By Yuka Obayashi SHIZUOKA, Japan, Jan 12 (Reuters) – A Japanese mining ship set sail for a remote coral atoll on Monday to probe mud rich in rare earths, part of Tokyo’s efforts to reduce its reliance on China for essential minerals as Beijing tightens supply. The month-long mission of the Chikyu test vessel near … Read more
By Michael Martina, Trevor Hunnicutt and David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON, Jan 11 (Reuters) – Among the many goals of the U.S. military operation last week that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was to send a message to China: stay away from America. For at least two decades, Beijing has sought to expand its influence in Latin … Read more
WASHINGTON (AP) — When it comes to claiming that Venezuelan oil is now under his control, President Donald Trump doesn’t mince words. But no small part of that oil belongs to China under contracts it struck with Caracas years ago, setting the stage for a delicate diplomatic dance over the next few weeks. Some experts … Read more
By Satoshi Sugiyama and Kantaro Komiya TOKYO, Jan 7 (Reuters) – Japan on Wednesday called China’s ban on dual-use exports for its military “absolutely unacceptable”, amid a looming threat of wider restrictions on vital rare earths in a growing dispute between Asia’s top two economies. Dual-use items are goods, software, or technology that have both … Read more
By Brenda Goh and Laurie Chen SHANGHAI/BEIJING, Jan 4 (Reuters) – A U.S. attack on Venezuela will encourage China to strengthen its territorial claims over areas such as Taiwan and parts of the South China Sea, but will not hasten any potential invasion of Taiwan, analysts said. Chinese President Xi Jinping’s views on Taiwan and … Read more
China is consolidating its image as an enduring partner in Africa by providing high-quality infrastructure such as presidential palaces and parliament buildings. A key example is the new $32 million Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) headquarters in Abuja. Funded by China and scheduled for handover by the end of January, this centralized complex … Read more
BEIJING (AP) — China and France have pledged deeper cooperation on global issues such as the war in Ukraine and trade as France prepares to take over the presidency of the Group of Seven next year. French President Emmanuel Macron met with China’s Xi Jinping on Thursday morning as part of a three-day state visit … Read more