HONG KONG - Actor Jackie Chan's son Jaycee Chan and Taiwanese actor Kai Ko have been arrested in Beijing on drug-related charges, a report quoting mainland newspapers said.

Hong Kong's South China Morning Post cited Beijing News and Beijing Times as saying Chan and his friend were detained by Beijing police.

China Central Television also confirmed Ko's arrest in a report this afternoon following a rumour on the Internet last night and claims by Ko's manager that he was unable to contact the actor.

Apple Daily Taiwan cited an unnamed source as saying both Ko, 23, and Chan, 31, were nabbed in Beijing late last Tuesday night.

According to the Post, neither Chan nor Ko, who shot to fame playing a charming schoolboy besotted with his classmate in 2011's You Are The Apple Of My Eye, had updated their Weibo social media accounts since last Tuesday.

Ko's manager had promised to issue information by tonight, saying his company had sent a person to Beijing to understand the situation, after the rumour of the actor's arrest shocked show business circles in China and Taiwan.

Meanwhile, Sohu.com cited the manager of Jackie Chan, who is well known for promoting anti-drug abuse, as saying his son was unlikely to be involved with drugs.

Confirmation of the arrest followed a deepening mystery when calls and messages by reporters to Ko's boss Angie Chai and Giddens Ko, who directed You Are The Apple Of My Eye, went unanswered.

After the rumour broke on China's Tianya online forum, Ko's co-stars had questioned its veracity.

Amber Kuo, his co-star in the Tiny Times film series, reportedly said: "He may be young but Ko is fully aware of the influence he has. This rumour hasn't been confirmed and is very damaging."

Michelle Chen, his co-star in Apple, said: "It can't be true."

If both actors were indeed arrested, it might spell doom for their careers in China. Recently, artiste management companies in China signed an undertaking not to hire stars with a drug history, Apple Daily reported.