Conservation specialists repair monument on Woody Island in the disputed Paracel Islands, with more preservation work planned.

As China reportedly mulls a ban on Japanese seafood amid a standoff between the Asian neighbors, Taiwan's leader shows support for Tokyo, with his lunch.

Beijing suggested it might reimpose a ban on seafood imports from Japan after warning its citizens to avoid travel there and postponing the releases of at least two Japanese movies.

Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Capital Planning and Construction Committee (CPCC), attends the sixth plenary meeting of the 20th CPCC and gives a speech in Beijing, Nov 20, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

Beijing’s strategy, known as “the pen and the gun,” employs a domestic media campaign and aggressive rhetoric toward Taipei’s friends.

Trump told reporters last month that Chinese officials have agreed to suspend its restrictions on rare earth mineral exports under a “one-year agreement” that will likely be “routinely extended.” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday said during an interview on Fox News that he’s hopeful the agreement will be finished by Thanksgiving.

China's Wingtech said on Thursday that its control over Netherlands-based Nexperia must be restored, a day after the Dutch government

China and the European Union have made little headway in repairing ties since a summer summit, the bloc’s top envoy to Beijing said, though the Asian nation’s easing of rare earth controls offered a chance for reset.