China unveiled three new units to its military: a force to oversee strategic missiles, an army general command and strategic support force, Chinese state media reported. President Xi Jinping described the modernization reform as “a major policy decision to realize the Chinese dream of a strong army.” The new units, along with the building of a second aircraft carrier, come at a time when... 

China has raised the air pollution alert level to its second-highest for the capital city of Beijing, calling on residents to stay indoors. Authorities issued an “orange level” alert in Beijing on Sunday after pollution readings reached 17 times the level deemed safe by the World Health Organization. The declaration of the orange level will mandate air polluting factories and industrial plants... 

China and Australia have sealed a major free trade agreement worth billions of dollars giving the Australian agricultural sector tariff free access to the massive Chinese market, while China will get greater access to investment projects in Australia. Ministers from China and Australia signed a Declaration of Intent on Monday, culminating over a decade of work towards the deal. The actual agreement... 

Japan and the United States have agreed to create a new defense partnership to counter their perceived threat of China. Tokyo has become more assertive in its military policy under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, but this has led to protests at home. The new pact will help to set out how Japan and the US will work together during various degrees of provocation, from peacetime, to when Tokyo may be under,... 

People pay visit to the Temple of Heaven in Beijing on February 24, 2014. Air pollution strikes unhealthy levels in the Chinese capital Beijing for the sixth day in a row, prompting warnings for people to stay indoors. On Tuesday, officials said the gray smog that has been covering the sky in much of six northern provinces could last until Friday. Since last Friday, an orange alert — the second-highest... 

The fact that China’s incoming president, Xi Jinping, is set to visit Africa on his first foreign trip is a strong indication of where Sino-African relations are headed. But as Beijing focuses on building African industry, Washington has other plans. At a recently held meeting of the National People’s Congress in Beijing, China’s leaders unveiled a dramatic long-term plan to integrate some... 

Russia is calling on other states to join efforts to combat nuclear terrorism. This comes ahead of a summit in Seoul to manage tensions linked to North Korea’s rocket launch scheduled for April. ­The planned launch will be one of the key issues at the summit in Seoul on March 25-27, when around 50 world leaders are expected to gather. Among those attending are Chinese President Hu Jintao and US... 

Chinese President Hu Jintao on Tuesday urged the Navy to prepare for military combat, amid growing regional tensions over maritime disputes and a US campaign to assert itself as a Pacific power. The Navy should “accelerate its transformation and modernisation in a sturdy way, and make extended preparations for military combat in order to make greater contributions to safeguard national security,”... 

China’s President Hu Jintao Wednesday warned French leader Nicolas Sarkozy that air strikes on Libya could violate the “original intention” of the UN resolution authorising them if civilians suffer. The tough talk from Hu came during a meeting at the start of Sarkozy’s mini-tour of Asia, which will include a G20 meeting on global monetary reform and a stop in disaster-struck... 

On U.S. soil: Chinese President Hu Jintao walks alongside U.S. Vice President Joe Biden upon arrival at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. U.S. President Barack Obama is hosting Hu on a full state visit. The Chinese president arrived in the United States on Tuesday to meet with his US counterpart, Barack Obama, in what is being billed as the most important visit of its kind in three decades. Chinese...