Wei Fenghe slammed US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin's "smearing" accusation that China was causing regional instability. He said Beijing would do whatever it takes to ensure reunification with Taiwan.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his Iranian counterpart, Ebrahim Raisi, made the announcement at a joint press conference in Tehran. The two allies have both been heavily hit by US sanctions.

The US Defense Secretary said Chinese military activity around the self-governing island threatened to change the status quo. Lloyd Austin said Washington would continue to stand by Taiwan at an event in Singapore.

Would Beijing back away from its strategic partnership with Moscow if the war in Ukraine goes nuclear?

Germany sees massive dip in Russia exports, uptick in China imports. Despite trying to wean itself off of Russian energy imports, Germany is paying record prices for them. At the same time, Berlin has built up a large import surplus with Beijing.

Human rights campaigners say China is committing cultural genocide against its minority Uyghur residents in Xinjiang, where an estimated 1 million to 2 million residents have been incarcerated

Beijing has no reason to sanction Australia, said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The call comes after ministers from two countries met for the first time in years.

Authorities in New Delhi are being criticized for a heavy-handed response to violent protests by Indian Muslims after senior government officials made remarks allegedly insulting the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

Three years ago, a protest movement began in Hong Kong against an extradition bill, which led to an authoritarian response from Beijing that would forever transform the city and its people.

In the first case of its kind, German prosecutors have seized several apartments belonging to a Russian lawmaker. So far other sanctioned assets have simply been frozen.

A violent attack on several women in northern China earlier this month has raised questions over gender-based violence in the country. CCTV footage from a restaurant in the city of Tangshan showed a man getting rebuffed after he put his hand on the back of a woman. He then slapped her, then with other men beat the group of women before punching, kicking and dragging them outdoors. For more on women's safety and their rights in China, we talk to Professor Maria Jaschok from the University of Oxford.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine four months ago, the cost of living crisis has become a global issue. Prices have gone up around the world. In Europe, the countries that use the euro saw an average of 8.1 percent inflation in May. Pressure on prices, combined with stuttering economic growth, has sparked fears of a recession. These concerns could still come into play regarding the EU's response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In this programme, we're joined by two MEPs to discuss how the EU should balance sanctions against Russia with the risk of recession.