China Policy & Industry
- China’s National Press and Publication Administration approved 154 domestic
online games in May.
- China’s Foreign Ministry said it hopes all parties involved in the Iran
nuclear issue will seize the opportunity to reach a negotiated solution that
addresses the reasonable concerns of all sides.
- Data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology
showed China’s domestic mobile phone shipments rose 2.8% year-on-year in April
to 25.733 million units, including 24.736 million 5G handsets.
International Developments
- Uzbekistan fully resumed gold exports in April.
- Malaysia reportedly imposed a 10% tariff on imports of certain gold bars.
- a South Korean court rejected request for an injunction to suspend
negotiations involving a major labor union at Samsung Electronics - Yonhap.
- Elon Musk discussed with colleagues the possibility of combining Tesla and
SpaceX - CNBC.
- Micron Technology surged 19%, extending record highs and lifting its market
capitalization to $1 trillion. Shares have gained 210% year-to-date.
Iran Conflict & Diplomacy
• Iran
- Iran warned it would retaliate forcefully if the conflict resumes and said it
could block regional oil exports.
- Iran’s Foreign Ministry accused the US of openly violating the ceasefire
agreement and said Tehran would respond.
- Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Iran reserves the right to respond to
any US ceasefire violations and claimed it tracked and shot down a US MQ-9
drone.
- Iranian media denied reports that Tehran and Washington had reached a MoU.
- Iranian President said Iran is prepared to reach a “dignified” framework
agreement.
United States
- US Central Command said it conducted defensive strikes in southern Iran, while
US officials said the operation does not signal the collapse of the ceasefire.
- Trump held a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.
- US Central Command said reports claiming the US had resumed “Operation
Freedom” were inaccurate.
- Rubio said wording negotiations tied to a potential US-Iran agreement could
require “a few more days.”