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

Coming up on our program this morning...

This year's Summer Davos session is set to open later this morning in Dalian.

Silk Road-related projects are proving to be a major draw at an international investment forum taking place in Xiamen.

It appears the White House has gained enough support in the Senate to save Barack Obama from having to veto any opposition to the Iran nuclear deal.

In Business... new stats show the slowdown in foreign trade in China has grown through August.

In Sports... China with another victory in its latest round of World Cup qualifying in Asia.

In entertainment.... the latest Mission Impossible film has opened in theatres across China.

Top NewsCall-in with David Dollar on Davos OpeningThis year's Summer Davos, put on by the World Economic Forum, is opening later this morning in the city of Dalian northeast China.

Around 17-hundred people from over 90 different countries will attempt to try to chart a new course for global growth.

David Aikman, head of the World Economic Fund for greater China, says the state of the Chinese economy will be a hot topic.

"So we have a lot sessions this year on Chinese economy. What's happening in terms of the RMB's global aspiration? What's happening in terms of China's New Normal? How are leaders here understanding and also what should international leaders learn and understand about China."Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is set to deliver a keynote speech at the forum.

For more on what to expect out of Li Keqiang's speech, CRI's Wang Mengzhen spoke earlier with David Dollar, senior fellow with the Brookings Institute's China division.

Back anchorDavid Dollar, senior fellow with the Brookings Institutes China division, speaking with CRI's Wang Mengzhen.

EU Firms Still See Great Potential in China: European ChamberAnchorA senior business leader from the European Union is lauding the Chinese government plan to spur economic growth through creating a more conducive business environment for European companies.

CRI's Luo Wen reports.

ReporterJoerg Wuttke, president of European Chamber of Commerce in China, says the Chinese government's economic reforms have won recognition among a majority of the chamber's members.

Wuttke has made the suggestion while outlining the Chamber's annual business climate report.

"In the Chinese government's decision in 2013, part of the final decision is the addition of a roadmap until 2020. Of course, it actually is taking into consideration that most of the reform steps have made progress. The majority of members signaled that some achievements have been done in the reform. Ten percent of the members believe the target has been basically achieved and important plans have been worked out in certain areas."The report offers advice to Chinese policy-makers based on surveys conducted by the European Chamber's 18-hundred members.

Addressing specific reforms, E.U. Chamber President Joerg Wuttke says some progress had been made in areas such as streamlining government administration.

"The reduction of government approval procedures has a massive influence on how operations (of European companies) are conducted and how investments are made. The second is the expansion of pension and health care insurance coverage, which is very important for Chinese citizens and the stability of the system. The third part is the budget and local debt reform. We saw the establishment of special IPR courts which is of course very important. The good news is the foreign investment catalogue is shortened."Joerg Wuttke also says the progress made in the negotiations connected to a China-EU bilateral investment agreement suggests both sides understand the importance of working together.

"The EU-China comprehensive agreement on investment is to us the most important economic key opening market access and also for the Chinese vital in how to safeguard China's investments in the largest economy of the world – the European Union. So we want this agreement to have a robust market access, real benefits for European businesses as well as for the consumers of China. Second a very strong investors-state dispute settlement mechanism that is vital for us as well as for the Chinese investors coming to Europe. And third, stronger transparency in improving regulatory environment means the rule of law."Despite sluggish growth prospects in China in the months ahead, of the European companies with research centers in China, over 4-in-5 of them say they're likely to increase their presence in China in the near future.

The overall message of the new EU Chamber report suggests the government should stick to its reform plans to ensure a successful rebalancing of the economy.

For CRI, I'm Luo Wen.

Global Investors Seek Opportunities in XiamenAnchorSilk Road-related projects have become a popular draw for investors at an international trade fair taking place in the southeastern Chinese city of Xiaman.

CRI's Qi Zhi reports.

ReporterThis year's China International Fair for Investment and Trade is featuring some 30-thousand programs the private sector will be able to take part in.

Most of them are connected to the government's Silk Road initiative.

As the guest country of honor at the fair in Xiamen, Bahrain has been trying to promote investment projects in areas such as finance, logistics and manufacturing.

Khalid Al Rumaihi, Chief Executive of Bahrain's Economic Development Board, says his country, once an important harbor on the ancient Silk Road, is an ideal gateway to the Gulf region.

"If you look at the GCC, the Gulf economy, this is a 1.6-trillion-dollar economy, expected to grow to 2 trillion dollars by 2020. And behind would be an ideal geographic location for the 'One Belt, One Road' policy, for access to that 2-trillion market in 2020."Bahraini Minister of Industry and Commerce, Zayed Alzayani, says they're actively looking for Chinese investment in their Kingdom.

"We are looking forward to attracting more investment from China. We want to take this relationship a step further beyond trade and to joint venture and joint investment in Bahrain from China. We're here to exhibit to China what Bahrain offers and would like to invite Chinese companies to be hosted in Bahrain and serve the wide GCC market from Bahrain."A new World Investment Report has been released by the United Nations on the sidelines of the event in Xiamen.

It shows foreign direct investment inflows into Asia increased by nearly 9 percent to almost 500 billion US dollars last year.

This is in sharp contrast to a combined 16-percent decline worldwide through 2014.

Zhan Xiaoning with the UN Conference on Trade and Development says they believe part of this is due to the creation of the Silk Road initiative and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

"The Great Mekong Sub-region Cooperation Program as well as China-proposed Silk Road initiative and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, which are designed to create better interconnectivity and economic integration in Asia, have attracted a growing number of investments from other parts of the world."The fair in Xiamen this year has drawn some big names to the International Investment Forum which takes place every year at the event.

Alibaba founder Jack Ma is among them.

He is suggesting existing institutions should be transformed to meet the changes in the way companies do business.

"Many people have been familiar with the Internet Plus concept. But how do we increase our productivity significantly? In my opinion, the World Trade Organization should be built into a big-data platform, rather than an inter-government mechanism. The platform will provide numerous services like cross-border payment and logistics so as to boost free trade."The investment and trade fair in Xiamen is expected to attract over 50-thousand visitors before it ends this coming Thursday.

For CRI, I'm Qi Zhi.

Stability in Tibet is critical in governing border areas: Chinese authorityAnchorChina's top political adviser has used an event marking the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Tibet Autonomous Region to highlight some of the economic achievements made in the region.

CRI's Guo Yan has more.

ReporterYu Zhengsheng, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference said Tibet has realized remarkable economic growth over the past 50 years.

He made the remarks at a rally of senior officials and thousands of Tibetan people gathered in front of the Potala Palace.

The Chinese top political advisor spoke highly of the contribution made by people from all walks of life in the region.

"People of all ethnic groups in Tibet have been in high spirits and worked very hard together over the past 50 years. They have worked diligently and used their wisdom to create one miracle after another. They've made remarkable achievements and brought great changes to the snow-covered plateau. The social capital in Tibet has been emancipated and developed. Tibet's GDP has increased by 68 times and local financial revenue has increased by 564 times in the past five decades."Yu noted social stability is critical to ensure the sustainable economic development of the region.

He highlighted the strategic role of Tibet and said the region is an important shield of national security.

"Tibet is an important shield of national and ecological security, an important strategic resources reserve base, an important place to preserve distinctive culture of the Chinese nation and an important passage for opening up to south Asia."Yu noted border areas must be well managed to successfully govern the country.

And he adds that stability in Tibet is paramount to the management of these areas.

"The governance in the border areas is an indispensable part in governing a country. To maintain stability in Tibet comes the first in governing the border. It is the ardent aspiration of the people of all ethnic groups to safeguard Tibet's harmony and stability and bring prosperity and development to Tibet. It is also the common wish of the entire Party and the people of all ethnic groups in China."The senior Chinese leader vowed that the country will continue to crack down on all kinds of separatist activities.

He also called for improved ethnic solidarity, calling it a "lifeline".

The Tibet Autonomous Region was founded on September 1, 1965, after the establishment of the regional People's Congress, the local legislature, through elections.

For CRI, I'm Guo Yan.

China Relaxes Restrictions on Weaponry Research, ProductionThe Chinese government is moving to liberalize the market for the research and production of weaponry by the private sector.

The government is eliminating restrictions on the types of arms that private firms will be allowed to develop without licenses.

Almost two-thirds of the arms that used to require government permission for production have now been opened to civilian manufacturers.

Wang Xin with the State Administration of Industry for National Defense says the deregulation is meant to try to encourage civilian manufacturers to become involved in China's national defense.

"The streamlining is significant in promoting the defense industry's openness by utilizing high-quality resources, attracting private investors into the arms production sector, promoting competition and deepening civilian-military integration."The move also allows the Defense Ministry to order non-combat equipment, such as warship navigation systems and meteorological radar systems, from civilian contractors.

Sudan announces new partnership with China in oil, gas fieldsSudan has announced a new partnership with China to enter into new oil exploration projects and natural gas production at fields in eastern, central and western Sudan.

Under the new agreement, China has also agreed to introduce natural gas processing technology into Sudan.

As part of his recent visit to Beijing, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir signed a strategic partnership agreement with the Chinese government that includes an agreement for China to begin production of natural gas at a field in Sudan.

Abe Re-elected as ruling party chiefJapanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is promising a focus on economic growth and sustainability.

This follows his re-election to a second consecutive term as the head of the Liberal Democratic Party.

Abe stood unopposed for re-election after his only other challenger failed to gather the required number of signatures from LDP lawmakers to challenge his leadership.

In addressing his party, Abe says his goal as leader is to focus on the Japanese economy.

"While creating a virtuous economic cycle, I will spread the feeling of recovery to every nook and cranny of the regions and throughout the country, completely escape deflation and create growth in a strong, future-oriented economy."Abe's administration has been spending its political capital over the past year pushing legislation that will let Japanese troops fight overseas.

The changes to the constitution have polarized the LDP's political opposition, with one of the largest-ever demonstrations taking place outside the country's parliament earlier this month.

Obama gains enough Senate support for Iran nuclear dealThree more U.S. Democratic senators have announced their support for the nuclear agreement with Iran.

With the support, US President Barack Obama now has 41 Senators confirming their support.

This will be enough to ensure a resolution opposed to the deal won't make it through a procedural hurdle in Congress, meaning Obama won't have to use his veto power to kill it.

Obama already had enough support among Senate lawmakers to ensure his veto of any initial rejection would not be overturned, but had been hoping not to have to use it, as it would send a signal to Iran and the world that the US is united behind the agreement.

Members of Congress, who have returned from their summer recess, have until September 17th to review the deal reached in July.

Democratic Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid says he believes the plan the 'best pathway to peace.'

"Today, I am gratified to say to my fellow Americans, our negotiating partners and our allies all around the world, this agreement will stand. America will uphold its commitment and seize this opportunity to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon."Opponents in Congress are accusing the Obama administration of giving too many dangerous concessions to Iran.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is among those who plan to oppose the bill.

"All that such political statements really say is that the administration lacks the will and the leadership to pursue a stronger agreement, additional sanctions and policies intended to end Iran's enrichment program if it cannot attain Congressional agreement on the President's deal with Iran."The deal was struck in July between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, plus Germany.

It's due to be implemented in November, provided all countries involved sign-off on the accord.

It aims to limit Iran's nuclear program in exchange for hundreds of billions of dollars in relief from international sanctions.

Rouhani: Iran ready to hold talks on Syria with US, SaudiIranian President Hassan Rouhani has signaled a willingness to discuss the current situation in Syria with other countries, including the Saudi's and the Americans.

Rouhani has made the suggestion while meeting with Austrian President Heinz Fischer in Tehran.

"Iran is ready to sit at any negotiating table if it sees the outcome will be a secure, stable and democratic future for Syria. Iran is ready to talk and negotiate with anyone about that; with regional countries or world powers."But in making the statement, Rouhani says the Iranian side is not willing to debate the future of President Bashar al-Assad until peace is achieved.

Shiite Iran is a staunch supporter of Syria.

It's long-accused its Sunni rival Saudi Arabia, as well as the United States, of siding with anti-Assad rebels and militants.

Tehran has been sending in military advisers to Damascus to help Assad's troops fight the Islamic State.

Austrian President Heinz Fischer's visit to Tehran, the first by a European leader in over a decade, comes as Iran attempts to smooth over international ties following the landmark nuclear deal in July between Tehran and world powers.

Refugee Crisis Pushes British Voters Opt to Leave EUAnchorNew polling in the UK is suggesting the current mass influx of would-be asylum seekers pouring into continental Europe is driving more people in Britain to support a proposal to leave the European Union.

CRI's London Correspondent Duan Xuelian has more.

ReporterThe latest public opinion polling shows 51-percent of voters would opt to leave the European Union.

This is the first time the "No" camp has drawn more support than the Pro-European Union group.

In a research project titled "The UK in A Changing Europe," Professor Simon Hix at the London School of Economics and Political Science says it's the issue of migrants into the European Union that is pushing British voters to want to leave. At the same time, the migration situation is adding to the complexity of Prime Minister David Cameron's negotiations with the European Union.

"You can see the way Cameron is trying to opt out and stay away from any EU migration quota or any refugee quota, because I think he is acutely aware that if he is seen at all to accept some European migration quota, the anti-Europeans will jump out and say 'See, we've been told by the EU that we have to accept migrants, the only way we can stop this is to leave and regain control of our borders.' So I think the longer the migration crisis goes on, the more it lends itself towards supporting anti-European positioning."Economic researcher Jonathan Portes with "The UK in A Changing Europe" project says of the major concerns among people in Britain is the strain that migrants might put on the country's social services. But the reality is that Britain has been able create jobs just as fast as the immigrants come to fill them.

"So if in a year from now, we actually have refugees coming and they are being successfully, in a planned way, integrated into our society, like we are seeing from the Germans who are making a reasonably good show of taking advantage of what might be seen as quite a significant economic opportunity given German's demographic and economic challenges over the next 10 to 20 years. If Germany is making a success of receiving these large numbers of refugees, that would actually be quite a good thing."Responding to continental European calls, British Prime Minister David Cameron has announced his government will allow in 20-thousand Syrian refugees in the next five years.

Those numbers are significantly smaller than what Germany has promised. German's Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel has announced that the country should be able to take in 500-thousand refugees each year for "several years".

For CRI, I'm Duan Xuelian in LondonChinese Premier Commends Nation's TeachersChinese Premier Li Keqiang has taken time to commend the country's 15-million teachers for their contribution to China's development.

His comments have come just ahead of National Teachers' Day.

"Here, I'd like to stress that education should always be placed in a strategic position by our country and given the priority to develop. To the teachers who stick to their posts at those poor areas or rural areas, we should give them more respect because we want to achieve the goal of common development and gradually move towards common prosperity. Education is the fundamental."At the same time, Li Keqiang is promising more help for teachers who decide to work in the countryside.

He also says the central government will not allow local officials to cut back on financial support for education.

China aims to land Chang'e-4 probe on far side of moonChina's space administration says its planning to become the first to land a lunar probe on the far side of the moon.

A Chinese lunar probe scientist has told a forum the mission will be carried out before 2020.

The far side of the moon, or "dark side of the moon", is never visible on Earth because of gravitational forces.

Chinese space authorities say they hope to get a better sense of the geological conditions in that area.

China became the third country to soft land a spacecraft on lunar soil two years ago, after the former Soviet Union and the United States.

A Chinese probe is set to be launched in 2017 which is designed to return samples from the lunar surface.

WeatherBeijing will see showers with a high of 23 degrees Celsius.

Overnight temperatures should drop down to 18.

Shanghai will be sunny with a high of 29 and a low of 22.

In Chongqing, it will be overcast during the daytime with a high of 32 and lows of 25.

Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia,Islamabad will be sunny with a high of 36.

Kabul will be cloudy with a high of 27.

Over to North America,New York will be cloudy with a high of 27 degrees.

Washington, slight rain with a high of 31 degrees.

Honolulu, cloudy, 30.

Toronto will see slight rain with a high of 27 degrees.

Finally, on to South America,Buenos Aires will have moderate rain with a high of 14.

And Rio de Janeiro will see slight rain with a high of 25 degrees Celsius.

Headline newsSummer Davos to open in DalianThis year's Summer Davos, put on by the World Economic Forum, is opening later this morning in the city of Dalian in northeast China.

Around 17-hundred people from over 90 different countries will attempt to try to chart a new course for global growth.

The state of the Chinese economy is believed to remain a hot topic.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is set to deliver a keynote speech at the forum.

UN: 8,000 killed in Ukraine conflictLatest stats from the United Nations suggest some 8-thousand people have been killed in eastern Ukraine since fighting broke out between government forces and rebels in April of last year.

The latest report from UN monitors also shows nearly 18-thousand have been wounded.

Civilian deaths and injuries have more than doubled in the past 4-months, mostly because of shelling.

However, the UN report does also note a significant reduction of large-scale offensives since a ceasefire was struck in February.

The report also estimates around 1.4 million Ukrainians are either internally displaced or have become refugees.

Court Clears Names of Wrongly Convicted in NewspaperThe High People's Court in the Province of Anhui has taken the unusual step of issuing a public apology for wrongful convictions.

A local newspaper in the city of Bozhou has published an apology to 19 people wrongly convicted by the courts.

The group was convicted in 2012 on charges of illegal fund raising.

The announcement in the paper says the court wants to apologize for an incorrect judgment, and has withdrawn the verdicts to reinstate the good reputations of those wrongfully convicted.

It's believed this is the first time the courts have used a local newspaper to issue a public apology for a wrongful conviction.

Fake Chinese princess found guilty over 2 million yuan scamA Chinese woman has been found guilty of scamming people out of some 2.3-million yuan by claiming to be a Qing Dynasty princess.

The 47-year old woman, a farmer in Henan, duped people into believing she was a descendant of the Aisen Goiro Family which founded the Qing Dynasty in 1644.

She would then offer the victims 3-times their return on their investment if they gave her money to help bribe officials holding, what she claimed, is some 175-billion yuan in assets left by the royal family after the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911.

She would provide the victims with fake relics, including fake gold bars and treasure maps, as collateral.

The woman, who claimed her real name was Princess Changping, has been sentenced to 13.5-years in prison.

An accomplice in the case has been jailed for 12-years.

Biz ReportsAnchorTurning to business news.

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

Reporter:

U.S. stocks soared on Tuesday after opening the trading week after the Labor Day long weekend, with investors looking for bargains after last week's market downturn in New York.

The Dow Jones increased 2.4 percent.

The S&P 500 surged 2.5 percent.

The Nasdaq gained 2.7 percent.

U.S. stocks witnessed sharp losses the previous week, with the main indexes notching their second-worst weekly decline in 2015.

Analysts say investors were in a buying mood again after signs on Monday showed the global markets appeared to be more stable.

At the same time, Wall Street remains focused on the Federal Reserve ahead of its key policy meeting next week.

This is when the U.S. central bank could raise interest rates for the first time in more than nine years.

Meanwhile in Europe,Markets there were buoyed by upwardly revised Eurozone economic growth data, joining a rally in the US and most Asian markets.

New stats show the Eurozone grew by 0.4 percent in the second quarter, revising upward a first estimate of 0.3 percent that triggered worries the Greek financial crisis had destabilized growth in Europe.

At the closing bell,The UK's FTSE 100 added 1.2 percent.

Germany's DAX soared 1.6 percent.

France's CAC 40 increased 1.1 percent.

Finally in China,The markets rebounded on Tuesday after the announcement of a plan to introduce an index circuit breaker system, as well as a dividend tax break.

The Shanghai Composite Index gained 2.9 percent, while the smaller Shenzhen Component Index gained 3.3 percent.

China foreign trade decline widens in AugustAnchorNew stats show foreign trade in China through August has declined 9.7-percent year on year.

This is a steeper decline than the 8.8-percent contraction in July.

Trade volumes through August came in at 320 billion U.S. dollars last month.

Exports are down just over 6-percent in August, which is a slower decline than the nearly 9-percent drop in exports seen in July.

But at the same time, imports are down over 14-percent compared to a July decrease of just over 8.5-percent.

The government still has a target of 6-percent growth in foreign trade this year.

For more on what's happening with foreign trade, CRI's Spencer Musick spoke earlier with He Weiwen, Senior fellow with the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University.

Back anchorHe Weiwen, Senior fellow, Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University, speaking with CRI's Spencer Musick.

China set to unveil guide for 5G in 2018New standards are set to be released by Chinese authorities for the next-generation of mobile communications technology.

So called 5G technology may be available by 2018.

The testing is set to begin sometime next year.

The technology is expected to offer users bandwidth as high as 10 gigabytes per second, which would be 100 times the current 4G levels.

China Mobile says 5G will allow for more applications.

Right now around 250-million people in China use the current 4G networks.

142 real estate companies post nearly RMB3.4 trln liabilityMore than 140 listed Chinese real estate companies on Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges have disclosed their interim reports for 2015.

They show the total liability of these companies in the first half of this year reached nearly 3.4 trillion yuan.

At the same time, their total assets sit at 4.4-trillion yuan, representing a year-on-year growth of 14 percent.

This is line with the growth of their liabilities.

Meantime, over one-fifth have an asset-liability ratio above the warning line of 80-percent.

Google set to return to ChinaIt's being reported Google Play, a mobile app store, may be available on the mainland as early as this month.

Reports have emerged suggesting Google has been working on a special version of Google Play for China.

The platform will reportedly be available for Android devices.

Reports suggest the Chinese version of Google Play is being tailored to suit the Chinese market, which means the content will be subject to Chinese regulations.

However, the report says video products, such as movies, will not be available.

Google's services haven't been available on the mainland since 2010 after the company got into a dispute with regulators over content regulations.

Baidu Launches Baidu SecretaryBaidu has launched a new virtual assistant program, Baidu Secretary.

Baidu CEO Li Yanhong says the virtual assistant program, technically named "Du Secretary," is a virtual program which will be able to learn from its user.

"It's different from other intelligent robots in the market, which tell you jokes and make you laugh. But Baidu secretary is here today to serve each of us."Baidu says its virtual program will be different than Apple's Siri or other similar assistant programs, as it will get to know its primary user, and will be able to better serve the user the more it interacts with them.

"Du Secretary" is going to be available in the latest 6.8 version of Baidu's mobile search app.

China-made trains put into operation in MalaysiaA number of Chinese-produced trains have been put into operation in Malaysia.

The trains have been manufactured by a subsidiary of Chinese state-run high-speed train maker CRRC.

The trains themselves are designed to travel at speeds of around 160km per hour.

They're cutting the travel time between the capital, Kuala Lumpur and Padang Besar by 7-hours.

Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive has around 80-percent market share in the rail transit equipment market in Malaysia.

China's UnionPay to offer improved payment service in SingaporeChina UnionPay has launched an improved payment service in Singapore.

UnionPay International has announced its QuickPass service is now available in Singapore for small transactions.

At the same time, the company is planning to establish more QuickPass terminals in Singapore's commercial outlets, such as shopping malls and cinemas.

Singapore is the first country in Southeast Asia with access to QuickPass.

UnionPay's Quickpass terminals are in-use in parts of South Korea and Australia.

SportsChina Beat Maldives 3-0 at World Cup QualifierIn football,China's men's squad has cruised past the Maldives 3-nil in their latest match in the World Cup Asian qualifiers.

Yu Dabao scored twice in the victory.

"The result is very important. The victory means a lot to us. We found our form early in the game. We played very relaxed. And it went as planned. The victory is more important than who scored."China now sits in 2nd place in Group C behind Qatar.

Qatar remains undefeated after giving Hong Kong its first loss in the Qualifiers, edging them 3-2.

China will next face Qatar in October.

Only the eight group winners and four best second-placed teams can advance to Round Three in Asian zone qualifiers.

In other action,Palestine held the UAE to a goalless draw.

Iran downed India 3-0.

Thailand and Iraq tied at 2-2.

Its Jordan over Bangladesh 4-0.

South Korea dumped Lebanon 3-0.

Kuwait grabbed a 2-0 win over Laos.

Australia cruised past Tajikistan 3-0.

And was Japan hammering Afghanistan 6-0.

----------------Meanwhile, a qualifier between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia had to be abandoned in the 87th minute after militant Malaysian fans made good on an earlier threat to disrupt the match.

A group of ultra-militant fans had threatened to disrupt the match after Malaysia's embarrassing 10-nil loss to the UAE last week.

Saudi Arabia was leading 2-1 at that stage.

The final outcome of the match will be decided by FIFA.

---------------In Europe,Spain has moved closer to a spot in next year's European Championship by beating Macedonia 1-0 after an own goal by the Macedonian keeper earlier this morning.

With the victory, Spain is leading Group C with two matches to play.

A win over Luxembourg next month will guarantee a place for Spain at next year's championship in France.

In other action,England beat Switzerland 2-0.

Bale's agent says player will remain at Real MadridIn off-pitch football news,Gareth Bale's agent is rejection suggestions he wants out, or may be moved out, of Real Madrid.

Johnathan Barnett says the reports have no validity.

"Complete rubbish. I think that is one of the things the transfer window does - it gives people time to write rubbish and that's the problem. Gareth Bale has never said that he wants to leave Real Madrid, Real Madrid have always said how happy they are with him and why would he want to leave Real Madrid if everyone was happy? It just doesn't make sense, it's just complete rubbish."Bale joined Real Madrid in 2013 for a record transfer fee of some 111-million dollars.

The 26-year-old has scored 30 goals in 60 appearances with the club.

It's being reported Manchester United may be interested in acquiring Bale.

Roberta Vinci Beats Kristina Mladenovic to Reach US Open SemisIn tennis,Chinese players Chan Yung-Jan and partner Chan Hao-Ching from Taiwan have been knocked out from the US Open Women's Double's event after losing to the top seeded duo of Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza 7-6, 6-1.

Meanwhile, the Italian duo Sara Errani and Flavia Pennetta have advanced, beating their opponents in three sets.

-------------------------------In women's singles,Unseeded Italian Roberta Vinci has advanced to the semi-finals of the tournament, taking out France's Kristina Mladenovic of France in a 3-set battle.

This is the first time the 32-year old Vinci has reached the semi-finals of the US Open.

"Of course I think I'm at the end of my career, so my semi-final, first semi-final, it's incredible. You know, when you work hard for a long time and every single day, sometimes you have some periods down and try to come back. It's not always easy. But it's nice. I'm very proud of myself."---------Now on the court,Defending champion Serena Williams is up against her sister Venus for a berth in the semi-finals.

Speaking ahead of the match, Serena admits it won't be easy to get past her 23rd ranked sister.

"Well, I mean, I'm playing, for me, the best player in the tournament, and that's never easy. She's beaten me so many times. I've taken a lot of losses off of her - more than anybody. Yeah, she's a player that knows how to win, knows how to beat me, and knows my weaknesses better than anyone. So it's not an easy match at all."Serena Williams is trying to become only the 4th woman to sweep all four grand slam singles titles in a calendar year.

-----------On the men's side,Defending champion Marin Cilic is battling 19th seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France are in action in the quarter-finals game.

--------Later this morning,World number one Novak Djokovic will take on Spaniard Feliciano Lopez.

---The other quarter-finals in the men's draw are set to take place tomorrow.

It will see 5th seed Stan Wawrinka taking on South African Kevin Anderson, who is into the quarter-finals after upsetting 3rd seeded Andy Murray in the previous round.

And its 2nd seeded Roger Federer against 12th seeded Richard Gasquet, who upset 6th seeded Thomas Berdych in the 4th round.

Li Zhuhao Breaks Record at Chinese National Swimming ChampionshipsIn swimming,Li Zhuhao has broken the world junior record in the men's 200 meter butterfly at the Chinese National Swimming Championships in Anhui.

"For me, this is within my expectations. Long distance butterfly is what I have been working on in my training."The 16-year-old has taken the gold in a time of 1:55.52 seconds, beating the previous record by 0.04 seconds set by Andrew Seliskar of the United States last year in Maui.

------------In the men's 50m backstroke,It's Xu Jiayu from Zhejiang clinching the title, while Yang Zhixian won the men's 400m individual medley.

------------The Beijing team dominated the men's 4X100m freestyle relay, blowing past both Guangdong and Zhejiang, which came in second and third.

------------On the women's side,Tripple world junior record holder Shen Duo has claimed victory in the women's 200m freestyle.

Chen Shiyun of Jiangxi and Wang Shijia from Liaoning rounded out the podium.

-------------Zhang Yufei of Jiangsu took the women's 100m butterfly event.

And it was Shi Jinglin taking a narrow victory in the women's 100m breaststroke.

Turkey beat Germany 80-75 in Group BBasketball news,NBA finals MVP Stephen Curry with the Golden State Warriors has taken time to meet with fans in Shanghai as part of a promotional trip to China.

"He was so kind and so real when I saw him. He's given me a lot of excitement. I'm really looking forward to his performance next season. I hope he can lead the Warriors to another championship, and that he will win MVP again. I will always support him."27-year-old Curry was named MVP after he led the Warriors to their first NBA title in 40-years after downing LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers the finals.

Curry averaged 23.8 points and 7.7 assists per game last season.

--------In Europe,Turkey has defeated Germany 80-75 in Berlin in Group B of the 2015 Eurobasket tournament.

The Cleveland Cavaliers' Cedi Osman led the Turkish squad with 17 points.

Turkey now moves to the second group in the Group behind Serbia, who have won all three of their games to date.

-----------In other Eurobasket action,It was Italy beating Spain 105-98.

EntertainmentMission Impossible: Rogue Nation Makes $500 million at the global box office.

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation has opened in Chinese theaters.

Its global ticket sales have reached 500 million dollars already.

In the fifth episode of the hit movie franchise, Ethan Hunt and his team fight against an international criminal organization of rogue agents and killers called the Syndicate.

The movie's director Christopher McQuarrie, leading actor Tom Cruise and Actress Rebecca Ferguson met Chinese fans in Beijing earlier this week to promote the action thriller.

The series has held the record for the best-selling action spy film series in the world since the release of the first film in 1996.

David Oyelowo talks about being the voice of James Bond in 'Trigger Mortis' audio bookBritish actor David Oyelowo who played Martin Luther King Jr. in "Selma" is now eyeing a role as the international spy, James Bond.

Oyelowo voices Agent 007 in the audio book version of the new Bond novel "Trigger Mortis," which hits bookshelves on Tuesday.

Oyelowo says he had a great time voicing this iconic character.

"There is something quite fantastic about that. But, yes, that's a book called 'Trigger Mortis' that Anthony Horowitz has written and iconic characters like Pussy Galore is in there and new sort of Bond girls like Jeopardy Lane is in there and there's a Korean baddie called Justin Sin and it's quintessential Bond and I had a great, great time doing it.""Trigger Mortis" comes out on the same day that recording artist Sam Smith revealed he has sung the theme song of the new Bond film "Specter," that will open in U.K. theaters on October 26.

It will be the first James Bond theme song recorded by a British male solo artist since 1965.

Li Yugang to Tour US, Europe SoonLi Yugang, known for his onstage cross-dressing performances in China, is preparing for his first tour of the United States and Europe with his new show, Feng Hua Xue Yue, or Ageless Love.

The show is a mix of dancing, singing, Kunqu Opera and Peking Opera, and will have him playing four classical female roles — Wang Zhaojun, Du Liniang, Yuji and Yang Guifei.

It will start by the end of the year.

Li's performances will be accompanied by ancient Chinese stringed instruments such as the guqin and guzheng and xiao, an ancient flute.

Li Yugang says he wants to present Chinese theatrical aesthetics to Western audiences.

Li's has earlier performed at the Sydney Opera House and Lincoln Center in New York.

Chinese box office surpasses 30 billion yuan last weekThe Chinese box office has surpassed 30 billion yuan last week.

This means the Chinese box office has already earned as much money as the entire year of 2014.

Chinese movies raked in 18 billion yuan, 60 percent of the total.

The fantasy film "Monster Hunt" has grossed over 2.4 billion yuan. It is expected to break the record set by "Fast and Furious 7" this week and become the highest grossing film of all time at the Chinese box office.

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

Recapping our top stories this morning...

This year's Summer Davos session is set to open later this morning in Dalian.

Silk Road-related projects are proving to be a major draw at an international investment forum taking place in Xiamen.

It appears the White House has gained enough support in the Senate to save Barack Obama from having to veto any opposition to the Iran nuclear deal.

In Business... new stats show the slowdown in foreign trade in China has grown through August.

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.