China will negotiate and sign a new economic pact with Africa that will get rid of all tariffs on the 53 African states it has diplomatic ties with, it said, a move that could benefit middle-income nations.

Beijing has gained time to build up its own strengths by drawing out negotiations with the United States, using its chokehold over critical minerals.

The only scenario in which China might deregulate its critical minerals export is if the U.S. fully removes tariffs imposed on Chinese goods as part of the trade war, said Wang Yiwei, a professor of international affairs at Renmin University, echoing the Chinese government’s earlier stance.

From the fallout of US-China London talks to Beijing set to remove most tariffs on African goods, here's a round-up from today's coverage Catch up on some of SCMP's biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting,

Beijing warned the practice of selling new cars with zero miles at a sharp discount in the used car market is just the latest example of the auto industry's race to the bottom.

The government is vigorously promoting them as part of its ambition to develop a “low-altitude economy”. By that it means a proliferation of airborne devices whizzing around at less than 1,000 metres (far lower than ordinary commercial planes),

China has approved “a certain number” of export permits for rare earth elements and related items, its commerce ministry spokesman said on Thursday