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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.
Shane Bigham with you on this Wednesday, February 11th, 2026.
You're listening to the Beijing Hour coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
On today's program, the Chinese president visited with officials and residents in Beijing during a pre-spring festival inspection tour of the capital.
China successfully completed another round of testing on its next-generation heavy-lift rocket and spacecraft.
The U.S.
Commerce Secretary is under increasing pressure to resign over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
In business, China's reporting moderate inflation numbers.
In sports, medals and short tracks, speed skating and other events at the Winter Olympics.
In culture and entertainment.
Some performers at the upcoming Spring Festival Gala have shared some details about the show.
Now check in the day's top stories.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has visited primary-level officials and residents during a two-day inspection tour in Beijing.
He extended Spring Festival greetings to Chinese people at home and abroad ahead of the holiday, wishing them good health, career success and family happiness in the Year of the Horse.
Zhao Yang has the story.
On Monday morning, Xi visited a national innovation park in Beijing's Yitang, a key hub for China's technology development.
He learned about advances in information technology, artificial intelligence and robotics and spoke with representatives.
Xi said scientific and technological self-assurance is central to China's modernization drive and called on Beijing to make greater contributions through innovation.
On Tuesday morning Xi visited the Wulao Xinjie Elderly Care Service District in Beijing's Xicheng District.
It integrates multiple community-based services and has undergone upgrades to improve accessibility.
Xi learned about community-based elderly care services, including meal support and daily assistance, and spoke with local residents and service staff.
He stressed that respecting and caring for the elderly is a shared responsibility of society and called for coordinated efforts to improve elderly care services.
During the visit, Xi also interacted with delivery workers resting in the area, asking about their work and living conditions and acknowledging their contributions to urban services.
Xi later visited the Yinling Senior Apartment, where he learned about health care services, rehabilitation programs and daily care for elderly residents.
He spoke with seniors taking part in spring festival activities, encouraging them to stay active and engaged, whilst wishing them a good health and a happy holiday.
Later that day, Xi toured the Longfusi neighborhood in Beijing's Dongcheng district.
The area has been revitalized into a pedestrian-friendly commercial zone that blends traditional culture with modern business.
Xi observed the streetscape and learned about progress in urban renewal.
He visited a long-established local pastry brand, encouraging the preservation of time-honoured businesses.
With the Spring Festival approaching, a New Year market nearby attracted large crowds.
Xi visited market stores, spoke with people and observed holiday preparations.
He said ensuring sufficient market supply, public safety and stable services during the holiday period is essential so that people can celebrate the Spring Festival in a joyful and secure environment.
During the inspections, Xi also listened to briefings from Beijing municipal authorities.
He called on the city to align its development with national strategies and continue improving governance and public services.
Xi emphasized that Beijing should set an example in advancing modernization, innovation-driven development and people-centered urban governance.
That was Zhao Yang on the Chinese president's inspection tour in Beijing.
President Xi Jinping has made Beijing the first stop of his domestic inspection tour this year.
To unpack the significance of the visit, Pan Deng spoke with Professor Liu Baocheng, Dean of the Center for International Business Ethics at the University of International Business and Economics.
Professor, so we know this year marks the start of China's 15th five-year plan.
In this context, what do you make of President Xi Jinping's remarks during his inspection tour in Beijing?
Yeah, the upcoming Spring Festival, together with the opening of the chapter for the next five-year plan, is really a time for reflection and prospecting for all Chinese people, from government to the grassroots level.
And now the inspection in Beijing by President Xi shows his continued care about the livelihood of the people, which is really the test ground for governance and also for innovation.
It carries both symbolic and practical meaning.
And particularly now when the new five-year plan is getting unfolded and there is a real need to go for under the notion of high quality, development for new protective forces and coordinated governance, and also continued introduction of new technologies to feed into the livelihood of the people.
So Beijing is the Chinese capital, sends a very strong message that a top-down type approach to have a unified the Chinese market and to have a coordinated type of governance, and also by building a more of a transformative and also transparent type of message to address some of the challenges both on a demographic level and also a community level, and also on transformation level for digitization and green development, Beijing is the platform to send such a strong message.
And there is a particular emphasis to strengthen the governance capacity and governance system so that more of the efficiency and innovation can be there to benefit our people and build our resilient economy.
That was Professor Liu Baocheng of the University of International Business and Economics.
China's rolling out a nationwide push to stimulate consumer spending during the New Year holiday.
Authorities are moving to strengthen domestic demand and leverage the holiday travel and shopping rush as a major growth driver.
The Happy Spring Festival shopping campaign covers key spending areas like dining retail tourism, entertainment and sports.
Vice Commerce Minister Sheng Xiaoping says there will also be a nationwide lottery with a prize pool exceeding 1 billion yuan, or 140 million US dollars, across 50 Chinese cities.
Consumers submitting invoices of at least 100 yuan stand a chance to win.
Sheng adds that they're also rolling out measures to attract international visitors.
We welcome friends from all over the world to experience the Spring Festival in China with a series of supportive policies.
To allow foreign visitors better enjoy themselves, we've published a multilingual digital map that offers one-click access to temple fairs, lantern festivals, time-honored brands and intangible cultural heritage markets.
We are making payment with bank cards, mobile payments and cash more convenient for overseas visitors, because we want them to have a worry-free and efficient shopping experience.
Moreover, across the country, more than 13000 tax-free shops for outbound travelers are well-stocked with a wide variety of high-quality products.
We welcome travelers from all over the world to visit and shop in China during the Spring Festival, joining us in celebrating the joy of the Chinese New Year.
Officials say the goal is to turn the holiday season into a nationwide consumer spending surge, combining policy support with promotional events.
The Chinese New Year begins on Tuesday.
For more on this, Guoyan spoke to Zhou Mi, a senior research fellow with the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.
What are the new highlights of this year's shopping campaign compared to measures boosting consumption during the Spring Festival holiday in previous years?
Well, in my understanding, this year we have one day more about the holidays.
So we have so many opportunities for extended days of consumption.
So I think that you can understand that in the previous several years we mainly focused on the abilities of consumption, on the goods.
But this year, I think that we are involving more services in this kind of consumption promotion.
So it's not just about what we have been doing to try to give people more choices about the different kind of products.
They can enjoy services to do with tourism or other kinds of enjoyment about these services.
So I hope that the people here in China, no matter from domestic market or from other countries, can enjoy more from this kind of policy.
While this year's campaign will focus on the expansion of trade-in programs, What role could this program play in stimulating market vitality during the holiday period?
Well, you know, the Spring Festival is the most important one in China in the traditional habit.
So the people will go back to their families and they will unite together and try to enjoy the period.
So during this time, most of the people are really thinking about whether they can do more to have a bad consumption about the product, like the home appliances or some very important durable consumption products.
So I would say that treating policies is trying to focus this very special and golden time for people to make the decision.
And some of them are trying to update their mobiles and others are trying to enroll more elements about artificial intelligence or other technologies.
So I think that you know the suppliers of those products and also the local governments in different places in China really want to do more to encourage the consumers to make the decision during this time.
So I hope that they can, you know, enjoy a better or boost of the transactions in these holidays.
And I believe that would be a very good choices for them, for both the consumers and also the suppliers of those products.
That was Zhou Mi with the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.
With inbound tourism gaining momentum, celebrating the Chinese New Year in China has become a growing trend for foreign travelers, drawn by the festive atmosphere and cultural experiences.
Qi Zhi has more.
From craft markets to traditional costumes and festive cuisine.
More foreign visitors are choosing to experience Spring Festival in China, not just as spectators, but as active participants.
In Jingdezhen, often called the porcelain capital of China, a renovated cultural district built in an old porcelain factory has become a weekend hotspot.
Artisans display original works while visitors browse, take photos and shop for handmade pieces.
The Taoxichuan Ceramic Culture Industrial Park has welcomed a thousand of overseas visitors from dozens of countries in recent years.
And I thought it's fascinating and I wanted to learn more about the place and about the Chinese ceramics.
In Beijing, some first-time visitors are stepping into ancient China.
Near the Forbidden City, foreign tourists try on traditional Chinese outfits and join photo walks through historic hutongs or ancient alleys and small streets.
I wanted to try this outfit because I wanted to see how it feels to be in ancient China and immerse myself into the culture, the Chinese culture.
Food is another gateway to the holiday spirit.
Restaurants in Guangdong are serving spring festival dishes that blend tradition with creativity.
Some also often line dance performances and New Year greetings.
Feel the spirit of ancient China here.
I would definitely recommend my friends to visit this place to learn about Foshan history.
Major cities also rolling out festive programs.
Lantern shows are underway at Yuyan Garden in Shanghai, while other New Year activities are also in place along Nanjing Road and the Bund in the city.
Travel data has been pointing strong growth.
In January, more than 160,000 foreign travellers passed through Shenzhen Airport, up nearly 60%.
Online travel platforms report that Sprinter Festival flight bookings by overseas visitors have surged more than fourfold.
For the Beijing Hour, I'm Qi Zhi.
Coming up, another round of successful testing for China's space program.
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14 past the hour.
China successfully completed a launch test of its new generation heavy lift rocket and manned spacecraft.
The test marks a significant step forward for the country's lunar program.
Sun Yat reports from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in Hainan Province.
A landmark flight test for China's manned lunar mission has taken place this morning here in South China.
The test itself is a combination of a test.
It combines a low-altitude flight test for the Long March 10 rocket and the in-flight abort test for the Mengzhou manned spacecraft.
Now the test itself from the liftoff to the spacecraft going through Max Q, which is the most dangerous phase in ascent in terms of aerodynamics for the spacecraft and then the escape towers. separation from the return capsule to the deployment of the parachutes to the escape towers landing into sea as well as for the return capsule and the rockets first stage landing in their designated area.
The whole process has been very meaningful and set multiple critical milestones for the program.
Now, of course, this is the first ignition flight for the Long March 10 rocket, which is designed for China's manned lunar missions, and then Mengzhou manned spacecraft has gone through this, China's first in-flight abort test.
And this spacecraft will not only serve the deep space missions for China, but also for China's space station.
And this is all very critical.
Earlier, an official with China Manned Space Agency told us that the success of this test means China is even more confident to meeting its 2030 goal, that is, sending Chinese taikonauts to the moon by 2030.
Also China Manned Space Agency has already announced that later this year Mengzhou-1 will have its maiden flight atop a Long March 10A rocket.
And this really speaks to how fast the program is going.
That was Sun Ye on China's milestone rocket launch on Wednesday.
And for more on the launch.
Zhao Ying spoke to Zheng Fan, an associate professor in the astronomy department of Beijing Normal University.
This successful launch featured many firsts, such as the first maximum dynamic pressure abort flight test for a Chinese spaceship and the first recovery of spacecraft return capsule from sea, among others.
What is your take on those firsts?
So first of all, these are two very different tasks.
The testing of the spacecraft is one thing.
The testing of the reusable rocket is a totally different thing.
And this fact in itself actually reflects a total change in the way Chinese space industry does things.
In the past they would never combine two high risk first time tests together in this fashion because of the risk factors compounding.
However, they have grown to such a state that the good news of success isn't the top priority.
Pushing against boundary as fast as possible is now taking a higher priority, which is why they're doing this kind of work, combined test together, which is cost effective anyways.
And the important thing was the first one, the the max q test, the max dynamical pressure test on the spacecraft.
Is that um, when your rocket going up through the atmosphere after it has picked up some speed but hasn't gone high enough, so the atmosphere it's seen, you're basically puncturing through signal atmosphere really hard.
So there's a lot of a dynamical pressure, there's a lot of a vibrations going on in the structure of your rocket.
And this is the most dangerous part of the ascent.
And to have your space spacecraft, the crew capsule, being able to eject itself safely in this kind of stressful situation where problems may arise most likely.
It's the vital part of the spacecraft's reliability test.
So after this it's basically ready.
Well the the, the spacecraft, ready to be used.
So this, this is one thing.
The other thing is the reusable rocket thing.
This is the Long March 10A.
It's a slightly modified version of the Long March 10 rocket, the first stage of that rocket.
This version is reusable, which means the rocket will be recovered.
They didn't do a full-on recovery test because it's the first test.
You don't want to blow up the ship that's trying to capture it.
So they landed very close to the ship and everything went really well.
So basically, in terms of both the crew capsule and the rocket, both are successful and both are vital, the important steps towards their development.
Okay, so what do you think this successful launch means to China's overall manned lunar landing program?
So today's combination is not actually directly for the moon.
So what's being tested today is mostly for low Earth orbit space station operations.
So later on in the year there's maybe another test where the moon, where they will launch using the Long March 10A rocket, the full rocket, not just the first stage, like today.
And also the same space crew capsule launch that thing without any people inside, but launch that thing onto the space station.
So this is the configuration that will be used for routine space station missions later on in the next years or so.
But the lunar mission uses basically a slightly different version of the same sort of combination the same spacecraft, but the rocket is even simpler.
It doesn't need to be reusable anymore for that version, because you want to push as much weight into orbit as possible.
So you don't want to waste fuel on the recovery of the rocket itself.
So that would be mostly the non-recoverable version of the same rocket.
So basically by doing this test, both the low Earth orbit and the lunar mission, the vital components for those are basically progressing really fast.
That was Zhang Fan at Beijing Normal University.
Coming up, calls are growing louder for the U.S.
Commerce Secretary to resign.
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21 past the hour.
New fallout from the release of court documents tied to Jeffrey Epstein.
U.S.
Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick, is facing mounting calls to resign after acknowledging he had lunch with Epstein on the financier's private island in 2012.
Previously, he'd said he'd cut off all contact with Epstein years earlier.
Lutnick now says the visit was brief and part of a family vacation.
Jim Spellman reports from Washington.
Some of these documents recently revealed by the Department of Justice indicate that he had contact well after that.
In fact, after 2008, that's when Jeffrey Epstein pled guilty to soliciting sex from a minor.
Before a Senate hearing on Tuesday, Lutnick was basically forced to admit that not only had he had contact with Jeffrey Epstein after that,
But in 2012, he visited Jeffrey Epstein's private island in the Caribbean.
But we know that Howard Lutnick had said in interviews that he had had no contact with Jeffrey Epstein since 2005.
We had lunch on the island.
That is true for an hour.
And we left with all of my children. with my nannies and my wife all together.
We were on family vacation.
We were not apart.
There are already calls from lawmakers in both parties here in Washington for Lutnik to step down.
The White House though, on Tuesday, saying that President Trump still supports Lutnik and that he will not be going anywhere, anyplace soon.
Also, we should note that some members of Congress have had a chance to see some of the unredacted documents.
That means that the blacked out sections that contain names are included in some that they've been able to see.
And a pair of those members of Congress say that at least six prominent people are incriminated by information on those documents.
That was Jim Spellman reporting.
The release of the Epstein files is sending shockwaves across Europe.
In the UK, the scandals now reach the heart of government.
The sacking of a top ambassador over Epstein ties has triggered the resignation of the Prime Minister's closest aides and growing calls for the PM himself to resign.
The documents also implicate European royal families.
Yolo Abdafid has more from London.
With millions of Epstein files yet to be fully evaluated, this story could run for many weeks and months.
It's generated a crisis in some European circles.
So far, the biggest political impact has been in Britain.
During the past week, the future of the current UK Prime Minister has been in doubt.
There have been calls by some within his own political party for him to resign, mainly because he appointed Peter Mandelson, a well-known former Labour minister and former European trade commissioner, to be the UK's ambassador in the United States.
Mandelson was sacked after it became known he'd maintained contact with Jeffrey Epstein, an American financer, who died in prison in 2019.
Epstein was convicted in Florida in 2008 for procuring a child for prostitution and of soliciting a prostitute.
The Epstein files also reveal that Mandelson may have shared confidential UK government information.
Now Mandelson has resigned from the Second Chamber of the British Parliament, the House of Lords, and left the Labour Party.
His protégés within the UK government are also stepping down.
The Prime Minister's Chief of Staff and other senior aides have resigned because of their connections to Mandelson.
The former Prince Andrew, now known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, is also implicated.
He and his ex-wife had long-running links to Epstein.
He's lost his title, honours and his taxpayer-funded home in Windsor Castle.
This scandal is reviving the debate about the accountability of the British royal family and their finances.
The scandal has also forced diplomatic resignations in Norway, and Epstein's financial ties raise corruption concerns about his connections to the Norwegian royal family.
Crown Prince Vetter Marit has apologised for her meetings with Epstein between 2011 and 2014.
Across Europe, the political impacts have varied.
Governments and institutions here have arguably been quicker than American organisations to force resignations or apologise once links to Epstein files became public.
But it's also becoming clear that in several countries the elite in finance, politics and academia had relationships with Epstein.
And now that's fueling public distrust in parliaments, monarchies and international organizations.
Top immigration officials in the Trump administration have testified before the U.S.
House.
It's the first such hearing since the killing of two American citizens during enforcement operations in Minnesota.
The officials defended the administration's mass deportation push amid escalating political tensions.
Well, Democrats are demanding reforms.
Meantime.
Lawmakers face a Friday deadline to fund the Department of Homeland Security or risk a partial shutdown.
Owen Fairclough reports from Washington, D.C.
The clock is ticking for the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security, arguably the most polarizing department in Donald Trump's administration.
That's because lawmakers agreed to fund it until Friday during the recent and brief federal partial federal government shutdown.
Many lawmakers Democrats mostly, but some Republicans are unhappy about the tactics that the DHS's federal agents have been using in their immigration deportation programs that have culminated in not one but two fatalities at the hand of federal agents on the streets of Minneapolis.
The three heads of the agencies that make up the DHS and their immigration enforcement were on Capitol Hill on Tuesday to talk about their program.
And there was no sense that they wanted to placate opposition lawmakers about their tactics.
Instead, they offered a robust defense of their strategies and indeed, the numbers of undocumented migrants that they've been deporting since Donald Trump took office last year.
There was not one word in their written testimony about either Rene Good or Alex Preti, the two protesters killed on the streets of Minneapolis.
And this exchange summed up where the lines were drawn.
The ICU nurse, Alex Freddie, deserved to die.
I cannot comment on an ongoing investigation, sir.
Did Renee Goode deserve to die?
Sir, I can't comment on ongoing investigations.
So those executives refusing to be drawn on the specifics of those protests and indeed, the tactics that federal agents are using.
But Todd Lyons, who's the acting head of ICE, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, did at least acknowledge protesters' constitutional right to protest.
But he also heavily criticized protesters who he alleges are following some federal agents back to their homes and harassing them.
But he was also forced to deny allegations that the DHS is compiling some kind of database to track protesters around the country.
If that exchange was testy.
Well, this was just the first of three hearings.
Related hearings on Capitol Hill related to DHS.
As those lawmakers decide whether to fund this department for the next few months or so, a department whose budget has swelled to tens of billions of dollars.
Under President Donald Trump.
That was Owen Faircloth reporting.
U.S.
President Donald Trump says he believes Iran wants to make a deal on its nuclear program.
Trump says he hopes the two sides will be able to strike an effective agreement.
But he also suggested the possibility of sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East.
On Tuesday, a top Iranian security official traveled to the capital of Oman for more talks.
At 29 past the hour, Beijing's down to minus 3 this evening.
It'll be sunny and 11 degrees on Thursday.
Shanghai's down to 4 overnight, then cloudy in 14.
Chongqing will be cloudy with a low of 7, then overcast in 13.
Nanchang's cloudy overnight in 3 degrees, then overcast in 16.
Last is cloudy tonight and tomorrow, a low of minus 5 and a high of 8.
Elsewhere in Asia, Islamabad will be cloudy and 8 degrees overnight, overcast in 21 on Thursday.
Vientiane is cloudy and 18 this evening, then overcast in 31.
Phnom Penh is getting a light rainfall tonight, 22 degrees, followed by overcast skies in 32.
It's time for a short break.
So far this hour the Chinese president's visited with officials and residents in Beijing during a pre-spring festival inspection tour of the capital.
China successfully completed another round of testing on its next generation heavy lift rocket and spacecraft.
The U.S.
Commerce Secretary is under increasing pressure to resign over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
Shane Begum with you.
Stay with us here on the Beijing Hour.
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Right there, in the midst of all, beats the heart of humanity.
What if those other heartbeats were to stop?
Would ours keep on ticking?
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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 Bigham with you on this Wednesday.
Still to come, in business, China's reporting moderate inflation numbers.
In sports, medals and short tracks, speed skating and other events at the Winter Olympics.
In culture and entertainment.
Some performers at the upcoming Spring Festival Gala share some details about the show.
To contact us, you can email radio at cgtn.com or follow our ex-account at cgtnradio.
Now checking the day's headlines, here's Wang Ziheng.
Thank you, Shane.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has extended Spring Festival greetings to the armed forces.
President Xi, also chairman of the Central Military Commission, extended the greetings while checking combat readiness and mission execution of the armed forces via video link in Beijing on Tuesday.
He conveyed New Year wishes to all officers and soldiers of the People's Liberation Army, members of the People's Armed Police Force, civilian personnel in the military reservists and militia.
Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese New Year, is the most important traditional festival in China.
This year it falls on February 17th.
The Chinese mainland has denounced Taiwan authorities, led by Lai Ching-de, for ignoring the crimes committed by Japan during its colonial rule over Taiwan.
Mainland officials described Taiwan authorities' flattering remarks to watch Japan as utterly disgraceful.
The statement from the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office came in response to Lai's intention to work with Japan to deal with what he called regional challenges.
Spokesperson Ju Fenglian also urged the Japanese side to retract Prime Minister Sanae Takeuchi's remarks on Taiwan.
Handle Taiwan-related questions prudently and abide by the one-China principle with actions.
Beijing says the decision to build a new strategic partnership between China and Canada is not directed against any third party.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian made remarks in response to US President Donald Trump's remarks regarding China's cooperation with Canada.
The spokesperson said the new strategic partnership reflects the spirit of equality, openness and inclusiveness and peaceful cooperation between the two countries.
He also said the partnership aligns with the common interests of both peoples and contributes to world peace stability, development and prosperity.
Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney, has expressed shock and sorrow following a mass shooting in British Columbia that left at least 10 people dead, including the gunman.
25 others have been hospitalised.
The attack happened Tuesday afternoon at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, located in a remote community of about 2400 people.
Police say six victims were found on school grounds, one person later dead on the way to hospital, and two more bodies were discovered at a nearby residence believed to be connected to the case.
The suspect was found dead inside the school from a self-inflicted injury.
An investigation is underway.
Mass shootings are rare in Canada due to strict gun control laws.
Media reports say this is the second deadliest school shootings in Canadian history after the 1989 Montreal École Polytechnique massacre, which claimed 14 lives.
Ukraine is reportedly preparing plans to hold a presidential election alongside a national referendum on a potential peace agreement with Russia.
The move comes amid pressure from the United States to expedite negotiations to end the conflict.
According to the Financial Times, Ukraine's parliament will introduce legal changes in March and April to allow voting under wartime conditions.
The country remains under martial law, which currently prohibits national elections.
The report also says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky intends to announce the election and referendum plans on February 24th.
That's the fourth anniversary of the start of the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
A UN spokesperson says, although Venezuela's humanitarian response plan was only 19 funded last year, humanitarian partners have helped 2 million people.
Stefan Juderek said the plan received over US$110 million, despite calling for over US$600 million.
He said the plan prioritized assistance for people in need, including women, children and the elderly.
In the health sector, medicine and other supplies delivered to hospitals and health centers reached more than 400000 people, while 260000 children and pregnant women received nutritional support.
More than 750000 people received food assistance from World Food Programme through school meals and support to communities impacted by heavy rains.
Judge Rick urged UN members to step up and provide sustained and flexible funding this year to continue the humanitarian response in Venezuela.
Thank you very much.
That's Wang Ziheng with Headlines.
Coming up in business, China's reporting moderate inflation numbers.
Thank you, Shane.
Stock markets on the Chinese mainland closed mixed on Wednesday.
The Shanghai composite gained slightly, while the Shenzhen component lost nearly 0.4%.
Oil field services and energy metals were among the top gainers.
Hong Kong's Hansen Index increased nearly 0.3%, and in Japan, the Nikkei gained almost 2.3%.
Meanwhile, international precious metal prices edged up on Wednesday.
As of the time of writing, the gold spot price stood at around $5,056 per ounce, up around 0.6%.
The silver spot price gained nearly 4%.
China's consumer price index rose 0.2% yearly and monthly in January.
Core CPI, which excludes food and energy prices, was up 0.8% from a year earlier.
This marks a moderation from the 1.2% gain in the previous month.
The slowdown is largely attributed to base effects linked to the timing of the Chinese New Year, along with a sharper fall in energy prices.
Last year, Spring Festival fell in January, pushing up food and some service prices and creating a higher comparison base.
Energy prices fell 5% in January, dragging down the yearly CPI by about a third of a point.
Analysts say household consumption has continued to recover and the trend of a moderate rise in core CPI has not changed.
The Producer Price Index, or PPI, for industrial products dropped by 14 on a yearly basis in January.
However, it rose 0.4% on a monthly basis, marking the fourth consecutive month of increase.
For more, Vivian Nunes spoke with Chen Jiahe, Chief Investment Officer at Novam Arcade Technologies.
What's your interpretation of the CPI and PPI numbers that have been released?
And what do they tell us about the way the economy is working?
Well, the CPI data in the first month of this year has been promising.
First of all, it is in the positive zone.
It went up by 0.2% compared with one year ago.
So this shows us that the consumption is improving.
More importantly, we have to consider the difference between this January and last year.
Last year's January contained the Spring Festival, but this year it did not.
During the Spring Festival holiday of China, it is a tradition that people make a lot of consumption, which pushes up the price.
So that means this 0.2% growth has underestimated the potential change of price.
Furthermore, if we look into details, the food price has decreased by 0.7%.
A non-food price has increased by 0.4%.
This tells us that more consumption has been made to more discretionary areas, which is an additional sign for the improving of China's consumption economy.
You mentioned how important Spring Festival is when it comes to the data collection at this time of year.
What do you think then, consumption is going to look like over the coming weeks as we go into the Chinese New Year?
That is for sure.
This long holiday will be nine days long and many people have already made their plan for consumption.
And this rising consumption during the Spring Festival also comes from the changing of consumption habits.
Chinese people are now making more consumptions during this holiday compared with the tradition that you should just stay at home.
Meanwhile, the expansion of China's consumption and tourism market is also providing more chances for people to consume.
For example, the setting of Hainan Free Trade Island last year has strongly boosted the local consumption.
I've talked to many people in Hainan And they told me the number of tourists in Hainan is amazing.
In recent weeks,
You see traffic jams all day in all the places.
This strongly boosted the local consumption market and is very beneficial to the growth of the local economy.
Also in the northern part of China, the winter economy is also boosting the local consumption markets.
So, yes, we will definitely see a very busy holiday.
How important is it then, that we do see this period that encourages spending and boosted economic growth in China?
Well, the Spring Festival is at the very beginning of the year.
A strong consumption during this holiday means a lot for China's consumption market as well as the overall economy.
It will, first of all, boost the consumption of the month.
For many companies, especially those who make holiday products like special food and gifts, the spring festival is critically important for them.
It can count for a very large share of annual income.
Meanwhile, if we have very good growth data at the spring festival, this promising data can bring more confidence to the economy.
With a strong start of the year, businesses can be more confident.
With more confidence, they can make more investments, pay higher salaries, spend more on production costs and advertisement all sorts of things.
And we all know the importance of confidence in the economy.
It can bring a positive spiral like the fire that starts an engine.
So yeah, we all look forward to a strong consumption during the spring festival, which will actually start from the end of this week.
That was Chief Investment Officer Chen Jiahe at Northam Arcade Technologies talking about China's latest CPI and PPI figures.
China's top 10 provincial-level regions by gross domestic product accounted for over 62 of the country's overall economic growth in 2025.
The provinces, including Guangdong, Jiangsu and Shandong, helped boost the national growth rate by 31 points.
Their combined GDP was approximately 855 trillion yuan last year, or about 124 trillion US dollars.
China's ice and snow industry has experienced rapid growth over the past decade.
According to a joint industry report, its scale has more than tripled since 2015, with projections reaching 1 trillion yuan by 2025 roughly 144 billion US dollars.
Snowboarding has been the key driver of this expansion, creating business across sectors such as equipment manufacturing and winter sports services.
Revenue from these enterprises exceeded 22 billion yuan in 2023, a fourfold increase from 2015.
Germany's automotive sector faces growing uncertainty as investment and jobs increasingly shift overseas.
The German Association of the Automotive Industry says 72 of companies plan to move operations abroad, delay projects or cancel them entirely.
Nathalie Carney has more.
Well, to be honest, it was quite bleak.
The president of the German Association of Automotive Industry, Mrs Hildebrand Müller, spoke for about 45 minutes about the industry here in Germany.
And she basically said, despite the strong fundamentals that there are here highly skilled workers innovation capacity, industrial expertise, as well as global integration she did stress that the industry let's not forget that does employ more than a million people both directly and indirectly and account for about five percent of Germany's GDP is under a lot of strain for reasons such as, as she's mentioned, excessive bureaucracy, heavy regulation and slow reform, which does make Germany less competitive and has been pushing companies not only to send investment abroad, but also jobs that follow.
She warned that this current model is failing and creating gaps that global competitors can fill and are filling.
Data released from a survey done by the VDA this is quite interesting is showing that companies are pulling back from investments here in the EU, while increasing investments abroad and expanding into countries such as China and the US.
Only 5% of firms plan to reduce investment in China while 22% intend to increase it.
And that's just highlighting, of course, how attractive China has become as an industrial location due to stronger competitiveness and more favorable conditions.
And again with these investments also jobs follow.
So while they're reducing jobs here in Germany and across the EU, they're increasing and expanding workforces abroad.
That was Nathalie Carney reporting in Munich.
And finally, international cruise companies have expressed optimism about China's market prospects, after the country released a work plan supporting local initiatives in the cruise industry.
Managing Director Brandon Tansy with Viking Cruises China says the new policy marks a positive signal for the industry.
There's a degree of in-depth planning you don't see from other governments.
And I think that's a great competitive advantage for China as a nation.
And I think it's a great roadmap for businesses to work along with as well.
And that's why we feel at ease about investing in China.
We see the company quadrupling from where it is now in China by 2030.
So we see big growth prospects.
Tianxi also says they are turning to highly educated, retired and wealthy individuals, and China has a huge market of this specific target, or the audience.
Meanwhile, the new work plan emphasizes enhancing service standards and creating integrated spending environments in the crude sector, as well as developing immersive and diversified cruise products.
You're listening to The Beijing Hour and coming up in sports medals in short track, speed skating and other events at the Winter Olympics.
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47 past now and turning to sports.
Here's Yang Guang.
Thank you, Shane.
Let's begin with the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.
The host nation has celebrated a thrilling victory, as Italy grabbed gold in the short track speed skating.
Mixed team relay.
Team China finished just off the podium in fourth place.
Medals were also decided in other events.
Dan Williams reports from Milan.
It's been quite a thrilling race in the short track speed skating mixed relay that China, of course, defending champions winning gold back in 2022.
The Netherlands were the favourites for this one though, but it was Italy, the home, brought on by the home crowd that came out with the gold medal.
Canada, second Belgium, third China just slipping up at the wrong moment, so slipping out of medal contention.
But an amazing story there.
Arianna Fontana, 12 Olympic medals now for her, winning her first one back in Turin in 2006.
So that's the second medal, Olympic medal, on home soil from a second Olympics.
Now, Berk Ruud of Norway, he won his second gold here.
Well, second gold medal overall.
Men's freestyle skiing slope style for him in the big air, going with his big air that he won in 2022.
USA's Alex Hall coming in in second place.
And there was a clean sweep for Sweden as well in the women's sprint classic cross-country skiing, with Lin Svan winning gold.
That was $10 billion.
We will report in.
China has made a historic breakthrough in the ski jumping mixed team event after advancing to the final for the first time in the country's history at the Games.
The Chinese lineup of Zheng Ping, Liu Qi, Song Qiwu and Zhao Jiawen combined for 4605 points in the opening round.
They initially ranked 7th and grabbed one of the 8 places in the final.
China went on to finish 8th with a total of 9241 points and improved on its 10th place result from the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
Slovenia claimed the gold, while Norway took silver, and Japan rounded out the podium with bronze.
Meantime.
China's Wang Peixuan placed 21st in the women's luge singles event in the time of 2 minutes 42631 seconds.
She recorded the country's best Olympic finish in this event, but missed qualifying for the final round by one spot.
Germany's Julia Taubitz won gold.
And China's Qin Boyang took part in the men's figure skating short program.
Despite limited recovery time after the team event, he delivered his strongest short program of the season, as he competed with confidence and control.
Qin scored 8655 points to finish in the top 24 and qualify for this free skate in his third appearance at the Winter Olympics.
The Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics is the most geographically widespread in the history of the Games.
The competition venues stretch across an entire region and set a potential template for future hosts, including the 2030 edition in the French Alps.
Greg Lafferty spoke with organizing committee CEO, Andrea Vania, to discuss how this approach works in practice.
We had numerous firsts cauldrons being lit simultaneously in two different places here, in Milan, of course, and in Cortina.
Athletes prayed in four different locations.
So, so many logistical challenges.
And that's something that has been made a lot of these games, of course, the most geographically widespread Winter Olympics in history.
Can you talk a little bit about just the logistical challenges of planning organizing and do you think this really is a model for future games well it is our special message you know with our games to say okay you can do games you know widespread and the reason why our games are widespread is not because we wanted to you know just to show off or you know but because the idea is to adapt the games to what you have in your country and to make the games more sustainable rather the other way around so adapt you know the country to the games coming in and building a lot of things and so we had the opportunity to showcase some of the best sport venues in the in the mountains that were known all over the world and so but we need to connect them so there is a certainly operational need and the challenge and i think the first few days show that it's doable as it is doable to show the athletes in their different locations as we did during the ceremonies the other thing that was not clear is can you create the olympic atmosphere in such widespread games And I think the first day showed that also that is possible because if you look at the images on television, they're fantastic.
And you live the games, you know, anywhere, Livigno, until Selva.
These are very far from one another, but still the atmosphere, the atmosphere of the Olympic games.
And I think this was the challenge that we can only see, you know, during the games.
So in this sense, I think it's a successful experiment.
That was organising committee CEO Andrea Vania, talking about the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.
And finally, in football action from the English Premier League, Chelsea drew 2-0 with Leeds United after squandering a 2-goal lead.
Elsewhere, Manchester United drew with West Ham 1-0.
Bournemouth overcame Everton 2-1 and it's Newcastle over Tottenham.
And that's all for sports.
Thank you very much.
That's Yang Guang with sports.
You're listening to the Beijing Hour coming up in culture and entertainment.
Some performers at the upcoming Spring Festival Gala have shared some details about the show.
From north to south, east to west, people in China are chasing their dreams and leaving their mark.
Want to know how they beat the odds and made a difference?
Footprints brings you the true life stories of their journeys.
52 past the hour.
The performers with China's 2026 Spring Festival Gala say the upcoming show will convey a message of warmth and togetherness as people celebrate the new year.
The show celebrates the Year of the Horse with creative designs and a variety of performances.
TV host Patty Ho from the Taiwan region says the musical selections evoke nostalgia and warmth.
This time.
Being able to bring so many folk songs to the Spring Festival Gala allows us to recall and feel nostalgia and evokes a great deal of warmth.
What I see in them reflects the resilience of this land and the stories of its people.
Together, we look forward to the future, and the year of the horse has much in store for us.
So I feel what this stage offers the audience is blessings hope, warmth and, above all, the feeling of gathering as one.
Singer Wei Chen praised the fresh and innovative acts, calling the gala full of vitality.
Each time I've come here, I have been filled with curiosity.
Before and after my own rehearsals, I saw dance performances as well as comic sketches and comedy talk shows, and I found them full of freshness and vitality.
I've also encountered many different and innovation creations, including advanced technological elements and items oriented towards the future.
The gala will air on February 16th.
China Media Group has aired its 2026 Spring Festival Web Gala.
The show appeared on TV and across online platforms on Tuesday night.
It blended pop and traditional culture with advanced technology like AI and VR.
Performers presented songs and dances.
Football players from Jiangsu province joined a tribute to a grassroots football league.
A special act used AR to transform actresses into dancing ink brushes and paper.
A choir of veteran aerospace workers sang in a space-themed performance, and the annual gala is a popular tradition, especially for younger audiences.
As Spring Festival fast approaches, horse-themed cultural products are hitting the shelves.
A scribble pony from the Shandong Art Museum has become a particular favorite.
Zhengmeng Yuan reports.
It is a highly interactive cultural product. launched by the Shandong Art Museum.
Its design is inspired by the masterpiece A Galloping Horse by the legendary artist Qi Baishi.
The pony features a body in black and white ink wash style and elaborately flowing mane, earning it the affectionate nickname Messy Mane Pony.
The most distinctive feature is its windswept hair, which allows for endless play.
You can use a hairdryer to mimic it galloping across a vast grassland, or use small hairpins and headbands to create very stylish looks for its mane.
I think it's very innovative and well designed.
Styling its hair in different ways feels really fun and creative.
This horse gave us the feeling of enthusiasm and excitement.
Through this work, we hope to convey a sense of confidence in facing the challenges of life and work, as well as whatever the future may bring for people of all ages.
In addition to the messy mean pony, the museum has launched other spring festival-themed products like cups, refrigerator magnets and red envelopes.
Since their release, The average daily sales of these cultural products has exceeded 15,000 yuan.
That was Zhang Mengyuan reporting.
China's Gansu Acrobatic Troupe is given a thrilling performance at the Kenya National Theater, promoting Sino-African cultural exchanges.
The show featured traditional acrobatics, martial arts and dance.
Officials say the event promotes friendship between China and Africa.
It aligns with the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges.
The troop's Africa tour continues during the Chinese New Year celebrations.
China's first AI-generated animated film, The Reunion Journey, will release on February 28th.
Produced by China Media Group.
The film is based on real-life giant pandas, Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan, which were gifted by the Chinese mainland to Taiwan.
It tells a story of panda siblings overcoming hardships to reunite.
57 past the hour.
Beijing down to minus 3 Wednesday evening.
It'll be sunny and 11 on Thursday.
Shanghai's down to 4, then cloudy conditions in 14.
Chongqing will be cloudy overnight.
It's down to 7, then overcast in 13.
Nanchang's cloudy in 3, and then overcast in 16.
Lastly, it will be cloudy tonight and tomorrow, a low of minus 5, a high of 8.
Elsewhere in Asia, Islamabad's cloudy and 8 this evening, then overcast and 21 for Thursday.
Vientiane's cloudy and 18 overnight, then overcast and 31.
And that's it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.
Making news today, the Chinese president is visited with officials and residents in Beijing during a pre-spring festival inspection tour of the capital.
And China is reporting moderate inflation numbers right now.
On behalf of the staff.
This is Shane Biggum in the Chinese capital, hoping you'll join us for the next edition of the Beijing Hour and open a window to the world to get to Find The Beijing Hour at precisely 6 pm.
Beijing time.
We meet you on podcast and on air every weekday.
The Beijing Hour, your window on China and the rest of the world.
He can't live without the Yellow River in his eyes.
The Yellow River is so noble and elegant.
Both my grandpa and dad made the living from the river.
Would you like to move away from the Yellow River?
I don't think I will.
I love it so much.
The Yellow River, the second longest river in China, is regarded as a shaping force in the history, economy and culture of northern China.
Today, about 100 million people live within its water basin, making up nearly 9 of the country's population.
How is climate change felt at its headwaters?
And what are the locals doing to cope with it?
What are the descendants of the boatmen doing?
What has kept some people from leaving their home village by the river?
And what has drawn others back?
Could the fading fishing community revive in a time of digital transformation?
From 2021 to 2024.
Our reporters visited the upper, middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, talked to the herders farmers boatmen, fishermen and eco-activists who share a close bond with the river, and present their stories in pictures, podcasts and videos, or in our 12-part series, The Yellow River Mosaic, available only on CGTN Radio.
