A US accord on critical minerals to broker an end to the Ukraine war could blunt Chinese export controls, analysts said, but not counteract them.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday limiting who is eligible to benefit from the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.

China will boost its defence spending by 7.2% this year, maintaining a steady growth rate as Beijing faces headwinds from three years of sluggish economic expansion and mounting geopolitical challenges from Taiwan to Ukraine.

Foreign minister presents China as a source of stability in uncertain world and takes questions on US ties, Ukraine and the South China Sea.

Thanks for joining me on our live blog of US President Donald Trump’s address to Congress. You can read US correspondent Michael Koziol’s report on the address here. Here are

Tom Fitzgerald sits down with Daniel Balson to discuss a new poll from Razom for Ukraine that found that nearly 70% of GOP voters say Russia is the aggressor, 83% disapprove of Putin and wants the Trump administration to focus on China and the southern border.

The US president wants critical minerals in Greenland and Ukraine. Now Moscow has offered access to the key metals.

China’s President Xi Jinping affirmed his “no limits” partnership in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, China’s state media reported, on the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Fast-moving developments on Ukraine and Europe will no doubt continue to dominate financial markets in the coming week, while U.S. data includes key inflation numbers and China looks determined to hold its ground as trade tensions ratchet up.

Trump’s approach to Ukraine is a test for Europe’s ability to adapt to a world of great power politics. To pass it, Europe should reach out to China.

Chinese warships have been circumnavigating Australia’s coastline for more than three weeks, passing within 200 miles of Sydney, and staging unprecedented live-fire drills on its doorstep with New Zealand.