China

Beijing is preparing to transfer shoulder-fired anti-air missile systems known as MANPADs, CNN said, citing sources it did not name

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has voiced support for China's push to build a "multipolar world" and called for deeper ties between the traditional allies during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, state media said on Saturday. During the meeting on Friday, Kim said his government will fully support Chinese efforts to achieve territorial integrity based on its "one-China principle", a reference to Beijing's official position that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, according to North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency. Kim also outlined North Korea's position on unspecified regional and international issues of "mutual concern" and said sustained development of ties between the two countries has become more crucial in the current geopolitical environment, KCNA said. Wang, on a two-day trip to North Korea, said the countries' relations were entering a "new phase" following a summit last year between Kim and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Embracin

Meeting in the Great Hall of the People, Xi told Cheng that today's world was not entirely at peace, and peace was precious

Akshaya Tritiya, the second-biggest gold-buying festival in India after Dhanteras when buying gold ‌is considered auspicious, will be celebrated on April 19

An input-cost shock to the world's largest manufacturing base threatens jobs and wages, with around a quarter of firms already operating at a loss after years of overcapacity and price wars

Iranian oil typically trades at discounts to Brent because of the sanctions and Chinese independent refiners, also known as teapots, are its biggest buyers

Beijing challenges US financial dominance across currency, messaging and settlement systems; even if Iran sanctions ease and dollar trust recovers, the yuan push will persist for future crises

Hours after a ceasefire publicly brokered by Pakistan was announced, Iranian officials reportedly credited a last-minute push by China with securing their acceptance, a claim soon validated by Trump

With a fragile ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran holding for now, China is calculating its role in helping find a durable endgame to the war in the Middle East. After prodding China, which is more reliant on Persian Gulf oil than the US, to get involved in reopening the choked-off Strait of Hormuz, US President Donald Trump told French news outlet Agence France-Presse this week that he believed China played a part in encouraging Iran to agree to this week's temporary truce. Three diplomats who were familiar with China's behind-the-scenes efforts also confirmed that Beijing, the biggest purchaser of Iranian oil, used its leverage to urge the Iranians back to the negotiating table. It was a major moment for Beijing, which had decried the US and Israel's war against its economic partner Iran as misguided before getting directly involved in the push to call off the fighting, including discouraging strikes by Iran. Talks between the sides are expected to begin in Pakistan this

China's Defence Ministry on Thursday denied reports that Chinese firms provided satellite imagery and semiconductor chip manufacturing equipment to the Iranian military in the midst of the US-Israeli war against Iran. China firmly opposes the dissemination of speculative and insinuating disinformation targeting China by relevant parties, Defence Ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang said. He was responding to questions on reports stating that Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) had provided chip manufacturing equipment to the Iranian military, and a Chinese commercial satellite company had released images of US military bases in the Middle East. Zhang said China firmly rejected remarks by US officials who claimed they were aware of actions taken by China and Russia to help Iran and would respond if necessary. "China's position on the Iran issue is above-board and straightforward. We have always upheld an objective and impartial stance," Zhang said, noting th

The data has reportedly been stolen from the National Supercomputing Centre in Tianjin (NSCC), a major computing hub that supports more than 6,000 users

A successful crossing is not yet guaranteed, as several vessels have turned back at the last moment and there has been little change in traffic over the past day

Like any ambitious opposition party, Beijing is pointing out the weaknesses of the incumbent while portraying itself as a steadier, more predictable partner with fresh ideas

China, which is Tehran's biggest trade partner, spoke with the Iranians to get them on board to look for a path toward a ceasefire in war with the US, sources said. Chinese officials were in touch with Iranian officials as the negotiations were evolving, two officials who were not authorised to comment publicly spoke on condition of anonymity. Beijing primarily had been working with intermediaries, including Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt, as it tried to use its influence, said one of the officials. The Chinese foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Earlier Tuesday, Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, said, "All parties need to demonstrate sincerity and quickly end this war that should not have happened in the first place." She said China was "deeply concerned" about the impact the conflict has on the world economy and energy security.

Unlike most economies, China didn't see the sharp spurt in inflation that followed reopening from the pandemic

Taiwan opposition leader Cheng Li-wun arrived in China on Tuesday at the invitation of President Xi Jinping, in what she's calling a "journey for peace" as Beijing pushes for the self-ruled island to come under its control. The visit is the first by a Taiwanese opposition leader in a decade and comes ahead of a meeting in Beijing between Xi and US President Donald Trump scheduled to take place in May. Meanwhile, Taiwan's opposition-controlled parliament has stalled attempts by its government to pass a USD 40 billion special defence budget, expected to fund arms deals with the United States and the development of Taiwan's indigenous defence industry. China claims the self-ruled island as its own territory and has not excluded the use of force to take it. Beijing has been ramping up its military pressure against the island by sending warplanes and naval vessels near it almost daily, while its military occasionally stages live-fire drills around the island, the latest in December. Th

Russia and China on Tuesday vetoed a UN Security Council resolution aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz that had been repeatedly watered down in hopes those two countries would abstain. The vote - 11 in favour, two against and two abstentions - took place just hours before an 8 pm Eastern deadline set by US President Donald Trump for Iran to open the strategic waterway or face attacks on its power plants and bridges. One-fifth of the world's oil typically passes through the strait, and Iran's stranglehold during the war has sent energy prices soaring. It's doubtful the resolution, even if it had been adopted, would have impacted the war, now in its fifth week, because it was been significantly weakened to try to get Russia and China to abstain rather than veto it. The initial Bahrain proposal would have authorised countries to use "all necessary means" - UN wording that would include military action - to ensure transit through the Strait of Hormuz and deter attempts to close ...

China on Tuesday announced an increase in gasoline and diesel prices for the second time in about a fortnight due to rising international oil prices triggered by the ongoing war in West Asia. China's top economic planner, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), announced that the new round of price hikes will take effect from Wednesday. China already increased gasoline and diesel prices on March 23 as part of preparations for a fuel crisis amid apprehensions around the current US-Israel-Iran war. Since the adjustment of domestic oil prices in late March, international crude oil prices have experienced significant fluctuations, the NDRC said in a statement. Because of control measures, the prices of gasoline and diesel will increase by 420 yuan (USD 61) and 400 yuan (USD 58) per tonne, respectively, it said. China's three biggest oil companies, namely China National Petroleum Corporation, China Petrochemical Corporation and China National Offshore Oil Corporation, as

Trump's proposal reflects push for energy dominance, but raises risks of deeper conflict and global fallout