ASEAN Diplomacy: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio landed in Manila for ASEAN and East Asia Summit meetings, signaling openness to talks with China’s Wang Yi as Washington weighs how to respond to alleged China election meddling. India Protests & Governance: India’s “Cockroach Janta Party” protests over exam leaks and corruption spread after police crackdowns, with opposition lawmakers rallying behind youth anger—raising the stakes for Modi-era politics. Japan–China Security: Japan protested China’s live-fire drill in its EEZ near Okinotori, while China rejected Tokyo’s claims and argued Okinotori is a rock that cannot generate an EEZ. US–China Election Row: Trump softened his tone on retaliation after accusing Beijing of 2020 election interference, while China dismissed the allegations as fabricated. Tech & AI Rivalry: India launched an open-source, offline-capable AI hackathon to build local multilingual devices, as the US warned it could sanction Chinese AI firms over alleged IP theft. Trade & Regional Order: ASEAN admitted Sweden, Poland, Romania and Lithuania to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, expanding international backing for ASEAN’s non-interference principles. Economic Signals: China–US goods trade rebounded in Q2 after a Q1 slump, alongside renewed tariff-cut talks.