China in March 2026: the most important developments in security
Allegations of Chinese espionage in several countries dominated security news on China in March 2026. On 4 March three men were arrested in the United Kingdom on suspicion of spying for China under the Official Secrets Act; one is the husband of a Labour member of parliament, who resigned the party whip and has not been arrested. British courts also heard cases involving immigration officers and a City of London special constable. The Philippines said it had uncovered a China-linked espionage network and arrested Filipino operatives and suspected Chinese spies. A Sydney court found an Australian businessman guilty of recklessly working for suspected Chinese spies, and US officials suspect China of a breach of an FBI surveillance network, which Beijing has previously denied.
On 5 March China announced a 7% rise in its 2026 defense budget, the 11th consecutive year of single-digit growth, which Chinese experts called reasonable and moderate. China launched two new 10,000-ton destroyers, the US Navy reported growing output of Chinese submarines, and a Stockholm institute said China has overtaken Germany in global arms exports. Serbia's president confirmed the purchase of Chinese surface-to-air missiles, and China's Defense Ministry called it normal military trade.
Around Taiwan, Chinese military flights stopped for a period reported as lasting between seven days and two weeks, then resumed by mid-March. A US intelligence assessment said China does not currently plan to invade Taiwan in 2027, while Taiwan's government called China a pressing threat. China rejected reports of a new US arms sale to Taiwan.
Maritime and diplomatic incidents continued. The China Coast Guard said it expelled Philippine vessels near Huangyan Dao and a Japanese vessel near the Diaoyu Islands, and the Philippines accused a Chinese navy ship of an 'alarming' radar lock. Australia accused a Chinese military helicopter of unsafe flying. On 24 March a member of Japan's Self-Defense Forces broke into the Chinese embassy in Tokyo, and Japan later transferred him to prosecutors. Amid the Iran conflict, China evacuated about 10,000 citizens from the Middle East, and ships in the Strait of Hormuz identified themselves as Chinese.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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