China, Pakistan and Bangladesh are in advanced talks to establish a new regional cooperation framework that could serve as an alternative to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), according to a report by Pakistan’s Express Tribune.
Citing diplomatic sources, the report said high-level discussions took place on 19 June in Kunming, China, where officials from the three countries explored the groundwork for a broader regional alliance. The aim, reportedly, is to create a platform that could include other South Asian states frustrated by SAARC’s prolonged inactivity.
SAARC, founded in 1985 in Dhaka, has been largely dormant since 2016, when its 19th summit was cancelled following withdrawals by India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan. The boycott was in protest over security tensions in the region, particularly between India and Pakistan.
The proposed new bloc would prioritise economic integration, infrastructure connectivity and regional cooperation. Sources quoted by the Express Tribune suggested that Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Afghanistan could be invited to join. India, while likely to receive an invitation, is not expected to participate due to ongoing strategic rifts with both Pakistan and China.
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The U.S. and Iran are meeting in Pakistan under a fragile ceasefire but remain deeply divided over Tehran’s nuclear programme, sanctions and regional security. With fighting in Lebanon escalating, the talks face mounting pressure.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday (9 April) he is seeking direct talks with Beirut, a day after the deadliest bombardment of the war killed more than 250 people in Lebanon and put Donald Trump’s U.S.–Iran ceasefire at risk.
The Japanese government has authorised an emergency release of crude stockpiles as it moves to shield its export-driven economy from disruption in the Persian Gulf.
China and Russia vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution on Tuesday aimed at coordinating defensive efforts to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, leaving no agreed international framework for securing the vital route.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah said it had stopped firing on northern Israel and Israeli forces on Wednesday as part of a two-week ceasefire in the Middle East brokered between the United States and Iran. However, a Hezbollah lawmaker warned that the pause could collapse if Tel Aviv does not adhere to it.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has given an instruction for Israel to begin peace talks with Lebanon that would also include the disarming of Hezbollah.
Some geographies are small on the map yet immense in history. The Strait of Hormuz is one. About a quarter of global oil trade and a fifth of LNG flows pass through this narrow corridor - around 20 million barrels per day sustaining the global system.
Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed to continue dialogue and avoid steps that could worsen tensions after China-hosted talks in Urumqi, with Kabul and Beijing saying the meetings focused on easing differences and improving relations.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has told Taiwan opposition leader Cheng Li-wun that “people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are Chinese” and that the future of cross-strait ties should be decided by “the Chinese people themselves”.
Three months following the U.S. raid that captured socialist President Nicolas Maduro on 3 January, the Venezuelan National Assembly approved a new law on Thursday loosening the state’s grip on mining investments to open the sector for private and foreign companies.
The Japanese government has authorised an emergency release of crude stockpiles as it moves to shield its export-driven economy from disruption in the Persian Gulf.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 10 April, covering the latest developments you need to know.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s fellow Republicans in the House of Representatives have blocked an attempt led by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to restrict presidential war powers over military action involving Iran.
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