No imminent threat of China invading Taiwan - US official

STORY: On the sidelines of a defence technology conference in Singapore, Kendall told Reuters that China has done "a number of things that are fairly aggressive", including "militarizing" the South China Sea, the strategic trade corridor in which several countries have overlapping claims.

Tensions have simmered between the two major powers as China becomes more assertive in its territorial claims over Taiwan and in the South China Sea, while the United States shores up alliances across the Asia-Pacific region to counter Beijing's influence.