With Palestinian deal and Ukrainian foreign minister's visit, China shows its rising influence

In consecutive days this week, China brokered a deal between rival Palestinian factions and hosted Ukraine's foreign minister at a moment when pressure is mounting on the country to negotiate an end to the grinding war there. While it's unclear if the agreement between Hamas and...

Southeast Asian diplomats meet with China as friction mounts over Beijing's sweeping maritime claims

VIENTIANE, Laos (AP) — Top diplomats from Southeast Asia met Friday in Laos with China’s foreign minister for talks that come as friction escalates over Beijing’s growing effort to press its sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea. Several members of the Association of...

India and China agree to work urgently to achieve the withdrawal of troops on their disputed border

NEW DELHI (AP) — India and China have agreed to work urgently to achieve the withdrawal of tens of thousands of troops stationed along their disputed border in a long-running standoff, India's government said. Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met his Chinese...

Chinese and Russian bombers patrolling off Alaska raise concerns about growing military cooperation

WASHINGTON (AP) — Russian and Chinese bombers flew together for the first time in international airspace off the coast of Alaska, in a new show of expanding military cooperation that U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday raises concerns. The flights Wednesday were not...

An Olympic-sized fight erupts among anti-doping officials, and it's just getting started

PARIS (AP) — The stream of threats, recriminations and anti-doping innuendo flowed freely again Thursday when tensions over a U.S. law designed to combat drugs in sports escalated on the eve of the Paris Olympics. It's a fight that's been simmering for a decade, sparked by...

Ethnic armed groups in Myanmar claim capture of regional military headquarters and gem mining center

BANGKOK (AP) — Ethnic armed groups claimed on Thursday to have captured two strategically important towns in northeastern Myanmar: Lashio, which houses the major regional military headquarters, and Mogok, the center of the country’s lucrative gem-mining industry. Their fall would...

China issues rare praise to Philippine president for his ban on Chinese online gambling operators

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — China issued a rare compliment to the administration of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Thursday for his order banning widespread and Chinese-run online gaming operations. Marcos accused some of venturing into crimes including financial scams, human...

Ukraine's foreign minister seeking 'common ground' with China in talks on ending war with Russia

BEIJING (AP) — Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said he is seeking “common ground” in talks this week with his Chinese counterpart on ending his country's war with Russia. Kuleba met Wednesday with Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Guangzhou, a major commercial and...

Amid tensions with China, some US states are purging Chinese companies from their investments

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — As state treasurer, Vivek Malek pushed Missouri's main retirement system to pull its investments from Chinese companies, making Missouri among the first nationally to do so. Now Malek is touting the Chinese divestment as he seeks reelection in an Aug. 6 Republican...

China has ratcheted up its effort to spur growth by cutting a key policy rate and interest on bank deposits