Chinese President Hu Jintao said his nation supported the peaceful use of outer space Friday, days after his air force commander sparked concerns by saying an arms race in space was inevitable.

China said Friday that this month's visit by President Barack Obama would be a milestone in relations for the global powerhouses and that climate change cooperation would be a key agenda item.

China protested U.S. duties on steel pipes and announced the start of an anti-dumping probe into American carmakers as trade tensions escalate ahead of President Barack Obama's first visit to the nation this month.

Thousands of foreign buyers flock to this southern city at this time of year for China's biggest trade show. They search for factory owners who will make their products cheaply and won't rip off their clever designs.

International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn will visit Asia this month and meet with Chinese officials to discuss the global economic recovery, an IMF official said Thursday.

The Indian government refused Thursday to allow foreign journalists to cover the Dalai Lama's visit to a northeastern state at the heart of a long-running border dispute with China.

Leaders from China and Africa start a three day summit on Sunday that will again throw the spotlight on Beijing's strategic sweep for energy, minerals and political influence in the continent.

Six Chinese Muslim Uighurs freed from Guantanamo Bay were the guests of the president of Palau Wednesday, swimming in tropical waters and enjoying a barbecue lunch at a famous beauty spot.

A guard at an unofficial jail in the Chinese capital has pleaded guilty to raping a young detainee, an activist said Thursday, in a case that has put the spotlight on the “black jails” where a growing number of people seeking justice from the government end up.

China on Thursday denied it would ever participate in a space arms race, disavowing comments by a top general who said Chinese armed forces should prepare for the militarization of outer space.