WANG YI

China is urging its citizens to leave three provinces in eastern Congo as violence intensifies in the mineral-rich region.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi as part of the Group of 20 summit on Sunday.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi as part of the Group of 20 summit on Sunday — an outreach designed to ensure that the intensely competitive relationship between the world's two largest economies doesn't veer into open conflicts. Senior State Department officials described the conversations as candid, constructive and productive, saying that Blinken was clear about U.S. concerns during the roughly hourlong meeting. One of the U.S. goals is to maintain an open line of communication with China and set a virtual meeting later this year between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Serbian officials have praised the “steel friendship” with China during talks with China’s foreign minister.

A senior Chinese envoy used an unprecedented conversation with the head of NATO to warn the trans-Atlantic alliance to stay out of the Indo-Pacific.

U.S. envoy John Kerry is on a diplomatic quest to stave off the worst scenarios of global warming, but he's running into resistance from China, the world’s biggest climate polluter.

The Dutch foreign minister has resigned after the lower house of parliament passed a motion of censure against the government over its handling of evacuations from Afghanistan amid the Taliban takeover of the country.

The move comes two days after Pyongyang said it had tested a newly-developed long-range cruise missile and ratchets up tensions with Washington amid stalled talks on North's nuclear program.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen says China has agreed to provide the Southeast Asian nation with grant aid of 1.75 billion yuan ($272 million).

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Sunday that China has agreed to provide the Southeast Asian nation with grant aid of 1.75 billion yuan ($272 million), announcing the assistance during a visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Wang met with Hun Sen and other officials for bilateral talks on combating COVID-19, trade and investment, education and security issues. Cambodia’s foreign ministry said earlier that Wang’s meetings on Sunday and Monday also would include discussions of regional and international issues of shared interest.

China was one of the first countries to express willingness to engage with the Taliban diplomatically when they suddenly swept to power in Afghanistan.

China is facing heightened risks, along with potential political and economic opportunities following the Taliban’s rapid rise to power.

For China, the American withdrawal brings opportunities, but it's not all good news. There are risks, too.

China says it's willing to hold talks with the U.S. to promote a “soft landing” in Afghanistan, while heavily criticizing Washington and again demanding that the Biden administration halt its attacks on China.

China has expressed a willingness to hold talks with the U.S. to promote a “soft landing” in Afghanistan, while heavily criticizing Washington and again demanding that the Biden administration halt its attacks on China. Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in a phone call Monday with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, blamed what he called America's “hasty” military withdrawal the chaos accompanying the Talibain's seizure of power in Afghanistan, according to a Foreign Ministry statement dated Tuesday. “China is willing to conduct communication and dialogue with the U.S. to promote the soft landing of the Afghan issue and avoid a new civil war or humanitarian disaster ... and not let it become a breeding ground and shelter for terrorism once again," Wang was quoted as saying in the call.

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves said Friday he and state officials have done "everything that we can" to deal with a surge in COVID-19 cases. Reeves also defended his stances on masking and vaccines. (Aug.13)

Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the fate of Afghanistan should be "in the hands of the Afghan people."

Chinese foreign minister demanded that Taliban cut ties with separatist group in Xinjiang.

China's foreign minister has met with a delegation of high-level Taliban officials as their ties warm ahead of the U.S. pullout from Afghanistan.

The meeting throws cold water on near-term hopes for a major summit between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping.

The meeting throws cold water on near-term hopes for a major summit between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping.

The State Department No. 2’s visit to China is met with bellicose exchanges.

A senior U.S. diplomat has called on China to rise above their differences and work with the United States on difficult global issues such as climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic as a responsible global power.

High-level face-to-face talks between U.S. and Chinese diplomats have highlighted sharp differences between the sides.

America's No. 2 diplomat has arrived in China to discuss the fraught relationship between the countries on Monday with two top Foreign Ministry officials. Wendy Sherman, the deputy secretary of state, will hold separate meetings with Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng, who is in charge of U.S.-China relations, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi at a closed-off resort hotel in the city of Tianjin.

Wendy Sherman's trip to China marks the second time the world's two largest economies hold high-level, in-person talks since President Joe Biden took office.

Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will travel to China on a visit that comes as tensions between Washington and Beijing soar.

Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will travel to China this weekend on a visit that comes as tensions between Washington and Beijing soar on multiple fronts, senior U.S. officials said Wednesday. Sherman will meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and others in the northeastern city of Tianjin on Sunday as part of her current trip to Asia, which also is taking her to Japan, South Korea and Mongolia, the officials told reporters. Sherman will be the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit China since President Joe Biden took office, though Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan met Wang and veteran Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi in Anchorage, Alaska, in March for what proved to be a contentious first exchange.

Chicago Police are mourning the loss of a young police officer who died by apparent suicide and was found in a personal vehicle behind an elementary school on the city's Southwest Side.

China says the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces from Afghanistan offers the country a new chance to take its destiny into its own hands, while calling for the resurgent Taliban to cut all ties with terrorist groups. Speaking Tuesday in Tajikistan's capital Dushanbe, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the U.S. should reflect on its role in Afghanistan after its 20-year military involvement failed to bring peace. “With the United States and NATO leaving Afghanistan, the Afghan people have a new opportunity to take the destiny of their country and their people into their own hands," Wang said in a news release posted on the ministry's website Wednesday.

China on Tuesday pledged further assistance to Southeast Asian nations in battling the coronavirus pandemic as it seeks to boost influence with the region where the United States is also looking to strengthen ties. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his counterparts from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations that China had already delivered 100 million vaccine doses to ASEAN nations along with other pandemic-fighting materials and technical help. Wang likened the challenge to earlier economic crises, the 2003 SARS outbreak and the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, saying all were faced with “practical action arising from feelings of brotherly concern and the care of watchful neighbors.”

China is hosting foreign ministers from 10 Southeast Asian nations this week amid heightened competition between Beijing and Washington for influence in the region. Chinese state media said the meeting Tuesday in the southwestern megacity of Chongqing will cover issues from restoring tourism and other economic exchanges battered by COVID-19, to more coordinated efforts in fighting the pandemic and the feasibility of creating a vaccine passport to allow freer travel among them. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is also expected to meet separately with each of his counterparts on the sidelines of the conference.

China is urging closer security and economic cooperation with Afghanistan in an apparent effort to bolster its influence in the region as the U.S. and its allies prepare to withdraw their forces from the country. The official Xinhua News Agency reported that foreign ministers from China, Afghanistan and Pakistan met via video conference on Thursday and agreed that the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan should be carried out in a responsible and orderly manner to prevent the deterioration of the security situation in Afghanistan and the return of "terrorist forces.” It quoted Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi as saying the three countries “needed to to strengthen communication and cooperation” for the sake of Afghanistan’s interests and those of neighboring countries.

A Hong Kong pro-democracy website was temporarily taken down after police warned the Israel-based hosting company that it breached a national security law.

Two vaccines made by China’s Sinopharm appear to be safe and effective against COVID-19, according to a study published in a medical journal.

China is renewing calls for the U.S. to play a constructive role in ending the conflict in Gaza and stop blocking efforts at the United Nations to demand an end to the bloodshed.

Israeli warplanes have unleashed a series of heavy airstrikes at several locations of Gaza City.

A three-day cease-fire marked by violent attacks claimed mostly by the Islamic State group has ended in Afghanistan amid calls for renewed peace talks.

The top diplomats from the United States, China and Russia are urging strengthened global cooperation, recognizing the need to tackle growing global challenges and an unprecedented pandemic.

Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. tweeted that China should "get the f--- out" as the two countries clash over the South China Sea.

In a tweet, Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin Jr. accused China of straining its "friendship" with the Philippines.

President Joe Biden has highlighted how the United States has administered 200 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine before his first 100 days in office.

President Joe Biden and Japan Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga are showcasing the alliance between their two countries as well as their shared resolve in dealing with China.

China’s government has criticized the Biden administration’s curbs on access to U.S. technology for its supercomputer developers and said sanctions “only strengthen China’s determination” to invent its own.

The American military is warning that China is probably accelerating its timetable for retaking Taiwan, the island democracy that's widely seen as the most likely trigger for a potentially catastrophic U.S.-China war.

The U.S. State Department says it’s talking with allies about China’s human rights record and how to handle next year’s Beijing Winter Olympics.

Residents wearing masks pass by government propaganda with slogans some of which read "Forever follow the Party" and "China's Ethnicities One Family" in the city of Aksu in western China's Xinjiang region on Thursday, March 18, 2021. China on Friday announced sanctions on British individuals and entities following the U.K.'s joining the EU and others in sanctioning Chinese officials accused of human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)BEIJING – China slapped sanctions on several British politicians and organizations Friday after the U.K. joined the European Union and others in sanctioning Chinese officials accused of human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region. China has rejected all criticism over its policies in Xinjiang, along with its crackdown on opposition figures in Hong Kong and threats against Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy China claims as its own territory. Cotton and other agricultural products form a major component of the local economy in vast but thinly populated Xinjiang.

A protester from the Uyghur community living in Turkey waves a Turkish flag during a protest against the visit of China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Turkey, in Istanbul, Thursday, March 25, 2021. Dozens of Uyghurs, Turkish opposition lawmakers and academics also assembled near the Chinese Embassy in Ankara, as Wang met with Turkish Foreign Mevlut Cavusoglu and later with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “We call on Turkey to stand with East Turkestan,” said Burhan Uluyol, who joined the protest in Istanbul. AdUyghurs, a Turkic group native to China’s Xinjiang region, have sought refuge in Turkey for decades because of their shared cultural ties with the country. Both Turkish and Chinese authorities insist that the extradition bill doesn't aim to target Uyghurs for deportation.

On Monday, that image shattered when the European Union joined Washington, Britain and Canada in imposing sanctions on Chinese officials over accusations they abused ethnic minorities. Earlier proposals to criticize China's human rights record were vetoed by Hungary and Greece, possibly to avoid disrupting trade and investment ties. Relations with Canada have been strained by the arrest of an executive of tech giant Huawei on U.S. charges related to possible violation of trade sanctions on Iran. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday there was no connection between Canada’s support for the Xinjiang sanctions and those cases. “We understand that we must work together to demonstrate our intolerance in the face of human rights abuses,” Trudeau told broadcaster CTV.

The state health department said nearly 17,000 people had filled up four days of appointments for the speedway clinic being held Friday through Monday. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California state prisons will soon resume limited in-person visits with inmates more than a year after they were halted because of the coronavirus pandemic. Museums, aquariums, retail businesses and shops, hair salons and personal care businesses can operate at 100% capacity indoors and outdoors. The three joined neighboring Santa Mateo County on Tuesday as the latest Bay Area counties to move into California’s “moderate” tier for coronavirus restrictions. Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady says the biggest driver behind the increase is young adults.

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell speaks during a media conference after a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the European Council building in Brussels, Monday, March 22, 2021. (Aris Oikonomou, Pool via AP)BEIJING – China on Tuesday said it summoned foreign diplomats in protest after the United States, the European Union, Canada and Britain jointly imposed sanctions on senior Chinese officials over alleged human rights abuses in China’s far western Xinjiang region. That came hours after the Chinese and Russian foreign ministers denounced a new wave of criticism and sanctions against both countries over human rights. “These measures will not be embraced by the international community.”Russia is also under Western sanctions over human rights abuses and military aggression against Ukraine. The Australian and New Zealand governments reiterated their grave concerns about the growing number of credible reports of severe human rights abuses in Xinjiang.

(Lu Boan/Xinhua via AP)BEIJING – The foreign ministers of China and Russia affirmed their countries' close ties at a meeting Tuesday, amid intense criticism and new Western sanctions against them over human rights. Russia and China both maintain close relations with Tehran, with which they share a firm approach against any political opposition. Ad“Countries should stand together to oppose all forms of unilateral sanctions," Wang said. Russia has been under Western sanctions for years over its seizure of the Crimea, support for separatists in Ukraine and attacks on government critics. “On an unrelated issue, we along with our international allies are very concerned about the situation facing Muslim minorities in western China."

Airing myriad complaints, the Biden administration took an extraordinarily tough line with China and Russia last week. Airing myriad complaints, the Biden administration took an extraordinarily tough line with China and Russia this past week. Public spats between the countries erupted as Biden characterized Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “killer” and his top national security aides excoriated China for a litany of issues. Just 24 hours later, Biden's top diplomat and national security adviser blasted Chinese officials in face-to-face talks. In taking a strong line on Russia, Biden has said the days of the U.S. “rolling over” to Putin are done.

The two countries feuded over journalist visas and consulates during the Trump administration, and climate change is seen as one area where they may be able to cooperate. AdSenior Biden administration officials held their first face-to-face meeting with their Chinese counterparts in Anchorage, Alaska, since taking office earlier this year. AdThe Xinhua report did not provide any details on the climate change working group, other than to say both countries were committed to enhancing communication and cooperation in the field. China and the U.S. both expelled a number of each other's journalists last year. In addition, Chinese journalists in the U.S. and foreign journalists working for U.S. media in China are now being granted only three-month stays, adding uncertainty to their tenure, though those stays have been generally renewed.

Chinese Foreign Minister and State Councilor Wang Yi and Yang Jiechi, director of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of the Chinese Communist Party, led the Chinese delegation. I'm hearing deep satisfaction that the United States is back, that we're reengaged with our allies and partners. And on some regional issues, I think the problem is that the United States has exercised long jurisdiction and suppression and over stretched. The United States itself does not represent international public opinion and neither does the Western world. Whether judged by population scale or the trend of the world, the Western world does not represent the global public opinion.

AdAs they opened the talks on Thursday, Blinken said the Biden administration is united with its allies in pushing back against Chinese authoritarianism. Yang responded angrily by demanding the U.S. stop pushing its own version of democracy at a time when the United States itself has been roiled by domestic discontent. “I’m hearing deep satisfaction that the United States is back, that we're reengaged,” Blinken retorted. In response, China stepped up its rhetoric opposing U.S. interference in domestic affairs and complained directly about it. “Is this a decision made by the United States to try to gain some advantage in dealing with China?” State Councilor Wang Yi asked.

Brown | AFP | Getty ImagesBEIJING — The first high-level gathering of U.S. and Chinese officials under President Joe Biden kicked off with an exchange of insults at a pre-meeting press event in Alaska on Thursday. "I said that the United States relationship with China will be competitive where it should be, collaborative where it can be, adversarial where it must be." The United States does not have the qualification to say that it wants to speak to China from a position of strength. I'm hearing deep satisfaction that the United States is back, that we're reengaged with our allies and partners. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately have a comment.

Some say they suspect the military instigated attacks on the factories to justify imposing martial law in industrial zones that have been hotspots for protests against the junta. AdTurmoil is bad for business and will deter investors, the Chinese state-owned broadcaster CGTN said in a commentary. AdMuch of the controversy over the arson attacks has centered on what happened in and around the Chinese-owned Xing Jia shoe factory in Hlaing Thayar. “That's worrying because there are a lot of native Myanmar Chinese businesspeople as well. AdThe coup and its aftermath have raised risks for all doing business in and with Myanmar, analysts say.

Blinken said the Biden administration is united with its allies in pushing back against China’s increasing authoritarianism and assertiveness at home and abroad. Yang responded angrily by demanding the U.S. stop pushing its own version of democracy at a time when the United States itself has been roiled by domestic discontent. “I’m hearing deep satisfaction that the United States is back, that we're reengaged,” Blinken retorted. Just a day before the meeting, Blinken had announced new sanctions over Beijing's crackdown on pro-democracy advocates in Hong Kong. “Is this a decision made by the United States to try to gain some advantage in dealing with China?"

Zhao on Wednesday, March 17, 2021, said China has protested to the United States and Japan over a joint statement it said maliciously attacked its foreign policy and seriously interfered in Chinas internal affairs. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)BEIJING – China has protested to the United States and Japan over a joint statement it said “maliciously attacked” its foreign policy and seriously interfered in China’s internal affairs, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said China was “strongly dissatisfied and resolutely opposed” to the statement. The China-Japan statement expressed concern over threats to Taiwan, Beijing’s human rights violations in Xinjiang, its activities in the South China Sea and “unilateral action that seeks to change the status quo” over Japan-controlled East China Sea islands that China also claims. The statement “maliciously attacked China’s foreign policy, seriously interfered in China’s internal affairs and tried to harm China’s interests," Zhao told reporters at a daily briefing.

The U.S. sanctioned an additional 24 Chinese and Hong Kong officials over Beijing's ongoing crackdown on political freedoms in the semi-autonomous city, including a decision to overhaul Hong Kong's electoral system. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)HONG KONG – The U.S. sanctioned an additional 24 Chinese and Hong Kong officials over Beijing’s ongoing crackdown on political freedoms in the semi-autonomous city, just ahead of the Biden administration's first face-to-face talks with China. The planned changes to Hong Kong's electoral law give a pro-Beijing committee power to appoint more of Hong Kong’s lawmakers. Last June, Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law on the city and Hong Kong authorities have arrested most of the prominent pro-democracy supporters and outspoken critics. Starting last October, the U.S. had already sanctioned 10 officials including Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam and Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office Zhang Xiaoming.

(Kiyoshi Ota/Pool Photo via AP)The White House is setting low expectations ahead of Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan’s first face-to-face meeting with their Chinese counterparts in Anchorage, Alaska. But ahead of the meeting, a senior administration official described the talks as a chance for the two sides for “taking stock” in the relationship. “We will push back if necessary when China uses coercion or aggression to get its way,” Blinken said before departing Japan. AdThe Republican courted China on trade and took pride in forging what he saw as a strong relationship with Xi Jinping. On negotiating many of the pressing issues in the relationship, the White House is “simply not there yet," the senior administration official said.

Morrison and his Papua New Guinea counterpart James Marape would ask AstraZentica to send Australia’s nearest neighbor another 1 million doses as soon as possible. “Every dose of the COVID-19 vaccine administered to an Arizona resident represents an essential step forward in our fight against COVID-19,” Gov. Over 142,000 Montana residents, accounting for 13% of the state’s population, have received the vaccine doses necessary to become fully immunized to the virus. On Monday, Italy joined several other European nations in temporarily suspending use of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Veran also reiterated complaints voiced by France about delays in deliveries of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Government officials and state media repeatedly emphasized how China’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated its superior political system and prefaced an inevitable rise above Western powers. China had been first to tame the coronavirus, first to resume work and first to attain positive economic growth, Xi said. Its reiteration during the Two Sessions in smog-smothered Beijing came days before the first meeting between Chinese officials and senior members of the Biden administration. “For China, 2021 will be a year of epoch-making significance,” Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a news briefing Monday. It will be the first face-to-face meeting between senior U.S. and Chinese officials since Biden’s inauguration.

It adds to a crackdown against a protest movement in Hong Kong calling for greater democracy. Hong Kong news reports said earlier the committee will pick one-third of the members of the Legislative Council, or LegCo. AdBeijing wants to see “patriots ruling Hong Kong,” the premier said. “The Hong Kong people will be disenfranchised” under the latest changes, said Emily Lau, a former Hong Kong legislator. ___AP writers Zen Soo in Hong Kong and Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken testifies before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on the administration foreign policy priorities on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, March 10, 2021, in Washington. (Ken Cedeno/Pool via AP)WASHINGTON – Senior U.S. and Chinese officials will meet next week in their first face-to-face talks since President Joe Biden took office to confront growing strains in the relationship between the world’s two largest economies. Ad“It’s pretty simple,” Blinken told the House Foreign Affairs Committee. She added that the talks would also focus on areas, such as climate change, where the U.S. and China can cooperate. AdSince moving into the White House, however, Biden has yet to make any significant overtures to China, signaling that many of Trump's policies toward the country will continue.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks at a news conference after restoring diplomatic ties with Kiribati on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, U.S. September 27, 2019. WASHINGTON – For the first time since President Joe Biden took office, senior U.S. officials will hold high-level, in-person talks with Chinese representatives next week in Alaska. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday that it was important for the administration to have the first meeting on U.S. soil. She added that Blinken and Sullivan are entering the talks clear-eyed and are prepared to discuss a range of issues with the Chinese. Blinken is slated to make his first trip abroad as secretary of State next week.

Asian shares were mixed Tuesday, cheered by the imminent passage of the U.S. stimulus package, although that optimism was tempered by worries about inflation and the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)TOKYO – Asian shares were mixed Tuesday, cheered by the imminent passage of the U.S. stimulus package, although that optimism was tempered by worries about inflation and the coronavirus pandemic. “And this recognition of recovery in March itself will work as a source for more confidence,” he said. AdThe vaccine rollouts in the U.S. and Europe will also help instill confidence in future growth, he added. Smaller company stocks, which have led the market higher this year, notched more gains.

BEIJING – Midway through its annual session, China’s ceremonial parliament is focusing on boosting the economy, building self-reliance in technology and further squeezing room for political opposition in Hong Kong. SETTING AN ACHEIVABLE GROWTH TARGETThe party set a growth target of “over 6%”, as the world’s second-largest economy shrugs off the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. AdBEEFING UP THE MILITARYThe government announced a 6.8% rise in military spending to 1.4 trillion yuan ($217 billion), continuing a tradition of roughly tracking the economic growth target. WHAT'S NEXTThe annual session, which has been reduced from two weeks to one because of the pandemic, finishes on Thursday. Li will give the premier's annual news conference after the congress closes.

The flags of China, U.S. and the Chinese Communist Party are displayed in a flag stall at the Yiwu Wholesale Market in Yiwu, Zhejiang province, China, May 10, 2019. Aly Song | ReutersBEIJING — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Sunday that the U.S. needs to remove "unreasonable restrictions" for the two countries' relationship to move forward under President Joe Biden's administration. Wang's remarks come as tensions between the U.S. and China have escalated in the last few years under former President Donald Trump, whose term ended in January. So far, the Biden administration has maintained a tough position on China — calling the country a more assertive "competitor" — and raised concerns about Beijing's stance around Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet. "Speaking of China-U.S. relations, I believe first of all both sides need to abide by the principle of non-interference in each others' internal affairs," Wang said.

AdWang defended proposed changes in Hong Kong that will tighten Beijing's control by reducing the role of its public in government. The changes announced Friday follow the arrest of 47 pro-democracy figures in Hong Kong under a national security law imposed last year following months of anti-government protests. The proposal would give a pro-Beijing committee a bigger role in picking Hong Kong legislators. That would be a marked reduction of democracy and Western-style civil liberties in Hong Kong. “No one cares more about the development of democracy in Hong Kong than the central government,” Wang said.

Biden took office promising to move quickly to restore and repair Americas relations with the rest of the world. From Iran to Russia, Europe to Latin America, Biden has sought to cool tensions that rose during President Donald Trump’s four years in office. China and the United States are the world’s two largest economies and the two largest emitters of greenhouse gases. The backdrop is clear: The United States is convinced that it and China are engaged in a duel for global dominance. Ad“There has been huge deviation between what they believe China is and what China really is,” Yu said.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on the U.S. Monday to lift restrictions on trade and people-to-people contacts while ceasing what Beijing considers unwarranted interference in the areas of Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)BEIJING – China on Thursday denied subjecting U.S. diplomats to COVID-19 anal tests following reports from Washington that some of its personnel were being made to undergo the procedure. The procedure has been applied in China because it is reportedly more accurate than nasal or mouth swabs. China has not reported a new local case of COVID-19 in more than a week, but has maintained strict testing, especially for people arriving from abroad. Diplomats and other foreigners with special status are exempted from a ban on most foreigners entering the country.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks at a news conference after restoring diplomatic ties with Kiribati on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, U.S. September 27, 2019. BEIJING — China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday called on the new U.S. administration to stop the "suppression" of Chinese technology companies, as he laid out conditions for U.S.-China cooperation going forward. Citing national security concerns, former U.S. President Donald Trump sanctioned dozens of Chinese companies in the last three years. Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei is one of the most prominent companies that suffered from those orders, falling from the number one smartphone vendor globally to sixth place last year as a result of the sanctions. China would like the U.S. to remove tariffs and sanctions on companies, and "abandon irrational suppression of China's technological progress, so as to create necessary conditions for China-U.S. cooperation," Wang said, according to an official English translation shared by the foreign ministry.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on the U.S. Monday to lift restrictions on trade and people-to-people contacts while ceasing what Beijing considers unwarranted interference in the areas of Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)BEIJING – China's top diplomat called Monday for new U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration to lift restrictions on trade and people-to-people contacts while ceasing what Beijing considers unwarranted interference in the areas of Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet. Ad“We know that the new U.S. administration is reviewing and assessing its foreign policy," Wang told diplomats, scholars and journalists at the Lanting Forum. As is standard in Chinese foreign policy, Wang put the onus for improving relations squarely on the shoulders of the U.S. and offered no direct proposals for major breakthroughs, even while encouraging increased dialogue. Wang said China has “no intention to challenge or replace the United States" and is ready to peacefully coexist and seek common development.

For a fist bump — the official greeting of 2020, and probably beyond. ... That fist bump was, ‘I see you, I hear you, I’m connecting with you, but I’m keeping you safe.’”Safety is the primary reason why the status of the fist bump elevated big-time this year. But let's face it: They lack the coolness of the fist bump. “Well, it was a fist bump because of the situation, but still, how many people can say they got a congratulatory fist bump from Jack Nicklaus?”This year, probably more than ever. But a fist bump is still good.

China and Nepal have jointly announced on Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020, a new height for Mount Everest, ending a discrepancy between the two nations. (Tashi Tsering/Xinhua via AP, File)BEIJING – China and Nepal jointly announced a new official height for Mount Everest on Tuesday, ending a discrepancy between the two nations. The height of Everest, which is on the border between China and Nepal, was agreed on after surveyors from Nepal scaled the peak in 2019 and a Chinese team did the same in 2020. A survey team from China then conducted measurements in the spring of 2020 while all other expeditions were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. China and Nepal will establish an “even closer community of a shared future to enrich the countries and their peoples,” Xinhua quoted Xi as saying.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks at a news conference after restoring diplomatic ties with Kiribati on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, U.S. September 27, 2019. Mark Kauzlarich | ReutersBEIJING — The U.S. should reduce its "interference" in China's domestic affairs and development in order to improve relations between the two countries, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday. The foreign minister was speaking to a group of U.S. business leaders via video on Monday, as the White House prepared for a transition of power. A call to support China's developmentIn his remarks Monday, Wang laid out five suggestions for developing relations between the U.S. and China. "For issues that cannot be resolved in the near term, (we) must take a constructive attitude of management and control to avoid an escalation that affects China-U.S. relations overall."

Ambassador to China Terry Branstad speaks during an interview at the U.S. embassy in Beijing on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020. China has rebuked the U.S. and taken parallel measures, including the closing of a U.S. consulate in the southwestern city of Chengdu. He conceded, though, the concern that pressure on China could lead to a downward spiral of growing restrictions. On trade, China promised to strengthen protection of foreign technology rights and industry secrets. “0bviously, that’s had a lot to do with, I think, the president’s feelings towards China,” Branstad said.

They also crackled with an energy and action that the prerecorded set pieces of leader speeches at the virtual meeting have thus far lacked. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia expressed regret that Craft used Thursday’s meeting “to make unfounded accusations” against one council member. Lavrov also praised the World Health Organization for acting professionally and providing “effective preventive steps” to minimize the pandemic’s effect. U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out of the WHO, accusing the U.N. agency of being under Chinese influence. ___Edith M. Lederer, chief U.N. correspondent for The Associated Press, has been covering world affairs for nearly a half-century.

(AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. TOP OF THE HOUR: India surpasses China in coronavirus infection cases. ___NEW DELHI Indias coronavirus infection cases have surpassed Chinas with the health ministry on Saturday reporting the spike to 85,940 cases with 2,752 deaths. The state recently surpassed 300,000 tests, which Kemp hailed as a milestone in efforts to locate virus cases. ___Follow AP news coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.

The cruise ship is the biggest cluster of infected people outside China, with some 285 confirmed cases out of 3,500 passengers and crew. 6:00 pm: First coronavirus death confirmed in Europe, French health minister saysAn 80-year-old Chinese tourist has died of the new coronavirus in a hospital in France, French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn said Saturday, confirming the first fatality from the fast-spreading respiratory virus in Europe. On Friday, China said that 1,716 health workers in the country have been infected with the COVID-19 virus. Feuer1:21 pm: CDC concerned with report of infected health workers in ChinaA U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official said the notice from China's National Health Commission about 1,716 health workers infected with the coronavirus was "concerning." Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters during a press briefing that there are currently no U.S. health workers infected with the virus.

Wang Yi, Foreign Minister of China, speaks on the second day of the 56th Munich Security Conference. MUNICH China's Foreign Minister said Saturday that the Chinese economy the second-largest in the world will emerge stronger from the deadly coronavirus outbreak, even as confirmed cases of the disease surge past 66,000. Its pent up consumer demand and growth potential will be quickly unleashed and China will enjoy evermore sound and sustainable economic and social development," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told an audience at the Munich Security Conference. His comments come on the heels of the first coronavirus death confirmed in Europe, an elderly Chinese tourist who was hospitalized in late January. The more than 20 Chinese provinces put under effective lockdown accounted for over 80% of national GDP last year.

Andrew Caballero-Reynolds | AFP | Getty ImagesBeijing is urging calm as geopolitical tensions escalate in the Middle East, a region that China depends on heavily for oil. On Saturday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi "took a telephone call" from Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, according to an English-language statement on the Chinese Foreign Ministry website. "China opposes the use of force in international relations," Yi said, according to the online posting. China urges the U.S. to seek resolutions through dialogue instead of abusing force." China also has large investments in Iran, Iraq and many other Middle Eastern countries already linked to China's economic interests."

"Such behavior is almost paranoid, and is indeed rare in international exchanges, seriously damaging the hard-won foundation of mutual trust between China and the United States, and seriously weakening the United States' international credibility," said State Councillor Wang. The U.S recently introduced several pieces of legislation that could potentially target top Chinese officials with sanctions over human rights abuses in Hong Kong and Xinjiang. Wang said on Friday that China will "resolutely fight against external forces that interfere in Hong Kong's affairs" and "sever the black hands" supporting revolution in Hong Kong. Last month, China called on the U.S. military to stop flexing its muscles in the South China Sea and to avoid adding "new uncertainties" over Taiwan, which is claimed by China. Wang said the United States had used various international occasions to vilify China's social system, development path, and mutually beneficial cooperation with other countries, and charged China with all kinds of unwarranted crimes.

The United States is the world's biggest source of instability and its politicians are going around the world baselessly smearing China, the Chinese government's top diplomat said on Saturday in a stinging attack at a G20 meeting in Japan. "The United States is broadly engaged in unilateralism and protectionism, and is damaging multilateralism and the multilateral trading system. It has already become the world's biggest destabilizing factor," China's Foreign Ministry cited Wang as saying. China runs Hong Kong under a "one country, two systems" model whereby the territory enjoys freedoms not enjoyed in mainland China like a free press, though many people in Hong Kong fear Beijing is eroding this. "There is no way out for the zero-sum games of the United States.

NEW YORK - China addressed the world on Friday at the United Nations General Assembly, the annual forum in New York City where even world leaders who don't believe in globalism make a pilgrimage to see and be seen. "China is guided by the principle of independence.... We will neither subordinate ourselves to others, nor coerce others into submission," Wang said. "China stands ready to share its development experience with other countries and provide necessary assistance in time of need," Wang said. The US and China both blame the other for militarization in the contested South China Sea, which China claims nearly in its entirety, to the consternation of neighboring nations in the area. The Iran nuclear deal"The Iranian nuclear issue affects world peace and security.

This isn't the outcome President Trump anticipated, now 15 months into his trade war with China. With apologies to Trump, Xi will be demonstrating to the world that he is busy making China great again. For good measure, he said strategic cooperation with Russia was at a historic high due to relations between Xi and President Vladimir Putin. At the same time, Chinese leadership is taking no chances. "Xi's consolidation of power has not only cost China's economy but raises suspicions around its enterprises abroad.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) reacts as he is shown the way by China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) before they proceed to their meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on October 8, 2018. "While China opens wider to the U.S. and the rest of the world, we expect the U.S. to do the same to China and remove all unreasonable restrictions," Wang said. Wang Yi Chinese Foreign MinisterWang's remarks come as the world's two largest economies are locked in escalating trade tensions centered on U.S. complaints about its trade deficit with China, and lack of equal access to the local market. Foreign companies in ChinaForeign companies often allege they are forced to transfer key technology in order to operate in China. In the last two years, the Chinese government has taken steps to increase foreign access to industries such as securities brokerages, and passed a new foreign investment law to improve intellectual property protection and limit forced technology transfers.

The official news agency Xinhua said the central government had the "authority" and "responsibility" to intervene and prevent riots in Hong Kong -- reiterating comments made by former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, who oversaw Hong Kong's handover from British to Chinese rule in 1997. "So we have to ask ourselves, the continued resort to violence and protests and harassment -- what are we going to do? There needed to be "deep rooted reforms" in the wake of the protests, the lawmaker said, which had exposed major dissatisfaction and anger within Hong Kong society beyond initial alarm at the extradition bill. "We want to put an end to the chaotic situation in Hong Kong through law enforcement and so on. Caspar Wong, a former president of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University Student Union who was in the Monday meeting with Lam, praised it as "quite an open dialogue atmosphere."