Chinese leader Xi Jinping has welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing in a meeting meant to reaffirm ties days after a visit by U.S. President Donald Trump to China.

Hong Kong is mourning after a high-rise fire killed at least 156 people even as anger mounts over building safety lapses and government oversight.

China's relations are starting to improve with Japan, India and other countries that former U.S. President Joe Biden courted, just as Donald Trump brings his more unilateralist approach back to the White House.