China's top economic official will leave on Saturday for talks with his US counterpart in France, Beijing said, less than three weeks before President Donald Trump's expected summit with President Xi Jinping.

China's Foreign Ministry criticized the Trump administration's trade investigation as a "pretext" for tariffs. Meanwhile, China is moving ahead with a five-year plan that may rankle trade partners.

China is signaling it will stay focused on technology and economic growth, even as U.S. tensions with Iran rise.

China's leaders wrapped up nine days of annual legislative meetings in Beijing on Thursday, projecting an image of domestic stability seemingly unaffected by the war in key trading partner

In quick succession, US President Donald Trump has taken out two of Beijing’s closest allies: Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

March 13 (Reuters) - Chinese lenders plan to steer more money toward technology and innovation-oriented firms, bankers say, responding to Beijing's pledge to aggressively adopt artificial intelligence throughout the economy and dominate emerging sectors.

His war aims in Iran jump around from one day to the next. His tariff policy has a backsliding quality. But behind his aggressive posturing, there is one common thread: to check China’s rise. A fundamental tenet of both the Biden and Trump administrations was the need to face China down and reassert the US’s geopolitical hegemony.

From diplomatic signalling to efforts to revive domestic demand and “invest in people”, China’s Two Sessions that closed on Thursday (Mar 12) offered clues to Beijing’s priorities for the year ahead and beyond.