China's vice foreign minister lashed out at the U.S. during the visit of the State Department's No. 2 diplomat on Monday, accusing the Biden administration of "demonizing" Beijing as an "imagined enemy," according to remarks released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Why it matters: Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman became the highest-ranking Biden administration official to visit China when she met her counterpart Xie Feng in Tianjin.

China's Yang Qian won the first gold of the Tokyo Olympics, narrowly beating Anastasiia Galashina of the Russian Olympic Committee in the women's 10-meter air rifle final.

Why it matters: The first medal ceremony of the Games took on extra meaning after a year-long delay and other hurdles brought on by the pandemic. Athletes are required to hang medals around their own necks in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The Chinese government imposed sanctions on Monday against six Americans, including former Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, in response to an advisory from the Biden administration warning businesses of the increased risks of operating in Hong Kong.

Why it matters: It's the latest example of China responding furiously to U.S. attempts to shed light on human rights abuses in places like Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet, which Chinese officials routinely condemn as "interference" in domestic affairs.

Flooding from torrential rain in China's Henan province has killed at least 33 people this week and eight more remain missing, according to CNN.

The big picture: Flooding has displaced hundreds of thousands of people and led to at least 1.22 billion yuan (around $190 million) in damage across the province, which is home to more than 99 million people.

Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will visit Tianjin, China, on July 25-26 to meet with Chinese government officials, including State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the State Department announced Wednesday.

Why it matters: Sherman will become the highest-ranking Biden administration official to visit China, just days after the U.S. and its allies accused Chinese state-sponsored actors of carrying out massive cyberattacks all over the world.

Torrential rain caused severe flooding in parts of China's Henan province on Tuesday, killing 12 and forcing more than 100,000 people to evacuate their homes, per Reuters.

The latest: Zhengzhou, Henan's capital, picked up 21.75 inches of rain over the 24-hour period ending on Tuesday. That's roughly 87% of the city's average annual precipitation in 24 hours, and about the same as its average seven-month total from April to October, according to the Weather Channel.

The U.S., NATO and other allies are collectively calling out China for malicious cyberattacks, including a March attack that exploited a flaw in Microsoft's Exchange Server.

Why it matters: It's the first time that NATO, a military alliance founded in 1949 to confront the Soviet Union, has signed onto a formal condemnation of China's cyber activities.

The Biden administration warned U.S. businesses on Friday about the risks of doing business in Hong Kong amid China's crackdown on political and economic freedoms once enjoyed in the region.

Why it matters: The new advisory, along with new sanctions against Chinese officials, will likely heighten tensions between Washington and Beijing.

China's GDP grew 1.3% in the second quarter of 2021, faster than the 0.6% growth it saw in the previous quarter, according to the National Bureau of Statistics of China.

State of play: Compared with the second quarter from last year, the country's economy grew 7.9% in the April to June period. That's less than half of the 18.3% year-over-year growth the nation saw during the first quarter of 2021, per the South China Morning Post.

China's government on Thursday accused the Biden administration of hurting global trade after U.S. lawmakers this week supported restrictions on imports from China's Xinjiang region, AP reports.

Driving the news: Bipartisan legislation passed on Wednesday by the Senate would ban imports of products from China's Xinjiang region, where the ruling Communist Party is accused of holding more than 1 million members of mostly Muslim ethnic groups in detention camps, per AP.