World Cup winner Lionel Messi’s visit to Hong Kong with Inter Miami on 4 February stirred major controversy after he sat out a one-off exhibition game against the Hong Kong League Selection Team. Despite a major promotion campaign promising fans a once-in-a-lifetime chance of seeing their idol in action, the soccer star remained on the … more
During a meeting with delegates from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and the People’s Armed Police Force at the Fourteenth National People’s Congress in March 2023, Xi Jinping called for the improvement of China’s ‘integrated national strategies and strategic capabilities’ and to ‘accelerate the modernisation of [the] army as a world-class armed force’. His speech … more
The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is increasingly making its presence felt regionally and globally. The China-Solomon Islands security pact signed in April 2022 opens the possibility for Chinese maritime security vessels to operate deep in the Pacific. In May, a Chinese surveillance ship was spotted in the Indian Ocean near the West Australian coast, … more
