British officials discovered that camera components in Royal Navy Kraken K3 Scout drones transmitted signals and data to China, prompting a security investigation. The Ministry of Defence stated no sensitive data was compromised but faces scrutiny over supply-chain security for the £12 million drone program.
Foreign ministers from Pacific Island nations meeting in Suva, Fiji failed to reach consensus on a joint response to China's July missile launch in the region, with New Zealand's foreign minister Winston Peters criticizing the inability to condemn the test and accusing some nations of appeasing 'outsiders.'
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced sanctions on August 6, 2026, targeting five Cuban entities and eight individuals accused of procuring military equipment from China and Russia, including Cuba's senior military representative in Beijing.
The Trump administration is preparing to increase funding by hundreds of millions of dollars for programs countering China's global influence, including $175.8 million for a Caribbean and Central America undersea cables initiative, after previously halting many such programs.
A Pew Research Center poll of over 40,000 people across 36 countries shows China is now viewed more positively than the United States in 25 nations, marking a historic reversal in global opinion. The survey also found Chinese President Xi Jinping is viewed more favorably than US President Donald Trump.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un exchanged messages emphasizing their commitment to deepening bilateral ties, coinciding with a North Korean premier-led delegation visit to China. Xi pledged China's unwavering support for the traditional friendship regardless of international developments.
Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a speech on July 1, 2026, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing commemorating the 105th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party, highlighting China's rapid industrialization as a model for developing nations and emphasizing the party's global influence.
Australia and Vanuatu signed a sweeping economic and security agreement that bars the establishment of any foreign military base in the Pacific nation. The deal is widely seen as aimed at curbing Chinese influence in the region.
Chinese President Xi Jinping traveled to Pyongyang for a two-day visit beginning June 7, 2026, his first trip to North Korea since 2019. Xi and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un celebrated what they called the 'unbreakable' bond between their countries and pledged to strengthen exchanges in diplomacy, law enforcement, and military cooperation.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will travel to North Korea on June 8-9 to meet with leader Kim Jong Un, marking his first visit to the country in nearly seven years as China seeks to strengthen ties with its neighbor amid Pyongyang's deepening relations with Russia.
Solomon Islands' new Prime Minister Matthew Wale announced plans to review the controversial 2022 security agreement with China while simultaneously seeking to negotiate a comprehensive strategic treaty with Australia, marking a potential shift in the Pacific nation's foreign policy alignment.
Eileen Wang, mayor of the Los Angeles-area city of Arcadia, has resigned and agreed to plead guilty to a felony charge of acting as an unregistered foreign agent for the Chinese government. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
Pakistan Navy commissioned its first Chinese-built Hangor-class attack submarine in what officials called a 'historic milestone,' marking deepening defense cooperation between Beijing and Islamabad amid regional security concerns.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te was forced to cancel his visit to eSwatini, Taiwan's last African diplomatic partner, after Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar abruptly revoked overflight permissions. Taiwan accused Beijing of pressuring the African nations.
Police in Sri Lanka arrested 152 foreign nationals, mostly Chinese, for allegedly running a cyberscam operation out of a hotel in the island's northwest. The raid represents one of the largest busts of organized cybercrime operations in the region.
China has granted commercial-use approval for an implantable brain-computer interface device, becoming the first country to approve an invasive BCI for use outside clinical trials after a two-decade development race with the United States.
