Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told President Barack Obama he’ll consider sending the country’s maritime forces to back up U.S. operations in the South China Sea. Japan and the U.S. have occasionally conducted joint exercises, but never in such close proximity to features claimed by China. Source: Bloomberg
The Saudi-led Arab military coalition destroyed on Wednesday two boats of the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels threatening a commercial oil tanker in the Red Sea, the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) state news agency WAM reports. Source: Oil Price
Taiwan’s air force scrambled aircraft on Friday as Chinese bombers flew around the self-ruled island, just a few hours after Taiwan vowed not to be cowed having lost another diplomatic ally amid growing Chinese pressure. Source: Reuters
France and Russia want to create a coordination mechanism between world powers to push ahead with finding a political solution in Syria, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday. Source: France24
