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

Coming up on our program this morning...

Innovation and entrepreneurship are being touted as a major priority for China at this year's Summer Davos sessions in Dalian.

Chinese authorities say they're looking into reports of a Chinese national reportedly being held by the Islamic State.

The Obama Administration is bowing to increased public pressure, announcing an increase in the number of Syrian refugees the US is willing to take in.

In Business... US computer maker Dell announces a major investment strategy for China.

In Sports.... this year's China national swimming championships have come to a close.

In entertainment.... a new film by a Canadian director has premiered at this year's Venice Film Festival.

Top NewsChinese Premier Highlights Innovation and EntrepreneurshipAnchorChinese Premier Li Keqiang has used his keynote speech at the official opening of this year's Summer Davos sessions in Dalian to highlight innovation and entrepreneurship as key growth engines for China.

CRI's Zhao Jianfu reports.

ReporterPremier Li opened his speech with an anecdote about his visit on Wednesday to a small tech company in Dalian.

The firm has only 10 full-time employees but has managed to attract 280-thousand freelance engineers within two years and develop more than 100 products.

Premier Li highlights companies like this as China's 'new champions.'

"There are tens of thousands of similar companies in China. We even can not imagine how creative and innovative they are. It doesn't matter whether or not each can achieve its dreams by pooling wisdom and resources. They deserve the title of 'new champions.'"The "mass entrepreneurship and innovation" proposed by Li at the 2014 Summer Davos appears to have mobilized people's enthusiasm for entrepreneurship in China.

The government has introduced measures including tax reductions and streamlined government administration to spur startups.

Premier Li says mass entrepreneurship and innovation is significant for China.

"mass entrepreneurship and innovation has strong power to promote economic development, increase employment, improve the economy and innovate the income distribution pattern. It can also promote social justice as everyone willing to explore their creativity enjoys equal development opportunities."He noted that more than 10-thousand new companies are registered every day and they in turn become job-providers, and this explains China's robust job creation despite economic headwinds.

Besides this, many large enterprises also have innovated their production and management modes and improved the innovation efficiency of science and technology.

Meanwhile, the Premier pledged reforms to allow for more partnerships between the government and private investors from China and abroad.

"It is no longer just the government's show. The Chinese government will provide comprehensive and accessible public services, carry out structural reforms, and encourage social capital and foreign investment to jointly promote mass entrepreneurship and innovation."During his speech, Li vowed that China will continue to try hard to protect intellectual property rights, a crucial step to attracting international investment and encouraging local companies' creativity.

For CRI, this is Zhao JianfuExpert Views on Mass Entrepreneurship and Innovation Initiative in ChinaAnchorWith entrepreneurship and innovation the focus of this year's Summer Davos sessions, CRI's Huang Shan has been speaking with entrepreneurs and experts at the event to get their thoughts on how these concepts will improve China's economy.

ReporterDavid Aikman is the Managing Director of the World Economic Forum.

"I think the initiatives like mass entrepreneurship and innovation as this kind of national strategies are encouraging the whole new generation of entrepreneurs, not only to create great companies for China and the Chinese market, but also has the global aspirations."On paper, the innovation and entrepreneurship seems an obvious goal.

However, implementing policies to promote the concepts is a different story.

One of the main challenges is the protection of intellectual property rights.

Thom Mason runs the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the United States, which is one of the leading research facilities for nuclear technology in the US.

He says the creation of stronger IPR protection under the law is critical for China.

"That's absolutely the case, because people will not invest unless there is a way to protect intellectual property. I think as China's economy evolves, that's going to be more and more important. Because as you move from just manufacturing for global markets to developing ideas and implement them, you need that protection, in order to generating the finance to make it work."Mason also says successful entrepreneurship requires more than just passion and good ideas.

"They need access to capital, and they also need access to expertise across the broad range, not just the technology, but legal aspects, human resources and financial. So in the areas of world that are very successful cultivating new ideas, you see this combination of great technology and science but also that supporting an equal system of people with broad range of skills, access to capital. "Creating a knowledge base is also being cited as one of the keys to creating a strong entrepreneurial base in China.

Zhang Peng is the founder and CEO of Geekpark, a Beijing-based web start-up which provides news and information about the technology sector.

He suggests would-be entrepreneurs in China need to know what they're getting themselves into.

"For potential start-ups, they should first accumulate work experience in big companies, which is better than starting from scratch. And it's better for them to create ideas with long-term value, rather than following short-term, hot trends."For CRI, I'm Huang Shan reporting from the Summer Davos in Dalian.

Highlights of Summer Davos 2015AnchorFor more on what's been happening so far at the Summer Davos sessions, CRI's Shane Bigham spoke with our reporter Luo Yu, who is one of a number of CRI reporters covering the events in Dalian.

Back anchorThe Beijing Hour's Shane Bigham speaking with CRI reporter Luo Yu covering this year's Summer Davos in Dalian.

China Verifying Information of Hostage Held by ISThe Chinese government says its working to verify reports of a Chinese national being held hostage by the Islamic State.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei.

"We've noticed the media reports and we're checking the information. The Chinese government opposes any terror act against innocent civilians"Chinese consular officials in Iraq say they've not received any information about the alleged kidnapping.

The Islamic State has identified the hostage as 50-year old Fan Jinghui, who is from western Beijing.

He's described by the Islamic State as a freelance consultant.

The group is demanding an unspecified amount as ransom for the release of Fan and a Norwegian man after capturing the two in Syria.

Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg has confirmed that a Norwegian hostage is being held.

She insists Norway will not pay a ransom.

China Responds to Chinese Uighurs Suspected in Bangkok BombingThe Chinese government is calling for severe punishment for anyone found guilty in connection with last month's deadly Bangkok bombing.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong lei says they're working with Thai authorities in connection to the incident.

"China has been following the investigation of the case and has been in close contact with the Thai authorities. What I want to emphasize is that anyone who has committed such a serious crime shall receive severe punishment. China will continue its cooperation with the parties concerned in law enforcement and security."The comments follow reports two of the suspects being held in connection with the bombing were carrying Chinese passports.

The bombing on August 17th at the Erawan Shrine in central Bangkok killed 20 people, including 7 Chinese nationals.

Motives behind the bombing remain unclear at this point.

Dialogue, Cooperation Prevail in China-US Relationship: FM SpokespersonThe Chinese government has issued a new statement, saying dialogue and cooperation remain the cornerstone of the relationship between China and the United States.

Its comments follow new polling data released in the US suggesting there are still significant concerns about China's rise among average Americans.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei says despite the polling, the American people don't have anything to worry about when it comes to China.

"In the China-US relationship, cooperation remains the main current, and the common interests far outweigh the differences. China adheres to the path of peaceful development and China's development is an important opportunity to the United States. The essence of the China-US economic and trade relations is mutual benefit and win-win cooperation."The polling has been released ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's forthcoming trip to the United States this month.

Among the results of the Pew Research polling, around two-thirds of Americans asked say they're concerned about the level of US debt held by China.

Three-in-five also say they're worried about losing jobs to Asian countries, including China.

Experts: Sino-US Ties to be on Track Despite SplitsAnchorObservers on both sides of the Pacific are chiming-in ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's forthcoming trip to the United States, with many suggesting the trip should be helpful in ironing-out some of the wrinkles in the current bilateral relationship.

CRI's Luo Bin has more.

ReporterRuan Zongze is a former Minister Councilor in the Chinese embassy in Washington, and now work with the China Institute for International Studies.

He suggests the relationship today between China and the United States has progressed through the years to a level beyond normal country-to-country relations.

"Discussion topics between the two sides have gone far beyond bilateral relations and regional affairs. The two are seeking more common ground in international and multi-lateral issues."But at the same time, Ma Zhengang with the China Public Diplomacy Association says anxiety toward China is rising among US policymakers and politicians.

"There are some voices advocating for a war against China. Despite a limited influence, it has some supporters. Some US experts even say the U.S.-China relationship is at a 'critical tipping point' that gets closer to a cliff."The "tipping point" argument was put forward earlier this year by veteran China-watcher David Lampton, who heads the China division of Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

Speaking at an event among both American and Chinese scholars in May, Lampton has argued there are forces in both the US and China who would like to see the progress made over the past few decades be pushed aside to, instead, battle for global dominance.

Jin Canrong with Renmin University says despite those concerns, he doesn't believe a breakup of the China-US relationship is imminent.

"The risks in the Sino-US relations are manageable. The coexistence of cooperation with competition is a unique feature of the China-US relationship. Despite rising worries, the two governments have been trying to fulfill their responsibilities to keep this relationship smooth."Guan Wei with the China Institute of International Studies says closer communications between people from both sides is critical.

"Some 270-thousand Chinese are studying in the US, while the number of Americans studying in China exceeds 20 thousand. Every day, there are over 10-thsouand people travelling between the two countries. The civilian exchange between the two countries develops fast, which will help grow the bilateral ties."Ezra Vogel, a former professor of East Asia studies at Harvard, notes President Xi Jinping has already established a strong personal connection with the US state of Iowa.

"The American people also attach great importance to affection. For example, he visited Iowa and established good relations with Iowans. If he could take this opportunity to let his friends from Iowa come to Washington to participate in some activities, this would show his affection. If President Xi Jinping could do that - showing his affection and close relations with Americans - I think that could positively affect our public opinion and our policies."Xi Jinping first visited Iowa in 1985 while as a junior politician on a trade mission, befriending a local family who he ended up boarding with during his time there.

30-years later, he's returning to the United States on his first official State Visit as Chinese President.

But many observers suggest his trip this time is also meant to help create better inter-personal ties, but at a somewhat higher level.

For CRI, I'm Luo Bin.

China Begins Military Drills in Taiwan StraitsA warning for shipping has been issued in the southern part of the Taiwan Straits.

The PLA is set to conduct live-fire drills off the southeastern city of Quanzhou starting today.

The drills coincide with military exercises taking place in Taiwan.

Mainland military observer Song Zhongping suggests people shouldn't read too much into the drills.

"It's just part of PLA's annual routine exercises. The areas at both ends of the straits are traditional training fields of the PLA's Nanjing Military Region and its East Sea Fleet. The scale of the exercise won't be large since the area demarcated is small."The air-defense exercise is set to wrap up on Sunday.

Regional economic development needs China: APEC officialChina has been cited as one of the likely main drivers of growth among APEC countries in the years to come.

Alan Bollard, executive director of the APEC secretariat, has made the comments ahead of an APEC Finance Ministers Meeting in Philippines.

"Now, things have changed a little bit and we anticipate that some of the developed economies are now starting to do better -- the U.S. economy and others -- that will drive growth more. Secondly, infrastructure demand and supply in the region will drive growth more. Thirdly, probably led by China, more focus among emerging economies on domestic demand as a driver also."The APEC finance minister meetings are focused on global economic trends, as well as measures to lower the potential risks.

A series of agreements are also being worked on to try to promote regional economies.

Chinese Web "celebrity" Guo Meimei receives five years in jail for operating gambling denChinese web-celebrity Guo Meimei has been sentenced to 5-years in jail and fined 50-thousand yuan for running a gambling operation.

Guo Meimei, together with co-defendant Zhao Xiaolai, have been convicted of organizing a gambling ring out of an apartment in Beijing which is said to have been worth over 2-million yuan.

Guo had pleaded not guilty.

"I know I've made mistakes. I shouldn't have participated in gambling. But I don't think my acts constitute a crime of running a gambling operation."The 24-year-old gained notoriety in 2011 for her numerous online posts, which showed off a lavish lifestyle while claiming to work for an organization linked to the Chinese Red Cross.

The charity has denied any links to her.

However, it did shine a spotlight on how charity donations in China are handled and distributed.

Obama wants to admit 10,000 Syrian refugeesUS President Barack Obama has directed his administration to prepare to take in at least 10-thousand Syrian refugees over the next year.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest says this represents a "significant scaling up.""The president has directed his team to consider how we can further scale up our response. This year, that will end... the fiscal year that will end at the end of this month, the United States is on track to take in about 1,500 Syrian refugees. The president has directed his team to scale up that number next year. And he's informed his team that he would like them to accept - at least make preparations to accept - at least 10,000 Syrian refugees in the next fiscal year."Since the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011, the United States has only taken in around 15-hundred Syrian refugees.

The White House says the resettlement process has been slow, as intensive security screenings for the refugees takes as long as 18-months.

By comparison, Germany allowed in 20-thousand refugees, many of them Syrian, this past weekend alone.

The White House has been under increased pressure to do more to help Syrian refugees amid a series of online campaigns, which have been launched after the picture of a dead Syrian child found washed-up on a Turkish beach earlier this month went viral.

Smart phone ingredient found in plant extractsAnchorScientists in Germany have come up with a new method for extracting the precious element germanium, commonly found in China, from plants.

CRI's Yu Yang has more.

ReporterThe element is a semi-conductor and was used to develop the first transistor because it is able to transport electrical charges extremely quickly.

Nowadays, silicon-germanium alloy is indispensable to modern life, crucial in making computers, smartphones and fiber-optic cables.

Yet although germanium is present in soil all over the world, it is difficult to extract, and most supplies currently come from China.

Now scientists at Freiburg University of Mining and Technology think they have found a revolutionary way to obtain it from their own soil.

Biology professor Hermann Heilmeier is one of the scientists using common plants for this uncommon process.

"What is being cultivated in this field are various energy crops -- for example sunflowers, corn, reed canary grass - but instead of using them for energy purposes we want to use them for phytomining. In German we call it 'mining with plants'. We want to bring elements that are present in the soil into the roots and shoots of the plants, harvest them and then extract these elements from the plants after they have been used for energy, that is to say fermented."The process is still in its early stages, but Heilmeier says they have now identified the plants that could allow them to scale the attempt up.

The next stage of the process takes place in a laboratory at the university in Freiburg, where head of industrial chemistry Professor Martin Bertau has been overseeing the project.

He said the region is very well-suited to the extraction of germanium due to the composition of the soil.

"There is zinc ore present here, the ground is very rich in zinc. We have the remains of waste rock piles from mining, which germanium-rich water can drain better through. And when you cultivate plants here and give them that water, they can build up germanium reserves through normal physiological processes. We unlock these reserves through fermentation with the help of bacteria and thus we are able to mobilize the germanium."Economically, the process is efficient, because the extraction of germanium can happen after plants are processed for use as biogas. Thus many of the costs are already covered in existing biogas plants.

The potential for industry could be enormous, but there is still work to do before the benefits can be reaped. At the moment germanium can only be harvested in extremely small quantities, just a few milligrams per liter. Scientists need to achieve at least one gram per liter, which at the moment is only possible through a process of concentrating the extract.

For CRI, I'm Yu Yang.

UK presenter pronounces Europe's longest place name on airA weather presenter in the UK has become an internet sensation after successfully pulling-off the pronunciation of the longest place-name in Europe.

Channel-4's Liam Dutton took up the challenge while giving the weather forecast for northwestern Wales.

"Now today, we had a big contrast in temperature across the UK, just 12 degrees over coastal parts of Eastern England but with cloudy skies, but in the sunshine in Northwest Wales in RAF Mona just up the road from Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch the temperature got to 21 Celsius, at 70 in Fahrenheit."The clip of Dutton's flawless pronunciation of the Welsh town has gone viral, with the video gaining over 2 million views in less than 24 hours.

The town's name, 58 letters long, has been a long-standing in-house challenge among media personalities in the UK.

Welsh celebrities, including actress Catherine Zeta Jones, have lauded Dutton's pronunciation.

WeatherBeijing will be overcast with a high of 22 degrees Celsius.

Overnight temperatures should drop down to 15.

Shanghai will be cloudy with a high of 30 and a low of 22.

In Chongqing, it will see heavy rain during the daytime with a high of 24 and lows of 21.

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 28.

Over to North America,New York will have slight rain with a high of 27 degrees.

Washington, cloudy with a high of 29 degrees.

Honolulu, moderate rain, 29.

Toronto will have slight rain with a high of 24 degrees.

Finally, on to South America,Buenos Aires will be cloudy with a high of 12.

And Rio de Janeiro will see moderate rain with a high of 29 degrees Celsius.

Headline newsChina contributes 30 pct to global growth in H1, no hard landing: PremierChinese Premier Li Keqiang has delivered his keynote speech to the opening of this year's Summer Davos session in Dalian, disputing suggestions China may be poised for a "hard landing."As part of his speech, Li Keqiang suggests China has been responsible for around 30 percent of the world's economic growth through the first half of this year.

At the same time, he says being able to achieve 7-percent growth during the first half is no small achievement.

This year's forum in Dalian has gathered over 17-hundred business leaders and officials from over 90 countries.

Auditors Find More Three Gorges ProblemsAuditors have found more accounting problems with projects linked to the Three Gorges Dam, the world's biggest hydropower scheme.

The National Audit Office says some 2-billion yuan remains unaccounted for in connection to an underground hydroelectric plant worth around 7-billion yuan.

The revelation follows a critical report released last year.

It's found numerous problems such as nepotism and embezzlement connected to Three Gorges Dam projects.

The Three Gorges Corporation, which runs the dam, claims all the problems pointed out by the audit have been rectified.

A total of 21 inspections have been conducted by the state audit office since the dam's construction first began in 1994.

China collects 28 million yuan daily pollution penalty in seven monthsNew stats show some 28-million yuan worth of fines have been collected from environmental violations so far this year.

This comes after the Chinese government revised its Environmental Protection Laws at the beginning of this year.

Under the revised rules, if companies fail to fix violations, they face unlimited daily fines until the problems are fixed.

The old regulations would only hit companies with one-time penalties, allowing many companies to take the one-off hit, rather than addressing the fundamental problems.

Xinjiang battles rising drug problemsAuthorities in Xinjiang are warning of a worsening problem with drug-abuse.

This comes amid reports police in Xinjiang have seized more than a thousand kilograms of drugs in the region so far this year.

Drug-related convictions are also up by around 10-percent, with around 15-hundred separate cases being dealt with.

Xinjiang, given its proximity to drug-producing areas in Central Asia, has one of the highest rates of drug abuse in China.

Obama wants to admit 10,000 Syrian refugeesUS President Barack Obama has directed his administration to prepare to take in at least 10-thousand Syrian refugees over the next year.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest says this represents a "significant scaling up."Since the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011, the United States has only taken in around 15-hundred Syrian refugees.

The White House says the resettlement process has been slow, as intensive security screenings for the refugees takes as long as 18-months.

By comparison, Germany allowed in 20-thousand refugees, many of them Syrian, this past weekend alone.

Biz ReportsAnchorTurning 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.

ReporterUS markets saw a somewhat volatile Thursday, as investors digested mixed economic reports ahead of the Federal Reserve's policy meeting next week.

At the closing bell,Both Dow Jones and S&P 500 finished up 0.5 percent.

The Nasdaq increased 0.8 percent.

The strengthening U.S. labor market and falling import prices has triggered new debate about whether the Fed should raise interest rates this month.

Uncertainty about the Fed's decision over whether or not to hike rates at its two-day policy meeting next week has left the markets a little rattled.

In corporate news, shares of Apple gained 2.2 percent on Thursday after a lackluster early response by traders to its latest product dump earlier this week.

Meanwhile in Europe,The main stock markets fell on Thursday as a recent rally came to an end.

At the closing bell,The UK's FTSE 100 dipped 1.1 percent.

Germany's DAX decreased 0.9 percent.

France's CAC 40 dropped 1.5 percent.

Finally in China,The shares closed lower on Thursday as heavyweights were dragged down.

The Shanghai Composite Index closed down 1.4 percent.

The Shenzhen Component Index was down 1.8 percent.

Dell to heavily fund Chinese marketUS computer maker Dell has announced plans to invest more than 120-billion U.S. dollars in the Chinese market over the next five years.

The investment will be used to support Chinese startups and product innovation.

At the same time, Dell is reportedly working on collaboration agreements with Chinese software company Kingsoft to offer cloud computing services in the country.

China is Dell's second largest market behind only the US.

The company has more than 8-thousand employees and 3 separate manufacturing facilities in China.

Dell has been in the Chinese market since 1995.

Qihoo, Coolpad dispute & new iPhone in Chinese marketAnchorInternet security provider Qihoo 360 Technology is set to withdraw investment from a joint venture with smartphone maker Coolpad Group.

The decision came after Qihoo's rival LeTV became the second-largest shareholder of Coolpad.

LeTV's investment in Coolpad, several months after the Qihoo 360-Coolpad deal, has hurt the venture's business, due to Letv also sells smartphones.

Under the deal, Qihoo 360 has the rights to sell its 49.5 percent stake to Coolpad at a price double the market value of 1.49 billion U.S. dollars, if Coolpad hurt the venture's business.

------------For more on what's happening with the case, we're joined on the line by Associate Professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters, Doug Young.

Questions1.How's the dispute among Qihoo 360, Coolpad and Letv going now? (Generally discuss the dispute)2.Do you think the business of Coolpad will be hurt, if Qihoo 360 sells its entire stake?

----------Apple Inc. has updated its product lineup on Wednesday, focusing on its tablet computer with a larger screen and its online video box with a remote control capable of taking voice command.

However, as Apple's flagship product for years, iPhone has little improvements, since the rollout of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus last year.

Starting later this month, two new models of the smartphone will be available in 12 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom and China.

Three mobile carriers – China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom have begun taking pre-orders for Apple's upcoming iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus from Thursday.

Questions:

1.Reports say the new iPhones will keep the same prices with iPhone 6 series, but the changes are not too much. Do you think they are still popular in the Chinese market?

2. In the Chinese competitive smartphone market, what is advantage for iPhone? Especially, Apple has introduced rose-gold color new iPhones, which targets on female consumers. Do you think the idea is helpful to iPhone's sales in China?

Back anchor:

Doug Young, Associate Professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.

China fines Dongfeng Nissan for violating anti-monopoly lawAuthorities in Guangdong have fined Dongfeng Nissan millions of yuan for violating the country's Anti-Monopoly Law.

This comes after investigations revealed 17 local Dongfeng Nissan dealers colluded to set final sale prices on the vehicles.

Chen Bo is the head of Guangdong's anti-monopoly bureau.

He says the dealers would meet once a week to discuss pricing.

"In this way, these competitors came together nearly every week to discuss the prices of Dongfeng Nissan vehicles and exchange data. Through this, consumers would only be able to get a fixed price no matter which dealership they went to. The control the dealerships had on pricing was very strong."The dealerships have been fined a total of 20 million yuan.

Dongfeng Nissan is a joint venture between Japan's Nissan and Chinese manufacturer Dongfeng Motors.

China's indigenous SatNav finds increasing market presenceNew reports are suggesting the Chinese-produced Beidou satellite navigation system is poised to gain more market presence in the country.

New industrial data is suggesting at least 80-percent of satellite-serviced devices and services sold last year in China compatible with the Beidou Navigation Satellite System.

At the same time, the satellite navigation industry is reporting annual revenues of over 130 billion yuan this past year, up 30 percent from 2013.

Services using Beidou are mainly for geographic surveying, traffic monitoring and internal vehicle navigation systems.

The Beidou Satellite system is expected to have global coverage in the next 5-years.

Right now, it currently covers China and other parts of the Asia-Pacific.

Beijing drafts 6th-phase motor vehicle emission standards and oil standardsBeijing's Municipal government has put out a new draft for vehicle emission standards and fuel standards in a bid to reduce air pollution.

Under the plan, its hoped fuel consumption in motor vehicles operating in Beijing will be cut by 5 percent by 2017 from 2012 levels.

At the same time, Beijing will set new vehicle emission control systems for light and commercial vehicles.

The standards to be implemented in 2017 will be some of the toughest in the world.

SportsSun Yang Clinches Victory at Men's 400m Freestyle at China Swim MeetIn swimming,The China National Swimming Championships came to an end last night.

Following on his success from the FINA World Championships last month, Olympic and world champion Sun Yang has cruised to victory in the 400m freestyle.

"I'm happy with the win. It's actually beyond my expectations. Before the event, I thought I could clock around 3 minutes-45 seconds because I'm not in the best of health after the world championships in Kazan. I really didn't think I'd be able to swim this fast. This is also the world's best performance this year. So I'm very happy."Sun has taken 3 gold medals and one bronze at this year's national championships.

----------------Yu Hexin of Guangdong took the men's 50m freestyle.

Hunan's Huang Chaosheng to the men's 200m breaststroke.

----------------On the women's side,Zhu Menghui has claimed the title in women's 50m freestyle, beating Liu Xiang of Guangdong and Guo Tingru of Beijing.

"I had hoped that I could swim a personal best performance. But I've been too tired recently, as we didn't take a rest after the world championships in Kazan."The gold in women's 400m individual medley went to Hunan's Li Xuanxu.

And it was Xu Danlu of Ningxia winning the women's 800m freestyle.

473 swimmers from 27 teams took part in the five-day championships.

Ding Junhui Knocked out of Sangsom Six Red World ChampionshipIn snooker,China's Ding Junhui has been knocked out of the Sangsom Six Red World Championship in Bangkok, losing to Matthew Selt.

Selt then beat Robert Milkins to reach the quarter-finals.

The 30-year-old Selt will next face Hong Kong's Marco Fu.

Liang Wenbo has won the Chinese derby against Yan Bingtao to reach the last 8.

The 28-year-old will next face off world number one Mark Selby.

Both the quarter and semi-finals will take place later on today in Bangkok.

Jamie Murray and John Peers reach men's doubles finalIn tennis,France's Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut have reached the men's doubles final at the US Open, getting past Dominic Inglot and Robert Lindstedt in straight sets.

Pierre-Hugues Herbert on the win.

"It's great. It's a great feeling. We also don't have to forget that everything depended on 3, 4 centimeters in the second round. I mean the guy hits passing shot that went out for almost nothing on the match point, so I mean we have to keep calm...yeah, we just have to play tennis, play our game on Saturday, and try to play the best we can."The victory propels the French pair into their second career grand slam final.

Awaiting them in the final are Jamie Murray, the brother of Andy Murray, who's paired up with Australian John Peers.

They've reached their second consecutive grand slam final with a victory over US pair Steve Johnson and Sam Querrey.

------------Over to the women's side,Now on the court,World number one Serena Williams is taking on Italian Roberta Vinci.

-----------The other semifinal will see Romania's Simona Halep up against Flavia Pennetta of Italy.

2nd ranked Halep she's coming into the match relaxed.

"I had no expectations, no pressure. So that's why I'm playing so good. It's a great feeling now that I can be in the semi-finals, and of course tomorrow I want to fight to win it. But we will see. I expect a tough match."Both Halep and Pennetta are both looking for their first career US Open final.

Shanghai SIPG to Take on Guangzhou EvergrandeIn football,Action is set to resume in the Chinese Super League tomorrow.

League leaders Shanghai SIPG will be at home to second place Guangzhou Evergrande.

Guangzhou will be without Zheng Zhi and Hao Lin due to suspension.

Both teams have met five times in league history.

Guangzhou Evergrande remains undefeated against Shanghai SIPG.

Shanghai SIPG currently atop the league standings with 52 points, followed by Guangzhou Evergrande and Shandong Luneng.

In other action,Beijing Guoan will be up against Liaoning.

And it's Shanghai Shenhua battling struggling Guizhou Renhe.

------------------In the English Premier League,Arsenal will be at home against Stoke.

Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger notes his club does have the advantage coming into the match.

"At home we have done quite well against Stoke, we've sometimes, many times, had problems at Stoke. They are a team with a good culture of the Premier League. They know how to behave, they have experience, they've had a long time in the Premier League. They have now improved their technical quality, when you think they have (Ibrahim) Afellay, Bojan (Krkic), (Xherden) Shaqiri, (Mame Biram) Diouf upfront. The have Charlie Adam in midfield, (Stephen) Ireland, they have a lot of technical players that can give you problems."In other action,Manchester City is hoping to extend it's winning streak to five games as they play host to Crystal Palace.

The Sky Blues remains undefeated so far this season.

Everton will play defending champions Chelsea.

Norwich City will be up against Bournemouth.

Watford will play Swansea City.

And it's West Bromwich Albion taking on Southampton.

---------------------In off-pitch football news,China's women's team has revealed its line-up for the forthcoming Asian qualifiers for the Rio Olympics.

Goalkeeper Wang Fei, who has signed a two-year deal with French Ligue 1 champions Lyon several days ago, has made the final list.

She joins Wu Haiyan, the current captain of Chinese women's national team and 24 others in the list.

China is currently ranked 14th in the world.

China reached last 8 at this year's World Cup but lost to the United States 1-0 in their quarter-final match.

Tao Haimeng Leads at PGA Tour China SeriesIn golf,China's Tao Haimeng has fired a 6-under-66 to take a one stroke lead after the first round of the PGA Tour China Series in Beijing.

Chinese golfer Jin Cheng sits in 2nd.

China's He Zeming shares 3rd.

----------In Europe,Former British Open champion Paul Lawrie flirted with the European Tour's first 59 before eventually posting a 9-under-61 in the opening round of the Dutch Open.

"Yeah it even sounds good doesn't it - a 61! Yeah I mean I played nicely to be fair. I hot the ball really solid and putted really well. I putted very well. I have been putting a lot better this last little while. My new Caledonia is doing the trick."Lawrie shares the lead with Australian Wade Ormsby.

--------------On the women's side,Mi Hyang Lee of South Korea is tied for lead at 5-under following the first round of the Evian Championship in France.

"I think it's first time in first place (after) the first round. So I hope I play good tomorrow also."She's tied with American Lexi Thompson.

Guangzhou-native Feng Shanshan is well in contention after round-1, sitting tied for 6th, two back at minus-3.

China's Lin Xiyu also finished well on Thursday, carding an even-par-71.

Hamburg to Bid for 2024 OlympicsThe German city Hamburg has submitted its formal bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics.

With its submission to the IOC, Hamburg is attempting to become to the first German city in over 40-years to host the Olympics.

Munich hosted the Summer Games in 1972.

Munich failed in a bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Hamburg will be up against Paris, Rome, Los Angeles and Budapest for the rights to host 2024.

Formal submissions for bid entries will expire next Tuesday.

The host city will be selected in September of 2017.

EntertainmentAtom Egoyan's thriller 'Remember' premieres at Venice Film FestivalCanadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan's latest film "Remember" has premiered at the Venice Film Festival Thursday.

He was joined on the red carpet by some of the film's stars including Bruno Ganz, Jurgen Prochnow and Heinz Lieven.

The film also stars Christopher Plummer and Martin Landau.

The film is about a young man, who goes in search of a Nazi guard who was responsible for murdering his family some 70 years ago.

Egoyan says Plummer's acting gives the film a high degree of authenticity.

"There's no real subtext to the performance. I mean as you watch it you realize it's quite a radical performance. You don't see that very often and most of the time when you have an actor, they're playing some other interior life but he has made a choice not to do that at all. And it gives the film a very unusual tone. But because of his age, you completely buy that.""Remember" is one of 21 films competing in the main competition at the festival.

The Venice Film Festival runs until Saturday, September 12th, when the winner of the prestigious Golden Lion - the festival's top prize - will be announced.

Third Season of Reality TV Show "Where Are We Going, Dad?" Completes ShootingThe third season of the popular Chinese reality TV show "Where Are We Going, Dad?" has wrapped up shooting in Hengdian, a town in east China's Zhejiang province.

The show focuses on the relationship between a group of celebrity dads and their kids and has become one of China's most popular reality TV shows since its debut in 2013.

The third season of the show stars actors Liu Ye, Hu Jun and Lin Yongjian together with boxer Zou Shiming and their sons, as well as actor Chris Downs and his daughter.

Actor Wang Baoqiang and his daughter will also join the cast for the latest installment.

The ninth episode of "Where Are We Going, Dad?" will air on Hunan TV at 10pm on Friday.

Classic Film props auctioned in LondonAn auction of film props from some of the biggest cult films is now underway in London.

The items on sale include Captain Spock's Science Officer Costume from the original "Star Trek" television series, a Stormtrooper helmet and an Ewok mask from "Star Wars."A secret letter from "Harry Potter" is also among the most coveted items.

More than 450 lots of props, costumes and production material from 150 films and television shows are on display in a preview exhibition ahead of the sale.

Stephen Lane, CEO of the Prop Store, says the sale is for fans of both the big and small screens.

"This is a preview exhibition that we've built, which is built for the general public, for film fans and for movie lovers to come down and get up close and personal with some true pieces of cinema history."Online bidding has already begun and film fans are quickly raising the prices on props.

The price for the "Harry Potter" acceptance letter that he received when he got into the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has shot up dramatically.

The Prop Store auction is set to take place at the BFI Imax on September 23.

Netflix to expand into Asia in early 2016Popular internet video streaming service Netflix has announced its plans to expand into four more Asian markets next year.

It says people in South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan will be able to access Netflix content from early 2016.

Netflix has already been selling its services in more than 50 countries outside the U.S.

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

Recapping our top stories this morning...

Innovation and entrepreneurship are being touted as a major priority for China at this year's Summer Davos sessions in Dalian.

Chinese authorities say they're looking into reports of a Chinese national reportedly being held by the Islamic State.

The Obama Administration is bowing to increased public pressure, announcing an increase in the number of Syrian refugees the US is willing to take in.

In Business... US computer maker Dell announces a major investment strategy for China.

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.