Beijing has appointed a new party chief in Tibet as the Communist Party shuffles regional leaders ahead of its 21st national congress. Hu Changsheng, 62, will serve as the party secretary of Tibet autonomous region, leaving his post as party secretary of Gansu province to Wu Xiaojun, 60, currently the party chief of Qinghai province. Meanwhile, Luo Dongchuan, 60, Qinghai’s governor, will succeed Wu as party secretary of the province. The 21st party congress is expected to be held next year and...

Reports that Taiwanese officials have been asked to scale back visits to Washington have sparked debate over whether the island’s ties with the United States remain as “rock solid” as Taipei has maintained. The New York Times reported on Monday that some Taiwanese officials travelling to the US had been told by Trump administration officials to “curtail their visits to research groups in Washington”. The report came as US President Donald Trump prepared to host Chinese leader Xi Jinping for a...

When Xi Jinping sits down with US President Donald Trump in Washington on Thursday, the Chinese leader’s side of the table will be filled with senior aides bringing extensive policy expertise. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on Monday that Xi would pay a state visit to the United States from Wednesday to Friday. The trip – Xi’s first state visit to Washington since 2015 – will also mark his second face-to-face meeting this year with Trump, as the world’s top two economies seek to...