West Philippine Sea Tensions: The AFP urged China’s embassy and Beijing’s MFA to publicly reject Chinese scholars’ claim that Batanes is part of Taiwan, warning silence could let the idea harden into an official position. India-US Crime Cooperation: India reiterated that terrorism and transnational organised crime remain major threats, pointing to expanding India–US law enforcement work after US indictments targeting gangs linked to attacks on the Indian diaspora. Detained US Researcher: China rejected claims of wrongful detention of American seismologist Youlin Chen, held for nearly two years on espionage charges, as Trump keeps raising the case with Xi. Japan Election Rules: Japan approved tighter election social-media rules requiring clear labelling of AI-generated political content and tighter controls on misleading candidate claims. India–Maldives Trade: India and the Maldives concluded the first round of FTA talks, with both sides pushing to speed negotiations and a BIT, as bilateral trade rose in 2025–26. India–UK CETA: India’s exports to the UK are set to gain an edge as CETA takes effect, cutting tariffs and expanding duty-free access. Indo-Pacific Strategy: Commentary and analysis tied Modi’s Pacific push to broader Indo-Pacific partnership-building beyond a simple China rivalry lens. Pakistan-India Water Flashpoint: India warned PoK unrest stems from Islamabad’s “systemic exploitation,” while India–Pakistan Indus water tensions escalated with new infrastructure moves. Japan–India Defence Dialogue: India and Japan reviewed defence cooperation in Tokyo, including maritime, cyber, space and defence industrial collaboration. China–Russia Pivot: Russia’s Kremlin is pitching the Far East as a new investment frontier amid sanctions-driven trade with China.