China persisting with intellectual property theft in violation of international commitments: report

The Australian government is being urged to escalate its responses to commercial cyber espionage as a new report finds Chinese hacking of Western trade secrets has rebounded in violation of formal commitments made by President Xi Jinping's regime. The report from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute has concluded that Chinese theft of intellectual property and other sensitive information - an issue at the heart of a spiralling trade dispute between Beijing and Washington - has persisted and become more advanced.

The Shocking Waste Hidden Inside the $126 Billion Afghan Reconstruction

"Congress has appropriated $126 billion for Afghanistan reconstruction since Fiscal Year 2002," wrote Special Inspector General John F. Sopko in testimony delivered in May to the Senate Subcommittee on Federal Spending Oversight and Emergency Management. By 2014, he added, inflation-adjusted appropriations for that purpose "had already exceeded the total of U.S. aid committed to the Marshall Plan for rebuilding much of Europe after World War II."

US lauds Taiwan ties in dedication of new de-facto embassy Source: AP

The U.S. dedicated a new de-facto embassy in Taiwan on Tuesday in what officials described as an indicator of robust ties with the self-governing island democracy that China claims as its own territory. The recently completed American Institute in Taiwan office in a suburb of the capital Taipei will house U.S. representatives and serves American interests in the absence of formal diplomatic ties.

PHOTOS: Russian warships visit Philippines

The Philippine Navy released several photos of the arrival of Russian Navy Pacific Fleet ships anti-submarine destroyers Admiral Tributs and Admiral Vinogradov , and large sea tanker Pechenga for a five-day goodwill visit today, June 9. According to the Russian embassy, the destroyers will open their doors for public visit on Sunday, June 10 from 1pm to 5pm at Pier 15, Manila South Harbor.

Russian destroyers to visit Manila, open for Filipinos on Sunday

Russian Navy ships Udaloy-class anti-submarine destroyers Admiral Tributs and Admiral Vinogradov, and large sea tanker Pechenga are scheduled to visit the Philippines from June 9 to 14. The Russian Embassy in the Philippines said Admiral Tributs and Admiral Vinogradov will be open for public on June 10, Sunday from 1 to 5 pm at Pier 15, Manila South Harbor. Naval Public Affairs Office director Captain Lued Lincuna said the ships, under Russian Pacific Fleet, will arrive in Manila morning of Saturday.

US would ‘absolutely’ welcome Australian naval operations in South China Sea, general says

The United States has told Australia in the clearest terms yet that it would like Australia to participate in naval and air shows of strength that challenge China's claim over artificial islands. The commander of US Marines in the Pacific, Lieutenant General David Berger, said during a visit to Canberra on Friday that each country had to make its own decisions but the US would "absolutely" welcome Australia taking part in so-called freedom-of-navigation operations.

U.S. Evacuates Multiple Employees From Chinese Consulate Over Mysterious Illness

The U.S. State Department has sent "a number of individuals" from the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou, China back to the U.S. after screenings showed they may have been affected by mysterious health problems similar to what diplomats experienced in Cuba. Two weeks ago, the agency said one government employee in Guangzhou experienced "vague, but abnormal, sensations of sound and pressure," similar to the unexplained incidents - sometimes described as "sonic attacks" - that recently sickened staffers in Cuba.

Trump’s trade agenda hits reality check

President Donald Trump's hard-line views on trade, a staple of his message long before he entered politics, are beginning to collide with the cold realities of global geopolitics. Trade talks on China and the North American Free Trade Agreement have hit stumbling blocks, posing a challenge for a president who vowed to make trade deals more equitable for the United States during his 2016 campaign and who famously tweeted that trade wars are "easy to win."

Trump’s trade agenda runs into reality of global geopolitics

President Donald Trump's hard-line views on trade, a staple of his message long before he entered politics, are beginning to collide with the cold realities of global geopolitics. Trade talks on China and the North American Free Trade Agreement have hit stumbling blocks, posing a challenge for a president who vowed to make trade deals more equitable for the United States during his 2016 campaign and who famously tweeted that trade wars are "easy to win."

James Clapper: Kim Jong Un ‘May Have Met His Match’ With ‘Unconventional’ Trump

State of the Union and said he supports President Donald Trump 's cancellation of his summit with Kim Jong Un - adding that the North Korean leader may have "met his match" in the U.S. president. In an interview with Dana Bash , Clapper spoke on the letter Trump sent to Kim declaring the cancellation of a planned summit between the two leaders, originally slated for June 12. Nonetheless, Trump said on Sunday that the meeting could be back on.

Analysis: Trump misses NAFTA deadline, brags about negotiating skills

President Donald Trump on Thursday missed House Speaker Paul Ryan's deadline for a new North American trade deal, cast doubt on prospects for averting a trade war with China hours before meeting a top Chinese official, and bragged about his negotiating skills. All in all, it was just another day in the president's ongoing effort to remake U.S. trade policy.

Exploring the Chinese Exclusion Act, a racist stain on the American dream

More than a century before US President Donald Trump began blocking arrivals from the Middle East and Africa, the American immigration debate was already being forged in the crucible of Chinese exclusion. On May 6, 1882 - the eve of the greatest wave of immigration in US history - president Chester A. Arthur signed a history-making yet little-known piece of legislation called the Chinese Exclusion Act.