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Heavy rainfall across China has caused over 16bn yuan ($2.24bn) in road damage, affecting 23 provinces and regions, the transport ministry said.

Since the flood season began on July 1, authorities have allocated 540m yuan for emergency repairs. Floods, landslides, earthquakes, and droughts led to 52.2bn yuan in economic losses in July alone, Reuters reported.

Struggling with high debt, local governments face mounting pressure to fund public services, support businesses, and create jobs amid growing climate risks.

US President Donald Trump said Monday that China must supply more magnets or face tariffs of up to 200 percent, highlighting the strategic importance of rare earth elements. China controls about 90 percent of the global magnet market, essential for products like semiconductor chips used in smartphones, according to Al Jazeera.

The remarks follow China’s April restrictions on rare earth exports in retaliation for US tariff hikes, even as exports surged in July. Trump recently extended a 90-day deadline on tariffs, allowing more time for negotiations, and the US also announced a 10 percent stake in Intel, a major chipmaker dependent on these materials.

China has urged the United States to stop undermining its cooperation with Latin America, dismissing Washington’s accusations of resource exploitation in the region, according to Xinhua.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Monday that US remarks reflect a “Cold War mentality” and run counter to reality. He stressed that China’s partnerships in Latin America and the Caribbean are based on mutual respect, equality, and shared benefit, contributing to local economic and social development.

Guo emphasized that the region is “no one’s backyard” and countries there have the right to choose their own partners. He called on Washington to end its interference and instead support Latin America’s development, Xinhua reported.

Chinese customs screened over 600m travelers and 300m vehicles in the past five years, detecting 180,000 infectious disease cases and intercepting 5.25m potential carriers, officials said Monday.

Deputy Director General Zhao Zenglian highlighted a robust “closed-loop” system linking border checks to home follow-ups.

The measures, refined after China’s zero-COVID policy, aim to prevent imported illnesses while supporting tourism and foreign investment, Reuters reported.

China has become a top trading partner for 157 countries and regions worldwide, according to Sun Meijun, head of the General Administration of Customs of China.

In 2024, trade with Belt and Road Initiative countries reached 22trn yuan (around 3trn US dollars), making up over half of China’s total imports and exports. Trade with emerging markets in ASEAN, Latin America, Africa, and Central Asia has expanded at an annual rate of more than 10 percent since 2021, according to Xinhua.

Sun emphasized China’s commitment to international cooperation, citing 519 agreements signed since 2021 to promote mutual economic benefits.

Chinese copper wire manufacturer Wellascent will start production later this year at its Texas plant, producing 3,000 metric tons annually by 2028 for clients including automaker Stellantis. The facility shields US customers from a 50 percent tariff on imported copper wire, while refined copper remains exempt, Reuters reported.

Hazel Zhu, a Wellascent board member, said US factory has turned tariffs into a “golden opportunity,” with the plant expected to generate over half of the company’s overseas revenue within three years.

According to Reuters, Wellascent’s investment is a rare example of a Chinese firm benefiting from US trade measures. A temporary 145 percent equipment tariff earlier this year almost halted plans, but a trade truce allowed construction to continue. Experts say the case may guide other Chinese firms eyeing US investment.

India fears a planned Chinese mega-dam in Tibet could cut Brahmaputra River flows by up to 85 percent in the dry season, a government analysis shows. Beijing’s $170bn project, the world’s largest hydropower dam, could divert over a third of annual flows before the river enters India, Reuters reported.

In response, New Delhi is fast-tracking the proposed Upper Siang Multipurpose Dam in Arunachal Pradesh, which would be India’s biggest. Officials say it could offset water losses, stabilize supplies, and absorb potential surges from Chinese releases.

China insists its project will not harm downstream nations, but Indian officials view it as a strategic risk. The Brahmaputra supports more than 100m people across China, India, and Bangladesh, according to Reuters.

The UK government has extended the deadline to October 21 to decide on China’s plan to build Europe’s largest embassy near the Tower of London. Beijing has refused to fully explain why parts of its plans were blacked out, according to Al Jazeera.

The project, stalled for three years, faces opposition from local residents, Hong Kong pro-democracy campaigners, and UK and US politicians, citing potential spying and security risks. The embassy would house 200 staff, include offices, a basement, and a tunnel to another building.

China called claims of secret facilities “despicable” and urged the UK to approve the plans. The government assumed control of the planning decision after local council concerns in 2022, Al Jazeera reported.

Chinese ambassador to India Xu Feihong has said that Beijing "firmly opposes" Washington's steep tariffs on Delhi and called for greater co-operation between India and China, BBC reported.

Xu likened the US to a "bully", saying that it had long benefitted from free trade but was now using tariffs as a "bargaining chip" to demand "exorbitant prices" from other nations.

"US has imposed tariffs of up to 50% on India and even threatened for more. China firmly opposes it. Silence only emboldens the bully," Xu said on Thursday.

Earlier this month, Trump imposed a 25% penalty on India in addition to 25% tariffs for buying oil and weapons from Russia. The new rate will come into effect on 27 August, according to BBC.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that the partnership between India and China is not against any third country.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Islamabad, Pakistan on Thursday, the Chinese Foreign Minister said that the China-India partnership will not affect any country.

His remarks come at a time when Nepal raised objections over the India-China agreement reached on Wednesday to reopen border trade through Lipulekh Pass and India and China are having a tariff war with the US.

Boeing is in talks to sell as many as 500 jets to China, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter, Reuters reported.

Shares of the U.S. planemaker rose 2% before the market open as the potential order would be China's first major purchase of Boeing jets since U.S. President Donald Trump's visit in his previous term.

The two sides are negotiating the details such as jet models, types and delivery schedules, the report said, adding that the order could be the centerpiece of a trade deal between the world's two largest economies.

Boeing declined a comment to Reuters on the matter.

Such a big deal would be a breakthrough for Boeing in the world's second largest aviation market, where orders have stalled amid U.S.-China trade tensions, according to Reuters.

China is weighing the use of yuan-backed stablecoins for the first time, signaling a major shift in its approach to digital assets. Sources say the State Council may soon approve a roadmap to promote the yuan globally, set regulatory responsibilities, and provide guidelines for risk prevention, Reuters reported.

Senior Chinese leaders are expected to meet to discuss yuan internationalization and stablecoins, defining the boundaries of their use in business. The move would reverse China’s 2021 ban on cryptocurrency trading and mining and aims to strengthen the yuan’s role in global payments, where its share recently dropped to 2.88 percent, far behind the US dollar’s 47.19 percent.

Implementation is expected to be overseen by the People’s Bank of China, with details to be unveiled in the coming weeks, according to Reuters.

China will stage a massive military parade in Beijing on September 3 to mark 80 years since Japan’s surrender in World War Two. Tens of thousands of troops, hundreds of aircraft, and new military equipment including advanced missiles and hypersonic weapons will be on display, according to Reuters.

President Xi Jinping will review the 70-minute “Victory Day” parade at Tiananmen Square, joined by foreign leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin. Authorities have tightened security across the city, reflecting the scale of the event and global attention on China’s growing military strength.

The White House launched an official TikTok account, @whitehouse, on Tuesday to share President Donald Trump’s messages with the app’s 170m US users. The debut video showed Trump declaring, “I am your voice”, Reuters reported.

Trump, who credits TikTok with boosting his support among young voters in 2024, also posts on Truth Social and X.

Lawmakers worry US user data could be accessed by China. Trump is negotiating a US buyout of TikTok’s parent, ByteDance. A 2024 law required TikTok to divest or halt US operations, but Trump has repeatedly extended the deadline, sparking criticism over national security risks, according to Reuters.

Five years after the deadly clashes in the Galwan Valley that severely strained ties, India and China now appear to be moving toward normalization of relations.

While the US President Donald Trump’s tariff war may have nudged the two Asian powers closer, the current thaw stems largely from sustained confidence-building measures and dialogue. For Kathmandu, cordial relations between India and China create a more favorable environment to engage constructively with both New Delhi and Beijing.

On both the Doklam and the Galwan clashes, Nepal consistently maintained that disputes should be resolved peacefully. Following the Galwan incident, Nepal stated: “In the context of recent developments in the Galwan Valley area between our friendly neighbors India and China, Nepal is confident that both the neighboring countries will resolve, in the spirit of good neighborliness, their mutual differences through peaceful means in favor of bilateral, regional and world peace and stability.”

Over the past year, multiple rounds of dialogue helped rebuild trust. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited India on Aug 18–19, where discussions included the sensitive border question. Earlier, in July, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar traveled to Beijing.

India has long maintained that relations cannot return to normal unless border issues are addressed. In delegation-level talks, Jaishankar remarked: “Having seen a difficult period in our relationship, our two nations seek to move ahead. This requires a candid and constructive approach from both sides. Overall, it is our expectation that our discussions would contribute to building a stable, cooperative and forward-looking relationship between India and China, one that serves both our interests and addresses our concerns.”

On the global context, he added: “We seek a fair, balanced and multi-polar world order, including a multi-polar Asia. Reformed multilateralism is also the call of the day. In the current environment, there is clearly the imperative of maintaining and enhancing stability in the global economy as well.”

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, for his part, urged both sides to draw lessons from the past, cultivate a correct strategic outlook, and view each other as partners and opportunities rather than rivals or threats. He emphasized confidence-building, expanded cooperation and consolidating positive momentum. Pointing to the US, Wang warned that “unilateral bullying practices are on the rise, while free trade and the international order face severe challenges.”

This thaw in India-China ties comes at a time when New Delhi’s relations with Washington have soured after Trump imposed an additional 25 percent tariff on Indian goods, citing India’s continued imports of Russian oil. Meanwhile, China and the US have been locked in a trade and technology war since 2018.

According to Kathmandu-based geopolitical analyst Chandra Dev Bhatta, shifting global geopolitics has compelled both India and China to temporarily set aside differences. “Both countries now recognize each other as competing powers, not necessarily the binary rivals often portrayed in Western media,” he said. “The backdrop to these developments is important for countries like Nepal. For instance, the Trump administration’s tariff measures against India for its Russian oil imports came despite the fact that most major countries were doing the same, something that actually helped stabilize the global oil market, benefiting even Nepal.”

Bhatta added that India and China have long learned from each other, and countries in between stand to benefit if ties continue to improve. Closer relations could generate alternative ideas for development and global governance.

Still, he cautioned that states prioritize their own interests, especially in times of heightened geopolitics. “We too must focus on our own interests and prepare to navigate accordingly,” he said. “There’s an old saying: whether elephants fight or make love, it’s the grass that suffers. It may be old, but it remains relevant when external factors increasingly shape regional relations.”

Chinese toymaker Pop Mart (9992.HK) posted a 396.5 percent surge in first-half net profit and more than doubled revenue, driven by soaring global demand for its Labubu dolls and stronger overseas sales, Reuters reported.

The “Monsters” line, led by Labubu, earned 4.81bn yuan ($670m), over a third of total revenue, while other popular IPs like “Molly” and “Crybaby” each topped 1bn yuan.

According to Reuters, shares have risen over 200 percent this year, lifting Pop Mart’s value above Mattel and Sanrio. The company now runs 571 stores and nearly 2,600 vending machines in 18 countries, with plans to increase supply as Labubu continues to sell out worldwide.