Washington
A bipartisan group of US senators has introduced legislation aimed at strengthening Washington's ability to counter what they describe as the People's Republic of China's "grey-zone" tactics in the Indo-Pacific, arguing that Beijing's coercive activities threaten regional stability, US national security and key allies across the region.
The legislation, introduced on Wednesday (local time) by Sena-tors Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat from Illinois, and Marsha Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee, seeks to enhance co-operation between the US State Department and Indo-Pacific partners to better monitor, deter and respond to China's activities that fall short of open military conflict.
"Increasing PRC aggression in the Indo-Pacific doesn't just im-pact our partners in the region -- it threatens America's economic and national security," Duckworth said while announcing the bi-partisan measure.
"We are a Pacific nation, and we depend on a free and open In-do-Pacific. As the PRC works to undermine regional stability through its grey-zone tactics, our bipartisan Billwould help ensure the US better coordinates with our partners and deters these ef-forts that pose a real threat to our security," she added.
According to the senators, "grey-zone tactics" include actions designed to undermine stability without triggering conventional armed conflict. The press release cites cyberattacks, economic coercion and information warfare among the methods employed by China.
"Communist China is constantly devising ways to evade detec-tion and act maliciously towards our allies through cyberattacks, economic coercion, information warfare, and other 'grey-zone' tactics that undermine the US and our allies without using open military conflict," Blackburn said.
"This legislation would strengthen our ability to counter the CCP's malign geopolitical interests and its increasingly aggressive tac-tics in the Indo-Pacific," she added.
Under the bill, the Secretary of State would be required to submit a strategy to improve monitoring of Chinese behaviour in the In-do-Pacific and identify government branches, programmes and actors that can strengthen oversight.
The legislation also calls for a task force to track, formulate and strengthen tools to counter and mitigate Chinese grey-zone op-erations. The task force would evaluate progress through perfor-mance indicators and report its findings to Congress.
In addition, the State Department would be instructed to identify new areas of collaboration with Indo-Pacific allies, partners and private stakeholders to strengthen collective capabilities to deter Chinese coercion. The senators said the effort is intended to ad-vance US national interests, protect the global economy and im-prove regional security.
The announcement also highlighted Duckworth's broader legisla-tive efforts on Indo-Pacific security. Her office said she has sponsored measures including the Strategy for Crisis Manage-ment Act and the South China Sea Strategy Act, both of which have cleared committee and await consideration by the full Sen-ate.
release further noted that provisions backed by Duckworth in this year's National Defence Authorisation Act are intended to improve crisis management, cooperation with Indo-Pacific part-ners, asymmetric operations and medical preparedness across the region.
India has emerged as an increasingly important partner in the US Indo-Pacific strategy through frameworks such as the Quad, which also includes Japan and Australia.
New Delhi and Washington have expanded defence cooperation, intelligence sharing and maritime coordination in recent years, while both governments have repeatedly stressed the importance of a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific.
New Delhi
India’s relationship with New Zealand has entered a new phase following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit, the first to the country by an Indian Premier in two decades, ac-cording to an article published by NZIIA (New Zealand Institute of International Affairs).
The article highlights that during the two-day visit, PM Modi and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon upgraded the ties between the two countries to a full Strate-gic Partnership, backed by a four-year "Roadmap to 2030" spanning defence, trade, maritime security, agriculture, tourism, sports, culture and science.
India has gained importance in New Zealand's long-term strategy as the country is among the fastest-growing major economies and is projected to become the world's third-largest economy by 2030, with GDP estimated at around $7 trillion (NZ$12 trillion). India’s middle class is expected to exceed 700 million people, creating one of the largest consumer markets on Earth, the article states.
During the Auckland visit, Modi and New Zealand counterpart Luxon set a formal target to double bilateral trade to NZ$7 billion (about $4.2 billion) by 2030.
The article highlights that PM Modi's visit produced 18 outcomes, including 10 agree-ments and memorandums of understanding, that go well beyond trade. The centre piece, the 'Roadmap to 2030', sets a four-year framework for cooperation across defence, trade, maritime security, tourism, agriculture, sports, scientific research, people-to-people ex-changes and multilateral engagement.
Defence and maritime security dominated the agenda. India and New Zealand conclud-ed a Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement enabling the Indian Navy and the New Zea-land Defence Force to access each other's facilities for refuelling, replenishment and maintenance during deployments.
The two countries also signed a Memorandum of Arrangement on Maritime Cooperation to strengthen dialogue, operational coordination and information-sharing across the In-do-Pacific.
They agreed to establish a Maritime Security Dialogue, and New Zealand will lead the maritime-security pillar of India's Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative, focusing on illegal, unre-ported and unregulated fishing. A new Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism will deepen intelligence-sharing and coordination, the article observes.
India and New Zealand announced negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on March 16, 2025 and concluded in a record 9 months, making this the fastest concluded free trade agreement. The signing of FTA enhances market access and tariff prefer-ences for Indian exports to New Zealand, while serving as a gateway to the wid-er Oceania and Pacific Island markets. The agreement opens opportunities for India to emerge as a key supplier of skilled workforce, alongside prospects for future cooperation in areas such as AYUSH and services such as Yoga Instructors, Indian Chefs, and Mu-sic Teachers, and services under sector of interests like IT, Engineering, Healthcare, Education, and Construction.
The FTA signed with New Zealand marked a historic milestone in bilateral economic relations. It is a comprehensive framework encompassing market access, agricultural productivity, investment, talent mobility, collaboration in sports, tourism, and people-to-people ties. The FTA is designed to benefit manufacturers, farmers, MSMEs, women en-trepreneurs, students, and skilled professionals across both nations.
Tehran
TheIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Thursday warned of a harsh and firm response to nations involved in the US attacks and crimes against Iran, local media re-ported.
In a statement released on Thursday, the IRGC's Public Relations warned the US' ac-complices in West Asia and beyond to change their behaviour to avoid retaliation from Iran.
The IRGC said that Iran's determination and steadfastness have destroyed the enemy front. It also announced the explosion of two more oil tankers that were trying to pass through an unsafe shipping route south of the Strait of Hormuz. It said that the two ves-sels turned back after fire erupted in one of them, Iran's official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported.
Speaking about the US actions in the Strait of Hormuz, the IRGC said that the waterway is part of Iran and is in its full control and vowed to not allow a stranger from thousands of kilometres away to intervene.
The IRGC warned of a harsh response to nations that are involved in helping the US if they do not change their behaviour. It said that the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened until the threats and interference of US officials end in maritime activities. The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. It is one of the world's most important energy corridors, carrying oil and liquefied natural gas exports from major Gulf producers to international markets. The IRGC's statement comes amid renewed tensions in West Asia following the military exchanges between Iran and the US.
On Wednesday, the IRGC claimed that its Aerospace Force has attacked a US air base and the US Central Command (CENTCOM) headquarters in Jordan, local media report-ed.
Highlighting that the action was taken in response to attacks carried out by the US mili-tary against Iran, the IRGC vowed to continue resistance until Iran faces "threats, illegal and hostile moves" from the US forces. Last week, Iran and Oman held technical talks in Tehran to discuss arrangements for safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking to reporters on July 26, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei described the talks between Oman and Iran regarding safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz as "useful and forward-looking" and noted that progress had been made.
Baqaei said the talks were held on July 24-25 at the level of Deputy Foreign Ministers, during which they discussed common principles and practical mechanisms for ensuring safe maritime traffic movement through the waterway while respecting the sovereign rights of the two littoral states.