President Biden contracts COVID-19, Russia adjusts foreign policy, Ukraine issues new maritime security strategy

The results of the election of the President of the European Commission, the Canadian Foreign Minister's visit to China, Israel's intensified attacks across Gaza, Hungary's readiness to host Russia-Ukraine talks, Russia's blocking of a terrorist attack plot in Donetsk... are some of the notable international events in the past 24 hours.

Ursula von der Leyen continues to hold the position of President of the European Commission for another 5-year term. (Source: AFP)

The World & Vietnam Newspaper highlights some of the day's international news highlights.

Asia-Pacific

*China to deepen market reform, improve resource allocation: According to a communique issued on July 18 after the plenary session of the 3rd Plenum of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, China aims to complete the establishment of a high-level socialist market economic system by 2035.

China will strengthen the role of market mechanisms in the economy, create a fairer and more dynamic market environment, and optimize the efficiency of resource allocation.

China will deepen reforms of the budget and tax systems, the financial system and the land system, Xinhua news agency reported, citing a statement. (THX)

*South Korea sanctions North Korean cargo ship: The South Korean Foreign Ministry confirmed on July 18 that Seoul authorities have sanctioned Hong Kong-based HK Yilin Shipping Company, the owner of the stateless ship DE YI, and Tok Song, a North Korean cargo ship involved in transporting coal while the ship was heading to Vladivostok, Russia.

The South Korean government has concluded that the 3,000-ton cargo ship was carrying North Korean coal, the foreign ministry added. The sanctions, the ministry said, demonstrate the South Korean government's strong commitment to cracking down on illegal maritime activities. (Yonhap)

*Joint Russia-China naval exercise strengthens bilateral trust: China's Ministry of National Defense affirmed on July 18 that the joint Russia-China naval exercise in 2024 has enhanced mutual understanding and trust between the two navies.

Posting on its WeChat account, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense emphasized: “The exercises have become the main platform for bilateral cooperation between the Russian and Chinese navies, continuously improving the capabilities of both sides to jointly respond to threats and challenges.

The exercise took place from July 15-17 in the South China Sea and was aimed at jointly responding to maritime security threats. (Sputniknews)

Europe

*Results of the election of the President of the European Commission: On July 18, EU lawmakers voted to elect Ms. Ursula von der Leyen to continue as President of the European Commission for another 5-year term.

The 720-member European Parliament approved von der Leyen's reappointment by 401 votes to 284, with 15 abstentions. Von der Leyen needed just 361 votes to retain her post.

Ms. von der Leyen was German Defense Minister under Chancellor Angela Merkel. She was elected President of the European Commission in 2019. (Reuters)

*Russian security prevents terrorist attack in Donetsk: The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on July 18 that it had prevented a terrorist attack in Donetsk. The statement said: “The Russian female citizen was trained by a Ukrainian nationalist group in Russia.

On their instructions, the person planned to burn down the Petrovsky District Court of Donetsk to receive a reward. It was determined that the person intended to cross into Ukraine after the attack to join the ranks of a terrorist organization.

The FSB also released a video recording the arrest and investigation, in which the detainee shows where the flammable liquid was prepared. (Sputnik)

*Italy and Turkey strengthen trade relations: On July 17, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced that his country aims to further improve cooperation with Turkey in many areas.

After meeting with Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat on the sidelines of the G7 Trade Ministers' Meeting in Calabria, southern Italy, Foreign Minister Tajani wrote on social network X: "Italy wants to strengthen cooperation in all areas, starting with economic issues. Turkey is Italy's strategic partner in the Mediterranean."

For his part, Minister Bolat said he discussed “our common expectation of increasing trade turnover to $30 billion this year.” (AFP)

*Kremlin: Russia must adjust its foreign policy: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on July 18 that the prospect of the European Union (EU) becoming a defense alliance forces Russia to adjust its foreign policy approaches accordingly.

Earlier in the day, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pledged to turn the EU into a defense organization if she is re-elected.

"These are realities that we have to adapt to. And of course, all this forces us to adjust our foreign policy approach accordingly," Peskov said at a press conference. (Sputniknews)

*Italy investigates Google for unfair trade practices: On July 18, Italy's antitrust authority said it had opened an investigation into Google and its parent company Alphabet for unfair trade practices.

The requests Google sends to users for permission to link to its services “may constitute misleading and unfair commercial practices,” it said, adding that the information it provides is “incomplete and misleading.”

The agency added that users were unclear about what effect their consent would have and how their personal data was being used. (Reuters)

*Russia concerned about the presence of NATO ships in the Black Sea: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov affirmed on July 18 that the large-scale presence of NATO ships in the Black Sea region poses a threat to Russia.

“The large presence of NATO ships, including Bulgaria and Romania, coastal states that are members of the alliance – of course, this creates an additional threat, especially in the current situation,” Peskov said at a press conference.

When asked what Russia would do if the presence of NATO ships in the Black Sea region increased, the Kremlin representative stated: "Of course, Russia will take all necessary measures to ensure its own security." (Sputniknews)

*Ukraine issues new Maritime Security Strategy: Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelensky on July 17 signed the Maritime Security Strategy, aiming to ensure Ukraine's overall and effective readiness to prevent security threats at sea.

Among the principles of the Strategy is “implementation of the strategic roadmap” towards EU and NATO membership. Kiev has set the task of increasing the combat capabilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces at sea, including with unmanned boats and craft.

Ukraine also plans to cooperate at sea with NATO countries, including conducting joint exercises with NATO countries, ensuring NATO's permanent presence in the Black Sea. (Reuters)

*Hungary ready to host Russia-Ukraine talks: Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Hungary is ready to become a venue for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban began his EU presidency on a “mission of peace”, visiting Ukraine, Russia, China and the NATO summit in Washington. He also discussed achieving peace in Ukraine with Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

On June 14, Russian President Putin outlined conditions for resolving the situation in Ukraine, including Ukraine's withdrawal from the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporozhizhia provinces, recognizing these regions as Russian territory, and Ukraine choosing non-aligned status.

However, Kiev has rejected this initiative. (Sputniknews)

*UK confirms NATO regular troops may be deployed in Ukraine: British newspaper The Guardian reported that NATO regular troops may appear in Ukraine and Western special forces are already present in the country.

According to the newspaper, the conflict in Ukraine has become a “NATO war” and there is no evidence in the West that Russian President Vladimir Putin “has ever sought to wage a hot war with Western countries”.

Earlier, Polish President Andrzej Duda said that NATO countries need to increase their troops for the conflict with Russia. The Polish leader also praised Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's "peace mission". President Duda believes that the Hungarian leader is "simply afraid" of a larger conflict in Europe. (Sputnik)

Middle East-Africa

*Israel steps up attacks across Gaza: According to sources from Gaza, on July 18, Israeli forces shelled refugee camps in central Gaza and attacked Gaza City in the north, killing at least 13 people, while Israeli tanks also advanced deeper into the city of Rafah.

On the same day, Hamas and allied groups said they fired mortars at Israeli forces southwest of Rafah. After more than nine months of fighting, Hamas-led Palestinian militants are still able to attack Israeli forces with anti-tank missiles and mortars, as well as fire rockets into Israel.

According to a statement from Israel on July 16, the Israeli army has eliminated half of the leadership of Hamas' military wing and killed or captured about 14,000 militants since the start of the war. Meanwhile, on the Israeli side, 326 soldiers have been killed in Gaza. (Al Jazeera)

*Israel, Palestine and US secretly negotiate to reopen Rafah border crossing: Axios news site reported that senior officials from the US, Israel and Palestine held secret talks in Tel Aviv last week to discuss reopening the Rafah border crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip.

The talks were attended by White House top Middle East adviser Brett McGurk; director of Israel's Shin Bet security agency Ronen Bar and top aides to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, including Palestinian Authority Civil Affairs Minister Hussein al-Sheikh and intelligence chief Majed Faraj.

US officials have stressed that reopening Rafah would be crucial to implementing the first phase of the ceasefire and releasing the hostages.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains opposed to any formal Palestinian involvement in the Rafah operation. (TASS)

America - Latin America

*Canadian Foreign Minister visits China: The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced that Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly will visit Beijing from July 18-20, 2024 at the invitation of her counterpart Wang Yi, in the context that the two countries are seeking to mend relations.

Canada's foreign minister has not been to China since taking office in 2021, but she did meet with Wang Yi in February on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

Relations between Beijing and Ottawa have been strained in recent years. The arrest of a senior executive of Chinese tech giant Huawei in Vancouver in December 2018 and Beijing's retaliatory detention of two Canadians on spying charges have chilled ties. (AFP)

*US Republicans divided over support for Ukraine: Former Arkansas Governor and former Republican presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson said the US Republican Party has so far been unable to reach a consensus on the level of future US support for Ukraine.

"I think he (Trump) is a negotiator," said Mr Hutchinson. "He's made it clear that he wants to end that war. That's not a unified view in the Republican Party."

The US Republican National Convention opened on July 15 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Delegates at the convention nominated billionaire Donald Trump as the US presidential candidate and Senator James David Vance as the vice presidential candidate. Mr. Vance has consistently supported ending Washington's arms supplies to Kiev and a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Ukraine. (TASS)

*US jails man for smuggling military technology to Russia: The US Department of Justice (DOJ) on July 17 sentenced a Russian man to three years in prison for smuggling a large quantity of US-made military electronics to Russia.

The DOJ statement said that Maxim Marchenko, 52, who had lived in Hong Kong, China, was arrested in the US in September 2023. He and two Russian accomplices were accused of using shell companies to conceal fraudulent sales of OLED micro-displays. Last February, Marchenko pleaded guilty in a New York court to money laundering and smuggling of goods from the US.

Federal prosecutors say the tiny OLED displays could be used to make rifle scopes, night vision goggles, thermal imaging optics and other weapons systems. (AFP)

*US President tests positive for COVID-19, considering withdrawal from race: The White House announced that US President Joe Biden tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 while campaigning in Las Vegas on July 17 and is currently experiencing mild symptoms.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed President Biden's medical test results and said President Biden will not be able to speak at a previously scheduled event.

Earlier in the day, US President Joe Biden said he might re-evaluate his election bid if a “medical issue” arose. The statement came amid scrutiny of the Democratic candidate’s health following a “disastrous” televised debate with former President Donald Trump on June 27.

Previously, President Biden hinted at the possibility of withdrawing from the election campaign, saying he could reassess his efforts if “medical issues” arose. (Reuters)

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tin-the-gioi-187-to-ng-thong-biden-mac-covid-19-nga-dieu-chinh-chinh-sach-doi-ngoai-ukraine-ban-hanh-chien-luoc-an-ninh-bien-moi-279202.html