China

Putin supports China's plan to resolve the war in Ukraine, saying that Beijing understands the conflict.

The US has raised tariffs on $18 billion worth of Chinese imports, including semiconductors, batteries, solar panels, electric vehicles, steel, aluminum, and medical equipment, with some tariff rates more than tripling to counter China's unfair trade practices.

Extreme weather conditions in China, including an unusually warm winter followed by torrential spring rains, destroyed nearly half of this year's $4 billion lychee crop.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that the upcoming Global Peace Summit in Switzerland will not discuss the process of ending the war in Ukraine, but will discuss issues such as nuclear safety, grain exports, prisoner exchange and the taboo on the use of nuclear weapons.

Last month, the U. S. and Taiwanese navies conducted joint exercises in the Pacific Ocean, which were not disclosed, practicing basic operations such as communications, refueling and resupply, Reuters reported.

Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic expressed support for Ukraine's territorial integrity, but did not commit to sanctions against Russia.

Gazprom, once Russia's most profitable company, is facing a prolonged period of poor performance due to the loss of gas sales to Europe, trying to compensate for this at the expense of the domestic market and exports to China.

In April 2024, Ukrainians bought nearly 1,200 cars imported from China, with electric vehicles accounting for 77% of the total, according to the Ukravtoprom association.

Scholz hopes that Arab countries, India, South Africa, Brazil, and China will take part in the Peace Summit in Switzerland, which could be an important step toward resolving the Ukrainian-Russian conflict.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin's nuclear threats are a bluff, and that he has nothing to gain from the use of nuclear weapons, but can lose everything.

Ukraine insists on the presence of state leaders, not representatives, at the Global Peace Summit, according to Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Ihor Zhovkva.

Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to France, Serbia, and Hungary has strengthened China's relations with these countries and Europe, promoting cooperation and demonstrating China's growing international influence, Beijing said.

China's foreign direct investment fell by 56% in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the same period last year, amounting to $10. 3 billion.

The FBI is closely monitoring whether U. S. support for Ukraine could encourage Russia to take greater risks in potentially interfering in the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

The United States plans to introduce new rules to restrict Chinese companies' access to advanced artificial intelligence models developed by American tech giants such as Microsoft, OpenAI, and Alphabet for national security reasons.

The United States imposed new sanctions on 37 Chinese companies that allegedly provide technology to the Chinese defense industry, which poses a threat to US national security, some of which may be related to the incident with a Chinese balloon over US airspace last year.

American and Philippine forces sink a decommissioned Philippine Navy ship during a large-scale joint military exercise in the South China Sea that simulated combat operations with an enemy ship.

Oil prices rose on Thursday amid falling US crude stockpiles and increased Chinese imports, supporting expectations of rising demand in the world's two largest oil consuming countries.

In the first quarter of 2024, the United States overtook China to become Germany's top trading partner with a trade volume of 63 billion euros, while China's figure was just under 60 billion euros.

The United States is considering restricting the export of patented artificial intelligence models, such as ChatGPT, to China over concerns that they could be used for cyberattacks or biological weapons development.

Serbian President Vucic welcomed President Xi with unprecedented enthusiasm, deploying more than 6,500 police and raising Chinese flags throughout Belgrade, demonstrating Serbia's close ties to China as a counterweight to the West.

Chinese President Xi Jinping made no concessions during his talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, despite efforts to improve tense relations over trade disputes and Beijing's support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

China's ongoing attempts to interfere in Canadian elections could undermine the country's democratic process and institutions, according to a report by the Canadian spy agency CSIS.

U. S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said it is too early to assess the impact of U.S. funding on Ukraine's combat capabilities, as Kyiv needs time to receive the allocated support.

Serbia became the first European country to sign an agreement with China on a "shared future" and deepening of a comprehensive strategic partnership.

Germany is sending two warships to the Indo-Pacific region amid rising tensions between China and Taiwan over freedom of navigation and trade routes.

TikTok and ByteDance have sued the US government to block a law that could potentially ban TikTok in the country, claiming it violates the First Amendment to the Constitution and unfairly singles out the platform.

Apple has introduced new iPad Air tablets with M2 chip in 11 and 13-inch sizes for $599, and iPad Pro with M4 chip and Ultra Retina XDR OLED display in 11 and 13-inch sizes for $999.

Two people were killed and 21 injured in a man's knife attack on a hospital in Yunnan province, China.

The European Union is proposing to ban political parties, think tanks and other groups from accepting funding from Russia, as well as to ban the use of the Russian central bank's financial messaging system as part of the next package of sanctions against Russia.