Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has exchanged congratulatory message with Brunei's sultan to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of dialogue relations between China and ASEAN.
Li Keqiang says China is ready to work with ASEAN to build a higher level of strategic partnership and forge a closer community with a shared future.
Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei is chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations for 2021.
He says the two sides have joined hands in anti-pandemic cooperation and continuously deepened exchanges and cooperation in economy and trade, as well as people and culture.
China's top economic planner says it will step up monitoring of commodity prices and organize follow-up releases of national reserves.
China released 100,000 tonnes of copper, aluminum and zinc from its national reserves earlier this month to alleviate burdens on businesses over soaring raw material costs.
The National Development and Reform Commission says the commodity prices have gradually retreated by around 3 percent to 14 percent from the highest level recorded in May.
The regulator says it will closely monitor price changes and continue to intensify the supervision of the futures and spot markets.
China and Egypt have decided to jointly donate 500,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to address the immediate needs of the local people.
The announcement came as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry during Wang's official visit to Alamein, a coastal city in northern Egypt.
The vaccine doses to be donated will be produced at the manufacturing plants jointly established by the two countries in Egypt.
Over 80 percent of a South Korean overseas military unit have tested positive for COVID-19.
The Cheonghae unit, with 301 members, were deployed to the waters off Africa on an anti-piracy mission in February.
Besides the 247 confirmed cases, 50 of the service members have tested negative and the virus tests for the remaining four are yet to be confirmed.
Sixteen sailors are at hospitals for treatment, and the others are in isolation on their destroyer.
Authorities have begun an operation to airlift the service members home. A replacement team will pilot the vessel back to South Korea.
In Tokyo, Olympic organizers are facing growing pressure to ensure a safe summer Olympics.
Public concern has spiked as COVID-19 cases rise in the Japanese capital, which is under a fourth state of emergency.
Officials on Sunday reported the first infections among competitors in the Athletes' Village.
Public transportation in Thailand will be further restricted from Wednesday to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
All types of public transport in the country will have to reduce the number of passengers to half of the maximum capacity.
Domestic flights in and out of Bangkok and other most infected provinces will be temporarily banned.
Thailand reported over 11,000 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, a record number for the fourth day in a row.
The pause on quarantine-free travel from Australia's Victoria state to New Zealand will be extended.
New Zealand health officials say the decision is taken in consideration of the developing situation in the Australian state, including the number and pattern of COVID-19 cases.
Victoria remains in lockdown. Australian health authorities have said that further announcements for the state are expected on Tuesday.