China

China does not want a trade war with the United States but will retaliate against any further U.S. restrictions on technology and trade, the Chinese ambassador to the U.S. said.

Ambassador Xie Feng criticized U.S. curbs on the sale of microchips and chipmaking equipment to China that were imposed last year by the Biden administration. Beijing has described the measure as part of an effort to “contain” China.

BEIJING, July 19. /TASS/: Beijing strongly opposes plans by deputy head of the Taiwanese administration Lai Qingde to transit the US, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said at a briefing on Wednesday.

China said Wednesday it has dispatched navy ships in preparation for joint exercises with Russia’s sea forces, in a sign of Beijing’s continuing support for Moscow’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine.

The move comes despite the growing economic and humanitarian repercussions of the bloody 16 month-old air, sea and ground assault.

HONG KONG, July 18. /TASS/: Taiwan does not plan on reselling Hawk surface-to-air missile systems (SAMS) to the US just so they can turn around and send them to Ukraine, Chiu Kuo-cheng, head of Taiwan’s defense agency said on Tuesday.

"Deadlines have already been set in accordance with which the Hawk SAMS will be got rid of every year; they will be replaced with Tien Kung (Sky Bow - TASS) SAMS. After that, they will be destroyed," Taiwan’s Central News Agency quoted him as saying.

BEIJING, July 17 (Reuters) - A remote township in China's arid northwest endured temperatures of more than 52 Celsius (126 Fahrenheit) on Sunday, state media reported, setting a record for a country that was battling minus 50C weather just six months ago.

Temperatures at Sanbao township in Xinjiang's Turpan Depression soared as high as 52.2C on Sunday, state-run Xinjiang Daily reported on Monday, with the record heat expected to persist at least another five days.

HONG KONG (AP) — China’s economic growth missed forecasts in the second quarter of the year, adding to worries over surging youth unemployment and a weak property sector and raising the likelihood the government will double down on support for the faltering post COVID-19 recovery.

The world’s second largest economy grew at a 6.3% annual pace in the April-June quarter, much slower than the 7% plus growth analysts had forecast given the anemic pace of activity the year before.

BEIJING, July 16 (APP): Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, Prof. Ahsan Iqbal has said that Special Economic Zones (SEZs) will provide an opportunity for Chinese investments to take advantage of incentives that Pakistan offers to foreign investment with concessions.

“We are working on nine special economic zones.

The first Rashakai Special Economic Zone will be inaugurated later this month. Similarly, the other economic zones are also in the advanced stages, in Sindh, Punjab, and Baluchistan,” he told APP during his recent visit to China.

BEIJING, July 16 (Reuters) - A Chinese naval flotilla set off on Sunday to join Russian naval and air forces in the Sea of Japan in an exercise aimed at "safeguarding the security of strategic waterways", according to China's defence ministry.

Codenamed "Northern/Interaction-2023", the drill marks enhanced military cooperation between China and Russia since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and is taking place as Beijing continues to rebuff U.S. calls to resume military communication.

BEIJING, July 16 (Reuters) - A Chinese military-run hospital ship has arrived in Kiribati for the first time, as China vies with the United States for influence in the Pacific region.

The arrival of the 14,300 metric ton "Peace Ark" - the first time a Chinese navy vessel has visited Kiribati - marks a step up in Chinese soft power in the Pacific Island state that switched its diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to China in 2019.

BEIJING, July 15 (Reuters) - The European Union must further "clarify" its position on its strategic partnership with Beijing, China's top diplomat Wang Yi told European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, as EU leaders called for reduced dependence on China.