Covid-19 has revealed more clearly than ever before the nature and relentlessness of the ruling Chinese Communist Party's ambition to place itself at the center of global power and influence.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer spoke to Chinese Vice Premier Liu He late Thursday Eastern time.

Chinese internet giant Tencent has been surveilling content posted by foreign users on its wildly popular messaging service WeChat in order to help it refine censorship on its platform at home, according to a new report.

Sweden's decision to avoid a strict lockdown like its European neighbors drew global attention and was not without controversy, but its chief epidemiologist says there are few things he would have done differently.

The United States issued a new rule on Friday tightening visa guidelines for Chinese journalists — a shift that comes amid tensions between the two nations over the coronavirus global pandemic.

Asked if he was "breaking up" the Phase 1 trade deal, Trump said: "I'm very — I'm very torn as to — I have not decided yet, if you want to know the truth."

China is likely to use the crisis as an opportunity to raise its profile and expand its influence particularly over countries hard-hit by the pandemic, analysts say.

Mike Khouw finds options traders are preparing for the worst ahead of tomorrow's phase 1 trade deal signing with China.

Jin Xing began dancing in the People's Liberation Army. Now she runs China's biggest private dance company. Here she discusses her life long obsession with dance.

At its height, Jin Xing's talk show was attractbring audiences of 100 million people a week. Here she reveals the secret behind her phenomenal success.

Dancer and TV star Jin Xing talks to CNBC's Tania Bryer after she was presented with a Crystal Award at the 2020 World Economic Forum.

Ian Bremmer, founder of Eurasia Group, says China is getting more powerful and not aligning with the West. This will lead to separate systems like two separate Internets.

Helen Zhu, head of China Equities at Blackrock, weighs in on the release Monday of China's fourth quarter economic data.

Norman Villamin, chief investment officer at UBP, lays out why he is bullish on Chinese equities in 2019.

Edmund Phelps of Columbia University says China seems to think that it has solved its problems, and its economy will see a return to "somewhat higher" growth rates. He also says China could "break loose" with a long wave of rapid innovation.

Angel Gurria, secretary general of the OECD, discusses U.S.-China trade, multilateralism and digital taxes.

The benchmark Shanghai Stock exchange index has halted a march higher. It can be linked to trade friction between the U.S. and China.

The strongest historical support level for gold is near $1,210 and traders will prepare for a potential rebound from there, writes Daryl Guppy.

Aaron Levie, Box CEO, joins "Closing Bell" to talk about the company's new layout.

Peter Cecchini, Cantor Fitzgerald global chief market strategist, joins "Closing Bell" to discuss markets.

Researchers sound the alarm after statistics reveal almost half of impoverished children in rural areas do not have enough to eat

Poverty has reached unprecedented levels in Zimbabwe, with more than 70% of Zimbabwean children in rural areas living in poverty, a UN study has found.

The report, compiled by Unicef and the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency, shows high levels of privation in rural areas, where 76.3% of children live in abject poverty. Statistics seen by the Guardian suggest that almost half of these children do not have enough of the right food to eat.

Related: Zimbabwe on verge of 'manmade starvation', warns UN envoy

Even before the pandemic, affordable child care was a struggle for most. Now parents are squeezed by a near-complete lack of help, with daycare centers, schools and probably summer camps closed.

Clete Willems, Former NEC deputy director, says China and the U.S. are engaged in the start of a new cold war. With CNBC's Melissa Lee and the Fast Money traders, Guy Adami, Tim Seymour, Steve Grasso and Karen Finerman.

With coronavirus lockdown subduing VE Day, contrasts with 75 years ago were many and varied

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Somehow the quiet made it louder. By rights, marking the 75^th anniversary of VE Day in the midst of a pandemic that has confined us to our homes – forcing us to keep our distance from one another, denying us the right to gather in crowds – should have muffled this commemoration. A celebration in private would surely feel like no celebration at all. Katherine Jenkins singing to an empty Albert Hall, streets with no street parties and the pubs all shut: how could that add up to anything other than a damp squib?

And yet Friday’s marking of the end of the second world war struck a deeper chord than it might, had it been just another sunny bank holiday. Yes, the usual rituals had to be suspended. There could be no wreath-laying at local memorials; instead, Prince Charles and Camilla laid two small wreaths on their own, in a crowdless corner of Balmoral, watched by a lone piper. There could be no veterans’ parades, no reunions for those who had served, no grateful handshakes from the politicians: 102-year-old former staff sergeant Ernie Horsfall had to make do with a Zoom call from Boris Johnson. And there were limited opportunities for silliness: the Winston Churchill impersonators were all dressed up with nowhere to go, forced to perform their cigar-and-V-sign shtick online.

Christine Lagarde says there could be a 15% collapse after record first quarter output fall

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The head of the European Central Bank has warned that the eurozone could be on course for a 15% collapse in output in the second quarter as evidence of the economic toll caused by Covid-19 pandemic started to emerge, with France and Italy falling into recession.

After news that the 19-nation monetary union area had contracted a record 3.8% in the first three months of 2020, Christine Lagarde said much worse was possible in the April to June period, when the impact of lockdown restrictions would be most severe.

Related: Eurozone shrinking as Covid-19 lockdowns push Italy and France into recession - business live

Brazil, France and Germany say UN can’t hear complaint against five countries of flouting child rights to clean air

Greta Thunberg and a group of other children have pushed forward their legal complaint at the UN against countries they accuse of endangering children’s wellbeing through the climate crisis, despite attempts to have it thrown out.

The 16 children, including the Swedish environmental activist, lodged a legal case with the UN committee on the rights of the child against Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany and Turkey last September.

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War cabinet papers reveal PM’s concern French ally would pre-empt joint announcement

Winston Churchill believed a disgruntled general Charles de Gaulle intended to pre-empt the allies’ announcement of victory in Europe by 24 hours but felt unable to pressure him to change his plans, according to British war cabinet documents released free online by the National Archives during the lockdown.

The 75th anniversary of VE Day will be celebrated on Friday 8 May but Gen Dwight Eisenhower, the supreme allied commander in north-west Europe, and the Soviet high command had actually received the German surrender in the French city of Reims on 7 May 1945 at 2.41am.

Barcelona icon Andrés Iniesta has video-called the children born because of his famous goal against Chelsea in 2009. The late winner at Stamford Bridge led to a spike in pregnancies. 'Has your mum shown you the goal?' Iniesta asks Ignacio, born on 18 January. Of course she had, Ignacio says: 'You were a star.'

• Happy conception day: Andrés Iniesta calls children born because of his goal

• Premier League can resume home and away, says Paul Barber
• ‘If Germany can, why can’t we make it happen’

Brighton’s chief executive, Paul Barber, has urged Premier League clubs to follow the Bundesliga’s lead and rethink proposals to complete the season at neutral venues.

“If Germany can, why can’t we?” said Barber, who believes the English top flight could resume behind closed doors with home and away matches, as planned in Germany from 16 May.

• Manchester City defender admits visiting sister and parents
• Club will not discipline him due to extenuating circumstances

Kyle Walker believes he is being harassed by the media after contravening lockdown rules again when visiting his parents and sister, with Manchester City deciding against disciplinary action due to extenuating circumstances.

The Sun reported that Walker travelled to Sheffield on Wednesday to visit his sister and parents. This came after the defender apologised following a report he held a party at his house with two sex workers present last month, breaking lockdown rules.

Oil price rises and shares end week on a high despite growing economic damage from coronavirus pandemic

Global markets rose on Friday despite mounting economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic, as tensions eased between the White House and Beijing.

Share prices on Wall Street and in Europe ended the week on a high amid rising hopes that lockdown measures could be lifted soon to reboot growth and that a full-blown global trade war could be averted.

Related: US Nasdaq index recovers all of 2020's losses triggered by Covid-19