Seoul has long walked a tightrope between China, its most important trading partner, and the US, its closest security ally.

China has recorded its first COVID death since May. An 87-year-old man died in Beijing as daily infections in the country reached 24,000.

At an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, the US led condemnation of North Korea's recent missile tests. However, the council did not impose new sanctions or even give a formal statement.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the mistake of depending on one main source in trade "will not happen again." Economy Minister Robert Habeck said Berlin would cap investment guarantees for China.

A blaze in a high-rise building has killed 10 people in the Xinjiang region of China. Nine others have been injured but are said to be stable.

After decades of threats from mainland China, tensions over Taiwan are arguably higher than at any time since 1949. As Chinese President Xi Jinping considers the use of force to invade the island and steps up military preparations, the threat of war hangs over 23 million Taiwanese citizens.

Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a message to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reconfirming Beijing's continued support of the regime in Pyongyang, which is under international sanctions for weapons testing.

The former CIA employee who blew the lid on a huge US surveillance program has made fresh revelations. Edward Snowden says the National Security Agency has been hacking Chinese computer systems for years. The news comes after the NSA's director defended the program at a US Senate hearing.

A deadly apartment fire in Xinjiang has triggered a wave of anti-zero-COVID protests across several cities in China. How will the Communist Party react as the movement gains momentum?

Protesters are demanding easing of COVID curbs in Beijing and Shanghai. People also took to the streets in the western Xinjiang's capital Urumqi after deaths in an apartment fire were blamed on lockdowns.

Authorities in Shanghai were seen putting up barriers following protests against COVID-19 measures. Meanwhile, a British minister condemned the arrest of a BBC journalist who was covering the demonstrations.