China on NKorea weapons' testing; Pence and SChina Sea; missing bishop
113 views · Published 21 November 2018 · 1:15 · Indexed 23 September 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(16 Nov 2018) China's foreign ministry on Friday reiterated Beijing's hopes for better ties with the Vatican, despite reports of a bishop who has resisted demands to join China's Communist Party-controlled church body being taken into custody. Asked about the matter, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying offered no information but expressed hopes for further dialogue and improving "mutual understanding and trust". Asia News, a Catholic news agency, reported that Peter Shao Zhumin dropped out of sight several days ago. His disappearance follows a breakthrough agreement to give China some say over the appointment of bishops that critics called a cave-in to the ruling Communist Party just as it is waging a sweeping crackdown on religion. On North Korea's testing of an unspecified "newly developed ultramodern tactical weapon," Hua said she was not aware but said she hoped recent positive changes would continue. Hua also criticised comments by US Vice President Mike Pence in Singapore earlier in the day, where he said the South China Sea does not belong to any country and that the US would continue to sail in the area, which would include waters that China claims. Hua said any claims of issues over navigation in the South China Sea are "false proposition." Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/543bb37527e64444b2bd8d6efca440a5
