China is expected to increase defence spending this year by 7.2 per cent to USD 225, according to a draft released by the Ministry of Finance, China on Sunday
The blueprint, prepared by the People's Liberation Army, has been approved by Chinese President Xi Jinping, head of the military, who has been eager to strengthen Beijing's deterrence against Washington.
Amid China's growing quest to take control over the Indo-Pacific, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Friday met US counterpart Joe Biden at the White House and agreed to strengthen the alliance between the two countries as the two sides discussed the security strategy, Japan's NHK Worl
McCarthy, who now becomes second in line for the presidency, clinched victory following the longest speakership election in 160 years as the establishment Republicans took 15 rounds of voting over a span of four days to fend off a right-wing, anti-McCarthy rebellion.
US House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy failed to attain the required number of votes to succeed Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) as a Speaker on the first ballot thus sending the House to a second ballot for the first time in a century, The New York Post reported.
Terming it an "extremely difficult decision," Tsai Ing-wen emphasised that peace depends on national defence and national defence is dependent on the people of the country.
The Chinese military's Eastern Theater Command had on Sunday announced that it carried out joint combat readiness patrol and "strike drills" around Taiwan, according to CNN.
A USD 1.7 trillion spending Bill to provide more aid to a devastated Ukraine was cleared by the House on Friday (local time), as lawmakers race to finish their work for the year and avoid a partial government shutdown, reported CNN.
The US lawmakers warned of rising tensions in Taiwan which the US fears could be invaded by China and urged the leadership to approve USD 500 million in emergency appropriations and another USD 1 billion in presidential drawdown spending for Taiwan.