Critics argue the pact legitimizes China’s control over church affairs, while defenders say it helps support Catholics faithful to the Vatican in the Communist country.

China and the Vatican have agreed to extend an agreement on the appointment of bishops in China for a longer period of four years, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday.

The Chinese government says it has agreed with the Vatican to extend a provisional agreement on the appointment of Catholic bishops in China for four more years

China held a live-firing exercise from its territory closest to Taiwan one week after it launched a large-scale drill encircling the island. Chinese military drills off the Taiwanese coast have intensified in recent years as its claims over the self-governed island have grown.

China is holding live-fire drills off the coast of its southern Fujian province facing Taiwan, just a week after a massive air-and-sea drill it described as punishment for Taiwan's president rejecting Beijing's claims of sovereignty.

China's military is conducting live-fire drills around islands near Taiwan Tuesday that are being tracked by the Taiwan Defense Ministry.

ASML Holding NV Chief Executive Officer Christophe Fouquet expects pressure will grow from the US to further restrict sales of semiconductor technology to China, the biggest market for the Dutch producer of chipmaking machines.

The CEO of leading computer chip equipment maker ASML said on Tuesday he expects the United States government will continue to push for further restrictions on its exports to China. Christophe Fouquet said he believes that governments in the Netherlands and Europe are starting to question whether restrictions on older tech the company still ships to China are part of security or trade policy,

With U.S. restrictions on investing in artificial intelligence in China expected imminently, the head of a major Dutch chipmaking equipment company said he expects more pressure on U.S. allies to curb chip sales to China.