WORLD BRIEFS

BEIJING—China is willing to strengthen cooperation with Germany and France to cope with climate change, Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a Video Summit on Climate among the three countries in Beijing on Friday, according to state television. China-EU relations face new opportunities and various challenges, Xi said, adding that China will create a fair and nondiscriminate environment for foreign companies including French and German firms, and hopes Europe can treat Chinese companies in the same positive way. —REUTERS

SYDNEY—Australia on Friday reported its first death from blood clots linked to the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine after the country’s regulator said a 48-year-old woman’s fatality was “likely” linked to the shot. Australia’s Vaccine Safety Investigation Group, which held a late meetig on Friday, concluded the New South Wales woman’s death was likely linked to the vaccination, the Therapeutic Goods Administration said in a statement. The 48-year-old woman died four days after receiving the vaccination. —REUTERS

JAKARTA/KUALA LUMPUR— Southeast Asian countries are considering a proposal to send a humanitarian aid mission to Myanmar as a potential first step in a long-term plan to broker a dialogue between the junta and its opponents, diplomats familiar with the discussions said. The sources added that junta chief Min Aung Hlaing, who took power in a Feb. 1 coup that has plunged his country into turmoil, might attend a planned meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to discuss the matter. —REUTERS