China border

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said a standoff between India and China will not help "either of us" and that a "third party will take advantage of it", while pointing to an improvement in bilateral ties. Speaking at the Asia Society, he signalled New Delhi's interest in managing differences with Beijing and avoiding prolonged confrontation, a message drawing wide attention given ongoing border tensions between the two countries.

Saudi Arabia has withdrawn from a China-led cross-border currency platform, according to the Financial Times. The move is seen as a setback for Beijing's efforts to build alternatives to the dollar-based global payments system, and observers are weighing what it signals about the Gulf kingdom's financial alignment with Washington versus its deepening economic ties with China.

Commentary from China Daily argues that international cooperation is essential for accelerating the global transition to clean energy. The piece stresses that no country can manage the energy shift alone, and that coordinated policy, technology sharing and investment are needed to meet climate goals.

India is strengthening the Siliguri Corridor, the narrow 22-km strip in West Bengal known as the Chicken's Neck that connects the northeast to the rest of the country, under a defence project worth over ₹530 crore. Plans reportedly include underground command hubs, air defence and long-range missile sites, bomb shelters, resilient underground rail capacity and expressway corridors. The move highlights the strategic sensitivity of the corridor, which borders Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and China's Chumbi Valley nearby.

Saudi Arabia has withdrawn from mBridge, the cross-border central bank digital currency project that also involves China and other central banks. Analysts link the move to Riyadh's effort to balance ties between Washington and Beijing, as the project was seen as a potential challenge to dollar-based finance and drew attention during the Trump administration's scrutiny of alternatives to the US financial system.

India's Defence Ministry has decided to divide the induction of the Zorawar light tank into two variants, a move intended to speed up deployment of the vehicle. The tank, developed for high-altitude operations, is a priority for the Army given tensions along the China border. Defence watchers are debating whether the split ordering will genuinely accelerate induction or complicate production and logistics.

A commentary argues that Beijing's narrow, fear-based control policies are hampering efforts to mitigate disasters in the Himalayan region. The piece contends that more open, cooperative governance would help address environmental and disaster risks affecting the Himalayas, a region vulnerable to glacial melting, floods and landslides that carry consequences far beyond China's borders.

A Chinese helicopter unit has completed the rotation of Vietnamese peacekeepers serving at the Sudan border, transporting personnel as part of United Nations peacekeeping operations in the region. The operation highlights growing cooperation between Chinese and Vietnamese contingents deployed under the UN mission, with the helicopters providing logistical and transport support for the handover of troops.

Tencent has arranged to lease around 100,000 chips from Oracle to boost its artificial intelligence capabilities, according to a Financial Times report carried by Reuters. The deal would give the Chinese tech giant access to computing power outside China's borders, highlighting how its biggest firms are working around Washington's export restrictions on advanced AI hardware to stay competitive in the AI race.

China has reportedly established a new military support base in Laos, extending its defense presence in Southeast Asia. Bloomberg carried the news, which analysts are likely to read as another step in Beijing's efforts to project power beyond its borders, closer to Vietnam, Thailand and key regional supply routes.

China has opened a military training center with Laos, which analysts describe as its third overseas military base. The facility deepens Beijing's defense ties with a close Southeast Asian neighbor and extends its limited but growing network of installations beyond its borders, following bases in Djibouti and Tajikistan.

China has established a new air force centre in Laos, widening its overseas military presence in Southeast Asia. The development is being closely watched by regional observers, who see it as part of Beijing's broader effort to deepen defence ties with neighbouring countries and extend its strategic reach beyond its borders.

China has reportedly established a new air support base in Laos, extending its military presence in Southeast Asia. The development, reported by regional media, is seen as part of Beijing's broader effort to project air power beyond its borders and deepen defense ties with Laos, a close partner in the region.

Volunteers from China, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea serving in the Ukrainian armed forces' Asian Legion are shown stomping on captured enemy flags in a photo circulating online. The post frames the act as a symbol of international solidarity, with the caption declaring that freedom knows no borders when the world stands together for justice in Ukraine's war.