新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 20:00 2016/02/04（在线收听）

The Beijing Hour

Evening Edition

Shane Bigham with you on this Thursday February 4th, 2016.

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

Coming up on the program this evening...

The Chinese foreign ministry calls on all sides at the Syrian peace talks in Geneva to make a joint effort, after a break in the negotiations...

China has sent its chief nuclear envoy to Pyongyang amid rising tensions on the Korean peninsula...

The annual Spring Festival travel rush in China is nearing its climax...

In business...China is set to issue RMB sovereign bonds in London...

In sports...updating the latest action from the English Premier League...

In entertainment...highlighting local culture and traditions in Xi'an on CCTV's Spring Festival Gala...

All of that coming up in the next hour, but first, a reminder, there are several ways you can reach us at the Beijing Hour.

You can follow our weibo account at weibo.com/beijinghour.

On WeChat: search "beijinghour"

Email us at [email protected].

Visit crienglish.com for the latest news and information from China Radio International.

Top

Peace talks the only approach to achieve Syrian peace process: Chinese FM

China is calling for a joint effort from all parties concerned to push for the peace process in Syria.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang made the remark after a "temporary pause" in the Syrian peace talks in Geneva was announced.

"The Geneva talks marked the first attempt in two years to hold negotiations between Syrian government and opposition parties. The conflict in Syria has been lasting for years and is quite complicated. The start of the talks is only the first step and the process won't be easy. But we insisted that the peace talks are the only pragmatic approach to achieve the peace process in Syria."

United Nations envoy Staffan de Mistura says the process will resume on February 25.

The pause comes just two days after the talks officially began amid intensified fighting.

De Mistura says it is not a failure of the talks.

"The UN cannot allow simply procedural matters to actually become more important than actually the results for the humanitarian situation of the Syrian people, who have been waiting for us to deliver this time - not (just) a conference, but something concrete for them. I, therefore, have taken this decision to bring a temporary pause, temporary pause - this is not the end, and it is not the failure of the talks."

An estimated 250-thousand people were killed during the Syrian conflict, and millions were forced to flee the country.

At the same time in Syria, the government forces backed by Russian airstrikes have advanced in the country's northern area.

The government troops earlier blasted their way into two Shiite villages in northern Syria, breaking a long-running rebel siege.

The two villages located in the middle of opposition territory have been blockaded by rebel groups for about three years.

The capture marks a major victory for government forces, severing a key supply route for rebels in Aleppo city from the Turkish border.

World leaders to raise billion dollars for refugee crisis in Syria and surrounding countries

World leaders are gathering in London to raise billions of U.S. dollars for the refugee crisis spanning Europe and the Middle East.

Senior officials from around 70 countries are discussing measures at the Syria Donors Conference 2016, which is co-hosted by Britain, Kuwait, Germany, Norway and the United Nations.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is at the meetings.

The donor conference, the fourth of its kind, focuses not only on assistance to Syrians but also stresses the serious humanitarian crisis faced by countries surrounding Syria.

Assistance for countries including Lebanon and Jordan is a focus at the conference.

President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee David Miliband says the world underestimated the scale and the seriousness of the refugee crisis.

"I think people don't quite get the scale of this deal. Jordan is a country with 6.5 million people, it's got 650,000 registered refugees. The government says there is another 650,000 unregistered refugees. That's already talking 18 to 20 percent of the population. Lebanon is a country with 4.5 million people. By all estimates, it's got more than 1 million refugees. So one in four people living in Lebanon is now a refugee."

The Syrian refugee crisis has put tremendous pressure on the country's neighbours. Jordan announced recently that it will limit the number of refugees it allows to cross its borders.

According the UN, there are 6.5 million Syrians inside their country urgently in need of humanitarian assistance.

China Sends Nuclear Envoy to Pyongyang

China has sent its chief nuclear envoy to Pyongyang amid rising tensions in the region.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lu Kang confirmed the trip by Wu Daiwei, China's special representative to the Six-Party Talks.

According to Lu, the diplomat has met with senior North Korean officials during his 3-day trip, which kicked off on Tuesday.

"A major topic is the bilateral relations between China and North Korea, another one, of course, is the current situation on the Korean Peninsula."

The visit comes as North Korea plans to launch what it called an "earth observation satellite" some time between February 8 and 25.

The plan triggered worries that the launch could be used as a cover for a long-range missile test by the country, just weeks after its fourth nuclear test on January 6.

The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, via his spokesman, called on North Korea to refrain from using "ballistic missile technology.

China earlier warned that it will not allow the Korean Peninsula to descend into war or chaos, calling on Pyongyang to exercise restraint.

China weighing up TPP: commerce ministry

Anchor:

China's Ministry of Commerce says the Trans-Pacific Partnership or TPP is an extensive agreement. China is studying it and evaluation work is under way.

The comment comes after representatives of 12 nations including the United States and Japan signed the TPP at a ceremony in New Zealand on Thursday.

CRI reporter Guo Yan has details.

Reporter:

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce issued a statement following the signing ceremony, saying Beijing hopes the various free trade arrangements in the Asia-Pacific region will complement each other and jointly contribute to trade, investment, and economic growth.

Earlier the ministry spokesperson Shen Danyang said the deal will not impact Chinese plans for its own trade agreements.

"China is still comprehensively evaluating the content of the TPP, and will continue to push forward with the negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and China-Japan-South Korea Free Trade Agreement."

The Trans-Pacific Partnership was signed by 12 member nations in New Zealand, but the pact still requires years of tough negotiations before it becomes a reality.

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said at the ceremony in Auckland that a lot of work needs to be done to realize the agreement.

"Signature today is an important step. But TPP is still just a piece of paper or rather, over 16,000 pieces of paper, until it actually comes into force. To make the economic opportunities of TPP a reality for our businesses and our consumers, our investors and our workers, we need to complete our respective domestic processes so we can ratify TPP and bring it into force."

Trade representatives said at a press conference after the signing ceremony that the deal would set trade standards that could be expanded to other nations including China.

United States Trade Representative Michael Froman said the TPP was not directed against any particular country, but was directed towards setting high standards for the region.

Froman said all the countries in the region realized the importance of continuing to have a constructive economic relationship with China.

Malaysian Minister of International Trade and Industry Mustapa Mohamed noted that signing the TPP will not jeopardize the trading relationship between his country and China.

"For many of our TPP countries (China) is the biggest if not one of the biggest trading partners. There is a concern expressed in my country, Malaysia. And to that, our response has been China is now our biggest trading partner and we don't see that to change in the next few years. China being a big economy, indeed China is a very important economic player in the region. So the way we look at it in Malaysia is that TPP will create the momentum for a bigger trade opening up in the region."

China is not among the 12 signatories of the agreement.

The signing ceremony in Auckland was somewhat symbolic, as member-countries still have to approve the agreement within their own legislatures.

That process is expected to take up to 2 years.

For CRI, this is Guo Yan.

China, Cambodia agree to support each other on "core interests"

China and Cambodia have agreed to support each other on issues concerning their respective core and major interests.

The consensus was reached in Beijing during a meeting of the China-Cambodia Inter-Governmental Coordination Committee.

The meeting was co-chaired by Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi and Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin said after the meeting that both sides agreed to continue to push for a proper settlement of the South China Sea issue.

A press release issued after the meeting says China and Cambodia have also agreed to cooperate in trade, investment, infrastructure, agriculture and other economic fields so as to achieve common development.

Former Sichuan governor punished for 'severe disciplinary violations'

The former provincial governor of southwest China's Sichuan has been officially sacked for severe violations of Party discipline.

61-year-old Wei Hong, also the former deputy Party Secretary of Sichuan, has also been stripped of all his positions in the provincial Party Committee.

The country's top anti-graft agency has accused Wei of violations including obstructing his investigation and interfering with judicial process.

The agency announced last month that Wei was under investigation.

Chunyun travel rush reaches peak today

Anchor:

The Spring Festival travel rush is approaching its climax today, as nearly a million people in Beijing are said to have hit the road.

CRI's Min Rui has more.

Reporter:

Beijing Railway authority estimate that 950-thousand people are heading out of Beijing on Thursday.

Tens of thousands of passengers were seen holding their luggage and backpacks waiting to board trains in the Beijing West Railway Station.

Same as every year, students, migrant workers, and visiting relatives make up the majority of this crowd.

But what's different is that many of these holiday travelers are choosing high-speed trains to get home.

"It's easy to get tickets, seats are comfortable, management and services are good."

"Tidy in the cabin, services are good and so is the food quality…"

"The train is fast and the tickets are easier to purchase."

Railway authorities continue to add new high-speed trains to cope with the rising demand.

31 new routes will be added to the operation in Beijing on Thursday alone.

Ye Kuankuan with the Beijing railway bureau explains how this works.

"To relive the pressure, so far, 2098 trains are under dispatch command. Another 734 high-speed routes are added to the railway network, which means there are 2832 high-speed trains operating nationwide."

He says the authorities are ready to add even more trains if needed.

Beijing West Railway Station conductor Yi Shuxia says new counters and ticket vending machines are being added as well, to help all passengers get their tickets as soon as possible.

"There are 89 ticket vending machines at the Beijing West Railway Station. We shut all these vending functions so they can be used as pick-up machines only. By doing so, we are able to make sure all passengers get the tickets they preordered online. We also added new counters to those who want to purchase tickets. Our staff are trying to help them buy tickets faster."

Maintenance and repair crews in Beijing are also in position to examine the trains and eliminate safety hazard.

Beijing railway authorities have also made preparation to deal with bad weather, if any problems should arise, and have published contingency plans to handle any emergencies.

Dubbed as the "biggest annual human migration on earth," 2.9 billion trips are expected this year over the 40-day Chunyun period, an increase of 3.6 percent from last year.

For CRI, I'm Min Rui.

Former Israeli President Peres Dedicates Friendship Melody to Chinese People

Anchor:

Former Israeli President Shimon Peres has sent New Year greetings to the Chinese people, by dedicating a song he wrote eulogizing the friendship of the two peoples.

CRI's Xyee has more.

Reporter:

The song "Chinese Melody", sung by a Chinese singer and an Israeli girl, was published on Wednesday in Tel Aviv with the presence of Shimon Peres and the Chinese ambassador to Israel.

It was based on a poem written some six years ago by Peres who was Israeli President at the time.

Twelve-year-old Meilee Tal was the Israeli singer of the song.

Her mother says the idea of the song came during a recent chat with the composer.

"We were talking about China and about Israel, and we were talking about Meilee. Then he told me about this song. And I was thinking that it can be a very good idea to record Meilee in Chinese singing this song together with a Chinese singer and to give it as a gift for Mr. Shimon Peres. So we recorded the song in Chinese and we went to his office. And he was really excited to hear this."

Peres spoke highly of China's achievements in the past decades and the friendship between China and Israel.

"China is all the time innovating new things. Every year you are making progress, and you are offering the world a good example how to escape poverty and ignorance, and become one of the two major pillars of our time. I'm very glad the relations between China and Israel are all the time growing in the content and in future."

The Chinese Ambassador to Israel Zhan Yongxin expressed appreciation for the efforts and contributions to promoting the relationship between China and Israel made by Shimon Peres.

"Through this beautiful song, every Chinese could sense Your Excellency's profound friendship towards China and savor Your Excellency's extra caring about the China-Israel relations. And I strongly believe that this song will be popular in China and mark a special episode in the exchange history between the Chinese people and the Jewish people."

The song has also become popular with the younger generations like Chinese student Feng Xiao who is now studying in Israel.

"The content of this song is to eulogize the ancient friendship between China and Israel, which started a long time ago. However, the melody is very young. It means that this friendship will continue among the new generations of our two countries."

The dedication of the song was timed to coincide with the upcoming Chinese New Year.

Peres extended his greetings to all Chinese people.

"Music speaks better than words. Everybody can sing it and you feel that all of us sing together. I wish each of you, and all of you, to enjoy a happy year, a happy future, for a great and a promising China. Xinnian Kuaile! (Happy New Year!) "

For CRI, I'm Xyee.

Chinese lion dance tradition roaring in Malaysia

Anchor:

As the Chinese Lunar New Year approaches, the art of the lion dance remains popular in Malaysia.

The country has a large Chinese population, helping to keep the colourful spectacle alive.

CRI's Huang Shan has more.

Reporter:

For decades, local martial arts schools in Malaysia have presented the lion dance and used their acrobatic kicks and jumps to ring in the New Year.

However, before these spectacular shows are presented, a lot of unseen efforts have been made.

A major component of the lion dance involves making the intricately crafted head and tail of the lion costume.

Siow Ho Phiew is a master craftsman of lion heads, with over three decades of experience in this art.

"At the start I only made lion heads for my own team/troupe, then afterwards friends & other troupes started asking if I could make one for them. I said ok i'll try, after two or three I realized I can open a workshop & here I am making a made in Malaysia lion head."

The process of a well-crafted lion head consists of 3 basic steps including making the frame, covering it with paper mache, and then adding colour to define the personality of the lion.

Despite this complicated work, the 61-year-old master believes that the tradition of making lion heads and performing the lion dance will continue.

"This lion dance is a culture. This art is not new, it dates back thousands of years. It's been around for those thousands of years & still there's many more to go. I think that if it's a good/beautiful art form there will be those who will continue it on. We're not worried."

The lion dance is usually performed to get rid of evil spirits and garner good luck.

Some of the auspicious rituals in the lion dance include touching the lion's head for good luck, and giving red packets to the troupe.

Chinese New Year - the Year of the Monkey - starts on Monday the 8th.

For CRI, this is Huang Shan.

Chinese embassy holds "Panda night" to highlight China-US friendship

Anchor:

The Chinese embassy in Washington has held a panda-themed event to highlight the friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

The celebration follows the release of Kung Fu Panda 3, which has become a major hit in Chinese and American movie theaters.

CRI's reporter Niu Honglin has the details.

Reporter:

The giant panda – whether animated, in a zoo, or in the wild – was the star of the party at the Chinese Embassy in Washington on Wednesday.

Ambassador Cui Tiankai said China and the United States have together made great efforts toward protecting wildlife and endangered animals. The conservation of giant panda is a successful example of such cooperation.

Cui Tiankai, who visited the National Zoo's giant panda cub Bei Bei just last month, described the animal as a "goodwill ambassador."

"I think pandas have attracted millions of fans here in the United States. I think it has been a good ambassador, a goodwill ambassador for mutual understanding and friendship between our two countries."

200 guests joined the Chinese ambassador at the reception before Kung Fu Panda 3 was shown in the embassy's auditorium.

Smithsonian's National Zoo wildlife ecologist Bill McShea, a panda expert, said the Panda is a precious treasure for the zoo.

"Giant Pandas have been a rock star at the national zoo since the day they arrived. Such that they have birthday celebrations and their birthday celebrations are like this, my birthday has never look like this."

Kung Fu Panda 3 Co-Director Jennifer Yuh Nelson spoke highly of the first-ever cooperation between China and the US in the making of an animated film.

"It's been a huge wonderful opportunity for us because really every time before we had to guess if we were right. And this time we could do things like say could you write a poem so that we could put a piece of calligraphy and film and we got so amazing, talented Chinese poets done beautiful calligraphy and we could put on the living screw that you could see in the movie. That's something we could never have done before."

Yuh added that people would be surprised how much time it took to make everything from costumes to flowers look authentic.

For CRI, this is Niu Honglin.

Ecuador FM: UN decision on Assange soon

Ecuador's Foreign Minister says a decision by the United Nations on whether Julian Assange might be freed from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and allowed to travel to Ecuador could be handed down as early as Friday.

Ricardo Patino says the matter is probably now in the hands of Swedish prosecutors and a legal team in the United Kingdom.

Patino notes that Assange would be free to travel to Ecuador if Sweden and the United Kingdom allow it.

"However, this implies overcoming two obstacles. One is the obstacle of the request for detention on the part of Sweden and on the other hand the decision by the United Kingdom to accept that request. Now, if there were to be a resolution by this work group (lawyers working on Assange's case) regarding arbitrary resolutions we would have to see what the nature of the resolutions are and immediately deal with both countries with respect to the decision."

The Wikileaks founder says he will turn himself over to British police if the UN panel rules against him.

Assange took refuge in London's Ecuadorian embassy in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden over sexual assault claims.

He fears that Sweden will extradite him to the United States, where he could be put on trial over WikiLeaks' publication of classified military and diplomatic documents.

In 2014 he complained to the UN that he was being "arbitrarily detained" as he could not leave without being arrested.

Assange has said he will accept the UN ruling but hopes to walk free.

Top al-Qaida leader killed in U.S. drone strike in Yemen

Local officials in Yemen say a top militant leader has been killed by a US drone strike in a southern province on Thursday.

The strike is said to have destroyed Jalal Baleidi's car, killing him and two of his bodyguards.

He is described as a former al-Qaida operative who had defected to a group associated with the Islamic State.

Baleidi had masterminded several attacks on Yemeni army bases and had led operations that resulted in the taking of a number of towns in the country's troubled southern area.

Yemen has been troubled by an insurgency for several years.

Blast on Somalia airliner points to bomb: expert

Aviation experts say a blast that ripped a hole in a passenger plane shortly after take-off from Somalia's capital was probably caused by a bomb.

The blast ripped the fuselage from inside to out, leaving a large hole -- about a metre in diameter -- just above the engines on the right wing.

The plane with 74 passengers safely made an emergency landing after the blast.

Police says two people onboard were injured.

However, the government has said the blast was believed to be caused by an issue related to air pressure.

Revelers arrive in Cologne for Carnival amid heightened security

Revelers have streamed onto the streets of Cologne for the start of the city's annual street Carnival.

The city has heightened security following an unprecedented series of robberies and sexual assaults mostly targeting women at New Year.

The number of police patrolling the streets has been doubled compared with last year to over 2,000.

Cologne authorities have put in place additional video surveillance and street lighting to deter attackers and make it easier to catch any perpetrators.

Weather

Beijing will be cloudy tonight with a low of -4; sunny tomorrow with a high of 4.

Shanghai will be cloudy tonight with a low of 1; sunny tomorrow with a high of 8.

Chongqing will also be cloudy with a low of 6; more clouds tomorrow with a high of 11.

Lhasa, clear tonight with a low of -5; sunny tomorrow with a high of 11.

Elsewhere in Asia,

Islamabad, sunny tomorrow with a high of 22.

Kabul, cloudy, 4.

Down in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney will have some clouds, highs of 23.

Brisbane, slight rain, 28.

Perth, sunny, 34.

And finally Auckland will see slight rain with a high of 24 degrees Celsius.

Headline News

Peace talks the only approach to achieve Syrian peace process: Chinese FM

China is calling for a joint effort from all parties concerned to push for peace in Syria.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang made the call after a "temporary pause" in the Syrian peace talks in Geneva was announced.

He says China believes the peace talks are the only pragmatic approach to achieve peace in Syria.

United Nations envoy Staffan de Mistura says the process will resume on February 25.

The pause comes just two days after the talks officially began amid intensified fighting.

China weighing up TPP, says commerce ministry

Chinese authorities are now evaluating the Trans-Pacific Partnership, after 12 nations including the United States and Japan signed the agreement in New Zealand.

The Ministry of Commerce says the TPP is an extensive agreement, and authorities in Beijing are now studying the document. China is not among the nations that have signed the deal.

The ministry also says China will actively participate in - and push forward - regional free trade arrangements that feature a high-degree of transparency, openness and inclusiveness.

It says China hopes the various free trade arrangements in the Asia-Pacific region will complement each other and jointly contribute to trade, investment and economic growth of this region.

Zika curbs to include mosquito mass extermination

Chinese health authorities are planning a large-scale extermination of mosquitoes, especially in southern China, in an effort prevent an outbreak of the Zika virus.

Guidelines will also be issued for the treatment and control of the mosquito-borne virus.

The National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention says it's mulling over a yearly mosquito mass-extermination campaign in April or May.

On the clinical side, medics are required to closely watch for symptoms of Zika infection and to ask for the travel history of people with suspected cases.

Amazon names Zhengzhou as China's most romantic city

Online retailer Amazon China unveiled its annual list of most romantic cities on Thursday, with Zhengzhou in Henan Province declared the most romantic Chinese city of 2015.

According to Amazon, Zhengzhou led the country in the proportion of books on the topics of love, marriage and romance purchased last year.

Cities of Erdos and Baotou, both in the Inner Mongolia, ranked second and third.

Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen did not feature in the top 40.

Amazon said it appears that residents in smaller cities are under less pressure and have more leisure time to enjoy romantic literature.

Biz Reports

Anchor:

Time to check today's business news, starting with the closing numbers in Asia.

Here is CRI's Min Rui.

Reporter:

China's A-share markets staged a rally on Thursday.

Over 100 stocks rose by the daily limit of 10 percent, while only 90 stocks declined during the day's trading.

Gains were spread across all sectors, with the sub-indexes related to textiles, non-ferrous metals and plastics leading the charge.

Meanwhile, China's treasury bond futures closed higher on the day, with the contract for settlement in March 2016 moving up 0.1 percent.

At the close,

Both the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index and the smaller Shenzhen Index gained one and half percent.

The ChiNext Index of growth enterprises climbed 1.7 percent.

In Hong Kong, shares closed higher on Thursday, with the Hang Seng Index up 1 percent.

Elsewhere in Asia,

Tokyo shares ended lower on Thursday.

The benchmark Nikkei shed nearly 1 percent.

South Korea's KOSPI increased 1.4 percent.

Singapore's Straits Times added 0.3 percent.

And finally, Australia's ASX/200 moved down over 2 percent.

China to issue RMB sovereign bonds in London: Chinese ambassador

China is set to issue RMB sovereign bonds in London.

Chinese ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming said on Wednesday that China will support London to set up an offshore RMB market and push cooperation between the Shanghai and London stock exchanges.

In the past year, China's central bank has issued 5 billion yuan-denominated bills, the first ones to be issued by the central bank outside of China.

It was also a step in pushing forward with the internationalization of the Chinese currency.

The Chinese ambassador said he expects more economic cooperation between China and Britain this year, especially in the fields of finance, high-speed railway, and nuclear energy.

China's central bank expected to further cut reserve ratio

Long-term analysis by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences is suggesting the Chinese government should be prepared to make additional cuts to the reserve requirement ratio over the next few years.

It's being suggested that cutting the minimum portion of deposits that banks are required to set aside is to become a "a new normal" as the central bank frees up more liquidity to spur growth.

Reserve requirements are a way to ensure that a bank doesn't become insolvent should the financial system be hit by a shock.

The analysis suggests that by lowering the amount banks have to hold in reserve, it will offset a lack of liquidity caused by foreign currency purchases.

The People's Bank of China cut the reserve requirement ratio 4 different times this past year, cutting the amount banks have to hold in reserve by an average of 2.5-percent.

Right now, large-scale lenders in China have to set aside 17.5 percent of their deposits as a reserve.

For more on this topic, CRI's Bob Jones spoke with Cao Can, CRI's Financial Commentator.

China's gold output declines for first time in 2015

Official statistics show that China's gold output declined last year, for the first time.

According to data from China Gold Association, production amounted to 450 tons, down nearly half a percent year on year.

Despite the drop in output, China remains the world's largest gold producer.

Data also shows that China's gold consumption reached 985 tons in 2015, up over 3 percent year on year.

China's shipping industry remains sluggish due to low demand

China's shipping industry is likely to remain sluggish in 2016 due to low demand and overcapacity.

Many shipping companies here in China have released financial forecasts, saying they could lose billions of yuan due to the gloomy global shipping market and the slowing domestic economy.

Zhang Yongfeng, director of the Shanghai International Shipping Institute, says Chinese demand for raw materials continues to drop.

"It's primarily a demand issue. The demand in the shipping market has been shrinking over the past few years. The demand has also changed a lot, which has been affected by China's slowing economic growth."

With the situation worsening, Zhang says many shipping companies might be forced out of business.

"We predict that many shipping companies will close in 2016. Some may choose to merge and reorganize, while others may exit the market."

Meantime, figures show the supply of new cargo ships has been on the rise.

The total container capacity of the world's idle shipping jumped five times last year.

State Grid pushes for 'global energy Internet'

State Grid is pushing to build a global energy network, which is expected to attract investment of 50 trillion US dollars by 2050.

The company, the largest state-owned electric utility in China, has established a new unit to develop the energy network, aiming to create a massive electricity grid that shares renewable energy harnessed from all over the world.

State Grid is now building a vast ultra-high voltage transmission network in the world's largest energy market.

JAC plans light truck assembly plant in Algeria

Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Company is to build its first light-load truck assembly-plant in Africa.

To be based in Algeria, the plant will have a capacity to assemble 10-thousand light trucks each year.

The Chinese automaker declined to reveal when the plant will be put into use.

The plant involves a total investment of 130 million US dollars.

It will be built through cooperation with Emin Auto, an auto dealer in Algeria.

Jianghuai Automobile has exported 94-thousand light-load trucks globally over the past five years.

One-third of the trucks were delivered to Africa.

Sports

EPL: Everton beats Newcastle

in some English Premier league news:

Club Everton claimed victory over their opponents Newcastle with a score of 3-to-0 on Wednesday.

This puts Everton in 11th place in the league standings, while Newcastle stays at 18th.

During the game, two late penalties from Ross Barkley and a red card for Jamaal Lascelles in added time helped Everton close out their victory.

Coach for the winning team, Roberto Martinez, praised Barkley's performance.

"What I would say is that Ross now has got 100 games in the Premier League at the age of 22. It's a remarkable landmark, and probably last year and the season before he was a young man with enormous potential: I think today he's showed you that he's not a young man anymore. Still a young man in terms of the age, but in terms of footballing terms, he's a player that is ready to lead a project, that is ready to lead a team."

Everton will move forward to play league number 10's, Stoke City, this Saturday.

And for Newcastle, they are destined to meet West Brom in a match-up that will take place on Saturday as well.

Chelsea sees another tie against Watford

in some other EPL news:

Refusing to lose, team Chelsea, tied Watford 0-0 in their match on Wednesday.

This marks another tie in a string of wins and ties that go all the way back to their game against Leicester on December 14th, which was the last time they lost.

Yesterday also marks a second time the two teams have tied each other in their recent matches, the last being December 26th with a score of 2-2.

After Wednesday's game, interim manager for Chelsea, Guus Hiddink spoke about the result.

"Disappointed because we didn't get the deserved three points because I think that my former goalie was nominated as man of the match and he highly deserves (this) as he made some tremendous saves in the last period of the game when we were threatening to go for the win."

Moving forward, Chelsea will take on league number 5's, Manchester United, in their match on Sunday.

And for Watford, they will move to face league number 3's, Tottenham on Saturday

Wales preps for Ireland in Six Nations rugby tournament

And in some Rugby news:

Winger Tom James will be joining Wales when they take on Ireland for their opening match of the Six Nations Tournament in Dublin on Saturday.

Coach for the welsh team, Warren Gatland, has already established the string of players he will use in their next match up.

Gatlands line-up will feature players such as Tom James, Rob Evans and Justin Tipuric.

This will be James' his first international appearance since 2010.

When asked by the media if starting James was a good idea, Gatland defended his decision.

"I think if you look back at the history of it he was in the Welsh goldfish bowl, he had to get out. He went to Premiership to play for Exeter and had some excellent form there. I think he's grown up and matured fantastically well, as a person, as a player, and he's come back. He's form for the (Cardiff) Blues has been outstanding. He was unlucky not to be involved with the World Cup with injury. His form has been excellent and he deserves his opportunity to come back into the Welsh team."

Gatland would go on to say that a win against Ireland would be a great morale boost for his team heading into the tournament.

The Wales/Ireland game will kick off on February 7th.

Kerber preps with German team for Fed Cup

in some news from the world of tennis:

Recent winner of the Australian Open, Angelique Kerber, has joined her team mates in Leipzig on Wednesday for training ahead of their face-off against opponents from Switzerland in the Fed Cup.

The German Women's team includes tennis stars like Kerber, Andrea Petkovic and Annika Beck.

Kerber has participated and represented Germany for the past 6 years in the Fed Cup.

According to the German team captain Barbara Rittner, it is still unclear if they will feature Kerber in singles play during the tournament.

Rittner expressed concern for the German tennis star to have time for recovery following her achievement in Australia.

Game play for Kerber and the rest of the German team will happen from February 6th-7th.

From there, the winners from the Germany vs Switzerland games will go on to play defending champions the Czech Republic or Romania in the first semi-finals.

Another round of semifinals will be played in April featuring teams from France, Italy, Russia and the Netherlands.

The finals of the Fed Cup will happen in November.

Update for Superbowl

and in some American football news:

The Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers trained on Wednesday ahead of their Super Bowl clash which will take place in Santa Clara's Levi Stadium on Sunday.

The Panthers got the chance to have their training session at San Jose State University in California.

This marks the first Superbowl debut for 26-year-old Panther's quarter back, Cam Newton.

Newton has been named the NFL's most dynamic offensive player this season, with 35 touchdown throws and 10 touchdown runs.

The Panthers beat out the Arizona Cardinals, 49-15, to earn their big spot in the league.

In addition to the team’s success, Panther's coach Ron Rivera is in the running for this season's NFL "Coach of The Year"

and for the Broncos side:

The AFC champions had their practice session at Stanford University in Palo Alto.

Bronco's Quarterback Payton Manning is no stranger to Superbowl pressure as the 5-time NFL MVP has competed in three Superbowls, winning one with his former team, the Colts, in 2007.

Denver beat out Tom Brady and the New England Patriots 20-18 to advance into the finals.

The 39-year-old Manning is entering the high stakes game with first year coach Gary Kubiak.

Both teams have boasted some of the strongest defense this year.

Kick-off will happen at 3:30pm Pacific time.

Entertainment

Spring Festival Gala Xi'an sub-venue to showcase local culture

The up-coming 2016 CCTV Spring Festival Gala will have five sub-venues, and the one in Xi'an city will highlight the traditional customs and culture of Shaanxi province, in China's northwest.

The show, to be aired nationwide on Sunday, is set against the Yongning Gate, the oldest gate in the ancient city wall.

Zhu Xun, one of the famous hosts of the Spring Festival Gala, says the venue's local character will be highlighted.

"It will show the audience various folk performances such as walking on stilts and waist-drumming by residents from local counties and districts. Just like at temple fairs and lantern shows, the audience can see for themselves the real life of people here and how they celebrate the Spring Festival. They can enjoy the festivity with them, not just watching a stage performance."

The performance in Xi'an will feature Silk Road elements, as the city, which used to named "Chang An," was the starting point of the historic Silk Road.

It has also served as the capital under many different dynasties in Chinese history, with the most famous one being the Tang dynasty. An imperial theme park named Tang Paradise, which is located in the city, has been showcasing the splendid culture of the Tang Dynasty to worldwide visitors.

Aspects of the Tang culture, including emperors, poems, and folk customs will also be included in the spring festival gala.

Volunteers read Chinese poems to see off home returnees at Shanghai airport

Fifty volunteers performed a flash mob at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport by reading Chinese poems to promote traditional culture, and to send-off travelers heading home ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year.

The young people from Shanghai Public Utility School, in special costumes, read five poems accompanied by music from a guzheng, a Chinese plucked zither.

The poems were about customs, love, and courage overcoming difficulties.

The fifteen-minute activity ended with a blessing "Wishing you a safe journey and a good family reunion."

Most passengers found the performance to be creative and entertaining.

"It shows our traditional culture. It's amazing and reminds me of my schooldays. I felt excited."

Airports, railway stations and long-distance bus stations are crowded with home-bound passengers during the travel rush, as most people are reuniting with their families and celebrating the Spring Festival together.

Ice Age 5 Releases Chinese Trailer

The first full Chinese trailer of the animated film "Ice Age 5: Collision Course" has just been released.

The fifth episode of the much-loved franchise has followed its previous story about the crazy squirrel Scrat's epic journey of acorn chasing. Only this time, he's not even on the earth.

The franchise has always been a great success. The fourth and most recent Ice Age adventure, "Ice Age: Continental Drift," has brought in a global total of 870 million US dollars. The one before, 2009's "Ice Age: Dawn of The Dinosaurs," has made more than 880 million.

"Ice Age: Collision Course" will be released in theaters everywhere on July 22nd.

Death of a Bachelor debuts at No. 1, beating Bowie and Adele

Pop group "Panic! At the Disco's" new album "Death of a Bachelor" has debuted at the no.1 spot, pushing David Bowie and Adele down the chart.

The recording artist, Brendon Urie, says it's unbelievable to be in the same line as these two big artists.

"That's insane. To be in the same sentence as anyone like that - I'm not worthy! I'm conflicted about it. I'm happy, but man just losing a legend. Yeah, I mean that's unreal. But I'm glad that at least I had a chance to pop in there, get on people's radar. David Bowie had so many hits too. It's not like I'm hurting his career by any means."

Urie co-wrote the album's songs and plays most of the instruments on the pop-rock project, including the single of the same name, "Death of a Bachelor."

Urie is the lead vocals and only remaining original member of "Panic!" The album, released last month, is their fifth one and also the first one that topped the Billboard 200 chart and sold an equivalent of 190 thousand records in its first week of release.

Weather

Beijing will be cloudy tonight with a low of -4; sunny tomorrow with a high of 4.

Shanghai will be cloudy tonight with a low of 1; sunny tomorrow with a high of 8.

Chongqing will also be cloudy with a low of 6; more clouds tomorrow with a high of 11.

Lhasa, clear tonight with a low of -5; sunny tomorrow with a high of 11.

Elsewhere in Asia,

Islamabad, sunny tomorrow with a high of 22.

Kabul, cloudy, 4.

Down in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney will have some clouds, highs of 23.

Brisbane, slight rain, 28.

Perth, sunny, 34.

And finally Auckland will see slight rain with a high of 24 degrees Celsius.

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

Recapping our top stories...

The Chinese foreign ministry calls on all sides at the Syrian peace talks in Geneva to make a joint effort, after a break in the negotiations...

China has sent its chief nuclear envoy to Pyongyang amid rising tensions on the Korean peninsula...

The annual Spring Festival travel rush in China is nearing its climax...

In business...China is set to issue RMB sovereign bonds in London...

On behalf of the Beijing Hour team, its Shane Bigham in Beijing. Join us for the next edition of the Beijing Hour, to open a window to the world together...