Welcome again to International Coverage’s State of affairs Report, the place your co-authors engaged in severe diplomatic and commerce negotiations over their respective contributions to right now’s publication.
On that notice, right here’s what’s on faucet for the day: Trump’s Asia offers give protection a lift earlier than he makes a puzzling nuclear declare, and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang makes a MAGA pit cease in Washington.
U.S. President Donald Trump waited 9 months into his second time period to make a visit to Asia, however the flurry of agreements he signed with nations within the area—in addition to a brief commerce truce with China—means that the go to was price his whereas.
Whereas commerce, tariffs, and demanding minerals dominated the agenda, tucked into a number of of these agreements have been offers on protection funding, cooperation, and manufacturing. However Trump additionally triggered some discomfort and alarm by first reiterating a push for allies similar to South Korea and Japan to spend extra on their very own protection after which immediately asserting on his Fact Social platform that the USA would “begin testing our Nuclear Weapons” (extra on the latter beneath).
In the meantime, Trump acquired some massive protection {dollars} to tout.
South Korea signed a $2.3 billion take care of U.S. protection contractor L3Harris Applied sciences to develop “warning and management” plane for its air pressure, in accordance to a White Home truth sheet.
The 2 nations additionally furthered their rising shipbuilding partnership, with Korean companies Hyundai and Hanwha Ocean contributing to greater than $10 billion to assist modernize U.S. shipyards.
In Japan, Trump made a take care of newly elected Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to cooperate on shipbuilding. The 2 nations additionally dedicated to coordinating extra carefully on funding mechanisms associated to nationwide safety, and Tokyo mentioned it might “pursue new sanctions frameworks to focus on vessels linked to shadow fleets.”
Japan additionally started receiving medium-range air-to-air missiles for its U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets on an “accelerated” foundation, the White Home mentioned.
A number of offers agreed on the Affiliation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Malaysia earlier within the week additionally furthered protection and safety cooperation with Washington, together with a memorandum of understanding with Malaysia on “maritime safety and maritime area consciousness.” Malaysia and the Philippines grew to become the most recent nations to signal on to the Artemis Accords, a set of U.S.-led ideas for area exploration.
The US additionally agreed to take away an arms embargo on Cambodia that it had imposed in 2021 over the nation’s ties to the Chinese language navy and to renew bilateral navy workouts for the primary time since 2017.
U.S. plane producer Boeing was one of many greatest beneficiaries of the journey, securing pledges to promote 103 planes to South Korea’s flag service and as much as 60 to Malaysia.
Trump’s protection dealmaking within the area started days earlier than he touched down, with a go to to Washington by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese yielding practically $6 billion in deliberate purchases of U.S. unmanned underwater automobiles, helicopters, and missiles along with a reiterated dedication to the trilateral AUKUS submarine deal.
The FBI is fervently opposed to a Home invoice that might give Director of Nationwide Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard elevated oversight of counterintelligence, revealing an obvious turf battle inside the intelligence group beneath the Trump administration. The proposal would make the Workplace of the Director of Nationwide Intelligence the federal authorities’s high counterintelligence company.
The FBI has lengthy been the nation’s lead company for counterintelligence, or the work of thwarting international spies and intelligence threats, and the bureau wrote a letter to Congress expressing its “robust objection” to the proposal. Within the unclassified letter, the FBI mentioned the proposed modifications “would trigger severe and long-lasting harm” to U.S. nationwide safety.
What must be excessive in your radar, if it isn’t already.
Nuclear? Unclear. Trump on Wednesday posted on Fact Social that he had ordered the Pentagon to “instantly” begin testing nuclear weapons on an “equal foundation” with different nations. The announcement is complicated for numerous causes. The US, Russia, and China haven’t examined stay nuclear weapons for the reason that Nineteen Nineties. And aside from North Korea, no nuclear energy has carried out nuclear explosive exams in additional than 20 years.
The White Home didn’t instantly reply to SitRep’s request for touch upon whether or not Trump has ordered stay nuclear exams or merely needs to see the Pentagon ramp up testing of nuclear-capable weapons—a follow that’s already routine. However in feedback to reporters aboard Air Drive One on his approach again to Washington from Asia, Trump mentioned different nations “appear to all be nuclear testing,” including, “I assume we’ve got to check.” Trump mentioned particulars on timing can be introduced later. Regardless of upholding a voluntary moratorium on nuclear detonation for many years, the USA has maintained a capability to renew underground exams at a facility in Nevada, in response to the Congressional Analysis Service, however preparation for a take a look at may take as much as 36 months.
Trump’s assertion, which raised alarm amongst Democratic lawmakers and nuclear specialists, got here shortly earlier than he met with Chinese language President Xi Jinping. China has elevated its nuclear stockpile in recent times, and Trump could have been making an attempt to ship a sign to Xi. Russia has additionally examined nuclear-capable and nuclear-powered weapons in latest days, however that is removed from the identical stage of significance as detonating a nuclear warhead. Alongside these strains, the Kremlin provided a considerably bewildered response to Trump’s assertion, stating, “We didn’t know that anybody was testing,” whereas warning that Moscow would comply with swimsuit if Washington deserted the moratorium.
U.S. troop drawdown in Jap Europe. The US is withdrawing some troops from a number of NATO nations, together with a couple of that border Ukraine. The Trump administration has confronted uncommon bipartisan criticism over the transfer. Our colleague Sam Skove affords extra particulars on the controversial resolution.
Gaza cease-fire examined (once more). As John reported, Israel performed lethal airstrikes in Gaza this week in response to alleged cease-fire violations by Hamas. The strikes killed greater than 100 individuals in Gaza. Israel performed the strikes after an assault killed considered one of its troopers, however Hamas denied involvement.
This was not the primary time that the Trump-brokered truce had been examined because it started on Oct. 10. However the Trump administration downplayed the importance of the Israeli strikes and mentioned they didn’t jeopardize the cease-fire, which Israel on Wednesday mentioned was again on.
Cops arrest a demonstrator protesting towards Trump exterior the Gyeongju Nationwide Museum, the place Trump met with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, in the course of the Asia-Pacific Financial Cooperation summit in Gyeongju on Oct. 29.Ezra Acayan/Getty Photos
The world’s greatest firm, which hit a market worth of $5 trillion this week, hosted an enormous convention in Washington, the place CEO Jensen Huang repeatedly paid tribute to the town’s most distinguished resident. “Trump deserves monumental credit score” for power insurance policies that profit the substitute intelligence business that Nvidia’s chips and knowledge facilities are on the forefront of, Huang mentioned throughout an almost two-hour keynote handle that he concluded with a nod to Trump’s signature slogan: “Thanks all on your service in making America nice once more.”
Nvidia has benefited enormously from the Trump administration’s purpose of ushering in a U.S.-led world AI increase, signing main offers in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates throughout Trump’s journey to the area and getting the administration’s approval to promote a few of its AI chips to China regardless of nationwide safety considerations. Huang has been pushing for extra market entry to China, and he flew to South Korea on Thursday as Trump met with Xi there; nonetheless, the talks between the 2 world leaders didn’t lead to any instant concessions for Nvidia.
“The profit to the USA is for American know-how to be out there in China to win the hearts and minds of their builders,” Huang instructed reporters (together with SitRep) on Wednesday. “For each nations, I actually imagine that having American firms serve that market is useful.”
Requested about his shut relationship with Trump, the CEO mentioned: “I include just one objective solely, which is to tell and to be in service of the president as he thinks about the way to make America nice and do the most effective factor for America.” But Huang additionally proudly confirmed that Nvidia was one of many firms funding Trump’s effort to construct a brand new White Home ballroom, for which the U.S. president has torn down the East Wing of the White Home.
Saturday, Nov. 1: The ASEAN protection ministers’ assembly is ready to start in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Sunday, Nov. 2: Eight OPEC+ nations are set to carry an internet assembly.
Tuesday, Nov. 4: Gubernatorial elections are set to be held in New Jersey and Virginia, whereas a mayoral election shall be held in New York Metropolis.
The French Nationwide Meeting is ready to carry a vote on the 2026 price range.
Wednesday, Nov. 5: The U.S. Supreme Court docket is poised to listen to oral arguments in circumstances over Trump’s energy to impose sweeping tariffs.
“It’s fairly clear I’m not allowed to run. It’s too unhealthy.”
—Trump acknowledging that the U.S. Structure bars him from working for a 3rd time period, a prospect that the president and his allies had beforehand recommended was on the desk.
