US China

In a development highlighting polarisation in the UN Security Council, the monthly programme of work for the US Presidency of the powerful UN organ could not be adopted after Russia and China raised objections concerning Iran. The United States, a veto-wielding permanent member, assumed the Presidency of the 15-nation UN Security Council for the month of March. As is customary, a monthly programme of work that outlines the Council's anticipated meetings and events for the month is adopted by the UN body at the commencement of the Presidency. The Council President then briefs the media in the UN headquarters on the UNSC programme of work and agenda for the month. However, the US-drafted programme of work for its monthly presidency of the Council could not be adopted on Monday after the other veto-wielding permanent members Russia and China raised objections pertaining to the 1737 Sanctions Committee concerning Iran. "Russia & China objected to the adoption of the US-drafted UNSC ...

China is willing to hold frank consultations during an upcoming sixth round of US-China economic and trade talks, the commerce ministry official added

A US official focusing on arms control on Monday provided what he called new, declassified details of a Chinese underground nuclear test nearly six years ago and urged countries to press China and Russia to do more on nuclear disarmament. Christopher Yeaw, assistant secretary of state for the bureau of arms control and nonproliferation, spoke to a UN-backed body after the last nuclear arms pact between the United States and Russia expired this month. That has ended limits on the arsenals of the world's biggest nuclear powers and raised concerns about a possible new arms race. Yeaw called for greater transparency from China and pointed to some shortcomings of the New START treaty, such as that it didn't address Russia's large arsenal of nonstrategic nuclear weapons - which counts up to 2,000 warheads. "But perhaps its greatest flaw was that New START did not account for the unprecedented, deliberate, rapid and opaque nuclear weapons buildup by China," he told the UN-backed Conference

China on Monday said it is conducting a comprehensive assessment of the impact of the US Supreme Court's ruling against global tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump under an emergency powers law. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce said it has noted the Supreme Court's decision declaring illegal the US government's imposition of tariffs on trading partners under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and is evaluating its relevant content and implications. Beijing's reaction came ahead of Trump's planned visit to China from March 31 to April 2 for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. On Sunday, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said he did not expect the ruling to impact Washington's talks with China. "The purpose of this meeting with President Xi is not to fight about trade. It's to maintain stability, make sure that the Chinese are holding up their end of our deal and buying American agricultural products and Boeings and other things," Greer told ABC ..

Xi's team will likely push harder for access to advanced semiconductors, removal of trade restrictions on Chinese companies and reduced US support for Taiwan

Called the Tech Corps, the programme would deploy as many as 5,000 American volunteers and advisers over the next five years to Peace Corps partner nations

This comes amidst Beijing's stating that it has scrupulously observed an international accord banning all nuclear detonations

The US's military support for Taiwan has become one of the key points of contention between Washington and Beijing before the countries' leaders are slated to meet in April in China

Satellite imagery of secretive nuclear facilities reveals Beijing's efforts to expand its arsenal, just as the last global guardrails on nuclear weapons vanish

China has stepped up diplomatic and economic pressure on Japan after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested that Tokyo might come to the aid of Taiwan

The discussion took place days after President Donald Trump indicated that he'd be open to allowing Chinese automakers into the US if they built plants and hired Americans

The CIA released a Mandarin video depicting a fictional Chinese officer who contacts the agency after witnessing qualified leaders purged and replaced by inexperienced officials accused of corruption

India positions itself as counterweight to US-China dominance

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday that senior ‌US Treasury staff visited China last week "to strengthen channels of ​communication" between Washington and Beijing

The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, commonly known as New START, was the last major nuclear arms control agreement between the United States and Russia

The allegation was raised days after the New START treaty expired, with Washington urging broader arms control that includes China as Beijing dismissed the charge as a false narrative

Taiwan's ties with the United States are "rock solid," the island's president said Thursday, hours after President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping spoke on the phone about topics that included the self-ruled island's future. "The Taiwan-US relationship is rock solid, and all cooperation projects will continue uninterrupted," Taiwan President Lai Ching-te told reporters during a visit to textile merchants in western Taiwan. The comments came after Xi, in his first call with Trump since November, warned the US president to be "prudent" about supplying arms to the self-ruled island, according to a readout of their call provided by China's Foreign Ministry. Taiwan is a self-ruled democracy that China claims as its own territory, to be annexed by force if necessary. Beijing prohibits all countries it has diplomatic relations with - including the US - from having formal ties with Taipei. Still, while the US doesn't officially recognize Taiwan as a country, it is the island's .

Trump cast the call as "excellent" and "long and thorough," adding that the two spoke about increasing Chinese purchases of US soybeans to 20 million tonnes for the current season

The US government has rolled out Project Vault, a $12 billion scheme to stockpile rare earths and critical minerals, aiming to shield American companies from global supply disruptions

China is stepping up efforts to boost the yuan's global role as President Xi Jinping calls for wider use of the currency in trade, investment and foreign exchange markets