Three stories define the day: Beijing's Taiwan rhetoric meets a rare joint Western rebuke, London's prime minister tests Brussels in person, and a wider pattern emerges of states trading blocs for bilateral deals.

World

  • Xi Jinping said Taiwan's 'reunification' with China is inevitable and that history cannot be stopped, prompting G-7 foreign ministers to jointly warn that Chinese military activity east of Taiwan threatens regional stability (more).
  • The dispute surfaced as Taiwan took part in the China-hosted APEC summit, with President Lai Ching-te insisting Taipei is attending on an 'equal basis' (more).

United Kingdom

  • Prime Minister Andy Burnham met European leaders in Brussels to push for closer UK-EU relations, his first direct diplomacy on the issue since his Remembrance Sunday remarks caused controversy (more).
  • Former Prime Minister David Cameron publicly warned Burnham against reopening the EU membership question, while critics inside his own party note his manifesto ruled out rejoining the single market (more).

Analysis

  • Russia has proposed bilateral non-aggression pacts with individual NATO members rather than with the alliance as a whole, part of a broader move away from collective blocs (more).
  • Armenia has lost its voting rights in the Russian-led CSTO over unpaid dues, with its lawmakers split on what the membership is still worth, while analysts describe the Middle East's emerging security order as alliances without a central anchor (more).