Iran’s top diplomat warned Friday against “destructive interference” in Syria’s future and said decisions should lie solely with the country’s people, writing in Chinese state media as he visited Beijing. Abbas Araghchi touched down in the Chinese capital on Friday afternoon, Iranian state media reported, to begin his first official visit to the country since…
Taiwan has received 38 advanced Abrams battle tanks from the United States, the defense ministry said Monday, as the island boosts its military capabilities against a potential Chinese attack. Washington has long been Taipei’s most important ally and biggest arms supplier — angering Beijing, which claims Taiwan as part of its own territory. The M1A2…
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told Reuters on Friday that the US is looking at further sanctions on “dark fleet” tankers and will not rule out sanctions on Chinese banks as it seeks to reduce Russia’s oil revenue and access to foreign supplies to fuel its war in Ukraine. Yellen said in an interview that the US and its…
Taiwan’s defence ministry said on Sunday that China had nearly doubled the number of its warships operating around the island in the previous 24 hours, ahead of what security sources expect will be a new round of war games. China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has been angered by visits by…
TikTok edged closer to being banned in the United States after it lost an appeal on Friday against a law requiring the video-sharing app to divest from its Chinese parent company by January 19. The potential ban could strain US-China relations just as president-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office on January 20. TikTok said…
Philippine and Chinese coastguards reported conflicting versions of a maritime confrontation around a contested shoal in the South China Sea, the latest row in a longstanding dispute between the two neighbors. China’s Coast Guard said four Philippine ships had attempted to enter China’s territorial waters around the Scarborough Shoal. Philippine ships had “dangerously approached” China Coast…
The US State Department has approved the potential sale of spare parts for F-16 jets and radars to Taiwan for an estimated $385 million, the Pentagon said on Friday, a day before Taiwan President Lai Ching-te starts a sensitive Pacific trip. The United States is bound by law to provide Chinese-claimed Taiwan with the means…
Senior White House officials met on Friday with telecommunications executives to discuss China’s “significant cyber espionage campaign targeting the sector,” the White House said. Earlier this month, US authorities said China-linked hackers had intercepted surveillance data intended for American law enforcement agencies after breaking into an unspecified number of telecom companies. Senator Mark Warner, the…
Chinese President Xi Jinping said Saturday he was ready to work with Donald Trump’s new administration for a “smooth transition” in bilateral ties, as he met outgoing President Joe Biden for the last time. The leaders of the world’s two largest economies met on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific summit in Lima overshadowed by concerns of…
China is willing to be partners and friends with the United States, China’s ambassador to Washington said, seeking to strengthen dialogue between the world’s two largest economies. China has no plan to surpass or replace the United States, Xie Feng said in a speech in Hong Kong on Friday, addressing Chinese officials and the US…
US President Joe Biden and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will meet for the last time Saturday, a day after both leaders warned of turbulent times ahead for the world as Donald Trump returns to the White House. Their final encounter, taking place on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific summit in Peru, has been overshadowed by…
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba expressed “serious concerns” over the situation in the South China Sea to Chinese President Xi Jinping in their first in-person talks, Tokyo’s foreign ministry said Saturday. But the pair agreed to work to expand cultural exchanges and continue high-level dialogue on the economy, both Tokyo and Beijing said after the…
President-elect Donald Trump has started to choose the people he wants to carry out his “America First” policies on the border, trade, the economy and more. Several of them are likely to be very tough on China, namely Beijing-sanctioned Senator Marco Rubio who’s expected to be secretary of state, and Congressman Mike Waltz as national…
Donald Trump is expected to tap US Senator Marco Rubio to be his secretary of state, sources said on Monday, putting the Florida-born politician on track to be the first Latino to serve as America’s top diplomat once the Republican president-elect takes office in January. Rubio was arguably the most hawkish option on Trump’s shortlist for…
China firmly opposes the Philippines’ Maritime Zones Act, which it says “severely infringes on” its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights in the South China Sea, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Sunday in a statement. This follows China’s release of a statement on the baseline of “territorial waters” around the disputed Scarborough Shoal, which China…
