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US President Donald Trump said Friday that Chinese President Xi Jinping assured him China would not invade Taiwan while he is in office. Trump made the remarks in a Fox News interview ahead of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the Ukraine conflict. He quoted Xi as saying, “I will never do it as long as you’re president,” and added that China and its leader are “very patient”, Reuters reported.

China considers Taiwan part of its territory and has pledged to reunify the island by force if necessary, a claim strongly rejected by Taiwan. The Chinese Embassy in Washington called Taiwan the “most important and sensitive issue” in China-US relations and urged US to adhere to the one-China principle.

Pakistan’s Senate Deputy Chairman Syed Ali Khan Nasar reaffirmed the country’s commitment to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), calling it crucial for national and Balochistan development.

Speaking at the “CPEC in My Eyes” event, Nasar noted that travel from Quetta to Gwadar now takes 12 hours instead of 34, reflecting CPEC’s impact on ordinary citizens. He stressed involving local communities in agriculture, education, and trade to strengthen Pakistan-China cooperation, Xinhua reported.

Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong highlighted CPEC’s role in consolidating Pakistan’s development and pledged to jointly upgrade the corridor for a shared future.

The Chinese Consulate General in Melbourne hosted a screening of Dongji Rescue on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

The film depicts the 1942 Lisbon Maru incident, when Chinese fishermen saved over 300 British prisoners of war from a sinking Japanese ship. Chinese Consul-General Fang Xinwen noted China’s role in the Eastern front and solidarity with allies. Speakers urged preserving wartime history, while viewers praised the film’s powerful message of courage and humanity, according to Xinhua.

India and China are discussing resuming border trade five years after it was halted, foreign ministry officials on both sides have said, as US tariffs disrupt the global trade order. Past trade across the icy and high-altitude Himalayan border passes between the neighbours was usually small in volume, but any resumption is significant for its symbolism. The two major economic powers have long competed for strategic influence across South Asia, AFP reported.

But caught in global trade and geopolitical turbulence triggered by US President Donald Trump’s tariff regime, the countries have moved to mend ties. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is expected for talks in New Delhi on Monday, according to Indian media, after his counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar visited Beijing in July. That, as well as agreements to resume direct flights and issue tourist visas, has been seen as an effort to rebuild a relationship damaged after a deadly border clash in 2020 between their nations’ troops.

“For a long time, China-India border trade cooperation has played an important role in improving the lives of people living along the border,” China’s foreign ministry said in a statement to AFP on Thursday. It added that the two sides have “reached a consensus on cross-border exchanges and cooperation, including resumption of border trade.”

New Delhi’s junior foreign minister, Kirti Vardhan Singh, told parliament last week that “India has engaged with the Chinese side to facilitate the resumption of border trade.” No restart date was given by either side. Successive US administrations have seen India as a longstanding ally with like-minded interests when it comes to China. India is part of the Quad security alliance with the United States, as well as Australia and Japan, according to AFP.

But ties between New Delhi and Washington have been strained by Trump’s ultimatum for India to end its purchases of Russian oil, a key source of revenue for Moscow as it wages its military offensive in Ukraine. The United States will double new import tariffs on India from 25 percent to 50 percent by Aug 27 if New Delhi does not switch crude suppliers.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to Indian media, might also visit China in late August. It would be Modi’s first visit since 2018, although it has not been confirmed officially. Beijing has said that ‘China welcomes Prime Minister Modi’ for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit opening on Aug 31, AFP reported.

China has voiced support for Thailand and Cambodia in resolving their border dispute, offering assistance if both nations request it, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Thursday.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Yunnan, Wang urged the two countries to strengthen dialogue and rebuild mutual trust, according to Reuters.

China has called on the United States to stop exaggerating security concerns and interfering with its global trade relations, Xinhua reported.

A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Lin Jian, responded Wednesday to US claims that Chinese companies are establishing a network of ports worldwide to exert control over trade and conduct espionage. Lin urged the US to halt its “so-called China threat” rhetoric and refrain from disrupting China’s economic and trade cooperation with other nations.

A 31.82-megawatt photovoltaic power station built by China’s Pinggao Group International Engineering Co., Ltd. has been completed in Stefan cel Mare, Calarasi County, southeastern Romania, Xinhua reported.

Constructed over 10 months, the plant will operate for 25 years, producing 42m kilowatt-hours of electricity annually and reducing carbon emissions by 20,000 tonnes.

At the inauguration, Chinese and Romanian officials hailed the project as a milestone in green energy cooperation, highlighting its role in climate action and local development. Local leaders welcomed further Chinese investment, calling the plant a source of pride and a boost to Romania’s renewable energy capacity, according to Xinhua.

Wei Qiang Lin, a Chinese national, pleaded guilty to smuggling about 850 protected eastern and three-toed box turtles from the US to Hong Kong between 2023 and 2024. The turtles, valued at $1.4m, were wrapped in socks and mislabeled as “plastic animal toys.”

According to BBC, both species are protected under international law and require export permits. Lin also smuggled other reptiles and faces up to five years in prison, with sentencing set for December 23.

This follows a similar 2024 case where another smuggler was sentenced for trafficking over 2,000 turtles.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva spoke on Monday, emphasizing stronger cooperation between their countries. Xi called for China and Brazil to set an example of unity for the Global South and pledged support for Brazil’s sovereignty, Al Jazeera reported.

The leaders agreed to deepen ties in areas like health, energy, and the digital economy, and stressed the importance of multilateralism through groups like BRICS and the G20. Lula highlighted China’s key role in the upcoming COP30 climate summit in Brazil.

Their discussion comes amid growing trade tensions with the US, which recently imposed tariffs on both nations. China remains Brazil’s largest trading partner, with trade reaching $188bn last year, according to Al Jazeera.

Taiwan is preparing for Typhoon Podul, expected to hit the southeastern city of Taitung on Wednesday with winds up to 155 kph (96 mph). Nearly 700 people in Hualien County are being evacuated due to flooding risks from a landslide-formed dam, Reuters reported.

After hitting the southeast, Podul will move toward the densely populated west coast and then China’s Fujian province. Heavy rain of up to 600 mm has been forecasted in southern mountains.

The region is still recovering from July’s storms, which caused flooding, power outages, and four deaths. Authorities urge residents to stay alert and follow safety orders.

President Donald Trump has signed a 90-day extension to the US–China trade truce, averting a tariff hike set for Tuesday. The move keeps in place a May deal that paused some duties after a tit-for-tat tariff war nearly froze trade between the two nations, BBC reported.

Disputes remain over technology exports, access to rare earths, China’s purchases of Russian oil, and US demands for TikTok’s separation from ByteDance. Tariffs are still far higher than at the start of the year.

In the first half of 2025, US imports from China fell 15 percent and exports to China dropped about 20 percent year-on-year, according to BBC.

China’s coastguard has expelled Philippine boats from waters near the contested Scarborough Shoal, with Manila reporting a collision during the confrontation. Beijing said its coastguard acted lawfully and professionally after the Philippine vessels ignored warnings.

The Scarborough Shoal is located in the South China Sea, a critical maritime route claimed almost entirely by China despite an international ruling rejecting this claim. The Philippines, along with Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan, also assert competing claims over parts of the area, according to Al Jazeera.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Monday his country would inevitably be drawn “kicking and screaming” into any war over Taiwan due to its proximity to the self-ruled island and the presence of large numbers of Filipino workers there, despite China’s strong protest over such remarks, Associated Press reported.

Marcos also told a news conference that the Philippines’ coast guard, navy and other vessels defending its territorial interests in the South China Sea would never back down and would stand their ground in the contested waters after the Chinese coast guard on Monday staged dangerous blocking maneuvers and used a powerful water cannon to try to drive away Philippine vessels from the hotly disputed Scarborough Shoal.

It’s the latest flare-up of long-simmering territorial disputes in the busy waterway, a key global trade route, where overlapping claims between China and the Philippines have escalated in recent years. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also lay claims to parts of the contested waters, according to Associated Press.

Security experts warn China’s expanding control over undersea cables, data centres, and apps like TikTok poses serious risks to Western democracy and security. Salih Hudayar, Foreign Minister of the East Turkestan government-in-exile, calls it an “information war” where Beijing could access sensitive data and disrupt critical systems, Firstpost reported.

He also highlights China’s use of advanced Western tech in AI centres amid repression in East Turkestan. Hudayar urges the West to build secure infrastructure and block risky Chinese devices, saying the digital battle has already begun—and it’s time to fight back.

India has voiced serious worries about China building a massive hydropower dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet—the source of the Brahmaputra. The project, first announced in 1986, could threaten water security, ecology, and livelihoods across South Asia, Firstpost reported.

The Indian government is closely watching the development and has urged China to be transparent and consult downstream countries. India also wants hydrological data sharing, which China has stopped during important monsoon periods.

The river flows through sensitive, earthquake-prone Himalayan areas before reaching India and Bangladesh, making environmental impacts potentially severe. India and China continue talks, but India stresses the need for cooperation to protect the region’s people and ecosystems, according to Firstpost.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday briefed the leaders of China, India, and several allies on his recent talks with US President Donald Trump’s envoy over ending the war in Ukraine, Reuters reported.

The calls followed Putin’s meeting in Moscow with envoy Steve Witkoff, after which the Kremlin said a Putin–Trump summit could be held as early as next week. Trump has given Moscow a deadline to agree to peace or face new sanctions.

China’s Xi Jinping welcomed the dialogue, while India’s Narendra Modi thanked Putin for the update despite facing new US tariffs over Russian oil imports. South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa backed peace efforts, and UAE leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed offered his country as a possible summit venue, according to Reuters.

Putin also shared the developments with Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.