Saturday, May 16, 2026
Kremlin confirms Putin's China visit on May 19-20
Russian President Vladimir Putin will go on a state visit to China on May 19-20, the Kremlin press service confirmed on Saturday.
Putin will visit Beijing at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. The two leaders will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Sino-Russian Treaty of Friendship. Putin and Xi will discuss a variety of topics, including bilateral relations, the economy, trade, and pressing global crises.
"Following the negotiations, it is planned to sign a Joint Statement at the highest level and a number of bilateral intergovernmental, interdepartmental and other documents," the Kremlin noted. The news came after United States President Donald Trump wrapped up his trip to Beijing.
https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Kremlin-confirms-Putin's-China-visit-on-May-19-20/66306228
Rare Ebola Strain With No Vaccine Linked to 80 Deaths in Congo
A rare strain of Ebola with no approved vaccine or treatment may have circulated undetected for weeks in conflict-hit northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo before killing at least 80 people.
Laboratory testing by the National Institute for Biomedical Research in Kinshasa confirmed the outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, the World Health Organization said Friday. The virus has caused only two previous known outbreaks, in Uganda in 2007 and eastern Congo in 2012.
Taiwan president's spox: Thankful for President Trump's long-standing support for peace
Taiwan responded to President Trump’s hesitation Friday to back a U.S. arms sale to the island following two days of meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The island’s foreign affairs ministry emphasized the U.S.’s “long-standing and consistent policy toward Taiwan” in a statement released Friday morning.
“Regarding arms sales to Taiwan, this is not only a security commitment to Taiwan explicitly stated in the Taiwan Relations Act, but also a joint deterrent against regional threats,” the ministry said.
“Taiwan appreciates President Trump’s continued support for cross-strait security since his first term, with the previous announced arms sales reaching a record high,” the statement continued. “Close cooperation between Taiwan and the US has always been the cornerstone of peace across the Taiwan Strait.”
The Trump administration has faced bipartisan pressure from Congress to follow through on a $14 billion arms deal to the island, a move opposed by the Chinese government. A group of eight Republican and Democratic senators urged Trump in a Monday letter to move forward with the sale.
The president told reporters Friday that he and the Chinese leader “talked a lot about Taiwan.” Xi’s government refuses to recognize Taiwan’s independence, claiming it is part of China.
“On Taiwan, he does not want to see a fight for independence because that would be a very strong confrontation, and I heard it out … I didn’t make a comment,” Trump said, adding that he has “a lot of respect” for Xi.
Trump said he has yet to decide on the future of this arms deal and that he would “make a determination over the next early short period.” He noted that he needs to speak to the leader of Taiwan first.
“I think the last thing we need is a war,” he said later. “It’s 9,500 miles away. I think that’s the last thing we need. We’re doing very well.”
https://www.aol.com/news/taiwan-releases-statement-response-trump-163543176.html
China’s Iran balancing act grows more costly
China is showing growing unease over the economic and strategic costs of Iran’s confrontation with the United States, even as it continues to shield Tehran diplomatically at the United Nations.
US President Donald Trump said during his recent visit to Beijing that Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open.
China’s foreign ministry has also repeatedly called for the Strait of Hormuz to reopen “as soon as possible” and urged a “comprehensive and lasting ceasefire” between Iran and the United States.
Before the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, roughly 45 percent of China’s oil imports passed through the strategic waterway.
As Brent crude futures surged to $117 per barrel and physical oil cargoes traded at prices as high as $150, China responded by cutting oil imports by 20 percent last month and raising domestic gasoline and diesel prices on May 9.
Reuters reported that China’s producer prices climbed to a 45-month high in April, while consumer inflation also accelerated.
But the damage to China’s economy goes far beyond energy supplies.
Although Beijing has yet to release customs data for April, March figures already point to a sharp collapse in Chinese exports to the region.
According to Chinese customs statistics, exports to Persian Gulf countries fell to just $5.7 billion during March—the first month of Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz—down from $13.2 billion the previous month.
In other words, Chinese exports to the Persian Gulf region plunged by 57 percent within a single month.
These figures represent only part of the economic fallout facing China. Chinese companies implemented or invested in approximately $39.4 billion worth of projects across the Middle East last year.
But with the region sliding deeper into conflict and Iran launching extensive attacks against its Arab neighbours, many of Beijing’s regional investments are facing growing uncertainty.
Expectations among those states that China should pressure Tehran should not be underestimated. China exported roughly $340 billion worth of goods to Iran’s Arab neighbours. That’s roughly equivalent to the entire size of Iran’s economy.
Beijing cannot simply ignore the concerns of its wealthy regional partners.
One potential lever available to China may be reducing purchases of Iranian crude. Data from Kpler shows that despite strong demand, China cut imports of Iranian oil by nearly one-third in April compared to March, reducing purchases to 1.16 million barrels per day.
China also remains Iran’s largest non-oil trading partner.
Beijing has nevertheless continued to back Tehran diplomatically. China and Russia opposed recent US-backed UN resolutions on the Strait of Hormuz, arguing the measures were one-sided and risked fueling further escalation.
China’s UN envoy Fu Gong said the proposed resolution was “not helpful” and argued that both its timing and content were wrong.
Still, Iran continues to serve as an important strategic card for Beijing in its broader rivalry with the West. But despite the growing economic costs, China is unlikely to support any outcome that would leave Tehran strategically defeated by Washington.
Hardline Iranian editor says war cannot end without revenge for Khamenei
Hossein Shariatmadari, the hardline editor of Kayhan newspaper, said the war “must not and cannot” end without revenge for former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
In an article titled “They began with the martyrdom of Agha (Khamenei); we will not end without revenge,” Shariatmadari wrote that the United States, Israel and several regional countries had taken part directly in the war against Iran.
He said diplomacy with Washington and regional states may be part of the Islamic Republic’s defined policy, but argued that the war could not end without what he called “harsh revenge” against those responsible for Khamenei’s death.
Shariatmadari wrote that killing Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu, their deputies and aides, as well as identifying and killing pilots involved in the attacks, should not be excluded from Iran’s “formula of revenge.”
He also said Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan and Bahrain should be among Iran’s marked targets, accusing them of direct participation in attacks against Iran.