The amount of military facilities China builds on islands in the South China Sea depends on the level of threat it faces although China does not seek militarisation, the navy chief told his U.S. counterpart on Wednesday.

Amid the gloom hanging over China, a senior adviser to Chinese President Xi Jinping gave a rare defense of the country’s economy, saying Beijing has strong leadership to continue its effort to remake the country’s growth model while pledging not to launch massive stimulus to revive growth

A senior U.S. diplomat stepped up pressure on China on Wednesday to play a leading role in punishing North Korea for its recent nuclear test that raised worries about advancements in its bomb program.

China has signalled its support for Yemen's government, which is fighting an Iran-allied militia, on the first day of a visit to Saudi Arabia by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who will also be heading to Tehran later in the week.

China’s economy grew at its slowest pace since 1990 last year but stayed within range of the government’s target, as growth in services such as finance and healthcare cushioned a slowdown in manufacturing and construction.

The foreign ministry on Saturday urged the international community to continue to abide by the one-China principle after the Taiwan leadership election.

The White House said on Saturday it congratulated Taiwan's independence-leaning opposition leader Tsai Ing-wen for her presidential victory and said the United States maintained a "profound interest" in peace between Taiwan and China.

Tsai Ing-wen, candidate of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), won Taiwan's leadership election on Saturday, according to the final result of ballot counting released by the island's election commission.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will visit China later this month for talks on issues including the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the State Department said Friday.

Taiwan looks set on Saturday to elect an independence-leaning opposition leader as its first woman president who could usher in a new round of uncertainty with China, the massive neighbor that claims the self-ruled island as its sacred territory.