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

Coming up on our program this morning...

Chinese President Xi Jinping continues his time in Seattle, addressing a forum of some of the world's top business leaders.

Observers are suggesting the Chinese President's policy speech on Tuesday may go a long way toward easing US concerns about China.

European leaders are gathered in Brussels to address the migrant crisis on that continent.

In Business.... the PBOC making it easier for multinationals to move money in China.

In Sports.... China off to a solid start at the Asian Basketball Championships.

In entertainment..... a Chinese 3D animation is screened at the Silk Road International Film Festival in Fuzhou.

Top NewsXi Attends Roundtable Meeting in SeattleAnchorPresident Xi Jinping is continuing his trip in the US city of Seattle, where it's still Wednesday afternoon.

For more on the President's time in Seattle on Wednesday, we're joined on the line by our Washington correspondent He Fei, who is in Seattle covering the Chinese President's time there.

HFMorning Paul in Beijing, and good afternoon in Seattle. President Xi Jinping really has a full schedule for today. He has visited Boeing, and is now at Microsoft meeting with a bunch of CEOs of high-tech companies both from US and China. However, the US-China Business Roundtable which was held early in the morning has attracted much of the attention.

The roundtable has gathered 30 top business leaders from the both sides, such as Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, billionaire investor Warren Buffett, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook, Alibaba's Jack Ma and Lenovo's Yang Yuanqing, and not to mention that former treasury secretary Henry Paulson is the host of the roundtable talk.

When addressing to the close-door discussion, Chinese President Xi Jinping once again reiterated that China's economy is stable and in the long run that the fundamentals of the Chinese economy are good. And the country will stick to its opening up policy, vowing that China would work to remove barriers to foreign investment and improve intellectual property protections. US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker was also at the meeting, saying that the US believes that the world will benefit from China's growth and the US is willing to have more collaboration with China in this process.

And this message has been taken as a positive note to many local media. A CNBC's economic commentator said he saw opportunities ahead between US and China. Quoted his words "Both sides need each other. We cannot pretend that we can grow without China as a market and China cannot grow without the US, its largest trading partner. They need us, and we need them."Q2:

There's been a lot of discussion about the potential conclusion of a Bilateral Investment Treaty.

Is this being talked about much in Seattle?

HFYes, it is. Actually, just prior to President Xi's visit, 94 CEOs of American companies jointly signed a letter to the leaders of the both sides, supporting the Bilateral Investment Treaty. And in his speech at the business roundtable today, President Xi did mention that China and US are working together to push forward the BIT negotiation. Now the two sides have achieved great partial results on the negotiation of the negative list of pre-establishment National Treatment. And he hoped that the two countries can agree on a high quality and balanced bilateral trade agreement in the near future. In Xi Jinping's words, "Once concluded, the treaty will further ease market access and put in place more open and transparent market rules, which is also good to the US economy." So I believe BIT will be one of the topics between the two Presidents when they meet at the White House.

Back AnchorCRI's He Fei reporting from SeattleXi's Visit Expected to Step Up Finalizing Negative ListAnchorBeijing and Washington are expected to use Xi Jinping's visit to help finalize negative lists for each-other's respective economies after various rounds of negotiations on a bilateral investment treaty.

CRI's Niu Honglin reports.

ReporterLi Lijie's company runs a business-to-business website out of the city of Nanjing.

It's designed to help global buyer’s source products in China.

Last year, the firm opened branch in Los Angeles in an attempt to tap into the U.S. market.

But Li Lijie says they've run into numerous challenges in trying to figure out what kind of technical products can be sold in the US.

"It really impacts your investment strategy, because if you violate the local rules, especially in the United States, the results can be serious and the consequences huge. Obviously, if we can get a clear explanation, we can avoid this type of risk."A negative list is an approach which details which areas are off-limits to foreign investors.

It's considered much more efficient than having to pour through massive lists of areas and items which are acceptable.

The current absence of a negative list has already led to problems for Chinese companies investing in the US.

The US government has denied five different plans submitted by Chinese telecom giant Huawei to invest in the country between 2007 and 2012, citing concerns over possible threats to national security.

At the same time, many U.S. firms have also run into problems because of the lack of a negative list in China.

To deal with this, the Chinese and US sides began talking about the potential creation of a bilateral investment treaty around 7-years ago.

However, the two sides only agreed on creating a negative list approach 2-years ago following the 2013 China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue.

The two sides finally exchanged their initial offers for the negative lists this June.

Revised lists were exchanged during latest round of the treaty talks earlier this month.

Song Guoyou with the Center for American Studies at Fudan University says one of the issues has been the number of items on the proposed negative list.

"The U.S. side expected the Chinese list to be more concise and shorter. In other words, the US side wants more access to the Chinese market for U.S. firms."Song Guoyou says if they can work through this, the benefits will be huge.

"The United States still faces a moderate economic recovery and relatively high unemployment. At the same time, China is positioned to become one of the most important outbound investors in the world. If the two countries reach an agreement on the BIT, it will certainly boost Chinese investment in the United States."While it hasn't been confirmed, some observers are suggesting a finalized bilateral investment treaty may be signed as part of Chinese President Xi Jinping's meetings with US President Barack Obama in Washington later this week.

For CRI, I'm Niu Honglin.

Xi Offers Ways to Build New Model of Major-country Relationship with U.S.

AnchorChinese President Xi Jinping's time in Seattle has seen him deliver a key policy speech designed to try to ease concerns in the United States about China's rise.

The details from CRI's Luo Wen.

ReporterAddressing more than 6-hundred business executives and other guests, President Xi Jinping says he wants to help establish a new type of major-country relationship with the United States.

"Building better major-country relations with U.S to develop non-conflict, mutual respect and win-win cooperation are the priorities in China's foreign policy. We are willing to deepen the understanding of each other's strategic development. We hope for more understanding to avoid misunderstandings. We hope for more trust and less suspicion in order to avoid misunderstanding and miscalculations."Xi Jinping has described the possibility of strategic miscalculations as the 'Thucydides Trap.'

This is a political theory suggesting that an established power becomes so anxious about the rise of a new power that a struggle is inevitable, which could lead to war.

The Chinese President says this is something neither side wants.

"If China and the U.S. cooperate well, they can become a bedrock of global stability, and help bolster world peace. But should they enter into conflict or confrontation, it will lead to disaster for both countries, and the world at large."Meanwhile, responding to concerns about China's current economic situation, Xi Jinping says China's stock market is recovering.

"This time, Chinese government has taken steps to stabilize the market and contain the panic selling. This has helped avoid a systemic crisis. Mature markets in other countries have taken similar steps. The Chinese stock market has reached the phase of self-recovery and self-adjustment."The Chinese President has also taken time to reassure his listeners that his government remains committed to keeping the door open to foreign investment.

"China will never close its doors. The open-door policy is the basic policy of China. The policy to utilize foreign investment will not change. The policy to protect the legal rights of foreign investment will not change. We're also moving to improve services for foreign companies operating in China. "At the same time, Xi Jinping also says China is committed dealing with issues connected to cyber security.

"China is a strong defender of cyber security. It is also a victim of hacking. The Chinese government will not, in whatever form, engage in commercial theft or encourage or support such attempts by anyone. Both commercial cyber theft and hacking against a government's networks are crimes that must be punished in accordance with law and relevant international treaties."　Addressing the anti-corruption campaign, Xi Jinping has made reference to the popular political drama "House of Cards.""This has nothing to do with a power struggle. It's nothing like what you see in House of Cards. China wants to cooperate with the United States in fighting corruption by ensuring corrupt officials cannot seek "safe haven" overseas."In concluding his speech, President Xi Jinping has referenced a Chinese character to illustrate the importance of people-to-people exchanges in growing the China-U.S. relationship.

"The Chinese character "Ren" or people is in a shape of two strokes supporting each other. The foundation of China-U.S. friendship has its roots in the people, and its future rests with the young."Xi Jinping has proposed sending 50-thousand Chinese and American students to study in each other's countries over the next 3-years.

A China-U.S. Year of Tourism is also being proposed for next year.

For CRI, I'm Luo Wen.

Xi's Speech Helps with Understanding of ChinaAnchorObservers in China are suggesting the speech given by President Xi Jinping should make it easier for people in the United States to understand China's strategies.

CRI's Qi Zhi reports.

ReporterThe Chinese president took time to open his speech by recounting his experience of growing up in a remote village during the height of the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s.

Su Ge with China Institute of International Studies says his attempt to explain his roots should help put a human face on the Chinese leadership, as well as help people in the United States better-relate to the Chinese leadership's motivation behind its current economic transition.

"In his down-to-earth speech, President Xi Jinping explained how the Chinese government has helped more than a billion people get out of poverty through reform and opening up. But at the same time, he also admitted that there is a long way to go before we achieve a renaissance, given China's per capita GDP still ranks below 80th in the world. More than 8-million people still live under the poverty line."Professor Su Ge also says he believes people in the United States may also be able to relate to statements Xi Jinping has made through his reference to the popular TV series "House of Cards.""President Xi Jinping has made it clear that China's anti-corruption campaign has nothing to do with partisanship, nothing like what has been shown in House of Cards. He notes the anti-corruption campaign has been launched in response to the people's demands. What's more, President Xi wants the US government to better understand China's effort to seek international cooperation in this respect. He hopes the US side will give China more support to track down fugitives and prevent the US from becoming a heaven for criminals"Tao Wenzhao with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences says Xi Jinping's push for a new style of major-country relationship should also help ease concerns among policy makers and others in the US.

"The proposals put forward in the speech are designed to ease doubts among some American people that the rise of China will pose a threat to the current global order, as well as its leading role in the world, which may result in conflicts between the two sides. Meanwhile, he has also tried to alleviate worries among some Chinese people that the US is trying to contain China's growth. So in his speech, Xi Jinping spoke frankly about China's strategies in order to let the American people better understand China's pursuit of peaceful development, opening-up and reform as well as the Chinese Dream."Tao Wenzhao says while words are good, he says action is what's really going to be needed.

"The two sides need to take concrete steps to expand their cooperation. Well done is better than well said. Effective cooperation in areas like finance, economy and climate change will help enhance mutual trust. Efforts also need to make to better-manage their differences. Differences do exist. Some of them can be solved, while some won't be for the time being. In any event, we need to prevent these differences from either straining the Sino-US relationship or escalating into conflict."The Chinese President's speech was delivered to members and representatives of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, the U.S.-China Business Council and the State of Washington.

For CRI, I'm Qi Zhi.

The Third China-US Governor's Forum Held in SeattleAnchorChinese President Xi Jinping has also taken part in a China-US Governor's Forum as part of his time in Seattle.

CRI's He Fei has more from Seattle.

ReporterAs part of his schedule in Seattle, President Xi and six Chinese governors were joined by their US counterparts for the third China-US Governor's Forum.

President Xi stressed that China welcomes cooperation with United States at all levels.

"In the coming five years, China is expected to import 10 trillion US dollars of goods and its foreign investment will exceed 500 billion dollars. The number of outbound tourism will be over 500 million trips. We do welcome US states to strengthen cooperation with Chinese provinces and cities."Opportunities for collaboration on clean energy technology and economic development are among key points being discussed by both sides. Both American and Chinese delegations have signed agreements relating to economic development and renewable energy. The Governors' Clean Energy and Economic Development Accord establishes an agreement to collaborate on the commercialization of clean and renewable energy technologies. It also aims to promote energy efficiency, advance smart grid infrastructure, reduce transportation emissions, and improve air quality.

According to US statistics, China's average annual investment to the US in the past five years has exceeded 8 billion dollars, with the growth rate still accelerating. President Xi Jinping says the two sides can complement each other's work in the environment sector.

"China is vigorously promoting the construction of ecological civilization. In this regard, China has demands and the market, while the US boasts technology and experience. Cooperation in the environmental protection area at local levels should become an important aspect of the two countries to jointly tackle climate change and promote sustainable development."In addition to Washington State Governor Jay Inslee, state governors from California, Michigan, Iowa and Oregon are in attendance at the forum. China is represented by government officials from Sichuan, Chongqing, Zhejiang, Shandong and Shaanxi provinces.

Washington state and China have a long history of mutual cooperation. China is Washington's largest trading partner, creating trade revenues of some 29 billion dollars in 2014. Washington-based companies including Boeing, Microsoft and Starbucks have extensive links with China and consider the country as a crucial future market.

Xi Jinping will be in Seattle until September 24th, and will then head to Washington D.C. for talks with US President Barack Obama at the White House on September 25th.

For CRI, I'm He Fei in Seattle.

China's internet policy chief calls for cooperation and understanding in SeattleAnchorThe head of China's internet regulator says he believes Chinese President Xi Jinping's comments about the internet during his policy speech in Seattle should help foster more cooperation between China and the US when it comes to cyber crimes.

CRI's Su Yi has more from Seattle.

ReporterMinister of China's Cyberspace Administration, Lu Wei, is part of the Chinese delegation traveling with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week in the United States.

Speaking at a China-US Internet Industry Forum at the Microsoft headquarters in Seattle, Lu Wei says cyber crime is an issue both sides have to cope with.

"We are on the same boat and nobody should even think about nudging the other one out. We have to look ahead. Looking ahead means we should protect our shared interests and deal with our shared risks, avoiding going backwards and running into detours. We should solve our problems through development and dissolve our disparities."When it comes to cyber security, Lu Wei says the Chinese and US sides should be working more closely to formulate policy.

"We are willing to strengthen information sharing with the US side, fight against internet hacking and online commercial espionage under our laws and international treaties. We also want to set up a double-track dialogue to deal with our responses to internet emergencies to work on cyber security issues together."Meantime, a slew of partnership announcements have been made on the sidelines of the Industry Forum.

The deals have included localizing the newest Windows operating system for Chinese users.

Xiong Liqun is the President of the China Electronics Technology Group, which is the Chinese partner in the project.

"This will surely benefit the Chinese side. It will also help Microsoft, not only in China, but in its projects in other countries. This is because other countries might also have similar interests and security requirements."At the same time, calls have also been put out at the Internet Forum for more collaboration on a localized level.

Xiao Hong, CEO of Perfect World , says his company is already collaborating with Columbia University to develop new medical rehab projects through the use of advanced technology.

"If you compare the quality of network product, you have to say the US still produces the highest quality products. That is something we are learning from our partners and also from our subsidiaries here in the US as well."The China-US Internet Industry Forum is an annual event bringing together government and business leaders from the two countries.

This year's forum in Seattle is co-hosted by Microsoft and the Internet Society of China.

For CRI, I'm Su Yi reporting form Seattle.

EU Meeting on Refugee CrisisAnchorEuropean Union leaders are meeting in Brussels to discuss the bloc's plans to tackle the refugee crisis.

Our Jack Parrock has more from the EU summit.

ReporterThe boats continue to arrive on Mediterranean shores - thousands of refugees and migrants are making the dangerous journey to reach the EU, despite knowing many who've taken this route before them have drowning in the Mediterranean sea.

The crisis engulfing the EU is drawing deep divisions between european countries - the leaders of which are holding an emergency summit in Brussels.

They remain divided over a quota plan to relocate 120 thousand refugees across the 28 member statesDavid Cameron - UK Prime Minister"What Europe needs more than ever is a comprehensive approach to this refugee crisis. We need to do more to to stabilize the countries and the regions from which these people are coming"But the UK can opt out of the scheme and Countries like Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Romania say they want no part in the quotas. of it either. They say placing people in any country in the EU's border free schengen zone won't work because refugees who want to live in the EU's powerful economies like Germany will simply be able to travel to them. Hungary, is a main entry point for the refugees has build a razor wire fence on it's border with Serbia.

Victor Orban - Hungarian Prime Minister"The point is whether Schengen is still relevant or not. Schengen is a law, which is still in office so we have to use it. Hungary is an outside border of Schengen. We don't seal it. What we do is sealing what we call the green border, but we have points where everyone who would like to get into Hungary can do that in a legal way."Analysts like Pieter Cleppe say the disagreements could have much broader political effects in Europe.

"Germany has gone so far in actually making sure that a number of member states are outvoted on what is possibly the most sensitive policy area in every member state and every country in the world - immigration and who is allowed into your country."The UN estimates 120 thousand people are entering the EU every 20 days which is the total number the quota system would cover.

The EU leaders are also working on plans to try to provide aid funding for people in refugee camps in countries like Turkey - where conditions are becoming more and more difficult - which could force the 500 thousands the people live in them to try to make their way to the EU.

Jack Parrock, Brussels.

WeatherBeijing will see thundershowers with a high of 26 degrees Celsius.

Overnight temperatures should drop down to 16.

Shanghai will be cloudy with a high of 27 and a low of 22.

In Chongqing, it will have moderate rain during the daytime with a high of 24 and lows of 19.

Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia,Islamabad will be cloudy with a high of 33.

Kabul will be cloudy with a high of 24.

Over to North America,New York will be overcast with a high of 25 degrees.

Washington, overcast with a high of 26 degrees.

Honolulu, slight rain, 28.

Toronto will see slight rain with a high of 22 degrees.

Finally, on to South America,Buenos Aires will have slight rain with a high of 20.

And Rio de Janeiro will be sunny with a high of 33 degrees Celsius.

Headline newsXi offers ways to build new model of major-country relationship with U.S.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is calling for the world's two largest economies to read each other's strategic intentions correctly and manage differences properly.

His suggestion, made during his visit in Seattle, is part of building a new model of major-country ties between China and the U.S.

The president has also responded to concerns from the international community about China's current economic situation.

President Xi Jinping says the Chinese side remains committed to reform and opening-up, the rule of law, anti-corruption and the path of peaceful development.

Xi Promises China's Prospect to Business LeadersAs part of his time in Seattl,e President Xi Jinping has met with a group of business leaders, saying China is fully capable of maintaining a relatively high rate of growth for a long time to come.

The statement was made to a group of CEOs, including the heads of Apple, Microsoft, Boeing, Alibaba, Baidu and Tencent.

The president says he is aware of risks and challenges facing China's economy, vowing to adopt more forceful and innovative macroeconomic measures to address them.

The Chinese president also urges the United States in turn to loosen export restrictions on high tech products and create a fair business environment for Chinese investors in the country.

China Signs Deal to Buy 300 Boeing AircraftThe Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, or Comac, has signed-off on a new deal with Boeing to allow the US aircraft giant to build its first overseas aircraft completion center in China.

The center, which will produce Boeing's 737 models, will be a joint venture.

Boeing has also signed an MOU with the National Development and Reform Commission for increased cooperation in China's civil aviation industry.

At the same time, several Chinese companies have signed purchase agreements with Boeing.

China Aviation Supplies, ICBC Financial Leasing, and China Development Bank Leasing have signed orders for 300 Boeing aircraft.

Those deals are worth nearly 40-billion US dollars.

China-France to increase nuclear fuel recyclingSite location work is now underway to create a nuclear fuel recycling center for China.

The planned project will be a joint collaboration between China and France under a newly signed deal.

Once the site for the nuclear fuel recycling center is chosen, the China National Nuclear Corporation and France's Areva will build the facility.

Construction isn't slated to be finished until 2030.

Once done, it will recycle uranium and plutonium which come from Chinese nuclear power stations.

5000 more British schoolchildren to be taught MandarinThe UK government is setting aside an extra 15-million US dollars to help increase Mandarin language education in the UK.

British Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, has made the pledge as part of his current visit in China.

The new funding will be used to recruit and train teachers to teach an extra 5-thousand children Mandarin.

French, German or Spanish are the traditional second language choices in most British schools.

Biz ReportsTurning 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.

Reporter:

U.S. markets ended just slightly lower after wavering between gains and losses on Wednesday, as investors assessed European Central Bank President Mario Draghi's remarks about its monetary stimulus plans.

At the same time, September data is suggesting the U.S. manufacturing sector continues to grow, but at a somewhat subdued pace.

The Flash Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index has come in at 53.0 in September, unchanged from August's 22-month low.

At the closing bell,Dow Jones slid 0.3 percent.

S&P 500 lost 0.2 percent.

The Nasdaq edged down less than 0.1-percent.

Meanwhile in Europe, markets there ended up on Wednesday.

At the closing bell,The UK's FTSE 100 gained 1.6 percent.

Germany's DAX increased 0.4 percent.

France's CAC 40 was up 0.1 percent.

Finally in China,The markets dipped on Wednesday after the release of flash PMI data showing a continued downturn in Manufacturing.

The Shanghai Composite Index closed down 2.2 percent while the Shenzhen Component Index lost 1 percent.

China relaxes control on RMB cash inflow for multinationalsChinese authorities are making it easier for multi-national conglomerates to use and become part of the Renminbi cash-pooling system.

The People's Bank of China is allowing companies involved in the cash-pooling scheme to move in as much as 50-percent of their pool's contribution into the country.

This is up from the original 10-percent limit.

The PBOC is also making it easier for multi-nationals to join the scheme by reducing the requirements to join.

The cash-pooling program has been in-place in China since last year.

It allows Chinese and multi-national firms, to put renminbi resources into a pool so they can draw from it to fund their various divisions without having to go through the exchange process.

It's meant to save these companies both money and time.

Dagong: CITIC Securities on Watch ListAnchorChinese rating agency Dagong has placed CITIC Securities on its securities watch list.

Dagong says because of the uncertainties surrounding the brokerage's management, it's putting CITIC on its credit watch list to protect investor interests.

Standard & Poors has already put CITIC on its negative watch.

This comes amid word a number of CITIC employees are being probed for alleged insider trading.

Eleven staffers with CITIC are currently under investigation.

----------------------For more on this, we're joined online by Cao Can, CRI's financial commentator.

1, What sort of effect is CITIC being put on Dagong's "watch list" will this have on CITIC Securities?

2, Do you think the situation with CITIC is indicative of the current situation among traders in the market?

3, What do the regulators need to do to guarantee a healthier securities market?

4, Does the rating change have any influence on the stock market and the investors?

Back anchor:

That's Cao Can, CRI's financial commentator.

China to contribute 50 pct of global pork growth in 5-10 yearsNew corporate analysis is suggesting China is expected to make up 50-percent of global pork consumption growth in the next 5 to 10 years.

The chair of Shuanghui Group, a leading Chinese meat processor, says pork output in China has already grown by some 8 million tons over the past 5-years.

Shuanghui is planning more investments and technology cooperation in pork processing industry to meet demand.

5-bln-yuan fund set up to support emerging sectors in Beijing-Tianjin-HebeiA 5-billion-yuan fund has been established in Tianjin to support the development of emerging industries in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

The fund is expected to focus on mergers and acquisitions in emerging sectors, covering areas such as energy saving and environmental protection, as well as pharmaceuticals and healthcare.

The fund includes several investment companies, including the Tsinghua Asset Management Group.

China Railway to conduct India high-speed rail studyA consortium led by China's national train operator is set to conduct a feasibility study for a high-speed railway linking the Indian cities of New Delhi and Mumbai.

The consortium includes both Chinese and Indian firms.

The contract for the railway itself has already been awarded to the High Speed Rail Corporation of India, a company set up by India's railway ministry.

Financial details have not been provided at the point.

UberCommute to launch in ChengduRide-sharing giant Uber has unveiled a new car-sharing service for commuters in Sichuan's capital, Chengdu.

UberCommute is an entirely new product for drivers.

It allows drivers who commute longer distances to share the cost of the trip.

This comes as the battle for ride-sharing services heats up.

Uber's US rival Lyft announced a partnership with Didi last week.

As part of that agreement, people from China and the US will be able to use the apps from their home country in the other country.

This will eliminate language barriers.

Volkswagen faces 34 federal lawsuits in emission scandal and CEO resignsVolkswagen is facing a total of 34 federal lawsuits in the US as part of its emission testing scandal.

Company executives have already admitted their diesel cars have software that cheated on U.S. emission tests.

Volkswagen may also be facing possible criminal charges.

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman says his office has launched a criminal investigation.

At the same time, Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn has announced his resignation.

Winterkorn has publicly accepted responsibility for the "irregularities" in the diesel engines.

No successor has been announced.

SportsChina Cruise past Singapore 91-42 in FIBA Asia Championship OpenerIn basketball,China is off to a good start to open the FIBA Asian Championships, thumping Singapore last night 91-42.

Zhai Xiaochuan led China with 13 points.

Former NBA'er Yi Jianlian had 12 points and 8 rebounds in the victory.

"It was a little difficult for us to get adjusted. We didn't start out very strong. However, we eventually began to find our form. We mainly focused on attacking and defence. This should help us prepare for our games against South Korea and Iran."Head coach Gong Luming says the victory is just the first step in a long process to reach the finals.

"It's a rare opportunity for this Chinese team. We will pursue the title step by step. We have as many as 8 games ahead, and each of them is very important. We hope we can play better and better, and united as a team."Up next for the Chinese squad is South Korea later tonight, after they cruised past Jordan 87-60.

--In other action, It was defending champions Iran cruising past Japan 86-48.

Iran has won three titles in the last four editions of the tournament.

India downed Malaysia 102-73.

Palestine upset the Philippines 75-73.

Hong Kong thumped Kuwait 87-50.

Taiwan went down to Lebanon 92-87.

And it was Qatar over Kazakhstan 79-75.

The winner of the tournament gets an automatic ticket to next year's Olympics.

The Chinese men's basketball team has been in every Summer Olympics since 1984.

--------------------Other basketball news here in China,Shaanxi is one-win away from the NBL title following an 88-81 road victory over Anhui last night in game-2 of the National Basketball League finals.

Shaanxi' s James Mays' had a game-best 39 points and 21 rebounds in the victory.

With the victory, Shaanxi now leads 2-0 in the best-of-five finals.

Game 3 will be in Anhui on Friday.

Zheng Saisai Reaches Third Round of Guangzhou OpenIn tennis,China's Zheng Saisai continues to roll at the Guangzhou Open, reaching the third round after knocking out Anett Kontaveit of Estonia 6-1, 7-6.

However, China's Zhang Kailin wasn't so lucky, going down to Italian Sara Errani in three sets.

-----------------Others' advancing include Romanian star Simona Halep, who rolled past Timea Babos of Hungary in straight sets.

Jelena Jankovic of Serbia is also through after winning her match against Italian Francesca Schiavone.

------------------Over to Korea Open,Chinese pair Liu Chang and Lu Jiajing have been bounced in women's doubles, going down to Kimiko Date-Krumm and Katerina Siniakova in straight sets.

---------In women's singles,The 2nd seed Anna Karolina Schmiedlova has made it into the third round with a three set win over American Christina Mahale.

The 21-year-old Slovakian is joined by Mona Barthel of Germany, Johannal Larsson from Sweden and Alison Van Uytvanck of Belgium.

-----------------Elsewhere in Asia,WTA Rising Star Belinda Bencic has edged Samantha Stosur to reach the Toray Pan Pacific Open quarterfinals.

The 18-year-old will be up against Spaniard Garbi?e Muguruza.

-----------------On the men's side,Third-seeded Dominic Thiem from Austria has reached the quarter-finals of the St. Petersburg Open by beating his fellow Austrian Andreas Haider-Maurer 6-2, 7-6.

Thiem had not played since losing to Kevin Anderson in the third round of the U.S. Open 18 days earlier.

The 22-year-old is chasing his fourth ATP title as part of his breakthrough season.

In other action,Simone Bolelli of Italy has rallied past Russian wild card Andrey Rublev in three sets.

He will now take on number one seed Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic in round two.

Chelsea Beat Walsall 4-1 at English League CupIn football,Chelsea has completed a 4-1 victory over Walsall at the English League Cup earlier this morning.

In other action,Arsenal beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1.

Manchester United blanked Ipswich Town 3-0.

And it's Crystal Palace over Charlton Athletic 4-1.

----------------------Sudanese side El Merrikh is getting ready for its first leg of their CAF Champions League semi-finals against Congo-side Mazembe.

Goalkeeper Jamal Salem on the game.

"First and foremost I thank the almighty Allah for allowing us reach this stage of semi-final and we hope to continue our performance and winning our home games and we think we are ready and we have to continue to working hard and perform our best."El Merrikh is hoping to become the first Sudanese team to win Africa's premiere club competition.

While Mazembe are seeking to regain the cup they won last in 2010.

-----------------------In off-pitch football news,Guangzhou Evergrane forward Gao Lin has been left off the roster for their fourth World Cup qualifier against Qatar.

This is the first time that Gao Lin is not in the national squad line-up since Alain Perrin became head coach.

The 29-year-old Gao has scored 12 goals in previous matches.

-------------------------In other football news,Another Chinese player is to join an overseas club following the agreement between Guangzhou Evergrande and Real Madrid for the transfer of Zhang Linpeng.

He'll join Real on loan next year.

The USA wins FIVB Men's World CupIn men's volleyball,Team USA has secured its first FIVB Volleyball Men's World Cup title in 30 years with a 3-1 victory over Argentina in the finals in Tokyo.

With the victory, they earn a ticket to Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

-----------------------Italy has also secured a slot in the Olympics following a 3-1 win over Poland.

The Poles had been unbeaten until this final day loss to the Italians.

--------In other action,Iran defeated Egypt 3-0.

And Russia down hosts Japan 3-2.

Australia beat Fiji in RWC Pool A in CardiffIn rugby,Australia has gotten their Rugby World Cup off to a winning start after they defeated Fiji 28-13 in a Pool A match in Cardiff.

This is Fiji's second consecutive loss at the tournament.

------------------------In other action,France defeated Romania 38-11.

And it's Scotland all over Japan 45-10.

------------------------In the coming matchs this weekend,Despite a spate of injuries, Wales is still looking forward to its clash against England on Saturday.

Wales coach Rob Howley says decision-making will be the key.

"It's going to be important come Saturday night, when we've got the ball, we respect the ball because it's going to be a big game that comes down to fine margins. The key decision-making and the accuracy under pressure is going to be probably the defining moment in the game. I think the side that masters that moment is going to be the side that wins the game."Both Wales and England won their opening games of this year's tournament.

EntertainmentChina From Above gets off to a flying start in U.S.

A documentary about China's physical landscape and its culture, which has been 2-years in the making, is set to be aired in the US this week to coincide with President Xi Jinping's time in the United States.

"China From Above" is a 100-minute-long documentary which details the geography, culture and lifestyles in some 20 different provinces, cities and regions across China.

It's set to air on the National Geographic Channel in the United States later on this Thursday.

Split into two episodes, the first part is mostly aerial shots of famous places and traditional events including boat racing in Xishuangbanna in Yunnan, Shaolin Kungfu in Henan and the 57-meter-tall Stone Buddha at Leshan Mountain in Sichuan.

The second part highlights how people in China today travel throughout the country.

It also focuses on some of the challenges China's environment faces.

The film itself has been produced in a collaboration among the National Geographic Channel and a number of Chinese film companies.

It's financial backing is through the State Council.

3D Animated Movie the Ape Story Stages Premiere in FuzhouChinese-produced 3D animation "Ape Story" has been screened on day-2 of the Silk Road International Film Festival taking place in Fujian's capital, Fuzhou.

The movie is a story among a group of 'ape men' living in a primitive society in China.

Sichuan-born director Liu Pan says it took them 2-years to write and produce the film.

"The main character is a little boy named Xiaoyuan. He is different from others as he is physically weaker than others but is very creative and often pops up with some unusual but wonderful thoughts. He helps a little girl find her father who hunts in the deep of the forest and saves the whole tribe. During the process, he becomes more confident and better understand his parents."Fuyong Muzi, Producer of the film and executive with Magical Times Cultural Group, says she believes the film is a testament to the strides being taken here in China to produce better films.

"I think China's animation technology is on-par with other countries. We often think of animated films as being for kids. But it's about content. We need to produce content that both children and adults can relate to. Children are much more clever and creative than we tend to think. Compared with live action movies, animated films can achieve many visual effects that live action ones cannot.""Ape Story" is scheduled to hit Chinese cinemas in November.

Other movies including "Saving Mr. Wu" starring Andy Lau, and "Rembat" featuring Malaysian singer/actor A Niu are also set to premiere at the Silk Road International Film Festival.

'The Angry Birds Movie' gets a trailerSony has released the first trailer for The Angry Birds Movie, its forthcoming 3D animated comedy based on Rovio's bestselling app.

The voice cast includes Jason Sudeikis as Red, Josh Gad as Chuck, Danny McBride as the volatile Bomb, Bill Hader as a pig.

Other voice cast members include Kate McKinnon, Keegan-Michael Key, and Tony Hale.

"The Angry Birds Movie" is scheduled for release on May 20, 2016.

Carrie Underwood on performing at Apple's music festivalAmerican country music star Carrie Underwood has released her newest studio album, "Storyteller."Her new single, "Smoke Break," is on that album.

She's performed it at the Apple Music Festival in London earlier this week.

Carrie Underwood has also announced she's going to play a number of shows in the UK and Ireland next year.

This will include stops in London, Glasgow and Dublin.

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

Recapping our top stories this morning...

Chinese President Xi Jinping continues his time in Seattle, addressing a forum of some of the world's top business leaders.

Observers are suggesting the Chinese President's policy speech on Tuesday may go a long way toward easing US concerns about China.

European leaders are gathered in Brussels to address the migrant crisis on that continent.

In Business.... the PBOC making it easier for multinationals to move money in 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.