Carl Schuster, an expert on maritime issues speaks to Outlook about China’s growing naval assertiveness across the Indo-Pacific.

China offers help on one hand but arranges a SAARC meet minus India on the pandemic on the other

Chinese President Xi sent a message of sympathy to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the COVID-19 pandemic in India.

According to KCNA and China's Xinhua news agency, Xi in his own message to Kim described bilateral relations as a 'valuable asset' to both countries and vowed to make unspecified contributions to the peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

Antony Blinken said the Biden administration is united with its allies in pushing back against China's increasing authoritarianism and assertiveness at home and abroad.

For once, no one, not even the peaceniks on either side of the China or Pakistan border, is getting excited, considering the disappointments of past such efforts.

The visit would come in the aftermath of the most serious border crisis between the neighbours in decades.

World stock indexes were mostly higher on Thursday after President Joe Biden held his first conversation with Chinese leader Xi Jinping since taking office.

The 'bumper' 40 per cent increase followed a number of sweeping reforms intended to transform the 'bloated People’s Liberation Army (PLA), into a more modern, nimble fighting force'.

A letter from Xi to Schultz reported Friday by the official Xinhua News Agency was a rare direct communication from China's paramount leader to a foreign business figure.