Despite differences over the war in Ukraine and tensions over human rights in India, Western democracies are courting Modi and India as a counterweight to China in Asia. Macron’s red carpet welcome comes weeks after Modi was given the rare honour of a White House state dinner in Washington –Continue Reading
BRUSSELS: The EU and Japan are working on a cooperation agreement for raw materials to whittle down China’s dominance in the sector, leaders said in Brussels on Thursday (Jul 13). Coordination also extended to semiconductors, to help boost economic security in Japan and the EU, European Commission chief Ursula vonContinue Reading
WASHINGTON: China’s ambassador to the United States held a rare meeting at the Pentagon on Wednesday (Jul 12) with the top US defence official for Asia, the Pentagon said, in talks that followed US criticism of Chinese reluctance to engage in military communications. A brief Pentagon statement said Chinese AmbassadorContinue Reading
Although Sogavare has repeatedly stressed that his country was “friends to all”, a video posted by Chinese state media showed him telling officials “I am back home” after touching down in Beijing earlier this week. Solomon Islands opposition politician Peter Kenilorea Junior said he had a “gut feeling” that SogavareContinue Reading
BEIJING: John Kerry, the United States special envoy on climate issues, will visit China from Jul 16 to Jul 19, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment said on Wednesday (Jul 12), the latest senior US official to travel to Beijing in recent weeks. Kerry’s trip follows a visit by SecretaryContinue Reading
WASHINGTON: US climate envoy John Kerry on Monday (Jul 17) will become the Biden administration’s third senior official to visit China in recent weeks after trips by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. A US official said on Tuesday that Kerry would visit from Monday toContinue Reading
BEIJING: US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen begins a full day of meetings in Beijing on Friday (Jul 7), with strained US-China ties, American businesses’ concerns and the global economic outlook on her agenda. Yellen’s four-day trip marks her first to China as Treasury chief, as Washington seeks to steady theContinue Reading
WASHINGTON: The US wants other countries to engage China on limiting the flow of synthetic drugs, the State Department’s top official on narcotics said on Thursday (Jul 6), as Washington complains of a lack of cooperation from Beijing to combat illegal trade in the dangerous substances. On the eve ofContinue Reading
VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis will travel to Mongolia at the end of August, the Vatican confirmed on Thursday (Jul 6), indicating that his health is improving well enough after surgery to be able to go to the remotest area he has ever visited. The Vatican issued a detailed schedule forContinue Reading
IMPROVING COMMUNICATION Yellen is expected to focus on economic issues, but she will remind Chinese counterparts that any move to supply lethal aid to Russia – in violation of sanctions on Russia over its war in Ukraine – could trigger sanctions on Chinese entities, one senior administration official said. “WeContinue Reading