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This is the Beijing Hour.
Examining the events that impact and shape China and the rest of the world.
This is the Beijing Hour.
One hour of news and information brought to you every weekday.
Now here's your host.
Shane Biggum.
With you on this Tuesday, July 28th, 2026.
You're listening to The Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
On today's program, the Chinese and Slovak presidents have held talks in Beijing aiming to increase bilateral friendship and cooperation.
Iran says it's not currently negotiating with the U.S. and accuses Washington of violating their peace memorandum.
China's issued a report citing flaws in U.S. arguments about overcapacity in key Chinese industries.
In business, China's recorded steady growth in tax and fee revenue through the first half of the year.
In sports, a younger Chinese squad preserves the national team's record at the FIBA International Solidarity Cup in Haikou.
In culture and entertainment, Beijing launches a series of exhibitions on the city's UNESCO-listed central axis.
Now the day's top stories.
Chinese President Xi Jinping says the country stands ready to work with Slovakia to foster a partnership featuring mutual respect, trust, and resilience.
He made the remarks during talks with his Slovak counterpart in Beijing.
Peter Pellegrini is on a state visit to China from Monday to Wednesday, his first visit to the country since taking office.
President Xi said mutual trust between China and Slovakia continues to deepen, and friendship is taking deep root in the hearts of the two nations.
Zhao Yang has details.
During talks, Xi Jinping said China stands ready to work with Slovakia to foster a bilateral strategic partnership featuring mutual respect, trust and resilience.
He also outlined four priority areas for cooperation moving forward.
First, to consolidate strategic mutual trust and offer each other firm support.
Xi said despite differences in political systems, China and Slovakia respect each other's chosen development paths and uphold friendship and cooperation as the mainstream of bilateral relations.
He said China appreciates Slovakia's adherence to the One China principle and will continue to fully accommodate each other's core interests and major concerns.
Second, to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and achieve common development.
Xi noted that Slovakia has taken an active part in the Belt and Road Initiative and the China Central and Eastern European countries' cooperation, yielding substantial results.
He said the two sides should better leverage mechanisms such as the Intergovernmental Cooperation Commission to provide policy support for deeper cooperation.
Tap cooperation potential in emerging sectors including clean energy, digital economy, robotics and AI.
Third, to enhance people-to-people ties and carry forward the long-standing friendship.
Xi has urged the two sides to expand cooperation in culture, sports, tourism, youth exchanges and local interactions and continue to encourage youth exchanges to deepen mutual understanding.
And fourth, to uphold international fairness and justice and reform and improve global governance.
Xi said the two sides should strengthen multilateral coordination, firmly uphold the UN-centered international system and the international order underpinned by international law.
Jointly advance an equal and orderly multipolar world and universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, and work to build a community with a shared future for mankind.
Xi Jinping said China-EU relations face both important new opportunities and quite a few challenges.
Whether challenges can be turned into opportunities hinges on conducting equal-footed consultations and seeking common ground whilst resolving differences.
He added that China has always viewed the EU as a partner and develops ties with the EU with sincerity and goodwill.
He said it is hoped that Slovakia will play a constructive role in promoting the sound and steady growth of China-EU relations.
President Pellegrini said China's capability to formulate and consecutively implement five-year plans and steadily advance Chinese modernization is admirable and worthy of learning from.
He says Slovakia values its strategic partnership with China, firmly adheres to the One China principle and looks forward to boosting mutual trust, strengthening cooperation and deepening friendship with China.
He said the country seeks to expand cooperation into new areas and secure more outcomes in economy and trade, AI, digital economy, robotics, new energy and other sectors to deliver more benefits to both peoples.
He says Slovakia welcomes Chinese enterprises to invest and cooperate in the country.
Pellegrini said as an EU member state, Slovakia is ready to actively promote EU-China cooperation and properly address differences through dialogue and consultation.
He added that Slovakia highly recognizes China's international standing and influence and stands ready to work with Beijing to uphold multilateralism, safeguard the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law, and promote regional and global peace and stability.
Economic and trade cooperation is topping the agenda during the Slovak president's state visit in China.
One project the two sides are discussing is the first EV battery gigafactory in Slovakia, jointly developed with Chinese partners.
It's the country's second-largest investment project and a symbol of expanding industrial cooperation.
Ali Shuang has details.
Located in the town of Surani, the battery gigafactory marks a major step in Slovakia's ambition to become a hub for Europe's electric vehicle supply chain.
For Slovakia, this is a 1.4 billion euro investment.
It means 1,300 new jobs.
It's the second largest investment.
Jointly developed by China's Goshen and Slovakia's InnoBat, the project broke ground last October.
Production is expected to begin by the end of 2027.
Even before the first battery rose off the production line, demand is building.
The first production lab, which is 10 gigawatt hours of production, is already being taken by Volkswagen.
We are also getting a lot of requests from other European OEMs.
I'm very optimistic.
We will be expanding phase one, phase two, phase three, phase four in the next five to 10 years.
I think we could easily grow to more than 40 gigawatt hours.
The project is part of a broader expansion in China-Slovakia economic ties.
Since 2020, China has been Slovakia's largest trading partner outside the European Union.
Bilateral trade reached US$8.6 billion in 2025.
Analysts say the relationship has evolved beyond trade, with investment increasingly integrating the two countries into European and global industrial supply chains.
Slovakia is, as we all know, is situated in the heart, in the center of Europe and enjoys a solid industrial base.
You're making it an important node for Chinese enterprises seeking to enter the European market as Europe advances its grain and digital transitions, the two sides.
Have large potential for cooperation in smart manufacturing, the digital economy, new energy sectors, logistics, infrastructure, and other fields.
Slovakia in turn can enhance its industrial competitiveness by attracting more Chinese investment.
As President Pellegrini prepares to meet Chinese leaders this week, projects like the Surani Battery Plant offers a glimpse of how the two countries are moving toward deeper industrial and technological cooperation.
We are hoping in the future we can hire more and more local technical talent.
I believe this project will contribute a lot
Not just for the local community, but as well as the electrification effort in Europe.
Slovakia adopts pragmatic cooperation attitudes towards China and got a lot of benefits from this cooperation.
This message will help send a positive signal to other European countries and to the whole European Union.
China and Slovakia elevated their relationship to a strategic partnership in 2024.
Observers say President Pellegrini's visit is expected to inject fresh momentum into bilateral cooperation.
That was Li Shuang reporting.
And for more on China-Slovakia cooperation, Li Chouyuan spoke with Petra Beth-Djenova, an anchor of Slovak broadcaster TA3.
She hailed bilateral relations as stable and constructive and voiced hope for enhanced cooperation in emerging sectors and economic ties.
Our relations are really in a good way.
I think Mr. President Peter Pellegrini's stay with it is a really strong side for both countries.
I define our relationship definitely as a stable, constructive and developing.
China is really good business partner for our country.
Last year, bilateral trade expected.
Was 10 billion euros, which is a really huge amount for our country, our small country.
Now for Slovakia, in which areas does it hope to further deepen cooperation with China?
According to the official program, there are several important areas where Slovakia hopes to deepen cooperation with China.
One of the most important for us is innovation.
The Slovak delegation will visit Baidu.
One of the chinese leading technological companies and the robot mall where the latest developments in robotics and artificial intelligence are presented
This visit reflects slovakia interest in digital technologies and smart industry
Science research and higher education are also the key priorities
There are significant potential
Cooperation between universities, research institutions and innovating companies in both countries.
And of course, economic aspect remains another important pillar for Slovakia.
Definitely.
Slovakia has one of the strongest industrial economies in Central Europe and among the world's leading producers of cars per capita.
We are a small country, but we are trying to raise our business cooperation with China in the question of
Electricity and cars, and also high-scale workforce, growing expertise of innovation, engineering, manufacturing, and definitely in a question of education.
We are located in the heart of europe as you know and as a member of european union schengen area and nato slovakia serve important link between european markets and international partners
FLACA is also investing more in the research, digital transformation and artificial intelligence, and it's creating opportunity for international cooperation from the broader perspective.
Slovakia has traditional support dialogue and international cooperation.
In women countries have different perspective on global issues, so dialogue remains essential.
I believe Slovakia can contribute through innovation, industrial expertise.
That was Petra Bethien-Univa, an anchor of Slovak broadcaster TA3, sharing her thoughts on China-Slovakia cooperation.
Coming up, Iran says it's not currently negotiating with the United States.
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13 past the hour.
Iran says it's not currently negotiating with the United States, accusing Washington of violating the Memorandum of Understanding.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Begay says no agreement should be at the expense of Iran's national interests.
No agreement can be unilaterally implemented.
This is natural.
Therefore, Iran has ceased fulfilling its commitments.
When the time becomes right, we will discuss future development directions.
But one thing is certain, Iran will never compromise on its national interests and security principles.
Iran also said it'll not allow the U.S. to decide the timing of war or peace.
Tehran said recent talks with Oman were bilateral meetings focused primarily on managing shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran says remains closed due to what it perceives as acts of aggression by the U.S.,
The top Iranian military command warned that any U.S. attempt to impose a maritime blockade will be illegal and constitute an escalation of regional conflict and vows that Iran will respond.
U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening to restart strong military action if negotiations with Iran fail.
The warning came after the U.S. paused its strikes, with Trump signaling he's giving diplomacy another chance.
When asked how long the talks might last, the president replied, not much time.
A poll released on Monday showed that only one in three Americans support the war against Iran,
The lowest level since the conflict began.
Senior US officials have voiced concerns over ammunition shortages and are urging the president to reconsider.
Kate Fisher reports from Washington, D.C.
We've had lots of reporting of various news outlets here in the US about what these senior advisors are telling him.
For example, the New York Times saying that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Cain, saying that a return to major combat operations would be risky because
Of a serious depletion of anti-missile interceptors.
We understand from reporting from CNN that the Vice President J.D.
Vance also advising President Trump on Friday that the war should be toning down, not ratcheting up.
Axios saying, the CENTCOM commander Brad Cooper saying that
He recommends stopping the bombing around the Strait of Hormuz now because essentially there are no more targets left.
And Mike Waltz, the only member of the senior team to appear.
To talk about this over the weekend on the news channels here.
He's the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
On the one hand, saying that the U.S. is ready at any time to resume major combat operations and at the same time...
Complaining that the Trump administration inherited low levels of ammunition from the Biden administration.
So also a tacit acknowledgement that there is perhaps an issue with munitions supplies.
Analysts suggest that Benjamin Netanyahu is going to want to showcase the close relationship he has with the US leader to show people back home that they are still working closely together, even though they're kind of really diverging on what each country wants out of this conflict with Iran.
They didn't achieve those initially stated war goals of ending Iran's nuclear program and getting rid of its leaders.
And now the Israelis generally want to see a return
To warfare.
They want to see the regime completely toppled.
They see it as an existential threat, whereas Donald Trump seemingly much more keen to try to get a diplomatic solution to this and get the Strait of Hormuz reopened, get oil traveling around the globe once again and bringing oil prices and petrol prices here in the U.S. down.
And
You know, those differences will no doubt be the top of the conversation they have.
And you never quite know with Donald Trump.
On the one hand, sometimes he describes Benjamin Netanyahu as a great wartime leader.
He's also described him as crazy.
That was Kate Fisher in Washington.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, their first meeting since the war broke out with Iran.
Speaking before his departure, Netanyahu said he'll focus primarily on the Iranian issue.
And Israel's broader security concerns.
He also said that regardless of diplomatic outcomes, Iran must abandon its nuclear program.
Diane Hodges has more from Washington, D.C.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is heading to Washington for his eighth meeting with US President Donald Trump since the US leader returned to the White House.
But it will be the first time the two men have met since the US and Israel launched a war against Iran in February.
A lot has changed.
The conflict, first built to last six weeks or less, is now in its sixth month.
And despite the killing of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country's core government structure remains in place, as does its ability to respond to attacks.
And the key waterway for transporting oil from the region, the Strait of Hormuz, remains effectively closed.
U.S.-Israeli relations, meanwhile, have suffered.
The U.S. pushed Israel into declaring a ceasefire in its war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, to allowing more concessions in Gaza, and to hold off from attacking Iran
As Washington and Tehran alternate between diplomatic negotiations and launching missile attacks on each other as well as U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf.
Last month, while attending the G7 meeting in France, Trump referred to the strain.
Bibi Netanyahu, who happens to be a good man, gets a little excited sometimes.
But he happens to be a very good man.
We've had an amazing partnership.
He's been an amazing prime minister.
We have a little dispute over Lebanon.
I say you can do a little softer touch, Bibi.
You don't have to knock down a building every time somebody walks into it.
Israel has only partially maintained that ceasefire in Lebanon, while warning Iran of dire consequences should it strike Israeli territory again.
I will say it to the leaders of Iran.
Don't count on things remaining quiet if you attacked us.
Don't count on it being a replay, because it won't be a replay.
It is powerful enough.
It will be a different one, much more powerful.
Netanyahu has good reason to appear tough right now.
He's facing a difficult election in October.
Behind in the polls, he has made his close relationship with the U.S. a centerpiece of his administration, as well as his priorities of containing Iran, of containing Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, none of which has been fully achieved.
While in Washington, Netanyahu and Trump will attend the funeral of the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a staunch supporter of Israel.
In question is whether his passing will also signal the end of unwavering U.S. support for its top Middle East ally.
That was Diane Hodges reporting.
Yemen's Houthi group says it's launched drone strikes on facilities involved in transporting crude oil from eastern Saudi Arabia to the Red Sea port of Yanbu.
It added that the operations are in response to alleged Saudi drone incursions into Yemeni airspace.
Hours earlier, Saudi Arabia said its air defenses had intercepted and destroyed drones launched from Iraq.
The strikes attempted to target oil facilities in the east of the capital, Riyadh.
The Saudi Defense Ministry says the drones were launched by Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq.
Iraqi authorities have ordered a probe into the alleged attacks.
Coming up, Beijing has slammed U.S. accusations about overcapacity in Chinese industries.
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21 past the hour.
China has condemned a new U.S.
Section 301 investigation into alleged overcapacity.
The Commerce Ministry described the probe as an act of unilateralism that undermines international economic order.
A ministry official rejected Washington's broad definition of excess capacity, saying the US has no right to unilaterally impose trade restrictions.
He said China urges the US to resolve differences through dialogue, adding that China will protect its legitimate rights.
A new trio of high-tech drivers is powering China's trade growth, which has long been driven by electric vehicles, lithium batteries, and solar products known as the original New 3 exports.
Artificial intelligence, robotics, and innovative drugs are becoming the new New 3 drivers for export growth.
Dai Kaiyi has details.
AI robotics and innovative drugs are emerging as new drivers of China's foreign trade.
Analysts believe they also reflect the country's move toward higher-value, technology-driven exports.
Perhaps AI best illustrates that trend.
During the third week of July, weekly usage of Chinese large models on the OpenRouter platform reached 36.11 trillion tokens, up more than 30 percent from the previous week.
Chinese models have ranked first globally on the platform for 12 consecutive weeks.
But those figures tell only part of the story.
AI exports today go well beyond software.
Chinese companies are exporting a broad range of digital capabilities from algorithm development and foundation models to API services and AI agents.
Much of that activity falls outside the scope of traditional trade statistics.
Perhaps the strongest evidence is its global reach.
Chinese AI products are now serving users in 141 countries and regions.
The same momentum can be seen in robotics.
In the first half of the year, exports of cleaning robots and intelligent bionic robots totaled over 18 billion yuan.
Industrial robot exports reached 6.29 billion yuan, up 18.6% year-on-year.
The products have been exported to 141 countries and regions, and surgical robots posted even faster growth.
Exports climbed to 480 million yuan, more than quadrupling from a year earlier.
And the number of export markets expanded from 23 to 49.
And innovative drugs are another bright spot.
In the first half alone, China approved 38 class one innovative drugs, 11 of them feature entirely new targets or mechanisms of action, and all were independently developed by Chinese pharmaceutical companies.
And by comparison, there were only 11 such globally novel drugs approved in all of 2025.
Fewer than half of those were developed by Chinese pharmaceutical companies.
Meanwhile, the disclosed potential value of overseas licensing deals involving Chinese innovative drugs has reached around 110%.
Billion U.S. dollars.
Another indicator of the growing global presence is that Chinese pharmaceutical companies also accounted for eight of the world's top 10 innovative drug licensing deals.
That was Dai Kai reporting.
And for more on China's new trade growth drivers, guest story Manicom and Xia Cheng spoke to Chen Jiehe, chief investment officer at Novomarket Technologies.
What is so attractive about China's AI, robotics and innovative medicines?
Well, we can see that with the development of China's economy and with the growing of China's own industries, these three sectors, which includes the AI, robotics and innovative medicines, are now having a very rapid development in China.
Therefore, the products of these companies and industries are getting a very high position in the global market.
China's exporting of AI, for example, is now very competitive when compared with other programs in the global high-tech industry.
There has been a recent news in the global tech industry that China's AI programs
Are achieving similar results when using much less cost.
So that is a very leading position of the global AI industry.
And if we look at robotics, China's robotics have been widely used in many factories as well as daily consumption scenarios.
These robots are leading the industries in the global market.
They have also powered many competitive industries of China, such as home appliances, drones and new energy vehicles.
There has also been a very rapid growth with the innovative medicines.
Therefore, with these competitive products, China's related businesses and industries are gaining a lot of share in the global market.
What does the success of these emerging exports say about the evolution of Chinese manufacturing?
The success of these emerging exports is telling us a very clear picture about the upgrading of China's overall manufacturing.
Ever since the economic reform that happened almost half a century ago,
China's overall economic development has been upgrading step by step.
Now we can see that China's manufacturing industries are becoming a leading power in the global market.
The companies and industries in China
Are no longer only producing things that are less value-adding, but they are also producing products that have trustworthy quality in the global market.
Therefore, the products of China's manufacturing companies are now gaining the demand from many global customers.
We can see that many of China's products have been welcomed by customers in many mature economies.
For example, China's air conditioners are recently getting a lot of demand in the European market and helped the clients with beating the heat wave.
China's new energy vehicles have been welcomed by many global clients, and China's robots and AI programs are gaining the demand from global customers.
With this upgrading of China's industries, the growing potential of China's economy
Can be much better sustained in the long term.
That was Chen Jiehe, Chief Investment Officer at Novum Arcade Technologies.
A French President Emmanuel Macron has chaired a crisis cabinet meeting as wildfires continue to rage across parts of the country.
Macron has traveled to the Gironde region to personally thank firefighters who have been battling the blazes for days.
The president said France is facing events that they've never experienced before.
The twin fires have destroyed already a record 42,000 hectares of land.
Authorities have deployed thousands of firefighters and soldiers and 18 aircraft as flames edge closer to Bordeaux.
Wildfires continue to burn across Spain, especially around Madrid and the Valencia region.
A new blaze that broke out Sunday near Valencia has forced 15,000 people to evacuate the area.
Overall, authorities have evacuated 79,000 people while ordering another 30,000 to remain inside their homes.
Wildfires have destroyed more than 1,500 square kilometers of land in Spain so far this year.
Six times the area burned during the same period last year.
Ken Brown has more.
Another night of terror at the San Juan Reservoir to the west of the Madrid region.
The fire raged too near Robledo de Chavela in Madrid.
The staff at this NASA observatory evacuated.
In Avila, the record-breaking wildfire is leaving a trail of destruction.
Jose says the fire spread so fast that even the animals couldn't escape.
It's horrible.
The number of deer that have found burned lying dead on the roads.
Some people have been sleeping at emergency evacuation centers since Thursday.
Here in Las Rojas, Madrid capital, there's room for 250 people.
It's the biggest in the region.
Yes, we are worried because at the end of the day, it's our house.
It's where we live.
We have pets.
And you think, oh no, I'm leaving now.
What will I find when I finally return?
Yes, I'm concerned because every year it's the same.
This time around, for example, there was actually three wildfires that came together.
For me, that is just not normal.
There will be difficult moments ahead for some of those returning home.
Many rural houses like this one have been completely destroyed.
For many, that journey home will have to wait as unpredictable fires and toxic smoke clouds continue.
In Avila, spot fires and burnt-out forests scar the countryside as authorities rush to close off affected regions.
Precautionary measures that have so far meant that no deaths have been reported in this area.
That was Ken Brown reporting.
Around 29 past the hour, Beijing getting thundershowers overnight, becoming sunny Wednesday, lows 24 and it's up to 33 tomorrow.
Shanghai will be cloudy tonight and tomorrow, low of 29, high of 36.
Chongqing is getting cloudy conditions through tomorrow with a low of 26 and a high of 39 degrees.
It's time for a short break.
So far this hour, the Chinese and Slovak presidents have held talks in Beijing aiming to increase bilateral friendship and cooperation.
Iran says it's not currently negotiating with the US and accuses Washington of violating their peace memorandum.
And China has issued a report citing flaws in U.S. arguments over capacity in key Chinese industries.
Shane Begum with you.
Stay with us here on The Beijing Hour.
The transition to a greener future is no longer a distant goal.
It's happening now.
In power plants, factories, farms and cities across China.
As the world grapples with climate change, energy security and the growing demand for electricity, China is searching for new ways to cut emissions while keeping its economy moving.
Across the country, our reporters visit renewable energy hubs, industrial centers, and agricultural communities to see what that transformation looks like in practice.
Through first-hand stories and on-the-ground reporting.
We explore the opportunities, the challenges, and the ideas shaping China's green transition.
Listen to China's Green Code, Rewriting the Rules of Growth, a special series from Climate Watch, available wherever you get your podcasts.
Examining the events that impact and shape China and the rest of the world.
This is the Beijing Hour.
One hour of news and information brought to you every weekday.
Now here's your host Shane Begum with you on this Tuesday.
Still to come.
In business, China's reported steady growth in tax and fee revenue through the first half of the year.
In sports...
A younger Chinese squad preserves the national team's record at the FIBA International Solidarity Cup in Haikou.
In culture and entertainment, Beijing launches a series of exhibitions on the city's UNESCO-listed central axis.
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Now check out the day's headlines.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on overseas Chinese maternities to pool their strengths in support of the country's drive to become a stronger nation and achieve national rejuvenation.
He made the remarks in an instruction to the two-day Conference on Overseas Chinese Affairs on
Which concluded in Beijing on Tuesday.
Currently, there are over 60 million Chinese people residing in nearly 200 countries and regions, together with over 40 million returned overseas Chinese and their family members in China.
Chinese President Xi Jinping says the country stands ready to work with Slovakia to foster a bilateral strategic partnership featuring mutual respect, trust, and resilience.
He made the remarks during talks with Slovak President Peter Pellegrini in Beijing.
Pellegrini is on a state visit from Monday to Wednesday, his first visit to China since taking office.
President Xi said he outlined four priority areas for cooperation moving forward, including consolidating mutual trust, deepening cooperation, enhancing people-to-people ties, and upholding international fairness and justice.
Pellegrini said Slovakia firmly adheres to the one China principle and looks forward to boosting mutual trust, strengthening cooperation and deepening friendship with China.
He said Slovakia seeks to expand cooperation in economy and trade, artificial intelligence, new energy and other sectors to deliver more benefits to both nations.
Two earthquakes have struck the same region in northwest China.
The China Earthquake Network Center says the first one in Qinghai had a magnitude of 5.7 and the second one measured 5.8.
The China Earthquake Administration has activated an emergency response.
China's launched a system to protect seed innovations.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs says the system prevents minor modifications of protected varieties without permission.
It released a 10-crop list including rice, wheat, and cotton, along with four detailed guidelines.
China's been encouraging original innovation
In the seed sector for years.
Experts noted approved variety quality has risen over the past three years.
The move follows revised regulations China unveiled last year to boost original breeding and intellectual property protection in the seed industry.
Official data shows China expanded student financial aid in 2025, with total funding reaching nearly 400 billion yuan, up 14%.
Key policy changes have been carried out.
Starting last fall, preschool fees were waived for children in their first year at public kindergartens.
The nutrition program expanded to poor areas.
And more vocational students became eligible for grants.
Aid standards rose for senior high and postgraduate students.
Fiscal input reached 240 billion yuan, while student loans jumped 34% to over 120 billion.
Nearly 160 million students received aid nationwide.
Over 14 million preschoolers benefited from a fee waiver.
And millions more across all education levels saw improved support.
A Chinese construction company has signed a contract to build a major wastewater treatment plant in Kuwait as part of their Belt and Road cooperation.
China State Construction Engineering Corporation signed the North Cabd Project Agreement at Bayan Palace on Sunday.
The Kuwaiti public works minister said the plant reflects deepened bilateral ties.
Upon completion, it'll boost Kuwait's wastewater collection, treatment and water reuse capacity.
Officials say the project supports Kuwait's Vision 2035 and its sustainable development goals.
Japan has recorded a dozen aftershocks since a 7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture on Tuesday afternoon.
Kyoto News reported that the country has halted all train services in the Kyushu region.
It said there have been no abnormalities at nuclear power plants.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said that this is the first time an earthquake of such intensity has hit Japan since January of 2024.
Authorities have issued a tsunami warning for the southwestern part of the country.
You're listening to The Beijing Hour.
Coming up in business, China's recorded steady growth in tax and fee revenue through the first half of the year.
The Beijing Hour, your window on China and the rest of the world.
At 36 past the hour, stock markets on the Chinese mainland closed lower on Tuesday.
The Shanghai composite was down nearly 1.2%.
The Shenzhen component plunged over 4.5%.
Major banks and sports shares led the gainers.
South Korea's KOSPI plummeted more than 10% on Tuesday, hitting its lowest level since mid-April.
The sharp decline triggered a circuit breaker for the eighth time this year.
As semiconductor stocks led the sell-off amid global industry jitters.
Analysts say market sentiment in South Korea was dampened by the latest developments in China, including reports that the country has begun producing domestically developed DUV chipmaking equipment
And the high-profile debut of Chongxin Memory Technologies.
Analysts also attributed the plunges to ongoing volatility in the global semiconductor sector, which weighed heavily on major chip makers, including Samsung and SK Hynix.
The weakness in tech stocks dragged down broader indices, with foreign investors continuing to offload local shares.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index rose over four-tenths of a percent.
Japan's Nikkei dropped almost 4%.
The Chinese tax authority says the country's tax revenue posted steady growth in the first half of the year, reflecting improvement in the broader economy.
According to the State Taxation Administration, total tax revenue exceeded 10 trillion yuan in the first six months, up almost 5% on a yearly basis, and that's around 1.5 trillion US dollars.
Tax and fee collections reached 16.7 trillion yuan in total.
Including $4.5 trillion in social insurance contributions and around $2 trillion in non-tax revenue.
Tax cuts, fee reductions, and tax refunds under policies supporting technological innovation and manufacturing
Development exceeded 1.9 trillion yuan.
This included nearly 600 billion in tax and fee reductions for supporting investment and technology transfer.
The administration attributed the growth to steady economic improvement, a sustained rebound in the producer price index, and strong performance in emerging industries and key sectors.
China's released an official document titled China's Position on the So-Called Excess Capacity Issue.
It presents an overview of global capacity and the widely discussed overcapacity narrative.
The document elaborates on China's views regarding four key pairs of relationships titled the overcapacity issue.
It makes clear that China is committed to building a modern industrial system through open cooperation and fostering an inclusive pattern for global industrial and supply chain collaboration.
The paper stresses that resorting to protectionist measures does nothing but harm global supply chains and undermines long-term world economic growth.
The number of companies hiring in AI in China rose nearly 25% in the first half of the year, with job postings up over 10%.
For every AI engineer, there are 2.6 job openings.
Demand for AI agent developers skyrocketed 244% as AI moves from being just a helper tool to taking on autonomous tasks.
Among all AI roles, product managers saw the biggest jump in hiring, with postings up nearly 88%.
Beijing leads in total openings, while Shanghai is seeing the fastest growth.
Demand for AI talent is exploding in aerospace, autos, and new energy.
The auto sector alone has more than eight job openings for qualified AI engineers.
For more on the employment numbers, Lincoln Humphrey spoke with Eckhart Ernst, chief of macroeconomic policies and jobs at the International Labour Organization.
So in your eyes, what policy mix best improves this match between workers' skills and employers' needs, especially for young people entering the employment market right now?
Yeah.
I think it's really important to distinguish three different set of issues here.
On the one hand, you see indeed rising unemployment for younger people, especially young graduates.
But at the same time, you have around 70% of employers who complain that they cannot fill vacancies.
And so the binding constraint is actually not the lack of jobs, it's really the matching
Between those who look for jobs and those who have vacancies available.
So three policy advice that we usually give.
One is importantly, especially for young people, is work-based learning at scale.
So apprenticeship systems are really key for that.
The second one is a much more modular way of providing credentials, so micro-credentials in particular for people who have skills that are built up in the labor market but are not being recognized.
And then third advice is real-time labor market intelligence so that we don't have to wait every few years before we get a new round of information.
Because the labor market is changing so fast, it's really important that both employers and employees, and particularly people who are looking for jobs, understand what is available for them.
You mentioned that our economy is growing so fast that demand is growing with it how should countries and cities respond to this widening talent gap between supply and demand i think it's important
To recognize that the demand is really widespread.
We obviously see a kind of fast growing demand for AI specialists, around 70% per year of demand for scientists and engineers.
But the demand is really growing for a kind of a general AI expertise, not so much in terms of particular credentials or particular degrees, but really kind of understanding.
So one of the things that we recognize and recommend is to really kind of make sure that
That there is a mainstreaming of AI competencies, even among those workers who already have some experience.
And then obviously young graduates need to kind of really become,
Up to speed in terms of these skills.
But it's not so much about having a title as an AI engineer, it's really having the expertise using these tools and being able to apply them at the workplace that is relevant.
That was Eckhart Ernst at the International Labour Organization, talking about the global employment market and hiring trends.
Artificial intelligence is reshaping many industries and driving a new wave of technological innovation worldwide.
And behind every breakthrough, talent is one of the most important parts.
In Shanghai, many efforts have been made to nurture the next generation of AI pioneers.
Alay Shuren has more.
Shanghai's quest to transform into a global science and technology innovation center is entering a sophisticated new phase.
It is now experimenting with radical institutional reforms designed to liberate scientific talent.
Since its establishment in 2024, this institute has been dedicated to cultivating China's future AI leaders.
More than 500 students selected from 30 top universities nationwide are working side by side with their research partners here, tackling challenges in different fields, such as developing more architecture with large language models and leveraging AI to accelerate drug discovery.
The institute has built an ecosystem that combines research, industry resources, investment and publicity supports, helping transform those innovative ideas into real applications.
We hope scientists can focus on their research.
We'll help you cultivate a group of partners to handle things like commercialization, industrialization, the conversion of research outcomes, turning them into real applications.
By bringing in a cohort of SciTech entrepreneurial partners to co-found ventures with scientists, we can help those tech talents increase the success rate of launching their own businesses.
In May, the Institute launched the project to train an AI forward deployed engineer, which will work directly with customers to implement, customize, and optimize complex technical systems in fields including manufacturing, finance, and medical industry.
In addition, many AI training sessions are now available around the city, reflecting the city's soaring interest in nurturing AI trainers.
This emerging profession, officially recognized as AI Trainer in China's occupational catalog,
Has been listed as an occupation in short supply in Shanghai.
As AI transforms industries, these trainers act as translators between humans and machines, ensuring AI systems understand real-world needs.
It welcomes those who has no computer science background and qualified trainers are likely to serve as guardians in AI product deployment, overseeing data annotation, model optimization, and quality control.
Previously, I focused more on the traditional internet industry, but now I'm pivoting toward AI.
This not only gives me more opportunities to develop in the AI industry, but more importantly, AI can greatly enhance my current skills and business operations.
The AI industry itself is developing extremely fast.
It evolves every single day.
So, such short, intensive, and agile courses can make use of trainees' personal time and align more closely with their actual usage needs.
In 2025, Shanghai recorded 16,300 participants for AI training, with 10,900 graduating.
And the number is expected to grow as local policies for reducing training costs via subsidies are available to incentivize participation.
That was Lei Shiran reporting.
You're listening to the Beijing Hour.
And coming up in sports, a younger Chinese squad preserves the national team's record at the FIBA International Solidarity Cup in Haikou.
Sideline story brings you all things sports related the hottest topics latest events juiciest stories all with a very personal take
Subscribe to sideline story podcast for heated sports discussions covering events that are happening in china and around the world
47 past now and turning to sports.
Here's Yang Guang.
Thank you, Shane.
In basketball, China's men's national team completed an unbeaten run at the FIBA International Solidarity Cup in Haikou with a 90-82 victory over Cameron on Monday.
With several regular starters rested, head coach Guo Shicheng gave his young players a chance to shine.
He Xining led the way with a team-high 25 points, while Zhao Boqiang added 17 points and 9 rebounds, as China secured its third straight win in the tournament.
22-year-old guard Xie Li Yongwei also impressed after earning extended playing time, helping China maintain its advantage in the second half before the hosts closed out the eight-game eight-point victory.
As a young player, I felt a bit nervous at the beginning, but I told myself I did well during training.
I gradually shrugged off the pressure and some players, including He Xining, encouraged me to show my talent and make good use of my advantages.
China finished International Solidarity Cup with a perfect three-way record and will now turn its attention to the second phase of the FIBA World Cup qualifiers, which begins in late August.
In shooting from the ISSF World Cup in Hangzhou, China's Zhang Yueyue secured the silver medal in the women's 25-meter pistol event.
Zhang recovered from a slow start in the final to finish second with 37 hits, three behind India's Isha Singer, who led from the beginning to claim the gold medal.
India's Manu Bakar, a double bronze medallist at Paris 2024 Olympics, took third place.
Chen said self-confidence helped her claim second spot on the podium.
I believed in myself and had confidence in myself that I just did the things that I've been practicing for.
I had a steady mentality, confidence, encouragement and solid training before this competition.
In the men's trap final, China's Qi Yin added another podium finish for the host nation taking bronze.
Olympic silver medalist Qi stayed in contention throughout the final, while American William Hinton defeated Carter's Angelo Skousen 28-27 to win the title.
Now turning to fan scene from the FIE World Championships in Hong Kong
Italy's Martina Favaretto and Russia's Pavel Groudian claimed the gold medals in the women's individual foil and men's individual saber events
The women's foil final featured an all-Italian showdown with Favaretto taking control early
And defeating teammates Ariana Arigal 15-7 to secure the world title.
In the men's individual saber competition, Graldian beat South Korea's Lu Guiadong to take the gold medal.
China's Shen Chenpeng and Luo Xiaotong reached the round of 16 before being eliminated.
Cape Verde has made more history at the Football World Cup, with Sidney Lopez Cabral winning the public vote for the tournament's best goal.
Lopez Cabral's stunning curling strike into the top corner against the defending champion Argentina was voted the finest of the 308 goals scored at the tournament.
The goal came during a dramatic round of 32 clash in Miami Gardens, where Lopez Cabral leveled match at 2-2 in extra time.
Cape Verde eventually lost the thrilling encounter 3-2, but the team's impressive World Cup debut left a lasting impression.
Lopez Cabral's effort topped a shortlist of 12 goals selected by FIFA for the public votes.
Uzbekistan's Eldor Shumaradov finished second for his delicate lob against DR Congo, while Hades Wilson-Azidor took third place for his powerful strike against Morocco.
French football is expected to usher in a new era with legend Zidane becoming the country's next head coach.
The French Football Federation officially announced appointments in Paris.
Zidane succeeds Didier Deschamps who stepped down after 14 years in charge following France's 2-0 semi-final defeat to eventual champions Spain.
Zidane has been out of coaching since leaving Real Madrid in 2021.
After leading the Spanish giants to three consecutive UEFA Champions League titles between 2016 and 2018.
As a player, Zidane inspired France to its first World Cup triumph in 1998, scoring twice in the final against Brazil and helped the team win the European Championship two years later.
The 1998 Ballon d'Or winner made 108 appearances for France, scoring 31 goals during an illustrious international career.
France's next matches are away to Turkey in the UEFA Nations League on September 25, followed by a trip to Belgium three days later.
And finally, Italian football legend Pablo Maldini and former Brazil international Leonardo have reportedly resigned from their roles with the Italian Football Federation just over two weeks after joining a major overhaul of the national team setup.
Maldini, the former Italy and AC Milan defender, was appointed technical director of the FIGC on July 11 following Italy's failure to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup.
One of his key responsibilities was helping find a new head coach after Gennaro Gattuso left the position vacant.
However, Maldini stepped down 16 days later with
Leonardo, who had been brought in as his advisor, also leaving his role.
The decision came shortly after Andrea Pielo, Maldini's preferred candidate for the coaching position, confirmed he was no longer in the running.
Several high-profile names are now reportedly being conceded for the vacancy, including Roberto Mancini, Diego Morta and Antonio Conte.
All right.
Thank you very much.
That's Yang Guang with sports.
You're listening to The Beijing Hour.
Coming up in culture and entertainment, Beijing launches a series of exhibitions on the city's UNESCO-listed central axis.
You're listening to The Beijing Hour, 60 minutes of comprehensive news, your window on China and the world.
At 53 past the hour, in culture and entertainment,
Beijing's cultural authorities have launched a series of exhibitions and events along the city's central axis to celebrate the second anniversary of its inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The Zhongyingmen Gate Tower has reopened to the public after a six-year closure.
Featuring exhibitions that showcase more than 600 years of history through artifacts, historical images, digital displays, and architectural models.
Meanwhile, the Beijing Ancient Architecture Museum has launched an exhibition on traditional Chinese caisson.
Or coffered ceilings architecture and released restoration videos of its prized celestial ceiling for the first time.
Several major museums along the central axis also opened special visits for the public.
Over the past couple of years, Beijing has stepped up efforts to protect and promote the historic area.
The capital has introduced new heritage regulations and a three-year action plan.
Restored historic sites have reopened to visitors as cultural spaces.
Digital technologies also become a key part of preservation efforts.
A digital central access system, including a 3D digital twin monitoring platform, now allows real-time tracking of heritage sites such as Zhangyangmen
And the Temple of Agriculture.
China Fashion Week is bringing kids' fashion to life at the 798 Art District in Beijing.
A runway shows art installations and interactive experiences turn the former industrial complex into a playground for children and families.
Yuhani has more.
This year, children's fashion is getting its own dedicated season at China Fashion Week for the first time.
The opening show comes from Antikids, a homegrown sportswear brand focused on healthy, active lifestyles for young people.
Its new collection combines sports technology with playful design, reflecting a growing focus on both function and creativity in China's kids' wear market.
But the experience doesn't stop at the runway.
Outside the venue, the former industrial complex of 798 has been transformed into a giant playground, and the kids seem to love it.
Okay, so this is more than just a fashion week and walking through this fairytale town, I feel like it's an amusement park.
The Pop Party offers a range of immersive experiences, including photo spots, parent-child activities, and hands-on crafts.
It helps connect children and families with technology, culture, and intangible cultural heritage.
Beyond the runway, church's fashion is becoming an experience in its own right.
Look around, we got art installations and photo spots.
Kids enjoy taking photos here.
The launch of Port Party establishes a new two-track fashion calendar.
The main adult fashion seasons in March and September, alongside a dedicated children's fashion season in July.
For families looking for a creative way to spend a summer in beijing the event offers something beyond fashion a chance to see the city through the eyes of children
If you are in beijing this summer trust me this is the place to be and don't forget your umbrella since the rings popping by too
That was Yu Hanyi reporting.
Researchers in East China are using artificial intelligence and the world's first ancient ceramic gene bank to speed up the restoration of centuries-old porcelain.
Known as China's porcelain capital, Jingdezhen has produced ceramics for more than 1,700 years.
Archaeologists have unearthed more than 20 million ceramic fragments there, including pieces of imperial and folk porcelain.
AI is now helping experts identify matching fragments from more than 15,000 pieces.
The gene bank assigns unique digital identities to tens of thousands of ceramic fragments selected from the vast collection.
Experts say the technology will continue to improve as they expand three-dimensional modeling of the ancient artifacts.
57 past the hour.
Beijing getting thundershowers overnight, but it becomes sunny on Wednesday.
The low is 24 and it's up to 33 tomorrow.
Shanghai will be cloudy through tomorrow with a low of 29 and a high of 36.
Chongqing is getting cloudy skies overnight and through tomorrow with a low of 26 and a high of 39.
Nanchang will see thundershowers this evening becoming overcast tomorrow, a low of 26 and a high of 31 degrees.
Alassa will see showers overnight and through the day tomorrow, a low of 14 and a high of 26 Celsius.
And that's it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.
Making news today, the Chinese and Slovak presidents have held talks in Beijing aiming to increase bilateral friendship and cooperation.
And Iran says it's not currently negotiating with the U.S. and accuses Washington of violating their peace memorandum.
On behalf of the staff, Shane Bigum in the Chinese capital, hoping you'll join us for the next edition of the Beijing Hour and open a window to the world together.
The best military commander is not he who fights a hundred battles and wins every one of them.
The best military strategy does not lead to the desiccation of the enemy's capital city.
Decoding the Art of War will help you understand why there's no art in war and how Sun Tzu stayed undefeatable using the science of war with fun stories and insightful breakdown of famous battles.
Find Decoding the Art of War wherever you listen.
A poem for the Tibetan antelope, the gentle spirit of the Qinghai Cizon Plateau, spoken by voices from across the world.
Every spring, female antelopes migrate hundreds of miles to Zhuonai Lake to give birth, as we build gentle passages for their journey.
Hello, little Tibetan antelope.
Eyes opening to the light for the very first time.
To see a world in a grain of sand and a heaven in a wild flower.
So much wonder calls for so much courage.
But have no fear.
The way home is right there, waiting for you.
From the snows of Kunlun to the winds of Tangula, the wilderness will teach me to be strong.
But the call of life itself never ceases.
A train runs toward the horizon.
A road stretches through the wilderness.
The bridge that soars through the clouds is no barrier across the land, but a gateway to where I truly belong.
Tibetan antelopes' hoof prints loosen the soil, letting snow melt sink into the earth.
Human presence passes through, but we've never walked this land alone.
