A Chinese aircraft carrier in the East China Sea. Photo: AFP via Getty Images
After a decade of discussing a potential military hotline to avoid escalation in the East China Sea, Tokyo and Beijing have agreed to establish one, Reuters reports.
The big picture: Tensions in the Sino-Japanese relationship have been simmering down, with the two countries working more closely together amid mounting uncertainty around U.S. foreign policy and a potential trade war.
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
China and Iran have negotiated a deal that would see massive investments flow into Iran, oil flow out, and collaboration increase on defense and intelligence.
Why it matters: If the proposals become reality, Chinese cash, telecom infrastructure, railways and ports could offer new life to Iran’s sanctions-choked economy — or, critics fear, leave it inescapably beholden to Beijing.
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
Geoffrey Berman. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images
The House Judiciary Committee on Monday released the transcript of its closed-door interview with Geoffrey Berman, the former top federal prosecutor in Manhattan who was forced out by Attorney General Bill Barr last month.
Why it matters: House Democrats have seized on Berman's testimony, in which he claimed the attorney general sought to "entice" him into resigning so that he could be replaced by SEC chairman Jay Clayton, to bolster allegations that the Justice Department has been politicized under Barr.