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China on Wednesday called the framework deal reached in Madrid to switch short-video app TikTok to U.S.-controlled ownership a "win-win" and said it would review TikTok's technology exports and intellectual property licensing, in a state media editorial, Reuters reported.

Investors on both sides of the Pacific are now waiting for a call scheduled for Friday between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in which the agreement should be confirmed.

Progress over the popular social media app - which counts 170 million U.S. users - is seen as key to facilitating further talks in the coming months as the world's two largest economies chart a path beyond their current tariff truce.

Reuters has reported that the deal, transferring TikTok's U.S. assets to U.S. owners from China's Bytedance, is similar to an agreement worked out earlier this year, but which was shelved after Trump announced steep tariffs on Chinese goods, according to Reuters.

Washington has reached a "framework" deal with China on TikTok's US operations, paving the way for American ownership, as the world's two biggest economies negotiate a trade deal, BBC reported.

The framework was set in talks in Madrid, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday, adding that President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping would "complete" the deal on Friday.

Trump said on Truth Social that the talks had "gone very well". China confirmed a framework agreement but said no deal would be made at the expense of their firms' interests.

A Wednesday deadline looms for TikTok's Chinese owner to find a buyer for US operations or face a ban in the country over national security concerns, according to BBC.

China has congratulated Sushila Karki for her appointment to the post of Prime Minister of the Interim Government of Nepal.

The northern neighbor also expressed commitment to collaborate to further strengthen mutual relations.

China congratulated Prime Minister Karki in a response to a query of a journalist with the spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry of China regarding Karki's appointment as the Prime Minister. 

Stating that there has been a friendly-relation between China and Nepal for a long time, the Spokesperson mentioned that China would respect the path of development chosen by the Nepali people independently, according to the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu.

"We are ready to work with Nepal to promote the five principles of peaceful co-existence, to exchange and increase support in different sectors and further strengthen bilateral relations," shared the Chinese Embassy quoting the spokesperson.

China has denounced the passage of Canadian and Australian naval vessels through the Taiwan Strait, calling it a deliberate provocation that endangers regional security. The People’s Liberation Army said its forces tracked and warned the ships during their transit, according to Reuters.

Taiwan’s defence ministry confirmed it monitored the movement and deployed assets to maintain stability.

Beijing insists the strait falls under its jurisdiction, while Taiwan and its allies, including US., regard it as international waters and stress freedom of navigation.

The incident comes amid growing Chinese military pressure on Taiwan, marked by frequent drills around the island. Ottawa and Canberra have yet to respond to Beijing’s criticism, Reuters reported.

US President Donald Trump warned that India and Russia appear to be slipping into China’s orbit after their leaders joined Chinese President Xi Jinping at a regional summit in Tianjin, Reuters reported.

A photograph from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting showed Xi walking hand in hand with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, a display of unity that drew Trump’s sharp reaction.

He said both countries looked “lost” to the “deepest, darkest China,” highlighting Washington’s unease over shifting alliances and the deepening US–China rivalry.

If China wants to promote a new world order based on cooperation, respect and the rise of the Global South, then the optics at Tianjin’s Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit did not help. “We should advocate for equal and orderly multipolarisation of the world, inclusive economic globalisation and promote the construction of a more just and equitable global governance system,” President Xi Jinping of China said.

And yet, looking at the group picture of all the world’s leaders attending the conclave, I could not help but feel some form of sympathy for United Nations Secretary-General Guterres. He was relegated not at the center of the group, close to the host, President Xi. Rather you could notice him on the far right, the last person in a long row, very far from the real fulcrum of power projection during the ceremony.

I found this quite disrespectful for the United Nations and the role that they have been playing to promote multilateralism. This is especially true if you look at the track record of Guterres, an old style European socialist with a progressive mindset, who has always been trying to highlight the role of the Global South. The Global Times, the most influential English language media of China and the global megaphone for the Chinese Communist Party, wrote in its editorial the following: “President Xi pointed out that this summit carries the important mission of building consensus, unleashing cooperation momentum, and mapping out a blueprint for development.”

China is the second most powerful nation in the world with one of the most fascinating civilizations. Over the last two decades, it has greatly consolidated its rising status of a global power, a position that is now undeniable as Beijing is directly challenging Washington. With what is happening at the White House under a president who is, simply and plainly speaking, unfit to lead the highest office of the country that happens to also be the leader of the so-called Free World, it is natural that China is exploiting the situation.

In a certain way, it is positive for the world to have a truly multilateral order in place where countries like China, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Brazil, just to mention a few rising nations, can take a leading role. I must say that leading always implies a huge responsibility and I wish that democratic principles and respect for human rights that, let’s not forget, are universal and not a western construct, could be applied to everything and everywhere. Unfortunately, it is not the case. Yet despite the differences, nations can talk and dialogue with each other even if they disagree. The use of the force should always be the very last resort and territorial conflicts should not find space in our times.

Yet Russia continues with its aggression in Ukraine and it seems disinterested in any real peace initiatives. In this scenario, it is a good thing that India and China are finally back to talking to each other and are trying hard to reset their bilateral relationships. I would wonder if the same speed of reconciliation and re-approchement between Delhi and Beijing had occurred if Kamala Harris were in the White House.

Probably the answer is yes because it is inevitable that both nations must learn to co-live in the same region but not at this velocity and depth. “Right choice for India, China to be ‘friends’, President Xi told PM Modi of India with the latter also stressing the importance of cooperation between the two countries. “We are committed to take forward our cooperation based on mutual trust, respect and sensitivity,” were the words of Modi.

Together, these two nations can truly inject a new impetus to global cooperation led by the South but as I was saying, aspiring to lead the world comes with big responsibility. President Xi is correct at deploring, as he did in his speech at the SCO, a unilateral world order where someone can bully others. This is what the White House has been doing not only against China and India but also with the Europeans and Canadians, the closest allies of the USA.

Over the past decades, China has been supporting a multitude of infrastructure around the world through its Belt and Road Initiative. This is something extremely positive even though there have been many concerns, some of which valid while others blown out of proportion, about the sustainability of the loans coming from Beijing.

Something Nepal has been fully aware of, as Kathmandu has been negotiating with its northern neighbor with due respect but also self-confidence and readiness to defend its national interests. It is apparently clear that with the void being created in Washington, China can assert itself and project its strengths, confidence and a new vision of the world. But Beijing should do more on a global level, building stadiums, hospitals, legislature building and railways is not enough.

Can President Xi assert his influence to nudge President Putin of Russia to truly seek to put an end to the war in Ukraine? Can China reassure its partners in the West that its long-sought process of reunification with Taiwan would only happen peacefully and without the threat of use of force?

Barring a few nations, no one is disputing the one-China policy but the current status quo is better than potential bloodshed in the South China Sea. In addition, many western nations have serious concerns about China’s campaign of overt and covert influence in their democratic systems.

I am at risk of being hypocritical here because, critics might say, this is exactly the same playbook that the Americans—and to a lesser extent—the Europeans have been using since the end of the second world war and certainly we cannot erase from history the scourge of colonization. As President Xi reminded the world from the stage of Tianjin that China is no more ready to accept double standards, he must himself set the high standards.

The Global Times reported that the Chinese president, during his meeting with UN SG Guterres, said that “history has revealed that multilateralism, solidarity and cooperation are the right answer to global challenges”. Therefore, it would be a great gesture for China to uphold a new world order by elevating the role of the United Nations, including by proposing new initiatives that can truly create a level playing field.

An example of good leadership on the part of China was seen during the recently held World AI Conference in Shanghai where the host nation proposed the establishment of a global AI body. This is what Guterres has been trying to promote for years and China could be a true force for good to counter the hegemonic model of AI development that the Trump administration is pursuing.

As a European living in Asia, I wish the EU could stand up on its own more strongly and promote its approach that while, far from being perfect, it is centered on the respect for human rights and democracy. Meanwhile, the rise of China and India are inevitable and should be welcome

In this context, with President Xi encouraging nations members of SCO “to oppose the Cold War mentality and bloc confrontation,” China is embracing a morally correct position. Yet will the big “dragon” further assert itself in a way that will truly respect and listen to other nations, especially those with a different political system from its own and search for a real “win-win”? Will Beijing truly espouse the UN as a global institution to co-lead the new form of multilateralism that is emerging?

Guterres, who strongly believes in the role of the Global South, should become a central ally to China’s new aspirations and vision of the world. And finally, let’s admit that the optics of that picture in Tianjin were bad.

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te criticised strongmen personality cults and secret police networks on Wednesday (Sept 3), as Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted the leaders of Russia and North Korea at a military parade marking the end of World War Two, Reuters reported.

Democratically-governed Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own territory, has repeatedly lambasted China for what Taipei sees as a distorted view of the war, as the Republic of China was the government at the time, fighting alongside the Allies.

The Republic of China government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with Mao Zedong's communists and retains the formal name to this day, according to Reuters.

President Donald Trump has downplayed fears of closer ties between China, Russia and North Korea, saying Beijing “needs us more than we need them” and stressing his strong rapport with President Xi Jinping. He rejected claims the bloc is forming an alliance against the US, adding that America’s military power remains unmatched, BBC reported.

Trump voiced disappointment with Vladimir Putin after their Alaska meeting failed to secure a peace deal for Ukraine, hinting at new US steps to support Ukrainians but offering no specifics.

Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned of fresh Russian troop buildups along the frontline, accusing Putin of resisting peace efforts. China has faced Western criticism for buying Russian oil and supplying dual-use goods, though it denies aiding Moscow’s war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin met Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Beijing on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, emphasizing the importance of Pakistan as a “traditional partner” in Asia, Firstpost reported.

The leaders discussed strengthening cooperation in trade, energy, agriculture, and infrastructure. Sharif highlighted a proposed trade corridor linking Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, aimed at boosting regional prosperity.

Both sides stressed continued dialogue to foster mutual growth and stability. Putin invited Sharif to the next SCO summit in Russia this November, an invitation the Pakistani Prime Minister welcomed.

The meeting marks a key step toward a more robust and multifaceted partnership between Pakistan and Russia, according to Firstpost.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli's economic and development advisor Dr Yubaraj Khatiwada has made it clear that no agreement was made on the issues relating to Nepal's support to China's Global Security Initiative (GSI) during the bilateral meeting held between PM Oli and Chinese President Xi Jinping. 

Dr Khatiwada said that the Nepal government is committed to its Constitution and non-aligned foreign policy, so Nepal can not be a part of any country's security strategy.

PM Oli had held a meeting with Chinese President Xi in the course of his visit to China for attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Plus Summit in Tianjin on August 30.

In response to a question relating to China's statement which hinted that Nepal supported China's GSI, Dr Khatiwada said, "PM Oli's visit is chiefly for the participation in SCO Summit. Generally, in the sidelines of such a conference, no agreement and memorandum of understanding is made. It is not done either. Therefore, it is false to make publicity that Nepal supported GSI while no agreement was made on it."       

However, discussion was held on how both sides could forward the effective enforcement of Belt and Road Initiatives (BRI) Framework Agreement, he said, expressing concern over baseless rumour made viral on social networks. He urged everyone to spread the facts and understand sensitivity and veracity of news.

Dr Khatiwada further shared that other issues that featured during the bilateral discussion were strengthening of connectivity between Nepal and China, industrial and infrastructural development,  collaboration on health sector,  agriculture, investment, tourism, science and IT, sports, disaster management, people-to-people connection and Nepal's socioeconomic transformation. 

The global geopolitical stage has been rocked with multiple events, protracted theaters of conflict, and competing interests between different actors. At this time, the rapprochement and de-escalation between the two Asian giants, who have been otherwise seen as competitors and rivals, needs to be studied cautiously. The ties between two of the world’s largest economies went haywire after the clashes along the India-China border during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. It caused loss of lives to both sides, causing fundamental alteration in the ties between the two nations. 

After disengagement from the last friction point, namely the Patrolling Point 15 in the Gogra-Hot Springs area in 2022, a hope of fragile calm in that region was expected. It needs to be noted that it is not the return of the pre-2020 status quo ante. But there has been an update since last October as both countries are actively pursuing to deescalate their border tensions and resuming some bilateral ties. There have been visits by the officials of both countries, including the Foreign Minister, Defence Minister and National Security Advisors. There is a resumption of flights after a gap of five years, re-opening of the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage and lifting of import ban on fertilizers, rare earth metals, and tunnel machines are all part of this new deal. 

Whatever transpires in 2024-25 is a tentative, at most a fragile change. After the visit of the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to New Delhi in August 2025, where he met Prime Minister Modi, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Doval, all agreed on the modalities of patrolling the borders, relaxation of Visa regimes, and possible opening of trade corridors. It is of some significance that this is the first meeting Prime Minister Modi will have had in seven years; his visit to meet Xi Jinping at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin.

Nevertheless, all these measures do not indicate the resolution of the inherent conflicts. Border regulation systems are confidence-building measures and not solutions. India continues to raise objections to the CPEC, which passes through Kashmir, and the build-up of Chinese infrastructure along the LAC, among other factors, is bound to keep the mistrust tethered. 

In the Chinese view, the major strategic motivation of this rapprochement is the multifaceted and growing rivalry with the United States. China has expressed this through its foreign policy that is highly oriented toward its east coast, especially with the strained relationships with Taiwan and the South China Sea as well as the technology conflict with the United States. A constantly war-like border of hot troops with India, a country of increasing might, is an expensive and risky strategic distraction. The possibility of an accidental escalation might spell out a disastrous two-front scenario to Beijing, requiring it to divert its military and diplomatic resources. 

Such a Chinese strategic outlook over time has demonstrated as scholar Yun Sun has described, stabilizing relations on one front to free up resources and attention to a more urgent theater. This renewed thaw with India is a sensible de-risking policy, which will help Beijing in reducing the risk of war toward its western flank and redeploy its resources in the central arena of its standoff with the US and its allies. This is also a tactical thrust toward undermining the already existing Western rhetoric of a lone and threatening China, being surrounded by a complete coalition of democratic nations.

To India, the practical effect is a reprieve and a powerful endorsement of its diplomacy. On a pragmatic level, the military and economic burdens of the standoff have been enormous, and the de-escalation of direct tensions enables the government to concentrate on economic recovery and its long-term program of military modernisation. 

On a diplomatic level, the biggest achievement is the endorsement of its valued principle of strategic autonomy. This detente is not an isolated bilateral phenomenon but is directly tied to the changing geopolitical environment, specifically tensions with the United States. It must be noted that the defrosting is occurring against a background of what many consider to be the worst period in Indian relations with the US executive in decades. The imposition of high tariffs on Indian products by the Trump administration in the US has revealed the shortcomings of a relationship that was being marketed as a counterweight to China. 

In this regard, China has already expressed its discontent with the tariffs and underscored the importance of collaboration between the two Asian powerhouses against unilateral bullying. This has given a strategic leverage that Beijing has seized upon. Engaging with China, New Delhi plays to its partners in the Quad that the application is not an unconditional commitment against any one nation but a collaboration founded in mutual interests in the Indo-Pacific. This stance empowers India by demonstrating that it can juggle its complicated relationship with China in its own way, making it an independent and dominant power.

Among the strategic questions that the thaw poses and mostly depends upon is whether China would re-evaluate its Pakistan policy. Islamabad is vacillating once again between Beijing and Washington. On the one hand, it has inaugurated CPEC Phase 2, pursuing higher Chinese investment in infrastructure. 

On the other, it is renewing contacts with Washington, where Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has overtly solicited US investments and is executing diplomatic overtures to the Trump administration. Pakistan, however, would always be an essential ally to Beijing: a strategic partner, a corridor to the Arabian Sea and a warm client to export arms and finance. China is the major source of Pakistani imports of arms and rollover loans continue to be a major source of fiscal stability in Islamabad. It is due to this factor alone that there can be no likelihood of Beijing weakening its strategic commitment. 

Optics may, however, change. Such a cautious rapprochement with India does not imply that China will give up Pakistan. The most plausible is that of policy dualism, where China is to remain good friends with Islamabad and chooses to accept a limited cooperation dimension with New Delhi. This reflects its longstanding capacity to compartmentalize: advancing economic relations with India at the same time as keeping closer defence relations with Pakistan.

With a relative calm on its northern frontier, India will have time for maneuvering the bumpy roads of Trump’s foreign policy. The US’ strategic interest in India beyond Trump is a strong, independent India capable of anchoring regional stability. A stable border allows India to focus its resources and strategic attention on the broader Indo-Pacific, directly aligning with US goals. Crucially, it proves the US-India relationship is non-transactional and not solely defined by the current geopolitical rejig. Prime Minister Modi’s proposed visit to China and its outcomes are likely to define or redefine the limits and potential of this thaw.

The author is a PhD Candidate at the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

India and China are taking steps to restore ties after years of border tensions. Five years after deadly clashes in eastern Ladakh, both countries are easing trade and visa restrictions, resuming flights, and reviving high-level exchanges, Firstpost reported.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting China for the first time in over seven years to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin on August 31–September 1. He will meet President Xi Jinping to strengthen economic cooperation and address lingering border issues.

According to Firstpost, the visit follows recent talks between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Indian leaders, resulting in a framework for a “stable, cooperative and forward-looking” relationship. Modi emphasized that stable India-China ties are crucial for regional and global economic stability.

Chinese President Xi Jinping told United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that China supports the UN’s central role in global affairs and remains committed to “true multilateralism.” Xi said China would continue to be a reliable partner of the organisation, Al Jazeera reported.

Guterres, in turn, described China’s backing as “an extremely important element to preserve.”

The exchange took place on Saturday in China, where Guterres is attending the 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. Xi, as rotating chair, will preside over the high-level gathering in Tianjin, which brings together leaders from more than 20 countries and 10 international organisations.

According to Al Jazeera, the summit will focus on strengthening security, economic, and cultural cooperation, with outcomes expected to include the Tianjin Declaration and a long-term strategy for the next decade.

Nepal's Prime Minister, KP Sharma Oli, has raised a strong objection to the recent agreement between India and China to resume trade through the Lipu Lekh Pass, a disputed territory claimed by Nepal.

PM Oli who is in China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025, as well as activities to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday, where he emphasized that the Lipu Lekh Pass is part of Nepalese territory.

A statement from Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs outlined Oli's position: "Referring to the recent understanding reached between India and China on border trade through Lipu Lekh Pass, the Rt. Hon Prime Minister stated that the territory belongs to Nepal and that the Government of Nepal has lodged a strong objection."

This issue stems from the agreement signed on August 19 during the visit of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to India. Both countries agreed to resume trade from Lipu Lekh, a site that remains disputed between Nepal and India. Following the agreement, Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately issued diplomatic notes to both nations, expressing its objections.

In 2020, Nepal published a new political map incorporating Kalapani, Lipu Lekh, and Limiyadhura as part of its territory.

It remains unclear how the Chinese side has responded to Prime Minister Oli's statement. Prior to his departure to China for the SCO summit, PM Oli had confirmed that he would raise the Lipu Lekh issue with both India and China. It is unclear yet whether Oli and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet on the sidelines of SCO meeting.

In the bilateral meeting, Nepal PM expressed the hope that projects listed under the Belt and Road Initiatives (BRI) would be advanced, adding that Nepal seeks Chinese support in the areas of fertilizer, petroleum exploration, human resource development, climate resilience and other areas.

Speaking highly of the China-Nepal good-neighborly friendship in the past seven decades, Xi said that the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation between the two countries is advancing steadily at present, according to China. China is willing to work with Nepal to carry forward the traditional friendship and facilitate the greater progress of the China-Nepal Strategic Partnership of Cooperation Featuring Ever-lasting Friendship for Development and Prosperity, Xi noted.

Joint efforts should be made to enhance connectivity programs covering port, highway, power grid, aviation, communications and other fields, and cooperation in sectors including industry, agriculture and animal husbandry, new energy, environmental protection, oil and gas, artificial intelligence, education, health, as well as law enforcement and security, should be advanced, he added.

According to Chinese official media, Oli said that Nepal supports the China-proposed Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative and Global Civilization Initiative, and expects China to play a greater role in international affairs.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will host Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin from August 31 to September 1. The high-profile meeting, the largest in the bloc’s history, is seen as a show of Global South solidarity amid tensions with Washington, according to Firstpost.

For Modi, it will be his first visit to China in over seven years, signaling a cautious thaw after the 2020 border clashes. Analysts expect India and China to explore steps such as troop withdrawals, easing trade restrictions, and wider cooperation.

While the SCO has struggled to deliver concrete results, the summit’s real impact lies in optics projecting an alternative vision of global order and renewed momentum in India-China dialogue, Firstpost reported.

U.S. protectionism is undermining agricultural cooperation with China, Beijing's ambassador to Washington said, warning that farmers should not bear the price of the trade war between the world's two largest economies, Reuters reported.

"It goes without saying that protectionism is rampant, casting a shadow over China-U.S. agricultural cooperation," said Xie Feng, according to the transcript of a speech published by the Chinese embassy on Saturday.

Agriculture has emerged as a major point of contention between China and the U.S. as the superpowers are locked in a tariff war launched by President Donald Trump.

China in March slapped levies of up to 15% on $21 billion worth of American agricultural and food products in retaliation for sweeping U.S. tariffs. Washington and Beijing this month extended a trucefor 90 days, staving off triple-digit duties on each other's goods, according to Reuters.