Beijing

Donald Trump has rejected any proposal to combine American and Chinese efforts on artificial intelligence, ruling out joint US-China collaboration in the field. The statement signals a continued hard line on technology competition with Beijing, keeping the two countries on separate paths in AI development despite ongoing trade talks between Washington and China.

Beijing says the United States and China will work toward a military crisis-communication agreement, according to a report by the South China Morning Post. The announcement signals an effort by the two powers to keep military-to-military channels open and reduce the risk of accidents or misunderstandings escalating into conflict, a long-standing point of friction in the bilateral relationship.

China is publicly rejecting US warnings about its rapid artificial intelligence development, arguing against American characterisations of its AI programme as a security threat. The dispute adds a new front to US-China tensions over technology, with Beijing framing US claims as an attempt to contain its rise in a field both countries see as critical to economic and military advantage.

Saudi Arabia has withdrawn from a China-led cross-border currency platform, according to the Financial Times. The move signals a pullback from Beijing's efforts to build alternatives to dollar-based international payments, and is being read as Riyadh keeping its options open with Washington amid ongoing economic and security ties. Observers see it as a setback for de-dollarisation efforts.

This is a news headline from Bloomberg reporting that US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are keeping great-power diplomacy on track, suggesting continued engagement between Washington and Beijing. The evidence available is limited to the headline itself, so details of what was discussed or agreed are not clear from the posts. Readers appear to be following developments in US-China relations, a topic of ongoing global interest.

China told the UN General Assembly that the postwar international order must be safeguarded, calling on member states to uphold the framework established after World War Two. The appeal comes amid ongoing debate over respect for international law and the UN Charter, with Beijing positioning itself as a defender of multilateralism while tensions persist over conflicts and great-power rivalry.

US President Donald Trump asked Chinese leader Xi Jinping to stop supporting Iran, according to an Axios report. The request highlights Washington's push to pressure Tehran by cutting off its key economic and diplomatic backing from Beijing, a major buyer of Iranian oil. The report is drawing attention amid ongoing tensions over Iran's role in regional conflicts.

Panda diplomacy refers to China's practice of lending giant pandas to foreign nations as a gesture of goodwill. Commentators are using the term as talks of potential panda loans to the US are being read as a sign of warming relations between Washington and Beijing, coinciding with a meeting between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump. The story frames the iconic animals as a symbolic barometer of the state of US-China relations.

Retail investors are turning their attention to three China-exposed stocks following the latest thaw in US-China relations. The improved diplomatic and trade tone between Washington and Beijing has lifted sentiment around companies with significant China revenue exposure, and individual investors are watching these names closely for potential gains as tensions ease.

China's long-standing practice of lending pandas to the United States as a goodwill gesture is reportedly losing its effectiveness, according to a Wall Street Journal report. The symbolic panda loans, historically used to signal warmer ties between Beijing and Washington, now carry less diplomatic weight as relations between the two countries grow more strained over trade, technology and security disputes.

Chinese representatives used their address at the United Nations to argue that global development is the answer to the world's challenges, framing development cooperation as China's central diplomatic message. The speech is in line with Beijing's usual approach at the UN, where it positions itself as a champion of developing nations and multilateral solutions.

South China Sea Morning Post reporting highlights how Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, and US First Lady Melania Trump created an informal channel alongside formal US-China diplomacy. The piece suggests spousal engagement helped soften tensions and build rapport at moments when official talks between Washington and Beijing were strained or stalled.

Iran's president has stated that all Iranian money held in China has been frozen, according to an emerging report circulating on prediction and news platforms. The claim, if confirmed, would have significant implications for Iran's economy, which has relied on Chinese purchases of its oil and credit lines as sanctions limit access to Western financial systems. Details about the amount involved, the reason for the freeze, and Beijing's response remain unclear.

President Trump has called for trilateral arms control negotiations between the United States, China and Russia, following Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit. The proposal comes amid ongoing tensions over nuclear arsenals and would mark a shift from bilateral US-Russia arms control frameworks. Observers are debating whether such three-way talks are realistic given current diplomatic friction between Washington and Beijing.

US Senator Ted Cruz has said that winning the artificial intelligence race against China is the 'single most important economic question' facing America. His comments frame AI development as a strategic competition between the two countries, adding to ongoing debate in Washington over how the US should maintain its technological edge over Beijing amid tightening restrictions on semiconductors and advanced computing.

A life-size replica of the Yuan dynasty Buddha of Medicine mural has gone on show at the National Arts and Crafts Museum in Beijing. The work reproduces one of the most celebrated surviving murals from China's Yuan era, depicting the Medicine Buddha surrounded by attendant figures. The exhibition gives visitors a close-up view of the mural's detail and craftsmanship, drawing attention to conservation and reproduction efforts around fragile ancient religious art.

Chinese open-source AI models, offered at low cost, now account for the majority of developer traffic worldwide, according to a report highlighting the rapid global adoption of models from Chinese providers. The trend has raised alarm in Washington, where officials worry that cheap, freely available Chinese AI could shape critical infrastructure and give Beijing strategic influence over the technology stack used by developers globally.