President Xi Jinping took President Trump to the Temple of Heaven, a 606 year old Ming dynasty temple. The Temple of Heaven reflects an old Chinese political idea- political legitimacy comes from harmony between Heaven, Earth, and the ruler. On the first day of summit President Xi Jinping emphasized on overcoming the Thucydides trap.
The China US talks were held amid tariff tensions, military rivalry, and economic slowdown concerns between both the nations. Accoding to sources, China agreed to buy commercial 200 Boeing aircraft as part of broader economic engagement. On the table: a formalisation of the trade truce reached last fall and a critical push to keep the Strait of Hormuz open amid the ongoing Iran conflict.
Shailesh Kumar/ Shreya Das, National Defence
New Delhi, 15th May 2026
The U.S. Commerce Department has reportedly cleared NVIDIA to sell H200 AI chips to ten Chinese tech giants, including Alibaba and Tencent. NVIDIA’s Jensen Huang, Tesla’s Elon Musk, and Apple’s Tim Cook are all on the ground in Beijing as part of the U.S. delegation.
President Xi issued a stern warning on Taiwan, calling it the most important issue for bilateral ties and warning that ‘mishandling’ it could lead to a dangerous clash. US has extended invitation for President Xi to visit Washington this September 24th.
JAPANESE FM
In a high-level meeting with the UK and France, Japan’s Defense Minister declared the Strait of Hormuz a ‘vital hub’ that must be protected from what he termed ‘public international crimes.
The Minister emphasized that restoring stability is urgent to ensure the free passage of ships. Central to this mission is a push for a ‘low-war agreement’ between the U.S. and Iran to reduce immediate ground threats.
While Japan joined 26 other nations in a joint statement of support, the government remains non-committal on boots on the ground. The Minister stated that while military participation isn’t ruled out, no decision has been made regarding the dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces.
NANSEI ISLAND
Japan and the U.S. are ramping up island defense near Taiwan. For the first time, U.S. Marines from Okinawa will join Japanese forces on Miyakojima for joint transportation and supply drills. The May exercise marks a critical expansion of the ‘Iron Fist’ partnership, aimed at bolstering deterrence across the Nansei island chain. The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force’s Ground Component Command will practice deploying troops and transporting supplies in the Nansei Islands from May 17 to 22, according to a Ministry of Defense news release April 24.
PHILLIPINES
For the first time since World War II, Japan has fired offensive missiles from foreign soil during the ‘Balikatan’ exercises in the Philippines. Two Japanese Type 88 anti-ship missiles blazed from the sand dunes of Ilocos Norte, successfully sinking a decommissioned naval vessel 47 miles offshore. The site is strategically vital, because it sits just 250 miles south of Taiwan.
RUSSIA FM & IRANIAN FM
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Iran’s Abbas Araghchi met in New Delhi today, pledging to deepen their strategic partnership and coordinate on de-escalating Middle East tensions.
Russia-Taliban Partnership
Russia has announced a ‘full-fledged partnership’ with the Taliban government, focusing on regional security and trade through the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation framework to stabilize Central Asia.
SIPRI Global Military Spending
Global military expenditure hit a record $2.9 trillion in 2025. While U.S. spending saw a slight dip, massive surges in Europe and Asia drove the world’s 11th consecutive year of growth.
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