China

XINGTAI, China (AP) — A Chinese court sentenced three fentanyl traffickers Thursday in a case that was a culmination of a rare collaboration between Chinese and U.S. law enforcement to crack down on global networks that manufacture and distribute lethal synthetic opioids.

Liu Yong was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, while Jiang Juhua and Wang Fengxi were sentenced to life in prison. Six other members of the operation got lesser sentences.

BEIJING (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron said Iran had explicitly signaled its intent for the first time to quit its nuclear deal in announcing it would start injecting uranium gas at an enrichment facility.

Speaking at a press conference at the end of a visit to China, Macron called Iran’s latest move “grave”.

BEIJING (Reuters) - The European Union and China have agreed to protect 100 European regional food designations, known as geographical indications (GI), in China and 100 Chinese geographical indications in the EU, the EU Commission said on Wednesday.

The deal will protect the names of such products as cava, Irish whiskey, feta and prosciutto di Parma, as well as China’s Pixian bean paste, Anji white tea and Panjin rice.

BEIJING (Reuters) - Hong Kong’s chief executive Carrie Lam strongly condemns violent action against lawmaker Junius Ho, she told a press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday.

Pro-Beijing lawmaker Junius Ho was attacked by a man wielding a knife on Wednesday and was taken to hospital along with an injured aide.

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Beijing supports bolder action to tackle the roots of unrest that has rocked Hong Kong for months, a senior Chinese official said on Wednesday, just hours after a knife-wielding man attacked a pro-Beijing lawmaker in the Chinese-ruled city.

Han Zheng, a vice premier, said at a meeting with Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam in Beijing the anti-government protests were damaging the “one country, two systems” formula under which the former British colony has been governed since its handover to China in 1997.

BEIJING (AP) — Global stock markets were mostly higher Wednesday after investors were rattled by a possible snag in a U.S.-Chinese trade truce following reports Beijing wants Washington to lift punitive tariffs.

Germany and Paris opened higher and London was unchanged. Tokyo rose while Shanghai declined and Hong Kong was flat.

HONG KONG (AP) — An anti-government supporter stabbed and wounded a pro-Beijing Hong Kong lawmaker who was campaigning for local elections Wednesday, police said, marking another escalation in five months of protests demanding political reforms in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.

The government condemned the attack against Junius Ho and said police arrested the assailant. A police official, who requested anonymity as he isn’t authorized to make statements, says Ho, his assistant and the attacker were hospitalized.

(Reuters) - Trade-oriented currencies including the Australian dollar surged on Tuesday, with the Chinese currency poised for its biggest daily jump in nearly three months on increasing signs that Beijing and Washington are inching closer to a trade deal.

A decision by the Chinese central bank to trim lending rates by only 5 basis points also boosted general risk appetite, with the perceived safe-haven Japanese yen and the Swiss franc weakening by a third of a percentage point.

BEIJING, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- China's National Press and Publication Administration has issued a notice on preventing minors from becoming addicted to online games.

The document emphasizes the shared responsibilities of online game providers, government agencies and social forces in jointly managing and governing the issue, according to the administration.

The document asks all online game users to register with their identification information and strictly limits the window and total length of time for minors to access online games on a daily basis.

Shanghai, Nov 5 (AFP) President Xi Jinping on Tuesday pledged to further open China's economy, declaring the world must "knock down walls" as he opened an annual trade fair in Shanghai.

Xi addressed an audience including French President Emmanuel Macron at the import exhibition, staged annually by China to show its willingness to free up its vast domestic markets in the face of criticism that they are too cosseted by Beijing.