China announced 34 percent tariffs on US imports yesterday, the first major economy to fire back against President Donald Trump’s new levies in an escalating global trade war that sent markets deep into the red.

Trump unveiled particularly stinging tariffs of 34 percent on China

China’s military said it had begun joint army, navy and rocket force exercises around Taiwan to “serve as a stern warning and powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence”, calling Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-Te a “parasite”.

"They said they would import so many mangoes that Bangladesh might face a shortage"

China yesterday urged an end to “illegal” sanctions on Iran as it hosted Iranian and Russian diplomats for talks Beijing hopes will restart long-stalled negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear programme.

China yesterday called for a “diplomatic” resolution to the Iran nuclear issue as it prepared to host diplomats from Tehran and Moscow for talks.

China will host Russia and Iran for trilateral talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme on Friday, Beijing’s foreign ministry said.

China said yesterday it will accelerate the use of artificial intelligence and big data in elderly and social care as it bets on new technologies to drive economic growth despite an ageing population.

China imported $29 billion of US farm produce in 2023, more than any other country, according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Beijing yesterday accused the United States of exerting “tariff pressure and blackmail” after President Donald Trump’s latest threat to slap an extra duty of 10 percent on imports from China, citing a continued flow of fentanyl into the country.

China’s defence ministry said yesterday that drills which had alarmed Taiwan off its coast were “routine” and the island should stop complaining, as Taipei reported a surge in Chinese military activity, although no live-fire exercises.

More than 30 people are missing after a landslide in China’s southwestern Sichuan province yesterday, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Taiwan detected six Chinese balloons off the island, the defence ministry said yesterday, as Beijing maintains military pressure to push its claim of sovereignty.

China is opposed to US “smearing and sabotage” of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Panama through “pressure and coercion”, its foreign ministry said yesterday, after the South American nation decided to exit the programme.

China yesterday said it would impose tariffs on imports of US energy, vehicles and equipment, firing a return salvo in an escalating trade war between the world’s two biggest economies.

Taiwan has banned workers in the public sector and at key infrastructure facilities from using DeepSeek, saying it was a Chinese product and could endanger national security

Chinese firm DeepSeek's artificial intelligence chatbot has soared to the top of the Apple Store's download charts, stunning industry insiders and analysts with its ability to match its US competitors

India and China yesterday announced they have agreed to resume direct air services after about five years, indicating a thaw in relations between the two neighbours after a military clash on their unresolved border across the Himalayas in 2020

At a shopping mall in Beijing, Zhang Yachun murmurs quietly to her closest confidant, a fluffy AI-powered robot whose soothing chirps remind her that she is not alone.

Chinese President Xi Jinping yesterday held phone talks with US president-elect Donald Trump, Chinese state media reported.