新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 08:00 2014/03/26

The Beijing Hour
 
Morning Edition

 
Paul James with you on this Wednesday, March 26, 2014.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this morning...
The search for the missing Malaysia Airlines jet is resuming today after a day of bad weather and 'bad blood' directed at Malaysian authorities here in Beijing.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in France for the 2nd leg of his current European tour after concluding his time at a Nuclear Security Summit in the Netherlands.
A Ukrainian security official is warning of a build-up of Russian troops along the Ukrainian border.
In Business... Agricultural Bank the first of the 'big four' to release its full-year figures for last year.
In sports.... a decisive Game-4 of the CBA finals is set for tonight here in Beijing.
In entertainment.... the latest installment in the Muppets Movie franchise is poised to hit theatres.
But first... lets get a check on the weather...
 
 
Weather
 
 
In Beijing, the smog is still harassing, temperatures remain high at 24 degree Celsius in the daytime.
Overnight lows are expected to be around 10.
Shanghai will be cloudy and warm today with a high of 22, and the temperatures dip down to 12 degrees in the night.
Chongqing will be cloudy with a high of 22.
Overnight lows should only dip down to around 15.
Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia.
Islamabad will see a cloudy weather today with a high of 27.
Kabul will be sunny with a high of 14.
Over to North America.
New York can expect some sunshine today with a high of 3 degrees.
Washington will be sunny with the temperature remains low at 5 degrees.
Houston, Texas will see slight rain on Wednesday with a high of 16.
Honolulu, mostly sunny, 28.
Toronto, Canada, will see a clear weather with a high of 1 degree.
Finally, on to South America,
Buenos Aires will see slight rain with a high of 25.
And Rio de Janeiro will see some showers with a high of 26 degrees Celsius.
 
 
Top News
 
 
Recovery mission for MH370 reduced to a much smaller area
 
Anchor:
A fleet of Chinese ships and helicopters are expected to arrive in the southern Indian Ocean off western Australia in the coming few hours to aide in the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
CRI's Jordan Lee has more.
Reporter:
The search and recovery of missing flight MH370 is resuming today after bad weather forced the suspension of the search yesterday.
While activities in the water were halted, officials did manage to narrow their search grid to only one-fourth its original size.
Acting Malaysian Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein.
"As a result of this new data analysis, the search and rescue operation in the northern corridor has been called off. We have also stopped the search and rescue operation in the northern part of the southern corridor close to Indonesia."
Hussein also says an American pinger locater, an instrument that can help find the missing aircraft's black box, is now on its way to Perth.
It's expected to arrive in the search area next week.
Finding the flight data recorder quickly is going to be one of the most critical next steps, as its locator beacon will eventually begin to fade out, as the black boxes normally only have 30-days of battery life.　
A pair of airplanes from South Korea are also joining the multinational search today.
Here in Beijing, the Chinese government is repeating its request for others involved in the joint effort to share any information they get.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei.
"This search and rescue operation is a large-scale, international cooperation. So China hopes that the relevant international organisations and related countries can provide Malaysia and China valuable clues and information to help us carry out the relevant search in a targeted way."
The Chinese government is also demanding the Malaysian side ensure the family members of the missing Chinese passengers be better informed of any new information.
This, after dozens of angry relatives protested and scuffled with police outside the Malaysian embassy yesterday afternoon here in Beijing.
The protest lasted for a few hours before the demonstrators were eventually led away by police.
At the same time, Chinese President Xi Jinping, currently on a state visit in Europe, has sent a special envoy to Kuala Lumpur to deal with the search and recovery of the missing jet.
Meanwhile, the Australian government is working with the countries of the relatives of the 239 passengers and crew to expedite visas for them to head to Perth, where the recovery efforts are based.
For CRI, I'm Jordan Lee.
 
 
Chinese president arrives in Lyon for France visit
 
Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in Lyon, France as part of the next leg of his current European tour.
Xi Jinping is in France to help commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
As part of his time in France, Xi Jinping is due to travel to Paris for talks with French President Francois Hollande, along with taking part in a celebration to mark the half-century of official links between China and France.
The two sides are also expected to sign a number of collaborative agreements in areas including nuclear energy, aviation, urbanization, agriculture and finance.
As part of his time, Xi Jinping will also make a stop at the UN's Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization headquarters, UNESCO.
There, Xi Jinping's wife, Peng Liyuan, is scheduled to be designated a special UNESCO envoy for girls education.
Xi Jinping's time in France is the 2nd leg of his current 4-nation European tour, which will also see him make stops in Germany and Belgium.
 
 
Xi Jinping visit France to mark 50 years anni. of diplomatic ties
 
Anchor:
For more on Xi Jinping's time in France, here's CRI's Ding Lulu.
Reporter:
Along with acknowledging 50 years of China-France diplomatic ties, the two countries are also marking the 10th anniversary of the comprehensive strategic partnership.
Chinese ambassador to France Zhai Jun says anniversary celebrations will be a major part of President Xi's itinerary.
"President Xi Jinping will visit the Sino-French Institute in Lyon and Charles de Gaulle Foundation. The presidents of the two countries will both attend celebrations of the 50th anniversary of China-France diplomatic ties and a concert celebrating the anniversary. President Hollande will host a banquet for Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan in the Palace of Versailles."
During the visit, Xi will also meet Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault and parliamentary leaders.
France holds a unique place in China's diplomatic history as the first major Western power to establish official diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, after it was founded in 1949.
Zhai Jun says five decades on, bilateral ties have evolved into a comprehensive strategic partnership.
"Compared to 50 years ago, great changes have happened to the world and to both China and France. But what didn't change is that the two countries still uphold multipolarity and independent foreign policies, and the huge potential for economic cooperation. The Sino-French relation is therefore special and strategic."
During Xi Jinping's visit, agreements on education, science and technology, energy, aviation, urbanization and agriculture are due to be signed.
Trade between the two hit 50 billion U.S. dollars in 2013, compared with 100 million U.S. dollars in 1964.
For CRI, this is Ding Lulu.
 
 
Leaders agree to create international laws on nuclear security
 
Anchor:
This year's Nuclear Security Summit in the Netherlands has come to an end, with attendees signing a communiqué, pledging to prevent nuclear materials from falling into the hands of terrorists.
The document encourages countries to take steps to prevent non-state actors from obtaining such materials, emphasizing the importance of "robust national legislation and regulations" on nuclear security.
Signatories are also being called on to minimize the use of Highly-enriched uranium through the conversion of reactor fuel to lower-enriched uranium.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is among those who have signed off on the agreement.
For more on the latest nuclear security summit in The Hague, CRI's Zheng Chenguang spoke earlier with Alexandra Toma, Executive Director of the Peace and Security Funders Group in Washington, D.C.
Alexandra Toma, Executive Director of the Peace and Security Funders Group in Washington, D.C, speaking with CRI's Zheng Chenguang.
 
 
Kiev accuses of Russian military build-up on the borders with Ukraine
 
The head of Ukraine's border services is warning of a Russian military build-up, a day after Kiev pulled its forces from Crimea.
As Ukrainian troops pulling out from Crimea and the last military bases in the region fall under Russian control, fears of a further Russian incursion into the Ukrainian mainland are growing in Kiev.
Volodymyr Lytvyn is the head of Ukraine's Border Guard service.
"The build-up of the Russian Federation military force continues. At the beginning they were building up for the military exercises, now when the exercises are over they are still at their locations which we clearly see and know. These troops are manoeuvring every day near our state border. There are constant provocations near the state border, especially at night time."
Moscow is dismissing any suggestion that its mobilizing its troops along its border with Ukraine.
The Russian military did stage an exercise involving 85-hundred soldiers near its border with Ukraine after the toppling of pro-Moscow Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovich.
Amid the continuing tension along the Ukrainian-Russian border, observer teams from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe have begun deploying across Ukraine.
Meanwhile, authorities in Kiev have announced they have no plans to become a nuclear weapons state again.
New calls for Ukraine to recover its nuclear-state status surfaced last week after several parties in the Ukrainian parliament introduced a bill, calling on the country to exit the Non-Proliferation Treaty in response to Crimea's absorption into Russia.
In 1994, Ukrainian authorities signed the Budapest Memorandum, under which Ukraine gave up the world's third-largest nuclear weapons stockpile in exchange for a guarantee of its sovereignty and unity.
Russia, the United States and Britain, as guarantors of the treaty, are obliged not to use force against Kiev and mediate if a threat to Ukraine's territorial integrity arises.
Russia has rejected claims that it has violated the Budapest Memorandum by taking control of Crimea.
 
 
Kerry to visit Jordan to discuss Israeli-Palestinian talks
 
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is getting ready to head to Jordan in a bid to try to salvage the faltering Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Kerry is breaking off his current trip with US President Barack Obama in Europe to try to keep the talks going.
At issue this time is the release of Palestinian prisoners.
Israeli officials are warning if the Palestinian leadership decides not to continue with the negotiations beyond their official expiration date, which is coming up on Saturday, it will not release the last tranche of prisoners it originally promised to.
As part of the original deal to restart negotiations last year, the Israeli government agreed to release 108 Palestinians held in Israeli jails.
Right now, only 78 of them have been set free.
The current impasse is the latest in a series of setbacks Washington has been trying to smooth over as it presses both the Israeli and Palestinian sides to continue their current round of talks beyond the pre-planned expiration date.
This latest round of peace negotiations, brokered by the US last summer after a 3-year hiatus, have so-far failed to make any tangible headway toward a lasting agreement.
 
 
UN condemns Egypt's mass snap trial of supporters of ousted president
 
The United Nations is strongly condemning a snap trial and the death sentences handed down this week to over 500 members of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.
Rupert Colville is spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
"Such a sentencing en masse of people to the death penalty is really appalling. You can't possibly have a fair trial in two days of one person, let alone of 529. Three quarters of them, more than three quarters, just under 400 people, weren't even present in court. The judge didn't even read out the names of all the people."
An Egyptian court has handed down the death sentence to 529 suspects connected to a deadly attack on a police station.
One police officer was killed during the attack.
The two-day mass trial is the largest single batch of death sentences handed down around the world in recent years.
Defense lawyers were not allowed to present their case.
At the same time, the US government is also sharply criticizing the trial, asking the Egyptian government to respect human rights.
US State Department spokesperson Marie Harf.
"Today we call on the government of Egypt from politically motivated detentions, charges and trials, and to ensure that all in Egypt are afforded the fair trial safeguards they are guaranteed under international law."
The mass sentence, if carried out, is likely to affect a proposed aid deal to Egypt from the United States.
 
 
Syrian troops thwart attack on key military site
 
The Syrian military is claiming it's repelled a major offensive against a key military observation site in the northwestern province of Latakia.
Syrian state media is reporting the Syrian army has inflicted heavy losses on the opposition forces.
However, opposition activists have denied the reports, suggesting the opposite has taken place.
The Syrian military has been engaged in heavy fighting in Latikia, particularly around a border crossing into Turkey.
This is the same area where Turkish air forces shot down a Syrian war plane on Sunday.
Syrian government forces are said to be battling both rebel forces and splinter jihadist organizations in the region, which is said to be a key transit point for anti-government forces to move between Syrian and Turkish territory.
This comes following a series of decisive victories for Syrian government forces in central Syria over the past couple of weeks.
 
 
Houston channel partially reopens after oil spill
 
One of the United States' busiest waterways has been reopened to certain maritime traffic.
Authorities are letting a small number of ships pass through the Houston Ship Channel, 3-days after a massive oil spill forced its closure.
A collision between two ships in the Channel this past weekend sent some 170-thousand gallons of heavy oil into the Channel.
Hundreds of emergency crew members have since been working to both contain and clean-up the spill, some of which is said to have been making its way into the Gulf of Mexico and the surrounding region.
Local reports are showing quarter-sized balls of the heavy oil washing up on nearby beaches.
The spilled bunker-oil is much heavier than conventional oil, meaning it can't be broken up by the normal chemical dispersants used in other oil spills.
The Houston Ship Channel is part of the Port of Houston, which is one of the busiest waterways in the US, as it is the main transit hub for the country's petro-chemical industry.
 
 
Biz Reports
 
 
U.S. stocks ended higher on Tuesday, rebounding from a two-day decline as the hard-hit biotechnology sector regained its momentum and a strong read on consumer confidence has increased optimism about the overall US economy.
The Dow Jones industrial average rose 0.6 percent.
The S & P 500 gained 0.4 percent.
The Nasdaq advanced 0.2 percent.
Investors have welcomed a stronger reading on US consumer confidence.
The latest gauge of U.S. consumer confidence has jumped this month to its highest level in more than six years.
New US housing data has also come in-line with expectations as well.
The upbeat data from the US helped European markets advance following sharp losses on Monday.
The U.K.'s FTSE 100 advanced 1.3%.
Germany's DAX and France's CAC 40 both gained 1.6%.
 
 
Alibaba holds kickoff meeting in Hong Kong to list in US
 
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has held a preliminary meeting in Hong Kong ahead of its planned U.S. initial public offering.
The meeting has been held behind closed doors.
Ronald Wan, chief China Adviser of Asian Capital, says he is not surprised by Alibaba's choice to hold the meeting in Hong Kong, despite the company's decision to list in New York.
"I think Alibaba somehow still wants to maintain a strong presence in Hong Kong, you know, Hong Kong as the international financial center of China."
Elinor Leung is the head of Telecom and Internet Research with CLSA.
"Most of the Chinese internet stocks in the U.S. are covered by Hong Kong, because 100 percent of their business is still made in China."
Alibaba is expected to raise more than Facebook's 16-billion US dollars listing in 2012.
Despite the optimism surrounding the planned listing, Ronald Wan suggests the IPO might not be as thorough as some may hope.
"U.S. authorities may look at the data and look at the economic and financial information about the company. Some of them may be kind of sensitive. They may not list all their business in the U.S. What I think would be sensitive is information about the consumer, information about their logistic network and how they run their business."
Alibaba decided to list in New York after failing to reach an agreement with Hong Kong Exchange and Clearing, the company which operates the Hang Seng, about preferred shares.
 
 
Shanghai FTZ to roll out free trade account
 
Anchor:
Its being reported the new rules connected to a free trade accounting system in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone are going to be rolled out before the end of June.
The free trade account system will allow for full convertibility of the Chinese currency and will also allow offshore financing.
This is one of the various moves China's central bank, the PBOC, has been undertaking to try to ease restrictions on overseas investment by individuals, by allowing those working in the zone to open an account for overseas investment.
At the same time, the deputy director of the Shanghai FTZ administrative committee also says financial reforms in the zone are expected to be rolled out and tested so they can be applied elsewhere in China by September.
For more on this, we're joined live now Benjamin Cavender, Associate Principal at China Market Research Group.
Questions.
1, What can the free trade account do for Chinese companies, especially those engaged in foreign trade?
2, The FTZ has launched trial key programs, include easing the cross border use of the Chinese yuan, liberalizing interest rates on foreign currency loans, facilitating offshore financing and outbound investment.
What are the next financial reforms in the zone?
3, The official says financial reforms in the zone are expected to be rolled out and tested so they can be applied elsewhere in China by September?
Can these financial reformed be emulated in other cities? Why?
Back Anchor:
Benjamin Cavender, Associate Principal at Market Research Group in Shanghai.
 
 
Agricultural Bank profits rise 15%
 
Agricultural Bank of China is reporting its net profits have surged to just under 27-billion US dollars this past year.
This represents an overall increase of 14.5-percent from a year earlier.
The first to release its annual report among China's Big Four Banks, Agricultural Bank says it earned nearly more than 600-billion yuan from interest payments last year.
That marks an increase of 8.4-percent on an annualized basis.
Net earnings from commissions and administrative fees are up more than 11-percent, surpassing 80-billion yuan.
These fees account for almost 18-percent of the banks' total revenues.
 
 
China Life annual profits up 123.9 pct
 
China Life, this country's largest life insurer, is reporting its net profit have surged nearly 124-percent over the past year on an annualized basis to 4-billion U.S. dollars.
China Life's annual report is suggesting the surge is mainly due to an increase of investment returns.
Investment assets, including deposits, bonds, stocks and funds, came in at almost 2-trillion yuan as of the end of last year.
That's up over 3 percent from the previous year.
China Life also earned just under 325-billion yuan in premiums this past year.
Its total assets hit roughly 2-trillion yuan in 2013, nearly 4-percent year on year.
 
 
Harbin Bank prices $1.1b IPO amid concerns
 
Local Chinese lender Harbin Bank is planning to raise 1.1-billion US dollars through an IPO in Hong Kong.
The pricing comes at as the Hang Seng finds itself down nearly 7-percent so far this year.
This has already prompted two issuers to delay their Hong Kong IPOs this month.
Harbin Bank has priced its IPO at 2-Hong Kong Dollars-90 per share.
The lender is offering more than 3-billion shares.
Harbin Bank contends its one of China's largest lenders to small-and medium-sized businesses.
It has managed to secure over 500-million US dollars worth of promised institutional investment from seven firms, including CITIC Capital.
 
 
Germany's Bundesbank opens door to QE in Europe
 
The head of Germany's central bank appears to be softening the tone when it comes to potential Quantative Easing in the euro zone.
Bundesbank chief Jens Weidmann is being quoted saying the European Central Bank could buy loans and other assets from banks to help support the euro zone economy.
But at the same time, Weidmann says any asset purchases should have to meet a certain quality standard.
Germany, as the largest economy in the euro zone, has been wary of the impact any quantitative easing might have on its overall economic recovery.
The apparent shift in Germany thinking comes as ECB President Mario Draghi has been stressing the European Central Bank's readiness to act should inflation come in below expectations.
 
 
British Royal Mail to cut 1,600 jobs
 
Britain’s postal service, The Royal Mail, is planning to cut 16-hundred positions.
Royal Mail is preparing to begin negotiations with the unions to achieve the reductions.
Around 300 of the 16-hundred positions will be realigned, meaning the total number of people being put out of work will come in at around 13-hundred.
Frontline employees, including postal carriers and customer service employees will not be impacted by the cuts.
Instead, Royal Mail's managers are going to take the brunt of the cuts.
The reductions are expected to save Royal Mail more than 80-million U.S. dollars.
Royal Mail currently has about 150-thousand employees.
Since 2003, almost 50-thousand employees have left the company.
 
 
Headline News
 
 
Search resumes for MH370
 
A fleet of Chinese ships and helicopters are expected to arrive in the southern Indian Ocean off western Australia in the coming few hours to aide in the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
The search is resuming later today after bad weather forced the suspension of the search yesterday.
American pinger locater, an instrument that can help find the missing aircraft's black box, is now on its way to Perth.
It's expected to arrive in the search area next week.
Finding the flight data recorder quickly is going to be one of the most critical next steps, as its locator beacon will eventually begin to fade out, as the black boxes normally only have 30-days of battery life.
 
 
Chinese president arrives in Lyon for France visit
 
Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in Lyon, France as part of the next leg of his current European tour.
Xi Jinping is in France to help commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
As part of his time in France, Xi Jinping is expected to sign a number of collaborative agreements in areas including nuclear energy, aviation, urbanization, agriculture and finance.
Xi Jinping's time in France is the 2nd leg of his current 4-nation European tour, which will also see him make stops in Germany and Belgium.
 
 
13 confirmed dead in Henan mine blast
 
Thirteen miners caught up in a coal mine explosion in central China's Henan Province last week have been confirmed dead.
The bodies of the miners have all been located in the mine in the city of Ruzhou, which is about 100-kilometers southwest of the provincial capital, Zhengzhou.
An explosion ripped through the mine on Friday evening as the crews were working in a 500-meter deep tunnel.
Only 3 of the 16 in the mine managed to escape.
 
 
DPRK fires two ballistic missiles: media
 
It's being reported North Korea has launched another set of ballistic missiles.
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff is being quoted saying a pair of missiles were launched early this morning off North Korea's east coast, landing in the sea about 650-kilometers from the launch site.
This would be the latest in a series of missile launches the North Korean side has taken part in over the past few weeks, which are seen as a show-of-strength and protest by the North connected to the annual war games still underway between South Korean and US forces.
 
 
Taiwan's Ma Ying-jeou invites protestors to talks
 
Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou has invited the leaders of a group of student protesters into talks to try to diffuse a standoff which has been gripping the administration in Taipei since last week.
A group of student activists stormed the main administrative building last week, accusing Ma Ying-jeou's ruling Kuomintang Party of using undemocratic tactics to push through a cross-strait services pact.
The student demonstrators are complaining the agreement with authorities here on the mainland will impact jobs and the local economy on Taiwan.
 
 
Newspaper Picks
 
 
CHINA DAILY
Headline
State publishers under graft investigation
Summary
China's discipline watchdog says three senior executives of state-owned publishing houses are under investigation for graft.
The three include the vice president and general manager of the China Publishing Group, as well as the general manager of the World Publishing Corporation's Beijing branch.
GLOBAL TIMES
Headline
New domestic routes for Tibet
Summary
A regional airline says a number of new domestic air routes are going to be opened soon to make air travel easier to Tibet.
One of them will link Lhasa to Beijing starting at the end of this month.
Three of the new routes will run from Lhasa to Golmud, Yushu and Xining in Qinghai.
The other will link the community of Qamdo in eastern Tibet to Chongqing.
SHANGHAI DAILY
Headline
Cabbie ban
Summary
Shanghai's Traffic Law Enforcement Team contends a campaign to crack down on dishonest taxi drivers has been a huge success.
The team says since the launch of the crackdown, seven drivers have had their business licenses revoked and the average number of complaints received by the team each month has fallen to 36 from 122.
The campaign was initiated in response to a growing number of complaints about unscrupulous taxi drivers who cherry-pick customers based on how much they think they can charge them.
BEIJING MORNING POST
Headline
New smoking regulations coming
Summary
New regulations on tobacco control here in Beijing are expected to come out in the first half of next year.
As part of the new regulations, government departments, State-owned enterprises and other government-related organizations will have to ban smoking inside their office buildings.
People caught smoking in public places where prohibited will be fined 50-yuan on the spot.
SOUTH CHINA METROPOLITAN DAILY
Headline
Hangzhou vehicle restrictions
Summary
Authorities in Zhejiang's capital Hangzhou are cutting back on the number of new vehicle licenses.
This will make Hangzhou the 6th Chinese city to clamp down on vehicle ownership in a bid to ease traffic congestion and combat air pollution.
Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Guiyang and Tianjin have already limited the number of vehicles registered each year.
BEIJING TIMES
Headline
Spam crackdown
Summary
More than 15-hundred suspects have been detained in a crackdown by Chinese authorities against fake telecom stations.
Fake base stations are unlicensed transmitters that enable criminals to send out spam messages to nearby mobile users with fake phone numbers.
The fake base stations are normally associated with fraud, illegal businesses and identity theft.
BEIJING NEWS
Headline
Pingdu arson confirmed
Summary
Police in the city of Pingdu in Shandong now say arson is behind a deadly fire connected to a land dispute.
A representative of a real estate developer and a local village official are accused of setting a tent on fire, which left one dead and three injured.
The people in the tent set it up to protest the compensation they received from the local government after their land was expropriated.
 
 
Special Reports
 
 
Percentage of career women in China above global average
 
Anchor:
A new survey among international businesses is suggesting China is among the top-10 places in the world to have female board members.
CRI's Li Dong has more.
Reporter:
According to a survey released by Grant Thornton International, a leading global accounting organization, women in China hold more than a third of the country's company management positions.
Rose Zhou is the partner of Grant Thornton International and the supervisor of their Shanghai office's taxation department.
"The percentage of female senior managers in China is higher than the global average. Women hold 38 percent of corporate senior management positions in China, compared with an average of 24 percent globally."
The survey also shows women occupy 21 percent of positions on company boards in China, beating the global average of 17 percent, which ranked China ninth among 44 polled countries.
Thailand topped the list with 37 percent, followed by the Philippines at 31 percent. Italy and Russia tied for third at 29 percent.
Rose Zhou adds that China's family planning policy is one of major things that boosted the percentage of female senior executives in the country.
"Because if one family only has one child, even if she's a girl, is also supposed to shoulder the responsibility of raising the family, just as a boy would be expected to do. So women in such an era have a stronger sense of independence, which resulted in a higher percentage of female senior executives in China."
The survey polled 6,700 companies worldwide, including 200 from the Chinese mainland.
However, Jia Yunzhu, a researcher at the Women's Studies Institute of China, says that although China has achieved remarkable progress in breaking the glass ceiling for women in business, it still lags behind in terms of providing sufficient support for career women.
"Especially nowadays, educating and raising children are more demanding compared to the past. It requires women to put a lot more effort into it. So women in general lack the public policy and service support when they need to balance the responsibility of taking care of kids and achieving career progress when facing fierce competition in the workplace."
The survey also finds that only 15 percent of businesses on the mainland provide training programs that facilitate a path for female employees to senior executive jobs. Nearly seven in 10 companies admitted they never considered tailored training workshops for female employees.
For CRI, I am Li Dong.
 
 
Sports
 
 
Xinjiang and Beijing meet for game 4 tonight
 
Tonight in the CBA playoffs Xinjiang and the Beijing Ducks go head to head in game 4 of their final series.
The Ducks have the advantage leading the series 2-1, with tonight's game being another home game at the Mastercard Center in Beijing.
But so far in this best-of-seven series each victory has been in enemy territory, with Beijing winning the first two in Xinjiang, and Xinjiang muscling its way to the win here in Beijing.
That game tips off at 7:30 tonight.
Over in the NBA,
Portland vs. Orlando
Toronto vs. Cleveland
At 8am Oklahoma City is playing Dallas. And then at 10:30 it's New York Knicks take on the LA Lakers.
And in college ball,
March Madness has entered the phase known as the Sweet Sixteen.
All number one seeds are through with the exception of Witchita State, who lost to eight seed Kentucky. I was hoping to see another 8-1 upset when Gonzaga played Arizona, but it didn't happen.
In the South, the unexpected matchup is eleventh seed Dayton vs. tenth seed Stanford. One of those guys will be going through to the elite eight.
And over in the Midwest, eleventh seed Tennessee got through after beating Mercer, the underdog team from Georgia that toppled Duke.
 
 
Liverpool hosts Sunderland in the EPL, and West Ham hosts Hull
 
In English Premier League action,
Aresenal vs. Swansea
Manchester United vs. Man City
Newcastle vs. Everton
Later today,
Liverpool will host Sunderland, but Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers isn't underestimating the visitors.
Sunderland have picked up more points away from home than they have from home. So that tells you it is going to be a really difficult game for us. They will come off the back of probably for Gus (Poyet) what will feel as a disappointing result at the weekend but will come here with renewed motivation for the game. We are under no illusions, we know it will be a really difficult game. They have got some good players."
And only two points separate West Ham and Hull City in the league table right now, although Hull have been a bit more consistent not dipping below 13th this season.
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce targeted 38 points as what his club needs to escape relegation.
"38 points we'll need and we'll try and get more than that as quickly as we can, but 38 points I think will be safe this year and it's such a big game now this Wednesday night. Steve's done fantastically well this season, back into the Premier League with Hull City and he's sneaked two points out of us with a great win against West Brom, so it's the old adage the big six-pointer, as it were, on Wednesday night."
That match takes place at West Ham, where Hull City have not won since a 2-1 victory in 1990.
 
 
Defending champions West Indies beat Bangladesh
 
Play at the World Twenty20 tournament in Bangladesh continues,
Yesterday the defending champions West Indies were too good for Bangladesh, defeating the host nation by 73 runs.
Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim apologized to the home supporters who had to watch the loss.
"It's really disappointing, like I said. But the crowds are still coming to support us but we feel really sorry for them because we didn't perform well in the last few matches and we really feel sorry for them but hopefully we will come up with some good performances in the next couple of days and that's the only thing that we can improve in the field so we have to do that for them also."
West Indies batsman Dwayne Smith fired ten fours and three sixes in 72 off 43 balls.
"I think that it was a much drier wicket than the one against India for sure. Some of the balls just kept low but having said that I had a job to do and that was what I set out to do. I just decided to back myself and stay positive and ensure that I can score runs. So that happened and I wish that (Chris) Gayle had got off a little better but I think they bowled him well. Having said that I am glad to say we are off to a winning start."
No games are on the lineup for today, but tomorrow play resumes with a matchup between South Africa and the unfortunate Netherlands, who will be desperate to reassert their dignity after taking the record for the worst score in T20 international history the other day.
And there will also be a match between England and Sri Lanka all coming up tomorrow.
 
 
Maria Sharapova books slot in semifinals at Sony Open
 
In tennis,
Round 4 for the men is in progress at the Sony Open.
Roger Federer vs. Richard Gasquet
Stanislas Wawrinka vs. Alexandr Dolgopolov
Earlier second seed Novak Djokovic defeated Tommy Robredo of Spain to advance to the fourth round, 6-3, 7-5.
"Rain delay of course. It was humid and swirly on the court. It was a lot of wind. I was just telling myself to stay mentally tough and composed not get carried away by a few points. I played well, I served well. I made him play an extra shot in important moments."
The Serb will next face Andy Murray in the next round, who advanced after a straight sets victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France, 6-4, 6-1.
On the womens side, the quarterfinals are underway.
Maria Sharapova defeated Petra Kvitova 7-5, 6-1 to book her place in the semifinals.
Later in the quarterfinals, China's Li Na will go up against Caroline Wozniacki. Agnieszka Radwanska will play Dominika Cibulkova, who advanced after beating Venus Williams. And Angelique Kerber faces a matchup against top seed Serena Williams.
 
 
Entertainment
 
 
Muppets Most Wanted hits cinemas soon
 
(Muppets)
The Muppets are back with their new movie "Muppets Most Wanted."
Directed by James Bobin, the film sees the gang taking to the stage across Europe under the guidance of manager Dominic Badguy, played by Ricky Gervais.
However, Kermit unwittingly finds himself the focus of unwanted attention from Interpol when a doppelganger embarks on a series of bold art thefts.
Gervais' role requires some musical abilities but the star says that he waddled into the flick without much gearing up beforehand.
"I didn't prepare for it, no. I'm an OK singer, I'm a failed pop star and I always sneak in a musical number. I wrote songs for David Brent, still doing it. I wrote a song with David Bowie for 'Extras.' I wrote a song with Elmo, 'Simpsons.' Dancing, bit more awkward. I'm not such a great mover am I? I'm all right."
Ty Burrell and Tina Fey join Gervais on the core cast.
The film also boasts an impressive list of cameo appearances, including Celine Dion as Miss Piggy's Fairy godmother, Usher, Lady Gaga and Zach Galifianakis.
Having entertained audiences for the last six decades, the Muppets' charisma goes unquestioned.
Prime Diva Miss Piggy is confident that she will be keeping the throne for a little while yet.
Here's why.
"Because audiences are smart. They know talent when they see it and I'm only too happy to keep giving it to them."
"Muppets Most Wanted" hits UK on 28th March before being rolled out world wide, arriving in Singapore and Australia on the 24th April.
 
 
Shigeru Ban wins Pritzker Architecture Prize
 
Japanese architect Shigeru Ban has won the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize.
The 56 year old was praised by the judges for his exemplary "commitment to humanitarian causes."
Ban has spent the last two decades helping to design low cost but effective housing for people in disaster struck zones.
Often using recyclable materials, his creations are easily erected and has helped disaster struck communities in Rwanda, India, Haiti, Japan and the Philippines, where he is currently at work.
In the wake of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, Ban used paper columns to build classrooms so children could continue their lessons.
Ban explained that he was disappointed by how his profession often served only the privileged and wanted to carve a career with more social impact.
However, Ban's work is not only restricted to humanitarian relief.
He also fashioned the striking Centre Pompidou Metz in France which is crowned by a curved timber roof inspired by a Chinese hat.
The Pritzker Prize comes with a $100 thousand dollar grant and will be presented in Amsterdam in June.
 
 
Spider Man 2 Cast hits Beijing
 
(Spider Man)
The cast of Hollywood action movie "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" attended a press tour in Beijing Tuesday. 　
Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and Jamie Foxx answered questions set by fans from across the country connected to the press conference by video link.
A special treat for fans of the franchise as this is the first time in the country for many members of the cast.
Some fans even turned up fully dressed in costumes from the movies.
"The Amazing Spider-Man 2" will be released on May 4 across China.
 
 
Justin and the Knights of Valour premieres in Beijing
 
Spanish animated fantasy film, "Justin and the Knights of Valour" premiered in Beijing on Tuesday.
(Justin)
Freddie Highmore, Antonio Banderas and James Cosmo voice the lead characters in the film.
The fantasy romp centers on the adventures of Justin on his quest to become a knight like his grandfather.
However, his true test of knighthood comes when banished former knight Sir Heraclio returns with his army, threatening to destroy the kingdom.
"Justin and the Knights of Valour" makes its way to screens across China on Friday, March 28th.
 
 
That’s it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.
A quick recap of headlines before we go.
The search for the missing Malaysia Airlines jet is resuming today after a day of bad weather and anger directed at Malaysian authorities here in Beijing.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in France for the 2nd leg of his current European tour after concluding his time at a Nuclear Security Summit in the Netherlands.
A Ukranian security official is warning of a build-up of Russian troops along the Ukranian border.
In Business... Agricultural Bank the first of the 'big four' to release its full-year figures for last year.
On behalf of the Beijing Hour staffers, this is Paul James in Beijing hoping you'll join us for our next edition of the Beijing Hour to open a window to the world together.