Situation Reports

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with various Chinese officials this week during a six-day visit to China, resulting in the two countries signing $7 billion in memoranda of understanding as well as $1.5 billion in joint ventures across a range of sectors, including agriculture, renewable energy, health and steel, AP reported Sept. 5.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Ecuador on Sept. 4 and met with President Daniel Noboa and Ecuadoran Foreign Minister Maria Gabriela Sommerfeld Rosero, during which Rubio announced that the United States would provide $20 million in new security commitments to the country, including $13 million for general security funding and $6 million for drones, Reuters reported the same day.

China's Ministry of Commerce on Sept. 5 announced it was placing preliminary anti-dumping duties of 15.6-62.4% on pork imports suitable for human consumption from the European Union, effective Sept. 10, Bloomberg has reported.

Speaking at the Vladivostok Economic Forum, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that ''any troops'' deployed to Ukraine would be considered ''legitimate targets for destruction,'' Reuters reported Sept. 5.

The White House released an executive order late on Sept. 4 with details on the U.S.-Japan trade deal, confirming a 15% tariff on most goods, including automobiles, as well as tariff exemptions for pharmaceuticals and certain natural resources, though the deal only vaguely outlines their investment agreement, with no timeline or clarification on the allocation of profits, Bloomberg has reported.

The European Commission on Sept. 5 issued a 2.95 billion euro ($3.5 billion) fine for Google over its advertising technology.

Two Venezuelan F-16 fighter jets flew over a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Caribbean, which the Pentagon described as a highly provocative act, Reuters reported Sept. 5.

Al Qaeda affiliate Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, or JNIM, announced on Sept. 3 that it had begun blockades on Mali's southwestern cities of Kayes and Nioro du Sahel, Radio France Internationale reported Sept. 4.

Former Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul of the center-right Bhumjaithai Party was elected as Thailand's 32nd prime minister, securing 311 of 490 votes in the lower house, the Bangkok Post reported Sept. 5.

On Sept. 4, Romania's right-wing Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR) filed four separate no-confidence motions against Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan's government for Sept. 7, Balkan Insight reported.