China

The Philippine military on Sunday condemned a Chinese coast guard ship's "excessive and offensive" use of a water cannon to block a supply boat from delivering new troops, food, water and fuel.

Beijing's rainfall is the heaviest recorded in 140 years, reaching nearly 30 inches between Saturday and Wednesday. The downpours have triggered landslides and floods. Thousands have been evacuated.

Tonga is just one stop on a tour of the Pacific by Secretary of State Antony Blinken this week. He is the latest in a parade of US diplomats to visit Oceania in the last year.

The disappointing numbers come amid dropping property sales, weak exports and a stagnant retail environment in the world's second-biggest economy.

A book recounts how precious works of art thousands of years old were taken to safety as Japan began its invasion of China in the 1930s — a part of China's history largely unknown outside Asia.

A pact on police cooperation is just one of several deals signed by Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare this week during a trip to Beijing meant to upgrade the relationship between the two countries.

The country's film regulator has decided that a map shown in the movie does not depict China's controversial nine-dash line.

The pact between the two countries is likely to raise concerns among the South Pacific island's traditional partners including Australia, New Zealand and the United States.