The government last week named David Johnston as the new Defence Force chief.

We must prepare for worst-case scenario,warns departing Defence chief

After this week’s missile test,Defence Force chief David Johnston has called for China to be less secretive about its increasingly assertive and at times dangerous military activities.

  • Matthew Knott

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Russia China

Vladimir Putin flies in to meet Xi Jinping,but there’s only one man calling the shots

The Russian leader has been welcomed to Beijing with the same red carpet pomp bestowed on Trump days earlier. But while Putin and Xi share an unmatchable bromance,the US-China relationship matters more to Beijing.

  • Lisa Visentin
Xi Trump Iran

On Beijing’s streets,‘erratic’ Trump is playing in China’s favour

While it’s inevitable that Beijing’s narrative will shape public opinion in China,it can also be easy to write off what is a genuine confidence among the public about their country’s place in the world.

  • Lisa Visentin
The chair of the NATO military committee,Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone.

NATO chief plans Australian visit with China concerns a top priority

While Donald Trump’s push to control Greenland is grabbing the headlines,NATO’s top military brass warn that threats in Asia will have global ramifications.

  • David Crowe
In this photo provided by the Philippine Coast Guard,personnel treat wounded fishermen inside their vessel at the disputed South China Sea on Saturday.

Philippines says three fishermen injured by Chinese water cannons in South China Sea

Chinese coast guard ships used powerful water cannons and blocking manoeuvres against 20 Philippine fishing boats off a disputed South China Sea shoal,the Philippine coast guard said.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese,foreground,arrives for the ASEAN-Australia summit as part of the ASEAN summit,in Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia Tuesday,Oct. 28,2025. (Chalinee Thirasupa/Pool Photo via AP)

World leader hosting ASEAN saves his final,careful words for Albanese

Of all the statements and speeches from Anwar Ibrahim over the past three days,it may have been his very last that meant the most to the Australian prime minister.

  • Zach Hope
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The USS Higgins is shown passing through the Taiwan Strait in 2022.

‘The US severely undermined peace’:China says it ‘drove away’ US warship in South China Sea

The incident comes days after two Chinese ships collided while chasing a Philippine vessel near the disputed Scarborough Shoal.

  • Reuters andBloomberg

Chinese ships smash into each other while chasing Philippine boat,footage shows

A China Coast Guard vessel accidentally rammed into a People’s Liberation Army Navy ship in the South China Sea,resulting in “substantial damage”,the Philippine Coast Guard said.

  • Cliff Venzon
House push to build more ships has questioned Australia’s commitment to AUKUS and its readiness to help the US fight China.

‘Noticeably fickle’:Trump’s new submarine chief a critic of Australia

Jerry Hendrix,who leads a White House push to build more ships and submarines,has often questioned Australia’s commitment to AUKUS and its readiness to help the US fight China.

  • Michael Koziol
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra.

‘We’ll determine our defence policy’:PM pushes back on Hegseth pressure over China

Comments from the defence secretary have also drawn a furious response from Beijing,which says the US risks turning the Asia-Pacific region into a “powder keg”.

  • Lisa Visentin