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

Coming up on the program this evening...

This year's Strategic and Economic Dialogue is underway in Washington.

The Chinese government has released its first-ever report on the drug situation in this country.

A massive heat wave which has been gripping southern Pakistan is being blamed for hundreds of deaths.

Business.... it appears Chinese app Momo is going to go private after just 6-months on the NASDAQ.

In Sports.... China will have to take on a tough American team next at this year's Women's World Cup.

In Entertainment.... American singer Taylor Swift has announced plans for a pair of concerts in Shanghai later this year.

Top NewsChina-U.S. economic talks benefit both sides: Chinese vice premierThe economic talks as part of this year's Strategic and Economic Dialogue between China and the US are underway.

Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang is chairing the meeting for the Chinese side.

He says the talks are important for hashing out differences.

"It is because of these differences that we need the consultations. We need to have an open mechanism for talks. Through the dialogue, we have been able to settle a number of issues, and have been making headway on other areas of interest. Our talks have led to cooperation or have created the condition for cooperation."U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew is leading the US delegation.

"China's success in sustaining growth and reaching its next stage of development will matter greatly not only for China, but also for the United States and the rest of the global economy. And there is a substantial overlap between what we have been urging China to do and the reform path that China is currently undertaking."Chinese Finance Minister Lou Jiwei says they'd like to see the US side to do more to help with the global economy.

"Meanwhile, we also hope the United States can accelerate structural adjustments to get the labor force more active. We'd also like to see the US side increase deposit rates. We feel the US side should use that additional money for infrastructure construction and innovation."The two sides are focusing on three major issues at this years session in Washington, including macro economic policies and restructuring, trade and investment, and stability and reforms in the financial market.

Chinese and US trade hit nearly 600-billion U.S. dollars last year.

US, China agree to broaden cooperation on climate changeThe Chinese and US governments have agreed to tighten their ties when it comes to climate change.

The pledge has been made at this year's Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Washington.

Xie Zhenhua with the National Development and Reform Commission says the climate-change plan Beijing and Washington signed at last year's APEC summit in Beijing was just the start.

"We began the cooperation on climate change last year, setting up new and specialized working groups, as well as tasking existing departments in both countries to draw up plans, raise money and pick projects to work on together. We plan to start work on the specific projects after this week's dialogue."Former US Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson, who has lengthy ties with China, says working together on climate-change will go a long way toward extending the bilateral relationship.

"I think the huge opportunity is to build trust by talking and getting to know each other, by getting things done. And that's why I think it's so important to see things like this, joint climate change announcement by Presidents Xi Jinping and Barack Obama."China and the United States are the two largest carbon-emitting countries in the world.

As part of the ongoing talks in Washington, China and the United States have announced six new partnership programs to tackle challenges in environmental protection, clean energy, and climate change.

The programs include building a plant to convert waste oil into aviation biofuels.

The two sides will also work on converting iron and steel slag waste and recycle it for use in other industrial processes.

A joint solar power project and an online air pollution monitoring system are also going to be worked on.

China hopes IBM plays bigger role in advancing educational cooperationChinese vice-Premier Liu Yandong says she would like to see IBM expand its cooperation with Chinese sectors such as education, medical and health services.

She's made the comments while meeting with IBM President and CEO Ginni Rometty in the United States.

The two have also overseen the signing of a 5-year educational exchange program.

As part of that deal, the China Scholarship Council will provide 100 scholarships to American students studying in China in the areas of science, technology and engineering.

China will send 100 students to study at IBM partner universities in the US.

Call-in with Tao Wenzhao on China-US SED TalkAnchor:

For more on the S&ED talks, CRI's Zheng Chenguang spoke earlier with Tao Wenzhao, Senior Research fellow with the Institute for American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Science.

Back anchor:

That was Tao Wenzhao, Senior Research fellow with the Institute of American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Science, speaking with CRI's Zheng Chenguang.

Chinese investment to US IncreasingAnchor:

A growing number of Chinese companies are looking toward the United States as a place to invest in.

CRI's Qizhi has more.

Reporter:

Fulton Street Ventures is a Chinese company in the San Francisco Bay area, one of the most expensive real estate markets in the country.

It has pumped in 100 million dollars to build the largest condominium project in the city.

The project is expected to create 500 permanent jobs when it is completed.

Fulton Street Ventures' general manager Mike Liu explains why the company is interested in the U.S. market.

"The economy, both China and the U.S., are very good. And China real estate is a little bit slow down, so that's why we diversify some investment in U.S.,"While Chinese tech investments are not at the point where widespread manufacturing in the U.S. is occurring, they are creating jobs.

Cheetah Mobile, headquartered in Beijing but listed on the New York Stock Exchange, recently held a launch party in San Francisco.

It added the Cheetah Ad Platform to its family of mobile apps, which already has 440 million monthly users worldwide.

In a year's time, Cheetah Mobile's U.S. operations have grown from 10 to 50 people, as it has been actively recruiting engineers and investing in research and development.

Liu Xinhua is chief marketing officer at Cheetah Mobile.

"As of Q1 this year, our international mobile ad revenue accounted for almost two-thirds of total mobile revenue. But by far, the U.S. is our number one mobile advertising market,"Darlene Chiu Bryant is executive director of ChinaSF, which promotes business and trade between China and the San Francisco Bay area. She attributes the rising investment by Chinese firms in the country to the evolving Chinese economy.

"The economy in China has changed and so all the investors, the real estate developers in particular, are looking to diversify their portfolio. So the first place they go to is the USA. We're a more stable investment, reliable and safe,"According to China's Ministry of Commerce, total investment of Chinese companies in the US reached over 38.5 billion US dollars last year, increasing 60 percent from a year earlier. Most of the investment comes from private enterprises.

For CRI, this is Qizhi.

First Report on China's Drug Situation ReleasedAnchor:

Chinese authorities, for the first time, have released a report connected to the drug trade in China.

CRI's Xie Cheng has more.

Reporter:

The report covers four main areas, including drug abuse, where drugs are sourced, the trafficking of the drugs and the overall situation.

Liu Yuejin with the Ministry of Public Security says drug abuse still remains a serious problem in China.

"First, the number of registered drug addicts has been rising. By the end of 2014, over 2.9 million drug addicts have been registered, while the real number of those who have used narcotics has exceeded 14 million. About half of those addicted are addicted to synthetic drugs. Secondly, drug users are becoming younger. Over half of the addicts registered are under the age of 35. The demographic is expanding to include employees of public institutions, freelancers and entertainers. Thirdly, 49-thousand drug addicts died last year."Liu Yuejin also says the use of illegal drugs has cost the economy over 80-billion U.S. dollars this past year.

When it comes to the sources for drugs, Liu says areas south of China are still the main source.

"The drug producing areas abroad mainly include the Golden Triangle in Southeast Asia, which remains the largest drug source for China's traffickers, especially when it comes to heroin and methamphetamine. The so-called Golden Crescent in Central Asia, as well as some sources in South America, are other areas where drugs arrive from in China. Domestically, the main sources for producing methamphetamine and ketamine are in Sichuan and Guangdong."The report says China captured 169,000 drug crime suspects last year, 60 percent of whom were under the age of 35.

Over a thousand foreigners were also busted in China last year in cases connected to drugs.

They hailed from 44 different countries mostly in areas such as West Africa, South America and Southeast Asia.

Liu Yuejin with the Ministry of Public Security says they're now working with law enforcement in other countries to try to stem the tide of drugs entering the country.

"First, we'll enhance cooperation with countries located near the Golden Triangle in Southeast Asia, since it's the most threatening and dangerous source for drugs to China. Secondly, we'll also strengthen cooperation with relevant countries like Russia, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan to deal with the Golden Crescent in Central Asia, especially through the platform of Shanghai Cooperation Organization."The most recent stats suggest there are around 200-million drug users world-wide.

For CRI, I'm Xie Cheng.

Cross-strait drug smuggling case busted in ChinaA cross-strait drug trafficking ring has been busted by authorities on both the mainland and Taiwan.

Police in Taiwan discovered 60 kilograms of crystal meth hidden in granite slabs shipped from Fujian.

Tang Zhipeng, a mainland customs official in the city of Xiamen, says the information they obtained on the mainland side helped lead to the arrest.

"The evidence that we had provided a lot of support to the work of police on Taiwan. Taiwan police also provided the information it had to the Ministry of Public Security, the anti-smuggling department of the General Administration of Customs and the public security office."So far, 3 suspects have been arrested in connection with the find.

14 gangs busted for smuggling frozen meatFourteen different groups have been busted smuggling frozen meat products worth up to 3-billion yuan.

The General Administration of Customs says around 100-thousand metric tons of frozen meat have been seized.

The smugglers are accused of purchasing the meat for very low prices from foreign countries, and then have it delivered to Hong Kong in refrigerated containers.

The products would then be moved to the mainland via Vietnam, with the smugglers hiring people living in border areas to move the products to Chinese border cities and then on to Changsha before the products are transported to sites around the country.

Some of the meat confiscated in the sting is said to be over 40-years old.

Officials are warning the smuggling of meat products is potentially deadly, as untested meats can contain deadly viruses.

New draft amendments to the law impose tougher punishments to child traffickersNew draft amendments to the laws are being put forward to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for tougher punishments on buyers of abducted children.

The move is believed to be a response to a viral post on Chinese social media that has sparked debate over whether capital punishment is suitable for convicted child traffickers.

Ruan Qilin with China University of Political Science and Law says the draft makes sense.

"This means buyers of abducted children shall be under criminal sanctions, regardless if they haven't abused or prevented others from saving children or not. We can see it gives tougher punishments to those child buyers. As we all know, if there is no buying, there is no child trafficking.

Under the current rules, people involved in human trafficking can be sentenced to a maximum of 10-years in prison.

In extreme cases, which involve more than three victims, the criminals can be sentenced to life imprisonment or death.

Data from the Supreme People's Court shows nearly 13-thousand people have been caught involved in human trafficking from 2010 to 2014.

China to invest $80 billion in 193 aviation projects this yearIt's been announced the Chinese government is planning to invest around 500 billion yuan in a total of 193 domestic aviation projects this year.

The country's aviation regulator says the projects will help meet the growing demand from travellers and bolster economic growth.

The specifics of the projects themselves have not been laid out.

The announcement comes amid a wider effort to increase infrastructure spending after economic growth hit a 6-year low in the first quarter.

The country's state planner has also approved billions of dollars of railway and airport projects through the first 6-months.

China's aviation sector has grown rapidly in recent years, driven by demand from the country's increasingly wealthy middle class.

Government planners estimate the number of airports in China will increase by around 40 from the 200 in China today.

The new move is part of the "road and belt" initiative to increase trade with Central, West and South Asia as well as Europe and Africa.

Chinese mainland to invite Kuomintang veterans to join V-Day paradeMainland authorities have announced plans to offer invitations to military veterans of the Kuomintang from Taiwan to take part in a parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the victory over Japan.

Ma Xiaoguang with the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office says the parade is set to take place on September 3rd.

"Victory in the war against Japanese aggression was a great victory for the entire nation. Both the battlefields behind enemy lines and the front line battlefields played important roles."Both the Communist Party of China and the Kuomintang fought against the Japanese during the war before the civil war resumed at the end of 1945.

Hong Kong Government is to Focus on Economic Development and Livelihood Improvement: CY LeungHong Kong's Chief Executive CY Leung says for the remainder of his term in office the regional government will continue to focus on developing Hong Kong's economy and improving people's livelihoods.

Leung says the regional government has already increased land supply in the property market, making the number of homes available for buyers in the next year at 10-year high.

"The number of built homes will be 72 percent higher than the average amount in the past ten years. We hope this can alleviate the long-time shortage in home supply and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government will continue its effort in increasing the land supply."As part of his annual policy address, CY Leung also reviewed several projects the SAR government achieved last year, including the launch of Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect, the liberation of trade in services between the Hong Kong and Guangdong, and the decision to build a new runway at the Hong Kong International Airport.

Leung is also calling on Hong Kong lawmakers to work for the best interests of people in Hong Kong.

"A few legislators used filibuster, or marathon speeches, at Legislative Council meetings to delay the SAR government's policies in developing the economy and improving people's living standards. It cost huge losses to the society. Some politicians' actions went too radical recently. I believe this is not benefiting Hong Kong society."Hong Kong's legislative council last week shot down a motion proposing universal suffrage in 2017, meaning the next Chief Executive will not be selected under a "one-person, one-vote" system.

Heat wave kills 748 people in Pakistan's KarachiA heatwave in the Pakistani city of Karachi is blamed for over 700 deaths.

Intermittent power losses are also compounding the situation in the city of 20 million.

However, Pakistani forecasters are suggesting some relief may be on the way.

"Normal temperature recorded in last five days was 43 degrees centigrade but the recorded heat index in Karachi was 49 degrees centigrade, but hopefully we are expecting that some relief is expected today after the inception of sea breeze today in afternoon and some rain in the surrounding area of Karachi and within a couple of days hopefully weather will be normal in Karachi and all parts of Sindh."The Pakistani military has set up make-shift triage centers to deal with victims, handing out free water and medical care for those affected by the sweltering heat.

South Korea reports four new MERS cases, total rises to 179South Korea's Health Ministry is reporting four new cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, bringing the total number of cases to 179.

Jeong Eun-Kyeong, a senior official with South Korea's Center for Disease Control and Prevention says the number of people who have died has not changed.

"As of now, a total of 85 patients are undergoing treatment, 67 people have been discharged from hospital and 27 people have died. The total number of confirmed MERS cases is 179."At the same time, Jeong says the Samsung Medical Center in Seoul is going to remain closed for the time being.

"The partial shutdown (of the Samsung Medical Center), which was supposed to end on 24th June, has been extended. But the reopening date has not yet been decided."About half of all the MERS cases in South Korea can be traced back to the Samsung Medical Centre, which is one of South Korea's most prestigious hospitals.

US indicts 17 Colombia gang members for alleged drug traffickingThe United States has indicted 17 members of Colombia's largest drug cartel, Clan Usuga.

The criminal network is accused of smuggling hundreds of tons of cocaine into the United States.

The charges have been announced by Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos.

"Formal charges were opened in the federal courts of Brooklyn, New York and Miami against 17 individuals who belong or are associated with the Clan Usuga, including alias Otoniel, its primary leader, and alias Gavilan."US Attorney Wilfredo Ferrer has also taken part in the announcement, saying those who have been indicted are violent criminals.

"In total, the charges allege that since 2002 to 2015, members and associates of the Clan Usuga conspired in various Latin American countries including Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Mexico, and were distributing more than 73 tonnes of cocaine knowing they would be imported to the United States."Colombian authorities have been stepping up pressure on Clan Usuga, arresting dozens of its top leaders.

Most of the 17 added to the new indictments are still at large.

Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to confront victimsBoston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is expected to have to face some of the victims when he is formally sentenced to death this Wednesday.

Tsarnaev and his brother set off a pair of bombs, killing 3 people and injuring 264 others in one of the highest-profile attacks on U.S. soil since 9/11.

One of those killed was a Chinese national studying in Boston at the time.

Survivors of the attack and family members of the three who died in the bombing, as well as the family of a university police officer gunned down during the manhunt for the Tsarnaev brothers days later, will have an opportunity to speak at the sentencing.

U.S. to boost heavy armament deployment in 6 former Soviet bloc nationsThe United States has announced the deployment of heavy weaponry including some 250 tanks across six former Soviet bloc nations.

US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter says the move will help reassure NATO allies facing threats from Russia and extremist groups.

"This pre-positioned European activity set includes tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and artillery. Estonia, as well as Lithuania, Latvia, Bulgaria, Romania and Poland have agreed to host company to battalion-sized elements of this equipment, which will be moved around the region for training and exercises."Carter's comments have been made in Estonia while meeting with regional defense chiefs.

Estonian Defense Minister Sven Mikser says the additional military presence from NATO should help deter any Russian ambitions in the region.

"In global terms Russia is no match conventionally to US or to NATO, but here in this narrow corner of the world, Putin believes that he enjoys superiority, regional superiority and that makes us vulnerable in a sense. We are not talking about entering into a new Cold War type of arms race. We are not trying collectively to match Putin tank by tank or helicopter by helicopter in the Baltic Sea region either."Russian President Vladimir Putin has already condemned the new NATO and US moves.

Eurozone leaders pledge to strike Greek bailout deal this weekLeaders from the Euro group are putting together another emergency meeting today in a race to finalize a bailout deal for Greece.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker says new proposals from Greek authorities represent a major step toward meeting the expectations of Greece's creditors.

"I am convinced that we will come to a final agreement in the course of this week for the simple reason that we have to find an agreement this week. We cannot play as they are saying on a football field, we cannot play prolongations."Greek media reports suggests Athens has tabled 8-billion-euros worth of fiscal consolidation and reforms in exchange for financial aid needed to prevent Greece from defaulting on its debts.

WeatherBeijing will be overcast tonight with a low of 22 degrees, also overcast tomorrow, high of 30.

Shanghai will have slight rain overnight with a low of 25, tomorrow will have showers with a high of 34.

Chongqing will have moderate rain tonight with a low of 23, also rainy tomorrow with a high of 29.

Lhasa will be cloudy tonight with a low of 13, tomorrow will see slight rain with a high of 26.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad will have slight rain with a high of 35.

Kabul will also have slight rain with a high of 28.

Down in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney will have moderate rain with a high of 18.

Brisbane will see slight rain with a high of 19.

Perth, cloudy, 19.

And finally Auckland, New Zealand will also be cloudy with a high of 13 degrees Celsius.

Headline newsChina-U.S. economic talks benefit both sides: Chinese vice premierThe economic talks as part of this year's Strategic and Economic Dialogue between China and the US are underway.

Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang is chairing the meeting for the Chinese side. He says the talks are important for hashing out differences.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew is leading the US delegation.

The two sides are focusing on three major issues at this years session in Washington, including macro economic policies and restructuring, trade and investment, and stability and reforms in the financial market.

Chinese and US trade hit nearly 600-billion U.S. dollars last year.

First Report on China's Drug Situation ReleasedChinese authorities, for the first time, have released a report connected to the drug trade in China.

The report covers four main areas, including drug abuse, where drugs are sourced, the trafficking of the drugs and the overall situation.

Liu Yuejin with the Ministry of Public Security says drug abuse still remains a serious problem in China.

Liu Yuejin also says the use of illegal drugs has cost the economy over 80-billion U.S. dollars this past year.

BOC denies any illegal activity in Italian branchBank of China is denying receiving any formal documents from Italian prosecutors about an alleged money laundering at its Milan branch.

It's been reported Bank of China and around 300 hundred individuals, mostly Chinese nationals, are accused in the illegal transfer of around 5-billion US dollars to China.

Italian prosecutors say around half of all the transfers were conducted between 2006 and 2010 via the bank's Milan Branch.

Bank of China is promising to respond to any formal request from Italian authorities and cooperate with the Italian government in any forthcoming probe.

New traction system speeds up Chinese bullet trainsChinese high-speed trains are being outfit with a new traction system that can run trains at up to 500-kilometers per hour.

The permanent magnet synchronous traction system is said to be more stable and secure, and more energy efficient.

The new system increases power by 60 percent while drag can be cut by up to 70 percent.

The system is already operational in Germany, Japan and France.

Typhoon Kujira strikes VietnamTropical storm Kujira is now rolling into Vietnam, after dousing Hainan with much needed rain for the past couple of days.

It has made landfall in Vietnam's northeast afternoon, bringing heavy rainfall.

Kujira is forecast to move northwest in the coming day, and then weaken into a tropical depression.

Vietnam's natural disaster prevention departments have issued flooding and landslide warnings in certain areas.

Biz ReportsStocksFirst a look at the numbers from across the Asian markets.

Chinese markets rebounded for the second day today after their worst week in 7 years last week.

This comes as liquidity concerns ease after a flood of new offerings last week.

Energy and power companies including Huadian Power International, Jilin Power and Sinopec Shanghai led the gainers.

Their share price all jumped by the daily limit of 10 percent.

Meanwhile, coal companies China National Coal Group and SDIC Xinji Energy also surged by 10 percent, remaining their bullish run.

At close,The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index climbed 2.5 percent.

The Shenzhen Component Index jumped 1.7 percent.

Hong Kong stocks's Hang Seng index ended 0.3 percent higher on the dayElsewhere in Asia,Japanese stocks ended at on a 15-year high as hopes for Greek debt deal boosted market sentiment.

The benchmark Nikkei added 0.3 percent.

South Korean shares ended positive for the sixth straight session.

Its benchmark index KOSPI increased 0.2 percent.

Singapore's benchmark Straits Times Index edged up 0.4 percent.

Finally, Australia's ASX 200 closed almost flat todayChinese A-share transactions top 30 trln for 2nd consecutive monthThe latest stats show the total turnover of the Chinese A-share market is being boosted by a bull market.

China Securities Regulatory Commission says overall turnover has exceeded the 30 trillion yuan threshold for the second-consecutive month in May.

Total turnover of the A-share market hit 31 trillion yuan, or about 5 trillion U.S. dollars, last month, up nearly 4 percent from April.

Average daily turnover on the A-share market reached a record high of 1.6 trillion yuan in May.

China's A-share market on the Shanghai and Shenzhen bourses is home to more than 27-hundred companies, with combined value of about 63 trillion yuan.

Russia overtakes Saudi Arabia to become China's top oil supplierAnchor:

It's being reported Russia has surpassed Saudi Arabia to become China's largest supplier of oil.

In May, Russia accounted for around one-third of all of China's oil imports, reaching nearly 4 million tons.

That is a 20-percent rise from the previous month.

Observers are suggesting the rise is being driven by increasing oil deals between the two countries, as well as Russia's acceptance of the Chinese yuan in its oil deals.

At the same time, it's being reported oil supplies from Saudi Arabia have slumped by over 40-percent to some 3 million tons in May.

For more on this, we earlier spoke with Professor Liu Baocheng at the University of International Business and Economics based in Beijing.

Back anchor:

That was Professor Liu Baocheng from the University of International Business and Economics based in Beijing.

BOC denies any illegal activity in Italian branchBank of China is denying receiving any formal documents from Italian prosecutors about alleged money laundering at its Milan branch.

It's been reported Bank of China and around 300 hundred individuals, mostly Chinese nationals, are accused in the illegal transfer of around 5-billion US dollars to China.

Italian prosecutors say around half of all the transfers were conducted between 2006 and 2010 via the bank's Milan Branch.

Bank of China is promising to respond to any formal request from Italian authorities and cooperate with the Italian government in any forthcoming probe.

Bank of China investors don't appear rattled by the news.

BOC shares jumped over 4 percent in Shanghai on Tuesday.

US-listed Chat appMomo to go private after receiving buyout offersChinese app Momo is reportedly going private after trading for just half-a-year on the Nasdaq.

It's being reported investors, including Momo CEO Tang Yan, Matrix Partners China and others are going to purchase all outstanding shares for 19 US dollars each.

This represents a 20-percent premium at Momo's current price.

The move is reportedly under investigation.

Momo is a mobile networking app which allows user to be friend with strangers based on locations, messages and photos.

Last week, another Chinese tech firm, Qihoo 360, received a 10 billion US dollar buyout offer from its CEO.

This is paving the way for the company to relist in the Chinese A share market.

China likely to buy Airbus A330 jets from France soonIt's being reported Chinese authorities are in-contact with Airbus to purchase upward of 70 A330 wide-body jets before the end of this week.

The deals are likely to be finalized as part of Premier Li Keqiang's forthcoming visit to Toulouse, France, where Airbus is based.

Airbus has declined to comment on this matter.

Li Keqiang is due to visit France as part of a European trip which starts at the end of June.

The A330 Regional has received its first order at last week's Paris Airshow.

China's electric car production grows three-fold in MayChinese automakers produced three times more new-energy vehicles in May than they did for the same month last year.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology reported on Wednesday that China cranked out about 53-thousand new-energy vehicles in the first five months of this year--a threefold increase that the same figure for 2014.

In May alone, China produced about 10-thousand electric passenger vehicles and about five-thousand hybrid cars.

In March, the Ministry of Transport said it wants to put 300-thousand new-energy commercial and public vehicles in service by 2020 to combat pollution.

Didi Kuaidi Making New App for Public-sector, Corporate CustomersDidi Kuaidi is planning to launch a separate mobile app service, specially targeting corporate and government customers.

China's largest taxi-hailing service provider says the market for businesses and the public sector will be worth at least 100 billion yuan, or around 16 billion US dollars.

Experts say that demand for taxi services among public sector workers have spiked following the Chinese government's plan to sell off many of its official-use vehicles.

Over three-thousand official cars owned by central governmental institutions will be auctioned later this year.

The new app is expected to be released by mid-August.

SportsChina to Face U.S. at WWC, Japan Beats Netherlands 2-1In Women's World Cup action:

China will face the United States in the quarter-finals of the Women's World Cup.

The U.S. beat Colombia 2-0 in the last 16 to set up a clash against China, who entered the last 8 with a 1-0 win over Cameroon.

Enjoying an extended layoff, Gu Yasha thinks China has a chance against the United States.

"The United States has rich experience in large-scale events. They have a very good command of the game, no matter how many players they replace. But we can go into this game with more confidence, having played them a few times. In this game, we need to give it all we have and leave no regrets."The United States is down in the midfield with both Lauren Holiday and Megan Rapinoe suspended for receiving two yellow cards in the Colombia game.

In Women's World Cup action from today:

Defending champions Japan beat the Netherlands 2-1.

Japanese Captain Aya Miyama cut a pass back to Mizuho Sakaguchi, who curled a precision shot from the edge of the penalty area past the diving Dutch keeper to put the holders up 2-0 with just 10 minutes left in normal time.

The Dutch would make it 2-1 in extra time, but it wasn't enough for a comeback, and Japan took the W.

Japan will next face Australia, but coach Norio Sasaki says this is not the same Australian team that Japan beat 1-0 in the 2014 Women's Asian Cup final:

""We have played against Australia previously, but they are a completely different team this time. They have improved quite a lot and technically are much superior now. So we have to be aware of that."Football: CSL PreviewIn Chinese Super League action kicking off tonight:

Changchun Yatai take on Guizhou;Shandong Luneng, now in fourth place, will face Shijiazhuang;Tianjin Teda will meet Chongqing;Guangzhou R&F will battle Henan;Liaoning will battle third-place Shanghai SIPG;and Jiangsu will hit the pitch against Shanghai Shenhua.

Copa America: Uruguay's Cavani Could Miss Match After Father Involved in Fatal AccidentIn football news from the Copa America:

Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani could miss the Copa America quarter-final with Chile after his father, Luis, was involved in a fatal car crash in the player's home country.

Judicial sources in Uruguay say that Luis Cavani knocked down and killed a 19-year old motorcyclist on Monday night.

The elder Cavani, who was driving a truck owned by his son, was detained by police in the town of Salto.

Although Tabarez said he and his squad have given the forward their full backing the coach would not confirm Cavani's place in the side to face the hosts on Wednesday.

Football: Money for Copa America Costs Impacted by FIFA Corruption InvestigationIn more Copa America news:

South American football governing body, CONMEBOL, may need to tap into a 10-million-US-dollar reserve fund to keep the Copa America going, after the recent FIFA corruption investigation hampered its money-flow.

ESPN reports that South American company Datisa, which owns the rights to the Copa America tournaments, had its bank accounts frozen after it became the focus of a 110-million-dollar bribery case. Datisa execs are currently int eh process of being extradited to the U.S.

Datisa was a company set up by executives from Argentina and Brazil.

CONMEBOL treasurer, Carlos Chavez, says Datisa has only paid 35 million of the 80 million dollars it owes the governing body.

Chavez adds that CONMEBOL need at least 20 million dollars to pay out the costs for the remainder of the tournament.

China Set to Face Rivals U.S. at V-ball Women's World CupIn volleyball:

China will face long-time rivals and world champions the United States, after the two teams were drawn in the same first-round pool for this year's FIVB Volleyball Women's World Cup.

China will seek their revenge for their final loss to the U.S. in last year's world championship and the last World Cup in 2011.

China and the U.S. have been paired in Pool B along with South Korea, Serbia, Peru and Algeria.

The competition begins on August 22nd in Japan.

The top two teams at the World Cup will each earn a place at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

China Picks Off All Gold Medals at Sniper World CupChina swept all the five gold medals at the 14th Military and Police Sniper World Cup in Budapest on Tuesday.

In the military individual category, Chinese marksman Wang Yongchuan won the title with 952 points.

Wang and China's Li Wen won the military team event with 1,858 points. As the best overall individual shooter, Wang was awarded the title of the "Best of Best" at the event. He and Li also got a special prize for the highest team score.

Chinese shooter Chen Jun won the police individual event with 880 points. Chen and fellow police marksman Li Zhiyu won the police team category with 1,739 points.

NFL: Tom Brady's "Deflategate" Suspension Appeal Begins TodayIn news from the National Football League:

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's appeal of his four-game National Football League suspension for participating in a scheme to deflate footballs during last season's playoffs began on Tuesday in New York.

Brady was suspended by the league for his role in the use of deflated footballs in the AFC championship game win over the Indianapolis Colts.

A four-game suspension against 37-year-old Brady could harm his legacy as one of the NFL's greatest quarterbacks ever. He has denied any knowledge of a plan to deflate the balls.

Should Goodell uphold the league's suspension, the four-time Super Bowl champion could take his case to federal court.

F1: Teams Hang Back in Austria to Test for Upcoming British GPIn racing news:

A number of Formula One teams started their preparations for next month's British Grand Prix next month with testing at a rain-soaked Spielberg circuit in Austria.

The teams had stayed on after Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix, won by Mercedes' Nico Rosberg, ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

Mercedes were one of the teams involved in the first day of testing on Tuesday, with their German test driver Pascal Wehrlein fastest at the end of the rain-affected day.

F1 drivers Romain Grosjean in a Lotus and Toro Rosso's Max Verstappen were among the drivers to take part, along with McLaren's highly-rated Belgian Stoffel Vandoorne.

France's 18 year-old Esteban Ocon, a contender for the GP3 title, was also well up with the pace for Force IndiaTesting continues on Wednesday - including the appearances of Rosberg, McLaren's Fernando Alonso and Daniel Ricciardo in a Red Bull.

Entertainment"The Crossing" Part Two to Open on July 30The second half of disaster movie "The Crossing" is set to premiere in Chinese theatres on July 30th.

A new trailer for the film, titled "The Crossing: The Other Shore," has also been released.

The sequel will focus on the actual sinking of the ship "Taiping," which is bound for Taiwan during the civil war in the late 1940's.

Critics have panned the first half of the film for developing too slowly, as well as questions about the need to break the film in half.

The first film only made 200-million yuan at the box office.

The film cost around 400-million yuan to film.

Dubbed China's "Titanic," the movie is directed by renowned action movie director John Woo.

The film stars Zhang Ziyi, actors Huang Xiaoming and Tong Dawei, South Korean actress Song Hye-kyo and Japanese actress Masami Nagasawa.

Alibaba Joins Hand with Paramount to Invest in "Mission Impossible 5"Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba and Paramount are teaming up to invest in "Mission Impossible 5: Rogue Nation".

This marks the first investment for Alibaba in a motion picture.

Alibaba has set up a working group in Los Angles to try to tap other opportunities in the global film industry.

The "Mission Impossible" franchise has become one of Paramount's most successful series of films, generating revenues of over 2-billion US dollars through the previous four movies.

Alibaba will be working on distribution and promotion strategies for the latest installment.

"Mission Impossible 5: Rogue Nation" will hit Chinese theatres on July 31st.

Chinese Singer Zhang Liangyin to Debut New "Terminator" Film Theme SongChinese singer Zhang Liangyin is reportedly going to perform the theme song of the upcoming "Terminator" film at her concert tour this Saturday in Shanghai.

She is reportedly going to sing "Fighting Shadows" for the first time.

This will come ahead of film's premiere in the US on July 1st, which is Sunday, in Los Angeles.

Zhang Liangyin's tour, dubbed "BANG the World", is celebrating her 10th anniversary in the music industry.

She shot to fame in 2005 after placing 3rd in the "Super Girl" competition.

This is China's version of American Idol.

Her tour is due to wrap up in her hometown of Chengdu in Sichuan on October 10th.

Taylor Swift Announces Tour Dates for ShanghaiIt's been announced Grammy award-winning singer Taylor Swift is taking her "1989" World Tour to Shanghai in November.

The American singer/songwriter is scheduled to peform for two nights on November 10th and 11th.

Swift's album "1989" has already sold more than 1.3 million copies in the US.

Madonna Takes Tour to New Zealand, Australia for the 1st Time in 23 YearsUS pop diva Madonna has announced plans to go 'Down Under' to perform for her fans in both New Zealand and Australia next March.

It will be her first concert tour in the two countries in 23 years.

The singer will start her tour in Auckland, New Zealand in early March before travelling to Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane in Australia.

Though absent from her fans in the South Hemisphere for more than two decades, Madonna still has a huge following in the region.

Her latest album "Rebel Heart" opened number one on the Album Charts in Australia, her 11th number one title in the country.

Drake, Elton John to Headline Music Midtown Festival in AtlantaIt's been announced that Drake, Elton John and Sam Smith will all be performing at the Music Midtown Festival in Atlanta this September.

The line-up for the concert also includes other big names such as Lenny Kravitz, Billy Idol, Tove Lo and Hozier.

More artists are also expected to be announced as the concert draws nearer.

The two-day festival was launched in Atlanta in 1994.

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

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

This year's Strategic and Economic Dialogue is underway in Washington.

The Chinese government has released its first-ever report on the drug situation in this country.

A massive heat wave which has been gripping southern Pakistan is being blamed for hundreds of deaths.

Business.... it appears Chinese app Momo is going to go private after just 6-months on the NASDAQ.

On behalf of the Beijing Hour staffers, I'm 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...