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

Coming up on the program this evening...

The Chinese foreign ministry has released details of President Xi Jinping's upcoming state visit to the US...

China and the US have signed a series of agreements to fight climate change at the local-government level...

Hungary shuts its border with Serbia in an attempt to stem the flow of refugees into western Europe...

In Business...Chinese financial officials deny the central government has recalled 1 trillion yuan from local government coffers...

In Sports...Hangzhou will host the 2022 Asian Games...

And in Entertainment...Li Bingbing has signed on to star in a China-Australia co-production...

TopXi's visit to bolster China-U.S. trust, cooperation: FMThe Chinese Foreign Ministry has officially confirmed President Xi Jinping's schedule for his trip to the United States this month.

It's been confirmed his official state visit will begin on Tuesday, and last 4-days.

As part of his time in Washington, Xi Jinping is due to meet with US President Barack Obama.

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi reveals more details concerning the president's US trip.

"During the visit, President Xi will devote lots of time to reach out to the cities, states, businesses, friendly groups and communicate with people all walks of life. He will deliver speech to the general public, hold meetings with representatives with business communities and have talks with school faculties and students. We believe President Xi's visit will generate a new wave of interest in China in the American society. "Wang says that President Xi's visit will focus on boosting trust, and trying to resolve U.S. worries that China and the United States contradict each other when dealing with issues such as international relations and Asia-Pacific order.

"With the China-US relations go deeper, there may be more issues and challenges to handle. What important is the both sides to maintain strategic communication, build strategic trust, remove misgivings, and avoid strategic misjudgment. That's why I believe that building trust and reducing misgivings will be one of the focus of President Xi's visit to the U.S."Xi Jinping is also scheduled to visit the UN headquarters in New York to attend summits commemorating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations.

That will be lasting from Sept. 26 to 28.

Chinese President's Forthcoming Visit to U.S. Will Be a "Milestone" of Bilateral Relations: KissingerFormer US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger says President Xi Jinping's upcoming US visit will be a milestone of bilateral relations.

The former senior official made the statement during an interview with Central China Television.

In particular, Kinssinger talked about the recent anti-Chinese sentiment from the candidates of the presidential election in the U.S.

"Every new president no matter what is said in the campaign has been brought by reality to the recognition that you have this relationship is an integral part of the international system and I believe, I'm confident that this will happen again and I just urge your listeners or viewers to not take every word that is said in the campaign as a final statement."Kissinger, who has been a regular visitor to China since the 1970s, says he believes that China's influence to the whole world will be lasting, despite the current economic slowdown.

"Having seen how China has evolved over the last 30 years, I look at this as a temporary, almost inevitable aspect of transition from which we should both sides learn that we should synchronize our economic policies in order to make, having a minimum impact on each other."The senior diplomat adds that he believes the atmosphere of relations will significantly improve as a result of President Xi's visit.

Xi's Visit to Strengthen Major-power ties with U.S.: ExpertsAnchor:

Cyber security and investment are likely to top Chinese President Xi Jinping's agenda as part of his visit to the US later this month.

CRI's Luo Wen reports.

Reporter:

Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the United States is set to be his first state visit to the country since taking office in 2013.

Da Wei, director of US Research with the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, says trust-building is going to be key.

"The visit will help tell the US who President Xi Jinping is, as well as what kind of leader he is. It will also help answer questions about where China is going. The president has already sent out answers to these questions at both the Sunnylands meeting in California and the Yingtai talks in Beijing. But this time, the visit will also send a message to the American business community, the think tanks and the American people. It will tell them about China's reforms and development."Although the China-US relationship has been seeing steady improvement, challenges such as South China Sea issues and cyber security still remain key sticking points.

Ruan Zongze, formerly with the Chinese embassy in the US, and now with the China Institute of International Studies, says he believes these issues are something the two sides can overcome.

"Cyber security is a common concern for China and the US. Both can work together to make changes to help one-another when it comes to cyber security. The two sides can also work to make their shared views applicable to other countries and non-state actors as well. So the best way to approach this issue is through talking, and not through sanctions."Ruan also says he believes Xi Jinping's time in the US will be an opportunity to push forward talks on the Bilateral Investment Treaty, which started seven years ago.

"China and the U.S. have held twenty rounds of BIT talks so far. Both sides will continue with the negotiations. We don't think the talks will be concluded soon. But at least we can expect further progress during the President's time in the US."Xi Jinping and Barack Obama sat down with one-another in June of 2013, with both leaders saying they want to create a relationship which will avoid confrontation.

Professor Robert Keobane with Princeton University says he believes the momentum from the previous talks should carry over into this round of discussions.

"I think it will be very productive. They are two very serious leaders who both have huge interests in cooperating with each other as well as the discord we talked about. They know they have to work out differences of interests as well as commonalities. Neither of them is inclined toward making radical statements that make things worse. So I expect it will be a very productive visit."Beyond cyber security and economics, the two are also expected to discuss military relations, counter-terrorism and climate change.

For CRI, I'm Luo Wen.

U.S. Justice Dept. urged to investigate "growing pattern" of targeting Chinese-Americans over spying chargesIn the meantime, in the United States, some lawmakers and Asian American advocacy groups have urged authorities to investigate what appears to be a "growing pattern" of accusing innocent Chinese-Americans of spying for China.

The move comes days after the Department of Justice dropped all charges against Professor Xi Xiaoxing, who was accused of sharing sensitive U.S. technology with China.

A similar case against National Weather Service hydrologist Sherry Chen was dropped in March.

Congresswoman Judy Chu said in a statement that she was deeply troubled by what appears to be a growing pattern of Chinese-American employees being targeted and charged for spying and economic espionage, only to see those charges dropped.

China and US to promote climate change issue at local government levelAnchor:

China and the US have agreed to further promote cooperation on tackling the issue of climate change at the local government level.

A series of agreements, including a joint declaration on climate change have been signed at the ongoing China-US Climate Leaders Summit in Los Angeles, California.

CRI's Niu Honglin has more.

Reporter:

The summit is the first of its kind at the provincial and city level between China and the U.S.

Xie Zhenhua, Chinese special representative on climate change issues, says the issue of climate change is a challenge for both China and the United States, and also an important opportunity for the two countries to strengthen cooperation and promote the development of green energy.

"We hope that we can take this summit as a new start, to carry out more practical cooperation in the fields of low-carbon city construction, the research and application of low-carbon technology and carbon trade markets, and to promote the capacity and capabilities of the green energy industry in both countries."14 cities, provinces and states between the US and China have signed the Declaration and other working agreements, as have several US cities and states.

Attendants also discussed city carbon reduction, renewable energy, environmental friendly business and other related topics.

California Governor Jerry Brown says that as most of the population tends to live in cities, the actions of cities are very important.

Brown also stresses that the two countries should and can jointly tackle the climate change issue.

"Together, these two powerful nations have the responsibility and capacity to get something done."As the world's largest developed and developing nations, the U.S. and China represent about 40 percent of the world's carbon emissions.

Chinese representative Xie Zhenhua say the latest summit fulfills a key element of a China-US Joint Announcement on Climate Change, which was issued after a meeting between President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Barack Obama in Beijing last November.

That announcement has a part of a plan to implement the climate goal of each country at the local government level.

"It plays a very important role, as the two sides announced their respective goals. In fact, it forms a mechanism that drives governments to take measures in accordance with the goals."China announced that by 2030 it will cut carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by 60 to 65 percent from the levels recorded in 2005.

The target is included in the country's "Intended Nationally Determined Contributions, " which was submitted earlier this year to the Secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Some U.S. states and city governments also set ambitious targets for carbon-reduction.

For CRI, this is Niu Honglin.

China, EU Aim High in People-to-people ExchangesAnchor:

China and the European Union have vowed to boost cultural exchanges in areas like education, science and tourism.

Leaders representing the two sides made the pledge at the third meeting of the China-EU high-level exchange dialogue in Brussels, Belgium.

Our reporter Wang Wei has more.

Reporter:

Famous Chinese song "Jasmine" was sung by students from Confucius classes in Brussels' European schools, and received a warm welcome at the meeting.

Representatives from both sides have highlighted people-to-people exchanges as a basis for the two sides to better understand each other.

Elena Moreno Cuella who once studied at Fudan University in Shanghai, one of China's top universities, recalled that experience.

"All I can say that it was the best year of my life so far that I learned so much from the Chinese culture I actually felt I was at home at some point. This great opportunity to meet Chinese people to interact to exchange cultures to learn and practice the language is difficult but not impossible."Meanwhile, visiting Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong who co-chaired the meeting, says since the dialogue was set up three years ago, it became a pillar for the development of bilateral ties.

"As two major powers in the world with major markets and civilizations, China and the EU have long been in a good relationship and can benefit from each other. As long as the two sides uphold principles of openness and inclusiveness in cooperation, China and the EU will push the strategic partnership to a new high level."Liu also notes China will make efforts to gather more popular support and wisdom so as to make the people-to-people ties more resilient and robust.

For his part, EU Commissioner of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Tibor Navracsics, says the EU is ready to enhance bilateral cultural and people-to-people cooperation in the spirit of openness and mutual respect.

The EU official stresses that the spirit of harmony and diversity will facilitate mutual understanding and trust.

"In nature and society, are really full of differences that complement each other. Confucius said that the man aims at harmony but not at uniformity. In other words, people may see the world with different eyes but still find ways to live alongside one another in harmony. This is one of the basic principles of our people-to-people dialogue."The two leaders signed a joint statement after their meeting, and attended the opening ceremony of the Confucius classes project in Brussels' European schools, as well as the award ceremony of the "China Unlimited" competition.

For CRI, this is Wang Wei.

New impetus and vitality are shown in the recent reforms: NDRCAnchor:

China's National Development and Reform Commission says a series of measures of economic reforms in the country has began to show positive results.

CRI's Min Rui has more.

Reporter:

Chen Weiliang with the National Development and Reform Commission says as new measures streamline the administration, decentralization authority, and modernize state-owned enterprises, results are being noticed.

"Numbers for new registered businesses in 2014 went up nearly 46%, registered capital almost doubled."He also points out that the service sector is showing greater support for economic growth while the impacts of newly approved economic districts are radiating into surroundings areas, driving development.

Investment and financing systems are high on the agenda of the deepening reforms.

Recent moves such using public-private-partnerships to finance projects in various sectors has generated a fund of nearly 2000 billion yuan, affecting more than 1000 projects.

Xu Kunlin, head of the department of fixed assets investment at the NDRC says the government will keep promoting private investment in the deepening reforms.

"We have implemented some new policies: some special construction bonds which run on the basis of market operation will be launched to fund some particular projects, which are of great innovation in terms of investing and financing. The second point is encouraging the introduction of social capital to state capital. Regarding the issue of low yielding investments, we should accelerate the pricing reform and formulate reasonable pricing strategies in the field of infrastructure in order that investors can enjoy stable and reasonable financial rewards.

In the latest released negative list for foreign investment, 41 restricted catalogs were cut off from the prior list. Meanwhile, policies were also made to promote Chinese investment going out.

Chen Weiliang says the country will further broaden the channels directing foreign financial capital to the economy.

"The main goal of promoting the reform is to restructure and open the Chinese economy, make it easier for foreign investment to come in. Now we are testing the negative list policy in all four Free Trade Zones. Not only will it help bring in more foreign investment, but it will gradually be introduced to all areas across the country."He also says foreign investment can help maintain steady growth and so help to achieve annual economic growth targets.

NDRC Officials also confirm that reform plans in the oil and natural gas sector is currently under review.

For CRI, I am Min Rui.

Beijing to open further 6 service industries to foreign capitalBeijing will open a further six service industries and deepen reforms in the overseas investment management system.

The six industries are science and technology, information and the Internet, culture and education, finance, trade and tourism, health and medical care.

Liu Haiquan is with the Ministry of Finance.

"The six service industries will be gradually opened to all types of investment, the restrictions on the equity ratio of foreign capital will be loosened or abolished, while the restrictions on the necessary qualifications and scope of running a business will be partially or entirely loosened."The ministry also pledges simplified application procedures for foreign investors.

The Chinese State Council agreed in May to open up the service sector in Beijing for a trial basis.

Migrants Camp Out after Hungary Border Shutdown, Head into CroatiaHungary shut its borders with Serbia on Tuesday, in an attempt to stop the influx of refugees and migrants en route to Western Europe.

About 1000 migrants camped out in a Serbian village near the border into Wednesday morning.

One migrant described the situation.

"You see there is no bathroom, no sleeping, no food. It is very, very dangerous situation this time. There's small children, other women."Hungary has also begun arresting those attempting to enter the country illegally. Armed guards have been placed near the gates along a 175 km fence between Serbia and Hungary, and are patrolling the border area.

Unable to enter Hungary, some migrants were reportedly seen walking into neighboring Croatia from Serbia. They were then said to have been taken by local police to be registered.

Meanwhile, thousands of migrants are continuing to enter Serbia from Macedonia.

Security and Defeat of Terrorism Priories: Syrian PresidentSyrian president Bashar al-Assad says security and defeating terrorism in his country are currently top priorities, before any political reform can take place.

Assad made the remark during an interview aired by Russia's state television.

he further commented on the current Syrian refugees outflow, saying it is mainly due to terrorism in the country.

"Actually it's like the West now is crying on the refugees with one eye and aiming at them with the machine gun with the second one, because actually those refugees left Syria because of the terrorism, mainly because of the terrorists, because of the killing, and second, because of the result of terrorism."Talking about the "core" of the refugee issue, Assad accused Western countries of supporting what he called "terrorist groups".

"So it's not about Europe didn't accept them, or invite them, as refugees, it's about not dealing with the cause. Stop, if you are worried about them, stop supporting terrorists. That's what we think regarding the crisis, this is the core of the whole issue of refugees."The comments came after Russian President Vladimir Putin defended Russia's military support to Syria on Tuesday, saying that it is impossible to defeat the Islamic State group without cooperating with the Syrian government.

Russia's military presence in Syria has caused concerns for the US.

Also on Tuesday, the White House said it hoped Russia will join the US led 60 member collation in Syria to defeat the Islamic State, calling the current Russian support to the Assad government "destabilizing and counterproductive".

For more analysis on the recent development in Syria, CRI's Victor Ning earlier spoke with Professor Li Guofu, Director of Middle East Studies at the China Institute of International Studies.

France to Begin Airstrikes in SyriaFrance says it will join the US and start carrying out air strikes on Islamic State targets in Syria.

The French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian made the announcement on Wednesday, adding that the air strikes will start "in the coming weeks".

Since September 8th, France has conducted two reconnaissance missions over Syria to determine future actions against the Islamic State.

WeatherBeijing is cloudy tonight with a low of 16 degrees Celsius; cloudy to overcast tomorrow with a high of 27.

Shanghai, cloudy tonight with a low of 20; tomorrow also cloudy with a high of 28.

Chongqing will see moderate rain tonight with a low of 21; still rainy tomorrow with a high of 24.

Lhasa will see showers tonight with a low of 10; cloudy to overcast tomorrow with a high of 22.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad, sunny tomorrow with a high of 36.

Kabul, cloudy, 27.

Down in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney will see slight rain with a high of 16.

Brisbane, moderate rain with a high of 25.

Perth, sunny, 24.

And finally Auckland, New Zealand will be wet with a high of 18 degrees Celsius.

Headline newsXi's visit to bolster China-U.S. trust, cooperation: FMThe Chinese Foreign Ministry has officially confirmed President Xi Jinping will pay a 4-days state visit to the United States starting from Tuesday.

As part of his time in Washington, Xi Jinping is due to meet with US President Barack Obama.

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi says that President Xi's visit will focus on boosting trust, and trying to resolve U.S. worries that China and the United States contradict each other when dealing with issues such as international relations and Asia-Pacific order.

Xi Jinping is also scheduled to visit the UN headquarters in New York from Sept. 26 to 28.

There he will attend summits commemorating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations.

Chinese premier congratulates new Australian PM on swearing-inChinese Premier Li Keqiang has sent congratulatory message to Australia's new Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on his swearing-in.

Li expressed his high appreciation of the importance Turnbull attaches to China-Australia relations and his active support for bilateral cooperation.

Premier Li says that China stands ready to make joint efforts with the Australian side to make good use of the annual meeting between the two nations' prime ministers and other exchanges.

92 children hospitalized after E China fireMore than 100 people, mostly children, have been hospitalized after a commercial building caught fire in eastern China on Wednesday.

The fire broke out around 11:30 a.m. in Ningde City, Fujian Province.

Firefighters managed to pull out all the children trapped in a kindergarten on the second floor of the building.

The fire was put out at midday.

No deaths have been reported. Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire.

5 dead, 11 missing in Yunnan floodFlooding in Yunnan is blamed for the deaths of five villagers. 11 others are missing.

An updated casualty list from the county government of Huaping says 15 people have been injured.

The Liyu River burst its banks, inundating several communities.

More than 70 homes have been destroyed, more than 240 have been damaged. Evacuation orders have been issued.

The rain has stopped and water levels are falling. Searching for missing is underway.

Soil remediation to start in Tianjin blast siteSoil remediation work will start soon at the site of the deadly warehouse explosions in north China's Tianjin city, following the completion of container cleanup.

Dangerous waste will be transported to a hazardous waste disposal center.

General solid wastes, including construction wastes, will be recycled.

After the completion of soil treatment, a 24-hectare park on the site of the blast is expected to start construction in November and be completed in July next year.

Biz reportsStocksAnchor:

Time to check today's business news, starting with the closing numbers in Asia. Joining us is Victor Ning.

Reporter:

Chinese shares rose sharply on Wednesday, after two days of declines and following gains overnight on U.S. equities.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index went up 4.9 percent to end at 3,152 points.

The Shenzhen Component Index rose 6.5 percent.

The ChiNext Index of growth enterprises climbed 7.2 percent.

Hong Kong's Heng Seng Index moved up 2.4 percent.

China on Wednesday rebutted reports that it had recalled 1 trillion yuan of unspent budgets from local governments, but said it is reallocating a much smaller amount of fiscal funds. We have more on this later.

Elsewhere in Asia,Japan's Nikki rose 0.8 percent as the U.S. dollar's resurgence against the yen boosted export-oriented issues and overnight European and U.S. stock gains stoked investor sentiment.

South Korean's KOSPI advanced close to two percent.

Singapore's Straights Times added 0.9 percent.

And Finally,Australia's ASX/200 ended 1.6 percent higher.

Assistant to Top Securities Regulator InvestigatedIn other stock related news,Zhang Yujun, the assistant to the chairman of China's securities regulatory commission, is being investigated for violating rules.

No further details have been revealed yet.

This comes amid the central authorities intensifying its probe into irregular market trading.

On Tuesday, several senior executives from CITIC Securities were confirmed as being probed by police.

The three senior staffs, including the brokerage's general manager, are being investigated for insider trading and leaking information.

CITIC Securities is China's largest brokerage.

China Jan-Aug outbound direct investment rises 18.2 pctChina's non-financial outbound direct investment (ODI) rose 18 percent year on year in the first eight months.

The Ministry of Commerce says the investment has reached over 470 billion yuan, or 74 billion US dollars.

In August, China's ODI grows 7 percent from a year earlier.

China's foreign direct investment increased 9 percent year on year.

Meanwhile, China's retail sales in the first eight months grew over 10 percent year on year.

China denies recalling 1 trillion yuan of unspent fiscal budgetChina's top economic regulator is denying words that the government is recalling 1 trillion yuan, or nearly 160 billion US dollars of unspent budgets from local governments.

Reuters reported earlier that China has seized up to 1 trillion yuan from local governments that failed to spend their budget allocations.

An official of the National Development and Reform Commission says the figure was "inaccurate" and the government is "sorting out" more than 200 billion yuan in unspent fiscal funds and reallocating them to invest in major projects, including some for improving people's livelihoods.

With its economy slowing, China has tried to activate unspent fiscal funds to sustain an expansionary fiscal policy and shore up growth.

China plans to raise its budget deficit to 2.3 percent of GDP for 2015, up from last year's target of 2.1 percent.

China raises retail oil pricesChina will raise retail oil prices starting from Thursday.

Retail prices for gasoline and diesel are to be raised by 90 yuan per tonne, which will work out to less than 0.1 yuan per liter at the gas pump.

This is rise in retail oil prices after six consecutive declines.

Prices for refined oil products are adjusted when international crude oil prices reflect a change of more than 50 yuan per tonne of gasoline or diesel over a period of 10 working days.

Apple has plans for those built-in apps delete optionApple says it is working on a way to allow users to delete built-in apps.

According to Buzzfeed News, Apple CEO Tim Cook says he is aware that the iPhone's built-in apps can be nothing but a nuisance, and he's working on a way to let users delete some of them.

Wang Yanhui, Secretary General of China Mobile Alliance believes this is good news for apple users.

"Many built-in apps take much storage space and most of the apps are useless for many users. Therefore, if users have the option to delete those apps, it must be good since it will free up some space."But cook indicates the move is a more complex issue than it first appears, since some apps are linked to something else on the iPhone, and if they were to be removed they might cause issues elsewhere on the phone.

The nested apps include Stocks, Newsstand, Podcasts, Apple Watch, Tips and iBooks.

Cook didn't reveal a time frame for the change.

Sinomach, GE partner for Africa power projectsChina National Machinery Industry Corporation, a leading Chinese contractor for international projects, will team up with U.S. conglomerate General Electric to develop clean power projects in Africa.

They will help double the number of Sub-Saharan Africans with access to electricity.

The two firms will jointly finance, raise investment for and develop these projects, including a pilot wind power project planned in Kenya.

The two companies say their cooperation will support the Belt and Road Initiative and the U.S.-backed Power Africa Project.

Chinese investment surges in Silicon ValleyAnchor:

China's so-called "Silicon Valley" is looking toward its name-sake in the United States as an investment opportunity.

CRI's Luo Bin explains.

Reporter:

Zhongguancun, a high-tech hub in Beijing, is posed to open an innovation center in Silicon Valley.

It's an 24-million U.S. dollar investment.

Luo Wei is the CEO of the overseas subsidiary of the Zhongguancun Development Group.

"For those who start businesses overseas, they will feel like entering Zhongguancun when they come here."Qihoo 360 is one of the firms backing the new innovation center.

Cao Shu with Qihoo says they've already managed to attract 10 new start-ups to take part in the new center.

"Through investment and development, we can establish connections with talented people in Silicon Valley. It is like an indirect way of recruitment."Wu Jun is with zPark Capital.

It's a venture-capital firm which focuses mostly on start-ups.

He says one of the companies they're investing in at the new innovation center is a drone manufacturing company based in San Francisco.

"Drones are largely manufactured in China. The drone maker Skycatch has recognized this, as well as the connection of our company with China and our background. This is why we're investing"GGV Capital is a venture capital firm based in both Silicon Valley and China.

Jeff Richards with GGV says investing in both Chinese and US companies makes sense.

"Our strategy for 15 years has been to invest in both markets. We believe the markets are closely intertwined. So we believe that flow of capital from the U.S. to China and from China to the U.S. probably increases over the next five to 10 years."Wu Jun with zPark Capital says they believe investment in the US will benefit China in the long-term.

"For any manufacturing country, when its manufacturing output and capacity improve and its wealth accumulates, it will develop a gap with the rest of the world in which the more the country can produce, the less the rest of the world can afford to buy. It will then be the outflow of capital to let the development of the entire global economy drive the country's economy to grow faster."Zhongguancun is one of the areas of China still holding firm when it comes to revenue growth.

The region generated over 1.5 trillion yuan in the first half of this year.

For CRI, I'm Luo Bin.

World Bank warns emerging economies of big capital outflow under Fed rate hikeThe World Bank has warned of the risk of a large decline in capital flows to emerging economies in the upcoming U.S. monetary policy tightening cycle.

A new research paper by the World Bank says if the tightening cycle accompanies a surge in US long term yields, there will be substantial capital outflows from emerging economies.

The paper also warns the tightening cycle runs a risk of being associated with market volatility, since the global economy is adjusted to weakening growth prospects, slowing international trade and persistently lower commodities prices.

Meanwhile, US retail sales edged 0.2 higher in August, slightly below analysts' consensus estimate.

The retail sales report was one of the few remaining US data points ahead of the Federal Reserve's two-day monetary policy meeting that begins Wednesday.

SportsHangzhou to host 2022 Asian GamesThe eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou has been chosen to host the 2022 Asian Games.

The decision was made by the Olympic Council of Asia.

Hangzhou was the only candidate city.

It will be the third time the regional games have come to China. Beijing and Guangzhou hosted the previous two events for China.

The last Asian Games were held in Incheon in South Korea last year. The next edition will be held in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta in 2018.

Chinese skipper completes trans-arctic journey, sets world recordIn sailing,Chinese adventurer Guo Chuan has completed his trans-Arctic journey aboard trimaran Qingdao China with an international crew.

Guo completed the journey in 13 days to set a world record for navigating the Arctic Ocean non-stop on a boat completely powered by wind.

The crew set out from the Russian port city of Murmansk and reached the destination in the Bering Strait.

It is the first time in history that a racing trimaran completed a nonstop Arctic sail along the northern sea route.

China's Ding Junhui into Last 16 at Shanghai MastersIn snooker,Ding Junhui is in the last 16 of the Shanghai Masters with a 5-1 win over Scotland's Alan McManus.

Ding took the fifth frame with a single break of 104.

His next opponent is Ryan Day.

Another Chinese player, Fang Xiongman, is out after going down to defending champion Stuart Bingham 5-1.

In other action,England's Judd Trump is through over Robert Milkins.

He's set to battle compatriot Matthew Selt this evening.

Michael Holt is through after defeating Stephen Maguire.

Guangzhou Evergrande reach semi-finals of AFC Chamipions LeagueIn football,Guangzhou Evergrande were held at an 1-all draw at home by Japan's Kashiwa Reysol but made it into the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League 4-2 on aggregate.

Evergrande went into the game with a two-goal cushion, having defeated the Japanese outfit 3-1 in their away game three weeks ago.

Cristiano da Silva opened up scoring 12 minutes into the game for Kashiwa Reysol.

Huang Bowen equalized with a left foot volley at the 30th minute.

Evergrande's midfielder Zou Zheng says it was harder than it looked.

"It is a tough win. They come here in the hope of cutting their two goal deficit to live their hope in the tournament. But we are well prepared for the tough game. For me, it's exciting to play the AFC quarterfinal game."They will next face the winner between Gamba Osaka and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors for a place in the final.

The two teams played to a goalless draw in the first leg and it is approaching full time in the return leg.

Reactions from UEFA Champions League, recapElsewhere in football,Cristiano Ronaldo completed another hat trick to help Real Madrid beat Donetsk 4-0 in Group A at the UEFA Champions League.

He is now the top scorer in the league's history with 78 goals.

Coach Rafael Benitez wasn't sure if Ronaldo was the best player he has coached earlier in the week, but seems to have changed his mind.

"I know what Cristiano's level is and where his values are. He proves it during the matches but he also proves it in every training session. He is the best player in the world and every time you ask me anything I will just say yes so we can end up focusing on what I say and we can focus more on what Cristiano does on the pitch."In other action from the group,Paris Saint-Germain beat Malmo 2-0.

As expected, Zlatan Ibrahimovic came back from an injury to slay the team that launched his career 20 years ago.

"I was happy that I could play the game I tried to score a goal but I was not lucky today and it is a good start of the champion league we win 2-0 we get the three points."Angel Di Maria scored his first goal for PSG since joining the French champions last month.

In Group B,Manchester United blew an one-goal lead and went down to PSV Eindhoven 2-1.

They also lost Luke Shaw who suffered a double fracture in the right leg when blazing into the heart of the box and was laid by a two-footed challenge that went unpunished.

Shaw could potentially miss the rest of the season.

He has undergone successful surgery and will remain in the Dutch city for the initial stages for his recovery.

Another Manchester team, Man City, was dealt a defeat by the same score by Juventus in Group D.

More Champions League action to follow tomorrow,Barcelona visit Roma where Lionel Messi will be playing his 100th Champions League game in Group E.

In Group F, Olympiakos host German champions Bayern Munich,And Chelsea will play Maccabi Tel Aviv in Group G.

France, Spain to meet in Eurobasket 2015 semi-finalsIn basketball,Hosts and defending champions France sailed into the semi-finals of the Eurobasket following a 84-70 win over Latvia.

Tony Parker scored 18 points and had six assists.

It was the San Antonio Spurs point guard who hauled France back into contention when they were falling behind in the first two quarters.

They go on to meet Spain who edged out Greece 73-71.

Greece almost had it, coming up to just one point behind close to the end.

Pau Gasol netted a free throw and missed the other but was relieved to see Greece miss the attempted buzz-beating winner.

Gasol hit a game high 27 points.

F1 Singapore GP to proceed despite haze situationFinally in Formula One,Organizers of the Singapore Grand Prix have decided to push through with the race this weekend despite the haze caused by forest fires in Indonesia.

Air quality remains at unhealthy levels as fog and smoke shroud the island.

Organizers said the haze situation is volatile so it is not possible to predict the air quality for the race weekend.

Air quality readings will be posted on the race's official website and mobile app to help spectators make informed decisions.

Singapore is home to formula one's only night race. It will be held on the street circuit at Marina Bay.

EntertainmentLi Bingbing signs up to star in Australia-China co-productionChinese actress Li Bingbing has signed up to star in Nest, an English language 3D sci-fi film.

The actress will also serve as a producer on the China-Australia co-production.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film follows a team of scientists who lose a co-worker in an ancient maze while trying to make the 'discovery of a century'. The group then have to fight their way through man-eating funnel web spiders and discover the secret behind their power.

The film is directed by Kimble Rendall who has in the past worked on the Matrix films. He made his directorial debut on Bait 3D which was also an Australia- China co-production. It was released here in China in 2012 and grossed $25 million.

Bingbing has had leading roles in Hollywood films such as "Transformers: Age of Extinction" and "Resident Evil: Retribution."New Bond film set to be longest yetIt has been revealed that upcoming Bond film Spectre could be the longest Bond film yet.

Two major cinema chains in the UK have listed the film on their sites informing movie goers that the film is around 160 minutes long.

The current longest Bond film is Casino Royale which clocked in at around 144 minutes followed by Skyfall which has a duration of 143 minutes. Quantum of Solace is the only Daniel Craig Bond film that's been kept under the two hour mark.

Earlier this year Sam Mendes said Spectre will most likely be his final James Bond film.

Spectre is released in the UK on October 26 while its US release date is set for November 6.

Disney announces plans for Mary Poppins sequelDisney has announced plans to make a sequel to classic 1964 film Mary Poppins.

According to Entertainment Weekly, the film will be based on PL Travers' series of books about the nanny with magical powers. The film will see Mary pay a return visit to the Banks family.

It will be set 20 years after the original which was set in Edwardian London.

Several Hollywood actresses have been tipped to land the role of Mary Poppins including Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Anna Kendrick.

The original film which starred Julie Andrews as the lead role, won five Oscars including best actress for Andrews and best song.

Cast of Black Mass attend premiere at Toronto Film FestivalThe cast of "Black Mass" including Johnny Depp and Dakota Johnson attended the movie's premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Monday.

The film is a true story based on the life of Boston mobster James "Whitey" Bulger and a deal he makes with the FBI, becoming an informant on his rivals, the Italian mob in exchange for the dismissal of his own illegal activities.

Kevin Bacon stars as an FBI agent in the movie and says he was already familiar with the story before he agreed to play the role.

"I read the book and I read the script. I heard when I was off doing the movie 'Mystic River' in Boston, I'd heard stories about the story of the Bulgers. One of the pieces that I found so fascinating was that Jimmy and Billy being brothers, one becomes a politician, a pillar of the community and the other is simultaneously being a gangster, I thought that was really kind of fascinating, almost Shakespearean kind of vibe,""Black Mass" opens in the US and Canada on September 18.

Nominations for MTV Europe Music Awards announcedThe nominations for this year's MTV Europe Music Awards have been announced with Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber leading the nominations.

Swift has been nominated for nine awards including three nods for her hit single Bad Blood.

Justin Bieber follows closely behind with six nominations, boosted by the global success of his chart-topping track "What Do You Mean?"Ed Sheeran has been nominated in four categories including best UK and Ireland act, best male, best live act and best world stage.

Meanwhile in the best pop act, One Direction will battle it out against 5 Seconds of Summer, Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande.

The 2015 MTV EMAs will take place in Milan on 25 October.

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

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

The Chinese foreign ministry has released details of President Xi Jinping's upcoming state visit to the US...

China and the US have signed a series of agreements to fight climate change at the local-government level...

Hungary shuts its border with Serbia in an attempt to stem the flow of refugees into western Europe...

In Business...Chinese financial officials deny the central government has recalled 1 trillion yuan from local government coffers...

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