China's economy faces great challenges and new uncertainties brought about by the global economic environment and various countries' ailing stock markets, Premier Li Keqiang said on Monday

President Barack Obama will press leaders from Southeast Asia to boost trade and back common goals for the South China Sea during a summit starting on Monday that the White House hopes will solidify U.S. influence in the region.

The United States and China have been in discussions about the possible deployment of an advanced American missile defense system in South Korea, a diplomatic source with knowledge of the matter said Monday.

China's economy can avoid a "hard landing" and shift to a lower, more sustainable growth rate if Beijing pursues reforms to state enterprises and sticks to a more market-driven and well-communicated exchange rate policy, the International Monetary Fund's chief said on Thursday.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership, one of the world's biggest multinational trade deals, was signed by 12 member nations on Thursday in New Zealand, but the massive trade pact will still require years of tough negotiations before it becomes a reality.

China's Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said on Thursday the country will actively participate in and push forward regional free trade arrangements that feature high-degree transparency, openness and inclusiveness.

China has set its economic growth projection range at 6.5 to 7 per cent, an official from the country's top economic planner said at a briefing on Wednesday

China is extremely concerned by reports that North Korea plans to launch a satellite, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

China's envoy for the North Korean nuclear issue arrived in the capital, Pyongyang, on Tuesday, the North's KCNA news agency reported, amid a push by the United States and South Korea for tougher sanctions on the North after its fourth nuclear test.

The Pentagon will unveil a proposal this week to boost spending on advanced weaponry and the U.S. footprint in Europe, part of a plan to refocus the defense budget to counter technological and military advances by Russia and China.