| The Beijing Hour
Morning Edition
Paul James with you on this Wednesday, April 15, 2015.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese Capital.
Coming up on our program this morning...
Both the Chinese and US governments are promising tighter cooperation with one-another when it comes to environmental protection.
A list of who are going to be the founding members of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is due out later today.
US President Barack Obama has announced he's pulling Cuba off the list of countries which sponsor terrorism.
In Business... Tencent shares give up earlier gains following a stock sell-off by the company's chair.
In Sports... the draws are out for the Asian qualifiers for the World Cup.
In entertainment... the man who plays James Bond has been tapped by the UN to help eliminate landmines.
Top News
Premier Li Keqiang urges preparedness amid rising economic pressure
Chinese premier Li Keqiang is suggesting more measures will be taken to maintain Chinese economic growth amid the rising pressure on the domestic economy.
The comments have been made while the Premier was attending a symposium in Beijing on the current economic situation.
Addressing the session, which has included officials, experts and entrepreneurs, Li Keqiang says the current economic slow down remains within reason.
"In the first quarter, our economy ran generally stable. Major indicators of growth remained in a reasonable range, with a steady employment, increasing incomes and declining energy use. New economic power kept growing. However, on the other hand, we are aware of the ever-rising downward pressure. The development of some industries has remained static and regional development still shows a great imbalance. Under the circumstances, we need to deeply analyze the current economic situation so that we can fully understand the trends."
Li Keqiang has also hinted the government is looking at all necessary measures to ensure economic stability, including adjusting their macroeconomic policies.
"The government should be intensifying its efforts toward targeted macroeconomic regulations to counter the downward pressure and build a favorable market environment. Actually, we have flexible measures available to maintain growth, promote employment and raise efficiency. There are still multiple policy tools available as options."
The Chinese government has an economic growth target of around 7 percent this year, down from the 7.5-percent growth set for last year.
First quarter economic results in China are due out later today.
China, U.S. to deepen cooperation on environmental protection
Anchor:
The US government is promising more cooperation with China on environmental protection.
The pledge has been made by US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker during a speech at the Microsoft Asia-Pacific Research & Development Group in Beijing.
CRI's Xie Cheng with more.
Reporter:
During her speech, Pritzker explains the central message of her visit to China and the U.S. side's approach to environmental protection.
"The central message of our visit is with responsible partnership we will do more business together and in doing so, we will protect and improve our environment. Our attitude is simple and straightforward, we want more engagement and want to do more business together, we want the relationship with China to be founded on mutual interest and mutual respect."
She also says that the United States welcomes the continuing rise of a China that is peaceful, prosperous and stable, and that plays a responsible role in the world.
According to the China-US Joint Announcement on Climate Change released last November, the United States agreed to cut greenhouse gas emissions up to 28% below 2005 levels in the next 10 years and China agreed to peak carbon emissions and increase the non-fossil fuel share of China's energy supply by 2030.
Pritzker says that fulfilling these commitments will prove critical to the future of the earth and set an example for other nations.
Pritzker, together with Deputy Secretary of Energy, Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, is now visiting China, leading a U.S. trade mission focusing on the development of smart low-carbon cities and smart low-carbon growth technologies.
Randall, for her part, emphasizes the importance of developing low-carbon technologies.
"Low cost, low carbon technology has potential to change the world wide picture on climate. Driving down the costs of green technologies enables ambitious policies and ultimately makes clean energy goals much easier to achieve. Lowering the cost of these technologies also enables less developed economies to join in the shift toward a low carbon future, greatly amplifying the impact we can have."
She adds that since China and U.S. are the worlds' two largest economies and also two largest carbon producers, they have the power to shape the future of the earth.
For CRI, I'm xc.
Tenger desert pollution case under China's new environmental law
Anchor
A major industrial player in the northwest Chinese province of Gansu has had its operations suspended and fined some 48-million US dollars for illegally discharging waste water into Tennger Desert.
CRI's Wang Mengzhen has more.
Reporter
In March, Gansu government conducted what it calls "a thorough inspection" of local enterprises, looking for illegal discharging in the desert.
The snap inspection failed to expose any illegal activities.
However, media reports then followed and exposed that a company called Ronghua Industry & Trade had been discharging waste water into the Tengger Desert.
This has raised questions about how the local industrial giant in Gansu was able to bypass inspections and discharge waste water into the desert.
Ma Jun is the director of the China Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs.
"In many cases, local environmental bureaus aren't able to withstand pressure from economic interests. Instead, they simply submit to the decision-making of local governments, who often prioritize economic interests over the environment. This happens a lot in the western regions, where economic growth is still lagging behind."
Gansu's provincial authorities have since admitted they have loopholes in its supervision, pinning the blame on the municipal government of the city of Wuwei for deliberately concealing the facts of the case.
Officials with local environmental protection departments are now under investigation.
Taking effect this year, the central government's revised environmental protection law includes stronger penalties for firms breaking the rules, as well as more accountability for local governments.
But observers say the core of the issues lies in how the law is applied.
Liu Hongyan is law professor with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
He says levying a fine on a company is far from enough.
"The new environmental protection standards have not replaced penalties with effective supervision. For companies like Ronghua, they need to spend much more than 3 million yuan to install pollution discharging facilities. As such, they just count the fines for illegal discharging into their general costs."
Launched in 1999, the Tengger Industrial Park had managed to escape a lot of public attention until illegal discharging cases started emerging.
In August of last year, several pits containing liquid waste were discovered.
The companies responsible were punished and ordered to move out of the Industrial Park.
Professor Liu Hongyan says much more attention needs to be paid to the Tengger Industrial Park.
"First of all, the area the pollution was discharged in the Tenger desert is very close to the upper reaches of Yellow river. Secondly, waste water can easily permeate through sand. This will eventually pollute the groundwater, which will be a deadly blow to the ecological system. But beyond this, there are concerns that the treating of waste water can lead to additional air pollution concerns in local areas."
Authorities are now conducting an impact assessment, which is due to be released by the end of this month.
The outcome of the report is expected to determine whether Ronghua will face even more penalties, based on the environmental damage it has caused.
For CRI, I am Wang Mengzhen.
Q&A: AIIB to Announce List of Founding Members
Anchor
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is due to announce the full list of its founding members later today.
Egypt, Norway and Russia became the latest prospective founding members of the bank this week, bringing the initial number of countries to 50.
Founding members of the bank will have a say in how the organizational structure of the AIIB will be laid-out.
Countries that applied after March 31st will not have the ability to dictate how the AIIB's organization structure will be laid out.
However, non-founding members will still have voting rights when the bank is officially formed later this year.
For more on the shape the AIIB is taking, we're joined by John Ross, Senior fellow with Chongyang Institute of Financial Studies, Renmin University.
Q:
1. Among the nations applied to join the bank include surprisingly such European powers like Britain, Germany and France. What's the attraction of Asian infrastructure building?
2. Once the line-up is ready, the next thing is making rules, regulations and standards, such as governance, shareholding principles, procedures for project bids and approval. No doubt different members have different ideas, even some outsiders have been quite vocal. What can we expect in the next few months? Any signs of possible consensus relatively easy to reach?
3. The potential demands for infrastructure is huge among Asian nations. But the resources of the bank are still limited. In handling project bids once the rules and mechanisms are in place, what should be the priority in endorsing project applications at the first stage?
BACK ANCHOR:
John Ross, Senior fellow with the Chongyang Institute of Financial Studies, Renmin University.
Premier Li meets high-level Japanese delegation
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has sat down for a high-level meeting with a Japanese delegation here in Beijing.
The Japanese group is headed by former chief cabinet secretary Yohei Kono.
Kono is now head of the Japanese Association for the Promotion of International Trade.
It meeting with the group, Premier Li Keqiang says the key to the bilateral relationship is how Japan views and treats historical issues.
"The Chinese government always pays a great deal of attention to Sino-Japanese relations. We are willing to push forward the bilateral ties, using the principles of taking history as a mirror and facing the future, and on the basis of the recently-signed four political documents."
The four documents lay out China and Japan's positions on historical issues.
It's allowed for the resumption of higher-level government interactions after a number of years of political detachment.
For his part, Yohei Kono says the Japanese side also wants to see an improvement of bilateral ties.
"Our visit to China is very successful and it comes after the leaders of Japan and China managed to have a meeting last year with enormous efforts and the wisdom of diplomats from both countries. The delegates decided that we should push forward the bilateral ties with the spirit of respecting history and facing the future."
Kono is leading a delegation of some 60 Japanese entrepreneurs and politicians here to China.
The former Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary is best known in China for the so-called "Kono Statement."
The statement, delivered in 1993, publically confirmed the Japanese Imperial Army forced foreign women to work in military-run brothels during the war.
China-S. Africa relations at their best in history: Chinese FM
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is in South Africa for a series of meetings.
He's already met with South Africa's foreign minister, describing China-South Africa relations as being at their best in history.
"China has the capacity and the conditions to offer Africa help in its process of industrialization and become its most ideal partner. At the same time we are also willing to regard Africa as our priority in our international industrial capacity and cooperation agenda. We also want to help Africa enhance its independent development capacity, through industrial cooperation between the two sides to realize technological transfer to Africa, to help Africa train professionals and talents and at the same time preserve and protect the environment."
For her part, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane says South Africa considers China a trustworthy and reliable trading partner.
She notes bilateral trade last year between China and South Africa hit nearly 22 billion US dollars.
"It is a reconfirmation that China's cooperation with our continent is about mutual respect but also how to continue to respond to what Africans say and how they become their own liberators."
The two also discussed, among other things, the preparations for this year's Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, which is going to be held in South Africa.
Wang Yi arrived in South Africa on Tuesday for a two-day visit.
Beijing Police Detain Two over 'Fast and Furious' Car Race
Questions are being raised about the level of punishment two young men potentially face for their alleged involvement in a "Fast and Furious" style car crash in Beijing which has gained national attention.
The two young men driving the Ferrari and the Lamborghini are facing dangerous driving charges.
Zhang Zhuting with the Ministry of Transport says he feels the charges don't go far enough.
"We need to realize the crash happened on road, rather than a race tracks. This is a huge concern when it comes to public safety. As such, I feel they should be charged with endangering public safety."
Endangering Public Safety is a much more serious charge than Dangerous Driving.
Word of the crash involving high-end vehicles and young men has fostered a new round of discussion about the accountability among the children of the wealthy here in China.
The father of one of the drivers insists his son earned the money for the car through speculating on the stock market.
However, editorialist Yang Tianwei with the Beijing Youth Daily says the explanation doesn't appear to be sitting well with the public.
"Most of people still choose to believe the car's expenses were from the family. Actually, the public appears to have already formed an image that these rich and young men are idle and prone to do something wrong. The case has aroused public attention to the widening gap between rich and poor in the country."
Saturday night's crash near the "Bird's Nest" saw the two cars hit the wall of a tunnel at some 160-kilometers per hour.
Both young men walked away with only minor injuries from the suspected drag race.
The crash came just a day ahead of the release of the latest "Fast and Furious" film in Chinese theatres.
Fire put out in north China's Inner Mongolia
A grass fire which has been raging in Inner Mongolia has been contained.
Authorities say they are concerned about strong winds whipping up new fires near the city of Ergun.
Li Kun is the deputy head of the area's fire command.
"About 70 percent of the residents in the township are herdsmen, so they had stored tons of foraged grass, and there was also piled livestock excrement. It is likely going to take over 10 days for the fire to completely extinguish itself."
The fire started two days ago.
It managed to engulf 30 homes, and also cut off electricity and water supplies to the region.
No one has been hurt.
It's believed the fire began on the Russian side of the border.
Obama to remove Cuba from state sponsor of terror list
U.S. President Barack Obama has told Congress he will remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism.
This is one of the steps Cuba has been demanding in the normalizing of their ties.
In his message to Congress, Obama says the Cuban government "has not provided any support for international terrorism" over the past 6-months.
He also says he's been provided assurance that it will not support terrorist acts in the future.
This is meeting with wide-spread support among people living in Havana.
"We are not terrorists, just the opposite. We are supporters of peace and tranquility, and good things for all."
"It's a start. From there many things will be eliminated, the blockade, which is what we really need."
The move to de-list Cuba from the State Terror Sponsor list follows a historic sit-down session this week between Obama and Cuban leader Raul Castro in Panama.
US lawmakers could vote to try to block the Obama-administration's move.
However, this is likely depend on what reaction the move is drawing among the Cuban-American community in the potential swing-state of Florida.
Cuba was first placed on the US State Department's list terror list in 1982.
The US side contends Cuba had long-provided a safe haven for members of Basque separatist group ETA, as well as members of Colombia's FARC rebels.
UN imposes an arm embargo on Yemen rebels
The United Nations Security Council has voted unanimously to impose an arms embargo on Yemen's Houthi rebels and their allies.
The UN sanctions also target former president Ali Abdullah Saleh and his son, who are said to be helping support the rebels.
The UN resolution demands the Houthis withdraw from areas they control, including the capital Sanaa.
It also demands they bring an immediate end to the fighting and release all the prisoners they're holding.
Khaled Alyemany is Yemen's Ambassador to the United Nations.
"The militias must implement the resolution just adopted by the Security Council. This will allow for the drafting of a reconstruction plan and one for strengthening capacities in cooperation with our GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) brothers as well as the establishment of a regional security system."
China's permanent UN representative, Liu Jieyi, is describing the resolution as extremely important in restoring stability in Yemen.
Houthi fighters and their supporters have swept across much of Yemen in recent weeks after originally taking the capital, Sana'a, last year.
A Saudi-backed coalition has been bombing Houthi positions.
However, the campaign has so-far met with little success.
Li Na gunning for Laureus award
Anchor
Retired Chinese tennis star Li Na is in the running for the World Sportswoman of the Year award at the Laureus World Sports Awards to be held tonight in Shanghai, the first time the global sports awards ceremony has been held in China.
CRI's Niu Honglin has more from Shanghai.
Reporter
Li Na was nominated this year for good reasons.
The tennis player has won two Grand Slam titles including the Australian Open and achieved a career-best world number 2 ranking before she retired late last year.
She says she feels excited to be among the nominees.
"I think the Laureus Awards represent the highest honor and I'm really happy just to be nominated. I'm also very happy to participate in the awards ceremony. And I'd like to thank everyone for their great support to the sporting community."
Yang Yang, China's first winter Olympic gold medalist is a Laureus Academy member.
"I think Li Na has a good chance. Li Na has gone through a lot in the past year, and despite her injuries, she managed to get another championship under her belt. She's a strong candidate."
Among the other five candidates for the sportswoman of the year award, Serena Williams is also a strong contender, having won three times in both the sportswoman's award and comeback award categories.
Li Na also takes the chance to send her wishes to former Laureus award winner Liu Xiang who recently announced his retirement.
"I believe, it is quite a tough decision for both Liu Xiang and myself. This is a day that cannot be avoided for any sports player in the field. So whoever is retiring, I'll just give them my best wishes."
When asked about her plans for the future, the expectant mother responded cheerfully.
"Wherever I go, I kind of have to go with my baby, don't I? Even though I've retired, opening my own tennis school is still my future plan. I hope, by doing that, more people would like to participate in sports."
The Laureus Awards winners are selected by the votes of the Laureus World Sports Academy, including Chinese table tennis legend Deng Yaping, Chinese gymnast Li Xiaopeng and Yang Yang.
For CRI, I'm Niu Honglin in Shanghai.
Weather
Beijing will see thundershowers today with a high of 26 degrees Celsius.
Overnight temperatures should drop down to 12.
Shanghai will be cloudy with a high of 22 and a low of 14.
In Chongqing, it will be cloudy during the daytime with a high of 29.
Overnight it will be overcast with a low of 16.
Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia,
Islamabad will be sunny with a high of 41.
Kabul will have showers with a high of 24.
Over to North America,
New York will be cloudy with a high of 21 degrees.
Washington, overcast with a high of 22 degrees.
Honolulu, showers, 28.
Toronto, Canada, will be sunny with a high of 16 degrees.
Finally, on to South America,
Buenos Aires will see showers with a high of 26.
And Rio de Janeiro will be sunny with a high of 31 degrees Celsius.
Headline news
Premier Li Keqiang urges preparedness amid rising economic pressure
Chinese premier Li Keqiang is suggesting more measures will be taken to maintain the economic growth amid the rising pressure on the Chinese economy.
The premier made the remarks while attending a symposium in Beijing on the current economic situation.
Li Keqiang says the current economic slow down remains within the reasonable range, however, authorities should be aware of the ever-rising downward pressure.
The Chinese government has set an economic growth target of around 7 percent this year, down from the 7.5-percent growth set for last year.
First quarter economic results in China are due out later today.
AIIB to Announce List of Founding Members
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is due to announce the full list of its founding members later today.
Egypt, Norway and Russia became the latest prospective founding members this week, bringing the initial number of countries to 50.
Founding members of the bank will have a say in how the organizational structure of the AIIB will be laid-out.
Non-founding members, which applied after March 31st, will still have voting rights when the bank is officially formed later this year.
U.S. Senate panel passes bill authorizing congressional review of nuke deal with Iran
A US Senate Committee has approved an amended bill demanding a more-expedited congressional review of any nuclear deal the Obama administration inks with Iran by the end of June.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has voted unanimously to pass the changes to the legislation.
The new bill reduces the period for Congress to review any final deal to 52 days from 60 days.
It also allows the White House to submit the accord to a congressional review after the June deadline.
The White House says Obama, who had been threatening to veto the original draft bill, is now willing to sign the new one.
Number of uprooted within Ukraine reaches 1.2 million: UN
The United Nations now estimates around 1.2-million people are internally displaced as a result of the conflict in Ukraine.
The UN Refugee Agency also estimates close to 800-thousand others have fled into neighboring countries.
The UNHCR is also warning a lack of access to food has been increasing since late October.
Aid agencies have also been expressing concerns about people's access to social services in the conflict-affected areas.
Survivors say 400 migrants dead in Mediterranean shipwreck: charity
New reports are suggesting as many as 400 migrants may have died this past weekend while attempting the crossing from Libya to Italy.
Charity group 'Save the Children' says its basing its assessment following interviews with the over 5-thousand migrants who have landed on Italian shores from this past Saturday.
The charity says many of the migrants who made it are reporting having suffered or witnessed human rights abuses.
Biz reports
Anchor
First, a quick look at the closing numbers across North America and Europe.
Reporter:
US markets closed mixed on Tuesday amid mixed quarterly results and and slightly downbeat economic data.
Before opening bell, both JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo reported quarterly earnings which beat-the-street.
However, Johnson & Johnson shares edged down slightly after the company's quarterly sales came in below expectations.
On the economic front, US retail sales for March increased just under 1-percent from the previous month.
However, this was below expectations of 1.1 percent sales growth.
At the same time, the International Monetary Fund also released its World Economic Outlook on Tuesday.
The IMF says the global economy remains moderate and uneven.
As a result of all this, the Dow Jones added 0.3 percent.
The S&P 500 inched up 0.1 percent.
The Nasdaq Composite Index slipped 0.2 percent.
Over in Europe,
Equities' there dipped as renewed concerns about Greece offset news of a tie-up between Nokia and French telecom gear maker Alcatel-lucent.
At close,
The UK's FTSE 100 picked up 0.2 percent.
Germany's DAX dipped just under 1 percent.
France's CAC 40 lost 0.7 percent.
Pony Ma Slashes His Stake in Tencent
Tencent chair Pony Ma has once-again cashed in on his company's success.
The third richest man on the mainland has cut his share holdings of Tencent from 9.86-percent down to 9.65.
Cashing in those stocks has earned him 415-million US dollars.
Pony Ma has cashed in after Tencent's share price in Hong Kong jumped over 5-percent on Monday, giving the company a market valuation of over 206 billion US dollars.
But word that Pony Ma cut his stake in the company sent Tencent's shares down by 4.4 percent yesterday.
Pony Ma cashed shares in several times last year, diluting his share in Tencent from over 14-percent stake to below 10-percent.
Tencent has seen a jump in its online advertising revenue, with WeChat finally starting to turn a profit.
First mutual fund to buy HK stocks raises 1.7 billion
New figures show some 1.7-billion US dollars has been invested in a new mutual fund which allows mainland money to invest in Hong Kong stocks.
The mutual fund, put together by US-based firm IVESTCO's mainland division, is the first fund investing in Hong Kong through the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect system.
1.7 billion-dollars invested is the 2nd largest rush on a Chinese mutual fund so far this year.
The Hong Kong stock market has shot up by around 11-percent this month.
A new Bank of China report is forecasting around 16-billion US dollars could be raised by mutual funds this month alone through mainland investments in Hong Kong's stock market.
Call-in with Mike China's LeTV Launches Own Smartphone, Pacts with Top Directors
Chinese tech firm LeTV has launched a series of smartphones.
LeTV's 3 new smartphones contain the company's self-developed eUI operating system.
This is part of LeTV's broader-based strategy to enter the US market.
The company is already working on setting up a new office and team in California's Silicon Valley.
LeTV is known predominantly as a video streaming firm, with 400 million monthly users in China.
Analysis shows around 60-percent of people in China now access online content via mobile platforms.
For more on LeTV's move, The Beijing Hour's Spencer Musick spoke earlier with Doug Young, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.
Back Anchor
Doug Young, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters, speaking with the Beijing Hour's Spencer Musick.
Bank loans increase 24 percent in the first quarter
New stats show Chinese banks have issued more loans through the first quarter.
Figures from the central bank shows bank lending has increased 24-percent year-on-year in the first 3-months.
At the same time, new figures show the broad money supply in China expanded some 11.6 percent to 127-trillion yuan since the People's Bank of China brought in its first interest rate cut at the end of last year.
Wen Bin is a chief researcher at China Minsheng Bank.
"The central bank decreased its benchmark interest rate twice, which is now showing an effect. Commercial banks have also dropped their interest rates on loans to help support the real economy. Therefore, we feel the government's monetary policy its playing its part in supporting the real economy."
The latest figures come amid lingering concerns about deflationary pressure in the Chinese economy.
China's consumer price index did grow 1.4 percent year on year in March.
While still well below the government's hope for 3-percent inflation growth, the CPI has been on the rise slightly this year on a month-by-month basis.
Travel curbs to crimp Hong Kong retail sales
Bank of America-Merrill Lynch has slashed its retail sales forecasts for Hong Kong this year by over 2-percent.
The bank is now predicting retail sales in Hong Kong are going to decline by nearly 6-percent this year.
The revision comes on the heels of mainland authorities cutting back multiple-entry permits for mainland visitors this week.
People living in Shenzhen will no longer have multiple-entry permits to enter Hong Kong.
Instead, their travel will be limited to "one visit per week".
Bank of America-Merrill Lynch is predicting this will cut the number of multiple-entry permit holders visiting Hong Kong by around 30-percent.
Goldman Sachs is also making similar predictions.
Alibaba reiterates resolve in fight against counterfeit
Alibaba has issued a new statement, saying it remains committed to fighting the sale of counterfeit products on its site.
The comments are a response to complaints being issued by the American Apparel & Footwear Association.
The retail group has filed complaints with US authorities, claiming Alibaba still isn't doing enough to deal with counterfeit products on Taobao.
Alibaba says its been working with data mining technology to analyze and track transactions involving suspicious products.
It's also set up an online complaint platform for brand owners to report copyright infringement.
The American Apparel and Footwear Association has filed complaints with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission.
WTO predicts modest trade recovery to continue in 2015
The World Trade Organization is predicting a modest rate of recovery in global trade this year and next.
The WTO is predicting global trade growth of 3.3-percent this year.
This would be up from the 2.8 percent growth seen last year.
For 2016, WTO expects global trade growth to hit 4-percent.
The WTO is warning that a number of factors, including geopolitical tensions and a slowdown in growth in emerging economies may affect their forecast.
It is predicting Asia will maintain the strongest export performance of any region this year, with 5-percent growth.
Sports
Football: China Draws into Group C in World Cup Qualifiers
Kicking things off with Asian Football news:
The draw for round 2 of for the 2018 FIFA World Cup-Preliminary Competition and 2019 Asian Cup 2019 Qualifiers have been released.
Team China have been drawn into Group C, who are looking to be the most formidable of the squads in the bracket. They are joined by 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar, feisty minnows Bhutan, as well as Maldives and Hong Kong.
China coach Alain Perrin says team dragon is determined to earn their second-ever World Cup showing in Russia come 2018:
"Our target is to reach, to get a spot in the World Cup. So it means we have to continue to improve our level. And the second round for us is one step to improve our level; especially against Qatar, it will be very difficult because for me it was the strongest team in the pot two. So, but it is interesting and important to compete everywhere in the world if you want to go to the World Cup."
Asian Cup winners Australia have been drawn into Group B, along with Jordan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Bangladesh.
Gulf-region giants Iran are in Group D, and Japan are in Group E.
Football: UEFA Quarter-Finals Recap
In football action:
Keeper Jan Olbak came through big for Atletico Madrid, denying city rivals Real Madrid a needed away-goal in their 0-0 draw in their Champions League clash.
The 22-year-old made two key saves in the first half, the first against a recently hot-footed Gareth Bale at point-blank range.
The first-leg die extends Atletico's unbeaten streak against Real Madrid to seven.
And Juventus are well on their way to a UEFA semi-final berth for the first time since 2003 after beating Monaco 1-0.
The win comes in at the boot of Arturo Vidal, who converted a penalty at the 57th minute.
Football: UEFA Quater-Finals Preview
Paris St-Germain and Barcelona prepare to do battle on the pitch tomorrow in Champions League quarter-finals action:
PSG's hopes of making the semi-finals have been hit by suspensions and injury, with Swedish star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Italian midfielder Marco Verratti banned and midfielder Thiago Motta out with a thigh injury.
But Barca coach Luis Enrique says the absence of such players doesn't guarantee on easier time on the field:
"It is obvious that they are missing players, it is not something you can hide but if we remember when they faced us without (Zlatan) Ibrahimovic they beat us. When Ibrahimovic played we managed to beat them. They are important players for them but they have a good squad and I am sure they will try to complicate our lives."
In tomorrow's other UEFA quarter-finals match:
Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich will take on Portugese powerhouse FC Porto;
The Bavarians, chasing three titles this season, are without Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery, Bastian Schweinsteiger and David Alaba among others for the quarter-final first leg match in Portugal.
But Bayern coach Pep Guardiola says his team has dealt with adversity before, and they will just have to do their best against Porto:
"We are in a difficult situation but we have lived like this the last two or three weeks or I could say almost the last two years with many problems so we need to adapt and the ones that are here will do their best."
Porto remain undefeated in the Champions League this season.
NBA: Preview
Tipping things off with hoops action from the National Basketball Association--
Three games on tap this morning with just one more day left in the regular season:
Scrapping for the eighth spot in the East after Boston just leapfrogged to seventh, the Indiana Pacers are taking on the Washington Wizards.
The Pacers sit one game behind Boston and need to finish with a better record than Brooklyn to claim a playoff spot.
And Boston hits the court against Toronto. The Celtics clinched their post-season berth thanks to Brooklyn's loss to Chicago last night. If Boston can remain in seventh place through tomorrow, they will meet the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs.
Toronto sits one-half game behind Chicago for the 3rd seed and are Atlantic division champs.
And later today, The Los Angeles Clippers will face the Phoenix Suns.
Tennis: Novak Djokovic Through to 3rd Round of Monte Carlo Masters
In tennis:
Novak Djokovic strolled into the third round of the Monte-Carlo Masters with a 6-1, 6-4 win over qualifier Albert Ramos-Vinolas on Tuesday.
Success over the Spanish clay-court specialist extended Djokovic's winning streak to 13 matches following back-to-back titles at Indian Wells and Miami.
Ninth-seed Grigor Dimitrov needed two hours and 27 minutes to beat Fernando Verdasco in a first-round encounter.
The Bulgarian, whose best result at this event is a quarter-final showing in 2013, saved 15 of 17 break points faced.
Dimitrov will next face Italy's Fabio Fognini.
Back in round two, David Ferrer advanced at the expense of 34-year-old Dominican Victor Estrella Burgos.
Estrella Burgos put up some stiff resistance early on before succumbing to a shoulder injury against the number five seed from Spain.
Entertainment
UN chief appoints actor Daniel Craig as global mine action advocate
The United Nations has given 'James Bond' a "license to save."
Daniel Craig, the man who plays the current incarnation of James Bond, has been appointed a UN global advocate for the elimination of mines and explosive hazards.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
"He's known as 007, James Bond. I am 008 United Nations Secretary-General Ki-Moon Bond. I'm very happy that you have agreed to use your global star power to raise awareness and global action to destroy mines which have been killing many people. You have been given license to kill. I'm now giving you a license to save."
When he's not acting, Craig will spend the next 3-years raising awareness for the U.N. Mine Action Service, drumming up both political and financial support for the cause.
The late-Princess Diana was one of the world's leading advocates for the elimination of land-mines, working with the UN for years until her death in a Paris car crash in 1997.
Derek Yee reveals trailer for his new film "I Am Somebody"
Hong Kong director-producer Derek Yee has released the first trailer for his new self-financed film "I am somebody."
The 30-second trailer has been released via Weibo.
The film itself tells the story of several small-time actors hoping to rise to fame while working as extras in the world's largest film studio.
"I Am Somebody" is cast with real-life extras from Hengdian Studios in eastern China.
The film is being self-financed by Derek Yee.
It's been in the works since August of 2012.
Derek Yee is known for movies include crime thrillers "Protégé" and "Triple Tap".
Academy Sets Dates for Next Three Oscars
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has announced the dates for the next three Oscar ceremonies.
They are Sunday, February 28th, 2016; February 26th, 2017 and March 4th, 2018.
All three dates are on Sundays.
This answers questions about whether the Oscars will return to Monday nights or shift its calendar dates to earlier in the year.
The announcement should also help other awards events set their own dates and venues.
All the Oscar ceremonies, as usual, will air live on ABC and in multiple countries around the world.
"When a Man Loves a Woman" Singer, Percy Sledge, Dies at 73
Percy Sledge, who topped the Billboard Hot 100 with his hit single "When a Man Loves a Woman" in 1966, has died.
He was 73.
During the mid-60's, Sledge originally worked as a hospital nurse to help keep his head above water whhile he launched his music career.
"When a Man Loves a Woman," became his first and only number-1 hit.
His follow-up in 1966, "Warm and Tender Love," reached Number-17 on the Hot 100.
While Sledge's chart success stalled in the '70s, he continued to successfully tour.
His career was given a slight resurgence after "When a Man Loves a Woman" was later discovered by new generations.
Percy Sledge was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.
Game of Thrones' Ratings: HBO Show Returns With Series High
New figures show the return of "Game of Thrones" has been met with resounding interest.
The HBO series returned to a new series high on Sunday night, averaging just under 8 million viewers through the return of the latest season.
The figures are up some 1.4 million viewers from its 2014 premier.
The numbers have also eclipsed its previously most-watched episode last year by some 800-thousand viewers.
"Game of Thrones" is the most-watched series in HBO history.
Its numbers are now approaching that of AMC's "The Walking Dead."
That’s it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.
A quick look at the headlines before we go...
Both the Chinese and US governments are promising tighter cooperation with one-another when it comes to environmental protection.
A list of who are going to be the founding members of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is due out later today.
US President Barack Obama has announced he's pulling Cuba off the list of countries which sponsor terrorism.
In Business... Tencent shares give up earlier gains following a stock sell-off by the company's chair.
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. |