NATO Leader Meets Indo-Pacific Partners; Chinese Navy Ships Spotted Off Alaska; Inflation Eases

The U.S. Coast Guard announced Wednesday that it had encountered several Chinese navy ships near Alaska's Aleutian Islands. All four of the Chinese vessels were transiting international waters but still inside the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with leaders of Indo-Pacific partners Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington on Thursday. The leaders agreed to step up cooperation to address issues that include the Russia–Ukraine war and security in the Indo-Pacific.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. annual inflation rate eased for the third consecutive month, coming in below the consensus estimate. The consumer price index (CPI) increased 3 percent in June, slowing down from 3.3 percent in May.