标签： Asia

In high-stakes diplomatic talks held in New Delhi on Thursday, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have concluded their summit with a sweeping package of bilateral agreements designed to deepen ties across defense, economic coordination, and maritime security.

Following the closed-door negotiations, Modi outlined the key outcomes of the meeting to reporters, noting that the two nations will move forward with joint development of naval radio antenna infrastructure and have formally adopted a shared roadmap guiding long-term economic security collaboration. Beyond these core initiatives, Modi added that the leaders had reached consensus on ramping up joint work across a portfolio of high-priority strategic sectors, including artificial intelligence, commercial and military shipbuilding, renewable biogas energy, semiconductor supply chain development, and other cutting-edge critical technologies.

“For both India and Japan, economic security is not a separate policy concern — it is a shared core security interest,” Modi emphasized in his post-summit remarks.

The deepening partnership builds on decades of growing economic ties between the two Asian powers. Japan currently ranks among India’s top sources of foreign direct investment, and has anchored signature infrastructure projects across India, most prominently the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail line, one of India’s most ambitious modern transit upgrades. Today, more than 1,400 Japanese firms maintain active operations in India, with nearly half of those businesses focused on manufacturing activity.

Fresh official data from the Indian government puts bilateral trade between the two nations at $27.5 billion for India’s 2025-26 fiscal year. Japanese investment inflows into India between April and December 2025 alone totaled $3.2 billion, a figure that aligns with Tokyo’s 2024 pledge — made during Modi’s official visit to Tokyo last year — to more than double its cumulative investment in India to over $61 billion over the coming decade. Takaichi’s three-day visit to New Delhi was held to mark the 16th iteration of the annual India-Japan summit, a recurring dialogue that has grown in strategic importance in recent years.

Both India and Japan have made boosting bilateral collaboration in the Indo-Pacific a top foreign policy priority, and both are core members of the Quad, a regional security grouping that also includes the United States and Australia. The Quad was established to coordinate on maritime security, defense cooperation, and infrastructure development to counter the growing influence of China across the Indo-Pacific region.

Takaichi reaffirmed that New Delhi and Tokyo share unwavering commitment to Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) initiative, which is rooted in principles of unimpeded freedom of navigation and universal respect for established international law. “Expanding our partnership on maritime security is particularly critical to upholding peace and stability across the entire region,” Takaichi stated.

Notably, the summit came as regional tensions over Indo-Pacific strategy remain high, and Chinese officials pushed back against the initiative Thursday. During a regular Beijing press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun argued that some outside powers frame their initiatives as promoting “freedom and openness” while actually pursuing policies of confrontation and division within the region. Guo stressed that this kind of approach directly contradicts the widespread desire among Indo-Pacific nations for peace, shared development, and cross-border cooperation.

“The Asia-Pacific needs stability, not turmoil; it needs a laser focus on cooperation, not bloc-based division,” Guo said. Associated Press correspondent Ken Moritsugu contributed reporting from Beijing for this article.

On July 1, 2026, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) kicked off a citywide series of celebratory events marking two landmark milestones: the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 29th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland. The dual commemorations, launched at an official opening ceremony, bring together thematic exhibitions highlighting China’s progress in space exploration and green development, alongside community-focused activities spread across all 18 of Hong Kong’s administrative districts, bringing celebrations to residents across the city.

In his opening address at the ceremony, HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu outlined the core goals of the celebrations: to deepen Hong Kong residents’ understanding of the nation’s major developmental achievements over the past decades, nurture a stronger sense of national confidence, and reinforce patriotic sentiment across the community – with a particular focus on engaging young people.

Lee emphasized that under the thoughtful framework and successful implementation of the “one country, two systems” policy, Hong Kong holds a unique strategic advantage: it retains close, uninterrupted connections with global markets while standing firmly backed by the full support of the Chinese mainland. Under the CPC’s leadership, the Chinese nation has delivered extraordinary progress in boosting living standards and driving sustainable economic growth, Lee noted, adding that the nation’s overall advancement has laid a solid foundation for Hong Kong’s ongoing prosperity, and the central government has repeatedly shown unwavering care and steadfast support for the city.

“Hong Kong’s transition from chaos to stability, and its steady march toward greater prosperity, stands as clear proof of the enduring vitality of the ‘one country, two systems’ framework,” Lee told attendees.

Also speaking at the ceremony, Zhou Ji, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR, pointed out that 2026 marks the start of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), and the nation holds high expectations for Hong Kong’s role in this new developmental phase. By actively integrating into and serving the country’s overall development blueprint, Zhou said, Hong Kong can unlock new growth opportunities, secure long-term prosperity and stability, and make greater contributions to the development of a powerful modern nation and the advance of national rejuvenation.

Zhou added that the central government has consistently offered full support to Hong Kong as it navigates a range of challenges, while helping the city preserve its unique competitive advantages and position in the global economy.

Following the ceremony, Kenneth Fok Kai-kong, a Hong Kong legislator, shared his perspective in a written statement, noting that China’s rapid economic expansion and long-term social stability would not have been possible without the CPC’s leadership. “We must fully and faithfully implement the ‘one country, two systems’ policy, support the HKSAR government in its governance work, better integrate into and serve the national development strategy, jointly safeguard Hong Kong’s long-term prosperity and stability, and contribute Hong Kong’s strength to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” Fok said.

Earlier in the day, the HKSAR government hosted an official reception to mark the 29th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland. At the reception, Lee announced that the SAR government will accelerate work to draft Hong Kong’s first-ever five-year development plan and advance construction of the Northern Metropolis project, moves designed to strengthen and consolidate Hong Kong’s core competitive advantages.

A pre-recorded video message from Lai Ka-ying, Hong Kong’s first homegrown astronaut and a payload specialist currently serving on China’s Tiangong Space Station, was screened for guests. In her message, Lai extended her wishes that Hong Kong will continue to grow more prosperous and stable under the unwavering support of the motherland. Ahead of the official ceremonies, a flotilla of fishing boats decked with China’s national flag and the flag of the HKSAR sailed through iconic Victoria Harbor, kicking off the day’s celebrations in a vivid display of national and civic pride.

Across the United States, thousands of agricultural workers and small business owners are sounding the alarm over a impending federal restriction on Chinese-made drones, warning the policy could deliver immediate, irreversible damage to America’s $1.3 trillion agriculture industry. For countless growers and rural operators, these unmanned aerial systems have become as foundational to modern farming as the traditional tractor, transforming everything from crop monitoring to pest control.

Tony Zenari, a small family farm operator, relies on his Chinese-built drone daily to survey crop health, track weed spread and map flood damage across his fields. Without access to replacement parts, repairs, or new units, Zenari says he will be forced to return to inefficient, high-cost diesel-powered tractors that cost thousands of dollars a week to operate, raising emissions and threatening his farm’s viability. For combat veteran Nick Grott, who founded Indiana’s Patriot Aerial Solutions after his honorable discharge from the military, agricultural drone technology gave him a new professional purpose. Grott, who has tried domestic drone alternatives, says American models still lag behind Chinese manufacturers in key areas like software reliability, video transmission and controller connectivity — features critical to safe, effective agricultural work. William B. Blaylock II, another operator, uses Chinese drones to cut inspection time for farm infrastructure and search for missing or injured cattle across vast stretches of open land, completing work that once took days in just hours.

These personal accounts are part of more than 32,000 public comments submitted to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) urging the agency to reverse its December 2025 decision to add all new foreign-made drones and critical components — including models from industry leader DJI and manufacturer Autel — to a “covered list” of devices deemed to pose an “unacceptable risk” to U.S. national security. While the FCC granted limited exemptions to some devices after the announcement, the order still blocks widespread access to camera-equipped agricultural drones built by the two Chinese firms.

DJI challenged the FCC’s ruling in a January 2026 petition, arguing the decision violates both constitutional protections and federal law. As the agency’s original May 11 public comment deadline approached, regulators were inundated with submissions, the vast majority from farmers, aerial spray specialists and small rural businesses calling for a policy reversal. In response to a June 9 filing of an independent cybersecurity audit conducted by U.S. cybersecurity firm OnDefend, the FCC extended the public comment window to August 28.

The independent OnDefend audit, which was added to the official FCC public record, found no evidence of hidden backdoors in DJI drone systems, no unauthorized data transmissions sent outside the United States, and no viable pathway for bad actors to hijack or weaponize the devices for malicious purposes. DJI’s petition is currently under review by the FCC’s Office of Engineering and Technology and the full five-member commission, awaiting a final ruling that will shape the future of U.S. precision agriculture.

Operators across the industry emphasize that the FCC’s national security justifications for the ban remain entirely unsubstantiated. Andrew Adams, of Michigan-based Aerial Acres AG, LLC, notes that Chinese-built drones have delivered unprecedented precision, efficiency and cost savings to U.S. growers at a time when farm margins are shrinking and input costs are skyrocketing. The technology allows farmers to apply crop protection products and nutrients with pinpoint accuracy, cutting waste and reducing the sector’s environmental footprint. For small and mid-sized farm operations in particular, Adams says affordable Chinese drones have leveled the competitive playing field against large industrial agribusinesses that can absorb higher overhead costs.

Aaron Wright, founder of Whiskey Mike Drone Solutions, which uses DJI and EAVision spray drones to treat thousands of acres of farmland annually, points out that domestic alternatives still cannot match the combination of hardware performance, software functionality and affordability offered by Chinese manufacturers. “Capitalism is all about free choice in the marketplace,” Wright wrote in his public comment. “Give DJI a chance to prove if they are indeed a threat to our national security or not.”

Even operators who support targeted, reasonable national security standards say a broad, blanket ban on Chinese-built drones creates unnecessary hardship for millions of responsible civilian users. Blaylock notes that for most American operators, current Chinese-manufactured drones offer an unbeatable mix of affordability, reliability, camera quality, flight safety features and ease of use that no domestic product can match. Cutting off access to these tools without a viable replacement would cripple legal agricultural, commercial and creative work across the country, he argues.

Industry experts and operators agree that U.S. drone manufacturing is not currently positioned to replace Chinese models in the near term, even if the ban goes into effect immediately. Many key components required for domestic drone assembly, including batteries and motors, are already included on the FCC’s covered list, and domestic supply chains cannot shift away from Chinese-sourced parts overnight.

A 2023 U.S. Department of Agriculture report identified drone technology as a core pillar of the precision agriculture toolkit needed to address three of the sector’s biggest ongoing challenges: rising production costs, climate change adaptation, and widespread labor shortages. Drones enable fast, accurate scouting, mapping and data collection that directly improve planting and harvest decision-making, boosting crop yields and reducing waste.

Industry data underscores just how deeply integrated Chinese-built drones are into U.S. agricultural operations. The American Spray Drone Coalition reports that 93.5 percent of the 8,950 agricultural spray drones sold in the U.S. in 2024 were manufactured in China. Following the FCC’s announcement, total annual sales dropped to just 3,711 units in 2025, with Chinese-made models accounting for 75.8 percent of the much smaller market amid a sharp decline in DJI imports.

Volitant Technologies LLC, a Nebraska-based agricultural drone retailer that serves hundreds of farmer customers across the Midwest, describes DJI’s popular Agras series as “the operational backbone of precision agriculture for thousands of US farms” at a time when growers are facing some of the toughest economic conditions in decades. Losing access to new drone models and critical firmware updates, the company says, will leave U.S. farmers with degraded device performance, lower crop yields, and no path to adopt next-generation precision farming tools without absorbing massive unexpected cost increases.

For U.S. growers, this threat is not a distant hypothetical. “This is not a theoretical future harm,” Volitant Technologies wrote in its public comment. “Farmers are already making contingency plans for a supply chain that may not be there in two years.”

On Tuesday, the third iteration of the groundbreaking ‘Our Water Season’ initiative, the Shanghai-New York City Dialogue, opened its doors at Bloomberg’s iconic Manhattan headquarters, gathering cross-sector leaders from two of the world’s most influential global metropolises to advance pragmatic cooperation and people-to-people connection between China and the United States.

Centered on the overarching theme ‘Rivers of Opportunities’, the forum brought together a diverse cohort of participants: government officials from both nations, top business executives, leaders of global financial institutions, major consumer brand representatives, and prominent cultural figures. Attendees focused their discussions on unlocking untapped collaborative potential across China-US relations, with targeted attention to deepening partnership between the two cities in the financial and consumer sectors.

Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg L.P. and Bloomberg Philanthropies, and a former mayor of New York City, opened with remarks highlighting the deep shared characteristics that bind the two waterfront metropolises. Both Shanghai and New York hold global status as leading commercial and cultural hubs, a common identity that forms a strong foundation for exchange, he noted. With Bloomberg L.P. maintaining a thriving presence in Shanghai for more than 30 years, and following his own visit to China in 2025, Bloomberg emphasized that city-to-city engagement has never carried greater weight than it does in today’s fractured geopolitical climate.

‘Great cities just don’t compete with each other. They learn from each other. That kind of exchange between cities has never been more important,’ he told attendees. Bloomberg added that with more than half of the global population now residing in urban areas, municipal governments are on the front lines of tackling shared global challenges, from public health infrastructure and education access to affordable housing and climate change adaptation. ‘We borrow ideas from other cities, and we’re glad the other cities borrowed from us,’ he said.

Tang Zhiwen, Minister at the Chinese Embassy in the United States, framed the ongoing exchange between Shanghai and New York as a powerful model for what constructive China-US cooperation can achieve. Tang noted that the two cities are well-positioned to take the lead in driving collaboration across high-growth emerging sectors, including artificial intelligence, climate action, green shipping, and smart city development, while paving the way for deeper high-level exchanges across the two entire nations.

Tang also highlighted the ongoing progress of China’s youth exchange initiative, which aims to welcome 50,000 young Americans to China over a five-year period. To date, Shanghai alone has hosted nearly 10,000 young American visitors through the program, building lasting people-to-people ties between the two countries.

Chen Yiqun, Director-General of the Information Office of Shanghai Municipality, echoed the forum’s water-centered framing, noting that river and coastal waterways have connected both cities to global markets and cultures for centuries, and continue to shape their future trajectories. ‘Water once carried both of our cities into the world. And now, water is asking something new of us: how do we keep our harbors and our waterfronts alive, open and growing for the next generation,’ she said. ‘Our Water exists to give cities like ours a place to compare notes, to learn from each other, and to keep growing together.’

Chen added that the ‘Our Water’ initiative was specifically created to provide a sustained, open platform for cities to share best practices, exchange insights, and collaborate to solve shared urban challenges. ‘When we talk today about finance, investment, consumption and innovation, we’re not just talking about growth for growth’s sake. We’re talking about what it takes to keep a city open, adaptable and full of opportunity for the people who call it home,’ she said.

Beyond plenary remarks, the forum featured a high-profile fireside chat titled ‘Seeking Common Ground through Dialogues’, bringing together Tsinghua University international relations professor Da Wei and Bloomberg Economics Chief Economist Tom Orlik to discuss China-US economic ties and opportunities for collaboration amid growing global economic and geopolitical uncertainty. Orlik, who lived and worked in China for multiple years, told China Daily that his time in the country deepened his understanding of China and underscored how critical people-to-people connections are to bridging divides. ‘Connections are really important for understanding,’ he said. ‘Both sides have more work to do to make it easier and more welcoming for those kinds of exchanges to take place.’

One of the forum’s most anticipated speakers was Yao Ming, NBA Hall of Famer, chairman of the Yao Foundation, and one of the most recognizable cultural bridges between China and the United States. Yao noted that sports have long served as a universal language that connects people across cultural and national boundaries. He highlighted a coincidental milestone for both cities this year: the New York Knicks claimed the 2026 NBA championship, while the Shanghai Sharks, which Yao led to their first CBA title in 2002, won this year’s Chinese Basketball Association championship.

Reflecting on his decades of cross-border experience, including his years playing in the NBA, Yao said splitting his time between Shanghai and regular travel across the United States transformed his perspective on cross-cultural exchange. ‘I try to learn from other people and make sure that becomes part of me,’ he said. ‘I learned so much from all the people I met and all the cities I visited.’ Yao also noted that Shanghai has grown into a top global destination for major international sporting events, including Formula One, a shift that reflects the city’s enduring openness, dynamic youthful energy, and deep cultural roots.