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MOSCOW, August 23. /TASS/. Moscow will definitely respond to Washington’s latest sanctions and in particular, it will step up efforts to abandon the dollar in trade operations, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in an interview with International Affairs magazine. Extracts from the interview were available on the publication’s website on Thursday.

GENEVA, August 23. /TASS/. Moscow will give a tit-for-tat response to the expansion of US blacklists of Russian companies and individuals, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters on Thursday.

Beijing, Aug 23 (AFP) China today said it would continue to "counter-attack" as Washington imposed new tariffs on USD 16 billion worth of its goods, further inflaming trade tensions.

The US moves were "clearly suspected" of violating World Trade Organization rules, the commerce ministry said in a statement, adding that it would file a lawsuit against them under the WTO's dispute resolution mechanism.

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s foreign minister called for Europe to strengthen its financial independence from the United States and set up independent payment channels as he laid out proposals for a future “balanced partnership” with the U.S.

Heiko Maas wrote in a piece for the daily Handelsblatt Wednesday that he envisions taking a “balanced share of responsibility” and being “a counterbalance when the U.S. crosses red lines.”

On the eve of renewing talks to try to defuse the spiraling trade dispute with China, the US Commerce Department hit the country with import duties of 132 percent on metal pipe.

Commerce said China was selling the large diameter welded pipe used in the oil and gas industry far below the fair price, and that dumping harms US industry, according to the preliminary decision.

US imports of the pipe from China last year totaled $180 million.

MOSCOW, August 21. /TASS/. The US ban to export high-tech dual-purpose products to Russia, to come into force on August 22, will affect certain sectors of the Russian economy, but the impact will not be critical, Russian Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov said in a statement on Tuesday.

"The ban on exporting dual-purpose electronic devices and components to Russia will undoubtedly affect certain high-tech sectors, including the defense industry, but not critically," he said.

MECCA, Saudi Arabia, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Around 2.5 million pilgrims from around the globe start travelling for Hajj destinations in Mecca, Saudi Arabia on Monday, taking light rails constructed and operated by China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (CRCC).

Many of the pilgrims, who travel by the light rail for the first time, gave the thumbs up to the fast and convenient services of the Chinese company, as the rail staff were busy helping passengers board the train.

NEW DELHI, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- China and India pledged on Tuesday to further strengthen ties between the two countries and their militaries.

When meeting with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the two countries, sharing a friendship dating back to ancient times with broad common interests, should join hands and support each other in striving for win-win cooperation of mutual benefit.

SAN SALVADOR, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- El Salvador on Tuesday defended its "sovereign and independent" right to establish diplomatic ties with China.

The Central American country could not continue to turn "its back on the world" by failing to recognize China's role as a global player, Salvadoran President Salvador Sanchez Ceren's press secretary Roberto Lorenzana told reporters.

"We cannot ignore that China is the world's second power and the leading export economy on the planet," said Lorenzana.

20 Aug 2018; DW: Ahead of Turkish President Erdogan's trip to Germany in September, the SPD's Andrea Nahles has said German aid is a possibility. It comes as tensions between the US and Turkey rise over the house arrest of a US pastor.

The head of Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD), Andrea Nahles, has said there could be circumstances in which Germany would provide financial assistance to Turkey during its economic crisis.