US-Saudi nuclear doubt, Boko Haram’s AI terrorism: 7 global relations reads

The South China Morning Post's July 2026 global relations roundup highlights seven stories, including NATO's new defence projects against Russia and China, China's openness to reducing its EU trade surplus, and the White House casting doubt on the US-Saudi nuclear deal by demanding Saudi recognition of Israel. The roundup also covers Boko Haram's use of AI for terrorism, EU sanctions, and USMCA disputes.

Advertisement US-Saudi nuclear doubt, Boko Haram’s AI terrorism: 7 global relations reads From US arms promises to EU sanctions and USMCA troubles, here are highlights from the SCMP’s overseas correspondents in July 2026 2-MIN READ2-MIN Listen We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering global relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing . 1. Nato launches defence projects to counter Russia and China Nato member states unveiled a series of defence initiatives in June aimed at strengthening weapons development, production and supply chains in response to security challenges posed by Russia and China. Read the full story here https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3359775/nato-launches-defence-projects-counter-russia-and-china?module=inline&pgtype=article . 2. Exclusive: China signals openness to cut gaping EU trade gap as Brussels toughens stance China told the European Union that it is open to exploring ways to cut its massive trade surplus with the bloc during talks in Brussels, according to multiple people briefed on the discussion. Read the full story here https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3359222/china-signals-openness-reducing-gaping-eu-trade-surplus-brussels-toughens-stance?module=inline&pgtype=article . 3. Trump throws Saudi nuclear deal into doubt with Israel recognition demand The White House threw a US-Saudi Arabia nuclear deal into question just a day after it was signed, emphasising that it depended on the oil-rich Gulf country recognising Israel under a 2020 diplomatic initiative. Advertisement Select Voice Select Speed 1.00x