US wraps up military mission in Iraq, giving Baghdad room to strengthen China ties

🔮 China nominates Song Li for WHO chief as agency faces funding shake-up from US exit If elected, she would be the first mainland Chinese director general of the United Nations health agency If elected, Song would be the first person from mainland China to head the United Nations health agency.

🔮 US wraps up military mission in Iraq, giving Baghdad room to strengthen China ties Analysts say Beijing will pursue energy and commercial deals after American withdrawal but will not seek to fill a security role But they cautioned that the shift was unlikely to create a power vacuum for Beijing to fill, with China lacking both the ambition and capacity to take on the US security role. The mission, launched in 2014 to fight Islamic State, has been replaced by an Iraqi-led security effort, while Washington has said it will continue targeted training and intelligence support.

🔮 “Today’s Xinjiang enjoys social stability, economic prosperity, ethnic unity and religious harmony,” Guo said, adding that China would provide more opportunities for foreign businesses to invest and operate in the country.

🔮 Observers say a meeting between the three leaders in Shenzhen is possible but would rest on some groundwork A meeting next month between the leaders of the world’s three biggest nuclear powers is possible but hinges on the three sides finding common ground and setting realistic expectations about outcomes, according to analysts. US President Donald Trump is also expected to attend the forum, which will be Putin’s first since 2017.

🔮 The new US-Denmark-Greenland security agreement could narrow China’s room to engage in the Arctic – particularly in resource-rich Greenland – and potentially push Beijing closer to Russia, Chinese experts on the matter said.

🔮 Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia test limits of Mecca regional security pact Turkey and Pakistan are unlikely to intervene despite the deal’s terms, which could hobble its deterrent effect, analysts say Just a month after Saudi Arabia signed a regional mutual defence deal with Pakistan and Turkey, attacks by Yemen’s Houthis against the kingdom’s energy infrastructure and military sites are testing the pact’s limits.

🔮 How Peng Liyuan and Melania Trump opened a parallel track in US-China diplomacy First ladies’ cultural outings and apparently warm conversations a ‘clear signal’ on willingness to advance understanding, analyst says The pair charted a parallel path of soft power diplomacy – sharing conversations, cultural outings and moments of apparent warmth during a visit otherwise shadowed by trade tensions, and artificial intelligence and other strategic issues.

🔮 BreakingChinese President Xi Jinping will pay state visit to US this week, Beijing confirms Rare airport welcome by Donald Trump will precede talks on trade, tech and other areas of friction during second in-person summit of 2026 3-MIN READ3-MIN Listen

🔮 Citing Section 53 of Germany’s Residence Act, the letter said that for applications involving “study, research and similar employment”, particular attention had to be paid to the possibility that knowledge acquired in Germany could be misused in ways that harmed protected legal interests or other significant German interests.

🔮 Advertisement Brics leaders act to hedge – not revolt – against US dollar dominance As New Delhi summit closes, the bloc pushes for a louder voice within global institutions while building parallel machinery, analysts say 4-MIN READ4-MIN Listen The family photograph did the political work the summit’s final declaration could not. Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stood shoulder to shoulder as the Brics summit closed in New Delhi on Sunday – a single frame capturing an 11-nation bloc that now spans four continents and nearly half the world’s population. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres attended the gathering of emerging economies alongside World Trade Organization Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, New Development Bank president Dilma Rousseff and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank president Zou Jiayi. Select Voice Select Speed 1x AI-generated voice