Iran stays silent on HMM Namu in call with Seoul SEOUL, May 18 (AJP) - Iran’s foreign minister blamed the U.S. and Israel for instability in the Middle East during a phone call with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, while Tehran made no mention of a recent attack on a Korean vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iran’s foreign ministry. The call, reportedly requested by Seoul, was the first between Cho and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi since the HMM Namu was attacked near the Strait of Hormuz in May 18, 2026

ASIA INSIGHT: What back-to-back visits by Trump and Putin mean for China SEOUL, May 18 (AJP) - Just days after U.S. President Donald Trump left Beijing, Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to arrive there this week. The timing appears to be no coincidence. According to China's Foreign Ministry, Putin will visit China on Tuesday and Wednesday at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping. The two leaders are expected to discuss bilateral cooperation, regional security and other broader global issues before signing a series of agreements. On May 18, 2026

Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan expand bilateral trade and transport networks SEOUL, May 18 (AJP) - Bilateral trade and transport volumes between Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan are surging following the introduction of a free trade regime between the two nations, the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Seoul said Monday. Total trade turnover reached 80.1 million dollars in the first quarter of 2026, marking a 42.5 percent increase from the same period last year. The economic expansion is driven by established intergovernmental platforms, including a joint commission that h May 18, 2026

AJP Deep Insight: US-China Summit: Missing are the voices of Russia and EU No sooner had President Donald Trump concluded his summit with President Xi Jinping and departed China on May 15, 2026 than news emerged that Russian President Vladimir Putin would arrive in Beijing almost immediately afterward. On the surface, such a visit may not appear extraordinary. Putin has traveled to China many times before, and Sino-Russian summits have become familiar features of the geopolitical landscape. Yet this visit feels fundamentally different. The timing May 16, 2026

ASIA INSIGHT: Why Xi Jinping's table moves world Leaders What is the oldest surviving language of international politics? It is not the language of armies. Nor is it the language of money. More often than we admit, it is a bowl of noodles, a slice of roast duck, a cup of tea. China has understood this for centuries. As Confucius taught in The Analects, “In the practice of ritual, harmony is the most precious.” Long before diplomacy became communiqués, sanctions and summit statements, Chinese civilization learned May 16, 2026

Korea's Cheonghae Unit departs for Gulf of Aden amid Hormuz tensions SEOUL, May 15 (AJP) - The South Korean Navy’s destroyer Wang Geon departed from Busan on Friday to replace the Cheonghae Unit currently operating in the Gulf of Aden, amid speculation that the unit could be deployed near the Strait of Hormuz depending on regional developments. The 4,400-ton Wang Geon, a Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class destroyer, left Busan Naval Base at 4 p.m. after a send-off ceremony attended by service members and their families. The 48th rotation of the Ch May 15, 2026

ASIA INSIGHT: The Taiwan Strait poses as most dangerous fault line in US-China relations A Strategic chokepoint rivaling the Strait of Hormuz and the Strait of Malacca Whenever the leaders of the United States and China meet, the world watches closely. Yet behind the formal photographs, diplomatic courtesies, and carefully calibrated statements, one issue continues to dominate the strategic core of the relationship: Taiwan. Trade disputes, tariffs, artificial intelligence, supply chains, Ukraine, and the Middle East all occupied the agenda during the Beijing sum May 15, 2026

ASIA INSIGHT: Why did US' big tech titans march into Beijing together? The strategic meaning behind Trump bringing Jensen Huang and Silicon Valley’s AI generals to China The summit held in May 2026 at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People was not merely another diplomatic ceremony between the leaders of the United States and China. It was a vivid demonstration that the architecture of global power in the 21st century is no longer defined solely by armies, alliances, or nuclear arsenals. Increasingly, it is being shaped by artificial intel May 15, 2026

ASIA INSIGHT: Will US-China summit help ease tensions in Iran? When will the joint statement on Iran’s nuclear freeze and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz truly take effect? The real significance of the May 2026 summit in Beijing between the leaders of the United States and China extended far beyond the management of bilateral relations. Behind the carefully staged diplomacy lay a much larger calculation: the urgent need to stabilize the Middle East, preserve the global flow of energy, and prevent financial markets fr May 15, 2026

ASIA INSIGHT: While Hormuz burns, Hong Kong ships AI revolution As conflict turns the Middle East into a maritime graveyard, the Pearl River Delta is quietly monopolizing the world's most valuable supply chain. At the Kwai Tsing Container Terminals, the air carries the scent of ozone and hydraulic fluid. There are no bulk carriers of iron ore or massive tankers of crude lining the piers today. Instead, the focus is on a single, climate-controlled container being winched onto a freighter bound for the Port of Long Beach. Inside are hig May 15, 2026