Oman-Gulf Trade: Duqm Port received a BYD RoRo vessel carrying 1,200+ vehicles from China, highlighting the port’s push to handle large-scale car shipments and link Asian supply chains to GCC markets. Pacific Security: Pacific Islands Forum leaders chose a middle line on China’s July ICBM test, saying they “register concern” over insufficient notice—stronger than earlier foreign-minister wording, but short of condemnation, with Nauru dissenting. US-China Iran Pressure: US VP JD Vance said China is “willing to play ball” on economically isolating Iran, pointing to Beijing’s responsiveness to Washington’s requests. Trade Remedies: Canada’s CBSA opened investigations into alleged dumping and subsidies on truck and bus tires imported from China, after complaints by CRMA and Michelin. Auto Lobby Push: Major automakers urged the US Congress to ban Chinese vehicles, software and hardware before year-end, warning of “dumping” abroad. Gold Reserves: Central banks added 23 tonnes of gold in July, with China and Poland leading net purchases. Sports Culture: China plans to crack down on toxic fan behavior while targeting a sports industry worth over 7 trillion yuan by 2030. Aviation Cargo: China added 115 new international air cargo routes in Jan-Aug, with 57 to Asia, boosting links for high-value goods and auto parts. Batteries: China says it has built the world’s largest power battery industrial system, urging faster R&D to tackle tech bottlenecks. China-Egypt Strategy: Xi’s Middle East security proposal in Cairo stresses “common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security,” arguing rules shouldn’t be written by outside powers alone.