Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

HONG KONG (AP) — The Latest on the protests in Hong Kong (all times local):

3 p.m.

A Chinese official responsible for Hong Kong affairs says punishment for those behind weeks of sometimes violent protests in the Chinese special administrative region is “only a matter of time.”

The comments Tuesday by Yang Guang, spokesman for the Chinese Cabinet’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, appear to indicate Beijing will take a hard line against the protests and has no plans to open a dialogue on their demands for political reforms.

BEIJING (AP) — Asian stocks followed Wall Street lower on Tuesday after China let its currency sink and halted purchases of U.S. farm goods, fueling fears Beijing’s trade war with President Donald Trump will harm the global economy.

China’s main index lost 2.5% and Tokyo fell 2%. Markets in Hong Kong, Sydney and Seoul also retreated.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea continued to ramp up its weapons demonstrations by firing two presumed short-range ballistic missiles into the sea Tuesday while lashing out at the United States and South Korea for continuing military exercises that the North says could derail fragile nuclear diplomacy.

BEIJING (AP) — China said Tuesday it “will not stand idly by” and will take countermeasures if the U.S. deploys intermediate-range missiles in the Indo-Pacific region, which it plans to do within months.

The statement from the director of the foreign ministry’s Arms Control Department, Fu Cong, follows the U.S.’s withdrawal last week from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, a move Fu said would have a “direct negative impact on the global strategic stability” as well as security in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea said Monday it plans to spend 7.8 trillion won ($6.5 billion) over the next seven years to develop technologies for industrial materials and parts as it moves to reduce its dependence on Japan during an escalating trade row.

Trade Minister Sung Yun-mo said the Seoul government will also financially support South Korean companies in mergers and acquisitions of foreign companies and expand tax benefits to lure more international investment, while easing labor and environmental regulations so that local companies could boost their production.

BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets fell for a third day Monday after China allowed its yuan to sink to its lowest level this year following President Donald Trump’s latest tariff threat.

The main indexes in Tokyo and Hong Kong both fell 2.4% while Shanghai, South Korea and Australia also retreated.

China’s central bank allowed the yuan to sink below an exchange rate of seven to the dollar. The level has no economic significance but might fuel trade tension with Washington, which complains a weak currency swells Chinese exports and hurts foreign competitors.

BEIJING (AP) — China’s central bank allowed its yuan to fall below the politically sensitive level of seven to the U.S. dollar on Monday, possibly adding to trade tension with Washington.

The currency weakened to 7.0240 by late morning following President Donald Trump’s threat last week of tariff hikes on additional Chinese imports in a fight over Beijing’s trade surplus and technology policies.

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam maintained that she has no plans to resign in the face of a turbulent pro-democracy movement that held a general strike Monday, leading to more than 100 flight cancellations and major traffic disruptions.

The semi-autonomous Chinese city is on “the verge of a very dangerous situation,” said Lam, who said current protests were operating with “ulterior motives” that threaten Hong Kong’s prosperity and security.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea and the United States are preparing to hold their annual joint military exercises despite warnings from North Korea that the drills could derail the fragile nuclear diplomacy, Seoul’s military said Friday.

HONG KONG (AP) — Demonstrators in Hong Kong moved en masse to a luxury shopping district Sunday evening after riot police used tear gas to clear out an area they were previously occupying, as the 2-month-old protest movement showed no signs of easing.

Clad in yellow helmets and black face masks, protesters squeezed out of a subway station in Causeway Bay, with a few people directing traffic and others holding open the turnstiles.