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

Coming up on our program this morning...

China's foreign minister is promoting the government's 'Belt and Road' initiative as part of a series of meetings with ASEAN officials.

Chinese commerce officials are moving to rebuff reports in Australia of the new FTA between the two countries stealing Australian jobs.

All eyes will be on Japan's Prime Minister this week as he prepares to deliver a speech to mark the 70th anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bombing.

In Business... Commerce officials promising support for pork prices amid a sharp uptick in prices recently.

In Sports... Chinese swimmer Sun Yang earns another medal at the FINA world championships.

In entertainment... a film adaptation of a popular Chinese novel has premiered last night in Beijing.

All of that coming up in the next hour.

A reminder as always there are several ways to reach out to us here on the Beijing Hour.

You can follow us on our weibo account at weibo.com/beijinghour.

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You can also visit crienglish.com for the latest news and information from China Radio International.

Top NewsOver 100 feared killed in train accidents in central IndiaMore than 100 people are feared dead following twin train derailments in the same location in central India.

Five coaches on an express train from Mumbai have derailed from a bridge into a swolen river.

The bridge itself was partially submerged when the train drove over it.

Another train, traveling in the opposition direction, derailed on the same spot within minutes of the first accident.

A special train, carrying a team of 100 doctors and rescuers, is on its way to the accident site.

ASEAN Community to Give Impetus to "Belt-Road" Initiative: Chinese FMAnchor:

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is now in Malaysia for a series of meetings with his regional counterparts, hoping to push the Chinese government's new "Belt and Road" initiative.

CRI's Luo Wen reports.

Reporter:

The establishment of an ASEAN Community has been dominating this year's ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting.

The new Community concept is due to take shape by the end of this year, with the 10-nation Association of South East Asian Nations vowing to create a common economic, political-security and socio-cultural region.

Opening the meeting on Tuesday, Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman says the new community will bring opportunities.

"These include continued peace, stability and harmony in the region that will allow our people to pursue their dreams and free from threats or danger, bigger, more open and freer markets for the business community, better health for our peoples including our children and women, educational opportunities and sustainable environment."The bloc's roadmap for the next 10 years, dubbed the ASEAN Community's Post-2015 Vision, is expected to be adopted within the year.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is suggesting ASEAN is looking for a bigger role in global affairs through establishing the community.

He says it is time for ASEAN to tap its potential, given the increasing integration of the bloc.

"We need to raise awareness of what ASEAN is doing, of how the ongoing changes will be a benefit to all. We must make ASEAN a tangible reality to all our citizens. If our investors and banks can see our potential, we need to ensure that our own people can too."Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says the establishment of the Community will not only strengthen the force of ASEAN member states, but will also give fresh impetus to China's "Belt and Road" initiative.

"In terms of how to connect as you are concerned about, the principles of building the maritime silk road between China and ASEAN are joint negotiation, joint construction and then sharing and common interests. This is not the affairs of China itself alone, as we seek joint development and prosperity."Wang Yi is due to hold talks later on this Wednesday with a number of ASEAN Foreign Ministers, as well as with officials from the United States, who are also attending the meetings.

Issues connected to the South China Sea are likely to be discussed.

He's also set to hold dicussions with officials from Japan and South Korea before wrapping up the meetings in Kuala Lumpur on Friday.

For CRI, I'm Luo Wen.

Wang Yi Meets Malaysian PMChinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has held separate talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on the sidelines of an ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting in Kuala Lumpur.

The two have discussed a number of issues, including disputes in the South China Sea.

"It's not a constructive move to exercise double-standards on this issue. Other countries should support The Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China to implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea properly. China and ASEAN are capable enough to work together to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea."China and ASEAN have agreed to set up a hotline to tackle emergencies in the South China Sea.

Wang Yi and Najib Razak have also discussed the latest developments in the search for flight MH370.

China makes progress in trade with countries along 'One Belt One Road'

Anchor:

The Chinesse Commerce Ministry has issued a new set of figures connected to the progress being made as part of the goverment's "One Belt One Road" initiative so far this year.

CRI's Xiao Yi has more.

Reporter:

Shen Danyang, spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce, says the total foreign investment as well as the number of enterprises that were invested in by relevant countries have both increased.

"In terms of absorbing overseas investment, a total of 948 enterprises were invested in and established by countries involved in 'One Belt One Road' initiative, with a year-on-year increase of 10.62 percent; the total foreign investment stood at 3.67 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 4.15 percent."Statistics released by the MOC showed that the total volume of bilateral trade with those countries stood at around 485 billion US dollars, a year-on-year decrease of 8.4 percent.

Export volume reached over 290 billion US dollars, while the import volume stood at nearly 190 billion US dollars.

Shen adds that a number of industries have been greatly absorbing overseas investment.

"In terms of the industries that are being invested in, industries of information transmission, computer service and software, industries of finance, rent and industry of commercial service saw significant increase in absorbing overseas investment."China has directly invested in 48 countries involved in "One Belt One Road" initiative with total investment volume reaching over 7 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 22 percent.

Shen says China has made remarkable achievements as far as service outsourcing is concerned.

"As for service outsourcing, Chinese enterprises have signed 7.06 billion US dollars' worth contracts with countries involved in 'One Belt One Road' initiative. Among which, a total of 4.83 billion dollars' contracts have been executed, a year-on-year increase of 17 and 4.1 percent respectively."The over 1,400 contracted projects cover fields such as electric power projects, telecommunication engineering, housing construction, communication and transportation to petrochemical industry.

For CRI, I'm Xyee.

China: FTA Not to Take Local Jobs in AustraliaThe Chinese government is moving to try to dispel concerns in Australia about the new Free Trade Agreement.

Reports have been surfacing in Australian media outlets suggesting the new FTA will allow Chinese workers to replace Australian workers in major construction projects.

Shen Danyang with the Chinese Commerce Ministry says these reports are misinterpreting the language of the FTA.

"Some Australian media have misinterpreted the China-Australia FTA out of context, saying it allows for the replacement of local workers with Chinese workers in major construction projects. This simply does not conform to the facts, because Chinese engineering technicians have to meet a number of important preconditions before they could go to work in Australia."The China-Australia Free Trade Agreement was signed in June after more than 10-years of negotiations.

It covers a wide range of areas, including transport, telecommunication, tourism, the environment and infrastructure construction.

China is Australia's top trading partner.

The two-way flow of goods and services surpassed 160-billion US dollars last year.

Training of Peacekeepers Key to Mission SuccessAnchor:

Today we're bringing you our final report in our series about China's armed forces involvement in UN peacekeeping missions.

In this edition of our series, CRI's Victor Ning takes us through the Ministry of Defence's Peacekeeping training center.

Reporter:

Skills in communication and protecting civilians have been highlighted in the training of China's peacekeepers to be deployed in various missions abroad.

The Peacekeeping Center in Beijing, in cooperation with UK Ministry of Defense and UN Women, recently launched two special training programs that highlight the training of such skills.

The intensive training programs have allowed around three dozen Chinese peacekeepers to sharpen their skills in conducting missions abroad, say to deal with challenges on the ground.

Director of the Centre Zhou Zhe says communication is the basic requirement as peacekeepers will collaborate with international partners and reach out to the local communities when deployed in foreign soil.

"Based on our evaluation in the field, the performance gap for our peacekeepers is mainly in the language field, not in some professional fields. We want to overcome the performance gap in terms of language skills and we want to train more talent for our peacekeeping contingents, our regional command and improve their all-round capabilities."Major General Patrick Cammaert is a senior adviser to the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations. He says that in a conflict situation, peacekeepers are first expected to defuse tension through negotiation, and only opt for the use of force as a last resort.

"Peacekeeping is difficult. We have no enemy and we have no opponent. And if you can do your job to prevent atrocities to happen with one word and to convince people not to do it, you have accomplished the mission. If you have to step up force, by making sure that people abide by the rules, then you have to step up your efforts and that requires extra training."In expanding its peacekeeping missions globally, China also increases the number of female peacekeepers to serve under the UN flag. Females play an indispensable role, especially in civilian protection.

Ms. Julia Broussard,the Country Manager for UN Women's program in China, stresses such a role of female peacekeepers:

"International experience has demonstrated that women peacekeepers are in a better position to deal with female civilians. They are more likely to be trusted. They are more likely to be communicated with them. They are more likely to understand their needs in special circumstances. So it's critical to have female peacekeepers in situations where we need to protect a female population."And nearly one third of officers enrolled in the Protection of Civilians program are women.

Wei Li, a female officer who's being trained at the Peace keeping centre for upcoming deployment, says safety is her biggest concern in combat zone:

"I think maybe the biggest challenge is safety and security of myself. For example, there will be some diseases or illnesses. These two things will be the biggest challenge for me."Female peacekeepers like Wei Li, in face of the rising attacks to them, remain committed to their responsibilities, as the presence of trained female military and police personnel help reduce charges of sexual assault leveled at peacekeepers themselves.

So far, the Peacekeeping Center under the Ministry of Defense has held more than sixty training programs, aiming at improving the operational skills of peacekeepers, the commanders of peacekeeping troops, and military observers that will be deployed on foreign soil.

More than 3000 officers have participated in these training programs.

For CRI, I'm Victor Ning.

For more on China's participation in UN peacekeeping missions, go to crienglish.com where we have a special page set up.

Abe Responds to US SpyingJapanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has finally issued a statement in connection to reports of U.S. spying on Japan.

Addressing a meeting of the upper house of parliament, Abe says his administration first wants to check whether the allegations are true.

He says if the reports are accurate, he'll then begin making inquiries into why the US would do it.

Wikileaks posted a series of documents from the NSA last week, which includes a list of 35 Japanese targets for telephone intercepts, including major government institutions and trading companies.

The reports show the eavesdropping dates back to Abe's first government in 2006.

Japan to Suspend Planned Relocation of US Military BaseThe Japanese government has announced its temporarily suspending the planned relocation of the US military base on Okinawa.

This comes as the Abe government struggles to try to gain support in Japan for its new defense policies.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga says the Prime Minister plans to meet with the governor of Okinawa on Friday.

"The government will suspend construction from Monday August 10th to Wednesday September 9th. We have decided to once again explain the government's thoughts to Okinawa about the (need for) relocation, and conduct intensive discussions towards resolving this problem."Plans to move the US Marine Corps Air Station to a different site on Okinawa has been a long-standing issue for the Japanese government.

The Futenma base is currently located in a densly populated area on Okinawa.

Locals want the base and its 50-thousand US personnel moved off the island completely.

However, the Japanese government is planning to move the base to a different location on Okinawa.

The Japanese goverment is obligated, under a mutual defense treaty, to allow the US to maintain its troops in the region.

Japan gets ready to mark 70th year since Hiroshima, Nagasaki attacksAnchor:

Observers from China and Korea are planning on keeping close attention to what's going to be said tomorrow by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as he commemorates the 70th anniversary tomorrow of the US atomic bombing of the city of Hiroshima.

CRI's Poornima Weerasekara.

Reporter:

At 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945, the nuclear bomb "Little Boy" was dropped on Hiroshima by an American B-29 bomber, the Enola Gay.

Dr. Jeremy kinney, Aviation Curator at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, where the Enola Grey remains on display, recounts what happened on that fateful morning"They reach Hiroshima about 30,000 feet and Tom Ferby the navigator drops the bomb, it falls for about 40 seconds and detonates about 2000 feet above the city, in the city center actually"Keiko Ogura –was only eight years old when the first bomb fell in Hiroshima - and was just two kilometres away from the place where it detonated.

"The blast was so strong, it blew me into the middle of the street and knocked me out."The Bomb directly killed over 80,000 people on that day. But by the end of 1945, the death toll almost doubled, due to the effects of high-levels of radiation.

Kimie Mihara, is another survivor"I survived because I was late. So I feel lucky because I was not here at the time, but when I think of those who were killed because they were diligent and on time, I am just so sorry for them. I feel bad for them."Every year hundreds of survivors and families of the victims gather at the Peace Park in Hiroshima and thousands of lanterns - the symbols of the journey to the afterlife - are floated on the Motoyasu river in memory of all those who perished in the world's first atomic bomb attack.

Nagasaki - the second and last city to feel the full force of the atomic bomb – plans to release thousands of Origami cranes to mark the fateful event.

While some of the physical damage and scars have healed, emotions run high every year on the anniversary of Japan's surrender at the end of World War II.

Japanese prime ministers traditionally mark the occasion with a speech, and anticipation of what current Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will say in this year's speecg in Nagazaki is creating tension between Japan, China and South Korea.

The deep historical wounds are feeding into current tensions between Japan and China over disputed in the East and South China Sea.

These tensions are threatening to drown out the message of peace from the few survivors of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima and NagasakiFor Cri I'm Poornima WeerasekaraEU, Vietnam Clinch Free Trade DealThe European Union and Vietnam have reached an agreement in principle for a new free trade agreement after two and a half years of negotiations.

The agreement is the first of its kind the EU has concluded with a developing country.

EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom is hailing the agreement as a "milestone" and the first step toward a region-wide agreement with Southeast Asia.

"This agreement sets an EU new model for trade policy in developing countries. Once the agreement is up and running, it will provide significant opportunities for business, investment and for jobs here in Europe and in Vietnam. It will remove nearly all tariffs on goods traded between us.It covers services, investment and issues such as government procurement."Two-way trade between the EU and Vietnam has grown three-fold to more than 30 billion US dollars in the last 10 years.

The new deal is expected to take effect in late 2017 or early 2018.

The EU is also holding separate talks with two other ASEAN members, Malaysia and Thailand, to try to secure similar free trade agreements.

Negotiations with China on an investment deal are underway.

However, the EU says free trade talks are "not on the agenda at the moment".

Netanyahu addresses Jewish groups in USIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is courting support in the United States among the country's Jews against the new nuclear agreement with Iran.

Speaking via a webcast to a rally of some 10-thousand Jewish leaders and activists, Netanyahu says the deal will only lead to more problems in the future.

"I don't oppose this deal because I want war, I oppose this deal because I want to prevent war and this deal will bring war. It will spark a nuclear arms race in the region and it would feed Iran's terrorism and aggression. That would make war, perhaps the more horrific war of all, far more likely."This comes as the Obama administration prepares to put the Iran nuclear agreement before the US congress for a vote.

The Republican majority is widely expected to vote against the agreement.

However, Obama will need to secure support within his own party to ensure his anticpated veto of the Republican rejection will survive.

Key democrats, including New York Senator Chuck Schumer, considered a linch-pin for support among the Jewish community in the United States, has not pulically said whether or not he supports the Iranian nuclear agreement.

Obama is playing host today to leading members of the US Jewish community at the White House.

U.N.'s Ban hails Obama's climate planUN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is lauding US President Barack Obama's new plan to tackle climate change.

Meeting with Obama at the White House, Ban Ki-moon says the US is taking the lead in helping change the world.

"I'd like to congratulate you and highly commend your visionary and bold leadership announcement yesterday on a clean power plan. This is hugely important and visionary leadership. The US can and will be able to change the world in addressing a climate phenomenon."The Clean Power Plan announced by Obama is designed to try to cut carbon emissions from the power sector by around one-third over the next 15-years years.

It will also place significant emphasis on wind and solar power, as well as other renewable energy sources.

Obama says he hopes the United Nations will help press other countries to follow suit.

"I encouraged the Secretary General to continue to work with us to press those countries who have not put forward bold aggressive plans to do so. We need Paris to be a success and the world has to step up in a consorted way on behalf of our children and future generations"However, Obama's plan is already facing stiff resistance in the US.

Energy firms are already lobbying against the new action plan, prompting a number of US state governors to announce their plans to ignore it.

South Korea looks to win back Chinese tourists after MERSAnchor:

The mayor of Seoul and the governor of Jeju Island, a popular destination for Chinese tourists, are here in China on a promotional tour, trying to convince people in China to travel to South Korea.

CRI's Min Rui has more.

Reporter:

South Korean authorities have been putting together promotional campaigns to try to lure tourists back after going through an outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS, earlier this year.

Park Won-soon, the Mayor of Seoul, is now in China for a four-day promotional campaign in three different Chinese cities.

"We've launched many tourism related programs, from sales to culture, to try to attract more tourists from China. Also we want to turn this crisis into a chance to look back on our own tourism industry. We hope to make Chinese tourists feel at home."Park has been meeting with Chinese government officials and travel agencies, hoping to convince them that visiting South Korea poses no health risks.

He's also popped up in a flash mob in the souther city of Guangzhou among a group of K-pop singers.

Last month, Park also acted as special tour guide for a day for around 400 Chinese travel agency officials in Seoul.

The South Korean government is also launching a new series of tourism related programs, including promotional concerts and performances by popular South Korean pop singers.

Won Hee-ryong, the governor of Jeju Island, a popular destination for Chinese tourists, is also in China this week trying to convince Chinese tourists to keep coming back.

"We hope to see more individual tourists from China enjoy travel on our island. The goal of the visit this time is to establish cooperation with large travel companies in China to improve the experience and services during travel from both sides."Since the MERS outbreak began in May, Chinese tourism numbers to South Korea have dropped by around 80-percent through this summer.

This has cost the South Korean tourism sector an estimated 93-million US dollars.

Chinese nationals make up around half of all foreign visitors in South Korea every year.

On July 28, the South Korean government officially declared the MERS outbreak over, with just one patient still under observation.

However, World Health Organization standards call for a four-week waiting period before the end of an outbreak can be formally declared.

That announcement is expected to be made in late August.

But given the losses the country has already seen, South Korean authorities say they believe they need to lay the grounwork as quickly as possible for Chinese tourists to once again begin returning to their country.

For CRI, I'm Min Rui.

WeatherBeijing will be cloudy with a high of 30 degrees Celsius.

Overnight it will have thunderstorm and temperatures will drop to 22.

Shanghai will be sunny with a high of 37 and cloudy tonight with a low of 27.

In Chongqing it will have shower in the daytime with a high of 32 and overnight it will be overcast with the lowest temperature of 26.

Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia,Islamabad will be sunny today with a high of 31.

Kabul will be sunny with a high of 28.

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

Washington, overcast,high of 33.

Honolulu, rainy, 28.

Toronto, Canada, will have thunderstorm with a high of 24 degrees.

Finally, on to South America,Buenos Aires will have slight rain with a high of 16.

And Rio de Janeiro will be cloudy with a high of 26 degrees Celsius.

Headline newsOver 100 feared killed in train accidents in central IndiaIndian officials say more than 100 people are feared dead following twin train derailments in the same location in central India following heavy rains.

Five coaches on an express train from Mumbai have derailed from a bridge into a swolen river.

The bridge itself was partially submerged when the train drove over it.

Another train, traveling in the opposition direction, derailed on the same spot within minutes of the first accident.

A train carrying a group of emergency personnel and senior railway officials has reached the accident site.

Super Typhoon Soudelor to affect SE ChinaEast and south China provinces are on high alert for the approaching Super Typhoon Soudelor, which has developed into the world's most powerful storm of the year after slashing the Northern Marianas.

China's national observatory says the storm is expected to make landfall in Fujian and neighboring Zhejiang late on Saturday, after battering Japan and Taiwan.

Soudelor, now a maximum category five storm, is roaring across the western Pacific Ocean packing winds up to 290 kilometers per hour.

It's stronger than Cyclone Pam, the previous strongest storm of the year, which killed at least 15 people when it slammed into Vanuatu five months ago.

Myanmar asks for international aid as flood misery spreadsMyanmar has formally appealed for international help in tackling its worst flooding in decades.

Heavy monsoon rains pounding the country since June have left nearly 50 people dead.

Local officials in the country's western and central regions are warning swollen rivers are now threatening to inundate low-lying southern areas of the country.

Relentless seasonal downpours have lashed much of South and Southeast Asia in recent weeks.

The death toll in India from days of intense rain has risen to 180 while around 120 have been killed in Pakistan.

US ready to give training to combat Boko HaramA US congressional delegation currently visiting Nigeria is suggesting the US side could be ready to help in the fight against the Boko Haram insurgency.

However, Republican congressman Darrell Issa, who is heading the delegation, has stopped-short of offering US weapons.

A new regional coalition to fight Boko Haram has been formed.

It's already been able to capture a leading Boko Haram commander this week.

BBC Documentary Causes Stir among NetizensA new documentary produced by the BBC is creating a stir here in China.

The new series, titled "Are Our Kids Tough Enough? Chinese School" revolves around five Chinese teachers who are sent to teach 50 UK teens at a school in Hampshire.

In it, the teachers use traditional methods used in schools in China.

This has spawned a new debate online in both China and the UK, with some arguing Chinese methods encourage rote learning instead of independent thinking.

Others argue the teenagers need more discipline.

Biz ReportsStocksAnchor:

Turning onto business news. First, a quick look at the closing numbers across North America and Europe as well as a recap on the Chinese market.

Joining me on the desk, Luo Wen.

Reporter:

U.S. stocks declined for the third straight session on Tuesday as investors worried about a rise in interest rates while digesting a batch of corporate earnings reports.

Stocks extended losses after Atlanta Federal Reserve President Dennis Lockhart told the Wall Street Journal that September may be the right time for Fed to lift interest rates.

Soft economic data had prompted some investors to argue that the Fed might hold off on raising rates until December.

After the Fed meeting last week, investors expected a rate increase in September.

On the corporate front,Shares of Apple hit their lowest in over six months, falling 3.2 percent on the day.

Traders say a slowdown in China and skepticism over demand for iPhones has put pressure on Apple's shares.

Shares of luxury accessories maker Coach jumped 3.2 percent after reporting better-than-expected quarterly earnings.

At the close,The Dow Jones shed 0.3 percent.

Both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq trimmed 0.2 percent.

Over in Europe,Stocks there ended slightly lower as weak oil prices weighed on energy stocks.

The Athens Stock Exchange closed down 1.2 percent on Tuesday with banking index down around 30 percent.

The UK's FTSE 100 closed flat.

While Germany's DAX edged up a fraction of a percent.

France's CAC 40 dipped 0.2 percent.

Finally back in China,Shares ended a three-day losing streak on Tuesday amid new rules restricting short selling.

The Shanghai Composite Index surged 3.7 percent.

The smaller Shenzhen Component Index gained 4.5 percent.

MOC Downplays Pork Price SpikeThe Chinese government is moving to ease concerns about the recent spike in the price of pork, amid concerns it could have implications for its monetary policy.

The Commerce Ministry is describing the price uptick as a normal market correction, saying there will be no shortage of supplies.

The price of pork has risen by more than 20-percent between March 20th and July 17th.

Food prices account for about a third of China's Consumer Price Index, the main gauge of inflation, with pork prices being one of the dominant elements of the food-price basket.

The Commerce Ministry is suggesting it will be taking action to stabilize pork supplies during upcoming public holidays and festivals.

The Failure of the recent Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade TalkAnchor:

Questions about the likelyhood of the US-backed Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement making it before the US Congress under the Obama administration are being raised.

This follows the failure of the last round of negotiations this past week in Hawaii.

A number of observers have suggested this past Friday's discussions in Hawaii may have been the Obama administration's last chance to get the deal finalized and before US lawmakers before he leaves office after next year's elections.

The proposed TPP, which would involve a dozen different countries in the Asia-Pacific, does not include China.

Chinese officials are on-record saying they hope the TPP will help contribute to free trade and investment in the region.

For more on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, CRI's Sophie Williams spoke earlier with Professor Liu Baocheng with the Beijing-based University of International Business and Economics.

That was Professor Liu Baocheng from the University of International Business and Economics speaking with CRI's Sophie Williams.

Sinopec Denies Report on Recalling Overseas StaffChinese oil refiner Sinopec is moving to try to clarify reports that its bringing nearly 40 percent of staff in its global unit back to China.

The company has confirmed its recalling 263 of its Chinese staff from its global exploration and production units.

However, Sinopec insists the recall, which would represent 37-percent of its foreign division, is part of its regular job rotations.

The company hasn't said whether or not other Chinese workers will be sent back to replace them.

PetroChina Wins Dismissal of US Lawsuit over Alleged BriberyChinese state-run oil giant PetroChina has managed to have a U.S. class-action lawsuit against it dismissed.

A US judge in Manhattan has dismissed claims by PetroChina investors who had accused the company and various officials of deceiving them about its internal controls and governance.

The lawsuit sought to recoup losses suffered by purchasers of PetroChina securities from April 26th of 2012, to December 17th of 2013, due to declines in the company's share price.

The suit was filed amid news of alleged corporate malpractice by PetroChina during that period.

However, the presiding judge says their is not enough evidence to support the suit.

Ex-Goldman Sachs exec appointed Alibaba presidentChinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has named Michael Evans, a former executive of Goldman Sachs, as president of the company to lead its global expansion.

Evans will be responsible for leading and executing Alibaba's international growth strategy.

Before joining Alibaba, Evans spent the past two-decades at Goldman Sachs in positions including vice chair and head of Asia.

He has served as an independent director of Alibaba since the company's IPO in September last year.

ROK becomes 2nd largest trading partner of Shandong ProvinceNew figures show South Korea has become the second largest foreign trading partner for the province of Shandong after the United States.

Stats show that through the first half of this year, Shandong's imports and exports to South Korea have come in at 15.4 billion US dollars, accounting for nearly 14 percent of the province's total imports and exports.

Shandong is a major farm products provider for South Korea.

Mechanical and electrical products are also among the main import and exports between the two sides.

The improved trade has been supported by the new free trade agreement signed between China and South Korea this June.

Midea Forms Robot Joint Ventures with YaskawaChinese home appliance maker Midea is teaming up with Japanese robot maker Yaskawa to set up two joint ventures in Guangdong.

The new company will be responsible for the research, manufacturing and after-sales service of industrial robots.

At the same time, the provincial goverment of Guangdong has announced 943 billion yuan, or 152 billion U.S. dollar initiative to replace human labor with robots across nearly 2-thousand large plants in the region.

SportsFINA World Championships RecapFrom the FINA World Championships in Kazan, Russia:

China's Sun Yang has taken a sliver in the men's 200m freestyle final, with the gold going to Britain's James Guy.

World record holder Paul Biedermann of Germany was third.

Australia has clinched its first gold medal, with Mitchell Larkin taking the 100-meter backstroke final.

China's Xu Jiayu came in fourth in that event.

China's Youth Olympic champion Shen Duo has reached the women's 200-meter free final.

Chinese Xu Xin's debut in Atletico Madrid sees 3-0 winIn football,Atletico Madrid rolled over Chinese Super League side Shanghai SIPG 3-0 last night in friendly in Shanghai.

Atletico gave Chinese player Xu Xin his debut with 3-goal lead in hand.

"I am very happy. This is my first competitive game for the first team. I am really glad I made it."The match is Atletico's fourth warm-up match this summer.

Shanghai's key players Wu Lei, Yu Hai and Cai Huikang missed the match as they are playing for the Chinese national team in the East Asian Cup.

--------------In Europe,James Rodriguez and Gareth Bale have led Real Madrid to the Audi Cup final with a 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur.

Real Madrid head coach Rafa Benitez says his side's defense was the key.

"So I am really pleased to see the team working as hard as they did today in defence. And they also scored two goals, so the balance is really positive because we have been on the plane all the time."Awaiting Real Madrid in the final is Bayern Munich, who thumped Milan 3-0.

---------------On the women's side,Defending champions North Korea have edged China 3-2 in the East Asian Cup women's tournament.

North Korea will now take on South Korea in the finals, after edging Japan 3-2.

China will take on Japan for the bronze.

UEFA fines Dinamo Tbilisi for racist behaviorIn off-pitch football news,The UEFA Disciplinary Committee has fined Georgia's football powerhouse Dinamo Tbilisi 20-thousand euros for its fans' racist behavior.

Several banners appeared during a match between Tbilisi and an Azerbaijani club in early July.

Dinamo won the match 2-1.

Venezuela Upsets Hosts China 82-72 at 2015 Stankovic Continental CupIn basketball,China's Olympic team has been handed yet another setback, doing down to Venezuela 92-80 in overtime.

China's Guo Ailun netted 23 points while Chen Linjian added 18 points in the loss.

This is the the second consecutive loss for China this summer after going down to Mexico in their first match at the Stankovic Continental Cup.

Venezuela will take on Mexico this afternoon for a place in the final.

------------------In 2015 FIBA Asia U16 Women's Championship,Defending champions China have cruised to their third successive win, downing India 96-32.

5 Chinese players scored in double digits in the win.

Luo Yu netted a game-high 17 points, 11 rebounds and 4 steals for China.

With the victory, China has booked a berth in the semi-finals.

Next up for China is Japan, who got past Chinese Taipei 86-64.

In other action,South Korea beat Thailand 80-74.

Kobe Bryant in ShanghaiIn off-court NBA news,American NBA star Kobe Bryant has arrived for a promotional tour in China, holding court with a group of Chinese youngsters in Shanghai.

"I'm so excited today because Kobe is star who I have followed for more than ten years. He's a man of the era to us Post-'80 generation. So I'm really excited today,"The five-time NBA champion is in China to support the Nike Summer Basketball League.

This is Kobe Bryant's 12th visit to China in 14 years.

-------------In other NBA news,It's being reported that the New York Knicks have signed free-agent center Kevin Seraphin on a one-year contract worth 2.8 million dollars.

The 25-year-old Seraphin averaged 6.6 points and 3.6 rebounds in 79 games with the Washington Wizards last season.

Zheng Saisai Knocked outIn tennis action from ITF Men's Circuit in Fuzhou,China's Cao Zhaoyi has reached the next round with a 6-3, 7-6 win over Yi Chu-huan from Taiwan.

Other Chinese competitors including Gong Xiao, Lu Yang and Yang Tsung-Hua have also advanced.

--------------On the women's side,At the Bank of the West Classic in the United States,China's Zheng Saisai has been bounced from the tournament, going down to Ana Konjuh of Croatia 6-4, 6-4.

--------Elsewhere,Australia's Samantha Stosur has reached the second round of the Citi Open, downing Kristina Mladenovic of France in straight sets 6-2, 6-2.

This is Stosur's 500th career singles win.

The 31-year-old is seeking her second title of the year.

China downs Qatar 3-2In volleyball,China managed to secure a 3-2 victory over Qatar to reach the quarter-finals at the Asian Men's Volleyball Championship in Tehran.

This is China's 5th successive win at this year's event.

Entertainment"Bu Bu Jing Xin" Movie premieres in Beijing"Time to Love", the movie adaptation of the popular time-traveling novel, "Bu Bu Jing Xin" has premiered in Beijing last night.

The director Song Di together with leading members of the cast, that includes Taiwan actress Ivy Chen, actor Tony Yang and mainland actor, Shawn Dou attended the event.

The film tells the story of a modern-day woman who accidentally travels back in time to the Qing Dynasty and becomes the teenage daughter of a Manchu general. She gets caught up in a web of love and politics in the royal court of Emperor Kangxi.

The novel Bu Bu Jing Xin, written by Tong Hua, was previously adapted into a television drama starring Nicky Wu, Cecilia Liu, and Kevin Cheng.

"Time to Love" will open in theatres on August 20.

Robet Downey Jr. ranked world's top-earning actor by Forbes"Iron Man" star Robert Downey Jr. has been named the world's top-earning actor by Forbes.

The 50-year-old earned an estimated 80 million US dollars between June 2014 and June 2015,. This was mainly due to the success of this year's superhero ensemble "Avengers: Age of Ultron," which grossed more than 1.3 billion US dollars worldwide.

Second-place honors went to veteran Chinese actor and martial arts star Jackie Chan.

Forbes says Chan has earned 50 million US dollars in the past year from Hollywood and China co-productions like "Dragon Blade."Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Adam Sandler and Tom Cruise make up the top 6.

Bollywood superstars Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar have also made it to the top 10 Forbes rich list for movie stars.

The full list includes 33 actors and actrsses from seven countries, who together earned a combined 877 million US dollars before taxes and fees in the past year.

'Guardians' Animated Series releases TrailerMarvel Entertainment has released a new promo for the highly-anticipated animated series "Guardians of the Galaxy."The trailer has brought back Blue Swede's 1974 cover song "Hooked on a Feeling", which was prominently featured in the Guardians of the Galaxy live-action blockbuster movie that hit theaters last year.

The series features themes of redemption and the importance of friendship and family.

It follows the newly formed team that finds a strange artifact keyed only to the DNA of Peter Quill.

Upon opening it, Quill unleashes a treasure map leading to a powerful weapon known as the Cosmic Seed, which is capable of giving birth to the next universe.

It's up to the Guardians to find, protect and ultimately destroy the Cosmic Seed and save the universe.

Robert De Niro, Anne Hathaway bond in 'The Intern' trailerAnne Hathaway and Robert De Niro form an unlikely bond in a new trailer for the movie "The Intern".

The 32-year-old actress portrays an e-commerce fashion CEO named Jules who reluctantly takes on retired widower Ben, played by the 71-year-old De Niro.

The pair form a friendship after Jules'initial skepticism of her aging intern gives way to respect.

The film is directed by Nancy Meyers and will hit theaters on September 25.

Hathaway is also scheduled for "The Burning Woman", and will reprise the role of the White Queen in "Alice Through the Looking Glass".

De Niro is slated to appear in Bus 657 with Jeffrey Dean Morgan, the new Jennifer Lawrence film "Joy" and Dirty Grandpa with Zac Efron.

Former One Direction member Zayn Malik and singer Perrie Edwards call off engagementFormer One Direction star Zayn Malik and his fiancée Perrie Edwards have called off their engagement.

The duo, both 22, got engaged in 2013.

Edwards is one of four singers in the girl group Little Mix.

Like One Direction, Little Mix formed on the U.K. version of "The X Factor." The girls won the competition in 2011.

Malik left One Direction earlier this year to launch a solo career. He announced last week that he signed a recording contract to release music as a solo artist.

WeatherBeijing will be cloudy with a high of 30 degrees Celsius.

Overnight it will have thunderstorm and temperatures will drop to 22.

Shanghai will be sunny with a high of 37 and cloudy tonight with a low of 27.

In Chongqing it will have shower in the daytime with a high of 32 and overnight it will be overcast with the lowest temperature of 26.

Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia,Islamabad will be sunny today with a high of 31.

Kabul will be sunny with a high of 28.

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

Washington, overcast,high of 33.

Honolulu, rainy, 28.

Toronto, Canada, will have thunderstorm with a high of 24 degrees.

Finally, on to South America,Buenos Aires will have slight rain with a high of 16.

And Rio de Janeiro will be cloudy with a high of 26 degrees Celsius.

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

Recapping our top stories this morning...

China's foreign minister is promoting the government's 'Belt and Road' initiative as part of a series of meetings with ASEAN officials.

Chinese commerce officials are moving to rebuff reports in Australia of the new FTA between the two countries stealing Australian jobs.

All eyes will be on Japan's Prime Minister this week as he prepares to deliver a speech to mark the 70th anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bombing.

In Business... Commerce officials promising support for pork prices amid a sharp uptick in prices recently.

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