Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for pooling strength in the building of a Beautiful China and making the country even greener through afforestation efforts. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks when attending a voluntary tree planting activity in…
U.S. President Donald Trump said he would impose a 10 percent baseline tariff on all imports to the United States and higher duties on some of the country’s biggest trading partners, drawing defiant responses from leaders and governments. Here’s how top officials and governments around the world reacted: Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun: “Under…
The Chinese and U.S. militaries held the 2025 China-U.S. Military Maritime Consultative Agreement working group meeting in Shanghai on Wednesday and Thursday, the Chinese navy said on Thursday. On the basis of equality and respect, the two sides conducted candid and constructive exchanges on the security situation in maritime and aerial domains since the last…
The Republic of Azerbaijan welcomes the Opinion of the UN Human Rights Council Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which was published on 13 March 2025, rejecting Armenian side’s claims regarding the case of Ruben Vardanyan. In its Opinion, the Working Group explicitly rejected Armenian side’s claims that Ruben Vardanyan was arrested for his freedom of…
The U.S. slapped a 26% tariff on imports from India in a setback to the South Asian nation’s expectation of getting relief from President Donald Trump’s global trade policy that has unnerved world markets for weeks. A baseline 10% baseline tariff starts on Saturday before the remaining, higher reciprocal tariff takes effect from April 9. “They (India)…
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that the military is dividing Gaza and “seizing territory” to force Hamas to free hostages held in the Palestinian territory. The military is “dissecting the (Gaza) Strip and increasing the pressure step by step so that (Hamas) will return our hostages,” Netanyahu said in a statement, adding that Israel…
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Hungary on Thursday, the Hungarian defense minister said, in defiance of the International Criminal Court (ICC)’s arrest warrant against him over alleged war crimes in Gaza. “Welcome to Budapest, Benjamin Netanyahu!” wrote Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky on Facebook as Netanyahu began a visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The…
Hamas has rejected the latest Israeli proposal on a Gaza truce, two officials from the movement told AFP on Wednesday. “Hamas has decided not to follow up on the latest Israeli proposal presented through the mediators,” said one of the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity. They accused Israel of “blocking a proposal from Egypt and…
Syria on Thursday condemned deadly Israeli strikes across the country as a “blatant violation” of its sovereignty, after Israel said it struck “military capabilities.” Syrian state media said the strikes hit close to a defense research center in Damascus, among other sites, while a war monitor reported four dead in the latest Israeli attack on Syria since…
Israeli airstrikes targeted on Wednesday the airport in the Syrian city of Hama and the vicinity of the scientific research center in the Barzeh neighborhood of the capital Damascus, Syrian state news agency (SANA) and local officials said. Israel bombed facilities of the scientific research center shortly after former President Bashar al-Assad was ousted. Israel…
China on Thursday said it “firmly opposes” sweeping new US tariffs on its exports and vowed “countermeasures to safeguard its own rights and interests.” US President Donald Trump has ignited a potentially ruinous global trade war after imposing 10 percent levies on imports from around the world and harsh extra duties on key trading partners. The…
Donald Trump announced a sweeping new set of reciprocal tariffs on Wednesday, arguing that they would allow the United States to succeed. Trump’s tariffs, which he imposed via executive order, are expected to send economic shockwaves around the world. The White House released a list of roughly 100 countries and the tariff rates that the US would…
President Donald Trump has argued that some of the tariffs he’s imposing this week could help the government raise over $1 trillion in the next year or so, helping to reduce the national debt and even potentially offset some income taxes. But economists are skeptical that these tariffs can bring in as much as Mr. Trump claims, as…
The joint exercise Strait Thunder-2025A ‘achieved its intended objectives’, according to a military spokesman Mainland Chinese ground forces wrapped up drills targeting mock ports and energy facilities in the East China Sea on Wednesday, as part of the PLA’s military exercises near Taiwan. A military analyst said the exercises also carried a strategic message of deterrence…
A visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s investment envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, to the United States for talks with members of Donald Trump’s administration is possible, the Kremlin said on Wednesday, but declined to give any further details. Reuters reported on Tuesday that Dmitriev is expected in Washington for talks this week, the most senior Russian official to visit…
