The Beijing HourMorning EditionShane Bigham with you on this Wednesday December 16th, 2015.

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

Coming up on the program...

The World Internet Conference Opens today in Wuzhen, an historic coastal town in eastern China...

Member nations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization vow to strengthen ties under frameworks like the Belt and Road initiative...

The UN Nuclear agency adopts a resolution to close its investigation into whether Iran once had a nuclear weapons program...

In Business...new rules for the peer-to-peer lending sector in China...

In Sports...semi-final matchups at the FIFA Club World Cup...

And in Entertainment...the sequel to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon will premier during Spring Festival...

All of that coming up in the next hour.

First, a reminder, there are several ways to reach us here at the Beijing Hour.

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Top NewsXi to Address China's Internet Policy at WICThe second World Internet Conference begins today in eastern China.

President Xi Jinping is scheduled to deliver a keynote speech at the meeting in Wuzhen, in which he will elaborate on China's Internet policies.

In the past, the Chinese government has stressed exploration of a new way of Internet governance with rule-of-law at its core.

While saying that each country's Internet sovereignty must be respected, central authorities have also said that Beijing will stick to its opening-up policy in terms of the web.

Today's conference will feature strategic-level discussions on global Internet governance and the industry as an economic growth engine.

World Internet Conference opens in WuzhenAnchor:

Ahead of the conference, many discussions have been generated on the role that Internet can play here in China.

CRI's Luo Bin has more.

Reporter:

Liu Qiangdong, founder and CEO of JD.com, one of China's largest e-commerce companies, talked about the role the internet will play in future business operations.

He says the internet should further integrate with traditional industries and promote their upgrade and transformation.

"In my opinion, other than just working as a platform for traditional industries, the internet will infiltrate into these industries and integrate with them. The infiltration will go deeper and deeper, thus helping to upgrade and transform these industries."Citing the manufacturing industry in south China's Guangdong Province as an example, he pointed out the profit Chinese enterprises obtained was too small.

"For example, we took trips to Guangdong Province and thought about the situation of its huge manufacturing industry in the Pearl River Delta for two or three years. They used to process product parts for overseas companies. They exported productivity but the profit they gained was very little. Therefore how to convert the strong productivity of Guangdong Province into Chinese brands, how to increase the profit for the manufacturing industry, how to improve product quality so as to win customers' trust in Chinese brands and make them shop in China instead of going abroad (are the tasks of Chinese internet enterprises)."Echoing his point, Ralph Haupter, chairman of Microsoft Greater China Region, says the Internet gave the world a lot of opportunity of growth.

"I think we see the opportunity of technology for prosperity of society, but at the same time, we understand that countries and sovereignty needs to be a part of the way how Internet engages, so govern law being a part of way how the Internet get executed and run in a country. I think this is very important. Having sovereignty, I think, is very important for countries. For us, that's the guiding principle that we bring technology to market. And we think it's also a very, very important example how we bring technology to China."Haupter said Microsoft has brought in Internet services under Chinese law. The company had an opportunity the last 20 plus years to participate, and somehow even foster, steer, and inject growth.

"I think the Chinese market is an exploding market, that's based on pure size. But I would also say that's based on companies bringing in innovation here, which are respecting and reflecting needs of the local markets."Official stats show China has more than 668 million Internet users, almost double the total population of the United States.

China has established the world's largest 4G network and is actively participating in creating 5G standards.

For CRI, I'm Luo Bin.

The Light of Internet ExpoAnchor:

As part of the World Internet Conference, the Light of the Internet' expo has already kicked off.

More than 50 companies have gathered to exhibit the latest technologies and products.

Our reporter Luo Wen tells more about the future this technology expo is showing us.

Reporter:

The sound you just heard was a man asking a robot to switch on the humidifier and play Chinese Singer Jay Chou's song.

It's just one of many products on show at "The light of the Internet" expo in wuzhen.

Altogether, the technologies and products on show give us a glimpse of what a future world could look like.

Among them is a self-driving car developed by China's search engine giant Baidu.

"This self-driving car can automatically identify the objects around it. And the core of this car is intelligence decision. It can change lane and change directions automatically to avoid other obstacles, cars and so on."Not far from Baidu's car is a more surprising product, a mind-control racing car.

"By using this brainwave collector, we can measure your concentration level and transfer it into data. The voltage of the racing track will be changed based on the data. Then finally the speed of the toy car will be different based on your concentration level."Also at the expo, online retailer JD.com promotes the concept of a "smart home.""The future is the era of the 'Internet of Things'. We can use one app to control all the equipment we have. And furthermore, all the equipment can connect with each other. All I need to do is just tell them what I want while laying in my bed. For example, When the PM2.5 reading is above 200, the air purifier will automatically turn on. When I click home on my app, all the equipment that I need will start working."Also among the highlights of the expo are wearable devices controlled by smart phones.

Miss Chen at the expo expressed how she's been surprised by what a phone can do in the future.

"Now you can't live without internet. You can see lots of high-tech and advanced products here. All the equipment can be controlled by just a phone. "The 2015 World Internet Conference is set to open on Wednesday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will give a keynote speech at the opening ceremony.

For CRI, this is Luo Wen.

SCO members vow deeper cooperation under Belt and Road InitiativePrime ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states have vowed to deepen regional economic cooperation within frameworks including the Belt and Road Initiative.

This comes as the ministers wrapped up their meeting in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou on Tuesday.

A statement issued after the meeting says future economic cooperation will be focusing on infrastructure and investment in production capacity.

They also reiterated their support for the Belt and Road Initiative, which they believe will help reinvigorate regional economies and safeguard peace.

The joint statement also highlights technology innovation and the possibility of establishing economic cooperation zones.

They approved the SCO 2016 budget and decided to convene the 2016 prime ministers' meeting in Kyrgyzstan.

Chinese premier stresses strengthening cooperation among SCO member countriesAnchor:

While presiding over the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's prime ministers' meeting, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has proposed several key areas where SCO member countries can further cooperation.

CRI's reporter Guo Yan has the details.

Reporter:

Premier li Keqiang says SCO member countries are faced with a tough security situation.

He says a reliable "safe environment" would help foster regional development.

"First, we should consolidate the security cooperation platform. I suggest that all member countries strengthen coordination and communication, implement the SCO member countries' agreement on border defense cooperation, accelerate the consultation on an anti-extremism convention, intensify the SCO's duty on a drug crackdown, jointly support the national reconciliation in Afghanistan, and create a reliable and safe environment for regional development."Noting that the SCO member countries are in a crucial phase of industrialization and industrial upgrading, Premier li also highlights enhancing cooperation in production capacity.

"China is willing to closely connect its mature technology and quality industrial capacity with the development demand of countries in the region and provide equipment and project contract service with good cost performance. And China is also willing to build factories with local companies to start production in the locality in order to create jobs and lower the cost of infrastructure construction materials."The Chinese premier also emphasizes strengthening inter-connectivity within the region.

The Premier noted that major railway and highway projects will be undertaken to establish a centralized traffic network for Eurasia.

"Building a regional transportation network is an important foundation for member countries to accelerate economic development. The next step should be carrying out major transportation projects in a planned and orderly way and seeking to build an interconnection network between Asia and Europe with central Asia as a hub."As to regional trade cooperation, he says trade expansion and investment liberalization are the key to deepening regional cooperation.

The premier stresses building a cooperation platform in social development.

The premier also calls for more convenient visa policies to promote tourism and personnel exchanges. He also announced scholarships for 20,000 students from SCO members in each of the next five years.

For CRI, I'm Guo Yan.

China Objects to US Arms Sales to TaiwanChina is strongly urging the United States to stop selling arms to the Taiwan region.

This comes amid reports that the Obama administration may authorize the sale of two guided missile frigates to Taiwan as soon as this week.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei urges the US side to abide by its commitments made in an earlier joint agreement on arms sales.

"China firmly opposes the U.S. arms sale to Taiwan. This stance is clear and consistent. The U.S. arms sale to Taiwan violates three joint communiqués signed between China and the United States, especially the 8.17 communiqué. It also interferes in China's internal affairs, and damages Sino-US relations."The sale would mark the first time in four years that the United States has shipped arms to Taiwan, the longest gap in such arms sales in nearly four decadesChina, U.S. sign MOU on money laundering and terrorismChina and the United States have signed a memorandum of understanding on money laundering and countering terrorist financing.

The MOU was signed between the China Anti-Money Laundering Monitoring and Analysis Center and the U.S. Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.

The document was agreed on at a recent meeting in New York, where officials from the two sides also discussed terrorist financing, risk evaluation, and China-U.S. cooperation on money laundering.

2022 Olympic Committee Launched in BeijingChina has launched the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

At the launch ceremony on Tuesday, Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli said "to host a successful Winter Games is China's solemn commitment to the Olympic Family."He also called it "an important move to push for the coordinated development" of Beijing and neighboring cities.

Zhang promised to take action to gradually reduce levels of hazardous pollution.

"(We) will use greater determination, greater vigor and better moves to prevent air pollution in Zhangjiakou, the Beijing-Hebei-Tianjin region, the Yangtze River Delta area, and the Pearl River Delta. We will take action to bring down the PM 2.5 and PM 10 and will gain the trust of the people,"Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged the organizers to "work harder to host a fantastic, extraordinary and excellent Games."IOC President Thomas Bach sent a congratulatory letter to the organizing committee.

A detailed task agenda is expected in the near future.

Beijing previously hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics.

IAEA Decides to Close Nuclear Weapons Probe of IranThe UN nuclear agency has adopted a resolution to close the investigation into whether Iran once had a nuclear weapons program.

Yukiya Amano, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, says he had "no credible indications" of activities in Iran relevant to nuclear development after 2009.

"The agency has no credible indications of activities in Iran relevant to the development of nuclear explosive devices after 2009. Nor has the agency found any credible indications of the diversion of nuclear material in connection with the possible military dimensions to Iran's nuclear programme."The 12-year probe had to be formally closed as part of a deal between Iran and six other nations reached in July.

The deal sees Iran pull back on nuclear programs that could be used to make atomic weapons in exchange for sanctions relief.

Amano also noted that the IAEA will continue to carry out verification work in Iran.

"The IAEA will continue to undertake verification work in Iran, but in the future, Iran will implement the additional protocol to its safeguards agreement with the agency, and we will have powerful extra verification tools at our disposal. This issue has a long and complex history. And the legacy of mistrust between Iran and the international community must be overcome."Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif welcomed the IAEA decision.

The Chinese delegate to the UN nuclear agency has responded to the resolution, saying it could facilitate the launch of the agreement that Iran has reached with the P5 plus 1 countries.

Next round of Syrian talks to be held in New York FridayIt's been confirmed that the next round of foreign ministers meetings on Syria will be held on Friday in New York.

The news comes after a visit to the Kremlin by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, where he had talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and President Vladimir Putin.

The meetings aim to narrow differences over a political transition in Damascus.

Both sides have said that they can work together to make progress in ending the war in Syria.

Putin praised Kerry's efforts in resolving the conflict and said Russia was also seeing solutions.

"You know that together with you we are searching for solutions to the most serious crises. I know that after our meeting in Paris, the American side has prepared its vision of how to resolve a range of issues, including the Syrian crisis."The world powers have been hoping to convene a meeting in Vienna at the beginning of next year, to find a political solution to the years-long conflict in Syria.

However Russia and the United States are at odds on which groups should represent the opposition parties inside Syria, and the role of Syrian President Bassar Al-Assad in any transitional period.

Kerry says though the United States and Russia do not always see "eye to eye," the two countries view the situation in Syria "fundamentally very similarly.""With regard to Syria, Vienna 1 and Vienna 2 were a strong beginning, opening up possibilities. I think there is no question, Foreign Minister Lavrov and I have agreed that together, the United States and Russia have an ability to be able make significant difference here."According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the meeting in New York on Friday is expected to pass a UN resolution reaffirming the principles of the peace process agreed on in Vienna last month.

Kerry's visit follows a meeting last week in Saudi Arabia which agreed to unite a number of opposition groups to negotiate with Damascus in peace talks.

L.A. Schools Closed over ThreatAnchor:

All public schools in neighboring Los Angeles were shut down on Tuesday over bomb threats.

The move was made after authorities of the L.A. Unified School District, the second largest in the country, received threats against several schools.

For more details, here is our Washington chief correspondent Xiaohong.

Reporter:

650 thousand students from kindergarten through high school were told to stay away from all schools in Los Angeles.

Superintendent of the L.A. Unified School District, Ramon Cortines, says threats were made against several schools.

"It was not to one school, two schools or three schools. It was many schools. Not specifically identified. But there are many schools. That's reason I took the action that I did."Law enforcement has been called in to search all 900 public schools and 187 charter schools to make sure that students and staffers will be able to return to safe campuses.

The threat comes amid a heightened alert after the terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California that killed 14 people and wounded 22 others two weeks ago.

However, the decision to close over one thousand schools raised the ire of some critics, as similar threats were also sent to New York but were dismissed as not credible.

New York Police Commissioner William Bratton.

"We do have an investigation underway, but it's an investigation into a hoax which we strongly believe that the email that was received in New York City which is similar and almost the same as received in other locals, specifically in Los Angeles. We do not see that as a credible terrorist threat."New York has the country's largest public school system, with nearly one million students.

But law enforcement and officials in Los Angeles defended their decision and said the safety of citizens is top priority.

Xiaohong, CRI, Washington DC.

Saudi Arabia announces formation of anti-terrorism coalitionSaudi Arabia has announced the formation of a 34-state Islamic military coalition to fight terrorism.

Saudi Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman attended a rare news conference on Tuesday and told reporters that the campaign would "coordinate" efforts to fight terrorism in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Egypt and Afghanistan.

"I understand you have seen a statement that announces the alliance between a number of Islamic countries to fight against terrorism and this comes from the Islamic world's vigilance in fighting the disease which has damaged the Islamic world, even before the International community as a whole. There shall be an operations room in Riyadh for the coordination and support of efforts to fight terrorism in many parts of the Islamic world."The 30-year-old crown prince added that the new alliance would focus not only on Islamic State, but any terrorist organization.

Nations on the alliance's long list include Arab countries such as Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, together with Islamic countries such as Turkey, Malaysia, Pakistan and Gulf Arab and African states.

Shi'ite Muslim Iran, Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia's arch rival for influence in the Arab world, is absent from the coalition.

Russian Spacecraft Docks ISSA Russian spacecraft carrying three astronauts from the United States, Britain and Russia has docked at the International Space Station.

The Soyuz spacecraft moored at the space outpost on Tuesday, about six and a half hours after lifting off from the Baikonur launch pad in Kazakhstan.

Onboard were Yuri Malenchenko of Russia, Timothy Kopra of the US and Timothy Peake of Britain, who is representing the European Space Agency.

Peake, a 43-year-old former army helicopter pilot, is the first Briton to visit the International Space Station.

The trio will spend six months aboard the space outpost.

Merriam-Webster declares 'ism' as word of the year for 2015Merriam-Webster has picked a small but powerful suffix - "ism" - as word of the year.

Peter Sokolowski, the editor at large of the company, explained the reason behind the choice.

"Merriam-Webster's word of the year is determined by two simply criteria. The word must show high volume of traffic and show significant year over year increase in look-ups at Merriam-Webster.com. This year a group of words near the top of our list had something in common. They all ended in 'ism' and these words tell us a lot about the past year. The Merriam-Webster word of the year for 2015 is 'ism."The top "isms" as measured by online search traffic on the company's website in 2015 include socialism, fascism, and terrorism.

The dictionary company tracks corresponding news events to link lookups to real world events.

The editor says the word socialism has Bernie Sanders to thank for its popularity.

"This year's top word, 'Socialism' has been among the most looked up word for several years but curiosity has been especially intense and increase of 169% over last year. Lookups spiked particularly high on the night of the first Democratic debate in October when Bernie Sanders used the term this shows that it has moved beyond its Cold War association."Other words that sent people to the site in high numbers include marriage, hypocrite, respect, inspiration, and minion.

The company began picking a word of the year in 2003. It went with "culture" last year.

No hidden Nazi Train Found in Walbrzych: Polish Geology ExpertPolish geology experts say they have found no trace of a train at a site where two treasure hunters said they had found one, hidden by the Nazis at the end of World War II and rumored to be full of stolen loot.

The site, located in southwest Poland, was examined last month by Polish experts using magnetic and gravitation equipment.

The research team claims there might be a tunnel but there is no train at the location.

However, Piotr Koper, member of a separate search team, says his examination indicates there is a secret tunnel and suggests the existence of a hidden war train.

"According to our examination, the complex begins at the place where the depot is. The complex leads to the viaduct in the direction of the city of Swiebodzice. According to our examination, the train is hidden over there, and there is also a short tunnel for a military staff train."Two Polish explores said earlier this year that they had located an armoured Nazi train hidden in a secret tunnel.

Local authorities sent in experts to assess the claim.

According to local lore, the Nazis hid a train filled with gold in a secret tunnel while fleeing the Red Army in 1945.

Argentina to Eliminate Export Tax on IndustryArgentina's new President Mauricio Macri vowed on Monday to eliminate the export tax on industrial goods to kick-start the stagnant economy.

The new administration also pledged to correct the mistakes of its leftist predecessor, the Peronist party, by restoring the Central Bank's independence and overhauling the national statistics office.

Macri is only the third non-Peronist leader since the end of military rule in 1983.

The other two failed to finish their terms owing to the difficulties caused by Peronist labour unions, state governors and Congress opponents. Headline NewsXi to Address China's Internet Policy at WICThe second World Internet Conference begins today in eastern China.

President Xi Jinping is scheduled to deliver a keynote speech at the meeting in Wuzhen, in which he will elaborate on China's Internet policies.

The conference will feature strategic-level discussions on global Internet governance and the industry as an economic growth engine.

Over1,200 leading figures from governments, international organizations, enterprises, technology communities are expected to attend the event.

SCO members vow deeper cooperation under Belt and Road InitiativePrime ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states have vowed to deepen regional economic cooperation within frameworks including the Belt and Road Initiative.

This comes as the ministers wrapped up their meeting in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou on Tuesday.

A statement issued after the meeting says future economic cooperation will be focusing on infrastructure and investment in production capacity.

The joint statement also highlights technology innovation and the possibility of establishing economic cooperation zones.

Next round of Syrian talks to be held in New York FridayIt's been confirmed that the next round of foreign ministers meetings on Syria will be held on Friday in New York.

The news comes after a visit to the Kremlin by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, where he had talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and President Vladimir Putin.

According Lavrov, the New York meeting is expected to pass a UN resolution reaffirming the principles of the peace process agreed on in Vienna last month.

L.A. Schools Closed over ThreatAll public schools in neighboring Los Angeles were shut down on Tuesday over bomb threats.

The move was made after authorities of the L.A. Unified School District received threats against several schools.

A law enforcement official says the threat that closed all schools in the vast Los Angeles Unified School District was emailed to a school board member and appeared to come from overseas.

The San Bernardino shooting that left 14 people dead on December 2 has influenced the decision to shut down the district's more than 900 schools and 187 public charter schools.

WTO conference opens in Kenya amid calls for strengthening trade regimeThe 10th ministerial conference of the World Trade Organization has kicked off in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

Kenyatta Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta stressed at the opening that the establishment of a strong and rules based multilateral trade system is key to unleash new growth and prosperity.

Delegates from 162 member states are expected to reach a consensus on contentious issues surrounding agricultural subsidies, trade in services and environmental goods as well as support for least developing countries.

It is the first time that such meeting is held in Africa in two decades.

Biz ReportsAnchor:

Turning to business news, starting with a look at the closing numbers across North America and Europe.

U.S. stocks extended gains on Tuesday, as Wall Street awaited the statement after the conclusion of Federal Reserve's two-day meeting on Wednesday.

The Federal Open Market Committee began the highly-watched meeting Tuesday, and will release its post-meeting statement at 2pm Wednesday.

Analysts believe the market has fully factored in the expected December rate hike.

Meanwhile, a recovery in oil prices also provided some upward jolts to the stock market. Both the U.S. oil and Brent crude posted solid gains.

At the closing bell,Both Dow Jones and the Nasdaq increased 0.9 percent.

While S&P 500 rose 1.1 percent.

In Europe, equities bounced back on Tuesday from sharp declines in the previous two sessions.

At the close of trading,UK's FTSE 100 gained 2.5 percent.

Both Germany's DAX and France's CAC 40 moved up over 3 percent.

China likely to execute negative list administration over P2P industryAnchor:

It's being reported that China is likely to release detailed supervision rules governing the P2P lending industry in the second half of next year, at the earliest.

Some analysts predict the new rules will require the industry to implement a negative list system.

But it's also been suggested that no threshold for registered capital will be set, going against what many had expected.

As of November 30th, the number of monitored P2P lending platforms in China was just under 3,500, with a little over half of them operating at a so-called "normal" standard.

In the light of this, the industry is in urgent need of detailed regulations.

For more on this, CRI's Bob Jones earlier spoke with John Ross, senior fellow with the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University.

China to over-fulfill growth target in direct investment overseasThe Ministry of Commerce says China will exceed this year's growth target for overseas direct investment (ODI).

The latest figure shows that the Chinese mainland made over 100 billion U.S. dollars in non-financial investment in overseas markets in the first 11 months of 2015, up 16 percent year on year.

Zhou Liujun from the ministry explains where the money went.

"Fruitful investments were made in the construction of economic and trade cooperation zones, infrastructure, and overseas contracted projects. There was significant growth in direct investment overseas in large-scale projects and in the manufacturing sector."Zhou adds that such investments have been continuously optimized in targeted industrial patterns and involved nearly all sectors of the national economy.

Meanwhile, Chinese companies have built 75 economic and trade cooperation zones in over 30 countries, which have generated 18 billion U.S. dollars of ODI.

China suspends price adjustment for gasoline, dieselChina is set to suspend the price adjustment of domestic refined oil products in a bid to combat air pollution.

The country's top economic planner says giving full play to the leverage effect of refined oil prices is an important way to promote energy conservation and tackle air pollution.

Right now, prices for refined oil products are adjusted when international crude oil prices translate into a change of more than 50 yuan per ton for gasoline and diesel within a period of 10 working days.

However, according to the new plan, when international oil prices are low, domestic prices for refined oil products will remain steady.

Chinese authorities plan to solicit public opinion about the new rules before they go into effect.

China mulls credit-based restrictions on environmental violatorsChina is considering a nationwide credit system based on corporate environmental practices to make it difficult for offenders during loan applications.

Corporate credit records mainly cover environment-related certificates, safety supervision, and environmental fees and taxes.

Enterprises with a good track record will be favored when applying for loans, administrative certificates, and bidding for government procurement.

The credit system is expected to be established by 2020, with credit records covering all companies in the country.

Chinese NGO sues Volkswagen over emissions fraudA court in China has agreed to hear a case brought by a Chinese environmental organization against Volkswagen over its emissions scandal.

The China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation is going to take the automaker to court over 2-thousand vehicles imported to China, equipped with the problematic software at the heart of the scandal.

The non-governmental organization says Volkswagen broke Chinese laws and worsened air pollution.

Volkswagen delivery in China has declined since the start of the scandal.

An industry report shows that VW's China delivery from January to November declined 3.6 percent from the same period last year.

The figure is bigger than the company's global average decline of 1.7 percent.

SportsArgentina faces Japan in Club World Cup semi-finalsand in some football news:

Club teams River Plate and San Frecce Hiroshima have been prepping for their Club World Cup semi-final clash.

Osaka is currently home to the 10,000 supporters of the Argentinian team as they wait to see the game.

River Plate Coach Marcleo Gallardo has played in Japan before, during the intercontinental cup 19 years ago, where his team lost to Italy's Juventus.

Ahead of the game, Gallardo stated that his past experience in Japan, has no effect on him now.

"Those two things are completely different for me. Nineteen years ago I was here as a player and it was a wonderful, awesome experience. I was still young then. I was able to enjoy the event. Now nineteen years later, I am here again. I am full of expectations. Hopefully I will have a different result."The game between the two club team will take place on Wednesday.

A victory here for River Plate means they would advance into the finals playing either European Champions, Barcelona or Asian champions, Guangzhou Evergrande.

Guangzhou to play Barcelona in Club World Cupand in more football news:

Guangzhou Evergrande prepped on Tuesday for their Club World Cup semi-final match against Barcelona.

The Asian club champions will be going into the match with an upbeat mood, after beating Club America 2-1 in their opening game in Osaka.

The Guangzhou team is currently riding on a 28 game winning streak with Brazilian coach Luis Scholari at the helm.

The game could be the Chinese team's hardest yet against the established club team.

Some have speculated whether or not Brazilian striker Neymar will be playing in the upcoming match due to injuries.

The two teams will play on Thursday at the Yokohama International Stadium.

Mercedes holds end of year celebratory racesIn some F1 news:

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg made a star appearance for the semi-finals of the Stars and Car Cup in Stuttgart on Saturday.

The race was part of a big Mercedes-Benz celebration for 2015 year.

During the event, Hamilton and Rosberg paraded around Mercedes-Bens Arena with their achievements from this past season of F1.

The celebrated drivers also participated in some of the races.

Hamilton defeated two time former F1 world champion Mika Hakkinen in their round 16 clash.

And Rosberg beat the son of former F1 legend Michael Schumacher in their exhibition race.

The German Mercedes driver had a chance to speak to the press about the event.

"I had many great highs this year, very emotional moments. Unfortunately I didn't manage to win the championship so that was a disappointment but it's behind and now I look forward and I look forward to more opportunities in the future. Unbelievable though what Mercedes has achieved this year in the racing world. They've won absolutely everything so I'm proud to be a part of that and phenomenal job."The end of the celebration saw a racing showdown between drivers Pascal Wehrlein and Daniel Juncadella.

Juncadella won the final with a 2-0, in the best-of-three races.

Jaguar returns to motor sportsAnd in some more racing news:

Motor car company Jaguar announced on Tuesday, their return to the world of motor sports.

The company announced they will be entering the FIA Formula E championship, which is a global championship for electric cars.

During the press event, Jaguar team director James Barclay spoke about the move.

"It's a hugely exciting moment for us. The brand has synonymous, history of success, in competition in motorsport. So, for Jaguar to enter sport, not only is it a big story for the industry, it's a big story for Jaguar. So yeah, we're hugely excited and hugely motivated by it."The move will offer Jaguar the opportunity to further their development for motor and battery technology.

Details regarding the teams return to racing will be released sometime next year.

Rio continues to combat clean water concernsIn some Olympic news:

Questions of water quality ahead of the 2016 Rio games remain an issue despite assurances from the Federation of London on Tuesday.

Earlier in December, a new round of tests conducted by the Associated Press showed high levels off pathogens farther off shore from the city of Rio De Janiero.

The pathogens are believed to be caused by sewage flowing into sea from drains and rivers.

For events like sailing, this could be a serious health risk for athletes competing in the Olympic Games.

World sailing spokesman Malcolm Page recently spoke on the issue during a press event.

"It takes something like the Olympic Games to get some action happening and things into gear and, yes, we would have preferred if it had been done before the test event just gone by or even before the test event we had in 2014. But it's happening. They have committed to us that it will be done by this month. It will be a nice Christmas present for us. And we look forward to getting our people out there to check it out in January."Organizers are currently capping off pipes in an effort to to stop sewage from gaining access to the shore.

Concern is still high as many believe that "capping" will not solve the virus problem plaguing the waters.

Despite this, Page and others are confident the water will be clean for the games.

Entertainment'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' to premiere in China at Spring FestivalThe sequel to martial arts epic "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" has locked a release date in China for the Spring Festival.

Director Yuen Woo-ping and actresses Michelle Yeoh brought the film to the public during a launch event in Beijing.

The film, officially named "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny," revolves around several warriors protecting a legendary sword.

Michelle Yeoh reprises her role from the first film as Yu Shu Lien.

She says she couldn't wait to step back into the character.

"I really like the role of Yu Shu Lien. She has the typical feelings that most Chinese women have. She is caring. I have strong feelings about her."Directed by Ang Lee, the first movie won four Academy Awards in 2000, becoming a martial arts classic around the world.

The new director, Yuen Woo-ping, says he is hoping to repeat the success.

He also hopes the film will promote exchanges between Chinese and Western cultures.

"It's not only being proud of the Chinese culture. This is an exchange between Chinese culture and Western culture. Therefore, westerners will learn about the essence of Chinese martial arts. They will have an idea about how Chinese martial art movies look, how Chinese technology is, and what Chinese culture is. So the most important thing is the exchange between the Chinese and Western cultures."Unlike the previous film, the sequel was filmed in English.

However, it will be dubbed into Mandarin before its release in China.

"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny" will be released in China on February 8th.

Diversity highlighted at 'Star Wars' world premiere"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" has held its grand premiere in Los Angeles with numbers of storm troopers, celebrities and fans in costumes.

Director-producer JJ Abrams was joined by Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and newcomers John Boyega and Lupita Nyong'o on the red carpet.

Abrams says he is most proud of his film's diverse cast.

"It was also really important for me that we cast the movie the way the world looks and that we didn't write the parts to look any particular way. When we found actors like John Boyega, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, obviously Daisy Ridley, it was just, it felt like a more fair and balanced cast."Harrison Ford echoed the remarks, saying the cast simply reflects the diversity of the "Star Wars" universe.

The film also introduced some strong female characters.

"Game of Thrones" actress Gwendoline Christie says she's thrilled to play one of franchise's first female villains.

"I think that people, our studios and content creators are listening to the fact that people want to see a more representative reflection of their society on their screens. And to me it just seems logical. Long may it continue!"The plot of the film is still cloaked in secrecy.

However, reviews have come back good after the premiere.

BuzzFeed film reporter Adam B Vary says the movie is "100% Star Wars," while LA Times film writer Rebecca Keegan wrote that the film is what the fans are looking for.

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" will open in North America on Friday.

It will open in Chinese theatres on January 9th.

WeatherBeijing will be sunny today with a high of 2 degree Celsius; tonight clear with a low of -7.

Shanghai, sunny with a high of 6, tonight clear with a low of 0.

Chongqing, overcast with a high of 11 and a low of 5.

Lhasa, cloudy, a high of 10 and a low of minus 6 degrees Celsius.

Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia,Islamabad, cloudy, 17.

Kabul, cloudy, a high of 3.

Over in North America,New York will see slight rain today with a high of 13 degrees Celsius.

Washington DC, overcast, 14.

Honolulu, also overcast, with a high of 28.

Toronto, overcast, 7.

In South America,Buenos Aires, cloudy with a high of 33.

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

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

Recapping our top stories this morning...

The World Internet Conference Opens today in Wuzhen, an historic coastal town in eastern China...

Member nations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization vow to strengthen ties under frameworks like the Belt and Road initiative...

The UN Nuclear agency adopts a resolution to close its investigation into whether Iran once had a nuclear weapons program...

In Business...new rules for the peer-to-peer lending sector in China...

On behalf of the rest of the Beijing Hour team, 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.