BEIJING, April 12 (Reuters) - China's defence minister told his Vietnam counterpart that China is willing to bring the strategic mutual trust between the two militaries to a new level, the ministry said in a statement on Friday.

The two militaries should make cooperation at sea a new bright spot, Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun said during talks with Vietnamese Defence Minister Phan Van Giang at the border area between the two countries held April 11-12.

China's coast guard sent a flotilla of ships into the territorial waters of the disputed Senkaku Islands on Friday, less than 48 hours after President Joe Biden reaffirmed the U.S.' "unwavering commitment" to defend the Japan-controlled territory from an attack. A brief statement on its website and social media channels said the patrol led by the Chinese maritime law enforcement vessel 2502, a 5,500-ton Shuoshi II-class cutter, was "to protect China's rights." The uninhabited island group, which Beijing calls the Diaoyu Islands, are located in the East China Sea, roughly...

China’s steel exports posted the strongest month since 2016, in a surge that will likely offer more fodder for complaints about Beijing’s industrial policies.

Overseas shipments in March reached 9.9 million tons, about 25% higher than a year earlier and capping a very strong quarter, according to government data. China’s prolonged property crisis has pummeled demand for steel at home, spurring traders to sell in more lucrative markets.

Former President Rodrigo Duterte accused the U.S. of inflaming tensions between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea, while criticizing his successor Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of supposedly doing America’s bidding. “The Americans are the ones pushing the Philippine government to go out there and find a quarrel and eventually maybe start a war,” Duterte was quoted as saying in an interview with Communist Party-run Global Times published Friday. “But I do not think that America will die for us.” Read More: Why the U.S. Faces a Delicate Balancing...

Volkswagen said on Thursday it plans to invest $2.7 billion, or 2.5 billion euros, to boost sales in China, the world’s largest auto market, and improve the German automaker’s ability to respond faster to a swirl of local competition. Volkswagen, whose brands also include Audi, Porsche, ŠKODA, Bentley and Lamborghini, will expand a production and innovation hub in the eastern Chinese city of Hefei with a focus on electric vehicles that are among the country’s top sellers. “Our new production and development hub in Hefei will bring technologies to market...

April 12 (Reuters) - A national election in the Solomon Islands, the first since Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare signed a security pact with Beijing, will be watched next week for its potential to jolt the U.S.-China rivalry in the South Pacific. The United States and Australia are concerned about China's naval ambitions in Pacific countries, as tensions rise over Taiwan. Despite its population of just 700,000, the Solomon Islands occupies a strategic position 1,600km (990 miles) northeast of Australia, strewn with World War Two wrecks that remind it was once...

RALEIGH, N.C. — After spending a few days in Washington emphasizing global security concerns, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is set to tour around North Carolina on Friday to spotlight a different interest: his nation’s title as the state’s biggest foreign investor. Kishida, who has been Japan’s prime minister since 2021, is scheduled to visit two Japanese companies and North Carolina State University after arriving Thursday night, according to Gov. Roy Cooper’s office. In between, Kishida plans to have lunch at the governor’s mansion in a historic first for the...

President Biden on Thursday hosted the first-ever summit between the leaders of the U.S., Japan and the Philippines in a major show of solidarity against China’s military aggressiveness in the South China Sea. Mr. Biden began the meeting by reaffirming the U.S.’s commitment to its defense partnership with both countries. “I want to be clear: The United States defense commitments to Japan and the Philippines are ironclad,” he said. “Any attack on Philippine aircraft, vessels, or armed forces in the South China Sea would invoke our mutual defense treaty.” A...