China's behavior in a narrowly averted naval collision in the South China Sea was both "unhelpful" and "irresponsible," U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Thursday, warning against incidents that could escalate U.S.-Chinese tension.

• December 20, 2013

China will expand its presence in Antarctica by building a fourth research base and finding a site for a fifth, a state-run newspaper said on Thursday, as the country steps up its increasingly far-flung scientific efforts.

• December 19, 2013

China is to send a military ship to help protect a specially adapted U.S. vessel that will destroy Syria's chemical weapons arsenal, the Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

• December 19, 2013

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday praised the U.S. role in forging an interim deal to ease concerns about Iran's nuclear program but said he hoped a U.S. decision to broaden a blacklist of companies under existing sanctions would not undermine progress toward a comprehensive agreement.

• December 19, 2013

Ukraine's Prime Minister Mykola Azarov on Wednesday described a $15 billion aid package from Russia as a historic deal to allow the ex-Soviet republic return to economic growth, as protesters in Kiev voiced anger over a "sell-out" to Moscow.

• December 18, 2013

Russia accused the West on Wednesday of putting pressure on Ukraine to choose closer ties with the European Union even though Kiev has accepted a Russian bailout after spurning a trade deal with the EU.

• December 18, 2013

China on Wednesday confirmed an incident between a Chinese naval vessel and a U.S. warship in the South China Sea, after Washington said a U.S. guided missile cruiser had avoided a collision with a Chinese warship maneuvering nearby.

• December 18, 2013

Russia has agreed to resume oil supplies to a refinery in Ukraine, traders said, in a sign Moscow is ready to reward the country's president for spurning a trade deal with Europe in favor of ties with its former Soviet master.

• December 17, 2013