British Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged in an op-ed (SCMP) to change immigration rules to allow nearly three million Hong Kong residents to seek refuge and potentially citizenship in the United Kingdom if China moves forward with a proposed national security law for Hong Kong.
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British National (Overseas) passport holders would be eligible to stay in the UK for a renewable period of up to twelve months and receive further rights, including work authorization, which could lead to citizenship, Johnson said. About 350,000 Hong Kong residents hold these passports and another 2.5 million are eligible. The move would be one of the biggest changes to British immigration policy in history. China’s foreign ministry said the UK should “stop interfering” (WaPo) in Hong Kong and China’s internal affairs.

The Philippines announced it will not terminate a long-standing military agreement (NYT) with the United States, despite President Rodrigo Duterte’s threat to do so in February. Analysts said the decision likely reflects Manila’s growing wariness of China.
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China: The government has directed state-run agricultural companies to halt purchases of U.S. farm goods (Bloomberg) in a move that could jeopardize a trade pact between the world’s largest economies.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump called Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to officially invite him to this year’s Group of Seven (G7) summit (Times of India). The two leaders also discussed reforms to the World Health Organization and India’s border tensions with China.

This CFR Backgrounder looks at the G7 and the future of multilateralism.
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Afghanistan: The Taliban still maintains close ties with al-Qaeda (RFE/RL), according to a UN report, despite pledging to combat extremists in a deal with the United States.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu privately told settlers that his plans to annex parts of the West Bank will be independent (Haaretz) of the Trump administration’s peace plan. His office later released a statement saying Israel is committed to negotiations with Palestinians under the Trump plan.
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Algeria: President Abdelmadjid Tebboune reportedly told the head of an opposition party that he will free two protest leaders (AFP). Algerian protesters have demanded an overhaul of the country’s governing structure.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari backed the head of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina, who has faced accusations of misconduct (Reuters) as he seeks reelection. The United States, the bank’s second-largest shareholder, rejected the findings of an internal investigation that cleared Adesina of wrongdoing and is seeking an independent probe. 
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South Africa: A court declared the government’s coronavirus lockdown measures unconstitutional (Business Day) and ordered them to be overhauled.

The Trump administration announced it is investigating the European Union (FT) and several other countries that are implementing taxes on digital services thought to discriminate against U.S. companies. The United States concluded a similar investigation of a French tax last year and threatened the country with tariffs.
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This CFR In Brief explains France’s tech tax.

The Trump administration blacklisted four companies (WSJ) allegedly involved in Venezuela’s oil sector as it seeks to choke off funds to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Iran has recently begun shipping oil to the country.
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Bolivia: The country’s general election, which was postponed due to the pandemic, will take place on September 6 (Buenos Aires Times). The former president, Evo Morales, resigned in November and now lives in exile in Argentina.

Protests against systemic racism in law enforcement and the killing of George Floyd continued for an eighth day across the United States. They were mostly peaceful (NYT), with fewer reported incidents of violence or looting. Curfews remained in place in many cities but were often defied.