China on Tuesday slammed the United States for being behind the South China Sea arbitration initiated by the Philippines following remarks by a senior U.S. diplomat that an upcoming ruling on the case would be a critical moment for the "rules-based" future of the region.

The United States hopes to talk with China and address its concerns about the possible deployment of the THAAD missile defense system that Washington is discussing with Seoul, a senior State Department official said Tuesday.

China's vice finance minister said on Tuesday there was no secret agreement between the United States and China regarding adjustments to exchange rates.

The U.N. Security Council agreed on Monday to a Chinese request to remove sanctions on four ships the United Nations had blacklisted for ties to Pyongyang's arms trade. The agreement came after China secured assurances the vessels would not use North Korean crews, a U.S. official said.

China has pressed Japan not to broach Beijing's disputes with regional neighbours in the South China Sea at the Group of Seven (G-7) summit in Japan in May.

China commerce minister sees big rebound in March foreign trade

The largest nuclear security center in the Asia-Pacific region, financed by China and the United States, opened Friday, according to authorities.

The United States has seen Chinese activity around a reef that China seized from the Philippines nearly four years ago that could be a precursor to more land reclamation in the disputed South China Sea, the U.S. Navy chief said on Thursday.

China expressed its opposition on Thursday to unilateral sanctions against North Korea saying they could raise tension, after the United States imposed new curbs on the isolated country in retaliation for its nuclear and rocket tests.

China's Premier Li Keqiang has said China's economic growth will stay on track, as the annual meeting of parliament draws to a close.