The US and Japan are the real security threat to the Asia-Pacific, Beijing insists

India’s population, currently over 1.4 billion, is expected to continue to grow to 1.7 billion in 2064 before it starts to decline.

The defence ministers of Russia, Turkey and Syria met in Moscow on Wednesday, the first such talks since a war broke out in Syria, the Russian defence ministry said.

The missile system started getting development around 2015 and the development of such a capability was given a push by the late Gen Bipin Rawat as Chief of Army Staff.

On December 19, Russian warships departed for combined naval exercises with China, a demonstration of the two countries' growing defence ties.

The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on over a dozen companies based in China, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates that Washington accused of facilitating the sale of Iranian petrochemicals and petroleum products to buyers in East Asia.

Oil prices rose on Monday after China rolled over liquidity measures to help its pandemic-hit economy, igniting hopes for a better fuel demand outlook from the world's top crude importer.

The US measures are likely to complicate Beijing's push to further its own semiconductor industry and develop advanced military systems.

China has also launched a satellite navigation system, Beidou, as a rival to American GPS, compelling Chinese citizens to use it, Fleming will note.

"The destruction of Taiwan's democracy and freedom would be a grave defeat for the world's democracies," she added.

Billionaire Elon Musk, proposes that tensions between China and Taiwan could be resolved by handing over some control of Taiwan to Beijing

Tens of billions of dollars more were allocated for scientific research and development.