Hong Kong democrat Jimmy Lai on Thursday told a court trying him for colluding with foreign powers that he paid a former U.S. general to advise former Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen in late 2017, but denied seeking to endanger China's national security.

Former Hong Kong media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying has admitted to connecting three ex-United States officials with the Taiwanese government to offer advice on foreign relations and strengthening diplomatic ties with Washington,

Trump is inaugurated for a second term. Rubio said confronting China would involve building U.S. domestic industrial capacity. "If we stay on the road we're on right now, in less than 10 years, virtually everything that matters to us in life will depend on whether China will allow us to have it or not.

By Patricia Zengerle, Simon Lewis, Doina Chiacu and Michael Martina WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be secretary of state, warned on Wednesday that the United States must change course to avoid becoming more reliant on China and do more to discourage Beijing from invading Taiwan,

Republican Senator Marco Rubio warned that the U.S. must change course to avoid relying on China for key needs, like security and health, during his Senate confirmation hearing for secretary of state under President-elect Donald Trump.