China’s military said on Sunday it had conducted "routine" patrols in the South China Sea and warned the Philippines against any provocations, according to a spokesperson for the Southern Theater Command.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is set to meet Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in Madrid between Sunday and Wednesday, He’s office said.

China showed off new ground-, air-, and sea-launched nuclear missiles during its Victory Day parade last week.

A delegation to be led by Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng is due to kick off a new round of dialogue with the United States from September 14-17 in Madrid.

China has never publicly confirmed it number of nukes, and there is no consensus as to the current size of its arsenal. Almost all observers, however, agree that it is building warheads fast. The Pentagon in a November 2022 report forecast that China would quadruple warheads from about 400 to 1,500 by 2035 .

On September 2, the U.S. military struck a boat in the Caribbean Sea with a missile, killing all 11 on board. The Trump administration claims the boat came from Venezuela, that it was carrying illegal drugs, and that the crew were members of the notorious Tren de Aragua gang.

During a press conference at the White House several weeks ago announcing his police takeover of Washington, D.C., Donald Trump stated that China will never beat the U.S. in trade for as long as he's president.

China's newest aircraft carrier has sailed through the Taiwan Strait, the navy said Friday. The body of water separates China from Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing says must come under its control.

Kuwait's nascent embrace of China, concurrent to unpaid bills for a major energy project, are setting off alarm bells in Washington D.C.