新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 08:00 2016/02/09（在线收听）

The Beijing Hour

Morning Edition

Paul James with you this Tuesday, February, 2016. Day-2 of the Spring Festival.

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

Coming up on the program...

Renewed optimism in southern Taiwan, as survivors are still being pulled alive from the rubble of a collapsed apartment building nearly 3-days after Saturday's devastating earthquake.

New analysis is suggesting traveller trips via the country's rail system are up once-again this year this holiday.

Pentagon officials say talks with South Korea have officially begun for the potential deployment of a controversial anti-missile system.

The National Football League is suggesting this year's Super Bowl might have been the most-watched program in television history.

All that coming up in the next 30-minutes....

In the 2nd half of the hour, we'll be bringing you an edition of People In the Know.

Top News

Four rescued two days after Taiwan quake

An 8-year-old girl and her aunt have been pulled alive from the rubble of the Wei Guan apartment building in the city of Tainan in southern Taiwan.

Their rescue has come more than 70-hours after the 17-story building collapsed following a 6.7-magnitude earthquake on Saturday morning.

Doctor Li Biqing, one of the medical staffers who helped treat the surviving girl, is warning the likelihood of finding other survivors is becoming less likely.

"The young girl that we managed to save had been trapped for 72 hours. She was lucky. We are still doing what we can to try to reach other people still trapped under the rubble. We have life detectors. I don't know how much time we have, but as long as we have a chance to save them, will do our best to save them."

The official death toll from Saturday morning's earthquake stands at 40.

However, at least 100 others are still believed to be trapped under the Wei Guan building.

Searchers are still detecting signs of life.

Excavators are being used to try to move out the larger pieces of debris.

The 17-story apartment complex came down on itself at around 4am on Saturday as people were sleeping ahead of the start of the Lunar New Year celebrations.

An investigation has been launched by municipal authorities in Tainan.

Reports have been suggesting parts of the walls of the 20-year-old building may have been lined with discarded cooking-oil cans.

More Travel by Train on Spring Festival Eve: CRC

Figures from the China Railway Corporation are suggesting more people have chosen to travel by train on Chinese lunar New Year's Eve compared to last year.

Nearly 4.7-million trips were made across the country on Lunar New Year's Eve on Sunday.

This is up by some 283-thousand compared with New Year's Eve last year.

Shanghai's main railway station saw an extra 81-thousand people go through on Sunday night.

That's an increase of nearly 9.5 compared with last year.

CRC officials are estimating around 2.9 million passenger trips were made across the country yesterday.

Most of Monday's traffic is believed to be short-haul, with people travelling within local regions to visit family members.

Cities' air polluted in new year celebration

Environmental authorities in China say heavy air pollution has been reported in 139 cities across the country to start out the Lunar New Year.

The annual celebration involves firecrackers and fireworks.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection says 92 cities recorded heavily polluted in air over the weekend.

Another 47 cities, including Beijing and Tianjin, reported severe air problems.

Pollution levels among the cities peaked between 1 and 2am Monday morning, shortly after the Lunar New Year began.

Chinese Tourists Take to Ski Slopes during Lunar New Year Holiday

With Beijing and the city of Zhangjiakou in neighboring Hebei being granted the 2022 Winter Olympics, this year's Spring Festival holiday has seen a growing number of people take up skiing.

CRI's Luo Wen has more.

With the Lunar New Year holiday now in full-swing, many are taking time to head to Chongli County in Hebei to try their hand at skiing.

Chongli is located on the outskirts of Zhangjiakou, around 220-kilometers northwest of Beijing.

Even before the granting of the Winter Olympics by the International Olympic Committee, Chongli County had already become an increasingly popular winter tourist destination.

"I used to spend the Lunar New Year holiday touring around the city and visiting relatives, getting money in my 'hongbao.' This year, I spent all that money I saved over the previous holidays to buy skis and the passes to the ski resorts. I love skiing. I really do."

Skiing and other winter sports are being promoted in China, given that Beijing and Zhangjiakou are set to host the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Chongli County, which has five well-equipped ski resorts, is already known in China as the training center for experienced skiers.

Wang Zhong, a ski instructor from Beijing Union University, says he decided to move his training sessions to Chongli to make use of the equipment.

"Many amateurs from Beijing have come to Chongli to practice their skiing skills. They've been improving quickly. We used to train our students at local ski resorts in Beijing, but they aren't good enough for students who want to actually improve. So this is why we decided to come here last year."

In awarding of the Olympic Games to Hebei, authorities in Beijing's surrounding province have plans to build a multi-billion yuan winter sports industry.

The hope is to transform Hebei into a premier destination for winter sports in time for the 2022 Games.

Plans include developing a high-end venue for winter sports in each of Hebei's 11 major cities in the next 8-years.

The start of the calendar year on January 1st saw Chongli County attract nearly 100-thousand visitors over the 3-day holiday.

For CRI, this is Luo Wen.

Hong Kong parade for Lunar New Year

Clean-up is wrapping up in Hong Kong following the celebrations to mark the start of Year of the Monkey on Monday.

Lunar New Year celebrations have included a massive parade in Tsim Sha Tsui.

This is a district just across the harbor in Hong Kong, on the Kowloon side.

Themed "Playground of the World, Party of the Year," this year's parade in Tsim Sha Tsui included performances from 10 different countries and regions.

Many of the performers decided to adorn themselves with monkey-themed outfits to mark the start of the Year of the Monkey.

Hongbao, Chinese Red Envelop goes digital

The Spring Festival celebrations here in China, a tradition dating back centuries, continues to become more modern in the 21st Century, with the "hongbao," or red envelopes of money, fast-becoming a digital phenomenon.

CRI's Min Rui has more.

"Did you get a hongbao?" seems to be the question on everyone's lips these days. The tradition is as strong as ever.

But its origins are steeped in history. Long ago it was seen as a means of protecting children from evil spirits. That evolved into more general best wishes and a blessing on the young. Today it's regarded as a way of bestowing good fortune for the year ahead.

And as with all things, it seems - hongbao has gone digital, becoming a huge internet phenomenon.

The war is on to grab digital cash using your cellphone.

"I got 1.8 yuan, it's fun."

"I didn't get any, I am too slow."

Electronic or e-hongbao was launched by social networking services such as WeChat and Sina Weibo, and Internet companies like Alibaba and Baidu.

On WeChat for example, users can receive a hongbao sent by friends or companies. The money that arrives with the electronic hongbao is then deposited in your WeChat wallet.

The e-Hongbao can be sent to one person, or can be received by several people at the same time.

Let's face it, everyone wants to get money for free, but are these virtual monetary gifts overshadowing the true meaning of the holiday?

Family reunion, fireworks and dumplings: Chinese New Year is bursting with traditions. But when it comes to e-Hongbao, 45 year old social worker Guo Jing says it's just not the same.

"When I was young, the elder gave money to the younger generation wrapped in red paper, to wish them luck in the New Year. The amount of money is all about blessings, using round numbers like 50 and 100, not like the e-Hongbao on Wechat platform nowadays, where you can just pick up a few yuan."

But what impact will this new technological trend have on the true meaning of the holiday? Some older people complain that their young relatives are so obsessed with digital hongbao that what they do all day is check their mobile phones, when they are supposed to be spending quality time with their family.

Regardless of these criticisms, the e-Hongbao is still seen as a big business opportunity during the holiday season.

Online giants Tencent's Wechat, Baidu and Alibaba are all competing to see who can make their virtual Hongbao the most popular in the country.

WeChat says there were more than 1 billion transactions of electronic hongbao on Chinese New Year's Eve, last year.

And Alibaba says more than 100 million people were lured to a hongbao-grabbing promotion on the company's mobile online payment App.

Financial columnist, Li Bo, says online transactions and payments are the way of the future, and more money grabbing gimmicks will pop up as competition between internet service providers heats up.

"Hongbao is a good marketing tool for all companies, meanwhile, users can benefit from it, while getting to know their product. I see hongbao as a new type of advertisement. I think there will be more funny ways of giving and receiving hongbao with innovation, and as personalities add their dimension to the money game."

Inevitably, as the e-hongbao craze sweeps across all social platforms, scams and traps are sneaking in.

Some people have even fallen victim to scammers and suffered losses.

So remember - at the end of the day, the Chinese New Year holiday is supposed to be a time to relax and enjoy being with your family.

Don't let the e-hongbao, or any social media for that matter, take over your life.

Even so, if you are in the mood to have some fun, maybe you should probably check your phone right now, in case a Hongbao opportunity is waiting for you.

For CRI, I'm Min Rui.

Geoduck in Canada Getting Popular amid Chinese New Year

Seafood merchants and exporters along the Canadian west coast are reporting a spike in business, with the Lunar New Year putting a rush on the purchase of a form of clam, known as the geoduck.

CRI's Wang Mengzhen explains.

At a seafood plant in Vancouver, packers are carefully getting the fresh geoduck ready to be exported live to China.

In recent years, more than 90 percent of clams harvested from British Columbia are flown straight to China, especially during Chinese holidays.

Geoduck is often nicknamed the elephant clam, with its long, probing siphon bulging out of its shell.

It is seen as a healthy option because of its high protein and low fat content.

Ed Sang, president of Pacific Rim Shellfish, says the shellfish has become a status symbol in China.

"There's like a status, if you can serve geoducks, lobsters and crabs at your wedding you're at the top right, top of the food chain, you're doing really well. If you only serve lobsters and crab maybe you're not quite there yet so geoduck is at the very top in terms of if you go to a restaurant, the prices for geoduck would be the highest between lobster, crab and the geoduck would be at the very top."

Sang adds that his company exports half a million pounds, or nearly a quarter million kilograms of geoduck each year.

At the same time, the appeal of the clam is also associated to cultural superstitions as chef Stephon Wong at a local restaurant in Greater Vancouver explains:

"Everyone eats raw fish for example because it has good omens and geoduck would actually be a perfect product for a New Year's dish like that."

In Canada, Chinese restaurants can pay up to 180 US dollars for geoduck per pound.

Latest stats also suggest that geoduck has created an industry chain in the country, with market value worth 35 million US dollars annually.

However, getting the clams to China usually requires an extremely fast turnaround as part of the product's appeal comes from its freshness.

Jamie Austin from the Underwater Harvesters Association says much of their efforts are spent in keeping the geoduck live and fresh.

"There's no freezing, there's no processing, so it's a daily consumption, there's, and you want to keep it as fresh as possible. We don't have the ability to freeze it because it devalues the product. The best way to serve geoduck is fresh, unfrozen."

Geoduck is native only to the western coast of Canada, Washington State as well as Alaska.

With over 3 million pounds of geoduck harvested in Western Canada every year, geoduck aquaculture has transformed the coastal economy in British Columbia.

For CRI, I am Wang Mengzhen.

U.S., S. Korea begin talks on deployment of missile defense system: Pentagon

The United States and South Korea have begun negotiations on the potential deployment of a new missile defense system.

Pentagon officials say the talks are discussing the feasibility of deploying and operating the so-called THAAD system on the Korean Peninsula at the earliest possible date.

The US Defense Department says any deployment of the THAAD system would be "focused solely" on North Korea.

Chinese authorities have expressed "deep concerns" over potential deployment, summoning the South Korean ambassador, as well as making official protests with Washington.

Talks of deploying the anti-missile system in South Korea have come on the heels of North Korea launching a satellite into orbit on Sunday.

The UN Security Council is said to be preparing a new list of sanctions against Pyongyang in response.

Canada to Halt Airstrikes in Iraq and Syria: PM

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has confirmed the country's Airforce will be withdrawing from the US-led international coalition in Syria within the next 2-weeks.

The move is part of an election pledge the young Prime Minister made ahead of his party's election this past year.

In making the announcement, Trudeau says Canadian forces will still maintain a role the fight against the Islamic State.

"The Canadian Armed forces will now be allocating more military resources to training Iraqi security forces. We will be supporting and empowering local forces to take their fight directly to ISIL so that kilometer by kilometer, they can reclaim their homes, their land and their future."

Trudeau says his government has already set-aside 1.1 billion U.S. dollars for the effort in Iraq and Syria.

"We will work with our international partners to deliver 840 million dollars in humanitarian assistance over the next three years. This means children, women, men and whole families being provided with water, food, shelter, health care, sanitation and hygiene, protection and education. We will also provide 270 million dollars over the same time frame to build local capacity in communities and countries hosting large numbers of refugees, generous, compassionate countries that have opened their doors to victims of war and whose resources are now being stretched beyond their limits."

The Canadian government has pledged to bring in 25-thousand Syrian refugees before the end of February.

This has prompted concerns among certain US lawmakers, citing security concerns, as Canada and the United States share the world's largest undefended border.

Obama, Italy's Mattarella discuss Libya, IS

US President Barack Obama has held a short meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella at the White House.

The two have discussed a range of issues, including the growing concern about the rise of the Islamic State in Libya.

Italy is the closest European country to Libya, and has historical ties with the north African country.

African migrants often use Libya as a staging-point for attempts to sail to European territory.

Hundreds have died over the past year attempting to make their way from Libya to the Italian-controlled island of Lampedusa in the southern Mediterranean.

75 IS Militants Killed as Forces Recover 2 Areas in Iraq's Ramadi

Iraqi security forces are reporting significant gains in their attempt to clear the western city of Ramadi of the last remaining elements of the Islamic State.

Seventy-five Islamic State militants have reportedly been killed in fighting to regain two different areas on the outskirts of the city.

A dozen Iraqi security forces have also been killed.

Ramadi, the capital of the western Iraqi province of Anbar, was retaken by Iraqi security forces late last year.

The city had been under control of the Islamic State for around half-a-year.

In its withdrawal from Ramadi, which is home to most of Iraq's Sunni minority, Islamic State fighters left numerous booby-traps.

This has led to significant delays in clearing the city and its surrounding areas of militant forces.

Iraqi forces have been suggesting the clearing of Ramadi is the first step in an offensive northward to try to clear the rest of the country from the hold of the Islamic State.

Kerry Meets with Saudi FM Over Middle East

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir has met with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Washington.

Kerry says the main focus of their discussion revolved around Syria.

"First and foremost, we are deeply engaged in trying to get the International Syria Support Group to be in a position to be able to move towards full humanitarian access and a full cease fire, which is in accordance with the UN Security Council resolution 2254. We hope that when we meet in Munich in the next few days we'll be in a position where we can make progress in that goal. "

The Saudi Foreign Minister's visit to Washington comes just days of another international meeting on Syria set to take place in Germany later this week.

Beyond Syria, Adel Al-Jubeir says the entire Middle East region is facing serious challenges.

"Our region, unfortunately, is experiencing many challenges and the resolution of these challenges is critically important to the future of the region and the world. And we are determined to – as I said, to work with our American friends in trying to find solutions to these areas in a way that promotes peace and security for all people of the region as well as people of the world."

Saudi officials are also suggesting the possibility of ground-forces in Syria, where Iran's government is currently backing the government forces of Bashar al-Assad.

U.S. Experts Calls for More Resources to Combat Zika

U.S. health officials are calling for more help in fighting the fast-spreading Zika virus.

The call includes more help in vaccine development, as well as better diagnostic tests and expand mosquito control programs.

Zika is being blamed for a sudden spike in the number of microcephaly cases.

These are children born with abnormally small heads.

Doctor Anne Schuchat with the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention is warning pregnant women to avoid traveling to Zika-affected areas.

"For the average American, this is not something that will change your day-to-day life, but if you are pregnant, we have taken the unusual step of recommending that you avoid travel to areas where Zika is spreading, or if you live in an area such as that or must travel, that you be very vigilant with applying mosquito repellant and taking steps to avoid mosquito bites."

Doctor Anthony Fauci from the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases says a vaccine for Zika shouldn't be too far off.

"We have already started to develop the vaccine in the early stage, and we can predict that we would likely be in phase one trial, just to determine if it's safe, and if it induces a good response, probably by the end of the summer and get that going by the end of this year."

U.S. President Barack Obama has put in a request for Congress to provide 1.8 billion U.S. dollars in emergency funding to combat the Zika virus and the spreading mosquitoes.

The Zika virus has been spreading rapidly across the Americas.

While not fatal to adults, the Zika virus is potentially deadly to children in gestation.

Migrant Influx Possible if Britain Leaves the EU: Cameron

British Prime Minister David Cameron is warning of the possibility of migrant camps appearing in the UK should voters in the country decide to leave the European Union.

Arguing for the UK's new agreement with the EU, Cameron says it will help maintain the country's current border agreement with France.

"On the issue of Europe and our borders, look I'll make that point again; yes this is a bilateral agreement. It's a good agreement, it's an agreement that means that our borders are effectively in Calais, not in Dover. That is good for Britain. I want us to keep that. I work very hard with my French counterparts as does the Home Secretary to make sure that we do keep that. That is why we've helped with fencing, that's why we've helped with finances. That's why we've helped with border guards and cooperation and all the rest of it. "

The Conservative government in the UK had been threatening to back a withdrawal from the European Union in a forthcoming national referendum on the issue.

However, it's been able to negotiate a series of compromises from the EU this month.

The agreements have prompted the UK government to back a policy of staying within the EU.

Cameron's administration has promised a 'yes or no' referendum in the UK on whether to remain part of the European Union before the end of next year.

Air India passenger plane from Delhi to London diverted to Germany

A London-bound Air India flight from New Delhi has been forced to make an emergency landing in Frankfurt, Germany.

Air India is citing technical difficulties for the diversion.

Company officials have not provided any other details at this point.

The Boeing Dreamliner 787 touched-down in Frankfurt shortly after 1pm local time.

Super Bowl 50 Attracts Record Level Viewership: NFL

Reports are suggesting Sunday's Super Bowl 50 may have become one of the most watched television events in history.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says yesterday's game has been a major success.

"The early ratings coming in are that we're at record levels once again. We anticipate this to be one of the most-watched shows in television history - if not the most-watched show in television history. And so we're thrilled with what the reaction is, not only here in this community but also around the globe, frankly. And I think the Bay Area put their best foot forward as they say and we're grateful for that."

Marca Recognizes Top Talent in Spanish Primera Liga

Madrid's daily sports newspaper Marca has held its annual awards, with Cristiano Ronaldo earning the prize as last year's top scorer in La Liga.

In accepting his award, the 31-year old Portugese veteran has taken time to ease concerns in Madrid about rumors he might leave the club before his contract expires in 2018.

"It is a privilege for me to be here in the Spanish Primera Liga and leave my mark, which is pretty good. And now what I want is to stay here for a couple of years more and we will see what happens in the future."

Ronaldo has been with Real Madrid since 2009 after being transferred from Manchester United.

Meanwhile, Lionel Messi has taken this year's award as Top Player in the Spanish Liga.

Sergio Ramos has been named the best player from the Spanish national team.

Former Real boss Carlo Ancelotti has been named the league's best coach.

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

Recapping our top stories ...

Renewed optimism in southern Taiwan, as survivors are still being pulled alive from the rubble of a collapsed apartment building nearly 3-days after Saturday's devastating earthquake.

New analysis is suggesting traveller trips via the country's rail system are up once-again this year this holiday.

Pentagon officials say talks with South Korea have officially begun for the potential deployment of a controversial anti-missile system.

On behalf of the rest of the Beijing Hour team, this is Paul James in Beijing hoping you'll join us for our next edition of the Beijing Hour to open a window to the world together.