Apple ID Security questions are in Chinese

Had the exact same issue and found a solution.

Problem: Hacker managed to get into an Apple ID which I had registered long ago, was not using anymore and which was not 2FA protected. Hacker immediately changed password, security questions (to Chinese...) and birth date (presumably to ensure I cannot give Apple Support any meaningful account info to get it unlocked) of the Apple ID. I immediately reset the password but wasn't able reset the security questions because... I would have to answer a security question to log into appleid.apple.com.

Apple Support kept telling me that I should have had 2FA (duh...) but won't reset the security questions. So it looked like I could not access the Apple ID anymore.

To resolve, you need to let the installation process of an iPhone upgrade your Apple ID to 2FA via a new trusted number.

1. Go to iforgot.apple.com and reset the Apple ID password. This requires you to have access to the email account for which the Apple ID was created.
2. Grab an old iPhone. Reset it to factory settings which also removes an existing Apple ID from the phone. Put a valid SIM in (!). Run through the initial configuration. Don't copy from an existing phone or restore from a backup; do everything as if this was your first ever iPhone.
3. When the setup asks about the Apple ID, enter the hacked Apple ID and the password you set in Step 1.
4. Now Apple will authenticate this Apple ID using a text message (or call) to your SIM in your phone, thus setting the Apple ID to 2FA with this phone being a trusted phone and the SIM number being a trusted number. No security questions need to be answered for this *phew*

You have now upgraded your hacked Apple ID to 2FA, can access it using the old phone and SIM, and locked out the hacker.

Unfortunately it's not possible to see which answers to the Chinese security questions the hacker puts in. They put January 1, 1988 as birthday.

Try the directions in the article If you forgot the answers to your Apple ID security questions - Apple Support for resetting your security questions:

"Reset your security questions

1. Go to https://iforgot.apple.com/ .

2. Enter your Apple ID, then select Continue.

3. Choose the option to reset your security questions, then select Continue.

4. Enter your Apple ID password, then select Continue.

5. Follow the onscreen steps to verify your identity. The information you’re asked to provide may vary based on your account details and other factors. If you don't get any options to verify your identity, you can't reset your security questions at this time.

6. Choose new security questions and answers and select Continue."

Note that Apple labeled this article as "archived", which means it has not been updated since December, 2021, and may contain outdated information.

If you get a message about not having 'sufficient information', you will not be able to reset your security questions this way.

The article: About your Apple ID email addresses - Apple Support is updated and it implies you can use a rescue email (if you set one up -- if you did not, it is too late to do that now) to reset your questions: "If you ever forget your security questions, you can use your rescue email address to reset them. We also send any account security-related notifications to your rescue email address." How you do this exactly is not clear and my research into this reveals it may depend upon your region. Here is one possible way (from: https://www.alphr.com/we-do-not-have-sufficient-information-to-reset-your-security-questions/ ) but I have not tested it beyond the first step since I do not want to experiment with my account. ;-).

1. Visit this page and enter your Apple ID -->.https://iforgot.apple.com/password/verify/appleid

2. Enter your rescue email address and have a verification email sent there to reset your password.

3. Follow the link in the email to reset.

If you cannot get any of the above to help with resetting the security questions then realize that several years ago Apple transitioned to using to two factor authentication instead of security questions. Apple has since been encouraging users to switch to the newer security system and your only recourse may now be to try to change to two factor authentication as outlined in this article --> Two-factor authentication for Apple ID - Apple Support Follow the instructions in the section "Turn on two-factor authentication for your Apple ID"

If you can neither reset the questions, nor switch to two-factor authentication, you may well have lost any access to that account.

If you wish to speak with Apple about this, contact with Apple ID account security using the information in this document --> Contact Apple for help with Apple ID account security - Apple Support

Apple transitioned from using security questions to two factor authentication several years ago. Basically if you need help with security questions and cannot reset them on your own, they can't/won't reset them for you. They will assist with transition to two factor authentication, but only if you can get access to the account sufficiently to do that.

I tried this method to recover my hacked Apple ID, but hit a snag at the last crucial step 4: "Now Apple will authenticate this Apple ID using a text message (or call) to your SIM in your phone, thus setting the Apple ID to 2FA with this phone being a trusted phone and the SIM number being a trusted number. No security questions need to be answered for this." But it DID require security questions be answered, which were changed by the hacker.

But then I discovered an alternative approach, continuing on from step 4:

-I opened the Music app on my MacBook Air, logged out of my current Apple ID, and then logged into the compromised Apple ID.

-I connected the iPhone, which had already been through the initial steps of the previous method (factory reset, etc.), to the MacBook Air, via USB.

–On connecting the iPhone, my MacBook Air showed a notification about a new device being used (the phone). The iPhone then locked, requesting a passcode.

-My MacBook Air displayed the passcode needed for the iPhone. I entered this into the iPhone.

—-After entering the passcode, the iPhone unlocked, and Two-Factor Authentication for the hacked Apple ID was automatically activated for the hacked account, not just for the phone.

This method regained control of my Apple ID, and hopefully has locked out the hacker .

Good luck!