The United States and China on Sunday said that progress had been made after a weekend of talks aimed at de-escalating trade tensions sparked by US President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff rollout. The increasingly ugly trade spat between Washington and Beijing has rocked financial markets and raised fears of a global economic slowdown and an inflationary spike in the United States. “We’ve made substantial progress between the United States and China in the very important trade talks,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters in Geneva after the second day of discussions. “The talks were productive,” he said, taking no questions but promising a “complete briefing” on the outcome on Monday. In a statement on Sunday, which did not provide any additional details, the White House hailed what it called a new “trade deal” with China. China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng told reporters the meetings had achieved “substantial progress,” echoing Bessent’s remarks, and described the atmosphere as “candid, in-depth...
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday thanked China’s envoy for endorsing his offer to conduct a neutral probe into the Pahalgam attack, following India’s actions against Pakistan that have heightened the risks of a military confrontation between the two countries. The April 22 attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam killed 26 people, mostly tourists, marking one of the deadliest assaults in the region since 2000. India has implied cross-border links without evidence, while Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership have rejected the accusation and called for a neutral probe. Tensions have since spiked, with Pakistan reinforcing its forces and India’s premier granting “operational freedom” to his military. As Pakistan, in the early hours of Wednesday, said it expected an incursion from India within the next 24-36 hours, diplomatic channels from other countries have been engaged to prevent a possible military confrontation. Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong called on Shehbaz at the PM House in Islamabad toda...
Pakistan and China have reiterated their firm resolve to uphold regional peace and stability, promote mutual respect and understanding, and jointly oppose unilateralism and hegemonic policies. The understanding was reached during a telephone conversation between Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday. During the conversation, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar briefed Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on current regional situation. He categorically rejected India's unilateral and illegal actions, as well as its baseless propaganda against Pakistan. Expressing deep appreciation for China's consistent and unwavering support, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister reaffirmed Pakistan's strong commitment to the iron-clad Pakistan-China friendship and the shared vision of an All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership. He emphasized Pakistan's determination to further deepen bilateral cooperation across all spheres. Both sides agreed to...