Bloomberg reports, "U.S. and Chinese senior officials spoke by phone this week, the second call since the late June summit at which the two sides agreed to a truce in their ongoing trade conflict. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and U.S. Treasury Steven Mnuchin spoke to the Chinese side earlier, a USTR spokesman said. China's Commerce Ministry said Vice Premier Liu He and Commerce Minister Zhong Shan were among those on the call. There were no details released from both sides on what was discussed. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Geng Shuang declined to comment on whether the two sides will next meet in Beijing at a regular briefing on Friday. Talks between the two sides collapsed in May and there's been little public progress since Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping agreed to a truce when they met in Japan last month. There are still deep differences between the two nations, with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross cautioning the negotiations would be a 'long, involved process.'"
The New York Times reports, "The Australian government strongly rebuked Beijing on Friday for detaining one of its citizens, a writer who has called for liberalization in China, expressing concern over his welfare and calling for his release. Australia was 'deeply disappointe' to learn that Yang Hengjun, a Chinese-born Australian who has been in custody since January, had been placed in criminal detention, Marise Payne, the country's foreign minister, said in a statement. 'We have asked for clarification regarding the reasons for Dr. Yang's detention,' she said. 'If he is being detained for his political views, then he should be released.' The confrontation comes at a time of political tension between the two countries, with Australia taking steps to guard against foreign interference, even as it has leaned on China as a major trading partner."
CNBC reports, "Taiwan's president is expected to transit in the U.S. on Friday for the second time this month, when she returns from visiting diplomatic allies in the Caribbean — a move that will make China very angry. Tsai Ing-wen, the island's pro-independence leader, is due to make her second stopover in Denver on Friday. 'China opposes official exchange between the US and Taiwan. This position is firm and clear' the Chinese foreign ministry said on July 12. The U.S. should not to allow Tsai's transit and must 'stop the official exchange with Taiwan,' said Geng Shuang, spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry. The visit comes on the heels of the U.S. State Department recently approving a $2.2 billion sale of weapons to Taiwan— a self-ruled island viewed by Beijing as a breakaway province that has no right to state-to-state ties."