China is moving to enact a new national security law (SCMP) for Hong Kong to crack down on activities Beijing sees as seditious or secessionist. The move would be a major blow to Hong Kong’s autonomy.
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A top Chinese official said the law would “prevent, frustrate, and punish” criminal acts that harm national security. The move drew swift condemnation from U.S. lawmakers; two senators are proposing a bill (WSJ) that would sanction Chinese officials who enforce the law. President Donald J. Trump said he would address the issue “very strongly.” A U.S. State Department assessment is pending on whether Hong Kong remains independent enough from China to warrant special treatment under U.S. law.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lifted the coronavirus state of emergency (Asahi Shimbun) for the Hyogo, Kyoto, and Osaka prefectures and indicated that the remaining orders for Tokyo, Hokkaido, and three other prefectures could be lifted as soon as Monday.
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CFR’s Yanzhong Huang, Joshua Kurlantzick, Sheila A. Smith, and Scott A. Snyder discuss Asia’s response to the coronavirus in this virtual meeting.

A power-sharing agreement between Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his political rival Abdullah Abdullah includes electoral reform measures (TOLO) to help prevent a deadlock similar to the one that followed the country’s 2019 election, when both Ghani and Abdullah claimed victory.
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Pakistan: A Pakistan International Airlines flight carrying ninety passengers and eight crew members crashed into a populated area (Dawn) near Karachi’s airport. A rescue operation is underway.

The Turkish government warned of “grave consequences” (Al Jazeera) if its interests in Libya were targeted by the rebel commander Khalifa Haftar. Turkey has supported the UN-backed government waging war against Haftar’s forces.

This CFR In Brief explains what’s at stake in Libya’s war.
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Palestinian territories: The Palestinian Authority rejected medical aid (Haaretz) from a shipment the United Arab Emirates sent via Israel, citing insufficient coordination with Palestinian leadership. The aid was redirected to the Gaza Strip.

The World Bank approved $500 million worth of grants and loans to help fight locust swarms (Reuters) that have devastated crops in Africa and the Middle East. Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda, which have been especially hard hit, will immediately receive a combined $160 million, an official told Reuters. 
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Burundi: An election official urged patience (AFP) as ballots are counted following Wednesday’s election to replace long-serving President Pierre Nkurunziza. An opposition group alleged fraud in the election, which was held with little observance of coronavirus-related social distancing.

President Trump’s decision for the United States to abandon the Open Skies arms control treaty would be a “blow to the foundation of European security,” (AFP) a Russian deputy foreign minister said.
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UK: The government stopped mass testing and contact tracing (Reuters) of the coronavirus in March because a surge in cases would have overwhelmed the health-care system, advisors said. Tests and contact tracing have been ramped up in recent weeks.

Argentina’s government extended a deadline (Buenos Aires Times) for debt restructuring talks until June 2 and will miss an interest payment due today, meaning it will be in selective default on some bonds. President Alberto Fernandez downplayed the issue, saying the “country has been in default for months.”
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Mexico: Mexico City will begin reopening on June 1 (El Universal), even though the country is still seeing record deaths from COVID-19.

The family of murdered Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi said they have forgiven his killers (Reuters). Their statement could lead to formal pardons for the five defendants sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia.