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

Coming up on the program this evening...

The Chinese Foreign Ministry expressing its strong opposition to the United States over its arms sale to Taiwan...

The Chinese Embassy in North Korea denying reports of over 100 Chinese nationals being arrested by authorities there....

And UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon saying that there is no time left to waste in addressing the Syrian conflict...

In business... the US Fed raising its benchmark interest rate for the first time in seven years...

In sports.... Guangzhou Evergrande takes on Barcelona at the Club World Cup...

In entertainment..... Kungfu film 'Ip Man 3' premiering in Hong Kong...

Top NewsChina urges United States to revoke arms sale to TaiwanThe Chinese foreign ministry has expressed its strong opposition to the United States over its arms sale to Taiwan and warns that this move will harm China-U.S. ties.

Spokesman of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hong Lei, said at the Thursday press conference that the United States must abide by the three joint communiques agreed to between China and the US.

"We urge the American side to live up to the spirit of the three joint communiques between China and the US, revoke the plan of selling arms to Taiwan, do more to promote the overall interest of bilateral relations, as well as the peaceful development of cross-straits relations."Hong also promised that the Chinese government will not cooperate with companies involved in arms sale to Taiwan.

"US companies' involvement in arms sales with Taiwan constitutes a severe infringement of China's sovereignty and security interests. The Chinese government and companies will not conduct cooperation with business engaged in these activities."The U.S. State Department on Wednesday notified Congress of a 1.83-billion-U.S.-dollar deal on arms sale to Taiwan.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang has summoned US diplomats in Beijing to make solemn representations to the U.S. over the arms sale.

It is the second time in four years that the Obama administration has approved a major arms sale package to Taiwan.

Chinese Embassy dismisses massive arrests of Chinese nationals in DPRKThe Chinese Embassy in North Korea has denied media reports that more than 100 Chinese nationals residing in the country were recently arrested by authorities there.

In a statement carried on its official website, the embassy says there are about 3,000 Chinese living and working in North Korea, mostly residing in Pyongyang, Sinuiju and Chongjin.

The statement notes that the Chinese people have been law-abiding and diligent in contributing to the socio-economic development of North Korea.

Earlier, there have been reports by foreign media outlets that more than 100 Chinese nationals in North Korea were arrested and interrogated for alleged espionage activities.

The embassy statement said Chinese nationals violating laws and perpetuating crimes in North Korea represent only a few individual cases and that there is no so-called espionage at all.

Number of trapped miners rise to 19 in NE China explosionThe number of people trapped underground after an explosion at a coal mine in northeast China's Hegang City, Heilongjiang Province, has risen to 19.

The explosion happened on Wednesday afternoon.

At the time 52 people were working underground. 33 managed to escape.

It is said the fire brought the underground temperature up to as high as 1,000 degrees Celsius and the concentration of carbon monoxide would make it impossible to survive.

Zhang Qinxiang is the spokesman of Rescue and Command Office.

"Normal concentration of carbon monoxide should not go higher than 24 parts per million, and currently the CO concentration underground is 14,650 parts per million, reaching a level that can cause people to suffocate to death with just one breath."The fire caused by the blast is still burning after 17 hours.

The rescue mission continues.

China's top think tank forecasts 6.8 percent growthChina's top think tank predicts that China will see its economic growth post between 6.6 and 6.8 percent in the coming year.

But the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences noted that China faces many challenges as the economy is on the path of restructuring.

Li Yang, a researcher under the academy, says that fast growth is no longer the country's prime focus.

"China's goal is to develop comprehensively. Besides GDP, we should focus on providing a more comfortable life to people. So when assessing China's economy, we need to discard the old standards and place more focus on the environment, quality and efficiency of growth."The think tank also suggested the central bank adopt a "structurally loose" monetary policy and a more flexible exchange rate for the Chinese currency.

On Wednesday, China's central bank also projected its baseline forecast for next year's growth at 6.8 percent.

China approves three new clean energy power plantsThree new clean energy power plants have been approved at an executive meeting of China's Cabinet on Thursday.

The Wudongde hydro-power plant located on Jinshajiang River in Sichuan province will be China's third plant that can generate ten million kilowatts of electricity per day.

Professor Zhao Xijun from Renmin University said that such large clean energy projects can increase local revenue, attract more investment in related industries and offer more jobs.

"At present, China's GDP growth rate is slowing down, so it is important to find some way to give fresh growth impetus. The approval of the clean energy power plants by the State Council can drive the current economy and play an active role in maintaining stable growth."The other two clean energy projects are the second stage of Hongsha nuclear power plant in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and the extension of Tianwan nuclear power plant in Jiangsu province.

The Hongsha nuclear power plant features China's self-developed technology termed Hualong One.

Zhao pointed out the new nuclear power plants will also help upgrade energy structures and prevent pollution.

"Green development is crucial in the process of economic growth, including infrastructure construction. The power plants driven by water and nuclear exert less impact on the environment compared to those driven by coal and oil burning. The change will optimize current energy structures and reduce harm to the environment."The meeting also emphasized the quality and security issues of nuclear power plant construction.

Currently, 66 percent of China's energy comes from coal, 35 percentage points higher than the world average.

The country is planning to build six to eight nuclear power plants annually during the 13th Five-Year Plan period, from 2016 to 2020.

China Launches First Satellite for Searching Dark MatterChina has for the first time sent a space telescope into space in a fresh search for signals of dark matter, the invisible material scientists believe to make up most of the universe's mass.

CRI's Xie Cheng has the story.

The Dark Matter Particle Explorer Satellite, named 'Wukong' after the famous Monkey King from the ancient Chinese classical fiction 'Journey to the West', was launched this morning on a Long March 2-D rocket from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China's Gansu Province.

The 1.9-ton desk-sized satellite has entered a sun-synchronous orbit at a height of 500 kilometers to observe high-energy particles' direction, energy and electric charge.

Li Huawang, the chief designer of the Dark Matter Probe Project, explained the mission it will undertake over the next 3 years.

"The Dark Matter Particle Explorer Satellite will search for the evidence proving the existence of dark matter. The satellite will try to calculate the dark matter particles' annihilation or decay that are in space, and then infer the existence of dark matter through those results using a method called 'reduction ad absurdum.'"The new satellite's observation spectrum is approximately nine times wider than the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer onboard the International Space Station, while its energy resolution is at least three times higher than its international peers.

The four detectors it consists of are mostly self-developed, and the payload could be as high as over 14-hundered kilograms.

Bai Chunli, president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, introduced some coming projects after the Wukong satellite is launched in the future.

"After the successful launch of dark matter particle explorer satellite, next year we'll also launch a satellite for quantum science experiments, a hard X-ray telescope, and the SJ-10 satellite for microgravity research and space life science. Our exploration on sun, Mars and black holes is also on the way."He added that the successful launch is regarded as a new step in China's multi-billion-dollar space endeavor.

Dark Matter and dark energy are believed to account for some 95% of the total mass-energy of the known universe.

Dark matter has become widely accepted in the physics community though its existence has never been concretely proven.

Its exploration could give a clearer idea about the past and future of galaxies and the universe.

China also runs an underground dark matter lab in the southwest province of Sichuan, some 2,400 meters under the earth's surface.

Yue Qian, an associate professor from Tsinghua University, explains why the lab is built so deeply underground.

"The mountains could obstruct a great amount of cosmic rays from the universe, and greatly lower the amount of useless, interfering signals, thus the possibility of our discovering dark matter through the detectors could increase."Thursday's launch is the 221st mission by the Long March rocket series.

The country sent its first astronaut into space in 2003 to achieve manned space travel independently. In 2008, astronauts aboard Shenzhou-7 made China's first space walk. There are plans for a permanent space station, expected around 2022.

For CRI, I'm Xie Cheng.

Cyber Security Forum in WuzhenNearly 100 security experts and government officials have attended a Cyber Security Forum on the sidelines of the World Internet Conference.

CRI's Luo Bin has more.

"You think smart phones are a big thing, and impact society and governance? You haven't seen anything yet!"This comment is from Bruce McConnell, Senior Vice President at Eastwest Institute, at the Cyber Security forum in WuZhen.

In his eyes, the future of internet is full of opportunities.

"What i am talking about here is the smart connected devices. It's big part of President Xi's Internet Plus strategy in which every piece of modern life will be part of the internet of things. Smart city, smart Wu Zhen, smart manufacturing, hospital optimization where patients are treated by systemed machines, driver-less vehicles, so it's many opportunities here. "However, as Fang Binxing with the Chinese Academy of Engineering explains, there are risks that come with opportunities and new technologies.

"Take big data as an example. It is quite easy to get internet users' data, if you can combine the data from different channels. For example, if you combine the data publicized online by the US, the complaint messages from Walmart, and Facebook information, you will be able to determine that a specific user is American, 62 years old, and a widow. This is the security issue brought by big data."Cyber security is one of the most important issues at the World Internet Summit or WIC. As Chinese President Xi Jinping mentioned in his speech at the opening ceremony, cyber surveillance, cyber attacks and cyber terrorism have become a global scourge.

Paik Ji-ah, South Korea's Ambassador for International Security Affairs says a better effort is needed to guard security in cyberspace.

"We should first of all establish more effective and stronger partnership responding to cyber attacks and crimes. We should continue to make efforts to develop a global consensus of norms rules and principal. Thirdly, transparent and stabilize measures can improve cyber security by reducing the risk of escalation. "Experts say in terms of cooperation on cyber security, it is critical that every state steps up its effort on the regional, bilateral, and international levels.

For CRI, I am Luo Bin.

Internet Finance to Make a Difference in China's Finance DevelopmentInternet finance has become a hot topic at the ongoing World Internet Conference.

Experts and insiders say that, with the industry booming in China, the country's plan to modernize its financial services may have just entered a golden era.

CRI's Niu Honglin reports.

Technology revolution and big data have helped online businesses boom in China.

With Tencent's third party mobile payment service being well received, and with Alipay going viral, more and more online businesses have entered the financial world, offering services such as peer-to-peer lending, crowdfunding, microfinance, and wealth management for small- and-micro businesses.

Wu Xiaoqiu, head of the Finance and Securities Institute of Renmin University of China, says Internet finance is currently playing a complementary role in the finance sector, helping the country's traditional financial services transformed to an inclusive mode.

"Internet finance is available to customers that traditional finance missed. Traditional finance used to serve big businesses and rich people, ignoring small and micro businesses. If a financial system just provides service to a specific population, then I don't think it is an efficient system. Therefore, Internet finance has transformed traditional finance to an inclusive finance system."Speaking at a forum at the Second World Internet Conference, he adds that the development of mobile Internet can make finance services cheaper, while big data can assist risk control.

According to the "2015 Annual Report on China's Internet Finance Development," third party mobile payment services quadrupled in size last year compared with 2013 to nearly six trillion yuan, while P2P lending has grown rapidly.

Xu Ming, Deputy President of Postal Savings Bank of China, says Internet finance provides an opportunity for the innovation of business models and transformation of banking services.

"Internet finance means more opportunities than challenges to traditional commercial banks because it brings inspiration to us. Traditional banks need to be transformed to improve service levels and capabilities. They also need to learn from Internet finance, which has a great advantage in customer experience, client coverage, and the application of big data."At the same time, since internet finance is still rather new in China, regulation systems are facing challenges adjusting to the finance industry's development.

Dong Dengxin, Head of the Financial and Security Research Institute, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, says only innovation and supervision can promote the healthy development of Internet finance.

"Innovation expands the supervision, making up loopholes in supervision. Many countries encourage innovation because only innovation can promote the development of supervision. Internet finance is a new industry and regulators don't have enough knowledge about it. Therefore they should give it mild tolerance and moderate space for innovation."According to Guo Qingping, vice-governor of the People's Bank of China, three pairs of relationships need to be taken care of for the Internet finance sector to further develop in the country.

One is the relationship between Internet finance and traditional finance. The second is to properly deal with innovation and risk control. And the third is the relationship between the government and the market.

For CRI, I'm Niu Honglin.

No single minute to waste in addressing Syrian conflict: Ban Ki-moonAddressing his year-end news conference, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said that there is not much time to waste in addressing the Syrian conflict.

CRI's UN correspondent Su Yi has more.

Ban Ki-moon has confirmed a new round of international talks on Syria is set to be held in New York on Friday. The meeting will be followed by a Security Council meeting on Syria on the same day.

The last meeting in Vienna set an ambitious deadline, asking UN mediator Staffan de Mistura to organize talks among the warring Syrian parties by Jan. 1.

Also, world and regional powers, including the US, Russia, and China have voiced support for establishing a credible, inclusive government in Syria within six months and holding free and fair elections within 18 months.

Ban says it is an ambitious target that must be pursued.

"Some people may think it is too ambitious. But one needs to be ambitious. We do not have much time to waste - even a single minute."Two rounds of international talks on Syria have been held already - in October and November in Vienna - seeking a roadmap to end the nearly five-year war in the country.

Ban Ki-moon is urging an early realization of a nationwide ceasefire in Syria.

"It is important that we should have a nationwide ceasefire as soon as possible. Of course there are certain areas controlled by ISIS, but as much as we can, we should expand this area to be covered by a ceasefire as wide as possible. For that possible, Stephen Misutrata will engage in intra-Syrian talks as soon as possible. Then we can expand the political space."The in conflict in Syria has killed 250-thousand people and forced 13 million from their homes.

The UN Chief also outlined major UN achievements during his wide-ranging press conference, including the latest international climate deal reached in Paris earlier this month.

"The Paris Agreement surpassed expectations. World leaders recognized that we could and must do better than settling for the lowest common denominator. So they reached higher. The Paris Agreement gives us Plan A for the planet – A for ambition."The Paris Agreement sets a target of holding the global average rise in temperature below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and preferably below 1.5 degrees.

Other milestones Ban noted include the adoption of the 17-point 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which is widely believed as the most important result of the events to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the UN.

For CRI, I'm Su Yi in New York.

UN special envoy visits Libyan generalUnited Nations Special Envoy to Libya, Martin Kobler, on Wednesday met the Commander of the country's internationally recognised army, General Khalifa Hifter.

Kobler highlighted the importance of the planned signing of a UN-sponsored deal aimed at ending the conflict in the country.

"The signature of the agreement tomorrow will be an important first step. It's the beginning to really do to something for the security situation here in the country. And this cannot be done in the east only or in the west only, it has to be done nationwide."The deal will form a national unity government between the internationally recognised parliament in the eastern city of Tobruk and the Islamic militia-backed General National Congress in the capital Tripoli.

Hifter also called for the agreement to be solidified.

"We don't want to waste our time. We lose blood and lives every day. These people are our sons. We care for them and we want the arms embargo to be lifted only, therefore the weapons will come in and we will do the right job, and then the Islamist Militants will not be able to resist for a long time."Libya has descended into factional violence following the 2011 toppling and killing of Moammar Gadhafi.

The chaos caused a surge of migrants and refugees who set off for Europe in boats operated by smugglers.

US Updates National Terrorism Advisory SystemThe US has updated its National Terrorism Advisory System to warn its citizens about public security risks.

The Department of Homeland Security will now add bulletins as a form of advisory.

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson on Wednesday announced the update.

"This is general information for the public about the current threat environment, what we see, additional details, what your government is doing about it, and how the public can help. With today's announcement we are also issuing an actual and task bulletin. The duration for this bulletin, and these bulletins should have a duration, will be six months to June 16, 2016 from today."The first bulletin can be seen on the department's website. It gives a summary of security risks facing the US currently, without reporting on any specific threats.

The advisory system has been in place since 2011. It previously had two advisory levels – an elevated alert, which warns of a credible threat of an attack, along with an imminent alert, which warns of a credible, specific and impending threat.

The system has yet to issue an actual alert.

Homeland Security said the new update has been planned for months, and was not related to recent attacks in and outside of the US.

US and Cuba Near Deal to Allow Direct Flights: Cuban OfficialThe US and Cuba are said to be making significant progress in joint efforts to restore direct commercial flights between them.

Cuba's Director of US Affairs Josefina Vidal made the comments in Havana on Wednesday, but noted a formal agreement is yet to be finalized.

"The negotiators have made significant progress in the talks regarding a memorandum of understanding on establishing regular flights between Cuba and United States, and soon will be able to brief us on the announcement of a preliminary agreement on this issue."Vidal added the two sides are now working out the logistical details to restore direct mail services.

The former cold war foes announced plans to re-establish ties a year ago. Restoration of direct flights is expected to boost local tourism in Cuba.

US President Barack Obama recently said in an interview that he hoped to visit Cuba in 2016, if enough progress is made in bilateral relations.

Argentina Relaxes Foreign Exchange RestrictionsArgentina on Wednesday lifted its unpopular restrictions on buying US dollars.

The measure was a campaign promise of newly elected President Mauricio Macri.

Argentine Finance Minister Alfonso Prat-Gay explained the new move.

"Since the inception of the currency exchange controls in Argentina, there has been a devaluation of 230 percent, meaning, the peso is worth one fourth of what it was worth in 2011. The Central Bank's reserves fell by half. The entire economy practically came to a standstill. Job growth stalled and almost everyone of the regional economies of the country drowned. That is the reason for our campaign promise to lift the restrictions as quickly as possible."While expected to be welcomed by international investors and many in the country, the new measures have also caused fears of sharp devaluations of the peso.

Headline NewsLi Keqiang, Medvedev oversees signing of 30 bilateral dealsChinese Premier Li Keqiang has held a welcoming ceremony for his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev for the 20th China-Russia Prime Ministers' Regular Meeting in Beijing.

Both leaders have witnessed the signing of over 30 bilateral cooperation documents on Thursday, covering energy, investment, finance and high technology sectors.

Earlier this week, the Russian Prime minister has attended the annual meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Zhengzhou and the ongoing World Internet Conference in Wuzhen.

Beijing to See New Round of Heavy Smog: ForecastChina's National Meteorological Center is forecasting that Beijing, parts of Hebei Province and Henan Province will experience another round of heavy smog from December 19th to 22nd.

The forecast says during those days, the PM2.5 reading in southern Beijing and parts of Hebei could surpass 500. The smog is expected to bring low visibility to the regions. The center is warning the public to take necessary safety precautions.

Microsoft and China Electronics Tech Group Corp to Form Joint VentureChina Electronics Technology Group Corporation and Microsoft have agreed to form a joint venture. The new company will create secure Windows-based operating systems for Chinese government organs and state-owned enterprises.

The two sides signed a memorandum on the cooperation on Thursday in Wuzhen, east China's Zhejiang Province.

The Chinese side will hold a 51-percent stake in the venture with registered capital of 40 million U.S. dollars.

A joint statement on the venture says it will help to improve China's software R&D and safeguard the country's cyber security.

Coastal express railway opens in NE ChinaChina's first coastal express railway has been put into use on Thursday in the country's northeastern region.

The 290-km Danda Railway links the coastal cities of Dandong and Dalian in Liaoning Province.

Initially, 24 passenger trains and 34 freight trains will run on the line each day, with its speed reaching 200 km per hour.

Construction of the railway began in 2010.

Dandong also acts as the key hub for trade and tourism between China and North Korea.

S. Korean court acquits Japan's journalist of defaming presidentA South Korean court has acquitted a Japanese journalist from a criminal charge of defaming President Park Geun-hye.

The Seoul Central District Court announced a sentence of acquittal to Tatsuya Kato, former Seoul bureau chief of Japan's conservative Sankei Shimbun newspaper.

According to the ruling, the defendant's article, though inappropriate, still falls within the area of protecting the freedom of the press.

Kato was indicted in October 2014 for his article about Park's whereabouts on the day of the Sewol ferry tragedy that killed more than 300 passengers.

Biz ReportsAsian StocksTime to check today's business news, starting with the closing numbers here in China.

Mainland markets closed higher on Thursday, with 420 billion U.S. dollars worth of funds flowing back to the equities market after a recent spate of initial public offerings.

The yuan was also weakened for a record 10th day, the lowest in four and a half years, bolstering the outlook for exports.

At close, the Shanghai Composite Index grew 1.8 percent.

The smaller Shenzhen Component index gained 2.5 percent.

While the small-cap ChiNext Index jumped 2.6 percent.

In Hong Kong, the Heng Seng advanced 0.8 percent, after its benchmark interest rate raised. We'll have more on this later.

Elsewhere in Asia,Tokyo shares ended the trading Thursday remarkably higher as sentiment was boosted by a better U.S. economy outlook after the U.S. Federal Reserve raised the country's interest rates.

The benchmark Nikkei advanced 1.6 percent.

South Korea's KOSPI was up 0.4 percent.

In Singapore, the benchmark Straits Times index rose 0.9 percent.

And finally,Australia's ASX/200 also added 1.4 percent.

US Federal Reserve raises key interest rateThe US Federal Reserve decided to raise its benchmark interest rate for the first time in seven years, by 25 basis points.

Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen says the decision reflects the committee's confidence that the economy will continue to strengthen.

The move ends an extraordinary seven-year period of near-zero borrowing rates.

But the Fed's statement suggested that rates would remain historically low well into the future, saying it expects "only gradual increases."Wells Fargo was the first bank to raise its prime rate to 3.50 percent.

For more on the Fed's rate increase, the Beijing Hour's Shane Bigham spoke earlier with Cao Can, CRI's financial commentator.

Fed's rate increase will have certain impacts on ChinaThe U.S. decision to raise interest rates will have some impact on China's trade but the level of that impact is not yet known.

Ministry of Commerce spokesperson Shen Danyang made the remark at a regular press conference in Beijing.

"As for how much of the impact will be, at present we will have to do a specific analysis depending on the circumstances of the interest rate raise, the scale of the interest raise and the implementation of other supporting policies (on which) we will do an assessment."At the press conference, Shen Danyang also said China's retail sales have remained stable this year with increases witnessed in the last four months.

He expects the year-round number to grow by some 11 percent.

"China's social consumer retail sales grew 10.6 percent cumulatively from January to November, 0.1 percent growth compared to the first three quarters. It's expected that China's retail sales in this year will probably grow by around 10.7 percent."The spokesperson added that online shopping continued to expand last month.

Spending on entertainment surged with box office sales across the country up nearly 50 percent during the first eleven months of the year.

Housing consumption continued to rebound thanks to a warming property market.

Banks in HK have not raise interest rates after HKMA announcementThe Hong Kong Monetary Authority has increased its base rate for the first time in 7 years by 25 basis points to 0.75 percent on Thursday, following the increase in US rates by the Federal Reserve.

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

As the Hong Kong dollar is pegged to the US dollar, interest rates between the two currencies are closely linked.

The chief executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Norman Chan, says Hong Kong dollar inter bank rates will rise gradually.

"The normalization of Hong Kong's interest rate will begin with the outflow of funds from the Hong Kong dollar trigger by high interest rates of the US dollar. Given that the pace of US interest rate hikes would likely to be gradual and we have a very big cushion of close to $1.6 trillion HK dollars in our monetary base, we presently expect the rise in Hong Kong dollar inter bank interest rates to be incremental."George Leung, the Advisor in Strategy and Economics with HSBC Asia Pacific, says a strong US dollar has already affected Hong Kong's economy.

"We have seen a relatively slow economic growth this year, which is to a large extent attributed to the weak performance in our foreign trade."Hong Kong's Financial Secretary John Tsang, meanwhile, has warned investors to be aware of possible asset market volatility in the wake of the US rate hike.

"There might be an outflow of capital from Hong Kong, but we have a sound economic base and well-established financial systems, so we are able to handle large-scale capital flow. The Government will closely monitor changes in the external environment and maintain stability in the local financial and labor markets."Experts predict that Hong Kong's property market would cool down following the rate hike, however, some major banks in Hong Kong have not announced interest rate hikes so far, including HSBC, Standard Chartered and Bank of China.

It means that their customers will not see an immediate rise in mortgage or deposit rates.

For CRI, this is Li Jing in Hong Kong.

SportsGuangzhou Evergrande facing Barcelona at Club World ClubBeginning with live football action from the Club World Cup.

Chinese and Asian champions Guangzhou Evergrande and European champions Barcelona are battling it out on the field in the semi-finals currently being held in Yokohama, Japan.

First a quick update of the score, it is 2:0 in favor of Barcelona.

Evergrande earned their chance to play arguably the best club in the world by beating America 2-1 two days ago.

Captain Zheng Zhi said regardless of the result, tonight's game means a lot for them.

"We worked so hard to win the game against America for a chance to play Barcelona. It will be a head-on Club World Cup clash. We played the then-European champions Bayern Munich in our last appearance at the tournament, now we are facing the new European champions. They are a strong team. We should all enjoy the game. We should be able to feel and learn something out of this game against the world-class team."The winners of this game will go on to meet South American and Copa Libertadores winners River Plate in the final.

The Argentinian club defeated Sanfrecce Hiroshima 1-0 last night to become the first finalists.

In other action from earlier,America beat TP Mazembe 2-1 to finish fifth in the tournament.

Copa Del Rey, DFB Pokal resultsElsewhere in football,Rayo Vallecano suffered a 3-1 away defeat by Getafe to come to 3-3 on aggregate at the Copa Del Rey.

Vallecano still reached the last 16 on away goals.

Chinese player Zhang Chengdong made the starting line-up and played for 83 minutes.

Some of the other teams in the last 16 include Sevilla, Deportivo, Espanyol and Real Betis.

More advancements will be decided by tomorrow's games.

Over in Germany,Hertha Berlin, Stuttgart, Dortmund and Bochum are the last four quarterfinalists at the DFB Pokal.

In Bundesliga news,Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola has informed the club his decision to leave the German giants when his contract runs out next summer.

Guardiola is reported to have been closely linked with the Premier League where Manchester City have been courting him.

British media are reporting that former Chelsea and Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is set to replace Guardiola at Bayern Munich.

China beat US 1-0; Wambach retires at 35In women's football,China beat the United States 1-0 at a friendly where American record international goal scorer Abby Wambach bid the sport farewell.

Wang Shuang scored the only goal in the second half.

Wambach is considered one of the greatest women's football players of all time. The 35-year-old tallied 184 goals for the United States in her career that spanned 14 years.

Wambach couldn't help but shed a few tears as she left the pitch for the last time.

"I'm happy that I kept it together emotionally. When I got in the locker room it was a little different. Because I was alone, right? My teammates let me do the walkoff. And everything kind of just hit me that, you know, this was the last time I'd be taking the jersey off. This is the last time I'd be hanging out with my teammates in the locker room. And they're all happy tears."Wambach retired with a World Cup title, two Olympic gold medals and a FIFA World Player of the Year award under the belt.

CBA/NBA recapIn CBA results,Leaders Xinjiang gave powerhouse Guangdong a beat down of 108-100 in their well-matched 18th round game last night.

Xinjiang improved to 16-2 in the season.

Next up for them are Liaoning tomorrow.

The Zhejiang Lions continue to level Xinjiang's record after a 107-84 success over Jiangsu.

And in other games,Beijing won their fourth game in a row, beating Sichuan 119-106;The Ducks' city rivals Beikong went down to Shanghai 106-85,Liaoning beat Jilin 111-106,And Qingdao narrowly edged Bayi 102-101.

In the NBA,The Warriors' unbeaten record at the start of the season may have ended but they continue to have home success.

The Warriors have won their last 29 games at home from this and last season with a latest 128-103 victory over Phoenix.

Indiana smashed Dallas 107-81,Orlando upset Charlotte 113-98,Chicago downed Memphis 98-85,And it is the Clippers over the Bucks 103-90.

Zou Shiming to fight for WBO title next JanuaryIn boxing,China's former WBO International Flyweight champion Zou Shiming has announced his comeback next year.

Zou will be fighting Brazilian boxer Santana-Coutinho on Januray in Shanghai in an attempt to claim the now-vacant WBO Flyweight title.

Zou's compatriot Yang Lianhui will also enter the ring against a Thai boxer.

Rome wins bid for 2022 Ryder CupIn golf,Rome will become the third Ryder Cup host from continental Europe after Italy won the bid to stage the tournament in 2022.

European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley presented the Ryder Cup at a news conference where he officially announced Rome as the host city.

Director of the Italian bid Marco Duarnte and the board promised Rome would deliver a world class event.

The 44th edition of the Ryder Cup will be held at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club. Le golf National on the outskirts of Paris will host the edition before that in 2018.

Victories for both Chinese teams at Water Polo Asian ChampionshipsNow some water sports action from the southern Chinese city of Foshan,Hosts China opened the Water Polo Asian Championships with double victories from both the men's and women's team.

China's ladies beat Japan 14-8 in the two-nation, best-of-three competitions.

China will book a place in the Rio Olympic Games if they repeat their success against Japan today.

The Chinese men's team thrashed Saudi Arabia 18-1.

Japan downed Iran 23-2.

Five men's teams are competing in the tournament with the winner qualifying for Rio.

Now back to the Club World Cup,The Guangzhou Evergrande-Barcelona game is still ongoing and it is Barcelona leading with 2, while Guangzhou zero.

EntertainmentDonnie Yen Attends 'Ip Man 3' Hong Kong PremierKungfu film 'Ip Man 3' has premiered in Hong Kong on Wednesday, with its leading cast walking the red carpet.

The 52-year-old action star Donnie Yen returns to the iconic character that is near and dear to his fans.　Joined by his model wife and their two kids on the red carpet, the Kung Fu superstar says 'Ip Man 3' is actually a family film.

"Actually Ip Man is a family man himself. When we were making the film, we tried to make the character, or the theme of film very positive. This is something that children can watch."Actress Lynn Hung and actor Max Zhang also make their appearance at the premier.

The first 'Ip Man' film was released in 2008.

This third installment portrays an older Ip man, as the Wing Chun master was forced to fight against criminals again, when tried to take over his town.

The film will open in Hong Kong on Christmas Day.

'Dream of Red Chamber' Opera to Debut Next SeptemberChinese literary masterpiece 'Dream of the Red Chamber' will be adapted into opera and make a US debut on next September.

Based on author Cao Xueqin's novel of the 18th Century, the two-act opera is designed to "showcase the best in Chinese literature" and "encourage innovation in the arts".

Fully infused with Chinese elements, the three-hour opera is set to follow a love triangle, among hero Jia Baoyu, his beautiful cousin Lin Daiyu, and his future wife Xue Baochai.

Well known for play 'Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land', award-winning director and playwright Stan Lai will direct the opera.

The opera also features an English-language libretto by composer Bright Sheng, and playwright David Henry Hwang, who has won the 1988 Tony Award for Best Play.

The 'Dream of Red Chamber' is scheduled to be released worldwide on September 10th next year.

Stars Shine at 'Star Wars: The Force Awaken' European Premier in LondonA galaxy of stars have walked the red carpet for the European premier of the latest 'Star Wars' installment in London on Wednesday.

Actors from the original trilogy, such as Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill, have teamed up with newcomers in 'The Force Awakens', including John Boyega, Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver.

Known as the creator of 'Star Wars' franchise, director George Lucas says he has no regrets on handing over the reins to J.J.Abrams.

"Well, I was ready to do it. I was ready to move on. I didn't want 'Star Wars' to be the rest of my life and that's what it would have been. I wanted to make sure it got launched properly and could go on . Now maybe it'll go on for 50 or 100 years. I didn't want somebody trying to sort it out after I'm dead."Hamill, obviously absent from the film's promotional materials and trailers, still keeps his lips zipped about his role in the upcoming installment.

"Well you have to wait and see. That's part of the mystery. But I did say, 'Let's keep it age appropriate.' I mean for God's sake, I said, 'Look, easy on the lightsaber duals, heavy on the Jedi mind tricks.' That I can do. This I can do."'The Force Awakens' is set to be released publicly tomorrow, with box-office analysts predicting it to smash sales records.

It will open in China on January 9th.

Jake Gyllenhaal Honored as Variety Magazine's International Star of the YearActor Jake Gyllenhaal has been honored as Variety Magazine's international star of the year, at the closing night of the Dubai Film Festival.

While receiving the award, the 34-year-old star gave a talk to the audience, looking back on his career.

He shares his experience collaborating with new filmmakers in his directorial debut 'Nightcrawler'.

"I enjoy working with everybody at any stage of the game if they are talented. I just think we, in the entertainment industry, I think we tend to sort of gravitate toward those that other people have already chosen and deemed talented by more than a few people and to me, I like to trust, again, I like to say, 'I like this person's work, I think they are a great filmmaker."Gyllenhaal's latest film 'Demolition' is set to be released in the US next April.

He gives more insights into his role, as a man who lost his wife in a car accident and sees his life unravel.

"To me, I think that 'Demolition' is in a way a metaphor, I think of sort of an awakening, of waking up to who you actually are and moving away from the things that society tells you to be and moving out of convention into whatever your instinct."Rising to fame with the performance in the film 'Brokeback Mountain', the actor has won a Best Supporting Actor BAFTA for this role.

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

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

The Chinese Foreign Ministry expressing its strong opposition to the United States over its arms sale to Taiwan...

The Chinese Embassy in North Korea denying reports of over 100 Chinese nationals being arrested by authorities there....

And UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon saying that there is no time left to waste in addressing the Syrian conflict...

On behalf of the whole Beijing Hour news team, this is Spencer Musick in Beijing. Join us for the next edition of the Beijing Hour, to open a window to the world together...