North Korea put its troops on a war footing on Friday as South Korea rejected an ultimatum to stop propaganda broadcasts or face military action, prompting China to voice concern and urge both sides to step back.

• August 21, 2015

Japan needs details of China's plans for Sept 3. events to mark the anniversary of World War Two before it decides if Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will visit Beijing then for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, a Japanese government source said.

• August 20, 2015

China said on Tuesday it is investigating the head of its work safety regulator who for years allowed companies to operate without a license for dangerous chemicals, days after blasts in a port warehouse storing such material killed 114 people.

• August 18, 2015

Japan has joined U.S.-led maritime humanitarian exercises off the Philippines for the first time, as concerns mount among the three allies about China's growing assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea.

• August 14, 2015

Greece's economy unexpectedly returned to growth in the second quarter despite political turmoil and the threat of a Greek euro zone exit, data showed on Thursday.

• August 13, 2015

China's central bank has stopped "regularly" intervening in the foreign exchange market but could still conduct "effective management" of the yuan in cases of extreme volatility, its vice governor said, as policymakers tried to stem selling this week.

• August 13, 2015

China's yuan fell to a four-year low on Wednesday, slumping for a second day, after the central bank devaluation on Tuesday, and sources said the government may let the currency slide even further to help exporters.

• August 12, 2015

China hit back on Monday at U.S. criticism that it restricts navigation and overflights in the South China Sea amid a festering marine territorial dispute with some of its neighbors.

• August 10, 2015