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US Lawmakers Led by Senate Majority Leader Schumer Arrive in China on First Such Visit since 2019

US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., center, and other members of the delegation arrive at Shanghai Pudong International Airport in Shanghai, China, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. (Aly Song/Pool Photo via AP)
US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., center, and other members of the delegation arrive at Shanghai Pudong International Airport in Shanghai, China, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. (Aly Song/Pool Photo via AP)
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US Lawmakers Led by Senate Majority Leader Schumer Arrive in China on First Such Visit since 2019

US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., center, and other members of the delegation arrive at Shanghai Pudong International Airport in Shanghai, China, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. (Aly Song/Pool Photo via AP)
US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., center, and other members of the delegation arrive at Shanghai Pudong International Airport in Shanghai, China, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. (Aly Song/Pool Photo via AP)

A delegation of US lawmakers led by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer arrived in China on Saturday in the first congressional visit to the country since 2019.
The trip comes amid a sharp deterioration in relations between the two countries and as Chinese and American officials try to lay the groundwork for a possible meeting between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping in November, The Associated Press said.
The delegation of six senators, which includes three Democrats and three Republicans, landed in Shanghai in the mid-afternoon. The Republicans were led by Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo, the senior member of his party on the Senate Finance Committee. Schumer is a New York Democrat.
A series of high-ranking Biden administration officials have met their Chinese counterparts in Beijing in recent months, but no other US lawmakers have made the trip since China lifted its COVID-19 restrictions in December of last year.
China said in a statement earlier this week that it hoped the visit would “contribute to a more objective understanding of China in the US Congress.”
Schumer's office said he would focus on the need for reciprocity from China for US business in trade and on maintaining American leadership in advanced technologies for national security. He also hopes to discuss human rights, fentanyl production, and China's role in the international community, as well as areas for potential cooperation.
A smooth visit could help pave the way for a Biden-Xi summit during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders meeting in San Francisco next month. The senators hope to meet Xi in Beijing during their visit.
A Chinese international relations expert said that Schumer's visit is a sign of improvement in China-US relations.
“If the talks proceed well, there is the possibility that President Xi will meet Schumer,” said Wang Yiwei, the director of the Institute of International Affairs at Renmin University of China. “If their meeting is realized, the chances for a Xi-Biden meeting will become greater.”
The White House has been in touch with Schumer and supports the delegation's visit to the region, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said after the trip was announced. The senators will go to South Korea and Japan after their stop in China.

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World

South Korean Court Issues Fresh Arrest Warrant for Ex-president Yoon

South Korea's former impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol (C) arrives at a court to attend a hearing to review his arrest warrant requested by special prosecutors, in Seoul on July 9, 2025. Kim Hong-Ji, AFP
South Korea's former impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol (C) arrives at a court to attend a hearing to review his arrest warrant requested by special prosecutors, in Seoul on July 9, 2025. Kim Hong-Ji, AFP
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South Korean Court Issues Fresh Arrest Warrant for Ex-president Yoon

South Korea's former impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol (C) arrives at a court to attend a hearing to review his arrest warrant requested by special prosecutors, in Seoul on July 9, 2025. Kim Hong-Ji, AFP
South Korea's former impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol (C) arrives at a court to attend a hearing to review his arrest warrant requested by special prosecutors, in Seoul on July 9, 2025. Kim Hong-Ji, AFP

A South Korean court issued a fresh arrest warrant for ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday, extending the former leader's detention while facing charges linked to his 2024 attempt to impose martial law.

Prosecutors indicted Yoon in November on several charges of aiding the enemy, alleging that he ordered drone flights over North Korea to strengthen his effort to declare military rule.

The arrest warrant for that case was set to expire on January 18, but Friday's order extends it by a maximum of six months.

"The warrant was issued under concerns he could destroy evidence," an official from the Seoul Central District Court told AFP.

Yoon has been in custody for months while several criminal trials take place.

He briefly suspended civilian rule in South Korea on December 3, 2024, prompting massive protests and a showdown in parliament. He was officially removed from office in April.

Yoon became South Korea's first sitting president to be taken into custody when he was detained in January last year after resisting arrest for weeks, using his presidential security detail to thwart law enforcement.

He was released on procedural grounds in March while his insurrection trial continued, but detained again in July over concerns he might destroy evidence related to that case.

Prosecutors are also seeking a 10-year prison term for Yoon on obstruction of justice charges. A Seoul court is expected to deliver a verdict in that case on January 16.

World

Iran Tells Trump Any Intervention A 'Red Line', Vows Response

The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, before the beginning of a board of governors meeting, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. (Reuters)
The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, before the beginning of a board of governors meeting, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. (Reuters)
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Iran Tells Trump Any Intervention A 'Red Line', Vows Response

The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, before the beginning of a board of governors meeting, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. (Reuters)
The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, before the beginning of a board of governors meeting, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. (Reuters)

Iran on Friday warned against any US intervention in the country, vowing a response after President Donald Trump said he would come to the aid of protesters in the Iranian republic.

"Any interventionist hand that attacks Iran's security under any pretext whatsoever will be exposed to a response," Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to the supreme leader, wrote on X. "Iran's security is a red line."

World

Police in Finland Arrest 2 in Connection with Damage to Undersea Telecom Cable

A Border Guard helicopter and a Coast Guard patrol ship Turva seize the Fitburg vessel suspected of a subsea cable breach in the Gulf of Finland on 31 December 2025, in this handout picture obtained on January 1, 2026. Finnish Police/Handout via REUTERS
A Border Guard helicopter and a Coast Guard patrol ship Turva seize the Fitburg vessel suspected of a subsea cable breach in the Gulf of Finland on 31 December 2025, in this handout picture obtained on January 1, 2026. Finnish Police/Handout via REUTERS
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Police in Finland Arrest 2 in Connection with Damage to Undersea Telecom Cable

A Border Guard helicopter and a Coast Guard patrol ship Turva seize the Fitburg vessel suspected of a subsea cable breach in the Gulf of Finland on 31 December 2025, in this handout picture obtained on January 1, 2026. Finnish Police/Handout via REUTERS
A Border Guard helicopter and a Coast Guard patrol ship Turva seize the Fitburg vessel suspected of a subsea cable breach in the Gulf of Finland on 31 December 2025, in this handout picture obtained on January 1, 2026. Finnish Police/Handout via REUTERS

Finnish authorities have arrested two people in connection with damage to an undersea telecommunications cable in the Gulf of Finland that occurred earlier this week between the capitals of Finland and Estonia, police said Thursday.

The damage was discovered early Wednesday in Estonia’s exclusive economic zone. The cable belongs to Finnish telecommunications service provider Elisa and is considered to be critical underwater infrastructure, The Associated Press said.

Helsinki police have opened an investigation into aggravated criminal damage and aggravated interference with telecommunications.

Officials placed two other people under travel bans as a result of the ongoing investigation, Helsinki police said in a statement Thursday.

The individuals’ connections to the ship was not immediately clear and police would not release their nationalities or other details.

The ship, named the Fitburg, was flagged in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It had been traveling from Russia to Israel. The 14 crew members hail from Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan and were detained by Finnish authorities.

Finnish National Police Commissioner Ilkka Koskimäki said earlier this week that the ship was dragging its anchor for hours when it was discovered in Finland’s exclusive economic zone. He noted investigators are not speculating on whether a state-level actor was behind the damage.

Finnish Customs discovered structural steel in the cargo that originated in Russia and falls under sanctions imposed by the European Union, the agency said in a statement.

"Import of such sanctioned goods into the EU is prohibited under EU sanctions regulations," the statement said. “Finnish Customs continues to investigate the sequence of events and the applicability of EU sanctions legislation to this case.”

The undersea cables and pipelines that crisscross one of the busiest shipping lanes in Europe link Nordic, Baltic and central European countries. They promote trade and energy security and, in some cases, reduce dependence on Russian energy resources.

Finnish authorities last year charged the captain and two senior officers of a Russia-linked vessel, the Eagle S, that damaged undersea cables between Finland and Estonia on Christmas Day in 2024.

The Finnish deputy prosecutor general said in an August statement that charges of aggravated criminal mischief and aggravated interference with communications were filed against the captain and first and second officers of the oil tanker. The officers, whose names were not made public, denied the allegations, the statement said.

The Kremlin previously denied involvement in damaging the infrastructure, which provides power and communication for thousands of Europeans.

The Eagle S was flagged in the Cook Islands but had been described by Finnish customs officials and the European Union’s executive commission as part of Russia’s shadow fleet of fuel tankers. Those are aging vessels with obscure ownership, acquired to evade Western sanctions during the war in Ukraine and operating without Western-regulated insurance.

For the West, such incidents are believed to be part of widespread sabotage attacks in Europe allegedly linked to Moscow following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.