Morning Edition

 

 

It's Paul James with you on this Friday, March 27, 2015.

Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.

Coming up on our program this morning...

A new action-plan to round up more Chinese fugitives is being launched next month.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has sat down with the leaders of Indonesia and Sri Lanka to discuss bilateral ties.

Investigators have revealed the co-pilot of the downed flight this week in the French Alps did it on purpose.

In business... PetroChina reporting a significant full-year slowdown in profits.

In Sports... IOC officials visit Zhangjiakou to look at the co-bid city for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

In Entertainment... the cast of "Fast and Furious 7" arrive in Beijing to promote the new film.

First, let's check in with what's happening with the weather...

 

 

Weather

 

 

Beijing will be cloudy today with a high of 21 degrees Celsius.

Overnight temperatures should drop to 10.

Shanghai will have slight rain during the daytime with a high of 14.

Overnight it will be overcast with a low of 11.

In Chongqing, it will be overcast with a high of 23.

Overnight it will have showers with a low of 17.

Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia,

Islamabad will be sunny with a high of 39.

Kabul, partly cloudy with a high of 21.

Over to North America,

New York will have showers with a high of 12 degrees.

Washington will be rainy with a high of 11 degrees.

Honolulu, partly cloudy, 28.

Toronto, Canada, will be overcast with a high of 1 degrees.

Finally, on to South America,

Buenos Aires will be sunny with a high of 24.

And Rio de Janeiro will be partly cloudy with a high of 31 degrees Celsius.

 

 

Top News

 

 

China launches "Sky Net" to capture fugitive officials

 

Chinese law enforcement is launching a new campaign to try to capture corrupt officials who have fled abroad.

Anti-graft authority says the so-called "Skynet" campaign is a follow-up to last year's "Fox Hunt" campaign.

The new campaign, which begins next month, is designed to try to block the -quote- "last route of retreat" for corrupt officials.

It's focus will be on capturing corrupt officials, cleaning up illegal certifications, unraveling illegal underground banks, recovering assets involved in criminal cases and tracking down fugitive suspects abroad, or trying to convince them to return to China.

A total of 680 fugitives were repatriated during the "Fox Hunt" campaign from July to the end of last year.

 

 

U.S. China Anti-corruption Cooperation: State Department

 

The US State Department has confirmed Washington and Beijing have opened a new round of talks connected to the hunt for Chinese fugitives in the US.

This comes after the Chinese side handed the US government a priority list of over 150 high-profile fugitive officials China wants returned.

US State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki.

"The Chinese – at the most recent meeting, the Chinese delegation agreed that they would supply us more evidence regarding their priority fugitive cases so that we can increase our focus on the location and prosecution or removal of these fugitives. So they have provided lists in the past, and certainly that's something that is ongoing."

U.S. Department of Justice is also cooperating with anti-corruption investigators in China in the potential repatriation of Chinese suspects.

For years, corrupt Chinese officials have fled to the United States to try to avoid being repatriated, as the two sides currently don't have an extradition treaty.

The Chinese government has enhanced efforts to repatriate Chinese fugatives abroad, particularly since last year when it launched the so-called "Fox Hunt" operation.

 

 

China, Indonesia Signs Deal to Boost Cooperation

 

The Chinese and Indonesian governments have inked a new economic and political agreement.

The deal includes a 5-year plan to beef-up economic and strategic ties.

It's been signed following a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Beijing.

"We agreed to jointly announce a comprehensive strategic partnership for relations between China and Indonesia, to push forward the mutual exchange towards a win-win direction and enhance the development of our cooperation. We have worked out a comprehensive strategic plan for cooperation in the next five years. We will turn the cooperation into fruitful results for the benefits of people from both countries."

For his part, Widodo is calling on the international community to support the establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

"Indonesia encourages the international community to support the idea of an Asian Infrastructure Investment bank initiated by China as an important part of the international financial architecture system."

Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping has also met with new Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena.

Sirisena is also in Beijing, his first state visit to China since his election.

Among the discussions included the recent decision to shut down a Chinese-backed port-city construction project in the Sri Lankan capital, Columbo.

 

 

Rural banking high on Boao's agenda

 

Anchor

Issues connected to international finance and rural banking have been high on the agenda at yesterday's opening session of the Bo'ao Forum for Asia in Hainan.

CRI's Min Rui has more from Bo'ao.

Reporter

After ten years of rural banking reform in China, the rural economy has made considerable progress.

But the economic development of rural areas has been relatively slow when compared to that of urban areas.

In order to gain a better understanding of China's ongoing rural financial reforms, a focus group selected four typical areas in Hainan, Jiangsu, Shanxi and Zhejiang to evaluate the effectiveness of rural financial reforms. The group also aimed to uncover the segments in which the rural finance system needs to further improve.

The outcome of a study Report on Development of Rural Finance 2015 was published at the first discussion session of the Boao Forum.

In the report, Hainan Qiongzhong's experiment was highlighted as a successful example of rural finance reform.

Wu Weixiong is the head of Hainan Rural Credit Cooperatives Union

"More than 60 percent of the farmers in Hainan Province have access to small loans, 10 percent more than in other places. The average interest rate is between 7 percent and 8 percent, the highest is 15 percent. What's more, the Hainan government provides a no less than 5 percent discount on the compounded interest. Thus the farmers only need to shoulder a very low interest rate, which leads to a generally widespread willingness to take advantage of the loans."

The latest round of rural financial reform kicked off in 2003 and the following decade saw rural financial institutions diversify increasingly over time.

Lv Jiajin is the head of Postal Savings Bank of China.

"We rank among the top worldwide when it comes to the size of small loans. It is the small loan business that makes us among the top. This runs contrary to the older image attracting deposits, but without complementary lending. The small loan business laid the foundation for us to transition from a deposit and remittance institution to a commercial bank."

More loans and low interest rates from the bank are not the only things that are needed. Interest subsidies from the government are also considered to be an important part of the support of rural development.

Wu Xiaoling, Dean of the School of Finance at Tsinghua University, is promoting a new rural household responsibility production mechanism with support from the government.

"The only way forward for rural development is to move towards a more economically efficient form of production. Under the current land ownership system in China, separated farms won't be a good idea to promote. Things are more likely to succeed if we put farmers in a household responsibility production mechanism that takes advantage of the government's financial support and technical support."

Earlier this month, China's banking regulator urged financial institutions nationwide to channel more financial support to rural areas to help modernize the agricultural sector.

For CRI, I'm Min Rui in Boao.

 

 

Legal Experts Call for More Protection of Policemen

 

Anchor

Chinese legal experts are calling for more to be done to protect this country's police officers.

This comes amid a series of recent cases involving traffic police officers becoming involved in violent, and sometimes deadly confrontations with drivers.

CRI's Qian Shanming has more.

Reporter

In one case earlier this month, a traffic police officer in Shanghai eventually died after being dragged for around ten meters by an SUV.

Surveillance video shows the 32 year-old police officer was trying to stop the vehicle after it made an illegal turn.

The officer eventually died of head injuries.

The latest stats from the Ministry of Public Security show cases of assault on police officers came in at around 12-thousand through 2013.

Twenty-three of the officers involved were killed.

Another 44 were seriously injured.

Professor Hong Daode with the China University of Politics and Law says he believes the underlying cause is a basic disrespect of the law.

"There are two aspects to the disrespect of the law. There are those who have a very poor understanding of the law and those who don't trust law enforcers. These include people who believe that law enforcement officials are breaking the law themselves. This perception of law enforcement is simply ill-founded."

The current criminal law does include provisions to punish those who obstruct law enforcement.

The punishment range anywhere from 15 days detention to up to 3-years behind bars.

Xu Zhihui is a lawyer and legal expert.

She's been calling for changes to the legislation surrounding the assault of a police officer.

"I think the current provisions when it comes to obstructing law enforcement and civil services is not enough to protect police officers. Assaulting the police is an aggressive act; it is not merely a way of just trying to escape punishment. The current obstruction statutes in the law don't account for violent acts against law enforcement."

However, calls for stronger enforcement of the laws is also raising questions about how much personal protection police officers are afforded themselves under the current rules.

While some argue that giving more personal protection to individual officers makes sense, others have raised concerns it may end up giving too much power to other law-enforcement functionaries, such as Chengguan, or urban management officers.

Among trained police officers, traffic law enforcement officers aren't normally allowed to carry lethal weapons.

While some in the law enforcement community have suggested this may be the logical next step, many law enforcement officers have been suggesting what they need more is clarification of the codes so they know what level of force they're currently allowed to use in any given circumstance.

Yang Zhi is a traffic officer in the city of Shijiazhuang in Hebei.

"This is a rubber stick. This is pepper spray, and this is a pair of handcuffs. But I've never used any of them because I don't really know which one is suitable under which circumstances. On top of that, I personally don't think it's right to use force against un-armed citizens."

The recent string of violent incidents involving police officers has prompted the Ministry of Public Security to proclaim that it will be taking a harder-line stand on those involved in any assault or interference on law enforcement.

For CRI, I am Qian Shanming.

 

 

Co-pilot Downed the Plane Deliberately: French Prosecutor

 

New revelations from investigators have revealed the co-pilot of the Germanwings flight which plowed into the French Alps this week deliberately crashed the plane.

The stunning revelation has been made following additional information gathered from the cockpit voice recorder recovered from the crash.

Investigators say they believe co-pilot Andreas Lubitz locked the door to the cockpit after the pilot left to use the washroom, then automatically set the aircraft on an automatic decent into the mountains of southern France.

French prosecutor Brice Robin.

"The most plausible, realistic interpretation as far as we are concerned is that the co-pilot -- through voluntary abstention, through voluntary abstention -- refused to open the door of the cabin to the captain, refused to open the door of the cabin to the captain, and pressed the button which caused the aircraft to lose altitude."

Prosecutors say they're not describing co-pilot Andreas Lubitz as a terrorist, saying there are no grounds to consider the crash as a terrorist incident.

But at the same time, investigators have admitted they have heard passangers screams in the moments before the plane slams into the mountains.

They also say the co-pilots breathing remained steady and calm throughout.

Lufthansa is Germanwings parent company.

Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr says they had no indication about any problems Andreas Lubitz may have had leading up to Tuesday's crash.

"For me, that what has happened here is a singular tragic event. And for me it is important to say this here. And all of us are united with those left behind, with the next of kin, and the families and friends of the victims, and - I possibly am not exaggerating - with millions of people, in finding us faced with a huge enigma, and this upsets us. It will take time before we can fully comprehend what has happened."

Spohr has confirmed there was a "several-month" gap in the co-pilot's training six years ago.

He says they're now working to determine if this is a factor, but says he would have undergone rigorous re-testing upon his re-entry into the training program.

Meantime, the identification process for the bodies of the victims has begun.

The Germanwings airliner en route from Barcelona, Spain to Duesseldorf, Germany crashed in the French Alps on Tuesday, killing all 150 people on board.

 

 

Widening Conflict Looms over Yemen Crisis

 

Anchor

Fears of a wider-war are now being publically expressed following a move by a coalition of Arab countries, led by Saudi Arabia, to begin launching air strikes against the Shiite Houthi rebels currently controlling much of Yemen.

CRI's Qi Zhi has more.

Reporter

The Saudi-led intervention is pitting the Saudi's and their Arab allies against Iran, which is widely-believed to be backing the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

This has led to the prospect of a wider conflict emerging.

It's since prompted the United Nations to respond, with the Secretary-General calling on member states to refrain from interfering in Yemen.

U.N. deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq.

"The Secretary-General recalls the Security Council's Presidential Statement of 22 March which, while supporting the legitimacy of the President of Yemen, Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi, called upon all parties and Member States to refrain from taking any actions that undermine the unity, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Yemen."

The military operation is also supported by the Arab League, which is describing it as a "mission against terrorism."

The intervention was requested by ousted President Hadi, who had taken refuge in Yemen's second largest city of Aden.

The port city then became a target by the Houthi fighters, prompting Hadi to go into hiding.

He's since arrived in the Saudi capital, Riyadh and is expected to travel from there to Egypt to take part in an Arab League summit this weekend.

Meanwhile, the US, a key ally of the Hadi Administration, says it's providing "logistical and intelligence support" in the mission.

At the same time, reports are suggesting Pakistan may be considering a request to send ground forces.

For its part, Iran is demanding an immediate halt to all military operations in Yemen, saying it is going to take all necessary steps to try to control the evolving crisis.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

"We believe that these military actions can only plunge the region further into turmoil and will have no benefit for any of the countries who enter into such actions. We have done our utmost to try to limit and control this crisis and will hopefully continue these actions."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has also weighed in on the situation, placing a call to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, calling for Iran to help end the fighting.

The widening conflict in Yemen may also pose a risk to global oil supplies.

Most oil tankers from Arab producers, such as Saudi Arabia, have to pass along Yemen's coastline en-route to Europe.

International Brent Crude prices have jumped almost 6-percent since the outset of the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen.

For CRI, I'm Qi Zhi.

 

 

Biz Reports

 

 

Stocks

 

Anchor

First, a quick look at the closing numbers across North America and Europe.

Reporter

U.S. markets ended slightly lower following a volatile trading session on Thursday, as investors weighed geopolitical tensions in the Middle East against an upbeat US jobs report.

Oil prices spiked on Thursday after Saudi Arabia and its allies launched airstrikes on Yemen, with both light-sweet and Brent crude surging more than 4 percent.

But at the same time, new U.S. jobless claims have hit a five-week low, offsetting concerns about what's happening globally.

At close,

The Dow fell 0.2 percent.

The S&P 500 also dipped 0.2 percent.

The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 0.3 percent.

Meanwhile, European stocks also declined Thursday, with a sharp selloff by investors around the world.

Even energy shares dipped, despite the upsurge in oil prices.

European markets have been retreating from multi-year and record highs, partly on the back of gains by the Euro against the U.S. dollar this week.

At the closing bell,

The UK's FTSE 100 declined 1.4 percent.

While Germany's DAX fell about 0.2 percent.

A lot of eyes will be on airline shares following revelations the co-pilot of the downed Germanwings flight in France this week intentionally crashed the plane.

Finally France's CAC 40 shed 0.3 percent.

 

 

China cuts retail oil prices

 

Gas prices have once-again come down across China.

Prices at the pumps for both regular and diesel are down by 0.2-yuan per litre.

The cut follows a slight increase in fuel prices during the last 10-day window the National Development and Reform Commission has to adjust fuel prices.

Under the existing provisions, if international crude prices change by more than 50-yuan during 10-working days, the NDRC is obliged to reduce or increase fuel prices.

 

 

PetroChina sees lowest profit in 5 years

 

Chinese oil and gas giant PetroChina has announced its lowest annual profit return in 5-years through last year.

PetroChina's next earnings have come in down 17-percent this past year.

However, the company still earned some 17-billion US dollars.

PetroChina is planning to cut its spending by around 8-percent this year.

Sinopec, China's largest petroleum refiner, has seen its net earnings for last year drop by nearly 30 percent.

 

 

Zhejiang's first private bank begins lending

 

The first private bank in the province of Zhejiang has become operational in the coastal city of Wenzhou.

The Wenzhou Minshang Bank is expected to provide financial services for small businesses and the self-employed, as well as individuals.

It's first loan has already been made.

It is a 300-thousand yuan loan to a small electronics producer.

The Wenzhou Minshang Bank is the first of 3 private banks approved by the China Banking Regulatory Commission last year.

 

 

Corporate News of the Week with Doug Young

 

Anchor

Let's check out some of the main events taking place on the corporate front in China this week.

Joining me on the line now is Doug Young, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.

1. Alibaba Shuts down 26 Online Shops In Taobao Clean-Up

Alibaba has announced the permanent shut down of 26 online shops in its Taobao site, accusing them of reaping illegal profits.

This includes bribing Alibaba staff and other behavior to cheat online customers.

The internet giant also calls for public security authorities' involvement into these Internet crimes.

This is seen as the most severe punishment Alibaba has imposed within its online shops so far.

1) How do you perceive Alibaba's latest anti-graft move cutting its own flesh? Is it a sort of compromise with China's commercial watchdog after their spat in January, which was followed by a sharp decline in its shares?

2) Looking at a bigger picture, what kind of challenges online retailers in China are now facing in combating the corruption and dishonesty? How could online retailers build a transparent mechanism to tackle the lax supervision in China's online business?

-----------

2. Online insurance JV seeks 1-billion US dollars in funding.

China's first online insurance joint venture, known as Zhong'An, has started its first round of financing targeting private equity firms.

Zhong An is courting investors in Hong Kong.

Alibaba, Tencent and Ping'An Insurance set up "Zhong'An" in late 2013.

Zhong'An is also reportedly considering a 2018 IPO.

1) As China's first online insurance company, how ambitious is the company's latest move to seek Series A and its 2018 IPO plan facing the fierce competition in China's insurance market?

2)What are the difficulties facing the Joint Ventures' further expansion as it has to cater to the three giants' different tastes, especially the two Internet rivals Alibaba and Tencent?　

Back Anchor

Doug Young, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.

 

 

China Trade-in program for iPhone to start in March

 

A new program is being launched here in China which will allow Apple customers to exchange their older iPhones at Apple stores in China for store credit.

Under the deal, Foxconn, who is Apple's key supplier, is going to buy the iPhones directly.

The program in China is similar to a trade-in scheme launched in the US in 2013.

Under the US program, non-Apple devices were accepted.

However, here in China, only iPhones can be traded in for store-credit.

 

 

JD.com Launches 'Korean Mall' in Seoul

 

Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com has launched an online platform "Korean Mall" in Seoul.

"Korean Mall" is expected to cater to the rising demand for Korean products among Chinese consumers.

These are mostly clothes, cosmetics and electronics.

JD.com hopes to have around a thousand Korean companies selling through "Korean Mall" by the end of this year.

The turnover of Korean products in China is expected to exceed 8-billion US dollars in the next 3-years.

 

 

Headline News

 

 

China launches "Sky Net" to capture fugitive officials

 

Chinese law enforcement is launching a new campaign to try to capture corrupt officials who have fled abroad.

Anti-graft authority says the so-called "Skynet" campaign is a follow-up to last year's "Fox Hunt" campaign.

The new campaign, which begins next month, is designed to try to block the -quote- "last route of retreat" for corrupt officials.

It's focus will be on capturing corrupt officials, cleaning up illegal certifications, unraveling illegal underground banks, recovering assets involved in criminal cases and tracking down fugitive suspects abroad, or trying to convince them to return to China.

A total of 680 fugitives were repatriated during the "Fox Hunt" campaign from July to the end of last year.

 

 

S. Korea, Turkey Apply to Join AIIB

 

South Korea and Turkey have become the latest countries to announce plans to join Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

The announcements come on the heel of Britain, France, Germany, Italy and other European nations' decisions to join the institution.

This brings the total number of prospective founding members of the bank up to 27.

It's expected that around 35 countries will be involved as founding members when the deadline for applying hits next week.

The Chinese-backed AIIB is expected to become operational by the end of this year.

 

 

Chinese Embassy: Customers Should be Treated Equally in Kenya

 

The Chinese Embassy in Kenya has issued a statement in response to outrage created in Kenya by a Chinese-run restaurant.

The Chinese embassy in Nairobi has issued a statement, saying it regrets the restaurant's misconduct, blaming the owners for creating an unnecessary misunderstanding.

Anger erupted in Nairobi this week amid revelations a Chinese restaurant operating in the capital was banning black people from eating at the restaurant after 5pm.

The owners of the restaurant later explained it began banning black customers amid fears about being robbed, pointing to instructions from the Chinese embassy about remaining vigilant in the wake of a series of robberies involving Chinese interests in Kenya.

The Chinese embassy has since issued a statement, saying it believes in equality for everyone living in Kenya.

 

 

Yemen's president arrives in Saudi Arabia

 

Exiled Yemeni President Abd-Rabbo Mansour Hadi is now taking refuge in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.

It is the first confirmation of his whereabouts since he went off-grid Wednesday amid shelling by Houthi rebel forces in the city of Aden, where Hadi had been hoping to establish a provisional capital.

At the same time, Yemeni officials say Hadi is expected to travel to Egypt this weekend for a two-day Arab League summit.

This comes amid the new intervention by the Arab world into the conflict in Yemen, which has seen Iranian-backed Houthi fighters takeover most of the country, including the capital Sana'a.

Meanwhile, Iran, which is said to be backing the Houthi's, is demanding an immediate halt to Arab military operations in Yemen.

This has lead to fears of a wider conflict erupting in the region.

 

 

Newspaper Picks

 

 

BEIJING NEWS

Headline

'Secret' children debate

Summary

A draft of a revised regional family planning regulation in Shaanxi is suggesting civil servants will be fired if they are found to have children they're not paying for.

Government officials, court workers and those in the Military will be sacked if found skirting the rules.

BEIJING TIMES

Headline

household registration changes

Summary

The Ministry of Public Security has confirmed each Chinese citizen will only have a single residence registration, or "Hukou," as well as a unique ID number starting next year.

This is part of a campaign to clean-up duplicate ID numbers and multiple Hukou's.

GLOBAL TIMES

Headline

Chinese Ebola vaccine

Summary

A new paper published in the Medical journal "The Lancet" is suggesting the early trials of a Chinese-produced Ebola vaccine are proving safe.

The analysis is suggesting the trial vaccine is stable and much easier to store or transport to tropical areas, such as West Africa.

BEIJING MORNING POST

Headline

Elevator safety rules

Summary

Elevator management and maintenance are being tightened up next month.

Under the new rules, lifts that have been in operation for than 15-years will have to be maintained "more frequently" than younger models.

Elevator owners and operators could face fines of up to 100-thousand yuan if they fail to maintain their machines properly.

CHINA DAILY

Headline

NGO sues polluter

Summary

The All-China Environment Federation is suing an industrial polluter in Shandong for damages from air pollution.

It is the country's first environmental lawsuit under a new law that makes it easier for environmental NGOs to file lawsuits against polluters.

SHANGHAI DAILY

Headline

Center for abused kids

Summary

A counseling center for child abuse victims and other troubled youngsters has officially opened in Shanghai.

The center features both consultation and treatment rooms for abused kids.

It's been operating on a trial basis since last year.

 

 

Special Reports

 

 

China Fashion Week Opens in Beijing

 

Anchor

This year's China Fashion Week has opened in Beijing.

The opening ceremony has seen the China Garment Awards given to up-and-coming fashion designers from around the world.

CRI's Chi Huiguang with more.

Reporter

Fashion is once again at the forefront of the event throughout the capital city in the coming eight days. And there are 41 designer brands hitting the catwalks in the Mercedes-Benz China Fashion Week. The newest collections for Autumn-Winter 2015 and 2016 will be presented in 26 shows. About 80 young talents will take part in two design contests and a show jointly hosted by fashion schools. And more than 50 activities including shows, presentations, competitions and forums would be held in 751D?PARK, Beijing Hotel and other venues during the week.

As the opening show of this year's China Fashion Week, the 23rd Hempel Award for the China International Young Fashion Designers Contest showed off design works by 28 young designers from 23 countries. Their vision of the "city image" is displayed on the T stage.

Professor Liu Yuanfeng, president of Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology serves as a judge for the competition.

"The candidates are youngsters from around the world. The cities they live in are different, as well as their feelings about city. So the design works are full of variety. They are energetic with artistic atmosphere. However, the real good works actually are simple and pithy. Works of the awards winners are all representing both the concept of the theme and the design elements best. As for the Golden award work, it also combined art with 3D printing."

He encourages the young designers to broaden their eyes and pay more attention to science, technology and new inventions.

Gan Dongxinrui is a junior student of Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, who won the thrid award.

"I am so grateful that my work is appreciated. Every piece of entry is unique with its own characteristics. I will work harder in the future. And I plan to study abroad to learn more and then design my own series. "

Jose Lord, a fashion trend expert from Canada gives his insight about isthe fashion week.

"It's quite entertaining. It's a great opening for the China Fashion Week. Nowadays, the designers are becoming more and more creative. Even the students come here to have a lot to see and a lot to learn."

Of all the designers and brands from around the world attending the China Fashion Week, nearly 70% will be making their first appearance at the event. The shows consist of women's wear, men's wear, gown, street fashion, winter wear, casual wear, Denim, parent-child wear and children's wear.

Among the Chinese designers are Wang Yutao, Zeng Fengfei, Chen Wen and Fan Ran. Meanwhile, international designers, namely Susanna Bracco, Marina Miglio and Cristiano Burani, NAM JY HOON, Araisara and Sheguang Hu will also be arriving from Italy, Korea, Japan and the Netherlands.

Since its debut in 1997, the China Fashion Week has been held annually in Beijing in March and October reflecting the seasonal themes. The China Fashion Week has proved to be the essential platform for promoting the Chinese fashion industry as a whole. It is also a prestigious international platform for supplying the best service for well-known brands and designers and creating awareness of emerging talent in China.

Back Anchor

CRI's Chi Huiguang reporting

 

 

Sports

 

 

IOC Evaluation Commission visit Zhangjiakou

 

The International Olympic Committee Evaluation Commission visited Zhangjiakou, the joint bidder of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games yesterday.

Headed by Russian member Alexander Zhukov, the commission visited the slopes of the Genting Secret Garden resort in Chongli county which would host some of the snowboarding and skiing events should China win the bid. They were briefed by Li Nina, silver medallist in aerials at the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics.

The commission has already visited sites in Beijing as well as the Yanqing zone.

Beijing, up against Almaty, Kazahkstan is seeking to become the first city to host both the Summer and Winter games.

The International Olympic Committee is due to select the host city on July 31 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

 

 

Pang Qing and Tong Jian end their skating career at World Champs

 

China's veteran skaters Pang Qing and Tong Jian ended their career at the Figure Skating World Championships in Shanghai yesterday.

The two-time world championships winner and three-time world medalists took a bronze with their last dance while Canadian pair Meagan Duhamel and Eric Redford clinched the title. Young Chinese duo Sui Wending and Han Cong took the silver medal.

Pang Qing and Tong Jian had retired after the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games but came out to compete on home ice in their 16th world championships.

The Olympic silver medalists first competed at the worlds together in 1999. Now the pair say they want to go back to school and improve their English and also set up a skating club together.

 

 

NBA and NCAA

 

In the NBA this morning, there's only one game being played.

It's the Indiana Pacers against Milwaukee Bucks. Still clinging to sixth place in the Eastern Conference, the host Bucks seek their first back-to-back win in five weeks

Meanwhile in the NCAA this morning, we've reached the sweet sixteen and the teams are fighting for a place in the final eight.

North Carolina take on Wisconsin

It's West Virginia against Kentucky

Wichita State take on Notre Dame

And Xavier play Arizona

 

 

Australia reach Cricket World Cup final

 

Australia have reached the World Cup final with a 95-run victory over defending champions India in Sydney.

Steve Smith struck a 105 from 93 balls and Aaron Finch 81 as Australia posted 328-7, the highest score in a world cup semi-final.

Australia will meet fellow co-hosts New Zealand in Sunday's final in Melbourne.

Skipper Michael Clarke on the upcoming final.

"I think New Zealand will take confidence that they've beaten us in the tournament. But I believe that was the turning point in this tournament for the Australian team. I think that gave us a bit of a kick up the backside. We knew we got a good look at a very good team playing at the top of their game, certainly with the ball, and I think our attitude from that day has been exceptional,"

Australia will be competing for their fifth World Cup crown as no other team has more than two.

 

 

First round results of the Trophee Hassan II

 

Adrien Saddier took the clubhouse lead in the first round of the Trophee Hassan II tournament in Morocco yesterday.

The Frenchman opened his round with an eagle and fired five more birdies in his blemish free seven under par round of 65, two shots ahead of South Africa's George Coetzee and a trio of British golfers, David Drysdale, Chris Wood and Oliver Wilson, who finished on five under.

Coetzee is one of two players who need to win in Morocco to qualify for next month's Masters in Augusta, the second is Germany's Marcel Siem who did himself no harm by shooting a four under round of 66 to leave himself in contention.

-----

And at the Valero Texas Open,

Graeme McDowell has been forced to withdraw from the Valero Texas Open in San Antonio with an ankle injury.

The Northern Irishman suffered the problem during practice on Wednesday and, although he managed to play his opening nine holes yesterday, he pulled out of the tournament before setting his sights on getting fit for the Masters.

 

 

Practice laps for Malaysian GP begin today

 

Practice laps for the Malaysian Grand Prix begin today with Fernando Alonso returning after his pre-season crash.

Alonso passed the final round of tests at the circuit in Sepang, Malaysia and is keen to get back to work on one of his favourite circuits.

"Malaysia has always been a very nice circuit for me in my Formula One career, my first pole position was here in 2003, my first podium, and then as you said three wins with three different teams gives me the possibility to enjoy this circuit. I know it's going to be very tough this year to repeat such a result but happy to be back in the cockpit and ready to enjoy the weekend,"

McLaren will be pleased with Alonso's return as the team struggled in Melbourne due to a lack of power from their new Honda engine. His former team, Ferrari were the second best team after Mercedes but the Alonso says he still had faith McLaren would take him to a third world title.

 

 

Terry to stay with Chelsea while Xavi heads to Qatar

 

Chelsea's John Terry has extended his contract at the club until the end of 2015-16 season. The 34 year old whose previous deal ran out at the end of the current campaign has made over 550 appearances for the Premier League leaders.

Jose Mourinho recently said he could guarantee that Terry would be offered a new deal which is in line with Chelsea's policy of offering those over the age of 30 only one year deals.

Meanwhile, Barcelona midfielder Xavi will sign for Qatari side Al Sadd at the end of this season on a three-year deal according to Spanish newspaper AS.

Reports in Spain suggest Xavi will earn over ?7million a year and have the option of a fourth year with the club.

The 35-year-old, whose contract at Barcelona runs out in the summer, has been at the club for his entire career, going back 24 years, and has been linked with moves to the Middle East and United States.

 

 

Entertainment

 

 

"Fast and Furious 7" cast come to China

 

The cast of "Fast and Furious 7" have arrived in China.

Vin Diesel, Jason Statham and Michelle Rodriguez turned out at an event for the film last night in Beijing.

Jason Statham says he is in-awe of what stunts co-star Vin Diesel was able to pull-off.

"I was quite impressed with how Vin was driving a car out of the back of a plane, you know? All the stuff over the rough ground. I means it's technical, incredibly difficult stuff to do."

The "Fast and Furious" franchise has earned over 2 billion US dollars worldwide so far.

The seventh installment is due to hit theatres in the US on April 3rd, with its release here in China expected at a later date.

 

 

Wang Xuebing obtains a guarantor pending trial for drug-taking

 

Chinese actor Wang Xuebing is free on bond after pleading guilty to drug charges.

He's due to be sentenced on June 26th.

Wang and two others were busted in his apartment earlier this month in possession of Meth, the latest in a string of busts targeting Chinese celebrities.

Meanwhile, the producers of Wang Xuebing's film "A Fool" have announced the film will not be released, unless a new actor can be found to replace him in the roll.

 

 

Steven Spielberg to direct "Ready Player One"

 

Steven Spielberg has announced plans to adapt the science fiction novel "Ready Player One" into a movie.

The project will be based on the sci-fi book by Ernest Cline that takes place in a virtual world.

"Ready Player One" was published in 2011.

It has since been republished in 40 different countries after making its way on to the 'New York Times' best seller's list.

"Ready Player One" will also mark Spielberg's return to Warner Bros after a 14-year absence.

The last picture he directed with Warner Bros was "AI-Artificial Intelligence" in 2001.

 

 

"Downton Abbey " to end with season 6

 

The producers of "Downton Abbey" have announced the forthcoming 6th season of period-piece drama will be its last.

Executive producer Gareth Neame says he wants to close the door on "Downton Abbey" when it felt natural for the storylines to come together.

He is also promising the final season will still be packed with the usual drama and intrigue.

The Emmy Award-winning show is the highest rated U.K. drama of the past decade across British channels.

It follows the fates of the aristocratic Crawley clan and their servants amid the social upheavals of the early 20th century.

"Downton Abbey" first began airing in the UK in 2010, but quickly became a global phenomenon.

 

 

'Fifty Shades of Grey' director Sam Taylor-Johnson will not return for sequel

 

Sam Taylor-Johnson, the director of "Fifty Shades of Grey," has decided not to return to direct its planned two sequels.

Based on EL James's 2011 best-seller of the same-name, the film is about a young businessman who begins a sadomasochistic affair with a student.

The film has taken in close to 560 million US dollars at the global box office.

Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson are expected to return as 'Christian Grey' and 'Anastasia Steele' in the next film.

"Fifty Shades Darker" is scheduled for release in 2017.

 

 

That’s it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.

A quick look at the headlines before we go...

A new action-plan to round up more Chinese fugitives is being launched next month.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has sat down with the leaders of Indonesia and Sri Lanka to discuss bilateral ties.

Investigators have revealed the co-pilot of the downed flight this week in the French Alps did it on purpose.

In business... PetroChina reporting a significant full-year slowdown in profits.

On behalf of the Beijing Hour staffers, this is Paul James Beijing hoping you'll join us for our next edition of the Beijing Hour to open a window to the world together.