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Former US President Donald Trump has declined to answer questions as part of a New York state investigation into his family's business practices, BBC reported.

Mr Trump had sued in an effort to block the interview at the New York attorney general's office on Wednesday.

State officials accuse the Trump Organization of misleading authorities about the value of its assets in order to get favourable loans and tax breaks.

Mr Trump denies wrongdoing and has called the civil probe a witch hunt.

An hour after he was pictured arriving at the Manhattan office where he was questioned under oath, Mr Trump released a statement in which he criticised New York Attorney General Letitia James and the broader investigation.

"Years of work and tens of millions of dollars have been spent on this long simmering saga, and to no avail," he said. "I declined to answer the questions under the rights and privileges afforded to every citizen under the United States Constitution."

Ms James' office confirmed that the interview took place on Wednesday and that "Mr Trump invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination".

"Attorney General James will pursue the facts and the law wherever they may lead," the statement added. "Our investigation continues."

His deposition comes just days after the FBI executed an unprecedented search warrant at his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, as part of a separate investigation that is reportedly linked to his handling of classified material. 

While the attorney general's investigation is a civil one, a parallel investigation is being carried out by the Manhattan District Attorney's office which could result in criminal charges, according to BBC.

Legal analysts suggest Mr Trump may have declined to answer questions on Wednesday because his answers could have been used against him in that criminal investigation. The former president invoked the Fifth Amendment, which protects people from being compelled to be a witness against themselves in a criminal case.

The questioning lasted around four hours, and included lengthy breaks, his lawyer Ronald Fischetti told US media.

Mr Trump began by reading a statement into the record condemning the attorney general and her investigation and invoking his Fifth Amendment rights.

He proceeded to say "same answer" to every question he was asked.

Ms James' office has said that the depositions - a legal term that means testimony not given in court - were among the last remaining investigative procedures to be carried out.

Once the investigation concludes, the state attorney general could decide to bring a lawsuit seeking financial penalties against Mr Trump or his company. 

Ms James had sought Mr Trump's deposition - and that of two of his children, Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr - for more than six months while the family resisted subpoenas through the New York court system. 

Lawyers for Mr Trump had also attempted to sue Ms James in a bid to prevent her from questioning the former president and his children.

But in February, a New York Supreme Court judge ruled that all three must sit for depositions. Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr were questioned earlier this month, BBC reported.

The judge said the investigation had uncovered "copious evidence of possible financial fraud" giving the attorney general a "clear right" to question under oath the former president and two of his children involved in the business.

Ms James hailed the judge's decision as a victory, saying that "justice has prevailed".

The investigation, which was first opened in 2019, seeks to prove that Mr Trump and the Trump Organization misrepresented the value of assets in order to obtain favourable loans and tax breaks. The alleged fraud is said to have taken place before Mr Trump took office, according to BBC.

Ambassador of Nepal to Pakistan Tapas Adhikari and Romina Khursid Alam, Member of National Assembly and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister/Minister of State Convener Parliamentary Task Force on SDG held a meeting at the Embassy on Wednesday, Islamabad Post reported.

During the meeting, they discussed Nepal-Pakistan relations,  SAARC and SDGs and ways to further strengthening it.

Both sides also discussed the historical relations between Nepal and Lahore and Gujranwala.

The relations between Nepal and China started floundering following the formation of the Sher Bahadur Deuba government in July 2021. 

For most of the past 13 months, the two sides showed little enthusiasm for mutual engagement. Beijing saw the Deuba-led government as pro-western. The government on its part also kept a safe distance from the northern neighbor and kept its foreign engagements more or less limited to India and Western powers. 

The two sides resumed bilateral dealings only in recent months. After China’s two back-to-back high-level trips to Nepal—Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited in March and the Chinese Communist Party’s International Liaison Department head Liu Jianchao came in July—Foreign Minister Narayan Khadka this week made a reciprocal visit to Beijing. 

“The visit aims to build an atmosphere of trust to further enhance our long-standing cordial relations,” says Arun Subedi, PM Deuba’s foreign affairs advisor.

The soured Nepal-China ties appear headed for a thaw. The resumption of the meetings of bilateral mechanisms, including one related to border management, is one indication of this.

Khadka held talks with his Chinese counterpart Yi on bilateral and regional issues. By inviting Khadka, China, meanwhile, wants to seek fresh assurance from Nepal on ‘One China policy.

This is particularly important for Beijing at a time its ties with Washington are at a historic low following US Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s Taiwan sojourn last week.

Prior to Khadka’s China trip, his ministry on August 5 had issued a statement essentially vowing Nepal’s steadfastness to ‘One China’.  In his meeting with Khadka in Beijing on August 10, the Chinese foreign minister conveyed his country’s position on Taiwan and sought Nepal’s support.  

According to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang stressed on joining hands with other countries to “oppose US interference in China’s internal affairs”.  In the meeting, Khadka reiterated Nepal's unwavering commitment to the One China Policy and assured that the Nepali territory will not be allowed to be used for any activity against China. 

Beijing has reason to doubt Kathmandu’s commitment though, particularly after the parliament ratified the American Millennium Corporation Challenge (MCC) compact despite Beijing’s objection. 

The formation of a government probe panel to study China’s alleged border encroachment and Nepal’s ‘pro-Western’ position on the Russia-Ukraine war have added to the suspicions of the northern neighbor. 

Nepal has its own reasons to question China’s intent. Chinese overblown reaction to Nepal’s decision to ratify the compact was unbecoming of a good friend. Kathmandu is also displeased with Beijing for restricting the movement of goods across China-Nepal border points, citing Covid restrictions.   

China’s claim that the West is fueling anti-China activities through Tibetan refugees in Kathmandu and its decision to engage only Nepal’s communist parties have also not gone down well with PM Deuba and his Congress party.  

Upendra Gautam, general secretary of China Study Center Nepal, says the government lacks a clear vision and assertiveness to deal with China and other powers. 

“The Deuba government seems to have realized that now,” he says. “Let’s hope Foreign Minister Khadka’s visit is not just a ritual.” 

Gautam says big powers always want small countries like Nepal on their side. “The important thing is that we assert ourselves and clearly explain the fundamentals of our foreign policy.”  

Besides clearing the air with Beijing, Khadka’s visit is also aimed at sending the message that Nepal is not taking sides and wishes for balanced relations with all powers. 

China too has been trying to convince Nepali political parties, particularly the ruling Congress, that it is not partial towards communist forces. 

During his Nepal trip, Liu Jianchao tried to convince Congress leaders that China’s Nepal policy is not guided by ideology.

Speaking on Khadka’s China visit, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying on August 5 said: “China looks forward to strengthening strategic communication, cementing mutual support, and constantly promoting strategic partnership for development and prosperity.”  

Subedi, the advisor to Deuba, says there could be progress on some bilateral projects after the visit. “We want to enhance economic cooperation with China,” he adds.

China is pushing for the implementation of some projects under the Belt and Road Initiative. Chinese officials are also concerned over the implementation of the pacts reached between the two countries during the 2019 Nepal visit of President Xi Jinping.  

On August 10, Khadka and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi held bilateral talks in  Shandong, an eastern province of China. 

 According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two sides had cordial and fruitful meetings which took stock of all aspects of Nepal-China relations and agreed to promote cooperation in the areas of mutual interests.

In the meeting, both foreign ministers expressed their commitment to the timely implementation of the agreements signed and the understanding reached during high-level visits in the past.  China announced that China will carry out the feasibility study of the Keyrung-Kathmandu railway under grant assistance. 

We have raised all the issues related to China including the border, supply of goods, and other issues, said official requesting anonymity. During the meeting, according to the official, the Nepali side reiterated its position on One-China. 

As the two neighbors appear to move towards a rapprochement, more high-level exchanges are on the cards, with CPN (Maoist Center) Pushpa Kamal Dahal likely to visit China next month.

Chinese navy ships remained active off both Taiwan’s east and west coasts on Wednesday morning, a source briefed on the matter told Reuters, as Beijing kept up military drills in protest against last week’s visit to the island by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

A furious China has extended its largest-ever exercises around the self-ruled island it claims as its own beyond the originally scheduled four days. The drills last week have included ballistic missile launches, some of which flew over the island’s capital Taipei, and simulated sea and air attacks in the skies and waters around Taiwan.

Video released by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV on Wednesday showed Chinese fighter jets scrambling and refuelling mid-air, as well as navy ships on what it said were drills around Taiwan.

The Eastern Theatre Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army said the drills were focused on blockades and resupply logistics, “under a complex electromagnetic environment to refine joint containment and control capabilities”, according to CCTV.

About 20 Chinese navy and Taiwan navy ships remained close to the median line of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial buffer separating the two sides, as of Wednesday morning, a source briefed on the matter told Reuters.

Several other Chinese ships continued to conduct missions off Taiwan’s eastern coast, according to the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Andrew Hsia, deputy chairman of the Kuomintang, Taiwan’s main opposition party, flew to China on Wednesday for what his party said was a pre-arranged trip to meet Taiwanese businesspeople.

Hsia told reporters he was not going to Beijing and did not have any official meetings arranged.

However, Taiwan’s government expressed “regret” at the trip coming amid the Chinese drills.

“At this moment, the Kuomintang still insisted on going to China, disappointing our people,” said Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen.

Taiwan’s foreign minister said on Tuesday that China was using the military drills as a game-plan to prepare for an invasion of the self-ruled island.

“It is conducting large-scale military exercises and missile launches, as well as cyberattacks, disinformation, and economic coercion, in an attempt to weaken public morale in Taiwan,” Joseph Wu said on Tuesday, without providing evidence or offering a timetable.

“After the drills conclude, China may try to routinise its action in an attempt to wreck the long-term status quo across the Taiwan Strait.”

Pelosi, a long-time China critic and a political ally of President Joe Biden, visited Taiwan last week on the highest-level visit to the island by an American official in decades, despite Chinese warnings. She said her visit showed unwavering U.S. commitment to supporting Taiwan’s democracy.