新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 20:00 2016/02/18（在线收听）

The Beijing Hour

Evening Edition

Shane Bigham with you on this Thursday Febuary 18th, 2016.

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

Coming up on the program this evening...

Five executives from the Spanish offices of a Chinese bank have been detained as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation...

Apple Pay has officially launched in China, competing with Alibaba's and Tencent's mobile payment platforms...

A second bombing in as many days in Turkey has killed more soldiers...

In business...new stats show deflationary pressure on the Chinese economy eased in January...

In sports...a Chinese snooker star makes it to the final 16 of the Welsh Open...

In entertainment...a service has been held to remember Chinese dramatist and Songwriter Yan Su...

All of that is 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 ChinaPlusnews.com for the latest news and information from China Radio International.

Top

China asks Spain to investigate alledged ICBC money laundering under the law

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has issued a statement, urging Spanish authorities to investigate an alleged money laundering case involving a Chinese bank in a just and fair way.

The comment comes as local media revealed that Spanish police raided the offices of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China - ICBC - in Madrid.

Five senior officers from the bank have been taken into custody.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei.

"Bilateral ties between China and Spain have been sound in recent years, with deepening cooperation in various fields. Spain has become an important investment destination for Chinese entrepreneurs and financial institutions. China has been asking its companies to abide by laws both at home and abroad. At the same time, we also hope that other countries can deal with issues that arise according to law, to ensure that the legitimate rights of these Chinese companies and personnel are protected. "

It's being reported that Spanish authorities raided the ICBC offices on Wednesday as part of a joint operation connected to alleged money laundering and tax fraud.

It's said to be connected with a major investigation known as Operation Snake, which has led to over 30 arrests in Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia since May.

The bank has responded that it is cooperating fully with the Spanish authorities.

ICBC is China's largest bank in terms of assets. A Beijing-based spokesman says strictly implementing anti-money laundering regulations and strictly operating within the law have always been among ICBC's fundamental operations and management principles.

China urges other countries not to hype up its defense deployment on Xisha Islands

China has defended its defense deployment in the South China Sea, insisting that the Xisha Islands are China's inherent territory and there is no legitimate dispute of the country's sovereignty over the islands.

China's Foreign Ministry is also urging other countries not to hype up the story of the deployment, but to do more for the benefit of regional peace and stability.

The comment is in response to media reports that US Secretary of State John Kerry is reportedly seeking dialogue with Beijing over the deployment of an anti-air missile system on Yongxing Island.

China has been insisting that the deployment is under China's legitimate right to self-protection.

Three Chinese overseas students face years of imprisonment for campus bullying in the US

Three Chinese students at a high school in southern California have been sentenced to lengthy jail terms for kidnapping, assault, and grievous bodily harm.

The suspects are surnamed Zhai, Yang, and Zhang and they have been given terms of 13 years, 10 years, and 6 years respectively.

The prosecutors withdrew the charge of "torture" against the suspects.

The Supreme Court in Los Angeles has announced that the students are to be deported after they have finished their sentences.

The three 19-year-olds abducted and tortured their Chinese schoolmate, surnamed Liu, in March of last year.

They were arrested soon after and reached a plea agreement with prosecutors in January to have their sentence commuted.

The case has raised huge public attention on the living situation of "parachute students" sent by wealthy Chinese families to study abroad.

Some legal experts point out that an increasing number of under-age students in China are sent overseas by their parents and they are prone to commit crimes as they lack adequate supervision.

Zhang Jun, a trial lawyer with the Supreme Court of the United States, says there are different attitudes towards campus bullying in different countries but in the US it is viewed as a very serious crime.

"For example, many people told me a case like this is just a school problem in China and should be subjected to punishment from the school administrators rather than legal system. And the punishment should not be as serious as a conviction of "torture." But in the US this is a serious crime. Judicial circles and the police find the case really disgusting. Though the prosecutors dismissed the accusation of torture, the suspects were still handed very serious sentences."

The lawyer says this case follows a rising trend involving international students committing crimes in America, and warns students and parents that the consequences can be very significant.

Apple Pay launched in China

Apple Pay has officially launched here in China.

Apple CEO Tim Cook announced the launch of the contactless payment system today through his Sina Weibo social media account.

The tech giant is teaming up with Chinese bankcard association UnionPay.

Nearly 20 Chinese banks have let their customers tie their bank accounts to Apple Pay, and UnionPay has provided compatible Point-Of-Sales terminals for users to complete the transactions.

Users of the iPhone 6, certain iPads, and Apple Watches equipped with near field communication, or NFC technology, will be able to use the system to buy items in certain stores in China.

McDonald's said today that it will accept Apple Pay in its 1,700 restaurants in China.

Apple also lists Lane Crawford, 7-Eleven, Burger King, and KFC among the merchants already accepting Apple Pay in China.

Chinese restaurant review and group buying services Meituan and Dazhongdianping and online retailer Dangdang.com have also made Apple Pay-compatible versions of their apps available to iPhone users.

China UnionPay has previously worked with the country's three telecom operators to promote NFC-based mobile payment services in competition with the payment solutions offered by Alibaba and Tencent.

Yet the project failed to gain a sizable share of the mobile payment market, in part because of different technical standards and a lack of adoption by merchants.

And for more on this, the Beijing Hour's Bob Jones earlier spoke with Cao Can, CRI's financial commentator.

Experts call for wild life conservation amid elephant's highway rampages

Anchor:

Wildlife experts are calling for efforts to raise awareness for the protection of elephants and other animals, after a wild elephant in western China wandered onto a road and damaged more than two dozen cars.

CRI's reporter Guo Yan has the details.

Reporter:

The elephant, named "Zhusunya" by locals, left a nature reserve last Friday and damaged more than a dozen cars parked along the road.

Another nine cars were damaged during a rampage on Monday.

Local workers say the elephant was probably angry after losing a fight for a mate.

Local police officers have been busy checking the damaged cars and trying to evacuate people from the area.

Tang Zhouxing, a local police officer, says the elephant crushed some vehicles under its massive weight.

"This elephant sat its body on the car, and the whole car was shaking and was damaged badly. Now we can see the rear-view mirror of the car was destroyed and can't see the rear part. We will have a look after the elephant leaves. Now the elephant is coming up, so be careful."

A forest police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, has said that along with losing the fight over its mate, the animal may also have been provoked by the increased presence of humans in its habitat around the Spring Festival holiday.

One witness said she saw the elephant walking towards a tourist coach and all people on the coach were frightened by it.

An unnamed tourist from Jilin province recalled the moment when their bus was attacked.

"The elephant came from this road, and walked along the road, hitting several cars then rushed towards our coach. At that moment all of us were sitting in the coach and were very scared. The elephant then focused on our coach and hit the front door of our coach. The elephant crashed the door with its forehead, and bumped the left rear-view mirror near the driver, it's about 90 degrees crooked,"

Dozens of tourists and locals were seen near the site, watching the apparently 'jilted' elephant showing its frustrations.

The local government has bought Public Liability Insurance for any damages caused by wild animals in the nature reserve.

Insurance companies are investigating the conditions of the cars and will offer compensation soon.

Shen Qingzhong a senior engineer with Xishuangbanna Nature Reserve, says wild elephants are frequently seen in the area.

"He's familiar with the environment of the 'wild life valley' and the tourists there. He knew that people wouldn't hurt him. Judging from his age, he's around 15-year-old and is reaching sexual maturity. He's like a young lad in his adolescence. He played with people and their cars on his way of finding a spouse. He didn't attack the cars on purpose but played with the cars. '"

Wild Asian elephants are a level-one nationally protected species in China, with less than 300 in the country.

Chen Mingyong, a professor with the Yunnan University, says the number of wild Asian elephants has doubled compared to that of 1980s. Yet the species is still endangered due to habitat loss and a shortage of food.

"Asian elephants have a wide range of food sources. But they are big eaters and the overall storage of food is not enough. Also, with development in tropical areas, many forests have been turned into rubber plantations and tea bushes. "

To ease the conflict between elephants and human beings, the expert stresses that the most important thing is to enhance efforts to protect forest ecosystems and strike a balance between protection and development.

For CRI' this is Guo Yan.

Beijing authorities starts investigation of illegal tour guide swearing at tourists

Anchor:

Tourism authorities in Beijing are investigating a video that shows an illegal tour guide swearing at tourists.

Analysts say the incident is not uncommon in Beijing and they call for more actions to deal with it.

We get more from CRI's Niu Honglin.

Reporter:

The video has gone viral. It shows a tour guide swearing at a tourist who asked why his group did not stop at a famous tourism resort.

It was later found out that the video was shot on the third day of the spring festival holiday in Beijing's Changping District, where the Ming Tombs are located.

The tourists were taken on an illegal "one-day Beijing trip" that often involves more shopping than sightseeing.

So far, no direct reports from tourists involved in the incident have been received, which makes the investigation difficult for the authorities.

Despite this, the head of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development, Song Yu, says action will be taken immediately to investigate the incident.

"We have dispatched a special administrator to investigate the issue after seeing it online. It brings us some trouble as there were no direct reports to us. Next step, we are trying to find this illegal tour guide through reports from the public. He belongs to the kind of black sheep tour operators who have an extreme bad effect on Beijing's tourism."

Analysts say Beijing's tourism industry is in urgent need for streamlining. One of the obvious issues is the "one-day Beijing trip" which often involves the tour guide forcing the tourists to make purchases, and can sometimes lead to verbal or physical assaults.

Song Yu says the Beijing authorities are planning to offer rewards for information on illegal tour guides.

"The Ming Tombs resort used to be one of the most famous tourism destinations for Beijing's one-day trips. However, its fame has been badly damaged by illegal tour guides. We sent out over 20 thousand people to stop these illegal activities last year but failed to eradicate them. We will spare no effort to solve this problem this year. Once we certify the deeds of one illegal tour guide, he will be put on the blacklist which means he will be banned from occupying jobs related to tourism. "

In analyzing the issue, experts say the reasons behind the persistent existence of illegal tour guides are complex.

Along with the lack of supervision by the authorities, inappropriate relationships between travel agencies and tour guides in China are also cited as part of the problem.

These tour guides have neither basic salary nor much insurance and their incomes rely solely on spending by tourists.

Experts also call for the public to choose legal travel agencies and not believe those zero fee tourism services.

For CRI, this is Niu Honglin.

South China Trade Hub Steps up Inbound Zika Checks

South China's Guangdong has strengthened the monitoring of inbound passengers at airports and major sea ports to prevent Zika virus from entering the country.

All of the devices that measure the temperatures of passengers upon arrival have been activated at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, as both imported Zika cases entered the Chinese mainland through Guangdong.

Wu Huiming, an official with the airport, introduces the preventative measures.

"We have installed four body temperature measuring instruments here, and when a passenger comes through, four instruments will scan his face at the same time to measure his temperature. This can ensure anyone with fever can be identified."

According to Wu, once an abnormal body temperature is detected, the monitor will go red and an alert will be set off, and the passenger will be taken to a medical observation room for further check if he shows symptoms.

"Patients, after having their blood sample collected, will be sent to a hospital for infectious diseases for further quarantine and treatment. This is a joint control system linking ports, labs and medical institutions."

Guangdong is a major connection point between China and South America, where Zika appears to have originated.

The two patients diagnosed with Zika in China had all stayed in Venezuela.

Beijing fair to boost service trade under the 13th 5-year-plan

Anchor:

An annual international trade fair will be held in Beijing soon, and insiders say it will bring new opportunities to the country's service sector.

Our reporter Luo Laiming has more.

Reporter:

Zhao Zhongqian is the deputy director of China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchanges with Chinese ministry of Commerce.

He says this year's event will start the new era of trade in services under the 13th 5-year-plan.

"This year's fair is held in the initiative year of the China's 13th five-year-plan, it will highlight national strategies such as "the Belt and Road" initiative, coordinated development strategy of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province, in fields of science, information and technology, cultural, education, finance, commercial logistics, tourism and healthcare."

First held in 2012, China Beijing International Fair for Trade in Services covers all of the 12 sectors of trade in services defined by the WTO.

Delegates from 154 countries have sealed deals worth of some 220 billion US dollars.

The State Council has given the green light to Beijing's pilot program to open up the service sector in 2015, making the capital the first city in China to start a trial run.

Statistics indicates that the service industry contributes the most to local economy.

Last year, the service industry sector added value accounts for over 80% in the local GDP for the first time.

Chief operating officer of UK Trade and Investment Julia Voo says the city has huge opportunities to upgrade its service industry as the sector has already become the driving force of local economy.

"There's more that China can do. In a lot of areas of services in China remain closed, not open internationally. I think the pilot the Beijing municipality is taking forward to explore will benefit people and economy. Also we look forward greatly to working with Beijing municipality on that pilot. Relations between the UK and China are at a historic high after the state visit by President Xi to the UK last year. Both Chinese leaders and Britain leaders have declare that there's a golden era in our relations. So the climate is positive for mutual understanding in services."

Julia Voo says he is looking forward to deeper cooperation between the two countries in health, financial and air space technology services.

The upcoming trade fair will also highlight the business opportunities related to the "one belt and one road" initiative, or the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013.

Under the initiatives, highways, railways and air routes will be established, and Chinese regions will further integrate resources, policies and markets to connect with other countries.

Delegates from 9 countries along the belt and road will participate in this year's trade fair.

Commercial attache Arunas Karlonas with Lithuania's embassy in China says the two countries have great cooperation potential in developing the European Union market.

"I think that at my country we are focusing to take the part of technology side and relation side in "one belt, one road" strategy, also my country can suggest new ways to do research, new ways to do business in European Union. It's a common market, and we could be as a strategy partner to get into the European Union market."

The next trade fair is set to be held on May 28 to June 1, 2016.

For CRI, I'm Luo Laiming.

Ankara bomber identified as Syrian national

Turkey has been hit by another attack targeting military personnel.

Six Turkish soldiers were killed when a military vehicle was hit by an explosion in southeast Turkey on Thursday.

The blast occurred near a military outpost.

The attack came a day after a car bomb killed at least 28 people and wounded 61 others in Ankara.

Turkey has arrested at least 9 suspects in connection with Wednesday's attack.

Turkish authorities have identified the suicide bomber behind the blast as a Syrian national.

According to local media, the bomber is believed to have entered Turkey along with Syrian refugees.

It is reported that the bomber's fingerprints, taken when he entered the country, helped authorities identify him.

Wednesday's bombing reportedly targeted military service vehicles, and it's understood that some military personnel are among the dead.

The attack happened while a high-level security meeting, hosted by Turkey's President, was taking place at the Presidential Palace.

Brexit may shock the world: French FM

France's Prime Minister Manuel Valls has told his country's Parliament that a British exit from the European Union would be "a shock" to both Europe and the world.

"A shock maybe for Europe. But above all, a shock for the view the world has on Europe. It would be a crisis marked by the exit of one of its member states. And we hope Britain's membership deal happens."

His comments came ahead of a two-day summit of EU leaders beginning later on today.

Britain's EU reform proposals will be a major topic.

Britain is demanding concessions before a referendum on whether it should leave the EU.

The possible exit has caused much concern among people in the UK.

Thomas Raines, a research fellow at Chatham House, worries that leaving the EU will bring short-term economic upheaval to Britain.

"So in the short term you'd likely have a devaluation of sterling, the pound, the UK currency. You'd likely have a decline in investment in the short term because of the uncertainty around the terms of trade with Europe."

Pro-EU supporters believe leaving the Union will also serve to re-trigger Scottish independence forces, and weaken Britain's international influence.

However, the margin has been narrowing between the "Remain" and "Leave" campaigns in recent polls.

One of the controversial proposals is free movement, as immigration is allowed within the EU, triggering an influx of hundreds of thousands of Eastern Europeans to the UK.

Figures show that Britain receives around 500,000 immigrants annually, although the British government is gearing up to tighten the policy.

Robert Oxley is the head of media for the Vote Leave Campaign.

"[The people] aren't willing to except continuingly handing decisions from London from Westminster over to Brussels. That's the kind of things which they're not happy with. And so this referendum will be about taking control of those decisions and meaning that the people we elect here actually take the decisions that affect our daily lives."

British Prime Minister David Cameron has promised to hold a referendum by the end of next year.

If a deal is clinched at the summit, he might call a vote as soon as June.

Obama to visit Cuba next month: report

It's being reported that U.S. President Barack Obama is planning a trip to Cuba next month.

This marks the first time in more than 80 years a sitting U.S. president will visit the island country.

The trip is said to be planned for March 21st and 22nd.

The two countries reestablished diplomatic ties and reopened embassies in each others' capitals last summer.

Weather

Beijing, clear to overcast tonight with a low of -2; overcast tomorrow and a high of 8.

Shanghai will be cloudy tonight with a low of 6; slight rain tomorrow with a high of 12.

Chongqing will be cloudy with a low of 5; overcast tomorrow with a high of 12.

Lhasa, clear tonight with a low of -2; sunny tomorrow with a high of 15.

Elsewhere in Asia,

Islamabad, rainy tomorrow with a high of 23.

Kabul, cloudy, 4.

Down in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney will be cloudy, highs of 30.

Brisbane, slight rain, 27.

Perth, sunny, 32.

And finally Auckland will have slight rain with a high of 25 degrees Celsius.

Headline News

Australian FM meets Chinese State Councilor

Visiting Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has met with Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi in Beijing.

Yang says China is willing to promote the development of its partnership with Australia.

He says he hopes the two countries can strengthen economic and trade cooperation.

For her part, Julie Bishop says Australia will work with China in such fields as tourism, education, justice, and the fight against terrorism.

China publicizes latest graft cases

The top discipline watchdog of the Communist Party of China has named officials involved in 125 breaches of Party rules.

The violations include accepting bribes, embezzlement of public funds, and charging unauthorized fees.

Some people involved in these cases have been sentenced to jail.

Other wrongdoers received punishments ranging from warnings, demotions, expulsion from the Party, and removal from their posts.

Cases involving criminal liability have been transferred to prosecutors.

4,000 searching for 3 missing children in E China

Four-thousand people have been mobilized in eastern China to search for three children reported missing in Zhejiang province.

A seven-year-old boy and two girls, aged eight and 12, left home in Jianguang Village at around noon on Tuesday and have not been seen since.

Along with the thousands of searchers on the ground, police have also mobilized a helicopter. It has been used to drop food and clothing in an area where it's believed the children may find them.

Amphibious vehicles and divers are searching in reservoirs, ponds, and rivers.

Ten professional rescue teams are involved in the search effort, and messages related to the search have been spreading on social networks across China.

S. Korea vows to hit back hard at N. Korea

South Korean President Park Geun-hye says the closure of Kaesong Industrial Park was "just the start" of the action her country will take against North Korea.

The South's decision to shut down the factory park was in response to the North's recent nuclear test and long-range rocket launch.

South Korean Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo said on Thursday that an unyielding position from his country would induce cooperation from the international community that can then put pressure on the North to give up its nuclear program.

Trinidad and Tobago confirms first Zika case

The Health Ministry of Trinidad and Tobago has confirmed the first case of the Zika virus in the Caribbean country.

The virus was found in a 61-year-old woman.

The blood sample was confirmed to contain the Zika virus by the Caribbean Public Health Agency.

Biz Reports

Anchor:

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

Here is CRI's Min Rui.

Reporter:

Chinese shares opened positive and climbed higher during the morning session, but closed on a weak note on Thursday.

The stocks were boosted by solid gains in the real estate and oil sectors.

A new set of economic data released in the morning, which signaled China's easing deflationary pressure, also helped to buoy the growth in the stock market during the morning session. We'll have more on that in a minute.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index remained positive during the afternoon session before plunging in the last 30 minutes near closing.

The quick and sudden drop near closing dashed investors' hopes for a three-day winning streak.

At close, the Shanghai index lost 0.2 percent, while the smaller Shenzhen index edged down half a percent.

The ChiNext Index of growth enterprises, lost more than 1 percent.

Nearly 70 stocks rose by the daily limit of 10 percent despite the negative closing, and only 7 stocks declined by 5 percent.

Over in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index surged 2.3 percent.

Elsewhere in Asia,

Japan's Nikkei added 2.3 percent.

South Korea's KOSPI gained 1.3 percent.

Singapore's Straits Times moved up 1.6 percent.

And finally, Australia's ASX/200 surged 2.2 a percent.

China producer prices improve in January

China's consumer prices rose for a third consecutive month in January, signaling easing deflationary pressure.

The CPI, a main gauge of inflation, grew 1.8 percent year on year in January, up from a rise of 1.6 percent in December.

The rise is mainly thanks to rising food prices, which account for one-third of the CPI calculation, edging up 4.1 percent year on year.

Pork prices jumped significantly at 18.8 percent, contributing significantly to CPI growth.

Meanwhile, China's producer prices continued to drop in January but the contraction eased notably, also signaling less deflationary pressure.

The PPI, which measures wholesale inflation, dropped 5.3 percent year on year in January, marked the 47th straight month of decline.

For more on the latest economic data, I spoke earlier with Liu Baocheng, Professor at the University of International Business and Economics.

Sinopec to close four oilfields in Shandong

China's second-largest oil company, Sinopec, will shut down four oilfields in Shandong province amid plummeting oil prices.

The four oilfields are the least profitable projects of the Shengli oilfield, and will be closed later this year.

It will mark the first shutdown after the first barrel of oil was pumped from the Shengli oilfield more than five decades ago.

The closures signify a dramatic fall for the company.

The Shengli oilfield, once one of the most profitable oil projects in China, reported $1.4 billion in losses last year as global oil prices have fallen sharply over the past year.

Experts predict more rigs could begin to see a fall in production this year.

Fosun's deal for Phoenix ditched

Shanghai-based Fosun has dropped a plan to buy a controlling stake in Israeli insurer Phoenix Holdings.

A statement released yesterday said this is because certain conditions for the deal have not been met.

Fosun had agreed last June to buy over 50 percent of Phoenix from Delek Group in a deal worth 462 million U.S. dollars.

Neither party is obliged to pay any penalties over the failure of the agreement.

Lyft hopes to gain market through alliance with Didi

Lyft, a San Francisco-based online ride-hailing and sharing service, is looking to leverage its alliance with China's Didi Kuaidi in the fast-expanding sector.

The alliance with China's largest ride-hailing player is seen as an effort for Lyft to become a dominant force in the United States within two years.

Lyft is now gaining market share from Uber, the US' biggest ride-hailing operator.

The collaboration with Didi Kuaidi could give a strong boost to the domestic US push.

Didi Kuaidi, India's Ola, Southeast Asia's GrabTaxi and Lyft entered a four-way partnership in December, which involves collaboration on a new feature on their existing taxi-booking apps to give their users access to each others' cabs in their respective markets.

Starbucks, Costa promise action after British sugar report

Coffee chains Starbucks and Costa have promised to develop healthier drinks.

This follows a British campaign that found "dangerously" high sugar levels in some of the hot flavored beverages served by those coffee chains.

Out of 131 drinks analyzed by Action on Sugar, 98 percent were found to have a high enough sugar content to earn a red nutritional label in Britain, which is a warning to consumers they should limit their intake of such treats.

Analysis of some Starbucks' drinks shows they contain the equivalent of 25 teaspoons of sugar.

Costa's large Chai Latte was found to contain 20 teaspoons of sugar, while KFC's Mocha had 15 teaspoons.

Starbucks says the company has committed to reducing sugar in indulgent drinks by 25 percent by the end of 2020.

Sports

Welsh open sees Ding Junhui advance

In the world of snooker:

China's Ding Junhui has reached the last the 16 at the Welsh Open in Cardiff on Wednesday.

Ding had to fend off England's Matthew Selt with a top break of 126 in the opening frame.

After breaking, Ding took the early lead of 3-1, but Selt would come back strong leveling the game at 3-3.

In the end, it would be Ding who would win the match with a deciding frame of 68-20.

With this win, the Chinese athlete will move on to play Belgian rising star, Luca Brecel.

A lot is on the line for Ding, who is hoping to receive his first ranking title in two years.

Other Chinese players in the tournament had mixed fortunes.

Liang Wenbo lost his match against Michael White.

But Yu Delu was able to advance to the next round after beating Thailand's Dechawat Poomjaeng 4-3

Jiangsu Suning signs Teixeira, Ramires and Jo

and in domestic football:

Yet another signing has taken place today and this time, it's Jiangsu Suning who has signed Alex Teixeira as well as fellow Brazilians Ramires and Jo.

These signings for Jiangsu come ahead of the new Chinese Super League season.

The Chinese club team who finished 9th last year is seeking to change their fortunes with a purchase of 56 million US dollars for Teixeira alone.

On top of that, the team has spent a considerable amount to pick up former Shaktar striker Ramires and former Manchester City Forward Jo.

Don Pretrescu, Suning's head couch, explained the team's strategy for these pick-ups during a recent press conference.

"It is impossible to play with the same team (for the first three games in 10 days of the new season). We are going to use many players for these matches. We can not play for all the match with the same players. For sure some of the players arrive late, and not fit to play so many games, and we have to make the rotation of the players."

The Chinese club team will play their first game of the new season on March 5th.

Wild Card beats Tsonga in Rio Open

and in a Update from the Rio Open:

Wild Card Entry Thiago Monteiro beat out Tennis super star Jo-wilfried Tsonga in their match on Wednesday.

The up-and-coming tennis player won the round with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.

After the game, Monteiro talked about what this win means for him.

"Nothing has changed, despite being a victory against a top 10 athlete. I, myself, will remain the same, working hard. I still have a lot of work to do to reach Top 100. Many points, many games, a whole year ahead of me. This is a victory that brings me confidence for the rest of the season, make me believe I can win players that are stronger than me.

This is Montiero's first time on the ATP world tour.

If the Brazilian tennis player keeps playing like this, fans can expect more success in his games to come.

Muguruza knocked out of Dubai Tennis championship

and in another tennis upset:

The Dubai Tennis Championship's second seed, Garbine Muguruza has been knocked after losing straight sets to Elina Svitolina on Wednesday.

Muguruza lost with a 7-6, 6-3 to become the 8th and final seeded player to make an early exit from the tournament.

The game had its ups and downs for both tennis players, but in the end, world number 21, Svitolina walked away with the win.

With this win, Svitolina has arranged a quarter-final meeting with American CoCo Vandeweghe.

Red Bull F1 racing reveals new car livery

and in some F1 racing news:

Red Bull racing has revealed its new car Livery during a presentation in London on Wednesday.

In attendance were the team's principle Christian Horner and racers, Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kyat.

The team assured fans that this year would see more aggressive Red Bull racing.

During the presentation, Ricciardo spoke about the team and its new ride.

"I think Red Bull has come into the sport to, in a way, change it. We're quite funky and the car looks pretty bad-ass. We came in to not only have a good time but to be successful so this year is a big year for us as a team. We really want to get back on the right path to success and I think this is the year that will turn it round for us."

Red Bull is coming off a disappointing last season where team Mercedes dominated.

As the new F1 season starts, Red Bull racing is optimistic of they might achieve.

Rory McIlroy preps for Northern Trust Open

and in golf:

With the Northern Trust Open right around the corner, Rory McIlroy is in full swing to make sure he is prepared.

The world number 3 held a press conference on Wednesday ahead of the tournament.

The golfer from northern Ireland is coming off a pair of good results in his previous games.

In Abu Dhabi he claimed 3rd place and in Dubai he came in at 6th.

This tournament will test the Irish Golfer as he goes head to head with world number 1 Jordan Spieth.

During his press conference, McIlroy spoke about his mindset coming into the competition.

"You know it's great, I feel like when I come back to the States, you know, the golf tournaments that I do play over here are the strongest fields. I like that, I like the challenge, I like to go up against all those guys so, but yeah, you know this is, I'd say you're right, this is the start of the road to the Masters and I think everyone's if not thinking about it directly, it's definitely in the back of their minds."

The tournament marks McIlroy first debut in America for the year.

The golfing super star is hoping to improve his world ranking.

Entertainment

Chinese Bid Farewell to Prestigious Songwriter

Over ten thousand Chinese people have joined the family and friends of Yan Su at a memorial service today for the late Chinese dramatist and songwriter.

The service was held at the Babaoshan funeral center in west Beijing.

Top Chinese leaders including president Xi Jinping have laid individual wreaths for the renowned artist.

Yan Su died at the age of 86 last Friday.

The artist left behind more than 1,000 art pieces, including the popular theme song of the classic 1980's TV series "Journey to the West" named "Dare to Ask Where is the Road."

Yan has also achieved great success in opera, creating numerous acclaimed works, including Red Rock, The Red Detachment of Women, and Armed Working Team behind Enemy Lines.

He received more than 100 awards during his illustrious career, including lifetime achievement awards for his contributions to opera, drama, and music.

"Heaven In The Dark" Releases First Trailer

Hong Kong Film Awards nominee "Heaven in the Dark" has released its first official trailer today.

The movie, starring Hong Kong actress Karena Lam and actor Jacky Cheung, tells the story of a woman who shares a kiss with a pastor and then files sexual harassment charges against him. The pastor ends up losing his faith as a consequence of her actions, while the woman tries to find salvation in religion.

Though not yet released, both leading stars have already been nominated for best actress and best actor, respectively, at the 2016 Hong Kong Film Awards, which will take place on April 3rd.

It has also been selected as the opening film of the Golden Horse Fantastic Film Festival on April 8th.

The film is adapted from the popular 2005 stage play "French Kiss," which won the Best Script Award in Hong Kong that year.

Marking the directorial debut of Lam's husband Yuen Kim-wai, the movie is now scheduled for a Hong Kong release on March 24th.

"Mermaid" Ready to Break Box Office Record

Domestic comedy "The Mermaid" has grossed 2.2 billion yuan as of yesterday.

The film, by Hong Kong director and comedian Stephen Chow, was released just 10 days ago on Chinese lunar New Year's Day.

So far, "Monster Hunt," which grossed 2.4 billion yuan, is the champion of China's box-office tally.

However, anticipation runs high that "The Mermaid" could break that record, or even reach the new benchmark of 3 billion yuan in the world's fastest-growing film market.

"Goat" Premieres at the 66th Berlin Film Festival

Nick Jonas' latest movie "Goat" had a special premiere on Wednesday at the Berlin Film Festival.

The movie, directed by Andrew Neel, casts a stark light on the concept of fraternity houses and follows the initiation and "hazing" that comes as a consequence of this. It is brutal and unflinching in its depiction of the violence and bullying that occurs in the initiation stages.

Although Jonas didn't attend a college, he says it is pretty easy to empathize with the gang mentality.

"I think any time you grow up with siblings as close in age as we were there is that sense of fraternity life in some sense and plus we worked together for so long and spent a lot of our really impressionable years together. So there was definitely training ground there for that. I spoke to a lot of people in fraternities, watched "Frat House" a documentary that really helped us to get some perspective."

"Goat" is screening out of competition at the 66th Berlin Film Festival, which ends on Sunday with the Golden and Silver Bear awards announced.

Zayn Malik Premieres New Single "It's You"

Former "One Direction" star Zayn Malik has debuted his new ballad on "The Tonight Show." The song is called "It's You."

The 23-year-old singer has also taken time during his visit to Universal Studios Hollywood to reveal the cover art for his debut solo album, "Mind of Mine."

Meanwhile, the singer's first track "Pillow Talk," which released back in January, is still climbing the charts.

Weather

Beijing, clear to overcast tonight with a low of -2; overcast tomorrow and a high of 8.

Shanghai will be cloudy tonight with a low of 6; slight rain tomorrow with a high of 12.

Chongqing will be cloudy with a low of 5; overcast tomorrow with a high of 12.

Lhasa, clear tonight with a low of -2; sunny tomorrow with a high of 15.

Elsewhere in Asia,

Islamabad, rainy tomorrow with a high of 23.

Kabul, cloudy, 4.

Down in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney will be cloudy, highs of 30.

Brisbane, slight rain, 27.

Perth, sunny, 32.

And finally Auckland will have slight rain with a high of 25 degrees Celsius.

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

Recapping our top stories...

Five executives from the Spanish offices of a Chinese bank have been detained as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation...

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