India, the current president of the Eurasia-focused Shanghai Cooperation Organization announced the China-centered bloc’s next summit will take place virtually. According to the Indian press, the decision was aimed at avoiding awkward face-to-face meetings between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping (and Pakistan’s PM Shehbaz Sharif) amid mounting cross-border tensions. (TIMES OF INDIA)
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he’s close to finalizing a deal with China to curb trafficking of the synthetic opioid fentanyl. Mexico is under mounting pressure from the U.S. to stem the flow of deadly drug, much of which López Obrador claims comes from Asia. (REUTERS)