JIUQUAN, China (AP) — China said Thursday it’s on track to land astronauts on the moon by 2030 as it introduced the next crew of astronauts who will head to its space station as part of the country’s ambitious plans to be a leader in space exploration.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping is convening a key political meeting this week where he will push forward his next five-year strategy to strengthen the world’s second-largest economy in the face of mounting friction with the United States.

Beijing has been expanding its arsenal, and distrust between China and the United States over nuclear weapons has deepened, with little hope of an agreement.

Britain’s reliance on China to reach net zero poses a risk to security, Labour has been warned. The Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) said in a report that dangers would be “hardwired” into major infrastructure if Britain relied on Chinese technology to reach Labour’s clean energy targets.

Chinese President Xi Jinping began his three-day visit to South Korea on Thursday, which includes high-profile talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, attendance at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit and talks with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.

Some cameras swivel, ensuring sweeping views of public squares. Others scan license plates of passing cars, allowing police to track vehicles in real-time. At night, cameras light up across China’s cities, shining lights down alleys and corners.

Indonesia has confirmed it will purchase fourth-generation J-10 jets from China, as the country with the world's largest Muslim population continues to upgrade its aging fighter aircraft fleet.

The United States was Germany’s No. 1 trading partner in 2024, ending an eight-year streak for China, according to Reuters. Germany tried to reduce its dependency on China, in part over concerns about Beijing's trade practices.

An elementary school in Yimianpo is now a storage yard. The number of children in the town has dropped by half and there are fewer than three births per 1,000 residents in the province — China's lowest rate.

If China wants a domestic chip manufacturing business, which it absolutely does, it needs DUV. That's because a finer brush, Extreme Ultraviolet lithography (EUV), cannot be sold to China. ASML is the world's only major supplier of EUV machines, and the US and Dutch have rolled out export controls to limit China's access to this complex technology.