Mexico severed diplomatic ties with Ecuador on Friday after Ecuadorian police stormed the Mexican embassy in Quito to arrest former Ecuadorian Vice-President Jorge Glas. The Mexican embassy's decision to provide shelter to Glas after the former VP was convicted of corruption had infuriated Ecuadorian authorities. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador called the arrest an “authoritarian” act and a violation of international law and Mexican sovereignty.
On Friday, India supported a draft resolution at the UN Human Rights Council that upheld the Palestinian people’s “inalienable right” to self-determination, including the right to establish an independent state. With 42 member states, including India, voting in favour, the draft resolution on the “Right of the Palestinian people to self-determination” was endorsed by the Geneva-based Council. The only two nations in the 47-member Council to vote against the resolution were the US and Paraguay, with Albania, Argentina, and Cameroon abstaining.
Saudi Crown Prince and PM Mohammed bin Salman met Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif, who is in Saudi Arabia for a three-day visit, on Sunday. They discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral ties and appreciated the upward trajectory of longstanding fraternal relations. Additionally, they discussed regional and international developments.
During a meeting in Beijing on Sunday, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen conveyed a message of collaboration to Chinese Premier Li Qiang, acknowledging improvements in bilateral relations since her previous visit to China last year, as well as existing significant differences.
On Sunday, the militaries of the US, Japan, Australia, and the Philippines engaged in a “maritime cooperative activity” in the South China Sea to uphold a free and open Indo-Pacific region and freedom of navigation. This response to China’s increasing assertiveness in the area included one-day maritime exercises that included communication and anti-submarine drills within Manila’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea.
The US, UK, and Australia are set to discuss the expansion of the AUKUS security agreement to include new members, with a particular focus on Japan, as a deterrent against China. The AUKUS defence ministers will unveil talks on “Pillar Two” of the pact during an announcement on Monday. This pillar entails collaborative efforts in developing technologies such as quantum computing, undersea capabilities, hypersonic systems, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity. However, there are no plans to extend the first pillar, which centres on supplying nuclear-powered submarines to Australia.