The Philippine defence secretary has accused China of coercion, bullying and aggression after being handed a note while participating in a panel discussion, according to Al Jazeera. The incident, in which the defence chief publicly called out Beijing over the mid-panel note, highlights ongoing tensions between the Philippines and China. Further details of the note's contents and the specific event were not provided in the report.

China and Russia are set to conduct their annual joint naval drills starting Monday and continuing until July 13 off the coast of Qingdao. Following these exercises, the two nations will engage in joint maritime patrols in the Pacific Ocean, according to Al Jazeera.

China on Wednesday rejected U.S. accusations that Chinese artificial intelligence developers are conducting "aggressive, malicious" industrial-scale efforts to extract capabilities from advanced American AI systems. The rebuttal came after the FBI, National Security Agency and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued a joint cybersecurity advisory on Tuesday alleging such activity by Chinese AI developers. The dispute unfolds ahead of planned talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to the Associated Press.

China has announced plans to deepen bilateral ties with Qatar, with Beijing saying it will increase coordination with Doha to help de-escalate regional tensions amid the ongoing war on Iran. According to Al Jazeera, the move reflects a strengthening relationship between the two countries, with China positioning itself as playing a role in efforts to reduce conflict in the Middle East.

Kenya has joined defence and security leaders from 67 countries at the 2026 Seoul Defence Dialogue in South Korea, according to Capital FM. The gathering brings together participating nations seeking to reshape international security cooperation around a new alliance model. Kenya's participation places the country among the states engaging in the high-level discussions on global security, though further details of its specific role or contributions at the dialogue were not provided in the report.

Fishing crews in Sierra Leone have expressed concerns that large Chinese trawlers are illegally depleting local fish stocks, which they claim is negatively impacting their livelihoods. The fishermen allege that these foreign vessels are engaging in practices that threaten the sustainability of the fishing industry in the region, leading to economic difficulties for local communities.