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

Coming up on our program this morning...

The Turkish President's China visit begins today, with plans to expand on the strategic cooperation agreed to five years ago...

The Chinese premier calls for greater innovation in technology sectors, calling it the "golden key" to the country's development...

North Korean officials say the country is not interested in an Iran-style nuclear agreement...

In Business...the central bank welcomes foreign investment in China's bond market...

In Sports...Team China dominates the medal tally at the swimming world championships...

In entertainment...Monster Hunt continues to draw impressive numbers to the Chinese box office...

Top NewsTurkey keen on upgrading strategic ties with China: ErdoganTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says his country seeks to boost ties with China at all levels as part of the "strategic cooperation" agreed upon by the two countries in 2010.

Erdogan made the comment ahead of his two-day visit in China, which begins today.

He says he expects several cooperation deals to be inked during his first visit to China as the Turkish President.

"I believe this visit will enhance and increase the content of our strategic partnership."China has previously revealed that the two countries may further boost cooperation in transportation, energy and telecommunications.

Erdogan is due to meet with top Chinese leaders including President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang.

A key issue during Erdogan's time in Beijing will be the long-standing talks between the two countries to buy the Chinese long-range surface-to-air missile system.

He says Turkey is open to an improved offer from China.

"We are going to revisit those issues during this visit. Any offer that will enrich this acceptable offer will be welcomed by us too. Because the real important subject is the mutual benefit of the countries."In 2013, Ankara accepted a bid from China Precision Machinery Export-Import Corporation for its first anti-missile system.

But the 3.4 billion- US-dollar deal is yet to be signed amid U.S. and Western concerns about security and the compatibility of the weaponry with NATO systems.

Ankara has also been conducting talks with U.S. defense contractor Raytheon, the producer of the Patriot missile system, and the French-Italian company Eurosam.

Chinese Premier Encourages Innovation in Science and TechnologyAnchorChinese Premier Li Keqiang has called for greater efforts to boost innovation in key technologies, saying innovation is the "golden key" for China's development.

He has also encouraged a profound integration of science, technology and economy.

For more on this, CRI's Huang Shan reports.

ReporterPremier Li Keqiang says China should consider science and technology as a primary productive force.

"Scientific and technological innovation to a large extent determines the future of China's development strategy. In history, we have missed several technological revolutions. At present, we must put innovation at the core of the country's comprehensive development, and thus restructure our competitive advantages."Stressing the country's "Internet Plus" campaign for better digital infrastructure, Premier Li encourages enterprises and individuals to pool funds and knowledge.

Internet Plus is a development campaign raised by the premier earlier this year.

The goal to it is to integrate the Internet and traditional industries through online platforms and IT technology, in an effort to help the country's economic restructuring.

The premier says the government will ensure a fair and open environment for sci-tech businesses, and further cut red tape to help meet these goals.

Along with this, experts suggest effort should be made to improve innovation abilities in western China. Currently, most science and education resources are concentrated in more developed regions, such as Beijing and Shanghai.

Xie Yi, an inorganic chemist with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, gives her suggestions.

"I think the government can distribute some important scientific engineering projects and national laboratories in major cities in western and central China where conditions permit it. By this means, the regions' capacity for independent innovation can be significantly enhanced. Meanwhile, this can provide long-term, stable support for science, technology, and talented professionals."The suggestions were made at a symposium on science and technology strategy, which is to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of China's top scientific think tanks, the Academic Divisions of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Meeting with members from the think tank, Premier Li said scientific and technological personnel are the core driving force of innovation.

"Scientific and technological personnel ought to be among the higher-income groups in society, as they have played a pivotal and irreplaceable role in creating social wealth. Along with measures protecting incomes of people involved in basic research, the country will improve income distribution to enable personnel to become well-off through their inventions. This action can stimulate their innovation power."For CRI, I'm Huang Shan.

China's economy remains in reasonable range in first half of 2015: officialsChina's top economic regulator says the country's economy has operated within a reasonable range in the first half of this year, but the downward pressure will be considerable through the rest of this year.

In making the comment, the National Development and Reform Commission also says that it will give more support to the major investment and consumption projects, and create a favorable financial environment for the real economy.

Gao Gao is an official with the NDRC.

"We will also guide the flow of funds to the real economy by further optimizing the allocation of financial resources, increasing supports for targeted key areas and weak links, further expanding the direct financing channels, and reducing the financing costs so as to create a favorable financial environment for the real economy."The authority adds that China will maintain proactive fiscal policy and prudent monetary policy, while working to expand demand, encourage investment and increase consumption.

The economic regulating body also notes that it will pay close attention to volatility in the country's stock markets.

China to continue to stabilize stock market: CSRCThe Chinese securities regulator says China Securities Finance Corporation will continue to buy stocks to stabilize the market.

China Securities Regulatory Commission spokesperson Zhang Xiaojun made the remarks after the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index experienced its sharpest daily drop since 2007 on Monday.

He was dispelling some media speculation that the national margin trading service provider has backed off from stabilizing the stock market.

Meanwhile, Zhang added that the CSRC is investigating huge stock sell-offs by some individuals and will punish any malicious short selling.

Beijing's 2022 Bid Highlights SustainabilityAnchorWith the International Olympic Committee is about to announce the host city for the 2022 Winter Olympics, Beijing's bid organizers are expressing confidence in terms of facilities and sustainability.

The team is now preparing its final presentation to IOC members ahead of the vote expected on Friday.

CRI's Qi Zhi has more.

The International Olympic Committee's executive board meetings have started in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Ahead of the final vote on the 2022 Games, IOC President Thomas Bach noted that high quality venues and facilities as well as plans for sustainable development are key to hosting a successful Olympics.

Beijing's bid team has shown confidence that the Chinese capital has unique advantages in these areas.

Gui Lin, an official with the bidding team, says Beijing takes athletes' needs into consideration when venues are planned and designed.

"As the host of the 2008 Olympic Games, we are fully aware of athletes' desire to save time as much as possible. For instance, the Olympic village should be close to venues or railway stations, but not too close; otherwise, it will be too noisy. Therefore, we made a proper arrangement for that."According to Beijing's bid plan, all the ice events will be held in existing venues.

Retired Olympic champion Shen Xue says the existing venues are among the best of their kind in the world.

"When we were athletes, all the Chinese figure skaters conducted their daily training in domestic facilities, except for some overseas special training. Our facilities in the country are leading in the world in terms of hardware and software."In response to IOC calls for sustainability in future Olympics, Beijing's bid plan includes not only the re-use of existing venues from the 2008 Olympic Games in downtown Beijing, but also the full use of infrastructure.

Wang Hui, spokeswoman for the Beijing's bid committee, takes the high speed railway linking Beijing and Zhangjiakou as an example.

"The planning of the railway linking Beijing and Zhangjiakou had been made before. Actually, it is a part of a rail between Beijing and Baotou, a section of which has been completed. Some people believe Beijing is building the high speed rail line especially for the Winter Olympics; on the contrary, we chose Zhangjiakou as the site for snow sports partly because of the previously planned high speed rail."The final vote will be held on July 31 to determine which city will host the 2022 Winter Games. There are two bids in the running: Beijing and Almaty, Kazakhstan.

For CRI, I am qizhi.

"Man-eating" Escalator Banned from UsingThe quality watchdog in central China's Hubei Province has issued a province-wide ban on the use of elevators and escalators made by Shenlong Elevator Company.

The decision comes after a tragedy on Sunday morning where a woman was killed in a shopping mall after falling into an escalator after a panel came loose.

Newly-released security video shows two staffers from the shopping mall had spotted the loose panel at the top of the escalator just five minutes before the victim fell to her death.

They have failed to take any emergency measures to stop the escalator.

Taizhou Airport ordered to suspend operations after flight chaosThe Civil Aviation Administration of China has decided to suspend operation of an airport in the eastern city of Taizhou starting from today.

This comes after an incident on a flight originating at that airport three days ago.

A passenger armed with a knife twice tried to set fire on a plane.

The suspect was later detained.

In light of the incident, the secretary of the civil aviation administration in Taizhou and his deputy secretary in charge of safety have been removed, as well as Taizhou airport officials in charge of airport security checks, and all checkpoint staff on duty that day.

Beijing to cut commute time to one hour by 2020The municipal authorities here in Beijing are striving to reduce the average commute time within its Fifth Ring Road from 97 minutes to 60 by 2020.

A senior city official was quoted by media as saying that this will be implemented by building a modernized comprehensive transportation system.

Zhou Zhengyu, head of the Beijing Committee of Transportation also says the authorities will aim for "mild" traffic congestion within five years.

Beijing will continue to control the number of private cars and take measures to encourage the use of public transport, bicycles and walking.

China's FTZs Develop Well on TrackAnchorChina's four free trade zones have seen rapid development since being established.

As CRI's Luo Wen reports, thousands of enterprises have registered in these pilot zones boasting streamlined services and preferential policies.

ReporterIn April, China approved the expansion of the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone and the setup of three similar zones in Guangdong, Fujian and Tianjin.

At a recent press conference, Lv Jinzhou with Tianjin Airport Economic Zone spoke highly of the FTZ's role in helping attract foreign enterprises.

"After establishment, the Tianjin FTZ has signed agreements with Airbus on the building of an A330 completion and delivery center and with Bombardier over the setting up of a maintenance plant. Currently, a series of new agreements are under negotiation."Lv Jinzhou says the attraction of FTZ is mainly rooted in innovative policies and a sound business environment.

As of the end of June, China's central authorities and the governments in Shanghai, Tianjin, Fujian and Guangzhou have enacted around 100 policies to bolster the development of these zones.

Meanwhile, the number of items included in the negative list for investment in these places has been further reduced from 139 to 122.

Vice Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen says the way the FTZs operate and their efforts to improve business environment have been recognized by investors.

"Free Trade Zones are expected to lead the country's opening-up move and become a 'test field' for new reform measures. Policies already adopted in FTZs aiming to push forward with opening-up in more sectors have attracted enterprises from both here at home and abroad."Official figures show that about 20-thousand companies registered in the FTZs in Guangdong, Tianjin and Fujian between April and June, while in the Shanghai FTZ, the first of the kind that opened around two years ago, 21 thousand firms were set up in the first half of this year.

Tang Wenhong from the foreign investment department of the commerce ministry says great efforts have been made to streamline services and simplify administrative approval procedures at the FTZs.

He adds that besides the efforts to facilitate investment, the four FTZs have also made remarkable progress in financial innovation.

"Shanghai has accelerated the compiling of a plan for building itself into an international financial hub and expanding cross-border use of the RMB. In the first five months of this year, cross-border RMB settlement in the city exceeded 140 billion yuan, or 23 billion US dollars, accounting for over 26 percent of the city's overall settlements, while the cross-straits RMB settlements in the Fujian FTZ will reach 36 billion yuan very soon."According to a master plan issued by the State Council, China's cabinet, the four zones will develop in specific directions.

The Guangdong FTZ is required to help widen the cooperation between the mainland, Hong Kong and Macao and the Tianjin FTZ should boost the integration of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei.

The Fujian FTZ is asked to pilot programs for deepening cross-straits cooperation, while the Shanghai FTZ is tasked with exploring new horizons for the country's opening-up and reform.

For CRI, I'm Luo Wen.

Macao to impose austerity if gaming revenue falls below red lineMacao is to launch austerity measures if the gaming venues tally for July does not reach the "red line" of 2.25 billion U.S. dollars.

Chief Executive Chui Sai On says details of the budget may be announced as early as next month.

Chui promises that if austerity measures are introduced, they would affect only the spending of the government sectors, and people's livelihood including social welfare and medical care would remain intact.

Chui also says the government will continue to focus on diversifying its economy, and balancing the development of gaming and non-gaming elements.

NATO offers political support to Turkey's border campaignNATO has offered political support for Turkey's campaign against militants in Syria and Iraq at an emergency meeting requested by Turkey to discuss instability at its borders.

The meeting comes after Ankara stepped up its role in the U.S.-led fight against the Islamic State group with air strikes, also hitting Kurdistan Workers Party camps in Iraq on the weekend.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says the alliance expressed "strong solidarity" with Turkey, a key NATO member.

"All allies expressed their strong support for Turkey and we stand all together united in solidarity with Turkey and all allies also condemned terrorism in all its forms."Both NATO and Turkey have played down any idea that the military alliance might provide air or ground support for Turkey's campaign in Syria and Iraq.

But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggests NATO may have a duty to become more involved.

"Today, NATO has an urgent meeting which will include this subject. I believe that NATO will declare they are ready to take the necessary steps which they are supposed to take after this meeting."Turkish opposition politicians and critics accuse Erdogan of taking up the campaign against the Islamic State as political cover to clamp down on Kurds.

The outlawed PKK has waged an insurgency against Ankara for Kurdish autonomy since 1984.

In response, Erdogan has made clear that his country cannot continue the peace process with the Kurds amid attacks by Kurdish militants on Turkish targets.

"It is not possible for us to continue the peace process with those who threaten our national unity and brotherhood."There have been a series of clashes recently between Turkish forces and Kurdish PKK militants.

Turkey has also been hit by attacks by Islamic State-linked militants - including one that left 32 dead in the town of Suruc last week.

Turkey considers both the PKK and IS to be terrorist organizations.

Libyan parliament approves amnesty law hours after Qaddafi son sentenced to deathLibya's internationally recognized House of Representatives has unanimously approved a law of general amnesty.

This comes just hours after a court in Tripoli issued death sentences on a son of former leader Muammar Gaddafi and 8 others.

All those sentenced to death were convicted of directing war crimes against Libyans during the uprising against Qaddafi in 2011.

One of the lawyers of Gaddafi regime officials said they will appeal the death sentence:

Seif al-Islam Gaddafi has been held by militias in the western Libya for four years.

The militant group refused to hand him over to the Libyan government.

He didn't show up in Tuesday's court ruling, and it is not clear how the sentence can be carried out.

Following the civil war which toppled Gaddafi, Libya has descended into anarchy.

North Korea: no interest in Iran-style nuclear dealNorth Korea's ambassador to the United Nations says his country has no interest in a nuclear disarmament deal similar to that of Iran's, because North Korea is already a "nuclear weapons state."Ambassador Jang Il Hun says his country's nuclear weapons program is necessary to protect North Korea from what he calls the United State's "hostile policy" towards the North.

"We are already a nuclear weapons state, both in name and in reality, and as such, as a nuclear weapons state we have our own interest, and we are not interested at all in holding any dialogue on discussing the unilateral freeze or dismantlement or abandonment of our nuclear weapons."Earlier, North Korea's ambassador to China made similar remarks after a U.S. official suggested the recent deal with Iran could set an example for solving North Korea's nuclear issue.

Jang Il Hun rejected the proposal, saying North Korea is in a different situation.

"We recognize that the Iranian nuclear deal is a fruition of the long standing effort of the Iranian government to have its right to independent nuclear activities recognized and to dismantle the sanctions regime, but our case is totally different."The United States and five world powers reached an historic deal with Iran earlier this month that will limit Iran's nuclear capabilities in exchange for lifting sanctions from the US, EU and UN.

North Korea is also sanctioned by the three parties for procuring equipment related to its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

The country's nuclear program is a major regional concern and international talks over the issue have been stalled since early 2009.

South Korea declares end to Mers epidemicAnchorSouth Korea's Prime Minister has declared a "de facto end" to the outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome.

He has also apologized for the government's slow response during the initial stages of the outbreak.

CRI's Poornima Weerasekara reports.

ReporterThe announcement by South Korea's Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn declaring an end to the Mers outbreak in the country comes more than two months after the first case was reported, when a South Korean man who had visited Saudi Arabia, returned after being infected.

Twelve people remain hospitalised receiving treatment for MERS, but only one of them is still testing positive for the virus.

But Hwang says there had been no new infections for 23 days.

"Considering various situations such as the concentrated surveillance on 15 hospitals were all lifted, no new patients were diagnosed with MERS for 23 straight days and the last person under quarantine was released, the government and health workers appraised that the nation should start to feel safe (from MERS)."The South Korean government has been heavily criticized for its slow initial response that allowed the crisis to snowball into the largest Mers outbreak outside Saudi Arabia, killing 36 people and infecting 186 in total.

At its peak nearly 17,000 people were in quarantine after evidence emerged that lax policies at a few top medical institutions had exposed hundreds of patients to the virus.

The Prime Minister apologized for the government's initial failure to enforce quarantine procedures. He promised that the government would implement reforms to fix the shortcomings in the country's health care system that came to light during the crisis.

But Hwang says South Koreans should now focus on getting back to their normal lives that had been disrupted.

"Now South Korean people should be relieved from their anxiety of MERS and normalize their cultural and leisure activities and return to their daily routines such as schools (opening)."Thousands of schools were closed and all outdoor gathering and cultural events were canceled.

The outbreak dealt a major blow to South Korea's economy, knocking second-quarter growth to its worst in more than six years.

Tourism numbers dropped by 40 percent and South Korea is now eager to repair lingering negative perceptions.

Last week, the South Korean government approved a 9.8 billion dollar stimulus package to help the struggling economy.

Some experts see today's announcement by the South Korean government as a hasty step taken to prevent the country's economy from bleeding any further.

The World Health Organisation says it is not ready to declare an end to Mers in South Korea.

The WHO says it needs 28 days without a new infection - twice the incubation period of the virus – before it will make the announcement.

The first case of Mers emerged in the Middle East in 2012. The virus is linked to the same family of coronaviruses that triggered the deadly outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003.

Despite today's announcement that South Korea is now rid of Mers, the public health system would continue to be on high alert.

For CRI I'm Poornima Weerasekara.

WeatherBeijing will see thundershowers with a high of 29 degrees Celsius.

Overnight temperatures should drop down to 23.

Shanghai will be sunny with a high of 38 and a low of 30.

In Chongqing, it will be cloudy during the daytime with a high of 36 and lows of 26.

Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia,Kathmandu, moderate rain, 28.

Islamabad will see slight rain with a high of 34.

Kabul will see slight rain with a high of 26.

Over to North America,New York will be overcast with a high of 33 degrees.

Washington, slight rain with a high of 32 degrees.

Honolulu, cloudy, 28.

Toronto will be cloudy with a high of 32 degrees.

Finally, on to South America,Buenos Aires will be overcast with a high of 18.

And Rio de Janeiro will be cloudy with a high of 24 degrees Celsius.

Headline newsTurkey keen on upgrading strategic ties with China: ErdoganTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is due to begin his first visit to China as President.

The two sides are expected to sign several cooperation deals during his visit, including those on transportation, energy and telecommunications.

Another key issue will be the long-standing talks on Turkey's purchase of the Chinese long-range surface-to-air missile system.

Ankara accepted a bid from China Precision Machinery Export-Import Corporation for its first anti-missile system back in 2013.

However, the 3.4 billion-US-dollar deal is yet to be signed amid U.S. and Western concerns about security and the compatibility of the weaponry with NATO systems.

Chinese navy conducts live firing drill in South China SeaThe Chinese navy has conducted a live firing drill in the South China Sea to improve its maritime combat ability.

Navy sources say the drill involves more than 100 naval vessels, dozens of aircrafts, several missile launch battalions, as well as information warfare troops.

Dozens of missiles and torpedoes and thousands of shells and jamming bombs were fired during the exercise.

The drill specifically aimed to test the navy's air defense and early warning system.

25 Killed in Factory Fire near Egypt's CairoAt least 25 people have been killed in a fire in a furniture factory in northern Egypt.

22 others were injured.

The cause of the fire is not immediately clear.

It's been reported that the furniture factory did not have operating permits because it had failed to meet safety standards.

Escalating conflict in Yemen leaves some 4,000 people killed since March: UNA new report from the United Nations says the conflict in Yemen has caused 4,000 deaths since March.

More than 19 thousand others have been injured. The numbers are based on reports from local health facilities.

Nearly half of the people killed are believed to have been civilians. Three-hundred- and 65 children have been killed while nearly five hundred others have been wounded.

U.S. to free Israeli spy in NovemberThe U.S.' Parole Commission has decided to free an Israeli spy, Jonathan Pollard, in November, after the Jewish American was put behind bars 30 years ago.

Pollard is not allowed to leave the United States for five years.

He was convicted in 1987 for transferring thousands of classified military documents to Israel when serving as a U.S. Naval Intelligence officer.

Pollard was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Biz reportsLatest Stock Number from North America and EuropeAnchorFirst, a quick check on the market numbers, our reporter Min Rui.

ReporterU.S. stocks posted solid gains Tuesday after falling for five consecutive sessions as Wall Street eyed the U.S. Federal Reserve's two-day policy meeting.

The Dow Jones added over one percent.

The S&P 500 jumped 1.2 percent.

The Nasdaq Composite Index gained nearly one percent.

The Federal Open Market Committee kicked off its two-day meeting Tuesday.

Investors are not expecting any major decisions this week, but they will be looking for hints on the timing for a possible interest rate hike.

Quarterly earnings reports from big companies came out largely positive Tuesday, with shares of UPS and Ford Motors recording gains.

Over in Europe, shares also ended higherThe British FTSE 100 increased by 0.8 percent as the growth pace in the UK picked up in the second quarter.

British GDP was estimated to have increased by 0.7 percent in the second quarter of 2015.

With Greece and its creditors restarting negotiations, both Germany's DAX and France's CAC 40 gained a little over one percent.

Recap on the Chinese stock markets, shares dropped again following Monday's collapse and regulators' promise of support for the market.

More than 300 stocks sank by the daily limit of ten percent, led by technology and energy sectors.

At close, the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index lost 1.7 percent.

The smaller Shenzhen Component Index decreased 1.4 percent.

Back to you Shane.

China welcomes foreign investors in bond market: central bankChina's central bank says it welcomes investment from global central banks, financial institutions, and sovereign-wealth funds in the country's bond market.

The remarks follow new rules introduced by the bank two weeks ago to make it easier for international investors in the interbank bond market.

The investors now need only register with the central bank in order to trade bonds in the spot and forward markets, conduct interest rate swaps, and trade forward rate agreements.

They are also free to decide on the size of their respective investments.

A central bank official says the move is aimed at speeding up the construction of a more transparent and open bond market to better play its role in resource allocation.

LME to Accept Renminbi as Collateral on Trading PlatformAnchorThe London Metal Exchange, the world's largest venue for trading metals, has accepted the offshore yuan as cash collateral.

LME Clear already accepts the dollar, sterling, euro , and yen as collateral.

Members of the clearing house have been calling for the exchange to extend the list of accepted cash collateral to include offshore yuan which, unlike onshore yuan, is freely tradeable.

Chinese-owned BOCI Global Commodities will be the first LME Clear member to submit offshore yuan collateral.

The LME currently has six Chinese members.

The yuan is now the fifth most used currency for international payments.

For more on the internationalization of the renminbi, CRI's Spencer Musick earlier spoke with Liu Baocheng, Professor at the University of International Business and Economics.

Back anchor:

That was Liu Baocheng, Professor at University of International Business and Economics, speaking with CRI's Spencer Musick.

China's H1 group-buying turnover exceeds 12-bln-USDThe turnover of China's group-buying market reached 77 billion yuan, or 13 billion U.S. dollars, in the first half of this year.

According to Tuan800, a web portal that tracks the industry, the number is up 160 percent compare to the full-year turnover in 2014.

Group-buying site Meituan.com, backed by Chinese Internet giant Alibaba, dominated the market with a 57 percent share.

Another similar site, Dianping.com, backed by Tencent, has 27 percent market share.

Android flaw lets hackers break in with a text messageCyber security firm Zimperium has warned of a flaw in the Android operating system that lets hackers take control with a text message.

Media reports say the only devices safe from the bug are those running anything below version 2.2.

It says attackers only need your mobile number, with which they can remotely execute a code via a specially crafted media file delivered via text message.

Malicious code executed by hackers could take control of smartphones and plunder contents without owners knowing.

According to the security firm, stagefright, as the malicious code is known, could imperil 95 percent of Android phones, an estimated 950 million units.

World conference discusses potato market potentialThe 9th World Potato Congress kicked off in Beijing on Tuesday to explore potato market potential and promote industrial cooperation.

At the same time, an international potato research center was established here in Beijing to boost scientific research and industrial development.

In China, the potato industry is no longer a less-developed and poor sector, becoming an essential driver for modern agriculture.

The potato has been made one of the country's staple foods.

The planting area for potatoes is now more than 5.5 million hectares in China.

The three-day event in Beijing's Yanqing County has attracted nearly 1,000 representatives from over 30 countries and regions.

Tmall.hk launches duty-free shopping platformTmall.hk, an online shopping platform for overseas goods under e-commerce powerhouse Alibaba, has launched an international duty-free shopping platform.

Consumers with outbound air tickets can purchase duty-free goods via Tmall.hk's website or mobile app and retrieve their items at designated duty-free shops.

Buyers can use electronic ways to make payments and then use confirmation texts or barcodes when they finish their overseas trips and collect their goods.

The Shilla Duty-free Shop of South Korea and Thailand's KingPower Duty-free Shop have both signed agreements with Tmall.hk to sell their products via the platform.

Tmall.hk says it has rolled out a variety of promotions for the initial phase to attract more customers.

SportsQin Kai/Cao Yuan win men's synchronized 3-meter springboardTipping things off with the latest action from the swimming world championships in Kezan,China's Qin Kai/Cao Yuan have won the men's synchronized 3-meter springboard event.

The pair had some slips during the six dives but won by over 12 points on synchronization.

Cao says the small mistakes didn't affect their overall performance.

"We anticipated every possible scenario before the match. And we were determined to do our best on each maneuver. It is how we should tackle all matches, no matter what happens, we have to fight to the very end. "It is Qin's fifth straight title in the event and the first for Cao.

In other action,Italy's Tania Cagnotto ended China's sweep in gold medals by winning the women's one-meter springboard.

China's world champions Shi Tingmao and He Zi finished in second and third place.

The championships is into its fifth day and China is still dominating the medal tally with five golds, three silvers and two bronzes.

China beats Slovakia 82-68 at International Basketball ChallengeIn basketball,China's men's Olympic team thrashed Slovakia 82-68 at the International Basketball Challenge.

It was China's second straight win, having defeated Iran in the opening game the previous day.

Guo Ailun continued his superb form and scored 14 points, four assists and three steals in 19 minutes.

China will play Italy tonight.

Lin Dan, Lee Chong-wei to clash at world championshipsIn badminton,The draw for the world championships has set up a world-class clash between China's Lin Dan and Malaysia's Lee Chong-wei.

Lin and Lee are drawn to the same section and could face each other in the semi-finals if they make their way through the previous matches.

The road leading to the semi-finals is full of threats for both shuttlers as they will likely face some big names such as Wang Zhengming and Jan Jorgensen.

World number one and defending champion Chen Long has a better chance to making the final, as nobody in his section is considered to be near his level of talent.

The world championships will begin on August 10 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Vallecano officially introduces Zhang ChengdongIn football,Zhang Chengdong has been officially introduced by La Liga's Vallecano during the team's press conference in Nanjing.

Zhang will be wearing the number 16 jersey.

He will not be playing in the friendly between Vallecano and Real Socidad in Nanjing as he still has to pass a physical.

Twenty-six-year-old Zhang moved from Beijing Guo'an to Vallecano to become the first Chinese player in La Liga.

He joined the club on loan for a year.

Arturo Vidal officially joins Bayern MunichElsewhere,German Bundesliga champion Bayern Munich has finally completed the transfer of Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal.

Vidal successfully completed a physical and joined Bayern from Juventus on a deal worth 40 million euros with bonuses.

Vidal hopes to achieve great things with his new team.

"I talked to my wife and with people I like. I have a dream. I want to win the Bundesliga. I couldn't reach that goal with Leverkusen. Bayern Munich is one of the three strongest clubs in the world. With them, I can win the Bundesliga and the Champions League."Vidal was with Bundesliga's Leverkusen before leaving for Juventus in 2011.

He had just helped Chile win its first Copa America title earlier this month, despite being involved in a DUI accident during the tournament.

Mexico sacks coach for national football team over alleged assaultMexico's football federation has sacked the coach of the country's national football team, Miguel Herrera, over an alleged assault against a journalist.

Herrera is said to have attacked Christian Martinoli at the Philadelphia airport when the Mexican team was heading home after winning the Gold Cup.

Herrera has not commented on the decision but claimed he simply shoved Martinoli. Alternative versions from witnesses say the coach threatened the journalist and struck him in the neck.

The parent company of the TV station Martinoli works for has called for an immediate investigation into the incident.

The President of Mexico's football federation says the decision to dismiss Herrera was a difficult one.

A successor has not been named and the federation will take its time in selecting one.

Nadal harvests first win since WimbledonIn tennis,Rafael Nadal has won his first competitive match since his early exit from Wimbledon, beating Fernando Verdasco in three sets at the Hamburg Open.

Nadal recovered from his sluggish form in the first set, which he lost 6-3, to win 6-1 in each of the next sets.

It was an important victory for the tournament's top seed.

"It was a very important victory. For my mentality it was important to finish a match better than how I started. To be able to make that change during the match, it's been a very positive thing for me and (I'm) just happy the way I came back."In other action from round one,Tommy Robredo rallied to a four-set win over Alexander Zverev,Benoit Paire beat home favorite Philipp Kohlschreiber in three sets.

EntertainmentMonster Hunt still top at Chinese Box OfficeAt the Chinese box office,Monster Hunt, Jianbing Man and Monkey King: Hero is Back have held on to the top three spots at the Chinese box office.

Record breaking Monster Hunt added $113 million to bring its total to $221 million after 11 days.

Meanwhile, Jianbing Man which is a superhero comedy which features a cameo from Jean-Claude van Damme came in second place. The movie grossed $70 million during the week for a ten day total of $140 million, making it the ninth highest Chinese film of all time.

Monkey King: Hero is Back took $32 million to bring it to a total of $108 million over 17 days. The film has become the biggest selling Chinese animation film of all time.

The Imitation Game starring Bennedict Cumberbatch earned $3 million in six days claiming the sixth spot on the box office rankings while Shaun the Sheep followed in seventh with $3 million for a ten day total of $7 million.

Michael Jackson's glove goes up for auctionMichael Jackson's signature white glove is to go on sale at auction later this week.

The item will go on sale at the Nate D Sanders auction house in Los Angeles on Thursday with bidding for the glove starting at $30,000.

The sequined glove owned by the star, was later given as a gift from Jackson to artist Paul Bedard who painted a collage of famous people including Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein and ET all wearing the glove.

A glove worn by Michael Jackson when he debuted the Moonwalk sold at auction in 2009 for $350,000. Another glove worn by the star sold for $160,000 in 2010.

Also going up for sale at the auction is the jacket that Jackson wore in the Bad music video with a starting price of $10,000.

Angelina Jolie in Cambodia for filmingAngelina Jolie is returning to the country that made her a film superstar to tell the stories of people in the country that changed her life.

The actress is set to direct a Netflix film on location based on "First they Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers,", a memoir of life under the Khmer Rouge regime by Loung Ung.

She says her Cambodian born son Maddox will help with research and preparation for the film. Jolie adopted Maddox in 2002 from an orphanage in Cambodia. She says Cambodia has changed her life.

Jolie is currently in Cambodia scouting for locations for the film, casting and researching. She says that process could take several months.

Filming is set to begin in November.

Marvel confirm writers for Spider-ManThe creative team for Marvel and Sony's Spider-Man has confirmed that the Vacation reboot writers will be penning Peter Parker's return.

John Francis Daley and Johnathan Goldstein spoke out over the weekend to confirm that they will be joining the team to write the script for the upcoming movie. The pair are behind the reboot of film Vacation which is set for release July 29 in the US.

The Spider-Man movie will not be a straight origin story and will instead focus on a high schooler battling new franchise villains. Marvel has said the new Peter Parker will be a nerd with a fantastic sense of humour.

19 year old Brit Tom Holland has been confirmed as the new Spider-Man and will also debut in next year's Captain America: Civil War.

Spider-Man is scheduled for release on July 28, 2017.

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

Recapping our top stories this morning...

The Turkish President's China visit begins today, with plans to expand on the strategic cooperation agreed to five years ago...

The Chinese premier calls for greater innovation in technology sectors, calling it the "golden key" to the country's development...

North Korean officials say the country is not interested in an Iran-style nuclear agreement...

In Business...the central bank welcomes foreign investment in China's bond market...

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