The Chinese coastguard has seized a tiny sandbank in the South China Sea, state media has reported, in an escalation of a regional dispute with the Philippines. State broadcaster CCTV released images of four officers,

China's coast guard said Sunday it had "dealt with" a situation involving six Filipinos who it accused of illegally landing on a disputed reef, after Beijing's state media said the tiny sandbank had recently come under Chinese control.

President Donald Trump said his administration was talking with China on trade, after Beijing denied the existence of negotiations on a deal and demanded the US revoke all unilateral tariffs.“They had a meeting this morning,

The Treasury secretary said that the President Trump and Xi Jinping of China have a good relationship but that he was not aware of a call, which Mr. Trump had alluded to last week.