White House officials will press China to hasten exports of rare earths and magnets and stick to an agreement the countries signed in Geneva, during economic talks today.

China’s commerce ministry said talks with the European Union on setting minimum prices for Chinese-made electric vehicles have “entered final stages,” although more work is required to reach a deal.

U.S. President Donald Trump's move to double tariffs on aluminium imports heightens the risk of a full-blown scrap war with the European Union.

China has agreed to fast-track approvals for the shipment of rare earth minerals to the United States and some European Union nations.

The European Union has urged China to ease restrictions on rare earth materials – critical for everything from cars to washing machines – after Beijing’s export controls disrupted supplies and triggered production turmoil across industries in Europe and America.

In the Philippines this week, the EU’s foreign policy chief expressed concern over China’s “illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive measures” in the disputed waterway.

The Chinese embassy in the Philippines urged the European Union to stop "provoking trouble" in the South China Sea on Thursday, and advised Manila not to "fantasise" about relying on outside forces to resolve disputes in the waterway.

Beijing criticized as protectionist the European Union’s plan to curb Chinese medical device manufacturers’ access to public procurement contracts and vowed to take action to protect the country’s interests.