The Beijing Hour

 

Evening Edition

 

 

Shane Bigham with you on this Tuesday, October 20th, 2015.

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

Coming up on the program this evening...

The Chinese president is now in the UK on his state visit...

officials from China and the ASEAN countries are meeting to discuss implementing the Declaration of Conduct on the South China Sea...

Canada's Liberal party has won the country's general election, bringing an end to over nine years of Conservative rule...

In Business...foreign investment numbers in China continue to show strength...

In Sports...looking ahead to the semi-finals at the Rugby World Cup...

In entertainment...China Film Day in the Scottish capital...

 

 

Top

 

 

Chinese President Kicks off State Visit to the UK

 

Chinese President Xi Jinping has kicked off his state visit to the United Kingdom, invited by Queen Elizabeth II.

Upon his arrival, Xi Jinping said in a written statement that China attaches great importance to relations with the UK.

The visit, which concludes on Friday, is the first by a Chinese president since 2005.

Both countries have voiced hopes that this visit could help to usher into a "Golden Decade" in bilateral ties.

Xi Jinping has a tight schedule during his stay in London and Manchester.

And for more on that, we are now joined by our London correspondent Duan Xuelian.

…

Back Anchor:

That is our London correspondent Duan Xuelian.

 

 

Multiple deals to be sealed during Xi's Britain visit: trade authority

 

China's Ministry of Commerce says multiple deals in various fields are expected to be signed during President Xi Jinping's visit to Britain.

Shen Danyang, spokesperson of the ministry, explains the details of the cooperation.

"The deals would include agreements between governments and deals between financial institutions and enterprises. The areas include finance, energy, medical care, automobiles, and real estate. The deals will be "very big" and surpass the achievements made by President Xi's predecessors during their UK visits. The China-UK partnership in trade and commerce has great potential."

It's been reported that these deals could be amounting to as much as 46 billion US dollars, and help to create nearly 4000 jobs in the UK.

The ministry says Chinese and British enterprises face many opportunities in infrastructure construction, citing China's Belt and Road Initiative and Britain's "Northern Powerhouse" project, a bid to balance its London-led economy.

The ministry also indicates that China-Britain investment and business cooperation has been continually growing.

Last year, bilateral trade reached more than 80 billion U.S. dollars, up 15 percent.

In the first three quarter in 2015, bilateral trade remained steady and reached 58 billion U.S. dollars.

 

 

Britain tries to attract more Chinese tourists

 

Anchor:

A new report is suggesting that a record number of Chinese tourists visited Britain in the first half of this year.

At the meantime, the UK is trying to remedy its complex visa rules in order to attract more Chinese tourists.

CRI's Guo Yan has the details.

Reporter:

China is the currently the fastest growing source of tourism revenue for the entire world, but Britain is missing out due to its complex visa rules.

Chinese tourists are expected to spend the equivalent of more than one and a half billion U.S. dollars in Britain this year, much of it in London.

Gordon Innes is the Chief Executive Officer with London & Partners.

"We're seeing Chinese tourist numbers growing very rapidly every year to the UK. Last year almost 400,000 Chinese coming into the UK came through London."

That sounds like good news for London, except that about three times as many Chinese tourists visit the French capital Paris.

France and most other European countries are in the Schengen zone, which means if you get a visa for one country, you automatically have a visa for the rest.

But Britain remains outside the Schengen passport free zone and plans to stay there.

The British government thinks it may have found a solution.

"The exciting thing is we now can parallel process a Schengen visa and a U.K. visa at the same time."

Christopher Rodrigues is the chairman of VisitBritain.

According to the agency, the number of Chinese visitors to Britain in the first six months of 2015 reached a record 90,000, a 28 percent rise on the same period of 2014.

And tourism officials are expecting the total number of Chinese visitors for the year to reach more than 200,000.

Rodrigues says the current procedure for applying both a Schengen visa and a U.K. visa is still costly and time consuming, and to meet expectations, the British government needs to do something more.

"Our leading finance minister has initiated a scheme to bring 50,000 additional visitors from China not having to pay for a visa, so it's a free visa scheme."

Britain is also re-branding several famous tourist destinations in Mandarin, with Savile Row being translated in English as "Tall, Rich, Handsome Street" and London's tallest building the Shard becoming "Star Plucking Tower".

The initiatives appear to be working, because Chinese tourist numbers are growing in the U.K. though the industry believes the true potential remains untapped.

London is currently the world's most popular tourist destination, though Chinese visitors account for less than three percent of total tourism spending.

For CRI, I am Guo Yan.

 

 

6th China-UK Internet Forum Opens in London

 

The 6th China-UK Internet Forum has kicked off in London.

More than 200 delegates from the two countries' government offices, internet companies, and research institutions are attending the event.

Chinese internet giants including Alibaba, Tecent, and Baidu all sent representatives to the forum, as did Lakala Payment company.

Lakala president Sun Taoran says China can export its business experience.

"Previously our expectation was to bring the western technology and business model to China to serve us, but now I find that we have been in the lead in many fields, especially in the internet financial sector. We could export our experiences in many fields."

The forum is jointly held by China's State Internet Information Office and the UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

 

 

London China Book Festival Opens

 

A China Book Festival has opened in London.

Most of the English-language books featured at the show are being exhibited for the first time.

Guo Weimin, Deputy Director of the State Council Information Office, says the festival is an important part of the cultural exchanges between the two countries.

"There are over 100 kinds of books on exhibition this time with a wide range of contents. There are books related to China's contemporary politics, economics and culture, especially history books and fictions. I think they will be helpful for British people to learn more about Chinese histories, culture and development."

Along with the many spectators looking for a good read, the festival has also attracted many UK-based publishers.

Emma House, Director of Publisher Relations, says she's excited to introduce Chinese culture to British readers.

"I think it's really an exciting time to introduce Chinese culture to British readers. This is a very prominent book show where we have many visitors from the world to come and visit. And so the importance of Chinese exhibition here is very good for introducing the Chinese culture to UK readers."

The ten-day festival is being jointly hosted by more than 20 book stores in the UK.

 

 

High-level Meeting on Implementation of DOC Held

 

Senior officials from China and ASEAN nations are holding a discussion on the Implementation of the Declaration of Conduct in the South China Sea.

Signed in 2002, the DOC is the first political document signed between China and ASEAN on the South China Sea issue.

It requires China or any member of ASEAN to inform the others of any military movement within the disputed territories,

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister liu Zhenmin says the declaration helps contribute to regional peace and stability.

"We have spent the past thirteen years for the implementation of the DOC. At this point, I'd love to see and appreciate, that with our joint efforts among China and ASEAN members, we have been able to maintain the overall peace and stability in the South China Sea region and to safeguard free navigation in South China Sea and we enjoy the prosperity in South China Sea region."

Chee Wee Kiong, Permanent Secretary of Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says discussions are important ahead of the 25th anniversary of the ASEAN-China partnership next year.

"This coming year will be a very special year when ASEAN and China will celebrate our 25th anniversary or ASEAN-China relations and we think that the progress on this DOC and COC will demonstrate our commitment to this very important relationship and to the peace and stability and continued cooperation in the ASEAN-China partnership."

The meeting is the tenth of its kind, and is being held in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu.

 

 

North and South Koreans Begin Family Reunion Event

 

Hundreds of South Koreans have begun meeting with long-lost relatives in North Korea at a reunion event.

141 people from North Korea joined the humanitarian event at the scenic Mount Kumgang resort in the North Korea's southeastern coast.

It will run from Tuesday to Thursday.

The second round of the gathering, with 255 South Koreans meeting 188 North Korean relatives, will be held for three days from Saturday.

Since the end of the Korean conflict, no exchanges of letters and telephone calls have been allowed among people of the two Koreas in the past six decades.

The current event was agreed on in late August.

It is only the second round or reunions permitted in the past five years, with the last one being held in February 2014.

 

 

Son of late PM Pierre Trudeau becomes new PM

 

Canadian Liberal party leader Justin Trudeau has won the general election, ending Conservative party leader Stephen Harper's nine-years in office.

The incoming Canadian Prime Minister gave a speech in Montreal on Monday, saying Canadians had "sent a clear message" in bringing in a change of government.

"This is what positive politics can do. This is what a positive, hopeful vision, and a platform, and a team together can make happen. (Applause) Canadians from all across this great country sent a clear message tonight. It's time for a change in this country my friends. A real change."

Son of former prime minister Pierre Trudeau, Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party won a majority in the 338-seat parliament.

Prime Minister Stephan Harper conceded defeat while giving a speech in Calgary.

"Friends, our country is one of the most enduring democracies in the world today. And today for the 42nd time in 148 years Canadians have chosen a national parliament. While tonight's result is certainly not the one we had hoped for, the people are never wrong."

A party statement said Harper has stepped down as leader of Canada's Conservative Party although he did not mention this in his speech.

The statement said Harper has instructed the party to appoint an interim leader.

 

 

Russia Favors diplomatic talks to resolve Syria crisis

 

Russia is saying that it has always favored diplomatic talks to resolve the ongoing Syria crisis.

This comes on the heels of the US Secretary of State John Kerry proposing a plan for multi-country talks on Syria.

Russian parliament speaker Valentina Matviyenko says Russia believes the talks can make a difference:

"As for (US Secretary of State John) Kerry's proposal to engage in multi-party talks - we are always in favor of talks in any format and we believe that talks are very useful for a mutual understanding, for trust, for confidence building and for finding compromises."

Russia began air strikes in Syria in late September, saying the move aims to weaken Islamic State militants.

But Western powers say the airstrikes aim to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

U.S. President Barack Obama said earlier that there was no meeting of the minds with Russia's President Vladimir Putin over the continuing rule of Assad, and the Syrian civil war could end only with a political solution leading to a new inclusive government.

 

 

NATO Launches Largest Military Exercises Since 2002

 

Anchor:

NATO is starting military maneuvers in Spain, Italy and Portugal in what are the alliance's largest exercises since 2002 - widely seen as a display of force for Russia to see.

NATO has planned to extend its 14 year military presence in Afghanistan as unrest in the country intensifies.

Jack Parrock reports from NATO's HQ in Brussels.

Reporter:

The drills come as tensions increase between the 28 country alliance and Russia over Moscow's alleged violations of Turkey's airspace and continued airstrikes in Syria.

The NATO exercises known as Trident Juncture involve 36,000 troops, 140 aircraft and more than 60 ships from 30 countries including non-Nato member Ukraine.

NATO Spokesperson, Oana Lungescu, says the drill is one in a series to ensure allies are ready and capable to react in the event of a crisis.

"Of course this exercise takes on additional significance because of the changed security environment that we find ourselves in- the rising challenges from both the south and the east to which NATO is adapting and continues to adapt."

The maneuvers are testing a fast-reaction force created after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. The force of 5,000 is designed to deploy in less than a week if necessary.

General Hans-Lothar Domrose is the commanding officer for Trident Juncture. He says the maneuvers give the alliance members an important opportunity to work together.

"Well let me take the analogy of a football player. They are all super. They have a goal keep. They have strikers, but they have to form a team, and now when they come together they need training to win next Sunday's match. The same is true for NATO. All the forces that will be deployed to Italy, Spain and Portugal are excellent national forces, but I have to bring them under the NATO umbrella because only when we train then we can achieve a lot."

Although it was organized well before Russia's recent military actions in Syria, which have caused major contention between Moscow and the alliance, many observers say NATO is using the exercise as an opportunity to showcase its military might.

Other observers say they NATO must address all the threats in its neighborhood.

Ian Lesser is the Director of the Brussels office of the German Marshall fund.

"But it is, in fact, not just about Russia in the east. It's also about a much less direct, less focused but nonetheless less challenging set of problems in the South for crisis management, counter terrorism, surveillance, border control, the whole set, maritime security, human security, energy security- the whole set of issues that are emanating from the South. I think the alliance is keen to demonstrate the capacities it has and the ones and the ones that it will build are just as applicable, just as useful looking towards the Mediterranean."

Russia, who performed exercises in the Mediterranean earlier this year, was invited to observe the exercises.

In the meantime, NATO announced it intends to keep it's military forces in Afghanistan over concerns about the ability of the Afghan national forces to fight a resurgent Taliban.

Jack Parrock, China Radio International, Brussels.

 

 

Russia to give large areas of land in the Far East to its citizens for free

 

Anchor:

Russian officials say they plan to give large areas of land in the country's Far East to Russian citizens for free. The new law, which is expected to be passed in November, aims to boost the development of the region and will allow Russians to take and use up to one hectare of land for any purpose.

Anya Ardayeva reports from Moscow.

Reporter:

Russia's vast Far Eastern region occupies one third of Russia – the biggest country in the world covering over 17 million square kilometers. Experts say while this area holds huge economic potential – it also lacks investment – and people.

Alexander Krutikov is a deputy director of Russia's Far Eastern Development ministry.

"Russia's Far East occupies one third of the Russian Federation, six million square kilometers, where some 6 million Russian citizens live. This means one person per square kilometer."

In 2016, the ministry wants to start distributing land in the Far East for free. Any Russian citizen can apply and receive up to one hectare of land – and in five years, the government promises them free ownership.

"Together with all-Russia center for public opinion we conducted a poll on the interest to this project and 20% of the respondents confirmed that if they are given free land they are willing to consider moving to the Far East. That's almost 30 million citizens."

The government has launched a campaign to attract people to the initiative - from weather forecasts on television explaining that the weather in the region is not that cold - not much colder than in the Western part of the country.

{SOUND FADE UNDER TRACK}.. to videos showing how to surf the Pacific ocean in sub-zero temperatures.

Alexei Maslov, professor, head of the School of Asian Studies, Higher School of Economics in English

"A lot of people want to move back to central part, to the European part of Russia. So one of the main problem is to change the public opinion, to change the mentality of moving from East to West."

In September, Moscow also organized its first Eastern Economic Development Forum in Vladivostok to attract investors from Asia – and said this forum will now happen every year.

Meanwhile, the population of Russia's Far Eastern region continues to shrink – it is now almost half the number of Moscow's population of 11 million.

Experts say that while the new government initiative could provide a welcome development for the region – it may take years before it bears fruit.

Anya Ardayeva, CRI, Moscow.

 

 

UN chief to visit Middle East over Israeli-Palestinian tensions

 

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is scheduled to arrive in Israel on Tuesday morning and meet with Israeli leaders during an unannounced visit.

An anonymous source with the Israeli foreign ministry says Ban will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel and later with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank.

But he declined to give further details.

It is widely believed that Ban is here to mediate between Israel and the Palestinians in a bid to help put an end to the latest round of Israeli-Palestinian violence, which has left dozens of people dead on both sides.

 

 

Mainland Tourist Dies after Disputes at HK Jewelry Shop

 

Anchor:

A mainland tourist has died in Hong Kong after he was allegedly beaten unconscious following a dispute at a jewelry shop.

4 people have been arrested in connection to the case.

CRI's Hong Kong correspondent Li Jing has the story.

Report:

A man from Heilongjiang province in northeastern China has been confirmed dead after he was in a dispute during a tour in Hong Kong.

It is reported that the middle aged man refused to make a purchase and had an argument with the tour group leader at a jewelry shop.

Some other members with the same tour group explain what happened.

"He was beaten for not shopping."

"They fought from inside the shop to the outside. His mouth was bleeding."

The case has been classified as manslaughter by the Hong Kong police.

No further detail has been released yet.

Hong Kong Travel Industry Council executive director Joseph Tung has condemned the violence, and says it will damage Hong Kong's reputation as a shopping paradise.

"We feel very sorry for the unfortunate incident. We have handed the case to the tourism bureau in Shenzhen and the China National Tourism Administration. We hope the mainland can help us investigate the case. I reiterate that mainland visitors, under whatever circumstances, should not resort to fighting. Hong Kong is under rule of law, violence is against the law. "

The tour group, including members from Fujian, Hubei, Shandong and Heilongjiang provinces, arrived from Shenzhen on Sunday for a three-day trip to Hong Kong and Macau.

The incident happened amid a slowing number of tourists as well as relatively sluggish retail sales in Hong Kong.

For CRI, this is Li Jing in Hong Kong.

 

 

Oscar Pistorius Released on Parole on Monday

 

Oscar Pistorius, South Africa's "Blade Runner," has been released on parole.

In 2013, he was sentenced to five years in prison for killing his girlfriend, Reva Steenkamp.

He will serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest in Pretoria.

His family spokesperson Anneliese Burgess confirmed the release.

"It was important for the family to emphasise that Oscar's sentence hasn't been shortened or reduced. He is simply entering the next phase of his sentence now. He will serve this under the strict conditions that govern correctional supervision."

However, he still has to face an appeal filed by prosecutors. A hearing will be held next month.

If Pistorius is convicted of murder instead of culpable homicide, he will be sent back to prison on a 15 year term.

 

 

Weather

 

 

Beijing will have light rain tonight with a low of 12 degrees Celsius; it will have light rain tomorrow with a high of 15.

Shanghai, cloudy tonight with a low of 19; sunny to cloudy tomorrow with a high of 25.

Chongqing, cloudy tonight with a low of 19; also cloudy tomorrow with a high of 27.

Lhasa, cloudy tonight with a low of 1; light rain to sunny tomorrow with a high of 19.

Elsewhere in Asia,

Islamabad, cloudy with a high of 28.

Kabul, cloudy, 16.

Down in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney will have light rain with a high of 27.

Brisbane, cloudy with a high of 26.

Perth, cloudy, 32.

And finally Auckland, New Zealand will be cloudy with a high of 17 degrees Celsius.

 

 

Headline news

 

 

Chinese president arrives in London for state visit to Britain

 

Chinese President Xi Jinping is now in UK for a state visit at the invitation of Queen Elizabeth II.

Upon his arrival, Xi Jinping said China attaches great importance to growing relations with the United Kingdom, and deepening those ties is in the fundamental interests of both countries and peoples.

President Xi says he hopes to have an in-depth exchange of views with British leaders on bilateral relations and major international and regional issues.

Besides attending welcome ceremonies hold by the royal family, Xi Jinping is also scheduled to have talks with Prime Minister David Cameron and addressing the Parliament later on today,

 

 

North and South Koreans Begin Family Reunion Event

 

Hundreds of South Koreans have begun meeting with long-lost relatives in North Korea at a reunion event.

141 people from North Korea joined the humanitarian event at the scenic Mount Kumgang resort in the North Korea's southeastern coast.

It will run from Tuesday to Thursday.

Since the end of the Korean conflict, no exchanges of letters and telephone calls have been allowed among people of the two Koreas in the past six decades.

The current event was agreed on in late August.

 

 

UN chief to visit Middle East over Israeli-Palestinian tensions

 

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is scheduled to arrive in Israel on Tuesday morning and meet with Israeli leaders during an unannounced visit.

An anonymous source with the Israeli foreign ministry says Ban will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel and later with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank.

But he declined to give further details.

It is widely believed that Ban is here to mediate between Israel and the Palestinians in a bid to help put an end to the latest round of Israeli-Palestinian violence, which has left dozens of people dead on both sides.

 

 

70 Japanese lawmakers pay homage to notorious Yasukuni shrine

 

Around 70 Japanese lawmakers visited the notorious Yasukuni shrine Tuesday, following Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ritual offering and two ministers' visits over the weekend.

On Monday, The Chinese Foreign Ministry criticized Abe's offering to the Shrine, along with visits made by the Justice Minister and the Internal Affairs and Communications Minister.

Yasukuni enshrines 14 Class-A war criminals who were responsible for atrocities committed during World War II.

Countries victimized by Japan's wartime aggression consider the shrine to be a symbol of Japan's past militarism.

 

 

Biz Reports

 

 

Closing numbers across the Asian markets

 

Anchor:

Time now to check today's business news, starting with closing numbers across the Asian markets. Here's Min Rui.

Reporter:

Chinese shares closed higher on Tuesday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index up more than one percent.

The smaller Shenzhen index advanced 1.8 percent.

The ChiNext Index, which tracks growth enterprises, gained more than three percent.

Construction shares took the lead, with companies like China Railway Construction Corporation and China Communications Construction Company rising by the daily limit of ten percent.

Investor sentiment were boosted by the China initiated belt and road initiative as well as the expectations for Chinese president Xi Jinping's state visit to the UK, where many trade deals are expected to be signed.

Over in Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng Index fell 0.4 percent.

Elsewhere in Asia,

Japan's Nikkei added 0.4 percent.

The South Korean KOSPI was up nearly half a percent.

Singapore's Straits Times Index shed 0.2 percent.

And finally, Australia's ASX/200 tumbled 0.7 percent.

Back to you Shane.

 

 

China is still attractive to foreign investment in the world: MOC

 

China's Ministry of Commerce says the country is still one of the most attractive investment destinations in the world.

The ministry's spokesperson Shen Danyang says during the first three quarters of 2015, foreign investment into China was on the rise.

"According to the latest data, from January to September of this year, 19,000 new foreign invested companies were set up in the country, an increase of 10.1%."

The value of investment flowing into the Chinese market from these new companies represents an increase of 50 percent year on year.

China's foreign direct investment remained stable and with better quality as more funds were flowing into the service sector.

The sector saw a gain of 19 percent compared to the previous year.

China's outbound direct investment also recorded progress, rising 16.5 percent year on year.

For more on this we're joined by Gao Shang, analyst with Guantong Futures.

…

Back anchor:

Gao Shang, analyst with Guantong Futures.

 

 

China Overtakes US As Global Leader In Built Asset Wealth

 

China has overtaken the US as the world's wealthiest country measured by the value of its built environment.

The ranking is according to the latest Global Built Asset Wealth Index published by Arcadis, the leading Design & Consultancy firm for natural and built assets.

With wealth of 36.8 trillion U.S. dollars, the US now trails China at 47.6 trillion U.S. dollars.

The index calculates the value of all the buildings and infrastructure contributing to economic productivity in 32 countries, which collectively make up 87% of global GDP.

The US built asset stock is largely unchanged in the past two years.

Since 2000, China has invested 33 trillion U.S. dollars in its built assets, a total exceeding all other economies combined.

 

 

China basically ready to unveil detailed rules on real estate registration

 

Media reports say China now is basically ready to roll out detailed rules on a united registration system for real estate.

According to an inter-ministry meeting, procedures for the drafting of the rules are almost complete.

Xinhua news agency says further revision and optimization of the new rules will be made before formal release.

 

 

China raises benchmark product oil prices effective Wed.

 

China's National Development and Reform Commission has announced a hike to benchmark product oil prices by 50 yuan per tonne effective Wednesday.

Retail prices of gasoline and diesel will increase by 0.04 yuan per liter.

The increase of benchmark product oil prices is basically in line with market expectations.

 

 

China's top farming produce sees export decline

 

Shandong Province in eastern China, the country's main agricultural region, saw an unusual decline in exports of farm produce in the first three quarters of 2015.

Exports dropped 4.3 percent compared to the same period of 2014, falling to 11 billion U.S. dollars.

The fall was attributed to weak demand in its traditional export markets of Japan, the South Korea, and Europe.

However, exports to the United States, the ASEAN countries, and Latin America grew.

Official in Shandong Province predict the situation will improve in the last quarter of the year and that Shandong will maintain its position as the top exporter of farm produce.

It has been China's biggest exporter of agricultural goods for 16 consecutive years, typically accounting for a quarter of the country's total.

 

 

China lowers 2015 electricity use estimate

 

The China Electricity Council has trimmed its estimate of how much electricity the country will consume in 2015, based on the decelerating economy.

The CEC anticipates an annual increase of 1 percent in electricity use this year, compared with its previous forecast of 2 percent in June.

Ouyang Changyu, deputy secretary-general of the council, attributed the downgrading to weaker-than-expected economic growth and cool weather in the third quarter of the year.

China's power use grew nearly 12 percent in 2011, narrowing to 3.8 percent in 2014.

 

 

Chinese construction company breaks ground on Panama's City of Hope

 

Panama's largest residential development project, known as the City of Hope, broke ground on Monday.

The 137 million-U.S. dollar project will built by China Construction America - MCM Consortium.

The project will benefit more than ten thousand people in the city of Vista Alegre.

Several five-story buildings featuring two- and three-bedroom apartments, ranging from 48 to 57 square meters, will be built.

 

 

China's Tsingtao says to buy Suntory's JV stake for $130 mln

 

China's best-known beer brand Tsingtao Brewery is to buy the remaining equity in the joint venture it had with Japan's Suntory Holdings.

The move aims to boost efficiency.

Tsingtao says it will buy the 50 percent equity interest for more than 820 million yuan, or 130 million U.S. dollars.

The joint venture's sales have stalled amid stiff competition in the Chinese market.

 

 

Sports

 

 

South Africa talks about upcomming game with All Blacks

 

In Rugby news:

South Africa is turning their sights to the upcoming match against the All Blacks in the Rugby World Cup semi-finals.

During a press conference, South African Players like Jannie du Plessis stated that their upcoming game will be tough but players are optimistic.

"You have to respect the All Blacks. Their record speaks for itself. Unfortunately, I have been on the receiving end of a few tight games against them in the past four years. Regrettably, because every time you try your utmost and they manage to get over the line in the end. That is a quality of a good side but again I think playing with their backs against the wall for a few weeks now we've had to deal with the same type of pressure"

South Africa will face New Zealand on October 24th.

Following that game, opponents for the winner will be decided when Argentina and Australia face off on the 25th.

 

 

Chelsea football team preps for Dyanamo Kiev game

 

and in football news:

Struggling team Chelsea prepped on Monday for their UEFA Champions League Group G clash against Dynamo Kiev.

Chelsea is currently heading to the Ukraine for the Dynamo home game.

The London club currently sits outside of the top 10 in the Premier League and outside of the qualifying spots in Champions League Group G.

The Dynamo team has not lost any of its last seven European home games dating back to the 2013-14 season.

Chelsea's head coach Jose Mourinho stated that his team is ready for this game.

We don't think about where we are, the distance to the top. In the Champions League the distance to the first (position) is not the point for us now. The point is to improve results and at the same time, if you improve results you improve our game, improve our confidence. We know how football is and you are right, we have too many bad results in this beginning of the season but hopefully now we can go in the right direction."

Chelsea could expect a tough reception in Kiev, where the crowd is large and loud.

Last season, the club was punished by the UEFA for fan racism in its Europa League win over Everton.

 

 

Toronto Blue Jays beat Kansas City in game three of ALCS

 

and in some Baseball news:

The American League Championship Series shifted to Toronto on Monday as the Blue Jays hosted Game 3 against the Kansas City Royals.

When asked about what game, Toronto Blue Jay's manager John Gibbons stated that this win was important.

"Yeah, we desperately needed that, a break out. And you look at how the game finished up, those runs really came in handy. But it wasn't an easy game, even though we had a big lead. Stro (Marcus Stroman) really battled. I mean it was a grinding night for him. They battled him hard. He was kind of in and out a little bit with his command, but he got the job done.

Toronto held on to beat Kansas City 11-8 and now trail 2-1 in the best-of-seven game series.

Game 4 will be on Tuesday afternoon, that's 4am Beijing time.

 

 

Wladimir Klitschko to face Tyson Fury for multiple boxing titles

 

In boxing news:

Wladimir Klitschko will put his WBA, WBO and IBF world titles on the line when he faces British boxer Tyson Fury in Dusseldorf, Germany on 28th November.

The fight had originally been scheduled for 24th October, but had to be postponed after Klitschko suffered a calf injury during his training camp.

The reigning Champion Klitschko stated that he is looking forward to the challenge of facing Fury.

"Of course, I'm nervous before every fight. It's challenging. You cannot say, like I'm going to make it, like Nostradamus. 'I'm going to win this fight.' Of course that's my target and that's.... that's what I think about, there's no other thoughts. But, depends (on) a lot of work, a lot of concentration, discipline and I look forward to the next challenge."

Fury made headlines when he wore a Batman costume to a news conference and labeled Klitschko 'clown'.

Klitschko played down the remark, saying: "Some of his best friends our clowns"

The Ukrainian comes into the Fury fight with record of 22 consecutive wins.

 

 

Native Sergio Perez prepares for F1's Mexico Grand Prix

 

In F1 racing news:

After claiming a podium position at the Grand Prix in Russia, Sergio Perez knows the pressure is on to perform at his home track for Mexico's upcoming Grand Prix.

Perez was third at Sochi and earned his fifth career podium title.

He is excited to return to the track in his native country of Mexico for its Grand Prix on November 1st.

Perez stated that he believes people back home are extremely excited for the upcoming race.

"Drivers are habituated to live with pressure. If race is in Mexico or in China, We always have pressure to give the results race to race so the Mexico's Grand Prix is not different it gives the same points, but is a very special race for me after so many years without a one and for fans it will be an amazing thing."

This is a big deal for Mexico since the last F1 to take place there was in 1992.

Perez will compete in the American Grand Prix in Texas before he prepares for Mexico.

The American Grand Prix will start on October 25th

 

 

Djokovic connects with Chinese fans via Wiebo

 

And in tennis news:

Tennis star and recent winner of the Shanghai Masters, Novak Djokovic connected with Chinese fans via Sina Weibo, a multi media platform similar to twitter.

The serbian stated in his post that, he had such an incredible time in China and would give away 2 signed tennis balls to a lucky 2 people who commented on his post.

So far the post has around 500 comments and 200 plus forwards.

Any fans looking for some djokovic swag should act fast

 

 

Entertainment

 

 

China Film Day in Edinburgh Aims to Enhance Knowledge about China

 

A China Film Day was held in Scotland's capital with the aim to let local people know more about China through film.

The two Chinese films screened at Filmhouse near the West End of the city center were "Go Away Mr. Tumor", a romantic comedy telling how an optimistic woman copes with cancer, and "To The Fore", a sports drama film jointly produced by Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland.

Both films were selected as the entries for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong respectively.

Chinese Consul General in Edinburgh Pan Xinchun says the first event of this kind will help promote the relationship between the China and Scotland as well as open "a window or door" for Scottish friends to learn more about modern China through such films.

 

 

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens"Brings down Ticket Booking Sites

 

The final version of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" trailer has been released.

It reveals important story elements as well as the Stormtroopers, TIE-Fighters, R2-D2 and Princess Leia Organa.

The two-and-a-half minute trailer quickly attracted more than 17 thousand tweets per minute and was viewed on YouTube more than 220,000 times within the first 20 minutes.

First tickets for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" were also released in the U.K. Monday morning and in the U.S Monday night, two months before the movie premiere.

Actress Zoe Saldana, who co-stars in her own sci-fi franchise, "Guardians of the Galaxy", is one of those who's on their top excitement about the film.

"Are you kidding me? It's bleeping 'Star Wars.' Yes. I'm having a hard time stopping myself from e-mailing J.J. (director J.J. Abrams) and going, 'Dude, like, we worked together. Can do you do me a solid and hold two tickets for me?' I'm excited. I can't wait to see it."

The excitement soon gave way to frustration, after huge demand for the tickets caused the online booking systems of most major movie theaters to collapse.

 

 

New Mockingjay 2 Trailer and Poster Released

 

A Chinese trailer and poster of "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2" has been released today.

The movie is set to hit Chinese theater in both 3D and 2D on Nov. 20th, simultaneous with a worldwide release.

In the final chapter, Katniss teams up with a group of her closest friends, including Gale, Finnick and Peeta, and goes off on a mission with the unit from District 13 as they risk their lives to liberate the citizens of Panem. They also stage an assassination attempt on President Snow who has become increasingly obsessed with destroying Katniss.

The mortal traps, enemies, and moral choices that await Katniss will challenge her more than any arena she faced in The Hunger Games.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, there will also be a first-ever Chinese premiere for the fourth Hunger Games installment on Nov. 12.

The Hunger Games franchise has grossed more than $2.3 billion at the global box office, and the trilogy of Hunger Games books has sold more than 82 million copies around the world.

 

 

Weather

 

 

Beijing will have light rain tonight with a low of 12 degrees Celsius; it will have light rain tomorrow with a high of 15.

Shanghai, cloudy tonight with a low of 19; sunny to cloudy tomorrow with a high of 25.

Chongqing, cloudy tonight with a low of 19; also cloudy tomorrow with a high of 27.

Lhasa, cloudy tonight with a low of 1; light rain to sunny tomorrow with a high of 19.

Elsewhere in Asia,

Islamabad, cloudy with a high of 28.

Kabul, cloudy, 16.

Down in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney will have light rain with a high of 27.

Brisbane, cloudy with a high of 26.

Perth, cloudy, 32.

And finally Auckland, New Zealand will be cloudy with a high of 17 degrees Celsius.

 

 

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

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

The Chinese president is now in the UK on his state visit...

officials from China and the ASEAN countries are meeting to discuss implementing the Declaration of Conduct on the South China Sea...

Canada's Liberal party has won the country's general election, bringing an end to over nine years of Conservative rule...

In Business...foreign investment numbers in China continue to show strength...