NATO and China clash over accusations at Washington summit

It happened while you were sleeping. Here is what world agencies recorded overnight from Wednesday to Thursday.

• Part of the agreements of NATO leaders gathered at the summit in Washington concerned the role of China, its significance in shaping the international order and creating tensions. Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu in the United States stated that the alliance must stop making baseless accusations and provocative statements immediately. NATO should abandon the outdated Cold War zero-sum thinking, the erroneous obsession with military power, and attempts to achieve absolute security, as well as dangerous actions that plunge Europe and the Asia-Pacific region into chaos. He said that NATO leaders must do something good for the protection and stability of Europe and the whole world.

• The heatwaves afflicting Japan caused 19 deaths alone in the first week of July. During this time, due to health issues, including heat stroke or heat exhaustion, 9,105 people were taken to hospitals, of which 3,248 required hospitalization. Among them, 210 are in critical condition, and 19 people died, stated the government services. Nearly 60 per cent of patients are over 65 years old, but authorities are urging all residents to seek shelter from the almost 40 degrees Celsius heat in air-conditioned public places.

• The Canadian government will order new conventionally powered submarines capable of operating under ice. The order will concern up to 12 submarines, announced Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair on Wednesday. As a country with the longest coastline in the world, Canada needs a new fleet of submarines (…). This latest fleet will allow Canada to defend its sovereignty in a changing world and contribute to the security of NATO partners, assessed Blair. The statement did not provide the planned value of the order, with the assumption that the Canadian navy would be able to "covertly detect and deter maritime threats, control our maritime approaches, project power and striking capability further from our shores, and project a persistent deterrent on all three coasts."