Briefly

CHINA

FM to visit Austria, Slovenia, Poland

Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Austria, Slovenia and Poland from Friday to Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry has announced. The trip to Austria will make possible the first face-to-face engagement between the two countries' foreign ministers after the current Austrian administration took office, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Wednesday. Beijing stands ready to step up bilateral political mutual trust and pragmatic cooperation during Wang's visit to Slovenia, Lin said, adding China-Poland ties have maintained a steady growth since the two countries established diplomatic ties 76 years ago.

UNITED STATES

Top court to decide legality of tariffs

The United States Supreme Court agreed on Tuesday to hear arguments in November on the legality of President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs, after his administration asked for an expedited ruling on the issue. The justices took up the Justice Department's appeal of a lower court's ruling that Trump overstepped his authority in imposing most of his tariffs under a federal law meant for emergencies. The court swiftly acted after the administration last week asked it to review the case, which implicates trillions of dollars in customs duties over the next decade. The court, which begins its next nine-month term on Oct 6, placed the case on a fast track, scheduling oral arguments for the first week of November.

POLAND

Operation conducted to protect airspace

The Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces said on Wednesday the air defense operation conducted overnight to protect Polish airspace had concluded. It said ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems have returned to normal operation. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Wednesday morning that drones "posing a threat" had been shot down over Poland, claiming they were "Russian".There were no reports of casualties, he said. "We are most likely facing a large-scale provocation, as this is the first time Russian drones have been shot down over the territory of a NATO country." Reuters on Tuesday quoted a NATO source as saying the alliance is not treating the drone incursion into Polish territory as a Russian attack. The Kremlin on Wednesday declined to comment on the incident, saying this was a matter for the Defense Ministry.

China Daily - Agencies - Xinhua