Asia

• China / Russia: Xi and Putin meet for important talks 21 May 2026
  Only a few days after welcoming Donald Trump, Xi Jinping is hosting Vladimir Putin in Beijing, highlighting China’s growing diplomatic influence amid global instability. Xi and Putin are expected to discuss the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as cooperation on energy, trade and security. Both nations…
• China / USA: does Taiwan want total independence? 21 May 2026
  Following his talks in Beijing with Xi Jinping, Donald Trump has warned Taiwan against pursuing formal independence. China regards Taiwan as part of its territory and considers independence a major red line; however, Taiwan’s president Lai Ching-te has insisted that since Taiwan considers itself an independent country, there is no…
• India: Baptist church leaders killed in targeted ambush 14 May 2026
  Several Baptist church leaders have been killed in a brutal ambush in Manipur state, northeast India, amid continuing ethnic unrest in the region. The victims, senior figures within the Kuki Baptist community, were travelling on a public road when armed attackers targeted them, leaving others critically injured. The United Christian…
• USA / China: talks between Trump and Xi 14 May 2026
  As Donald Trump meets Xi Jinping in Beijing on 14 and 15 May, tensions between the world’s two largest powers remain high. The summit comes at a time of growing uncertainty over global trade, conflict in the Middle East, technological competition and concerns over Taiwan. Trump faces intense lobbying pressure…
• Afghanistan / Pakistan: UN says over 370 Afghans killed in three months 14 May 2026
  Border clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan have intensified sharply since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021, with Pakistan’s defence minister recently describing the violence as ‘open war’. Islamabad accuses the Taliban authorities in Kabul of sheltering militants from the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), allegations Afghan officials deny while accusing…