China's defense minister declined a meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during a meeting of defense leaders in Laos, a move the Pentagon chief said on Wednesday was unfortunate.
China's defense minister declined a meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during a meeting of defense leaders in Laos, a move the Pentagon chief said on Wednesday was unfortunate.
Multilateral gatherings of national security officials in Asia have been used in the past for meetings between U.S. and Chinese defense leaders, but China declined a meeting request by Austin during this week's Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-Plus defense ministers meeting.
"It's unfortunate. It affects the region because the region really wants to see us, you know, two significant players in the region, two significant powers, talk to each other," Austin told reporters.
"I don't think that it has any sort of implications for the future. I just think that it's something that they chose to do at this point in time and only they can explain why they chose to not take advantage of a good opportunity," Austin added.
Austin met China's defense minister, Dong Jun, on the sidelines of a Singapore conference earlier this year, reiterating their differences on Taiwan and other issues but emphasizing the need to keep military-to-military communications open.
Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed on Saturday to work with the incoming U.S. administration of Donald Trump as he held his final talks with outgoing President Joe Biden on conflicts from cyber crime to trade, Taiwan, the South China Sea and Russia.
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Chinese courts sentenced more than 41,000 people in 2025 in cases involving telecom and online fraud after suspects were repatriated from northern Myanmar, according to the Supreme People’s Court. Authorities also executed 16 individuals linked to major cross-border fraud networks.
As the 2026 Spring Festival draws to a close, fresh data suggests China’s holiday spending boom reflects more than peak consumption. It points to a deeper structural transition, as consumers shift from buying more goods to buying in different ways.
Australia’s Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, was temporarily evacuated from The Lodge to safety on Tuesday night after an alleged bomb threat linked to upcoming performances in Australia by Shen Yun, a U.S.-based classical Chinese dance and music company banned in China.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s new 10% global tariffs have come into effect, hours after the Supreme Court blocked many of his sweeping import taxes in a 6–3 ruling. Allies around the world are weighing possible retaliation, while markets brace for further upheaval.
A F-16 fighter jet of the Turkish Air Force crashed near a highway in western Türkiye early on Wednesday (25 February), killing its pilot, officials and media reports confirmed.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz agreed on Wednesday in Beijing to strengthen economic cooperation while addressing trade imbalances, market access concerns, and the war in Ukraine, during Merz’s first official visit to China since taking office.
U.S. President Donald Trump declared a “golden age” for America in his first second-term State of the Union on Tuesday evening, delivering the longest-ever address at more than 90 minutes. Here are the main takeaways.
President Donald Trump delivered the first State of the Union address of his second term to Congress on Wednesday (25 February), declaring that America’s “golden age” had begun and that the country was experiencing a “turnaround for the ages.”
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 25th of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
A student from Azerbaijan was detained by U.S. immigration agents inside a Columbia University residential building on Thursday morning, was released later the same day after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani raised her case directly with President Donald Trump.
Argentina and Uruguay on Thursday became the first founding members of the Mercosur bloc to ratify a long-awaited free trade agreement with the European Union, paving the way for one of the world’s largest free trade zones.
Nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran in Geneva have been described as “positive”, according to a report by Axios citing a U.S. official.
The United States is expected to deploy six additional aerial refuelling aircraft to Israel as Washington continues to strengthen its military presence in the Middle East while nuclear negotiations with Iran remain under way.
Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Thursday (26 February) that she had no information about the criminal activities of Jeffrey Epstein and urged lawmakers to question President Donald Trump under oath about the disgraced financier.
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