Beijing

Japan lodged a protest with China on Monday over a Chinese naval vessel sailing near disputed islands, a Japanese official said, as reports emerged of Russia also sending its own navy ship to the area.

The islets in the East China Sea, known as the Senkaku by Tokyo and the Diaoyu by Beijing, are at the centre of a long-running dispute between Japan and China.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday defended his vision of the "one country, two systems" framework against accusations by the U.S., U.K. and others that Beijing has undermined the freedoms and autonomy promised to Hong Kong for 50 years.

China accused Group of Seven countries yesterday of irresponsibly sowing division after the forum condemned Beijing's trade practices in an end-of-summit statement.

G7 leaders had slammed China's "non-transparent and market-distorting" international trade tactics on
June 28, in a statement that also vowed to reduce "strategic dependencies" on the Asian giant.

The United States has said it will step up cooperation with Vietnam and Taiwan among others to combat illegal fishing, a problem that environmentalists and Western nations increasingly attribute to China.

U.S. President Joe Biden signed a memorandum that aimed to step up coordination and enforcement within the US government against illegal fishing and the use of forced labor.

Beijing launched a new-generation aircraft carrier Friday, the first such ship to be both designed and built in China, in a milestone as it seeks to extend the range and power of its navy.

The Type 003 carrier christened Fujian left its drydock at a shipyard outside Shanghai in the morning and tied up at a nearby pier, state media reports said.

As U.S. intelligence agencies ramp up their efforts against China, top officials acknowledge they may also end up collecting more phone calls and emails from Chinese Americans, raising new concerns about spying affecting civil liberties.

The top Chinese and US security advisers have held lengthy talks, with both sides describing them as "candid" following days of acrimonious exchanges over Taiwan and other flashpoint issues.

The Chinese capital, Beijing, is experiencing an "explosive" epidemic from COVID-19, a government spokesman said on Saturday as the Shanghai Mall conducted mass tests to curb the rise in cases, Reuters reported.

Australia and China's defence ministers met for the first time in three years on Sunday, with the talks described as "an important first step" following a period of strained ties.

Global stock markets and Wall Street futures advanced yesterday after the downturn in China's service industries eased and news reports said the Biden administration might lift U.S. tariffs on some Chinese imports.

London and Frankfurt opened higher. Shanghai, Tokyo and Hong Kong advanced. Oil prices gained to stay close to $120 per barrel.