新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 20:00 2013/10/01

The Beijing Hour
 
Evening Edition
 
 
Rebecca Hume with you on this Tuesday, October 1st, 2013.
Welcome to this shorter holiday edition of the Beijing Hour for the national day holiday, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this evening,
Chinese leaders mark the 64th National Day in Tiananmen Square.
The search continues for the missing fisherman in the South China Sea.
US government announces it’s shut down.
Business, China manufacturing growth in September hits a 17-month high.
 
 
Weather
 
 
Beijing will be clear tonight with a low of 11 degrees Celsius.　Tomorrow sunny with a high temperature of 24.
Meanwhile Shanghai will be cloudy tonight, with a low of 19, overcast tomorrow, with a high of 26.
Lhasa will have showers tonight, 6 degrees the low, cloudy tomorrow with a high of 16.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, sunny, with a high of 33.
Kabul, sunny, 29.
Over in Australia
Sydney, sunny, highs of 26.
Canberra, sunny, 18.
Brisbane, overcast, 28.
And finally, Perth will also be sunny with a high of 25.
 
 
Top News
 
 
Chinese leaders mark 64th National Day in Tiananmen Square
 
Chinese President Xi Jinping and other state leaders have laid wreaths at the Monument of the People's Heroes in Tiananmen Square to mark the 64th National Day.
The leaders stood under pouring rain and choirs of children sang patriotic songs during the event.
It is the fourth year Chinese leaders have paid their tribute to the Monument on National Day.
 
 
Search continues for missing in South China Sea boat sinking
 
58-people remain missing after three fishing boats sank Sunday afternoon amid Typhoon Wutip in the South China Sea.
The boats, all from Guangdong, went down near the Xisha Islands.
Rescuers have managed to pull 14 fishermen from the water alive and retrieved two bodies during Tuesday morning's operation.
Altogether five boats with a total of 171 people aboard were caught in the Typhoon Wutip.
The Chinese Navy has dispatched several ships and a helicopter to help with the search and rescue.
The rescue operations are being hampered by strong winds and high waves.
Wutip made landfall on Vietnam's central coast Monday night, leaving 3 people dead and 35 others injured.
 
 
US government Shuts down
 
ANCHOR:
For the first time in 17-years the US government has begun a partial shutdown following a political stalemate between the Republican led House of Representative and Democrat controlled Senate.
Marc Cavigli has more.
REPORTER:
As the clock struck midnight in Washington the deadline was passed and Republicans and Democrats in the House continued to shift blame on one another.
The government shutdown could potentially last days instead of weeks if both sides sought a strategy to bring the parties together, but the situations seems grim.
Speaker of the House John Boehner, a Republican, shared his party's side.
"The House has made its position known very clearly. We believe that we should fund the government and we think there ought to be basic fairness for all Americans under Obamacare. The Senate has continued to reject our offers. But under the Constitution, there is a way to resolve this process, and that is to go to conference and talk through your differences. And I would hope that the Senate would accept our offer to go to conference and discuss this so we can resolve this for the American people."
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, responds.
"It now appears that Congress is not going to do anything to keep the government from shutting down. They've got some jerry-rigged thing about going to conferences. Madam President it is embarrassing that these people who are elected to represent the country are representing the Tea Part- the anarchists of the country and the majority of the Republicans in the House are following every step of the way."
At the heart of the shutdown is President Obama's healthcare law.
Many Republicans see this as a chance to repeal the law before it goes into effect with some Republican officials refusing to vote to fund the government unless Obamacare is repealed or defunded.
In fact the shutdown was spearheaded by Tea Party conservatives united in their desire to peel back Obamacare.
Meanwhile, Democrats and the Obama administration are unwilling to waver on the law which is arguably their biggest achievement in the past 5-years.
Social security as well as the post office will still operate during the shutdown, however national parks will close, medical research projects will stall, and up to 1-million workers will be forced to go on unpaid leave.
In an address to US military troops President Barack Obama promised he would push Congress to re-open the government as soon as possible.
He also opened up on what happens next for the military.
"Those of you in uniform will remain on your normal duty status. The threats to our national security have not changed, and we need you to be ready for any contingency."
Peaceful negotiation between both parties seems unlikely at this point with each unwilling to bend to the other's demands.
For CRI, I'm Marc Cavigli.
 
 
Xi Jinping to visit Indonesia
 
Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to visit Indonesia later this week.
It is his first trip to Southeast Asian countries since taking office in March.
Trade and investment are expected to top the list of discussions.
Liu Jianchao is China's ambassador to Indonesia.
"After President Xi Jinping's visit to Indonesia, settings of the bilateral relationship between the two countries will be improved a lot, mainly focusing on strategy and comprehensiveness. I think cooperation between the two sides will cover all social domains, develop in three dimensions including the sea, land, and air."
Liu adds that Indonesia plays an crucial role in boosting the cooperation between China and Southeast Asian countries.
"Indonesia attaches great importance to the cooperation between China and ASEAN countries, and has been positively boosting cooperation among them. When handling disputes in this area, Indonesia can hold a mutual and fair stance. For this part, we have many things in common."
Xi Jinping is also set to attend an informal forum of the Asia-Pacific Economic Forum in the resort island of Bali.
 
 
Indonesia looks for more Chinese tourists
 
Anchor:
Indonesia's Minister of Tourism is calling for more Chinese tourists to visit the country.
This come ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit.
CRI's Cao Yuwei has more.
Reporter:
Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to pay a state visit to Indonesia on Wednesday.
This is also Chinese President Xi Jinping's maiden visit to Southeast Asia.
Feng Huilan, Indonesia's Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, says that China is an important partner of Indonesia.
She notes President Xi Jinping's visit to Indonesia will further promote their strategic partnership and deepen communication in culture and tourism between the two nations.
"For example, there will be co-operations in the areas of political security, culture and education. I think we can achieve some breakthroughs especially in trade, investment and tourism. In recent years, China's investment in Indonesia mainly focused on infrastructure construction and resources exploration. This time, there might be hopes of expanding Chinese investment in Indonesia's manufacturing and set up an industrial production zone. And in tourism, we hope this time we could sign a memorandum of understanding to raise the tourism population between the two countries."
Ms. Feng Huilan was the Minister of Trade of Indonesia from 2004 to 2011.
She was appointed to the newly-created position of minister of Tourism and Creative Economy in a cabinet reshuffle in October 2011.
Feng believes tourism is hugely important to Indonesia's economy.
The minister says she sees China as an important target market for Indonesian tourism.
"Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, China, and Japan are among the top of the 16 major target markets for tourism. And we have never attached greater importance to the Chinese market than now. So far, the number of Chinese tourists to Indonesia is still below 1-million, but the figure has reached over two million to Thailand. As such, we can see that there is large potential in the tourism exchange between the two sides."
As regards to promoting tourism in China, Feng says she is only too aware just how much the hit Chinese movie "Lost in Thailand" attracted a great number of Chinese tourists to Thailand.
As Indonesia becomes a more popular destination among Chinese travellers, Feng adds she is also considering inviting famous Chinese directors to shoot films in Indonesia.
For CRI, I'm Cao Yuwei.
 
 
QA with Zhu Feng with Peking University
 
Anchor:
For more on Chinese President Xi Jinping's Indonesian trip, CRI's Nathan Wakelin-King earlier spoke with Professor Zhu Feng with Peking University.
…
Professor Zhu Feng with Peking University speaking with CRI's Nathan Wakelin-King.
 
 
China manufacturing growth Sept. hits 17-month high
 
Official statistics show China's factory activity set a record high in 17 months to September.
China's purchasing managers' index for the manufacturing sector rose to 51.1 percent in September, making the third consecutive monthly increase.
The manufacturing PMI was 51 percent in August.
Any reading above 50 indicates expansion.
The latest rebound signal comes amid the increase of new overseas business particularly from Europe and the United States for the first time in 6-months.
 
 
Simpler investment environment attracts overseas firms
 
Anchor
A growing number of international companies are now looking to expand into the newly-unveiled Shanghai Free Trade Zone, hoping to look forward to less red tape and less restrictions.
CRI's Su Yi has more.
Reporter:
Swedish bearing maker SKF has just spent 100 million yuan building a delivery center in the Waigaoqiao area, which is part of the new Free Trade Zone.
The company now plans to move some of its services currently based in Singapore to Shanghai.
Michel Zhao is the communication director of SKF Asia Regional Headquarters.
"If we ship our products from Singapore to Shanghai, it takes at least a week. The new center in Shanghai will save a lot of time. Simplified customs procedures in the zone will also help us shorten our transportation time."
The local government in Shanghai says the new customs procedures in the FTZ will reduce processing time by 60 percent.
From Shanghai, SKF will be able to ship its products, worth about seven billion yuan a year, to Japan and South Korea.
"The free trade zone will keep us from having to settle customs tariffs immediately. That will save a lot of money. At the moment, when overseas clients want to order products from us we cannot respond immediately because products have to pass through customs first -- that takes time and costs money."
Authorities in the Shanghai FTZ are also set to suspend some of the regulations that discourage foreign companies from re-investing their local profits.
Tay Lin Siau, general manager of J. Lauritzen Shanghai, says it could be a crucial move to encourage foreign investment.
"I think they are looking forward, as I said, to more simplified procedures, more freedom in trading as well as less restrictions, especially in the foreign exchange part. So that if they can use, they can exchange more RMB, actually use RMB into more expansion domestically, especially manufacturing sector. They need RMB to build factories, roads, so for infrastructure uses, this would be a big plus for them."
The new regulations will also see manufacturers in the zone exempted from duties on the import of equipment.
Another key policy of the FTZ is the Foreign Investment Access Special Management Policy, or commonly known as the Negative List.
The negative list is designed to try to give foreign investors more freedom to set up businesses.
It allows them to operate according to a not-to-do list, rather than a to-do list.
The Shanghai Free Trade Zone opened up on Sunday.
For CRI, I'm Su Yi.
 
 
Chinese appliances companies take the lead in the international market
 
Anchor:
China's appliances manufacturers are starting to take more a foothold on the international stage.
CRI's Lucy Du has more.
Reporter:
Little Swan, founded in 1978, is now the third largest manufacturer of washing machines in the world. Its products are exported to over 130 countries.
Konka, the first joint venture company in China, has also taken an international development path. It has established manufacturing bases in Europe, Southeast Asia and North America.
Zhang Haining, Deputy General Manager of Konka's Kunshan branch, attributes their success to an upgrade in technology and the preferential policies of the government.
"The development of technology is endless. Our companies are also transforming from traditional manufacturers to internet companies. First, it's because televisions are now closely connected to the internet. The second reason is the expanding online marketing. When the government introduced a new policy to subsidize energy saving products, it also makes the upgrading of our products even faster."
Qiao Xiaofang, Manager of Konka's Research Department, says that they must respond to international demands flexibly in order to survive in the fierce market.
"The price war in electronics is severe. Many overseas clients have high standards about pricing. The product must be cheap in order to compete in the market. We have many low cost products. But when high-end customers ask for functions like a better display or sound effects, we can also produce accordingly."
Little Swan is also proud of their technology and marketing strategies.
Gao Yang, Director of Little Swan's Testing Center, says that Little Swan has obtained quality certificates from most countries in the world, thus ensuring international development.
"We can basically meet the requirements of major countries. The energy consumption standard is fundamentally a trade barrier. Every country has its own standard. These are mainly systems used in the European Union, North America, Australia, and other places like Saudi Arabia, Taiwan or Hong Kong. So if we want our products to sell in those places, we must meet their standards."
Chinese appliances companies now agree that competition is reconstructing the world market. They will improve their technology and energy efficiency in order to sell more to the world.
For CRI, I am Lucy Du.
 
 
UK Introduces New Scheme to Bring Down Long-term Jobless
 
Anchor: Britain has announced a new scheme to bring down long-term jobless rates. As CRI's UK correspondent Tu Yun reports, the new measures will affect some 200,000 people that have been out of work for two years or more.
Reporter:
Since taking office over three years ago, Britain's Conservative-led coalition government has been putting in place such measures as welfare cuts and tax reduction to reduce deficits and boost growth.
Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne says the strategies the government's taking are working.
"The deficit down by a third; exports doubled to China; taxpayers money back from the banks, not going in; 1.4 million new jobs created by businesses; one thousand new jobs announced in this city today. Our plan is working."
But Osborne admits the battle, as he calls it, to turn Britain's economy around is far from being over.
Thus the government is to introduce a scheme to curb welfare costs.
Under the "Help to Work" plan, those who are out of work for two years or more will have to do either full-time community work, attend the job centre every working day, or enroll in a new mandatory regime to tackle such problems as drug addiction and illiteracy.
Otherwise, they'll face losses of benefits.
"No one will get something for nothing. Help to work and in return work for the dole because a fair welfare system is fair to those who need it and fair to those who pay for it, too."
It's the first time Britain has had such a national scheme for long-term jobless.
It'll come into force in April next year.
For CRI, I'm Tu Yun in Manchester.
 
 
Abe announces first national sales tax hike since 1997
 
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has announced a plan to increase national sales tax in a bid to cut down the country's runaway debt.
It will be the first time for Japan to increase its sales tax since 1997.
"In order to maintain confidence in the country and pass sustainable social security to the next generation, I have decided to raise the sales tax rate of the central and local governments from five percent to eight percent on April 1, 2014."
It is estimated that the tax increase is set to raise an additional 8 trillion yen or over 81 billion US dollars a year.
Meanwhile, to avoid a spending slump, Abe is also set to announce an economic stimulus package worth 5 trillion yen or more.
Abe says he hopes the tax hike and stimulus package will help to put the country's economy back on a path of recovery.
Currently, Japan's public debt has surpassed 1,000-trillion yen, which is more than twice the size of the economy.
It is also the heaviest debt load among the developed economies.
The country's budget deficit now stands at around 10 percent of GDP, and the debt pile grows every year by nearly the size of the combined GDP of Greece, Portugal and Ireland.
 
 
More Afghani Women Signing up to be Police Officers
 
Increasing numbers of women are signing up to join Afghanistan's National Police Force this year.
However, many are finding themselves the victims of stigma and prejudice as well as Taliban attacks.
This isn't deterring female students though whose numbers keep increasing.
Sediq Sediqi, an Afghan Interior Ministry Spokesperson, shares the departments goals.
"The Afghan Ministry of Interior is planning to recruit some 10-thousand female police for the next year. And we have been trying to ensure we get the support of all stakeholders, many organizations – governmental and non-governmental – to help us with the recruitment process, and we are hopeful to see that objective met be the end of 2014."
As part of this ambitious recruitment drive hundreds of women are going through police training at centers across the entire country.
 
 
Innovative designs draw spotlight in Smart City 2013 Exhibition
 
Innovative designs have been drawing the spotlight at the ongoing Smart City 2013 Exhibition here in Beijing.
The exhibition, which opened last Saturday, is part of the ongoing Beijing International Design Week.
This year's event focuses on how innovative designs can transform urban residents' lives.
Designer Hans Galliker, shows how his bike generates power to support air purifying devices.
"So, if we sit on this bike and we start to cycle, we produce the electricity, which is being buffered in the battery, and also others can also use the bicycle and together we power this amplifier device."
Other designs including an air box which helps residents test PM2.5 in their homes also drew attention.
Beijing International Design Week is an annual design festival which was first started in 2011.
This year's event runs till this Thursday.
 
 
That's it for this edition of the BJH
A quick recap of the headlines BEFORE WE GO...
Chinese leaders mark the 64th National Day in Tiananmen Square.
The search continues for the missing fisherman in the South China Sea.
US government announces it’s shut down.
Business, China manufacturing growth in September hits a 17-month high.