African lender says China not trying to lead region into ‘debt trap’

The EU and China have agreed that peace talks in Ukraine should begin, and their trade relations should be rebalanced. Analysts remain cautious.

Military drills involving Chinese forces are continuing for a second day, with air force sorties. The move comes right after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen returned from her visit to the US.

China's three-day "Joint Sword" exercise has seen warships and fighter jets simulate targeted strikes on Taiwan. Experts say Beijing's drills may increase the risk of military escalation across the Taiwan Strait.

Donald Trump walked into a Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday to become the first-ever criminally indicted former US president. Meanwhile, a couple of weeks ago, the Chinese president was in Moscow. Now Xi Jinping is rolling out the red carpet for French President Emmanuel Macron, who is on his first state visit to China since Covid.

The French president called for the EU to implement its stated policy of "strategic autonomy" and argued the bloc could become a "third pole" alongside China and the US.

The EU is under pressure from the US to take a tougher stance on China's strategic expansion in Southeast Asia. However, European leaders say they want to avoid being seen as an extension of Washington.

The international press continues its backlash against Emmanuel Macron for his comments on Taiwan and China-US tensions. Also, the Washington Post reveals that leaked classified documents show Egypt planned to supply Russia with weapons. Junior doctors go on strike in England, with devastating consequences for patients.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is heading to China this week to meet with Xi Jinping, the leader of Brazil's most important trade partner. Lula will be accompanied by a delegation of over 200 businesspeople. We take a look at what's behind the record flow of exchanges between Beijing and Brasilia last year.

This year's joint "Balikatan" military exercises are the largest to date. They come as Manila seeks a stronger response to China's increased military activity and deeper strategic cooperation with the US.

A Chinese woman has become the first person to die from a form of avian influenza rarely caught by humans, the WHO says. Only three people have so far been known to have contracted the disease, all of them in China.

Alibaba is the latest tech company to enter the artificial intelligence race, as it unveils its own chatbot, Tongyi Qianwen. But it could face restrictions before even launching, as authorities in Beijing have outlined draft regulations to govern AI, including the stipulation that such platforms will reflect the core values of socialism.

Japanese analysts say the French president's suggestion that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would not be a crisis requiring European involvement undermines Japan's diplomatic efforts to preserve security in the Indo-Pacific.