The Chinese fleet of warplanes marked a forceful display just as Taiwan prepares to conduct an anti-invasion military exercise.

Taiwan held drills at its main international airport in Taipei amid concerns over Chinese aggression towards the island. Taiwan's president said the exercises are necessary in order to protect critical infrastructure.

To prepare for a potential invasion from mainland China, Taiwan updated its annual war games with strategies used by Ukrainians against the Russian military.

High costs, lower demand, fiercer competition — the German automotive industry is coming under pressure. The lucrative Chinese market, in particular, is proving difficult as Chinese consumers choose national brands.

The chipmaking giant has said it approved a $3.8 billion plan to build a factory in the German city of Dresden.

Beijing has alleged that a Chinese man signed a contract with the United States spy agency and received training to conduct espionage activities.

Taiwanese Vice President William Lai is on a brief visit to the US before heading to Paraguay. China has condemned this action, and called him a "troublemaker."

William Lai is in Paraguay to attend the presidential inauguration. Beijing, which claims the island of Taiwan as its own, has slammed his foreign trip.

The air and sea drills close to Taiwan are seen as a response to a visit of its Vice President William Lai to the US. China has derided Lai as a "troublemaker" who backs "Taiwanese independence" separatists.

Tokyo has summoned the Chinese ambassador over hundreds of crank calls believed to originate from China. Japan has begun to release treated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant, which Beijing says is not safe.

China's largest property developer, Country Garden, warned that it is on the brink of default as it reported a staggering loss of almost $7 billion for the first half of the year, deepening a real estate crisis that threatens to unravel the country's already fragile economy.

After a mass in Mongolia attended by some groups of Chinese Catholics, the pope told them to be "good Christians and good citizens."