NEW YORK -- "Oh my God, this is too sweet!," screamed Claire Liu, 27, both hands squishing her cheeks, her sparkling eyes fixated on a compilation video of actors Gong Jun and Zhang Zhehan from the hit Chinese series "Word of Honor."

Adapted from the novel Faraway Wanderers, a danmei ("boys love") genre story where the male leads are romantically involved with each other, Liu has joined several WeChat fan groups that require passing an entrance exam establishing would-be

NEW YORK -- Chinese President Xi Jinping opened his first phone call with new Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Friday by citing an ancient Chinese writing.

"Good neighborliness is a treasure of a country," Xi said, borrowing from "The Commentary of Zuo."

The two men agreed to seek "constructive and stable" relations and even engaged in polite small talk -- such as Xi congratulating Japan on successfully hosting the Summer Olympics and welcoming it to take an active part in the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing.

SHANGHAI (Reuters) -- Six executives of heavily indebted China Evergrande Group have returned funds from early redemptions of the company's investment products, the property group said on Saturday.

Evergrande, in a liquidity crisis with over $300 billion in liabilities as offshore bondholders fear an imminent default, has not spoken publicly about missing recent interest payments to bondholders.

The redemption occurred earlier this year and all funds were returned in full before Friday, the company said in a statement. It said it has imposed punishment and

BANGKOK -- Thai retailing conglomerate Saha Group looks to cash in on the pandemic-driven rise of vending machines, with plans to greatly expand the number of units run by a group company that recently went public.

"We will have 20,000 vending machines by 2023," Apassara Panupatthana, managing director of Sun Vending Technology, said after the company listed on the Thai stock exchange on Tuesday. The company currently oversees more than 13,800 vending machines.

Use of

HONG KONG -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday declared that the Taiwan independence movement is "the biggest obstacle to reunification," which he vowed to realize, warning those who "betray the motherland."

In a speech marking the 110th anniversary of the dynasty-ending Xinhai Revolution, Xi said secessionist forces pose a "serious hidden danger to national rejuvenation."

"It has never ended well for those who forget their ancestors, betray the motherland, or split the country," the president said at

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- China said on Saturday it pressed the United States to eliminate tariffs in talks between the countries' top trade officials that Washington saw as a test of bilateral engagement between the world's biggest economies.

The virtual talks between U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and China's Vice Premier Liu He follow Tai's announcement on Monday that she would seek "frank" talks and hold China to its commitments under a "Phase 1" trade deal negotiated by former President Donald Trump.

GUANGZHOU, China -- China showed off cutting-edge aircraft ranging from next-generation fighter jets to the latest drones at its biggest air show, shining the spotlight on the country's high-end military technology amid mounting tensions with Washington.

China watchers and military experts were particularly focused on this year's China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, also known as AirShow China, as it was the first in three years due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Below are some of the highlights from the event, which took

HONG KONG -- Xu Jiayin, founder of China Evergrande Group, gave no hint of the looming crisis at his heavily indebted property empire as recently as June.

Surrounded by longtime backers including fellow tycoon Wang Zhongming of Shenzhen Greenwoods Investment Group, Xu waxed eloquent at a meeting with suppliers about his plans to slash debt even as news about delayed payments to contractors was starting to trickle out, according to two people familiar with the meeting.

It reminded them of a photo circulated by the company in September 2020 showing

TAIPEI -- Widespread power outages in China are reigniting a push by tech manufacturers to shift production away from Asia's biggest economy, with suppliers to Apple, Amazon and others scrambling to keep production on track ahead of the busy holiday season.

At a midsize electronics accessories maker in Zhongshan, Guangdong Province, power outages have become the new normal.

"There have been sporadic power outage notices since this June, but it has become a regular thing since mid-September," a manager told Nikkei Asia. "Now