Coronavirus: No Nigerian is infected with the virus – China

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin held a video call with his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun as the two countries seek to restore dialogue amid rising regional tensions.

Solomon Islanders began voting on Wednesday in a crucial election that will decide China's foothold in the Pacific region. Polling booths opened at 7 a.m. local time on Wednesday (2000 GMT on Tuesday), with almost 420,000 registered voters to elect 50 members of the national parliament. There are more than 1,000 polling stations scattered across the Solomons archipelago, 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) off Australia's coast.

European heads of state and government came together in Brussels on Wednesday to discuss ways to heighten the European Union's (EU) economic competitiveness. At the special summit, they were issued a stark warning that the EU's economic performance was falling behind that of other key global players, most notably the United States and China.

Some 16,700 Filipino and US troops began annual joint military exercises in the Philippines on Monday, amid tensions with China over Beijing's growing assertiveness in the region.

The vote was seen as a referendum on President Mohamad Muizzu's pledge to abandon the country's "India First" policy for closer ties with China. Electoral authorities reported a turnout higher than 73%.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said the US and China should be "partners, not rivals," as a series of issues, including Chinese aid for Russia in its war against Ukraine, continue to separate the countries.