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Chinese vice Premier He Lifeng will visit Sweden from July 27 to 30 for economic and trade talks with the United States, China’s commerce ministry announced Wednesday.

The discussions follow a recent presidential call and aim to address key bilateral trade issues through the established consultation mechanism, emphasizing mutual respect and cooperation, according to Xinhua.

India will resume issuing tourist visas to Chinese nationals from July 24, marking the first such move since the 2020 Galwan clashes. The announcement, made by the Indian Embassy in Beijing, signals a cautious thaw in bilateral ties, Firstpost reported.

The decision follows Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s recent visit to Beijing, where he and Chinese vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong discussed ways to improve relations. Both sides agreed on people-centric initiatives, including cooperation on trans-border rivers and resuming hydrological data sharing.

China’s Ministry of Commerce welcomed a World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling that found it had not violated intellectual property rules in a dispute with the European Union. However, it criticized the panel’s view that WTO members must avoid affecting patent rights in other countries, calling it an overreach, Xinhua reported.

The ministry reaffirmed support for the Multi-Party Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement (MPIA), a temporary appeals system under the WTO, and pledged to uphold a fair, rules-based multilateral trading system.

US government employee has been barred from leaving China while visiting for personal reasons, the State Department confirmed. The staffer, from the US Patent and Trademark Office, is under an “exit ban,” and Washington is working with Chinese authorities to resolve the case.

Media reports say the Chinese-American employee was detained in Chengdu in April over alleged threats to national security. Beijing has not provided further details, according to Firstpost.

The incident follows a similar case involving a US banking executive also blocked from leaving China, amid ongoing tensions between the two countries over national security and espionage concerns.

European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will visit China on July 24, according to China’s foreign ministry.

During the visit, the two EU leaders will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Chinese Premier Li Qiang will also join them to co-chair the 25th China-EU Summit, marking continued efforts to strengthen bilateral ties, Xinhua reported.

China has started construction of the world’s largest hydropower dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet, raising concerns in India and Bangladesh.

The $167bn Motuo Hydropower Station is expected to surpass the Three Gorges Dam in capacity. Beijing says the project will support clean energy and local development, BBC reported.

However, India and Bangladesh fear it could disrupt downstream water flow, impact livelihoods, and pose environmental risks. Critics also warn of threats to Tibet’s biodiversity and local communities.

A Bangladesh Air Force training jet crashed into the campus of Milestone School and College in Dhaka’s Uttara area on Monday afternoon, killing one person and injuring 13 others.

The F-7 BGI aircraft, purchased from China in 2022, went down around 1:06 PM local time, according to fire official Lima Khanam. Students were present on the premises at the time, contributing to the number of casualties, Firstpost reported.

Emergency responders from the military and fire department quickly reached the scene. Footage circulating online showed thick smoke and flames rising from the crash site. Authorities have not yet released further details about the victim.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has called on India, China, and Brazil to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin towards peace, warning that continued economic ties with Moscow could “slam back” on them.

His remarks come as India faces criticism for ramping up imports of discounted Russian oil since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. However, European and NATO countries remain major buyers of Russian energy, Firstpost reported.

The EU leads in liquefied and pipeline gas imports, while NATO member Turkey is the top importer of Russian oil products—highlighting a double standard in Western criticism.

The Federal Communications Commission said on Wednesday it plans to adopt rules to bar companies from connecting undersea submarine communication cables to the United States that include Chinese technology or equipment, Reuters reported.

"We have seen submarine cable infrastructure threatened in recent years by foreign adversaries, like China," FCC Chair Brendan Carr said in a statement. "We are therefore taking action here to guard our submarine cables against foreign adversary ownership, and access as well as cyber and physical threats."

The United States has for years expressed concerns about China’s role in handling network traffic and the potential for espionage. The U.S. has broad data security concerns about the network of more than 400 subsea cables that handle 99% of international internet traffic, according to Reuters.

Since 2020, U.S. regulators have been instrumental in the cancellation of four cables whose backers had wanted to link the United States with Hong Kong.

Over the past 15 years, China has established itself as a global leader in the clean energy technologies and now leads energy transition progress across the Asia, according to World Economic Forum (WEF). 

WEF in June this year released a new report titled Fostering Effective Energy Transition 2025 report which states that China showed high levels of readiness for the energy transition, backed by leading clean energy and industrial infrastructure, human capital, innovation and investment. The economy accounted for nearly 40% of the world’s clean energy investment in 2024.

China showed strong progress due to expanding renewable capacity and clean-energy technology production and diffusion. For the first time, the country’s CO2 emissions declined 1.6% y-o-y in the first quarter of 2025, 36 despite increasing energy demand, the report said.  China has made significant progress in its domestic energy transition and is now the world’s largest investor in clean energy, said Gum Huay, Managaing Director at the World Economic Forum. 

 China has emerged as a central driver of global energy transition in view of its significant strides in renewable energy and its broader commitment to transforming its energy system, according to Nicholas Wagner, an energy expert with the World Economic Forum (WEF). 

In a recent written interview with Xinhua, Wagner, manager of Energy and Industry Transition Intelligence at the WEF's Center for Energy and Materials, said China's recent progress in energy transition underscores both the scale of its commitment and its visionary long-term planning and investments.

China now leads the world in renewable energy capacity additions and is projected to account for about 60 percent of all new global capacity through 2030, said Wagner, citing the International Energy Agency (IEA). The Energy Transition Index, part of the Fostering Effective Energy Transition 2025 report released by the WEF, showed that China climbed five spots from the previous year to rank 12th out of 118 countries in 2025. It also placed fifth in transition readiness.

According to the white paper issued by China’s State Council, China has the world’s largest charging facility network, providing the most complete types of services covering the broadest areas.

By the end of 2023, there were 8,596,000 electric vehicle charging facilities across the country, of which 2,726,000 were public and 5,870,000 were private; the overall vehicle-charger ratio arrived at 2.37:1, the report says. 

According to the report, China has explored innovative ways to use solar PV power and launched a number of “PV plus” models that integrate PV power generation with activities including agriculture, transport, and desertification control and prevention. These models broaden the potential uses of solar PV power and contribute to green development throughout society.

The large power station in Tunli Town, Linfen City, Shanxi Province, has an installed capacity of 30 MW. The station adopts a “PV plus agriculture” model and utilizes agrivoltaic farming, growing oil-yielding peonies in greenhouses fitted with power-generating solar panels to increase land use efficiency, the report further says.  

Similarly, China has integrated traditional and new energy.  PetroChina Jilin Oilfield has built a 150 MW wind and PV power project on the site of abandoned well stations and the surrounding vacant land, the report said. 

Designed to supply electricity to the oilfield, this project is connected to the oilfield’s power grid nearby. In its first year of operation, it has generated a cumulative output of 380 GWh, meeting 22 percent of the oilfield’s electricity needs, according to the report.

Minister of External Affairs of India Dr. S. Jaishankar met Chinese Vice President Han Zheng in Beijing on Monday, reaffirming India’s support for China’s presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) — a key regional bloc focused on security, economic, and political cooperation, Firstpost reported.

He noted steady progress in India-China ties since the 2024 Modi-Xi meeting and welcomed the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, calling it widely appreciated in India.

Amid global uncertainties, Jaishankar emphasized the need for open, honest dialogue between neighbours. He is also set to hold bilateral talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, according to Firstpost.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is on a weeklong visit to China from July 12 to 18, choosing to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping before holding talks with US President Donald Trump following his re-election.

This marks Albanese’s second visit to China as prime minister, reflecting improving ties after years of strain. He will also meet Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Zhao Leji, Chairman of China’s National People’s Congress, with talks focusing on trade, tourism, and artificial intelligence, according to Firstpost.

The decision to prioritize Beijing over Washington has drawn criticism from Australian opposition leader Angus Taylor, who questioned the government’s diplomatic focus. Albanese is not expected to meet Trump until later this year at the Quad summit or UN General Assembly.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, speaking at the ASEAN summit in Malaysia, warned of China’s growing military buildup while affirming Australia’s close alignment with the US on Indo-Pacific security.

The visit comes amid a US review of the Aukus submarine deal and growing global uncertainty over Trump’s tariff policies. Despite tensions, China remains Australia’s top trading partner, Firstpost reported.

Taiwan has started using US-supplied HIMARS rocket systems in its annual Han Kuang drills, aimed at strengthening defense against possible Chinese attacks, Al Jazeera reported.

On Saturday, HIMARS units were seen near Taichung during the fourth day of the 10-day exercise. Military officials said the systems must remain hidden from enemy surveillance until ready to fire.

China, which claims Taiwan as its own, dismissed the drills as a “bluff” and repeated its strong opposition to US-Taiwan military ties. Taiwanese President William Lai defended the drills as realistic and essential for defense, according to Al Jazeera.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is visiting China for six days, covering Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu, to strengthen ties with Australia’s largest trading partner. He will meet President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang, and top legislator Zhao Leji, with trade and regional security high on the agenda, according to BBC.

Albanese said his government will “cooperate where we can, disagree where we must,” and act in Australia’s national interest. The trip follows his re-election and aims to reinforce economic ties—China accounts for nearly a third of Australia’s trade.

The visit includes top Australian business leaders and signals a stabilisation in relations after years of tensions and trade sanctions. Cooperation on green energy, while maintaining Australia’s commitment to Aukus despite Chinese criticism, will also be discussed.

Analysts say both countries are targeting stable connections rather than geopolitical alignment, with mature diplomacy permitting involvement in commerce, education, and culture—despite continued disagreements over China's military growth and the arrest of Australian writer Yang Hengjun, BBC reported.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is wrapping his up his second and final day at a Southeast Asian security conference with a high-stakes meeting with his Chinese counterpart as tensions grow between Washington and Beijing over issues from trade to security and China’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine, Associated Press reported.

After discussions with regional countries at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations forum in Malaysia, Rubio on Friday was close out his first official trip to Asia in his first face-to-face talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the State Department said.

The meeting comes less than 24 hours after Rubio met in Kuala Lumpur with another rival, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, during which they discussed potential new avenues to jumpstart Ukraine peace talks. 

The meetings come against a backdrop of global and regional unease over U.S. policies, notably on trade and large tariffs that U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose on friend and foe alike, according to Associated Press.

Typhoon Danas made its third landfall late Tuesday in Rui’an City, Zhejiang Province, with strong winds and heavy rain, local officials confirmed.

It first hit Taiwan on Monday, then Wenzhou’s Dongtou District earlier Tuesday night before moving further inland, according to Xinhua.

Authorities continue to monitor the typhoon’s impact as it moves inland.