China 101

Two giant pandas have arrived in the United States from China after a Washington summit between the two countries. A chartered FedEx cargo plane carrying Ping Ping and Fu Shuang landed in Atlanta on Sunday after leaving Sichuan earlier in the day. The pandas' transfer had been already agreed but the departure was announced on Thursday during President Xi Jinping's visit to Washington. The black and white mammals are immensely popular around the world, and China loans them out

Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump held talks at the White House on Thursday, with trade, artificial intelligence and global security among the major issues discussed. According to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Xi called for a “constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability,” arguing that cooperation should remain the mainstay of relations while competition is kept within limits and differences are managed. The talks followed a ne

Chinese President Xi Jinping is beginning a three-day state visit to the United States, with trade, technology and Taiwan expected to feature prominently in talks with US President Donald Trump. Trump left the White House aboard Marine One on Wednesday afternoon to personally welcome Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. The unusually high-level reception underscores the significance Washington is attaching to the visit as the world's two largest ec

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is in China for talks with Foreign Minister Wang Yi, as Beijing pushes for a ceasefire and negotiated settlement in the Middle East conflict. The talks come as the United States counts the mounting cost of the war with Iran. A U.S. Defense Department report estimates the conflict had cost US$33.4 billion by June 29, with Iranian strikes damaging or destroying hundreds of structures at U.S. bases and dozens of American aircraft. Four F-1

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have reaffirmed that China and India should view each other as partners rather than rivals as the two countries seek to strengthen bilateral relations. The two leaders met on Saturday on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, where they held discussions on bilateral ties, trade, border issues and wider cooperation within BRICS and other multilateral organisations. Xi said China approaches its r

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on BRICS countries to deepen cooperation on artificial intelligence, defend multilateralism and play a stronger role in promoting global peace and reforming international governance. Addressing the first session of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on Saturday, Xi said the grouping must “stand firmly on the right side of history” as geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainty and challenges to the international order intensify. The Chi

Forty-three people had been confirmed dead and 519 others remained missing as of 6 p.m. Saturday after a mudslide struck Gyirong Port on the China-Nepal border in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region on Aug. 26, local emergency response and rescue authorities said on Sunday. A total of 261 foreign nationals from 23 countries have been identified as being among the missing, officials told a press conference attended by domestic and foreign journalists. The press conferen

China has urged the United States to help ease tensions and address outstanding differences as both sides prepare for a possible meeting between Presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump. Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the call during discussions with US Ambassador to China David Perdue, saying Beijing and Washington should place greater emphasis on cooperation while preventing disagreements from disrupting high-level exchanges. Wang said the relationship remains exposed to sever

Chinese authorities have deployed hundreds of emergency personnel to Gyirong County in Xizang Autonomous Region following a deadly mudslide that left people missing. The Ministry of Emergency Management said 249 firefighters and 325 engineering rescue personnel were sent to the affected area as search operations intensified. Emergency crews are being supported by specialised technology, including satellite communication systems and aerial magnetic detection equipment, to help

Rescue teams are racing to find hundreds of people still unaccounted for after powerful floodwaters devastated communities along the mountainous Nepal-China frontier. At least 95 people have been confirmed dead after a massive collapse of mud, rock and debris reportedly sent floodwaters surging through communities near Nepal and Tibet. The disaster damaged villages, roads, bridges, power facilities and communication networks, leaving emergency teams struggling to reach some o

More than a quarter-century after helping support a Chinese woman’s mission to reclaim desert land, retired American teacher Ronald Sakolsky has returned to the Mu Us Desert for an emotional reunion. Sakolsky met environmentalist Yin Yuzhen and her husband Bai Wanxiang on Monday, with the three commemorating their long friendship by putting three new saplings into the ground. Their connection began 26 years ago when Sakolsky learned about Yin’s efforts to fight desertificatio

Former Chinese premier Zhu Rongji died in Beijing on August 12, 2026, at the age of 98, according to Xinhua. Born in Changsha, Hunan Province, in 1928, Zhu studied electrical engineering at Tsinghua University and joined the Communist Party in 1949. He rose through government economic posts before serving as mayor and Party secretary of Shanghai, where he pushed industrial restructuring and economic reforms. Zhu became vice premier in 1991 and governor of the People’s Bank of

China has called for stronger international cooperation and regulation of emerging technologies to prevent their misuse by terrorist groups. Addressing the United Nations Security Council, China's Chargé d'Affaires to the UN, Sun Lei, warned that terrorists are increasingly exploiting the internet, artificial intelligence, drones and other advanced technologies for recruitment, financing, propaganda and attacks. He urged countries to strengthen risk assessments, improve regul

Chinese artificial intelligence company DeepSeek has announced plans to increase prices for its application programming interface (API) services, with the changes expected to take effect in the near future. The company said the price adjustment could be significant and advised customers to plan their usage ahead of the new pricing, which will be announced at a later date. The move comes less than a week after DeepSeek launched public testing of the DeepSeek-V4-Flash API. Indu

China has announced a series of retaliatory measures against the United States, including tighter export controls on drones and sanctions against six American companies, following Washington's latest trade restrictions linked to national security and allegations of forced labour. The announcement comes shortly after the United States introduced new tariffs on Chinese goods, along with products from dozens of other countries, escalating trade tensions between the world's two l

China has pushed back against reports that the United States is preparing a major initiative to counter Beijing's growing influence in Latin America, Africa and Asia, insisting its international partnerships are focused on development rather than geopolitical rivalry. Speaking at a regular Foreign Ministry briefing on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said China opposes efforts to create exclusive blocs or alliances directed at any particular country. Li

China's Ministry of Commerce has called on the United States to remove unilateral tariffs imposed on Chinese goods under what Beijing describes as the pretext of so-called forced labour. The appeal came on Monday after the United States announced additional Section 301 tariffs affecting 60 economies, including China, following a forced labour-related investigation. Responding to the move, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce said Beijing has consistently opposed fo

Chinese President Xi Jinping has appointed the following ambassadors in accordance with a decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, an official statement noted on Monday. Xiang Bo was appointed ambassador to Iraq, replacing Cui Wei. Chinese President Xi Jinping Yang Yundong was appointed ambassador to Cyprus, replacing Liu Yantao. Zhang Xiangyan was appointed ambassador to Panama, replacing Xu Xueyuan. (Xinhua)

China has distributed this year's childcare subsidies to 25.16 million babies, the National Health Commission said Tuesday. The nationwide subsidy program, which was introduced in 2025 as part of the country's efforts to build a more birth-friendly society, provides 300 yuan (around 44.17 U.S. dollars) per month for each child under the age of three. China's Ministry of Finance said in June that it had allocated 99.9 billion yuan in central government funds for childcare subs

China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, Sun Lei, urged all sides involved in the Ukraine conflict to reduce tensions, warning that the situation has become increasingly alarming. Addressing the UN Security Council on Thursday, Sun noted that military operations have intensified in frequency, scale, and severity, leading to heavy civilian casualties and widespread destruction of infrastructure. He emphasized that China strongly condemns attacks targeting