Xi Jinping

Blinken's emphasis remained on the resumption of military-to-military communication, a U.S. priority that China has consistently declined since 2021.

Egypt is the latest country applying to join BRICS, an alliance made up of countries pushing to switch to alternative global trade currencies.

CIA Director Bill Burns secretly visited Beijing to meet with Chinese intelligence officials, indicating growing concerns within the Biden administration about the deteriorating relations with China, and marking the highest-level trip by a Biden official to China.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has warned that China must prepare for "worst-case" scenarios.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed the phone call was "long and meaningful."

Hillary Clinton criticizes House Republicans for using the debt ceiling as a political weapon, warning that it undermines the U.S.'s global credibility and plays into the hands of adversaries like Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, and warns of the potential danger of playing games with the debt ceiling to the U.S. dollar's pre-eminent position in the global economy.

France's Macron hopes to establish a framework for future negotiations and has tasked his foreign policy adviser, Emmanuel Bonne, to work with China's top diplomat, Wang Yi.

"Who decided that the dollar was the (trade) currency after the end of gold parity?" asked President Lula.

The bill passed in a 413-2 vote.

The United States is to give an additional $350 million to Ukraine for military aid. Since Ukraine's conflict with Russia began, the United States has given $32.5 billion in military assistance.