Xi-Trump likely to attend APEC summit in South Korea next month

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump are expected to visit South Korea next month for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, officials said on Wednesday.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has reportedly decided to resign in order to prevent a deeper rift within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), according to public broadcaster NHK on Sunday. The Prime Minister’s Office has not yet issued an official statement regarding the reports.

China staged its largest-ever military parade in Beijing, rolling out an array of advanced weaponry—including new nuclear missiles, drones, and laser systems—in a powerful display aimed at demonstrating its growing military dominance.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday called on member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to deepen economic cooperation and harness the advantages of their vast markets, warning against the growing impact of US tariffs on global trade.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), now the world’s largest regional bloc by population, is set to hold its annual summit on Sunday and Monday in Tianjin, northern China. 

Myanmar’s military junta has released new details about its long-promised general election, announcing that the first phase of voting will take place on December 28 across roughly one-third of the country’s townships. 

The Group of Seven (G7) nations has voiced serious concerns over China’s accelerating nuclear weapons development, warning that the buildup is taking place with little transparency and without adequate safeguards to prevent the risk of miscalculation or accidental escalation.

Myanmar’s Union Election Commission has announced that the country will hold nationwide general elections on December 28, 2025, marking the first such polls since the military seized power more than four years ago. 

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has revealed that a high-level joint ASEAN delegation will visit to Myanmar in the coming weeks in an effort to promote peace and address ongoing human rights abuses against ethnic minorities, including the Rohingya.

The Arakan Army (AA), one of Myanmar’s most influential and battle-hardened ethnic armed groups, has announced it will prevent the country’s military junta from holding elections in territories under its control. 

The Kremlin has confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump will hold their first in-person talks since Trump’s return to the White House on August 15 in Alaska.

Armed Chinese private militias have been observed operating in Myanmar’s conflict-torn Rakhine state, specifically in the strategically important town of Kyaukphyu. 

China and Russia have commenced large-scale joint naval exercises in the Sea of Japan, highlighting their growing military cooperation and shared opposition to what they describe as a United States-led global security framework.

Myanmar’s military junta has officially ended the state of emergency that had been in place since its February 2021 coup, setting the stage for a controversial national election planned for December. 

The Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic armed group in Myanmar`s western Rakhine State, has imposed severe restrictions and committed grave abuses against the ethnic Rohingya population, Human Rights Watch said.

Senior US and Chinese economic officials are set to meet in Stockholm on Monday in an effort to ease trade tensions that have strained relations between the world’s two largest economies. The primary goal of the talks is to secure a three-month extension of the existing tariff truce.