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China Firmly Cautions Israel against Allowing US Pressure to Affect Relations

Chinese and Israeli flags flutter side by side (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Chinese and Israeli flags flutter side by side (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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China Firmly Cautions Israel against Allowing US Pressure to Affect Relations

Chinese and Israeli flags flutter side by side (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Chinese and Israeli flags flutter side by side (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Senior Israeli Foreign Ministry sources said that one of China’s top diplomats last week warned Israel not to allow American pressure to harm relations with Beijing.

Liu Jianchao, the head of the Chinese Communist Party’s international affairs department, reportedly conveyed the message during a meeting last week with the Israeli ambassador to China, Irit Ben-Abba.

Sources described the overture as the most straightforward to date that Beijing has conveyed regarding the “US-Israel-China triangle.”

Liu specifically urged Israel to avoid being “dragged” into the US position that China is perpetrating genocide in Xinjiang.

Israel ratified a resolution at the UN Human Rights Council in June criticizing China’s conduct in the region, reportedly under pressure from Washington.

Ben-Abba reportedly responded by saying that China’s pro-Palestinian votes at the UN were not helping to foster better relations.

Israeli-Chinese relations are witnessing a development in various economic, commercial and even security fields. Israel handed over a Chinese company the management of Haifa commercial port for 25 years.

Washington views these relations negatively, to the extent that it threatened to stop the entry of ships of its Fifth and Sixth Fleet to this port.

Washington believes that Beijing is exploiting its economic ties for industrial and military espionage, exposing US technology used in Israel to danger.

Tel Aviv confirmed that Israeli intelligence is aware of this danger and is taking measures and precautions to confront it.

Tel Aviv had also warned against China’s interference in upcoming Israeli elections and criticized it for actions against Taiwan.

Israel also criticized China over its statements against the Jewish state on the Palestinian issue, especially during the recent attack on Gaza.

On the other hand, the Chinese leadership expressed its rage over Israel, under US pressure, joining a statement issued by a group of member states of the United Nations Human Rights Council, condemning Chinese policy towards the Uyghurs in the Chinese region of Xinjiang.

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World

US and Denmark Reach Deal on Greenland, Trump Says

US President Donald Trump (AFP/Getty)
US President Donald Trump (AFP/Getty)
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US and Denmark Reach Deal on Greenland, Trump Says

US President Donald Trump (AFP/Getty)
US President Donald Trump (AFP/Getty)

The United States, Denmark and Greenland have entered into an agreement for the US to develop a significant military presence on Greenland, while prohibiting US adversaries from building their own bases on the island, Donald Trump said on Friday.

In a Truth Social post, the US president wrote that no US enemies would be able to make sensitive investments on the island without the approval of the United States and that the agreement had no expiry date.

"At my direction, we worked with representatives of Denmark and Greenland to guarantee that the United States will FOREVER have the complete ability to do what is necessary ‌in Greenland in order ‌to secure and defend the security of Greenland, and the United States ‌of ⁠America," Trump wrote.

Earlier ⁠on Friday, Reuters exclusively reported that the US and Denmark were closing in on a deal that would result in an increased US military presence in Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, but would stop well short of Trump's long-held dream of acquiring the island for the United States.

The US already has nearly total overflight and basing rights in Greenland due to a 1951 treaty.

Trump's announcement suggests he was nonetheless pleased with the outcome of the negotiations and that he might not revive his territorial claims, at least in the near future. He said, without elaborating, that ⁠the US would soon be rolling out a large military presence on the ‌island, which already hosts one Space Force base in its remote ‌northwest.

"This is a dream come true for the United States of America," Trump wrote.

EXTENT OF AGREEMENT REMAINS UNCLEAR

The Danish ‌prime minister's office said on Friday that the agreement would strengthen North Atlantic and Arctic security.

Greenland's prime ‌minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said in a statement that the agreement recognized Greenland's interests and the Arctic island's place in international cooperation. "This benefits us all," he said.

Much was unclear as of Friday night, including whether any new US bases would be constructed as a result of the agreement. Trump's Truth Social posts about negotiations or agreements often lack context or specifics.

Imran Bayoumi, ‌a former Pentagon official now with the Atlantic Council think tank, said it would be new if the US can build bases without the approval of ⁠Greenland or Denmark but that ⁠largely "it seems that Washington could have achieved a lot of these objectives through diplomacy and dialogue without straining the broader US-NATO relationship.”

It was also unclear how the agreement would be received in Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark. The island's residents aspire to independence and have bristled at US attempts to assert control.

In a separate statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the deal "permanently and completely" addressed Washington's national security concerns with respect to the island.

"Greenland will forever be part of the strategic defense area of North America and exclude any adversary from it and the surrounding area," he wrote.

A State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss specific terms, said the deal prohibits non-NATO countries from building a base in Greenland and will allow only the US and its allies to make unspecified "sensitive investments." The official said the agreement grants the US permanent access, basing and overflight rights, and would continue to apply even if Greenland becomes independent.

World

Trump Signs Bill Authorizing Sweeping Russia Sanctions

US President Donald Trump attends the signing ceremony for an executive order on mail ballots, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, March 31, 2026. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump attends the signing ceremony for an executive order on mail ballots, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, March 31, 2026. (Reuters)
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Trump Signs Bill Authorizing Sweeping Russia Sanctions

US President Donald Trump attends the signing ceremony for an executive order on mail ballots, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, March 31, 2026. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump attends the signing ceremony for an executive order on mail ballots, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, March 31, 2026. (Reuters)

US President Donald Trump signed a bill on Friday authorizing new sanctions designed to pressure Russia over its war in Ukraine, after Congress gave its approval after months of delay.

Washington is pushing to revive a mediated path towards ending the conflict as Moscow intensifies attacks against Ukraine, even though much of its attention -- and munitions -- are focused on the ongoing war against Iran.

The legislation, which US lawmakers approved this week, takes aim at Russia's energy and defense sectors, alongside President Vladimir Putin and other senior officials.

It also targets Moscow's so-called shadow fleet of tankers used to evade Western sanctions, and allows Trump the authority to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on major buyers of Russian oil and gas.

That could potentially cover China and India, and furthers efforts to cut off revenue financing Moscow's war.

The Republican-led House of Representatives passed the package by a 262-159 vote on Wednesday.

The bill would also target companies and foreign actors supporting Russia's military, and extend sanctions involving Iran.

But the broad powers to impose tariffs sparked an unusual split among Democrats, who largely support Ukraine but have resisted handing Trump wider authority over trade.

- Tougher pressure -

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier hailed the legislation as "symbolic" and thanked US lawmakers.

The bill is "an extremely powerful tool that can stop this terrorist war and bring Russia to the point where it has to make peace," Zelensky wrote on X.

"Sanctions must be strong so that all efforts for peace -- including our joint diplomatic efforts with the United States, Europe, and our other friends -- can succeed," he added.

India said on Thursday it would continue buying oil "through diversified sourcing."

New Delhi -- which counts Russia as one of its most important strategic partners -- has navigated the energy crisis sparked by the US-Iran conflict in part by turning to Moscow, despite pressure from Western countries.

Supporters of the legislation argued that tougher economic pressure is needed against Moscow, which launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The Congress vote was celebrated by pro-Ukraine activists, who pointed to continuing Russian attacks, including drone strikes on Wednesday on civilian transport in the south that officials in Kyiv said killed five people.

Trump has generally preferred to retain control over sanctions and tariffs rather than have Congress dictate policy, helping delay the measure for more than a year.

The president's signing of the bill comes a week before he is due to meet with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Washington.

 

 

World

Iran Executes Man Accused of Providing Missile Info to Israel

Iranian motorists drive past a billboard displaying the flags of Iran and Palestine and portraits of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on a street in Tehran, Iran, 01 August 2026. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
Iranian motorists drive past a billboard displaying the flags of Iran and Palestine and portraits of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on a street in Tehran, Iran, 01 August 2026. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
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Iran Executes Man Accused of Providing Missile Info to Israel

Iranian motorists drive past a billboard displaying the flags of Iran and Palestine and portraits of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on a street in Tehran, Iran, 01 August 2026. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
Iranian motorists drive past a billboard displaying the flags of Iran and Palestine and portraits of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on a street in Tehran, Iran, 01 August 2026. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH

Iran's judiciary announced on Saturday the execution of a man accused of providing information about Iranian missile sites to Israeli intelligence.

"The death penalty was carried out against Hossein Pedaran, who had provided the Mossad with information on missile sites in Isfahan province" in central Iran, judicial authorities said, without saying when he was arrested or put on trial.

Pedaran had faced accusations of "espionage and intelligence collaboration" in favor of Israel.

The judiciary said his sentence had been upheld by the supreme court.

The case had not previously been reported by the media.

Iranian authorities have escalated arrests and executions both in connection with the Middle East war that began in February and the nationwide protests that peaked in January.

Throughout the war, numerous missile sites have been bombed. Supreme leader Ali Khamenei was killed at the start of the war.

Isfahan province, which hosts Iranian nuclear sites, has been one of the hardest hit throughout the war.

In August, the judiciary announced the execution of two men accused of having "transmitted the coordinates of sensitive military and security sites" to Israel.