France, which is a NATO member, and China have sent their aircraft carriers to the hotly contested South China Sea earlier this week, where territorial disputes remain unsolved. The Chinese Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a written request for comment.

Common damage to underwater infrastructure has been weaponised by Nato states and Taiwan in information warfare against mainland China.

Weeks prior to Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the two reaffirmed the “no limits” partnership first mentioned by Beijing in 2021. Nato considers China a “decisive enabler” of the Kremlin’s war effort,

Worse still, China has emerged as the big winner, as the conflict has ensnared NATO and Russia. China, significantly stronger than Russia in economic output, military spending and other strategic metrics,

The French nuclear-powered aircraft carrier has been deployed for a five-month Indo-Pacific mission since last November.

France, which is a NATO member, and China have sent their aircraft carriers to the hotly contested South China Sea earlier this week, where territorial disputes remain unsolved. The Chinese Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a written request for comment.

The two sides agreed to hold a new round of strategic security consultations at an appropriate time, according to a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry.

Taiwan's coast guard said it was investigating whether the incident was sabotage but said "it cannot be ruled out that it was a gray zone intrusion."

President Donald Trump’s sweeping upending of US foreign policy has alarmed allies and nations in need – as his administration has frozen foreign aid, threatened to take control of other countries’ sovereign territory,

The French nuclear-powered aircraft carrier has been deployed for a five-month Indo-Pacific mission since last November.

Citing unnamed U.S. officials, Bloomberg reported that Moscow and Washington were discussing economic cooperation in the far north, which could "drive a wedge" between Russia and key trading ally China. It could also be part of a detente between the U.S. and Russia sought by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Former French President François Hollande asserts that President Donald Trump and his administration are "no longer" allies, saying a U.S.-Europe "divorce" could be on the horizon.