A US accord on critical minerals to broker an end to the Ukraine war could blunt Chinese export controls, analysts said, but not counteract them.

The naval drills, which include "striking maritime targets," will "strengthen military mutual trust" between Beijing, Moscow and Tehran, China said.

China will boost its defence spending by 7.2% this year, maintaining a steady growth rate as Beijing faces headwinds from three years of sluggish economic expansion and mounting geopolitical challenges from Taiwan to Ukraine.

U.S. President Donald Trump, in a speech last week, vowed to take “historic action” to “dramatically expand production of critical minerals and rare earths.” The latest announcement came as the Democratic Republic of Congo approached the United States to strike a Ukraine-like minerals

Thanks for joining me on our live blog of US President Donald Trump’s address to Congress. You can read US correspondent Michael Koziol’s report on the address here. Here are

Amid a near-complete reversal in U.S. foreign policy, more nations may look to China to fill the role that the United States once played – an unthinkable prospect just a few months ago.

China pushed back against recent remarks by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, declaring that Washington could never "sow discord" in its ties with Moscow. Newsweek reached out to the White House and the Russian Foreign Ministry via email for comment.

When I saw the name "America" aligning itself with China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia, a shame swept over me I never knew before.

Taiwan is learning from companies in Ukraine which continue to operate during the country's fight against Russia, a senior Taiwan official told Reuters on Wednesday, as the island speeds up contingency planning amid heightened Chinese threats.

Oil prices fell to multi-month lows on Tuesday after reports of OPEC+ plans to proceed with output increases in April while further price pressure was applied by U.S. tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China as well as Beijing's retaliatory tariffs.

The US president wants critical minerals in Greenland and Ukraine. Now Moscow has offered access to the key metals.