China | Pakistan

United States and Chinese officials said on Tuesday they had agreed on a framework to put their trade truce back on track and remove Beijing’s export restrictions on rare earths while offering little sign of a durable resolution to longstanding trade differences. At the end of two days of intense negotiations in London, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told reporters the framework deal puts “meat on the bones” of an agreement reached last month in Geneva to ease bilateral retaliatory tariffs that had reached crushing triple-digit levels. But the Geneva deal had faltered over China’s continued curbs on critical minerals exports, prompting the Trump administration to respond with export controls of its own preventing shipments of semiconductor design software, aircraft and other goods to China. Lutnick said the agreement reached in London would remove some of the recent US export restrictions, but did not provide details after the talks concluded around midnight London time (4am PKT). “We have reached a fra...

China and the United States began a new round of trade talks in London on Monday, Beijing’s state media reported, as the world’s two biggest economies seek to shore up a shaky truce after bruising tit-for-tat tariffs. The two sides are meeting in the historic Lancaster House, run by the UK Foreign Office, following a first round of talks in Geneva last month. Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng was again heading the team in London. Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported the start of the talks. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer are leading the US delegation, President Donald Trump said on Friday. “The meeting should go very well,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform. His press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, told Fox News on Sunday: “We want China and the United States to continue moving forward with the agreement that was struck in Geneva.” While the UK government reiterated that it was not involved in the discussions, a spokesperson sai...

China called on Friday for steps to improve bilateral ties with Canada, saying there were no deepseated conflicts of interest, following a spike in trade tensions with many of Beijing’s Western trade partners this year. China is willing to work with Canada to put ties on a healthy and stable path and find solutions to address each other’s concerns through enhanced dialogue, Premier Li Qiang told Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in a phone call on Friday, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency. “There is no fundamental conflict of interests between the two countries,” Li said. Li’s talks with Carney followed a highly-anticipated phone call between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, which Trump said led to “a very positive conclusion” and offered hope the trade war between the world’s two largest economies might start to de-escalate. As the effects of trade frictions start to make their way into the already soft Chinese economy, Beijing has stepped up engagement wi...

United States President Donald Trump on Thursday called his telephone conversation with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping a “very good phone call” and stated that the countries’ respective teams “will be meeting shortly”. Earlier, China’s state-run news agency Xinhua reported that the call took place at Trump’s request, as bilateral relations have been strained by trade disputes. In a post on social media platform Truth Social, Trump wrote that the one and a half hour call discussed the “intricacies of the trade deal” and that it “resulted in a very positive conclusion for both countries”. “There should no longer be any questions respecting the complexity of rare earth products. Our respective teams will be meeting shortly at a location to be determined,” the president wrote, adding that the US will be represented by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. The post added that Xi “graciously invited” both Trump and First Lady Melania to visit...

Beijing hit back on Wednesday at US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for saying the world will “never forget” the deadly Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989, describing his remarks as an “attack” on China. Troops and tanks forcibly cleared peaceful protesters from Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, after weeks-long demonstrations demanding greater political freedoms. The exact toll is unknown, but hundreds died, with some estimates exceeding 1,000. China’s communist rulers have since sought to erase any public mention of the crackdown, with censors scrubbing all online references. Police were seen by AFP on Wednesday at the entrance to Wan’an Cemetery, a site in west Beijing where victims of the crackdown are known to be buried. Officers were also posted at several intersections leading into Tiananmen Square. On Wednesday evening, a line of buses and a cherry picker partially blocked screens at the German and Canadian embassies showing images of candles, a symbol commonly used to pay tribute to Tiananme...

US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth warned on Saturday that China was “credibly preparing” to use military force to upend the balance of power in Asia, vowing the United States was “here to stay” in the region. The Pentagon chief made the remarks at an annual security forum in Singapore as the administration of US President Donald Trump spars with Beijing on trade, technology, and influence over strategic corners of the globe. China’s embassy in Singapore blasted the speech, accusing Washington of escalating tensions in the region and “profiting from creating risks of war”. Trump has launched a trade war with China since taking office in January, has sought to curb its access to key AI technologies and deepened security ties with allies such as the Philippines, which is engaged in escalating territorial disputes with Beijing. “The threat China poses is real and it could be imminent,” Hegseth said at the Shangri-La Dialogue attended by defence officials from around the world. Beijing is “credibly preparing to...

Pakistan, China vow to make joint strides for regional peace.

Pakistan and China have reiterated their firm resolve to make joint strides for regional peace and stability.

Pakistan became a co-signatory to China’s newly set up Hong Kong-based International Organisation for Mediation (IOMed) on Friday, a statement by the Foreign Office said. China signed a convention setting up an international organisation for mediation in Hong Kong that Beijing hopes will be on par with the International Court of Justice and bolster the city’s international credentials, Reuters reported. Pakistan, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia and Serbia were among the countries attending the signing ceremony, while representatives from 20 international bodies, including the United Nations, were also expected to join, public broadcaster RTHK said. “Deputy Prime Minister [and] Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, today signed, on behalf of Pakistan, the convention on the establishment of the International Organisation for Mediation in Hong Kong,” the statement by the FO read. Speaking on the occasion, Dar appreciated the Chinese leadership for its wisdom in developing and consistently leading efforts in es...

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Thursday that trade negotiations with China were “a bit stalled” and suggested President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping could get involved. “I would say that they are a bit stalled,” Bessent told broadcaster Fox News when asked about trade talks with Beijing. “I believe that we will be having more talks with them in the next few weeks, and I believe we may, at some point, have a call between the president and party chair Xi,” he said. The world’s two biggest economies agreed this month to pause reciprocal tariffs for 90 days, a surprise de-escalation in their bitter trade war following talks between top officials in Geneva. Under the May 12 truce, Washington agreed to temporarily reduce the tariff on Chinese imports to 30 per cent from 145pc, while China said it would lower its import duty on American goods to 10pc from 125pc. “I think that given the magnitude of the talks, given the complexity, that this is going to require both leaders to weig...

ISLAMABAD - China on Tuesday announced a major step to foster stronger bilateral relations with Pakistan by opening new employment avenues for Pakistani youth.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday expressed grief over the deaths caused by landslides that hit southwest China’s Guizhou Province.

ISLAMABAD - Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar yesterday described his recent three-day visit to China as “highly successful,” underscoring substantial diplomatic, strategic, and eco-nomic gains achieved during engagements with Chinese and Afghan leadership in Beijing.

ISLAMABAD/ BEIJING - The Foreign Ministers of Pakistan, China and Afghanistan on Wednesday agreed to deepen Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) cooperation and extend the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan.

ISLAMABAD - President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday extended heartfelt congratulations to the governments and peoples of Pakistan and China as two countries observe the 74th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations.

Foreign Ministers of Pakistan, China, and Afghanistan convened an informal meeting in Beijing to reaffirm their commitment to enhancing trilateral cooperation aimed at promoting regional security, economic integration, and connectivity.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has efficiently expanded its international health cooperation with key partners, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and China, signalling a strategic push to modernize its healthcare system and strengthen public health security, in a series of high-level diplomatic engagements.

China has reiterated its firm support for Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, following a deadly 80-hour conflict between Pakistan and India that ended with a ceasefire on May 10.

China said on Tuesday it supports Pakistan in defending “national sovereignty and territorial integrity”, after a ceasefire ended four days of fighting with India over a deadly attack in occupied Kashmir. Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said China welcomed the two countries “handling differences through dialogue” as he met Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in Beijing. Wang called Pakistan an “ironclad friend” and vowed to deepen the “all-weather strategic cooperative partnership” between the two countries, a readout from China’s foreign ministry said. Likewise, Dar appreciated China for firmly supporting Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Foreign Office said Dar met his Chinese counterpart for in-depth discussions during his visit to discuss regional stability. “Both sides exchanged views on evolving situation in South Asia, future trajectory of Pakistan-China friendship and CPEC (China Pakistan Economic Corridor) 2.0. “Hailing all-weather strategic cooperative partnersh...

Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has said that Pakistan and China are working together to promote regional peace and remain united in combating terrorism.