Submit your Article

The Chinese Consulate General in Melbourne hosted a screening of Dongji Rescue on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

The film depicts the 1942 Lisbon Maru incident, when Chinese fishermen saved over 300 British prisoners of war from a sinking Japanese ship. Chinese Consul-General Fang Xinwen noted China’s role in the Eastern front and solidarity with allies. Speakers urged preserving wartime history, while viewers praised the film’s powerful message of courage and humanity, according to Xinhua.

U.S. President Donald Trump said he believes his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin is ready to end his war in Ukraine, speaking on the eve of Friday's summit between the men, but that peace would likely require at least a second meeting involving Ukraine's leader, Reuters reported.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his European allies have intensified their efforts this week to prevent any deal between the U.S. and Russia emerging from Friday's summit in Alaska that leaves Ukraine vulnerable to future attack.

"I think President Putin will make peace, I think President Zelenskiy will make peace," Trump told reporters at the White House. "We'll see if they get along."

Trump has downplayed talk of a ceasefire emerging from the summit and speculated about a possible second meeting to come, involving more leaders, according to Reuters.

Flash floods have killed 46 people in a village hosting Hindu pilgrims in Indian-administered Kashmir, BBC reported.

The flooding took place in the remote village of Chositi in Kishtwar district, which is on a busy pilgrimage route to a famous shrine in the Himalayas. 

Videos shared online showed dramatic flood waters, vehicles being washed away and rescuers searching for survivors in damaged homes, as people cried in the streets - some caked in mud. 

Dozens of pilgrims have been evacuated to safety, but at least 50 people are feared missing, and a rescue operation is still under way, according to BBC

India and China are discussing resuming border trade five years after it was halted, foreign ministry officials on both sides have said, as US tariffs disrupt the global trade order. Past trade across the icy and high-altitude Himalayan border passes between the neighbours was usually small in volume, but any resumption is significant for its symbolism. The two major economic powers have long competed for strategic influence across South Asia, AFP reported.

But caught in global trade and geopolitical turbulence triggered by US President Donald Trump’s tariff regime, the countries have moved to mend ties. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is expected for talks in New Delhi on Monday, according to Indian media, after his counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar visited Beijing in July. That, as well as agreements to resume direct flights and issue tourist visas, has been seen as an effort to rebuild a relationship damaged after a deadly border clash in 2020 between their nations’ troops.

“For a long time, China-India border trade cooperation has played an important role in improving the lives of people living along the border,” China’s foreign ministry said in a statement to AFP on Thursday. It added that the two sides have “reached a consensus on cross-border exchanges and cooperation, including resumption of border trade.”

New Delhi’s junior foreign minister, Kirti Vardhan Singh, told parliament last week that “India has engaged with the Chinese side to facilitate the resumption of border trade.” No restart date was given by either side. Successive US administrations have seen India as a longstanding ally with like-minded interests when it comes to China. India is part of the Quad security alliance with the United States, as well as Australia and Japan, according to AFP.

But ties between New Delhi and Washington have been strained by Trump’s ultimatum for India to end its purchases of Russian oil, a key source of revenue for Moscow as it wages its military offensive in Ukraine. The United States will double new import tariffs on India from 25 percent to 50 percent by Aug 27 if New Delhi does not switch crude suppliers.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to Indian media, might also visit China in late August. It would be Modi’s first visit since 2018, although it has not been confirmed officially. Beijing has said that ‘China welcomes Prime Minister Modi’ for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit opening on Aug 31, AFP reported.