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Burmese","micro_label":"Photo","micro_label_kind":"gallery","network_label":"RFA","network_logo_url":"/static/uploads/direct_network_logos/rfa_ca00144ac549.png","published_at":"2026-07-10T21:38:06","published_at_display":"10 Jul 2026, 21:38 GMT","sequence_badge_label":null,"sequence_count":null,"sequence_count_label":null,"sequence_frames":[],"sequence_kind":null,"source_name":"rfa_english_rss","source_name_label":"RFA English RSS","source_type":"rss","summary":"Myanmar\u2019s military-backed government removed or destroyed at least 15 statues of Gen. Aung San, who led the country to independence from British rule and was the father of jailed former State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, residents tell Radio Free Asia. Since former general Min Aung Hlaing was sworn in as Myanmar\u2019s new president in April, the removal of statues of Aung San in public areas have increased in Magway, Bago, Yangon, Ayeyarwady, Sagaing, and Mandalay regions, according to an RFA tally. Women show the three-finger salute as they carry portraits of Aung San Suu Kyi and her father, general Aung San, during a protest against the military coup and to demand the release of elected leader Suu Kyi, in Yangon, Feb. 7, 2021. (Reuters) In June, authorities demolished a bronze Aung San statue in Zee Kone, Bago Region. On July 1, officials demolished one statue in Mya Kan Thar Park in Thaketa Township and two statues in Thumingalar Park in South Okkalapa Township, Yangon, fencing them off. Residents tell RFA government authorities are monitoring the sites so that no one can take photos. The military-backed government took issue with media reports including one published Thursday by RFA Burmese that documented the disappearance of the statues. \u201cSome media outlets are currently reporting the removal of General Aung San statues in certain areas. In reality, not all statues of General Aung San are being removed; rather, only statues with incorrect proportions and shapes are being reviewed and handled in accordance with the law,\u201d said government spokesperson Khaing Khaing Soe in a statement published on Friday. For months, the military-backed government hadn\u2019t commented on why the statues were being removed. Statues of Gen. Aung San were erected around the country between 2015 and 2020 during the government led by Aung San Suu Kyi\u2019s National League for Democracy, or NLD. In a July 8 statement the NLD said that it had participated in the construction of the statues in accordance with the will of the people and with the contributions of individual citizens in accordance with the law. They are destroying his statues \u201cbecause Gen. Aung San left his daughter Aung San Suu Kyi for the Burmese people,\u201d said Bo Bo Oo, a vice chairman of the NLD. \u201cThe dictator... is attacking the statues as well as oppressing the citizens,\u201d he said, referring to Min Aung Hlaing. \u201cNevertheless, Aung San will always be in the hearts of the people.\u201d A Feb. 13, 2015, photo shows Aung San Suu Kyi speaking in front of a statue of her father General Aung San to mark his 100th birthday anniversary in his hometown of Natmauk, in Magway district of central Myanmar. This statue was not among those removed. (Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters) A politician from Tharyarwady, who did not want to be named for security reasons, criticized the wiping of Gen. Aung San\u2019s image from public display, including de-circulating banknotes with his image, as an act of successive military dictatorships. \u201cGen. Aung San was erased from the public eye for several years, resulting in the boom and rebirth of his role in history in recent administrations, starting from the Thein Sein government to the time of \u2018our mother\u2019 Aung San Suu Kyi, from vinyl pictures to papers. And finally during the rule of Aung San Suu Kyi, there have been many statues of the general. There have been many in every neighborhood and city.\u201d He said that so many statues of Aung San felt like a \u201cpunch to the gut\u201d for many of the previous military leaders. Government officials announced that a special exhibition will be held at the General Aung San Residence Museum in Natmauk, Magway region, for the Martyrs\u2019 Day celebration on July 19, and that the public is welcome to visit. \u201cGen. Aung San is a very important figure in the history of Myanmar\u2019s independence struggle,\u201d government spokesperson Khaing Khaing Soe said in a statement. \u201cTherefore, in order to ensure that the statues of the general are kept in accordance with their dignity, and that future generations can study and preserve the historical value and tradition correctly, they are being reviewed in accordance with The Protection and Preservation of Ancient Monuments Law 1962.\u201d Translated by Kyaw Min Htun. Edited by Charlie Dharapak and Eugene Whong.","title":"Myanmar removes at least 15 statues of national hero Gen. Aung San nationwide","topic":"Myanmar","translation_language":"","url":"https://rfa.org/english/myanmar/2026/07/10/aung-san-statue-removed-burma-suu-kyi-father/","video_url":null},{"article_body_paragraphs":[],"audio_source_url":null,"author":"Taejun Kang for RFA","available_dubs":[],"downloadable_assets":["https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/RJSBOT4KQNEAXJYUQLL5RPJK64.JPG?auth=896876a2769599853ed183b14ee8070ac4c5e29f44207bd62de7c30d0e1857e6&smart=true&width=1500"],"duration_display":"0:00","duration_seconds":null,"embed_url":null,"id":89,"image_caption":"A JL-3 intercontinental-range submarine-launched ballistic missile during a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, in Beijing, Sept. 3, 2025.","image_url":"https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/RJSBOT4KQNEAXJYUQLL5RPJK64.JPG?auth=896876a2769599853ed183b14ee8070ac4c5e29f44207bd62de7c30d0e1857e6&smart=true&width=1500","is_clip":false,"item_type":"article","item_type_label":"Article","language_label":"English","media_credit":"Taejun Kang for RFA","micro_label":"Photo","micro_label_kind":"gallery","network_label":"RFA","network_logo_url":"/static/uploads/direct_network_logos/rfa_ca00144ac549.png","published_at":"2026-07-07T17:23:21","published_at_display":"7 Jul 2026, 17:23 GMT","sequence_badge_label":null,"sequence_count":null,"sequence_count_label":null,"sequence_frames":[],"sequence_kind":null,"source_name":"rfa_english_rss","source_name_label":"RFA English RSS","source_type":"rss","summary":"China\u2019s test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile into the Pacific this week was aimed at signaling its growing military reach to U.S. allies across the region, analysts told Radio Free Asia, as Beijing sought to frame the launch as a routine exercise. China\u2019s state-run Xinhua news agency reported Monday that a Chinese navy submarine launched a missile carrying a dummy warhead toward international waters in the Pacific at 12:01 p.m. local time, describing it as a \u201croutine arrangement\u201d in annual military training and not directed at any specific country or target. Analysts said the timing and trajectory suggested Beijing was using the test to send a broad political and military message across the Asia-Pacific. \u201cChina\u2019s latest ICBM test serves several purposes,\u201d William Yang, a Northeast Asia analyst at the Belgium-based International Crisis Group, told RFA. \u201cIt demonstrates the progress in China\u2019s advanced missile capabilities, sends a signal to regional countries, including Australia and other Pacific states, about Beijing\u2019s ability to respond resolutely to what it views as a challenge to its interests, and allows the People\u2019s Liberation Army to maintain regular military drills across the Asia Pacific region.\u201d A nuclear-powered Type 094A Jin-class ballistic missile submarine of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy during a military display in the South China Sea April 12, 2018. (Reuters) Though Yang referred to it as an ICBM, or intercontinental ballistic missile, Xinhua did not specifically use those words. The U.S. State Department called it an \u201cintercontinental-range ballistic missile,\u201d in a statement where it criticized the launch at a time when \u201cthe United States is working harder than ever to prevent nuclear proliferation,\u201d and \u201cChina is doing the opposite.\u201d The launch also drew criticism from Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Taiwan, with several governments saying they had received only short notice. The test touched a nerve across the region because it came against the backdrop of intensifying strategic competition in the Pacific, where China, the United States and its allies have been vying for influence over sea lanes, security ties with Pacific Island countries, and military access to the region. For China, the Pacific islands have become an increasingly important diplomatic and strategic arena as Beijing seeks to expand its presence beyond East Asia. For Australia, New Zealand and the United States, the region has become a frontline in efforts to prevent China from translating economic influence into a deeper security foothold. Australia-Fiji treaty The missile landed in the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone only hours after Australia and Fiji signed a mutual defense treaty. Yang said the timing was \u201calso a political signal to Canberra and other U.S. allies that China will not be deterred by their efforts to undercut China\u2019s interests in deepening its influence in the Pacific region.\u201d The defense pact, known as the Ocean of Peace, commits Australia and Fiji to assist each other if attacked. It was signed as Canberra has sought to rebuild security ties and trust in the Pacific after years of concern among island governments over climate change, development needs and outside interference. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese shakes hands with Fiji's Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka before a bilateral meeting at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva on July 6, 2026. (Leon Lord/AFP) China has meanwhile deepened engagement with several Pacific island states through policing, aid and infrastructure agreements, raising alarm in Washington and allied capitals over the possibility of a more permanent Chinese security role in the region. The launch occurred during \u201ca crowded window of allied activity\u201d that included not only the treaty signing \u2013 but also on the heels of RIMPAC, Valiant Shield, and Resolute Dragon \u2013 U.S.-led bilateral or multilateral military exercises focusing on the broader Pacific region, Aadil Brar, a Taipei-based independent analyst and former visiting scholar at National Chengchi University, told RFA. Message sent Though the Chinese navy said that the launch was directed at no particular country or target, Brar said the distance and direction was deliberate. \u201cThat trajectory alone shows the real aim was less about any single target and more about proving China can range deep into the Central Pacific, threading through waters used by the Philippines, Guam-based U.S. forces, and Pacific island states, all at once,\u201d he said. The route described by Brar, from the Chinese coast across the Philippine Sea and south of Guam before landing near the Marshall Islands and Nauru, would have taken the missile through a corridor that matters strategically to both Washington and Beijing. It passes through waters used by U.S. forces based in Guam, near routes that could be critical for moving reinforcements in a regional conflict, including one involving Taiwan. Brar said Taiwan was not directly overflown this time, but the test still carried implications for the island because it demonstrated China\u2019s ability \u201cto hold reinforcement routes at risk well beyond the first island chain,\u201d the arc of islands running from Japan through Taiwan and the Philippines to Borneo, forming a key maritime boundary around China\u2019s near seas. A map of the first and second Pacific island chains. (AFP) Such abilities would complicate any U.S. intervention in a hypothetical Taiwan Strait crisis, he said. Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has long warned that Beijing is stepping up military pressure on the democratically governed island through war games, air and naval patrols, and missile development. Chinese officials have not ruled out the use of force to bring Taiwan under Beijing\u2019s control. Still, Yang said he did not think the launch was directly related to Taiwan in this case, arguing that Beijing\u2019s \u201ctarget audience is the wider region rather than the Taiwanese government,\u201d given its timing alongside the Australia-Fiji agreement and the missile\u2019s launch and impact areas. The test launch might not have been the best strategy for China, Gregory Brown, director of the Alliance Futures Initiative, a Washington-based think tank, told RFA. \u201cI don\u2019t know that the intention from the Chinese is actually to threaten the Pacific Islands or Australia. It certainly got everybody\u2019s attention,\u201d said Brown. \u201cIt\u2019s probably an own goal for China to have done this now, because now there\u2019s reason to say this is the sort of thing and sort of behavior why Fiji would want to sign a treaty with Australia or maybe get closer to the United States.\u201d China last publicly conducted an intercontinental ballistic missile test in 2024, in a launch that underscored the country\u2019s growing strategic capabilities and prompted renewed scrutiny of the pace and opacity of its nuclear modernization. Editing and additional reporting by Eugene Whong.","title":"China\u2019s Pacific missile test sends message to U.S. allies, analysts say","topic":"China","translation_language":"","url":"https://rfa.org/english/china/2026/07/07/china-missile-test-pacific-fiji-australia/","video_url":null},{"article_body_paragraphs":[],"audio_source_url":null,"author":"Tenzin Dickyi for RFA Tibetan","available_dubs":[],"downloadable_assets":["https://d3ayjbmlrrjm3o.cloudfront.net/wp-radiofreeasia/RFA_Video/20260703/6a48480b810c6e3725fca092/89e2ade0-f1de-4408-9484-400361d24f8d/t_f3eab3f28d0747a599e84ec37d9c39c8_name_Tibetans_mourn_death_of_activist_V2/file_540x960-1600-v4.mp4","https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/SUXKGFK3KNHFVCJMILHSF26DQY.jpg?auth=071f01606d346a40aabf5a510ed7a80133836480be5c75bd17526a11710fed5a&smart=true&width=1500"],"duration_display":"0:00","duration_seconds":null,"embed_url":null,"id":11348,"image_caption":"Lobga Rangzen carries a Tibetan flag before setting himself on fire outside the 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report","micro_label_kind":"video","network_label":"RFA","network_logo_url":"/static/uploads/direct_network_logos/rfa_ca00144ac549.png","published_at":"2026-07-03T15:10:50","published_at_display":"3 Jul 2026, 15:10 GMT","sequence_badge_label":null,"sequence_count":null,"sequence_count_label":null,"sequence_frames":[],"sequence_kind":null,"source_name":"rfa_english_rss","source_name_label":"RFA English RSS","source_type":"rss","summary":"The incident comes one day after China\u2019s \u2018ethnic unity law\u2019 came into effect.","title":"Tibetan activist dies after setting himself on fire outside UN headquarters","topic":"Tibet","translation_language":"","url":"https://rfa.org/english/tibet/2026/07/03/tibet-united-nations-self-immolation-china/","video_url":"https://d3ayjbmlrrjm3o.cloudfront.net/wp-radiofreeasia/RFA_Video/20260707/6a4d1ad4e2eda5497c5575f9/t_ffb2f724db824990bfeb5975e02f3311_name_English_lobga_funneral_V2/file_540x960-1600-v4.mp4"},{"article_body_paragraphs":[],"audio_source_url":null,"author":"Tenzin Dickyi for RFA Tibetan","available_dubs":[],"downloadable_assets":["https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/SUXKGFK3KNHFVCJMILHSF26DQY.jpg?auth=071f01606d346a40aabf5a510ed7a80133836480be5c75bd17526a11710fed5a&smart=true&width=1500"],"duration_display":"0:00","duration_seconds":null,"embed_url":null,"id":90,"image_caption":"Lobga Rangzen carries a Tibetan flag before setting himself on fire outside the United Nations building in New York, July 2, 2026, in this image taken from video.","image_url":"https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/SUXKGFK3KNHFVCJMILHSF26DQY.jpg?auth=071f01606d346a40aabf5a510ed7a80133836480be5c75bd17526a11710fed5a&smart=true&width=1500","is_clip":false,"item_type":"article","item_type_label":"Article","language_label":"English","media_credit":"Tenzin Dickyi for RFA Tibetan","micro_label":"Photo","micro_label_kind":"gallery","network_label":"RFA","network_logo_url":"/static/uploads/direct_network_logos/rfa_ca00144ac549.png","published_at":"2026-07-03T15:10:50","published_at_display":"3 Jul 2026, 15:10 GMT","sequence_badge_label":null,"sequence_count":null,"sequence_count_label":null,"sequence_frames":[],"sequence_kind":null,"source_name":"rfa_english_rss","source_name_label":"RFA English RSS","source_type":"rss","summary":"Content warning: This story contains language that readers may find disturbing. A Tibetan activist died Thursday after setting himself on fire outside the United Nations headquarters in New York. Tibetan activist Lobga Rangzen's New York funeral Lobsang Palden, popularly known as Lobga Rangzen, a longtime Tibetan activist based in New York, died at Bellevue Hospital after succumbing to his injuries, Jamphel Choesang, president of the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress of New York and New Jersey, told Radio Free Asia. The self-immolation comes one day after China\u2019s new ethnic unity law went into effect, with critics warning that the law brings accelerated forced assimilation and cultural erasure of Tibetans and Uyghurs. It also brings fears of Beijing\u2019s increasing transnational repression and its ability to stifle dissident voices overseas. \u201cThe unfolding genocide inside Tibet and the enforcement of the draconian \u2018Ethnic Unity and Progress Law\u2019 on July 1 are what drove Lobga Rangzen to this tragic decision,\u201d Penpa Tsering, head of the Central Tibetan Administration said in a released statement on Friday. Lobga Rangzen poses for a photo in New York in this image posted to his Facebook page on July 2, 2026. (Lobga Rangzen via Facebook) Rangzen was a well-known Tibetan activist who participated in demonstrations and campaigns calling for Tibetan freedom and raising awareness of human rights issues under Chinese rule. Before the incident, Rangzen posted a Facebook video where he spoke about the situation in Tibet and the importance of efforts to preserve Tibetan language and culture. He also criticized Chinese government policies in Tibet, which he described as an \u201cerasure\u201d of Tibetan identity, and urged Tibetans in exile to increase their efforts in their struggle. Content warning: Below is language that readers may find disturbing. In a subsequent Facebook livestream post, Rangzen propped the camera on the sidewalk and walked a few steps to a traffic median across from the U.N. building and placed a large Tibetan flag on a traffic post. Moments later, he set himself on fire. In the video, cars were seen driving past on First Avenue, honking their horns. Rangzen fell to the ground. Two men in security uniforms reached him a minute and 10 seconds later with fire extinguishers. Lobga Rangzen in an undated photo. (Lobga Rangzen via Facebook) Tibetans have previously committed acts of self-immolation to protest against Beijing\u2019s policies in Tibet and regions with large Tibetan populations in exile. Penpa Tsering said that from 2009 to around 2022, roughly 157 Tibetans have self-immolated inside Tibet, referring to this act as \u201coffering of the body\u201d for the Tibetan cause. Thupten Choenyi, a friend of Lobga Rangzen, told Radio Free Asia: \u201cAbout 15 minutes before he set himself on fire, I had a video call with him on WhatsApp. It was around 5:30 P.M. Unlike our previous conversations, he spoke very quietly and sounded deeply disappointed. He told me, \u2018I think China will never listen to us.\u2019\u201d \u201cHe was smoking during the call, and I told him not to smoke. He replied that he doesn\u2019t drink, but he does smoke. He was also sipping from a Coke bottle, and his T-shirt was wet. I asked him where he was, and he said he was in front of the United Nations.\u201d \u201cThen he suddenly asked, \u2018Can I take a screenshot of our video call?\u2019 I said yes, and he sent it to me immediately. A short time later, he set himself on fire. He also called a few of his close friends before carrying out the act. I am very sad right now.\u201d Penpa Tsering, leader of the Central Tibetan Administration, speaks to reporters in Dharamsala, India, July 3, 2026. (Tenzin Dhonyoe/RFA Tibetan) Penpa Tsering, attending the International Tibetan Youth Conference in Dharamsala, India, said that Rangzen had always carried the Tibetan cause and devoted his time to it in New York. He said that wherever it happens, inside or outside Tibet, those who give their lives for the Tibetan cause must be remembered. He announced that the Kashag (cabinet of the Central Tibetan Administration) had met that morning to organize a day of memorial prayers. Sonam Tso, who was among more than 100 participants at the conference, told RFA, \u201cIt is heartbreaking to hear of his death, yet I hope it will help more people around the world learn about Tibet and the Tibetan cause.\u201d Sonam Tso speaks to RFA Tibetan in Dharamsala, India, July 3, 2026. (Tenzin Dhonyoe/RFA Tibetan) Tibetans gathered outside the United Nations headquarters for a candlelight vigil and prayers following Rangzen\u2019s death Thursday evening. As news of the passing of Rangzen spread, Tibetan communities including groups in Dharamsala, Australia, Taiwan and elsewhere in the United States have begun holding prayer gatherings in his remembrance. Responding to the immolation at a daily Beijing news conference on Friday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Tibet has been an inalienable part of the country\u2019s territory since ancient times and Beijing believes \u201crelevant countries will handle the matter in accordance with domestic laws.\u201d Additional reporting by Dickey Kundol, Tenzin Dhonyoe, Tashi Wangchuk, and Kalden Lodoe. Contributions from Reuters. Edited by Charlie Dharapak. Tibetans mourn death of activist","title":"Tibetan activist dies after setting himself on fire outside UN headquarters","topic":"Tibet","translation_language":"","url":"https://rfa.org/english/tibet/2026/07/03/tibet-united-nations-self-immolation-china/","video_url":null},{"article_body_paragraphs":[],"audio_source_url":null,"author":"Taejun Kang for RFA","available_dubs":[],"downloadable_assets":["https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/OT5LRZPS3ZEIPE2SO6BLGL2IVA.jpg?auth=9e7de5bfb3e9f227f464e76d36d64e0e09d4dbafdb90ce5c6d48f38fb744160d&smart=true&width=1500"],"duration_display":"0:00","duration_seconds":null,"embed_url":null,"id":91,"image_caption":"Two Philippine Air Force FA-50s, left, flying alongside two U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagles over the South China Sea during joint maritime and air patrols, Nov. 21, 2023.","image_url":"https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/OT5LRZPS3ZEIPE2SO6BLGL2IVA.jpg?auth=9e7de5bfb3e9f227f464e76d36d64e0e09d4dbafdb90ce5c6d48f38fb744160d&smart=true&width=1500","is_clip":false,"item_type":"article","item_type_label":"Article","language_label":"English","media_credit":"Taejun Kang for RFA","micro_label":"Photo","micro_label_kind":"gallery","network_label":"RFA","network_logo_url":"/static/uploads/direct_network_logos/rfa_ca00144ac549.png","published_at":"2026-07-03T02:00:28","published_at_display":"3 Jul 2026, 02:00 GMT","sequence_badge_label":null,"sequence_count":null,"sequence_count_label":null,"sequence_frames":[],"sequence_kind":null,"source_name":"rfa_english_rss","source_name_label":"RFA English RSS","source_type":"rss","summary":"China remains focused on the United States as its chief geopolitical rival, even though a recent Chinese report on military activity in the South China Sea highlighted the growing role of Washington\u2019s allies in the region, experts told Radio Free Asia. The report, published by the China-based South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative, or SCSPI, found that U.S. military activity in the South China Sea remained extensive in 2025, despite signs of operational strain due to Washington\u2019s increased activity in the Middle East. Although the SCSPI is not government-led, it is widely viewed by analysts as broadly reflecting Beijing\u2019s strategic outlook, and the report indicated increased Japanese and Philippine deployment to the South China Sea. \u201cChina increasingly views Japan and the Philippines\u2019 efforts to deepen defense cooperation \u2026 as attempts by both countries to challenge China\u2019s core interests and cross a red line,\u201d William Yang, a Northeast Asia analyst at the Belgium-based International Crisis Group, told RFA. Japan participated in 71 U.S.-led exercises in and around the South China Sea last year \u2013 the highest number among U.S. partners \u2013 followed by the Philippines with 32, and Yang said the focus on Tokyo and Manila shows that Beijing considers Washington\u2019s allies more formidable than in the past. A member of the Philippine Navy looks out at the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's destroyer Takanami during a joint maritime exercise in the South China Sea on June 14, 2025. (Jiji Press/AFP) \u201cThey see both countries\u2019 assertive approach toward maritime disputes with China as a threat to its maritime interests and sovereignty claims and believe it is necessary to start increasing pressure on both countries,\u201d Yang said. He added that Chinese officials have been \u201cincreasingly criticizing Japan and the Philippines for provoking regional instability by engaging on the Taiwan issue\u201d and \u201chave taken steps to increase economic and grey zone coercion against both countries in recent months.\u201d Washington distracted? Despite the increased attention to Washington\u2019s allies in the report, Beijing\u2019s largest concern is still U.S. activities in the sea, Yang said. \u201cHowever, in light of the U.S.-China detente under Trump and Washington\u2019s continuous entanglement in the Middle East, Beijing thinks it needs to seize this window of opportunity to increase pressure on particular U.S. allies in the region amid Washington\u2019s distraction,\u201d he said. The SCSPI report concluded that indeed growth in some U.S. strategic platforms had slowed \u2013 It recorded nine U.S. carrier strike group deployments into the South China Sea in 2025, up slightly from eight the previous year, but said the overall intensity of carrier operations had declined because of extended deployments in the Middle East, maintenance demands, and operational accidents involving several carriers. Philippine marines take position next to U.S. amphibious assault vehicles during an amphibious landing exercise at the beach of the Philippine navy training center facing the South China Sea in San Antonio, Zambales province, Philippines on Oct. 6, 2018. (Ted Aljibe/AFP) Analysts say the more significant issue for China is not the number of U.S. carriers entering the South China Sea, but how allied networks are making American military presence more persistent. \u201cThe report focuses on Japan and the Philippines because they are two of the most important allied pressure points on China\u2019s maritime perimeter, but they create different military problems for Beijing,\u201d Sylwia M. Gorska, a Ph.D candidate in international relations at the University of Lancashire in the United Kingdom, told RFA. Multilateral containment? She said that the Philippines represents China\u2019s \u201cforward-access problem, pointing to its proximity to the disputed Scarborough Shoal and Spratly Islands, the Luzon Strait, the Bashi Channel and Taiwan\u2019s southern approaches. \u201cFrom Beijing\u2019s perspective, the Philippines is no longer only a South China Sea claimant,\u201d she said, \u201cIt is becoming a practical access and surveillance platform.\u201d She said Manila\u2019s increased surveillance capabilities would be useful for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance flights, or ISR; maritime-domain awareness; joint patrols, logistics; missile-capable deployments; and crisis response along the southern First Island Chain, the arc of islands running from Japan through Taiwan and the Philippines to Borneo, forming a key maritime boundary around China\u2019s near seas. A map of the first and second Pacific island chains. (AFP) Japan, meanwhile, presents \u201cthe depth-and-integration problem,\u201d she said. \u201cIt does not need to be a South China Sea claimant to affect the military balance there,\u201d said Gorska, adding that Tokyo\u2019s surveillance capabilities, anti-submarine warfare, logistics, missile defense and interoperability with U.S. forces link the South China Sea with Taiwan, the East China Sea and the wider western Pacific. But Gorska cautioned against interpreting the report as evidence that Beijing now sees Japan and the Philippines as greater threats than the United States, saying it \u201cshould not be read as a move from a U.S.-centric threat perception to an ally-centric one.\u201d American \u201cbackbone\u201d Any resistance to China\u2019s projections of power in the region would still be led by Washington, Gorska said, adding that the U.S. would provide \u201cthe operational backbone of any serious regional contingency: command-and-control, ISR, undersea warfare, long-range strike, strategic mobility and extended deterrence.\u201d Gorska said that China\u2019s sharper focus reflects concerns that allied cooperation is turning periodic U.S. deployments into a more enduring military posture. \u201cThe issue is not a shift from \u2018U.S. threat\u2019 to \u2018ally threat\u2019. It is China\u2019s sharper focus on how allied geography and interoperability compress the time available to localize a crisis before U.S.-aligned forces can sense, reinforce and act.\u201d Yang said that Beijing\u2019s long-term strategic assessment remains largely unchanged. \u201cI don\u2019t think there is a major strategic shift in Beijing,\u201d he said. \u201cTheir threat assessment remains largely the same, which is to prevent U.S. containment of China\u2019s capability to project its power across the region and into the Pacific.\u201d But the report indicates that Beijing cannot ignore Washington\u2019s allies and the opportunities presented by U.S. military activity in the Middle East. China \u201cdoes see the need and an opening to sharpen its approach and increase pressure on Japan and the Philippines at a time when U.S. attention and resource allocation to Asia is undermined and distorted.\u201d Edited by Eugene Whong.","title":"U.S. still China\u2019s main rival despite report on Japan and Philippines\u2019 capabilities","topic":"South China Sea","translation_language":"","url":"https://rfa.org/english/southchinasea/2026/07/03/china-japan-philippines-south-china-sea/","video_url":null},{"article_body_paragraphs":[],"audio_source_url":null,"author":"Harlyne Joku for RFA","available_dubs":[],"downloadable_assets":["https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/DHOXE6SX7REVTKTZ2BUAUXHPMU.jpg?auth=608dc0a8c327394a278719a295dfdab12c53867de3e200017cfa4df5b01aaa0d&smart=true&width=1500"],"duration_display":"0:00","duration_seconds":null,"embed_url":null,"id":92,"image_caption":"This photo obtained by AFP on April 12, 2026 shows a house damaged by a mud slide at Asiko Village in the Kongara Constituency in Central Bougainville, an autonomous region in Papua New Guinea, due to heavy rains from tropical cyclone Maila.","image_url":"https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/DHOXE6SX7REVTKTZ2BUAUXHPMU.jpg?auth=608dc0a8c327394a278719a295dfdab12c53867de3e200017cfa4df5b01aaa0d&smart=true&width=1500","is_clip":false,"item_type":"article","item_type_label":"Article","language_label":"English","media_credit":"Harlyne Joku for RFA","micro_label":"Photo","micro_label_kind":"gallery","network_label":"RFA","network_logo_url":"/static/uploads/direct_network_logos/rfa_ca00144ac549.png","published_at":"2026-07-02T14:08:59","published_at_display":"2 Jul 2026, 14:08 GMT","sequence_badge_label":null,"sequence_count":null,"sequence_count_label":null,"sequence_frames":[],"sequence_kind":null,"source_name":"rfa_english_rss","source_name_label":"RFA English RSS","source_type":"rss","summary":"PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea \u2014 After Cyclone Maila devastated parts of Papua New Guinea in April, disaster relief funds poured into the country, but many of the affected residents told Radio Free Asia that they have received little or no assistance from authorities. In early April, the cyclone appeared over the Solomon Sea, between PNG and the Solomon Islands. It rapidly increased in intensity and severely damaged roads and homes, and submerged crops. PNG authorities reported 25 fatalities due to landslides and flooding. Though authorities have been trying to assist affected residents, they have not yet been able to reach everyone. Marina Kaisa Eroro, who lives with her family in Samarai Island off the southeastern tip of the New Guinean mainland, told RFA. A file photo of Marina Kaisa Eroro, a resident of Samarai Island in Milne Province, Papua New Guinea. (Marina Kaisa Eroro/RFA) The cyclone blew down her breadfruit, betel nut, and fruit trees, she said. \u201cThe trees fell on our water tank and damaged our source of drinking water,\u201d said Eroro. \u201cNo assistance at all came from the authorities.\u201d Eroro said that councillors from the ward, the lowest division of the local government, had visited to determine the extent of damage. The island is under the jurisdiction of the Bwanabwana Rural local-level government, or LLG, in the Samarai-Murua district of Milne Bay Province. The province is headquartered on the mainland, though many of its administrative bodies are located on Samarai, which was the provincial capital until 1968. In this file photo, trees that were knocked down by Cyclone Maila have damaged a water tank on Samarai Island, Milne Bay province, Papua New Guinea. (Marina Kaisa Eroro/RFA) \u201cNo national or provincial government official visited our area to assess the damage,\u201d said Eroro. Even in cases where residents do get assistance, it is minimal, Cora Diala, who lives in the village of Waraka in Weraura LLG, in the Rabraba district of Alotau, on the mainland part of Milne Bay province, told RFA. Cora Diala, a 77-year-old widow from Weraura village, Milne Bay province, Papua New Guinea, in a file photo. (Fay Duega/RFA) \u201cLast month was the first time we saw relief supplies from the government,\u201d she said, adding that the extent of the relief was a 1 kilogram packet of rice for most people. \u201cWidows like me got two packets of rice. Nothing else.\u201d Relief aid After the storm had dissipated, foreign governments began offering money to the PNG government as aid. On May 14, the Chinese Embassy in Port Moresby handed over US$1 million to the PNG government in a public handover ceremony, during which Charg\u00e9 d\u2019affaires Pang Hanzhao, after giving the oversized check to several senior officials, including Prime Minister James Marape, expressed condolences to the affected people, saying \u201ca friend in need is a friend indeed.\u201d Marape expressed his gratitude, saying the assistance came at a critical time, when the government was continuing to \u201csupport communities affected by Cyclone Maila, and is gratefully appreciated by the PNG Government and people.\u201d Other countries also provided assistance, including $1.72 million (2.5 million Australian dollars) from Australia to both PNG and the Solomon Islands. The U.S., meanwhile, delivered relief supplies through existing disaster preparedness programs. A truck damaged by floodwaters in the Ramazon River in the Tinputz district in Northern Bougainville, an autonomous region in Papua New Guinea, due to heavy rains from tropical cyclone Maila. (AFP) But the government has not distributed assistance to everyone affected. It focused only on the areas and communities that needed assistance most, Randal Ganisi, the acting disaster coordinator in Milne Bay province, told RFA. \u201cMuch of the relief supplies was given to Murua Island communities who were severely affected by the tropical cyclone Maila than those only partly affected,\u201d said Ganisi. \u201cHowever other districts of Milne Bay province were not supported with relief supplies due to the fact that they were not severely affected.\u201d Though he provided a list of LLGs that the supplies were delivered to, he was not able to provide an outline of how much cash and food supplies were sent to each territory. RFA contacted the National Coordinator for an update on the distribution but received no response. Edited by Eugene Whong.","title":"PNG received millions after Cyclone Maila, but some residents still wait for relief","topic":"Pacific","translation_language":"","url":"https://rfa.org/english/pacific/2026/07/02/china-papua-new-guinea-cyclone-relief/","video_url":null}],"next_num":null,"page":3,"pages":3,"per_page":20,"prev_num":2,"total":47}