China

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Chinese authorities have arrested at least 10 people after intercepting a boat off the coast of the southern province of Guangdong, the provincial Coast Guard Bureau said in a post on its social media site.

Hong Kong media, citing unidentified sources, said 12 people from the former British colony were arrested while sailing to Taiwan where they planned to apply for political asylum.

BEIJING (AP) — China on Thursday accused Washington of violating international law by imposing sanctions on officials and companies over Beijing’s military buildup in the disputed South China Sea, but gave no indication of possible retaliation.

The sanctions add to conflict over control of the sea, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. Washington rejects Chinese claims to most of the area, portions of which also are claimed by Vietnam, the Philippines and other governments.

HONG KONG (AP) — TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer resigned Thursday amid U.S. pressure for its Chinese owner to sell the popular video app, which the White House says is a security risk.

In a letter to employees, Mayer said that his decision to leave comes after the “political environment has sharply changed.”

His resignation follows President Donald Trump’s order to ban TikTok unless its parent company, ByteDance, sells its U.S. operations to an American company within 90 days.

BEIJING, Aug 25 (APP): China has agreed to restructure debt of more than 10 countries by the end of July enabling them to focus their resources on handling the impact of COVID-19 and stabilizing economies, a Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry’s Spokesperson said on Tuesday.

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong police arrested two opposition lawmakers on Wednesday over anti-government protests in July last year, one of whom was suspected of rioting during an incident in which he was attacked by a mob.

Police said Democratic Party lawmakers Lam Cheuk-ting and Ted Hui were among 16 people arrested.

Lam was arrested on suspicion of rioting on July 21, 2019, when a mob of over 100 men wielding sticks and poles attacked pro-democracy protesters, journalists and bystanders at a train station in the Yuen Long district, near the mainland border.

BEIJING (AP) — China is protesting the alleged incursion of a U.S. Air Force U-2 spy plane into a no-fly zone imposed during live-fire military exercises in the country’s north.

In a statement issued late Tuesday, the Ministry of National Defense said the action had “seriously interfered in normal exercise activities” and “severely incurred the risk of misjudgment and even of bringing about an unintended air-sea incident.”

BEIJING (AP) — U.S. and Chinese trade envoys discussed strengthening coordination of their countries’ economic policies during a phone meeting Tuesday, the Ministry of Commerce announced.

The announcement gave no details of the meeting held as part of the “Phase 1” truce aimed at ending a tariff war between the two biggest global economies that has disrupted worldwide trade.

(AP) --- University of Hong Kong scientists claim to have the first evidence of someone being reinfected with the virus that causes COVID-19.

Genetic tests revealed that a 33-year-old man returning to Hong Kong from a trip to Spain in mid-August had a different strain of the coronavirus than the one he’d previously been infected with in March, said Dr. Kelvin Kai-Wang To, the microbiologist who led the work.

The man had mild symptoms the first time and none the second time; his more recent infection was detected through screening and testing at the Hong Kong airport.

BEIJING, Aug 24 (APP): Against the backdrop of China-India border tensions, and days after the first anniversary of India’s revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, India may see the dialogue between China and Pakistan as a strategic alliance.

Based on its current stance in South Asia, China hopes to deal with its frictions with India bilaterally. There is no need for China to build such an “alliance.” China has sufficient capability, and leverage to deal with India on its own.

BEIJING, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- ByteDance, owner of the popular video platform TikTok, announced Sunday that it will file a lawsuit against the U.S. government Tuesday, Beijing time, to protect its rights and interests while beginning to prepare a shutdown plan for its business in the United States.