France's Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, left, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi shake hands before their meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (Pedro Pardo/Pool Photo via AP)BEIJING -- China’s foreign minister on Tuesday slammed a record U.S. arms sale to Taiwan as Beijing conducted the second day of military drills around the island it has long claimed as its own. China responded to the sale by launching two days of military drills around Taiwan on Monday. Beijing says it is impartial in the war but in practice signals support for Moscow through frequent state visits and joint military drills. The meetings represented China’s latest efforts to strengthen its role as an international mediator and particularly its influence in Asian regional crises.

Source: ABC News December 30, 2025 11:05 UTC