The signs China is ready to invade Taiwan
These questions have been at the core of Indo-Pacific security concerns for decades, but in recent years, the threat has become more tangible - and the questions more urgent.
In the final episode of this three-part series, Venetia Rainey looks at different analyses of whether Beijing is getting ready to invade the self-ruled island it claims as its own. Plus, she examines the different scenarios that could unfold and crucially, what that would mean for a conflict with the US and a potential Third World War.
This series on China's military dives into the strengths and weaknesses of China's military and its remarkable transformation over the last few decades from obsolete to world-class.
How significant is China's military buildup? What does Xi Jinping's ongoing purge mean for the People's Liberation Army? And how likely is an invasion of Taiwan in the next few years?
Listen to episode one and two now here.
As the US pivots to the Indo-Pacific and the threat of a truly global war looms, understanding the evolving role of China's military on the world stage has never been more important.
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Daily Mail
23 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
After Trump moves nuclear submarines close to Russia, Putin responds by beginning 'war game training' with China in bleak show of combined force
In retaliation to US President Donald Trump moving submarines closer to Russia, Putin has begun 'war game training' with China in a bleak display of their allied force. Last night, Trump confirmed two US Navy nuclear submarines are 'getting closer to Russia', after an online spat with former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev - now deputy chairman of Russia's National Security Council. In response, Russia and China today showed off their strengthening military ties as they took part in staged mock combat drills and other war games in the Sea of Japan together. A statement from China's Defence Ministry said the Joint Sea-2025 drills were launched in waters nearby Vladivostok, Russia's largest port on the Pacific Ocean. Four Chinese vessels, including guided-missile destroyers Shaoxing and Urumqi, will be participating in the drills which will span across three days. The exercises will include 'submarine rescue, joint anti-submarine, air defence and anti-missile operations, and maritime combat', followed by naval patrols in 'relevant waters of the Pacific'. Russia and China, which signed a 'no-limits' strategic partnership shortly before Russia went to war in Ukraine in 2022, conduct regular military exercises to rehearse coordination between their armed forces and send a deterrent signal to adversaries. Although they were pre-planned, the joint naval exercises came just a day after Trump moved submarines packed with nuclear warheads towards Russian waters following his argument with Mr Medvedev on social media. On Telegram, an encrypted social media app, the deputy chairman of Russia's National Security Council said Russia could invoke 'Dead Hand' – a doomsday program with the ability to automatically launch a nuclear counterstrike against major US cities, even if Moscow and President Vladimir Putin are wiped out. His post read: 'As for the talk about the "dead economies" of India and Russia, and "entering dangerous territory" - maybe he should recall his favourite movies about "the walking dead", and also remember how dangerous the so-called "Dead Hand", that does not exist in nature, could be. 'He should remember two things: 1: Russia isn't Israel or even Iran. 2: Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country. Don't go down the Sleepy Joe [a reference to former President Joe Biden] road!' Responding in a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump said: 'Based on the highly provocative statements of the Former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, who is now the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, I have ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions. Words are very important and can often lead to unintended consequences. I hope this will not be one of those instances. 'A threat was made… so we have to be very careful. We're going to protect our people. He's entering very dangerous territory!' On Friday, in an interview with cable channel Newsmax, Mr Trump added: 'The subs are getting closer to Russia. We always want to be ready. I want to make sure his words are only words and nothing more than that.' Despite Russia and China both claiming no third country is being targeted by their military cooperation, Japan has objected to the joint drills - stating greater strategic coordination between Beijing and Moscow poses a 'strong concern' for its national security. Whilst announcing the drills on Wednesday, Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesman for Beijing's defence ministry, criticised US Air Force drills with Japan and others in the western Pacific. Mr Xiaogang said: 'The US has been blindly flexing its muscles in the Asia-Pacific region and attempting to use military drills as a pretext to gang up, intimidate and pressure other countries, and undermine peace and stability in the region.' China and Russia have held military exercises together for over 20 years, with 'Joint Sea' exercises beginning in 2012. However, their cooperation, which was once sporadic, has deepened over the past decade, with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping having met more than 40 times. Last night, the White House, Pentagon and Downing Street refused to comment on the escalating tensions, which come just days before Mr Trump's August 8 deadline for Putin to declare a ceasefire in the war against Ukraine. The US President has vowed to impose 'devastating' sanctions on Russia and her closest trading partners if his demands are not met. A source close to the President told the MoS: 'Trump is running out of patience with Russia. He promised to end the Ukraine war within 24 hours of taking office and clearly that has not happened. 'Now he's threatening to impose sanctions if Putin doesn't declare a ceasefire and come to the negotiating table to discuss peace.' While the location of the subs is unknown, the US Navy has 71 nuclear-powered submarines in its fleet, all of which can travel thousands of miles without resurfacing. By comparison, the Russian Navy fields fewer than 30 nuclear‑powered submarines. Military experts said Mr Trump will most likely have deployed two Ohio -class vessels. Each is armed with up to 20 Trident II D5 missiles that can deliver multiple thermonuclear warheads with a range of up to 7,000 miles. Sources last night told the Washington Post that Russia is 'seeking clarity' from America about Mr Trump's 'actions and intentions', with Russian officials scrambling to assess the significance of the subs' deployment. RIA Novosti, a state-controlled news agency which has been called 'Putin's mouthpiece', confirmed it had sent enquiries to the White House, Pentagon, US Central Command and the National Security Council, but had not received a response. Mr Trump's dramatic doubling down came after the deadliest Russian air strike on Kyiv this year, when 31 people were killed in a single missile strike on an apartment block in the early hours of Thursday morning. Five children, the youngest aged just two, were among the dead. Mr Trump called the air strike 'disgusting' and announced he was sending his special envoy Steve Witkoff to the region to try and negotiate a ceasefire. Russian lawmaker Viktor Vodolatsky said there are enough Russian nuclear submarines in the high seas to tackle the two American subs. Fire breaks out after a Russian attack at the 3 private house and one apartment building as the emergency officials work at the area in Kherson, Ukraine on August 2, 2025 A source close to the President told the MoS: 'Trump is running out of patience with Russia. He promised to end the Ukraine war within 24 hours of taking office and clearly that has not happened' 'The number of Russian nuclear submarines in the world's oceans is significantly higher than the American ones, and the subs that US President Donald Trump ordered to be redirected to the appropriate regions have long been under their control,' he said yesterday. 'So no response from the Russian Federation to the American leader's statement about the submarines is required.' Retired US Marine Colonel Mark Cancian called Mr Trump's announcement that he had sent subs steaming towards Russian waters 'highly unusual'. He said: 'This is signalling in its purest form.' Others urged restraint, saying Mr Medvedev does not speak for Putin. Oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky, now a Putin critic living in London, said: 'When you see his [Mr Medvedev's] latest apocalyptic tweet about turning European capitals to dust, remember: this isn't strategic communication from the Kremlin. It's the rambling of a man drowning his terror in vodka.'
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Russian attack kills three in Zaporizhzhia region, governor says
Aug 3 (Reuters) - A Russian attack killed three people in southeastern Zaporizhzhia region on Sunday, the regional governor said, as Moscow's forces press on with their slow advance westward along the 1,000-km (620-mile) front line with Ukraine. Governor Ivan Fedorov, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said the three people were killed in the daytime strike on the town of Stepnohirsk. Private homes were destroyed. Reuters could not independently confirm the report. In Kamianske, a town a few kilometers south of Stepnohirsk on the Dnipro River in Zaporizhzhia region, a military spokesman said on Saturday that Ukrainian troops were holding on to their positions despite Russian attempts to take control. Fedorov's account came amid reports in recent days of new Russian military action in Ukraine's east and southeast. Ukraine's top commander said Moscow's forces were changing their tactics, using smaller sabotage units in a bid to push forward with their drive through eastern Donetsk region. Russian forces have focused their drive on parts of Donetsk region, particularly the logistics center of Pokrovsk, under Russian attack for months. Russia's Defence Ministry said on Thursday its forces had scored a major gain by capturing the town of Chasiv Yar, to the northeast, after months of fighting, though Ukraine has not acknowledged this. Russia's Defence Ministry on Saturday said it had taken control of another village closer to Pokrovsk. Denis Pushilin, the Russia-installed head of parts of Donetsk region under Moscow's control, said in a video posted online on Sunday the capture of Chasiv Yar, located on high ground would enable them to make further gains. Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukraine's top commander, writing on Facebook on Saturday, said his forces faced the fiercest fighting around Pokrovsk and in two other sectors. "At the same time, the Russians are resorting to the tactic of 'total infiltration' with the increase of sabotage actions in our rear," he wrote. "It is in this way that they are trying to enter Pokrovsk." Ukrainian forces, he said, had set up "counter-sabotage reserves, whose task is to seek out and destroy enemy reconnaissance and sabotage groups."
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Russia and China begin war games in Sea of Japan after Trump nuclear threat
Russia and China are staging mock combat drills and other war games in the Sea of Japan in a sign of strengthening military ties. Though pre-planned, the joint naval exercises that began on Sunday came a day after Donald Trump moved US nuclear submarines closer to Russia in response to inflammatory comments from Russia's former president Dmitry Medvedev. The Joint Sea-2025 drills were launched in waters near to Vladivostok, Russia's largest port on the Pacific Ocean, according to a statement from China's Defence Ministry. Four Chinese vessels, including guided-missile destroyers Shaoxing and Urumqi, will be participating in the three-day exercises. This will include 'submarine rescue, joint anti-submarine, air defence and anti-missile operations, and maritime combat', followed by naval patrols in 'relevant waters of the Pacific'. Russia and China, which signed a 'no-limits' strategic partnership shortly before Russia went to war in Ukraine in 2022, conduct regular military exercises to rehearse coordination between their armed forces and send a deterrent signal to adversaries. Though Russia and China have both said that no third country is being targeted by their military cooperation, Japan has objected to the drills. It said that greater strategic coordination between Beijing and Moscow poses a 'strong concern' for its national security. Announcing the drills on Wednesday, Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesman for Beijing's defence ministry, criticised US Air Force drills with Japan and others in the western Pacific. 'The US has been blindly flexing its muscles in the Asia-Pacific region and attempting to use military drills as a pretext to gang up, intimidate and pressure other countries, and undermine peace and stability in the region,' Zhang claimed. China and Russia have held military exercises together for more than two decades, with 'Joint Sea' exercises beginning in 2012. However, their cooperation, which was once sporadic, has deepened considerably over the past decade, with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping having met more than 40 times. Mr Trump said his submarine order was made in response to what he called 'highly provocative' remarks by Mr Medvedev about the risk of war between the nuclear-armed adversaries. Russia and the United States have by far the biggest nuclear arsenals in the world. It is extremely rare for either country to discuss the deployment and location of its nuclear submarines.
