China

BEIJING, July 8 (APP): Ambassador Geng Shuang has assumed charge as Deputy Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations (UN) in New York.

Geng, the 30th spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry from September 26, 2016 to June 5, 2020, submitted his credentials at the United Nations Secretariat and officially started his tenure as Deputy Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations.

HONG KONG (AP) — Beijing’s national security office was inaugurated in Hong Kong on Wednesday, just over a week after China’s central government imposed a tough new law on the city that critics view as a further deterioration of freedoms promised to the former British colony.

Hong Kong, Jul 7 (AP/PTI) TikTok said Tuesday it will stop operations in Hong Kong, joining other social media companies in warily eyeing ramifications of a sweeping national security law that took effect last week.

The short-form video app's planned departure from Hong Kong comes as various social media platforms and messaging apps including Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, Google and Twitter balk at the possibility of providing user data to Hong Kong authorities.

HONG KONG, July 7 (Xinhua) -- The Implementation Rules for Article 43 of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) take effect on Tuesday, the HKSAR government said when the implementation rules were gazetted on Monday evening.

HONG KONG (AP) — Social media platforms and messaging apps including Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, Google and Twitter say they will deny law enforcement requests for user data in Hong Kong while studying ramifications of a national security law enacted last week.

Facebook and its messaging app WhatsApp said in separate statements Monday that they would freeze the review of government requests for user data in Hong Kong, “pending further assessment of the National Security Law, including formal human rights due diligence and consultations with international human rights experts.”

BEIJING (Reuters) - China warned its citizens on Monday to exercise caution in travelling to Canada, citing “frequent violent actions” by law enforcement, amid ongoing tensions between Beijing and Ottawa.

The warning, published by the Chinese embassy in China on the WeChat messaging app platform, said Chinese citizens should pay close to the local security situation. It did not give specific examples on the violent actions.

HONG KONG (AP) — The top American diplomat in Hong Kong said Monday that it is a “tragedy” to use the semi-autonomous Chinese territory’s new national security law to chip away at “fundamental freedoms” in the Asian financial hub and create an “atmosphere of coercion and self-censorship.”

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong low-cost airline HK Express, part of the Cathay Pacific Group, said Monday it will gradually resume flights on Aug. 2 as Asian governments ease coronavirus-related travel restrictions.

HK Express suspended all flights in March as governments tightened border controls.

The carrier, which normally flies 25 routes throughout Asia, gave no details of its planned schedule.

Cathay’s flagship carrier, Cathay Pacific Airways, earlier suspended 90% of its flights. The airline has staff to take unpaid leave.

BEIJING, July 5 (APP): Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the China-India border to interact with troops was aimed at diverting public attention from his government’s incompetence in its coronavirus response and the country’s slumping economy, a Chinese analyst said.

Modi visited a forward post in the border region of Ladakh on Friday morning, days after the June 15 border clash between Chinese and Indian troops. Indian media called Modi’s visit a “surprise,” and said it was a morale boost to Indian troops, and sent a powerful message to China.

BEIJING, July 5 (Xinhua) -- In order to timely assess COVID-19 patients for early isolation and treatment, large-scale nucleic acid testing was conducted in Beijing, putting pressure on testing institutions with the rapid rise of samples.

Local hospitals are improving their testing capacity.

After 48 hours of renovation, a new nucleic acid testing laboratory in the China-Japan Friendship Hospital started operations.