Chinese President Xi to visit Shanghai this week, sources say
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet (not pictured) at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, April 17, 2025. Agence Kampuchea Press/Handout via REUTERS NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY
SHANGHAI - Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to visit China's international financial hub of Shanghai this week, two sources familiar with the matter said.
The visit would be his first trip to the eastern Chinese city since November 2023, during which he urged the city to build upon its strengths as a financial centre and take a lead in technology.
He also during that trip hosted a meeting with provinces comprising of China's Yangtze River Economic Belt, an area that comprises Shanghai and 10 other provinces and cities along the Yangtze River, a key export hub which accounts for about more than 40 per cent of China's gross domestic product.
The State Council Information Office, which handles media queries for the Chinese government, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Mr Xi's visit to Shanghai this year comes as Washington and Beijing remain locked in a trade war that is threatening to sap global growth.
US President Donald Trump asserted in an interview published on April 25 that tariff negotiations were under way with China, but Beijing denied any talks were taking place, the latest in a series of conflicting signals over whether progress was being made to de-escalate the trade battle. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Straits Times
35 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Netanyahu declares historic win, says Israel removed Iran's nuclear threat in 12-day war
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Israel in its 12 days of war with Iran had removed the threat of nuclear annihilation and was determined to thwart any attempt by Tehran to revive its programme. "We have removed two immediate existential threats to us - the threat of nuclear annihilation and the threat of annihilation by 20,000 ballistic missiles," he said in video remarks issued by his office. 'If anyone in Iran tries to revive this project, we will work with the same determination and strength to thwart any such attempt. I repeat, Iran will not have nuclear weapons.' He called it a historic victory that would stand for generations. He said Israel never had a better friend in the White House than President Donald Trump, whose U.S. military had dropped massive bunker-buster bombs on Iran's underground nuclear sites in an attack over the weekend. 'Our friend President Trump has rallied to our side in an unprecedented way. Under his direction, the United States military destroyed the underground enrichment site at Fordow,' Netanyahu said. He spoke hours after Trump directed stinging criticism at Israel over the scale of strikes Trump said had violated a truce with Iran negotiated by Washington, Israel's closest ally. Netanyahu said Israel's work was unfinished. He cited the war against Iran's ally Hamas in Gaza, where 50 hostages remain in captivity since the Palestinian militant group carried out a surprise attack on October 7, 2023. About 20 are believed to be alive. "We must complete the campaign against the Iranian axis, defeat Hamas, and bring about the release of all the hostages, both living and dead," he said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Straits Times
35 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Trump rattles Nato allies over Article Five clause as he descends on summit
US President Donald Trump arriving for a dinner hosted by Dutch King Willem-Alexander on June 24, ahead of the two-day Nato summit in the Netherlands. PHOTO: REUTERS Trump rattles Nato allies over Article Five clause as he descends on summit THE HAGUE - US President Donald Trump swept into Nato's Hague summit on June 24, with allies hoping a pledge to ramp up defence spending will keep the mercurial leader of the military superpower committed to protecting them. Mr Trump joined leaders from Nato's 31 other members to kick off the two-day gathering with a dinner hosted by Dutch King Willem-Alexander in the ornate Orange Hall at his royal residence. The alliance hopes to keep Mr Trump bound to its mutual defence vow by meeting his demand for a headline figure of 5 per cent of GDP on defence spending. But Mr Trump refused to say he was committed to Nato's Article Five clause and protecting Europe in comments that will likely rattle his counterparts on the continent. 'Depends on your definition. There's numerous definitions of Article Five,' Mr Trump told journalists aboard Air Force One. 'I'm committed to being their friend.' To keep Mr Trump on board, Nato's 32 countries have thrashed out a compromise deal to dedicate 3.5 per cent to core military needs by 2035, and 1.5 per cent to broader security-related areas such as cybersecurity and infrastructure. Nato says the military build-up is crucial to deter Russia, which officials warn is rapidly rebuilding its forces depleted by the war in Ukraine and could be ready to attack the alliance in five years. But it is just as important for keeping Mr Trump engaged as Washington warns it may shift forces from Europe to face the threat from China. 'They're going to be lifting it to 5 per cent, that's good,' Mr Trump said. 'It gives them much more power.' But while the promise of more spending could win Mr Trump over, deep divisions remain over the approach to Europe's key security issue: Russia's war in Ukraine. Mr Trump said he would probably meet Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky while in The Hague, with Kyiv hoping it can avoid a repeat of the pair's infamous Oval Office bust-up. 'Radical uncertainty' European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen told an audience in The Hague that Nato's 'historic' spending pledge showed that 'the Europe of defence has finally awakened'. Alliance leaders meanwhile – many of whom are struggling to find the money that will be required – lined up to argue that the threats facing the continent required bold steps. 'We must navigate this era of radical uncertainty with agility,' British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in announcing the UK's commitment to meet the target. Powerhouse Germany announced plans to hit the 3.5 per cent figure for core defence needs by 2029 – six years before the timeline. At the other end of the scale, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has risked Mr Trump's ire by insisting his country doesn't have to meet the 5 per cent target. US President Donald Trump (front row, fourth from left) posing for a family photo with fellow Nato leaders, as well as the Netherlands' King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima, upon his arrival for the Nato summit on June 24. PHOTO: AFP For its part, the Kremlin attacked Nato for its 'rampant militarisation', with spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying: 'This is the reality that surrounds us.' Trump-Zelensky meeting Since storming back to power, Mr Trump has upended the West's approach to the three-year conflict by turning his back on Kyiv and opening the door to closer ties with Moscow. Mr Zelensky was set to play less of a central role than at recent Nato gatherings and will not attend the main working session. But Ukraine's president said he would discuss with Mr Trump buying a package of weapons made up mainly of air defences. Mr Zelensky would also push Mr Trump on imposing new sanctions on Russia as Moscow has stalled peace efforts being pressed by Washington, Kyiv said. 'There are no signs that Putin wants to stop this war. Russia rejects all peace proposals including those from the US. Putin only thinks about war,' the Ukrainian leader told a defence forum held alongside the summit. Mr Rutte said allies would send the message that support for Kyiv was 'unwavering and will persist'. But despite his insistence that Ukraine's bid for membership remains 'irreversible', Nato will avoid any mention of Kyiv's push to join after Mr Trump ruled it out. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Straits Times
35 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Russian air defences destroy dozens of Ukrainian drones, officials say
Russian air defence units destroyed dozens of Ukrainian drones over widely separated regions of Russia on Tuesday, including more than 40 over Voronezh region on the Ukrainian border, officials said. Voronezh regional Governor Alexander Gusev, writing on Telegram, said there were no injuries and more than 40 drones were destroyed over urban areas and near the border. The governor of Ulyanovsk region on the Volga River said eight drones had been repelled without any casualties. Russia's Defence Ministry said 22 drones had been destroyed over nearly four hours. It noted 13 drones downed over Voronezh and others over Saratov and Samara regions and Tatarstan, all along the Volga, as well as in Belgorod Region on the Ukrainian border. Reuters could not independently verify the attacks. Ukraine has beefed up its capacity of drone construction and strikes since the start of the 40-month-old war against Russia. In an attack earlier this month, dubbed "Operation Spider's Web", it targeted Russian long-range bombers at air bases. Russia has intensified its drone and missile strikes on Ukrainian cities in recent months. A missile attack on Tuesday in southeastern Ukraine killed at least 17 people. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.