China on Monday welcomed U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis' suggestion that diplomacy should be the priority in the South China Sea, and that major U.S. military action was not being considered to contend with China's assertive behavior there.

• February 6, 2017

U.S. President Donald Trump's pick for ambassador to China, Terry Branstad, said he would help increase trade in a "win-win" for both countries, Chinese state media reported, amid concerns over protectionist talk from the new U.S. administration.

• February 3, 2017

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on Thursday Britain was "open-minded" about the timescale for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad relinquishing power and did not rule out joining Russia in military action against Islamic State militants.

• January 26, 2017

China is calmly mapping out global leadership aspirations from trade to climate change, drawing distinctions between President Xi Jinping's steady hand and new U.S. President Donald Trump, whose first days have been marked by media feuds and protests.

• January 25, 2017

China said on Tuesday it had "irrefutable" sovereignty over disputed islands in the South China Sea after the White House vowed to defend "international territories" in the strategic waterway.

• January 24, 2017

The new U.S. administration must fully understand the importance of the "one China" policy and appreciate that the issue of Taiwan is highly sensitive for the Beijing government, China said on Monday.

• January 23, 2017

China and the United States can resolve any trade disputes through talks, the government said on Thursday, as a Chinese newspaper warned U.S. business could be targets for retaliation in any trade war ushered in by President-elect Donald Trump.

• January 19, 2017

China will build a new model of relations with the United States as part of its creation of a "circle of friends" around the world, President Xi Jinping said in a speech at the United Nations in Geneva on Wednesday.

• January 18, 2017