Australia’s concerns over reports that Moscow had requested access to a military airbase in Indonesia’s Papua province.

Canberra's “national interests cannot extend to the territory of neighbouring sovereign states that pursue active and independent policies”, Mr Tolchenov wrote, before concluding with a barbed reference to former US president Donald Trump’s remarks to Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky: “You have no cards.”

Mr Tolchenov accused Australian leaders of exploiting the issue for political gain during the country’s federal election campaign, claiming both major parties were “heating up the situation” and “playing the so-called ‘Russian card’”.

Australia on Thursday declined Beijing's proposal to work together to counter U.S. tariffs, saying instead it would continue to diversify its trade and lower its reliance on China, its largest trading partner.

"We are not going to be holding hands with China in respect of any contest that is going on in the world," Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles told Sky News, referring to the Chinese ambassador's proposal for countries to "join hands" on trade.

"We are not doing that. What we are doing is pursuing Australia's national interests and diversifying our trade around the world."
He said Australia would build its economic resilience by strengthening trade ties with the European Union, Indonesia, India, Britain and the Middle East.
"Under the new circumstances, China stands ready to join hands with Australia and the international community to jointly respond to the changes of the world," Xiao said.

The Philippines and its allies are trying to expand the Squad grouping of nations to include India and South Korea to counter China in the Indo-Pacific region, the Philippines' Armed Forces chief General Romeo S. Brawner said.

The Squad is an informal multilateral grouping made up of Australia, Japan, the Philippines and the United States, whose defence forces have conducted joint maritime activities in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea since last year.

Brawner's remarks at the Raisina Dialogue security forum in New Delhi come at a time when Manila and Beijing have had a series of escalating confrontations in the disputed waters of the South China Sea.
China claims almost all of the strategic waterway - through which $3 trillion in commerce moves annually - disregarding sovereignty claims by the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam. A 2016 arbitration ruling invalidated China's expansive claim but Beijing does not recognise the decision.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan again rejected a U.S. proposal to relocate Palestinians from Gaza and said Israel should pay for the damage it caused there and for reconstruction to begin.

“We do not consider the proposal to exile the Palestinians from the lands they have lived in for thousands of years as something to be taken seriously,” Erdogan said during a visit to Malaysia on Monday.

“No one has the power to force the Palestinian people to experience a second Nakba,” he added, referring to the mass displacement of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.

Erdogan, who is on a four-day tour of Malaysia, Indonesia and Pakistan, highlighted the severe destruction in Gaza.

He said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government should look for funds to “compensate” for what he said was damage amounting to $100 billion “instead of looking for a place for the people of Gaza.”

India celebrated its 76th Republic Day on Sunday with a colorful parade displaying its military might and cultural diversity on a boulevard in the heart of country’s capital. Indonesian president was the guest of honor.

Tens of thousands of people lined the road on a cold Sunday morning to watch the long parade to mark the anniversary of the official adoption of India’s Constitution on Jan. 26, 1950, nearly three years after independence from British colonial rule.

Soldiers from India’s military and paramilitary, various floats displayed India’s cultural diversity with one showcasing the Maha Kumbh festival, the ongoing massive Hindu festival touted as the world’s largest religious gathering.

The parade took place on Rajpath Avenue, built by India’s former British rulers and lined by huge lawns, canals and rows of trees. The avenue was redeveloped as part of the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of Indian independence and renamed Kartavayapath, or the Boulevard of Duty, in

Russia will facilitate Vietnam's participation in the BRICS bloc of developing economies as a “partner country,” the countries said in a joint statement on Wednesday after Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin’s two-day visit to Hanoi
“The Russian side welcomed Vietnam’s active participation in BRICS events in 2024 and expressed its readiness to create favorable conditions if Vietnam joins BRICS as a partner country,” the statement said.
BRICS was formed by Brazil, Russia, India and China in 2009, with South Africa added in 2010, as a counterweight to the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations. Last year, the bloc added Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia has been invited to join. Turkey, Azerbaijan and Malaysia have formally applied to become members, and a few others have expressed interest.
Vietnam's Southeast Asian neighbor Indonesia was admitted as a full BRICS member this month.
But Vietnam remains reticent to join the bloc, said Nguyen

Indonesia will expand its existing defence partnerships and step up its handling of strategic issues impacting its sovereignty, including maritime security and the safety of sea passage and fisheries, its foreign minister said on Friday.
Sugiono, who uses only one name, said Indonesia would continue to advocate for the completion of a code of conduct between the Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN and China on the South China Sea and prioritise ASEAN's centrality.

Indonesia considers itself not a party in disputes over the sea, a waterway crucial to global trade, but has recently been tested by forays by China's coast guard into its exclusive economic zone.
Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, putting it at odds with Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines, with disputes frequent over the conduct in their EEZs of China's massive fleet of coast guard. China insists it is operating lawfully in its territory.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will take part in a summit of big Muslim countries in Egypt, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said, the first visit by an Iranian president to Egypt in more than a decade
Egypt is hosting the summit of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, which also includes Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey

Relations between Egypt and Iran have generally been fraught in recent decades but the two countries have stepped up high-level diplomatic contacts since the eruption of the Gaza crisis

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi travelled to Egypt in October to discuss regional issues with Egyptian officials, while his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty travelled to Tehran to attend Pezeshkian's inauguration
"We have the important summit... known as D-8 in Egypt, the foreign minister will take part in the ministerial conference and then the summit will be held with the participation of the president," Baghaei

Indonesia has yet to decide on any joint development areas with China in the South China Sea, its foreign minister said on Monday, seeking to allay concerns that a recent agreement with Beijing could compromise its sovereignty
Indonesia caused a stir last month when it issued a joint statement with China pledging to develop projects "in the overlapping waters claimed by the two countries", in what was widely interpreted as rare recognition of China's sweeping territorial claim in the South China Sea

China stakes its claim to sovereignty over about 90% of the waterway via a U-shaped nine-dash line on its maps that includes parts of the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) of its neighbours

An international tribunal in 2016 concluded the claim had no legal basis. China refuses to recognise that.
Indonesia Foreign Minister Sugiono, who goes by one name, on Monday reiterated to lawmakers that Jakarta still does not recognise the Chinese claim and would make decisions in its national inte

The Indonesian and Australian militaries began joint combat drills off Indonesia’s main island of Java on Wednesday with about 2,000 troops training in air, maritime, amphibious and land operations.

They'll participate in a live-fire exercise near Banongan beach of East Java's Situbondo district with tanks, artillery, infantry and attack helicopters, a joint landing operation and a non-combat evacuation used for a disaster.

Disagreements include allegations that Australia had wiretapped private phone calls of a past Indonesian president, Indonesia’s use of capital punishment on Australian drug smugglers, and the smuggling of migrants.

“This joint exercise aimed to strengthening the partnership between Indonesia and Australia as we are building trust and to increase capabilities and interoperability,” said Lt. Col. Empri Airudin, who lead the Indonesian delegation. “It can also be regarded as a way of maintaining security and stability in the region.”

China rejected Philippine maritime claims on Sunday, saying new legislation "severely infringes on" Beijing's territorial sovereignty and rights in the South China Sea, and vowing to protect its own interests.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marco Jr signed two laws on Friday to define the country's maritime entitlements and set designated sea lanes and air routes to reinforce sovereignty.

"China firmly opposes this and will continue to take all necessary measures in accordance with the law to resolutely defend China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests," the foreign ministry said.

Beijing claims sovereignty over nearly all of the South China Sea, including areas claimed by the Philippines, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam. China rejects a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague that its sweeping claims were not supported by international law.

Indonesia's new leader called for collaboration rather than confrontation with China after the signing of $10 billion in new deals at a business forum on Sunday in the Chinese capital before heading to the U.S.

President Prabowo Subianto told the forum that his country wants to be part of China's emergence as not only an economic but also a “civilizational power.”

“We must give an example that in this modern age, collaboration — not confrontation — is the way for peace and prosperity,” he said.

He is headed next to Washington — where the U.S. government is confronting China’s rise — and then to Peru and Brazil for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and Group of 20 summits.

He and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed Saturday to deepen ties, elevating security to a fifth “pillar” of cooperation in addition to political, economic, maritime and people-to-people exchange. They agreed to hold a first-ever joint meeting of their foreign and defense ministers in 2025

China and Indonesia signed deals worth $10 billion at the Indonesia-China Business Forum in Beijing on Sunday, spanning sectors including food, new energy, technology, and biotechnology, Chinese state media reported.

The forum followed a meeting on Saturday between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who is in China through Nov. 10, the first country he has visited since taking office last month.

Prabowo, who won Indonesia's presidential election in February, also chose China for his first visit as president elect, underscoring Jakarta's commitment to stronger strategic ties with Beijing.

In a joint statement after the leaders' meeting, the countries agreed to enhance collaboration in sectors such as new energy vehicles, lithium batteries, photovoltaics, and the digital economy.
They also pledged to strengthen partnership on the global energy transition and jointly ensure the security of global mineral supply and industrial chains

Indonesia said on Monday it does not recognise China's claims over the South China Sea, despite signing a maritime development deal with Beijing.

Beijing has long clashed with Southeast Asian neighbours over the South China Sea, which it claims almost in its entirety, based on a "nine-dash line" on its maps that cuts into the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) of several countries.

Joint agreements with China in the strategic waterway have been sensitive for years, with some nations wary of deals they fear could be interpreted as legitimising Beijing's vast claims.

In 2016, an arbitral tribunal said the Chinese claim, based on its old maps, has no basis in international law, a decision China refuses to recognise.

A joint statement issued at the weekend during Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto's visit to Beijing mentioned the two countries had "reached important common understanding on joint development in areas of overlapping claims".

NO LEGAL BASIS

Indonesia's new leader called for collaboration rather than confrontation with China after the signing of $10 billion in new deals at a business forum in the Chinese capital before heading to the U.S.

President Prabowo Subianto told the forum that his country wants to be part of China's emergence as not only an economic but also a “civilizational power.”

“We must give an example that in this modern age, collaboration — not confrontation — is the way for peace and prosperity,” he said.

Subianto wrapped up the first stop of his first overseas trip since taking office three weeks ago.

He and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed Saturday to deepen ties, elevating security to a fifth “pillar” of cooperation in addition to political, economic, maritime and people-to-people exchange. They agreed to hold a first-ever joint meeting of their foreign.

“Indonesia is very clear," Subianto said. "We have always been nonaligned, we have always been respectful of all great powers in the

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto pledged to maintain close ties with China during a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Saturday, his first overseas stop since he took office three weeks ago.

Subianto is seeking to strengthen relations with China, Indonesia’s largest trading partner and one of its most important foreign investors. This is his second visit to Beijing this year, following a visit in April as president-elect, the first overseas trip he made after winning the Indonesian presidential election in February.

“Indonesia considers China not only as a great power but as a great civilization,” Subianto said at the meeting, adding that the two countries had had close relations for centuries. “Therefore, I think it is only natural that now in the present situation, geopolitical and geoeconomic, that Indonesia and China have become very close partners and in many, many fields.”

Philippine forces practised retaking an island in the South China Sea Wednesday in the first such combat exercise in the disputed waters as Chinese navy ships kept watch from a distance, the Philippine military chief said.

Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., who witnessed the drills from a navy frigate, said the exercise underscored the readiness of Filipino forces to defend the country's sovereignty at all costs.

"We are warning our neighbors or whoever or any external forces that we are capable of defending our islands,” Brawner said

There were no immediate comments from Chinese officials, but they have opposed past war drills in the South China Sea.

The long-seething territorial disputes that also involve other claimants are a delicate fault line in the U.S.-China rivalry.

The tensions have led to more frequent confrontations, primarily with the Philippines and Vietnam, though the Chinese coast guard has had recent territorial tiffs with Indonesia and Malaysia.

Takeaways from AP's report on three hospitals in northern Gaza raided by Israeli troops
One of the most startling aspects of Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza has been the destruction wreaked on the territory’s health sector. Over the past 13 months, the Israeli military has besieged and raided at least 10 hospitals, saying the attacks are a military necessity because Hamas uses the facilities as command and control bases.

The Associated Press examined the raids late last year on three hospitals in northern Gaza — al-Awda, Indonesian and Kamal Adwan hospitals — interviewing more than three dozen patients, witnesses and medical and humanitarian workers as well as Israeli officials.

Israel has presented little or even no evidence of a significant Hamas presence at the three. The office said it could not comment on specific events. All three hospitals have come under fire or been raided again in recent weeks.