China on Wednesday accused the United States of violating the United Nations Charter after Washington announced a visa policy that targeted people from Central American countries who work with Beijing.

Foreign ministry and state media turn up the heat on Tokyo as countries continue to clash over Sanae Takaichi’s Taiwan comments.

Trump is positioning himself as a go‑between in the escalating China‑Japan standoff over Taiwan, holding back‑to‑back calls with Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi as tensions spike over Tokyo’s tougher line and planned missile deployments near Taiwan.

China has again urged its citizens to avoid travelling to Japan as Beijing steps up pressure on Tokyo over its refusal to retract comments on Taiwan.  The renewed advisory has indicated a familiar tactic in China’s playbook and suggests a dispute that could stretch on for some time.

President Donald Trump and President Xi of China spoke on Monday morning, a White House official confirmed to ABC News. Xinhua, China's official state-run news agency, reported that Xi said after the call that since he and Trump met in South Korea in late October, ties between the U.S. and China have "generally remained stable and improved."

How China gained control of 90% of rare-earth refining while the U.S. abandoned Mountain Pass mine, creating dangerous dependence on a strategic rival.

A Beijing company recently released China's smartest artificial intelligence model yet — narrowing the gap between that country and the U.S. in a race that some have likened to a new cold war.

What to buy: If you want to dress like a local, grab yourself a pair of Feiyue athletic shoes from one of the brand's Hutong stores. They cost around 60 yuan ($8), last for years, and complete the Beijing hipster look.