US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Beijing separately in May to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The South China Morning Post provided extensive coverage of both summit meetings, highlighting key developments, political implications, and future prospects. The reporting examines what transpired during the Xi-Trump summit and explores the trajectory of US-China relations moving forward.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to visit North Korea as early as next week, citing government sources. Another official suggested the visit could occur later this month or early next month. The anticipated trip reflects warming ties between Beijing and Pyongyang in recent months.
The US military will deploy its Typhon midrange missile launcher and Himars rocket system to Japan's Kanoya Airbase in Kagoshima prefecture from June to September for joint exercises with Japan's Self-Defence Forces, including Valiant Shield and Orient Shield drills. The deployment is seen as a deterrent measure amid China tensions and demonstrates strengthened US-Japan military cooperation.
US President Donald Trump stated Wednesday that his administration's negotiations with Iran are in their "final stages" while simultaneously warning of further attacks. A fragile ceasefire has now lasted six weeks with no indication the war will end. The US launched "Operation Epic Fury" approximately three months ago, with strikes inside Iran alongside ally Israel, which has since spread across the wider Middle East region, killing thousands and disrupting global supply chains.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Putin met in Beijing for high-level talks. The summit took place days after US President Donald Trump's visit to the Chinese capital, highlighting the strong trust between Beijing and Moscow. The discussions covered trade, security, and other strategic issues, demonstrating both nations' commitment to deepening their partnership and China's diplomatic balancing act with major powers.
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Beijing separately in May to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The South China Morning Post provided extensive coverage of both summit meetings, highlighting key developments, political implications, and future prospects. The reporting examines what transpired during the Xi-Trump summit and explores the trajectory of US-China relations moving forward.
China and Russia released a joint statement Thursday following a summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two leaders signed agreements to strengthen strategic ties and issued a declaration promoting a multipolar global order. More than 20 cooperation agreements were sealed across energy, trade, and science and technology sectors.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to visit North Korea as early as next week, citing government sources. Another official suggested the visit could occur later this month or early next month. The anticipated trip reflects warming ties between Beijing and Pyongyang in recent months.
The US military will deploy its Typhon midrange missile launcher and Himars rocket system to Japan's Kanoya Airbase in Kagoshima prefecture from June to September for joint exercises with Japan's Self-Defence Forces, including Valiant Shield and Orient Shield drills. The deployment is seen as a deterrent measure amid China tensions and demonstrates strengthened US-Japan military cooperation.
The US Pentagon is preparing to send a high-level delegation to Beijing within weeks to lay groundwork for a potential visit by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. The delegation is expected to be led by Elbridge Colby, undersecretary of defence for policy and a key architect of the 2026 National Defence Strategy, according to sources familiar with the matter.
US President Donald Trump stated Wednesday that his administration's negotiations with Iran are in their "final stages" while simultaneously warning of further attacks. A fragile ceasefire has now lasted six weeks with no indication the war will end. The US launched "Operation Epic Fury" approximately three months ago, with strikes inside Iran alongside ally Israel, which has since spread across the wider Middle East region, killing thousands and disrupting global supply chains.
The US special envoy to Greenland stated Wednesday that Washington needs to rebuild its military presence in the Danish autonomous territory. During the Cold War, the US operated 17 military facilities in Greenland but has closed most over the years, currently maintaining only the Pituffik base in the island's north. The Trump administration has repeatedly argued that US control of Greenland is necessary for national security.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Putin met in Beijing for high-level talks. The summit took place days after US President Donald Trump's visit to the Chinese capital, highlighting the strong trust between Beijing and Moscow. The discussions covered trade, security, and other strategic issues, demonstrating both nations' commitment to deepening their partnership and China's diplomatic balancing act with major powers.
Carmen Lineberger, a former federal prosecutor in Florida's US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, has been indicted for sending a special counsel report on President Trump's classified documents investigation to her personal email, violating a judge's sealing order. She faces charges including theft of government property and concealment.
The United States announced criminal charges Wednesday against 94-year-old former Cuban leader Raul Castro for his alleged role in the 1996 downing of two civilian aircraft operated by Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue, killing four people. Acting US Attorney Todd Blanche unsealed the indictment in Miami, charging Castro and five others with conspiracy to kill US nationals, aircraft destruction, and four counts of murder.
The US Labor Department reported Thursday that unemployment benefit applications for the week ending May 16 fell by 3,000 to 209,000, below the 213,000 forecasted by analysts surveyed by FactSet. Despite various economic uncertainties, layoffs remain low. Weekly unemployment benefit filings serve as a real-time proxy for US layoff trends.
While Middle East conflict and high fuel prices force Asian carriers to reduce capacity and reroute flights, Singapore Airlines is expanding long-haul services to Europe to capture market share from Gulf competitors. Aviation analysts attribute the carrier's expansion to its strong financial position, fuel hedging strategy that insulates it from price volatility, and strategic Singapore hub location.
China Railway Construction Corporation has begun construction on the world's largest aircraft maintenance complex in the United Arab Emirates, valued at over US$5 billion. The project includes eight large maintenance hangars covering approximately 1.21 million square metres and represents one of the largest construction contracts secured by a Chinese builder in the Middle East region.
Hong Kong International Airport recorded a 13 percent year-on-year increase in passenger traffic during the first four months of the year, with flight movements rising 5.1 percent. April saw stronger performance with over 5.6 million passengers and 34,000 flight movements, driven by Easter holiday travel, representing 9.4 percent and 5.5 percent year-on-year increases respectively.
Nvidia has generated no revenue from H200 chip sales to China and remains uncertain whether the product will gain market access, the company stated. While the US has approved export licenses for H200 shipments to Chinese customers, geopolitical factors continue to cloud Nvidia's access to one of the world's largest AI markets. Global demand for data centre processors has surged to record levels, but China's market outlook remains unclear.
As Middle East conflicts disrupt global oil and chemical supplies, China's Xinjiang region is rapidly developing its coal-chemical sector. Located northeast of Urumqi, the Changji Hui autonomous prefecture is one of China's four major modern coal-chemical production bases. The region is capitalizing on global energy market shifts to expand its industrial ecosystem.
Chery Automobile, China's largest car exporter, expects overseas electric vehicle sales to surge up to 27 percent this year as global energy crisis drives demand for battery-powered vehicles. Chery International President Zhang Guibing stated that pure electric and plug-in hybrid models are projected to represent up to 70 percent of the company's total overseas deliveries in 2026, equivalent to approximately 1.05 million units.
Hong Kong's economy grew 5.9 percent year-on-year in the first quarter, its strongest quarterly performance in nearly five years. Visitor numbers increased 17 percent while retail and catering spending rose only 5.2 percent. Officials must recognize that visitor footfall and consumer spending are not moving in tandem, requiring new success metrics for tourism recovery.
Researchers from Peking University and Alibaba's Damo Academy developed an AI model to process 7.56 terabytes of satellite imagery, identifying over 319,000 solar and wind installations across China. This first-of-its-kind national inventory aims to support the country's ambitious green energy transition and coordinate renewable energy infrastructure development.
GigaAI, in collaboration with Hubei Humanoid Robot Innovation Centre and Hubei Humanoid Robotics Industry Alliance, unveiled the SeeLight S1, China's first general-purpose household humanoid robot on Wednesday. The robot is designed to perform household tasks including laundry, bed-making, and elder care. Families in Wuhan will participate in free testing of the robot, marking the expansion of China's robotics industry from factory settings into complex domestic environments.
Alibaba Group announced in a shareholder letter that its artificial intelligence investments have progressed from the initial phase into full-scale commercialisation. Chairman Joe Tsai and CEO Eddie Wu Yongming stated that the addressable market for companies providing full-stack AI capabilities is poised for exponential growth, positioning AI as the company's next major growth engine.
Tesla announced the rollout of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system in China, following CEO Elon Musk's visit to the country as part of a tour led by President Donald Trump. The system's arrival will elevate autonomous driving capabilities in a market where Level 3 automated driving has been legalized. FSD Supervised is now available in China and nine other countries including the US, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, and the Netherlands.
Harvard University faculty voted with nearly 70 per cent support to limit A-grades in undergraduate courses, allowing no more than 20 per cent of a class plus four additional students to receive an A beginning fall 2027. This represents one of the strongest grade inflation prevention policies in US higher education in decades, despite significant student opposition to the measure.
According to Reuters, based on intelligence from three European agencies, the Chinese military secretly trained approximately 200 Russian soldiers on drone operations in late 2023. Some of these trained personnel have reportedly returned to the Ukraine battlefield. This contradicts China's stated position of neutrality in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
At Google I/O 2026, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai announced the company's new phase of deeply integrating AI into its core ecosystem. Google Search launched its largest redesign in 25 years, embedding AI directly into the search box. Users can now input complex voice or text commands and upload images, videos, files, or Chrome tabs, with AI providing real-time assistance in constructing search logic, eliminating the need to switch between traditional search and AI conversations.
US President Trump stated he will speak with Taiwan President Lai Ching-te. Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party caucus views the planned call as a breakthrough in diplomatic relations and expressed optimism. Responding to opposition concerns that Trump may use the call to demand concessions, the DPP emphasized focus should be on whether Taiwan fully supports increased defense budgets and defensive capabilities, and whether opposition parties will obstruct Taiwan's acquisition of defensive weapons.
President Trump stated after the Trump-Xi meeting that pending Taiwan arms sales could serve as negotiating leverage. Republican Representative McCaul argued that weakening Taiwan's defense capability is not good policy, while Democratic Senator Shaheen emphasized that Taiwan's security is not a bargaining chip but core to Indo-Pacific deterrence.
GitHub disclosed on May 20 that approximately 3,800 internal source code repositories were accessed without authorization. The incident was caused by a malicious VS Code extension installed on an employee's device. Security researchers suspect this is a downstream effect of a supply chain attack by hacker group TeamPCP targeting TanStack, a JavaScript open-source toolkit, with the attack propagating through the developer tool chain to reach GitHub's internal systems.
Researcher Chaotic Eclipse has disclosed five zero-day vulnerabilities including BlueHammer, RedSun, UnDefend, YellowKey, and GreenPlasma. Microsoft has patched only BlueHammer and provided mitigation measures for YellowKey. Security firms warn that attackers can combine these vulnerabilities to create a complete attack chain, posing significant security risks.
Nvidia reported Q1 FY2027 results exceeding market expectations with revenue increasing 85% year-over-year to a record $81.6 billion and net income reaching $58.32 billion, up approximately 210% annually. Data center business generated $75.2 billion in revenue, representing 91.2% of total revenue, driven by strong demand for AI infrastructure and Agentic AI. CEO Jensen Huang announced plans to begin production and shipment of next-generation AI system Vera Rubin in the second half of the year.
The United States plans direct communication with Taiwan's leadership regarding military sales, affecting US-China-Taiwan relations. China has employed diplomatic pressure to delay the arms sales case. The development has become a global focus point, adding variables to regional interactions.
Lithuania's Defense Ministry detected a drone threat on the 20th, prompting an immediate air raid alert and evacuation orders for civilians. The capital's airport was closed as a precautionary measure, and government officials including the president and prime minister were evacuated to secure locations. The incident highlights ongoing security concerns in the region.
The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) inadvertently made a private GitHub repository public last week, exposing 844 MB of sensitive information. The leaked data includes AWS GovCloud government cloud service credentials and CISA internal system credentials, posing significant security risks. The incident, reported by security blog Krebs On Security, may represent one of the most serious U.S. government data breaches in recent times.
On May 20, the Drupal development team released a security advisory addressing CVE-2026-9082, a SQL injection vulnerability in Drupal Core's database abstraction API. The API is responsible for sanitizing database queries to prevent SQL injection attacks. The team made an exception by releasing updates for versions that have reached end-of-life, indicating the severity of this vulnerability.
Three Taiwanese information technology professionals were detained by Keelung District Court on suspicion of illegally smuggling Supermicro AI servers equipped with Nvidia advanced chips to China. The Ministry of Economic Affairs warned that such actions may result in criminal liability and international sanctions.
Taiwan's Keelung District Prosecutors Office launched its first investigation into AI chip smuggling, with three suspects accused of forging documents and illegally exporting Nvidia AI chip-equipped servers to China, Hong Kong, and Macau, violating US export controls. Prosecutors conducted searches at 12 locations on the 21st. The servers, assembled by Super Micro Computer, are widely used in data centers for training generative AI models like ChatGPT.
Indonesia announced on the 20th that sales of major export commodities including palm oil, coal, and ferroalloys will be managed by state-owned enterprises under the national sovereign wealth fund to control pricing power. The move impacts global supply chains and triggers foreign investor concerns, causing Jakarta stock market declines and Indonesian rupiah hitting historic lows against the US dollar. The central bank raised rates by 2 basis points on the 21st, but market anxiety over economic prospects persists.
AMD announced an investment exceeding $10 billion in Taiwan's industrial ecosystem to accelerate AI infrastructure development. AMD Chair and CEO Su Zifeng stated that the next-generation processor has entered mass production using TSMC's 2-nanometer process technology. The announcement boosted Taiwan's stock market, with the index rising 1,347 points to 41,368, TSMC gaining 45 points, and MediaTek hitting the daily limit at market open.
A four-storey building collapsed overnight in Fez, Morocco, located approximately 200 kilometers east of Rabat, killing at least four people and injuring six others, according to local authorities on Thursday. State media initially reported 11 deaths before issuing a correction. Authorities confirmed that search and rescue operations are ongoing to locate any individuals who may remain trapped in the rubble. Footage shows rescuers and residents working through the debris. An investigation into the incident has been launched.