Beijing

Panama and China announced June 13 they were establishing diplomatic relations, as the Central American nation became the latest to dump Taiwan for closer ties with the world's second-largest economy.

Two Chinese officials will be in Piraeus on Monday to sign a cooperation memorandum between Piraeus Port Authority (OLP), its owner Cosco, and the port of Shanghai, concerning the increase in incoming cargo from China to Europe.

The deal will be signed by China Cosco Shipping Corporation Limited head Xu Lirong and the Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG) chairman Chen Xuyuan.

China on June 8 posted a forecast-busting surge in exports and imports in May, signaling improvement in the world's second largest economy, but there were warnings Beijing would struggle to maintain its momentum.

Photo: Supplied

Serbia, China and Hungary have agreed to start talks as soon as possible on the modernization of the transport corridor to the Greek port of Piraeus.

This was announced on Wednesday in Budapest by Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Zorana Mihajlovic.

A Pentagon report released on June 6 singled out Pakistan as a possible location for a future Chinese military base, as it forecast that Beijing would likely build more bases overseas after establishing a facility in the African nation of Djibouti.

China and other nations must strengthen efforts to curb North Korea's nuclear weapons program, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said yesterday, while also calling out Beijing over its South China Sea activities.

China has developed a new type of ultrafast anti-missile interceptor capable of knocking down an incoming projectile that is flying 10 times faster than a bullet, according to the nation’s largest missile maker.

Several Asian nations are seeking to bolster informal alliances among themselves, regional diplomats and officials said, unsettled by growing fears that the United States could not be relied on to maintain a buffer against China's assertiveness.

President Donald Trump is expected to pull the United States from a landmark global climate agreement, a White House official said Wednesday, though there could be “caveats in the language” announcing a withdrawal, leaving open the possibility that his decision isn’t final.

Greece and China can learn a lot from each other by joining forces in culture, Greek Culture Minister Lydia Koniordou told Xinhua.