During his stay in Beijing, Prime Minister Shehbaz is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang in further high-level engagements.
Archiv: China
Shehbaz Sharif, Asim Munir in China as Pak pushes Iran war mediation; Xi calls ties with Islamabad ‘unbreakable’
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Asim Munir are in Beijing, China, on Monday (May 25) for talks with Chinese leaders as part of ongoing mediation efforts to formally end the Iran war. On Friday and Saturday, Munir was also in Iran alongside Pakistan‘s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to mediate to formally end the war.
China Built The Most Advanced Space Station In Just 2 Years | Tiangong
Apr 30, 2026
China was rejected from the International Space Station in 2011 when the US Congress passed a law banning NASA from any cooperation with China‘s space program. Most nations would have accepted that and moved on. China did something completely different. They decided to build their own space station from scratch, alone, without any international help, and they finished it in just 2 years. The result is Tiangong, the Heavenly Palace, a 3-module space station orbiting 400 kilometers above Earth that is packed with technology so advanced it makes the ISS look like it belongs in a museum. From the world‘s first space microwave to smart circadian lighting, resistance band uniforms, and a robotic telescope 300 times wider than Hubble, what China quietly built up there is one of the most remarkable engineering achievements in human history.
Shenzhou XXIII astronauts enter Tiangong space station
The Shenzhou XXIII crew has entered the Tiangong space station and met with the outgoing Shenzhou XXI astronauts.
The new arrivals — mission commander and spaceflight engineer Colonel Zhu Yangzhu, spacecraft pilot Colonel Zhang Zhiyuan, and science payload specialist Lai Ka-ying — were launched by a Long March 2F carrier rocket at 11:08 pm Sunday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China.
After flying about three and a half hours, their spaceship docked with the front port on the Tianhe core module, the central piece of the Chinese space station, at 2:45 am Monday, according to the China Manned Space Agency.
Vorbereitungen auf Mondmission: China schickt drei Astronauten zu Weltraumstation
(May 24, 2026)
Drei Raumfahrer sind in Richtung der chinesischen Raumstation „Tiangong“ gestartet. Das Raumschiff „Shenzhou-23“ mit den drei Astronauten an Bord hob vom Weltraumbahnhof Jiuquan im chinesischen Teil der Wüste Gobi ab. Ins All befördert wurde die Kapsel von der Trägerrakete „Langer Marsch 2-F“.
Im Rahmen der Mission soll erstmals ein chinesischer Raumfahrer ein ganzes Jahr lang auf der Raumstation bleiben – ihre dreiköpfige Besatzung wird üblicherweise alle sechs Monate ausgetauscht. Dies wird von Peking als wesentlicher Schritt in den chinesischen Bestrebungen betrachtet, bis zum Jahr 2030 Menschen zum Mond zu schicken.
Trump leaves Beijing with few wins but warm words for Xi
U.S. President Donald Trump left China on Friday with no major breakthroughs on trade or tangible help from Beijing to end the Iran war, despite two days spent heaping praise on his host, Xi Jinping.
Pomp & circumstance: Xi welcomes Trump before bilateral talks
Xi Jinping told President Trump their countries should be “partners rather than opponents” as they began a high-stakes summit in Beijing. Over two days of meetings, they are expected to discuss a range of thorny issues, including tech, trade and Taiwan.
Why are the state leaders of China and Russia complying with U.S. sanctions against Iran, Venezuela, Syria, and Cuba?
(August 7, 2021)
Because they want to.
China orders firms to ignore US Iran sanctions, daring US to enforce crackdown
(May 7, 2026)
A new directive, issued through China’s Commerce Ministry Sunday, invokes a 2021 „blocking statute“ that prohibits firms from complying with foreign sanctions deemed illegitimate.
Vor Trump Besuch in Peking: China blockiert US-Sekundärsanktionen – Firmen sollen weiter Iran-Öl kaufen
In einem der bedeutendsten Schritte gegen die US-Wirtschaftskriegführung hat das chinesische Handelsministerium seine Unternehmen offiziell angewiesen, die US-Sanktionen gegen iranisches Öl nicht anzuerkennen, nicht durchzusetzen und nicht zu befolgen. Es handelt sich um die erste Aktivierung der 2021 erlassenen „Blocking Rules“ (Regeln zur Abwehr ungerechtfertigter extraterritorialer Anwendung ausländischer Gesetze).
China and Cuba’s solar revolution: solidarity in practice
As a result, Cuba’s share of solar in total electricity generation has risen from 5.8 per cent a year ago to over 20 per cent today.
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Battery storage–currently in place at only four of Cuba’s 55 solar parks–will need to be expanded significantly to address the evening peak demand. Wind energy will also make a growing contribution, with 19 wind farms totaling 415 MW currently being built, again with Chinese support. But the pace of the solar buildout, measured against where Cuba was just months ago, is already extraordinary.
News Analysis: Trump’s Strait of Hormuz blockade risks clash with China
No country relies more heavily on the strait than China, which receives nearly half of its oil imports through the international waterway. In recent days, Beijing has warned that access to its shipping lanes “must be guaranteed.”
Trump administration officials believe the blockade could compel China to pressure Tehran into making further concessions, following Beijing’s crucial role earlier this month in convincing Iran to accept an initial ceasefire.
The situation in the Middle East – Security Council, 10130th meeting
Production Date
07 Apr 2026
Video Length
02:51:06
Audio Language
Arabic
Chinese
English
French
Russian
Spanish
Original
Russia, China veto UN resolution on reopening Strait of Hormuz
The draft resolution prepared by Bahrain and supported by the United States received 11 votes in favor, two against and two abstentions.
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In 2011, NATO obtained the green light to intervene in Libya when Russia abstained from a vote. Moscow later fumed that this had led to the fall of Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.
Chinese drone downed in Iran, sparking questions about UAE or Saudi Arabian role
Nicole Grajewski, the author of Russia and Iran: Partners in Defiance from Syria to Ukraine, said that Iran does not possess the Wing Loong Drone in its arsenal.
Neither the US nor Israel is known to operate Wing Loong II drones, but Saudi Arabia and the UAE have them in their arsenal.
The Wing Loong drone has featured prominently in Sudan’s civil war, where the UAE has deployed them in support of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, according to The New York Times.
Here Are The Countries’ Ships Allowed Through Iran’s Strait Of Hormuz
(March 27, 2026)
Below are other „friendly“ nations to Iran whose vessels are allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz
A Bid to Use Force to Open Strait of Hormuz Hits Roadblocks at U.N. Security Council
The actual vote on the resolution, which was drafted by Bahrain with the support of the Arab countries in the Persian Gulf, is expected to be scheduled for Friday. But it remained unclear whether extra hours of diplomacy would bring the three veto-holding countries on board.
Russia, China and France are among the five permanent members of the council with veto power. There were also divisions over the resolution among the 10 nonpermanent members, according to diplomats.
Russia, China, France veto UNSC resolution to reopen Strait of Hormuz
Arab nations, led by Bahrain, seeking UN Security Council authorisation for military intervention to reopen the Strait of Hormuz have faced a major setback as Russia, China and France vetoed the proposed resolution.
The strategic Strait of Hormuz—through which approximately 20 per cent of the world’s oil and gas supplies transit—was closed by Iran on 28 February 2026 amid escalating conflict with the United States and Israel.
China expresses ‘gratitude’ after three ships transit Strait of Hormuz
“Following coordination with relevant parties, three Chinese vessels recently transited the Strait of Hormuz,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a press conference.
“We express our gratitude to the relevant parties for the assistance provided,” she said.
Saudi Aramco cuts oil supply to Asia for second month in April
Saudi Arabia has exported 4.355 million barrels per day of crude so far in March, data from analytics firm Kpler showed, down from 7.108 million bpd in February.
The producer is trying to boost crude exports via Yanbu to offset the Strait of Hormuz disruption, with loadings seen rising to record volumes in March. China‘s top refiner Sinopec (600028.SS), opens new tab is set to load about 24 million barrels of Saudi crude from Yanbu in March.
ANNUAL THREAT ASSESSMENT OF THE U.S. INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY
– The IC assesses that Chinese leaders do not currently plan to execute an invasion of Taiwan in 2027, nor do they have a fixed timeline for achieving unification. However, China publicly insists that unification with Taiwan is required to achieve its goal of “national rejuvenation” by 2049—the 100th year anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Beijing almost certainly will consider a variety of factors in deciding whether and how to pursue military approaches to unification, including PLA readiness, the actions and politics of Taiwan, and whether or not the U.S. will militarily intervene on Taiwan’s behalf.
– Chinese officials recognize that an amphibious invasion of Taiwan would be extremely challenging and carry a high risk of failure, especially in the event of U.S. intervention
China not planning to invade Taiwan in 2027: U.S. intelligence report
„The IC [intelligence community] assesses that Chinese leaders do not currently plan to execute an invasion of Taiwan in 2027, nor do they have a fixed timeline for achieving unification,“ the report said.
„However, China publicly insists that unification with Taiwan is required to achieve its goal of „national rejuvenation“ by 2049 — the 100th year anniversary of the founding of the People‘s Republic of China (PRC),“ the report said.
US says mainland China not planning to attack Taiwan in 2027 after threat assessment
Beijing is unlikely to attack Taiwan next year, given security and economic deterrents, including its belief that an amphibious assault could fail and that the technological, supply chain and investor costs would be huge, according to a US threat assessment released on Wednesday.
The intelligence overview appeared to walk back a projection by the Pentagon last year that Beijing wanted to take the self-governing island by force as early as 2027 and comes as US President Donald Trump takes a more conciliatory tone towards China.
Traffic is trickling through Strait of Hormuz: Who’s moving and who’s stranded
While Iran has kept a tight grip on the strait, a small number of other ships have made the crossing under varying circumstances, signaling that Tehran is selectively letting through some non-Iranian oil cargo in negotiated safe voyages, according to maritime analysts.
Here’s a look at some of the countries that have had their vessels go through the critical energy route since the war began.
Strait of Hormuz: Which countries’ ships has Iran allowed safe passage to?
Here is what we know about which countries’ ships are being allowed to pass through the strait and which nations are reported to be negotiating for safe passage.
Iran may allow oil tankers through Strait of Hormuz trading in Chinese yuan
Iran is considering allowing a limited number of oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz on the condition that the oil cargo is traded in Chinese yuan, CNN reported, quoting a senior Iranian official.
Iran May Allow Oil Tankers Through Strait Of Hormuz, But There‘s A China Catch
Iran is reportedly considering a new approach to manage oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world‘s most critical energy routes. According to a senior official who spoke to CNN, Iran may allow a limited number of oil tankers to pass through the strait, but only if the oil cargo is traded in Chinese yuan.