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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 Bigam with you on this Friday, June 13th, 2025.
You're listening to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
On today's program is really airstrikes in Iran have killed top military officials and nuclear scientists.
Investigators are now trying to determine the cause of an Air India plane crash that killed hundreds.
The fourth China -Africa Economic and Trade Expo is now underway in Changsha.
In business, China and Europe seek trade certainty amid Washington's unpredictable tariffs.
In sports, tennis action, including the Queen's Club championships in London.
In culture and entertainment, Shanghai's buzzing with the city's 27th International Film Festival.
Now the day's top stories.
The Israeli military says its fighter jets are still conducting strikes against Iranian military and nuclear facilities.
The Israeli Defense Forces says Iran has launched drones toward Israeli territory after Israel launched a wave of attacks across Iran.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the operation will continue for as long as necessary.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned of severe punishment against Israel.
Iran's confirmed the killing of top military officials and scientists.
They include Chief Commander Hossain Salami of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards and Mohammed Baghari, chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces.
Iran has closed airspace and suspended flights at the main international airport in Tehran.
Sapir Seremi has more from Tehran.
Israel has counted out the wave of coordinated strikes across Iran, heading military command centers and nuclear infrastructure, including the Natanz nuclear facility, which is one of the most sensitive sites in Iran's nuclear program.
The attacks have claimed the lives of top military officials.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has confirmed the death of Hossein Salami, one of the most powerful and high -ranking commanders and Iran.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Bahari, the chief of the staff of the Iranian armed forces has also been killed, according to the state television.
While cities like Theresa and Khmer Shabraman, those targeted, it was in Tehran where residential neighborhoods came under direct attack.
The capital is in a state of emergency.
Military checkpoints, armored vehicles and armed personnel are spread across the city.
The heavy security presence made it extremely difficult for me to move around the city and report.
At one point I was prevented from continuing my coverage due to access restrictions imposed by security forces.
In response to the loss of senior military figures, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ali Khamenei has begun appointing commanders of key positions, signaling the leadership determination to maintain control and prepare for what may lie ahead.
Tensions are now at a boiling point.
The region is bracing for possible retaliation and its insanity hangs heavily over Iran and its neighbors.
That was Sapeir Sarameet reporting.
Residents in Tehran are calling for a definitive response to Israel's military attacks.
In my opinion as an Iranian, there must be a crushing response, a reciprocal one.
How much longer should we live in fear?
They've eliminated so many university professors, so many talents, and then they push for negotiation?
What does negotiation even mean at this point?
What's left to say?
They want to take away our nuclear capability.
That's unacceptable.
So many scientists have worked hard for this.
We achieved it ourselves.
And now they want to take away from us.
That means they are trying to impose their will on us.
It's completely unacceptable.
Israel is struggling with its last breaths to achieve something.
But still it won't succeed.
These are its final breaths.
I hope peace can come after it.
Israel is in Tel Aviv, a rush to local supermarkets to pick up daily necessities, following nationwide alerts of possible retaliation by Iran.
So yes, we're very afraid because on our way back from the restaurant, we were shocked by the alarms and the notifications we got over on our phones about how urgent the situation was and how Iran was attacking, how the attack was imminent.
So we're very scared of not having enough supplies at home, especially since it's not our home and we're here on vacation.
I woke up by the alarm and couldn't get back to sleep, so I thought let's get some supplies in case anything happens.
got some water, some basic food for the family.
Anyway, I hope everything will be quiet.
We want peace, you know, but just in case, I want the family to be safe.
We have the shelter rooms. We're all okay for anything that happens.
This late hour I arrived here for buying a few merchandise, a few groceries to have for my baby and my wife.
And we got to notice that we attacked Iran, and we need to have this supply in case something happens, we'll be ready.
As Jonathan Regev reports, Israel's shooting down drones launched from Iran.
We're hearing of drones being shot down in Saudi airspace, in Jordanian airspace, and Soon enough those drones are expected to reach Israeli airspace.
Those who will not be shot down.
If we're speaking of more than 100 drones, then there's a good chance that some of them might make it to Israel as good and as advanced as the Israeli missile defense system may be.
Israel said that this is not a one hit thing, but actually something that will take days and even weeks more and more attacks will happen, and this is what is happening now.
Israel carried out a few waves of strikes and now it is carrying out more strikes.
Some of the strikes took out the remaining anti -aircraft defense systems, which the Iranians had.
And once those systems are gone, then the Israeli Air Force can operate with more freedom in Iranian airspace and that is why we're also seeing at this time more Israeli strikes.
In another thing, Israel expects that when the drones will make it to Israeli airspace, Iran will also try to add ballistic missiles to that.
And the presence of Israeli planes now, Israeli jets in Iranian skies is also made, this is part of an attempt by Israel to try and hit those ballistic missiles even before they're launched.
The airport is shut, and not only is it shut down, but the concern is such that the Israeli Airlines, EL AL, and others have actually flown all of their aircraft outside of Israel to other countries.
They've been expecting this to happen.
They've been preparing for this.
And their plan was to fly all of their planes out of the Ben Gurion airports for the time being.
This, due to the understanding that Ben Gurion airport will be a major target for the Iranian retaliation.
And in order to prevent their planes being hit, those planes belonging to the Israeli airlines are now being flown outside of the country.
The airport is shut for the moment.
No landings and no take -offs.
That was Jonathan Regev in Tel Aviv.
U .N. Secretary -General Antona Guterres has condemned the escalation in the Middle East. A spokesperson for the U .N. chief says Guterres is concerned by Israel's military attacks on Iran.
Qatar also asked all parties to show maximum restraint and avoid a deeper conflict.
Beijing's called on all parties to avoid further escalation after Israel's military attacks on Iran.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian says China's deeply concerned about the consequences of the attack.
He adds that China stands ready to play a constructive role in de -escalating the crisis.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says his country was not involved in the Israeli airstrikes on Iran he also urged Tehran not to target US interests or personnel in the region Sean Caleb says more and even though the United States has said it was not involved trying to distance itself from this attack we know that there's frustration there's anger in Iran and Iran people they are certainly have the belief that if Israel knew about it then the United States knew about it and if they weren't red -handed involved in this then they were certainly complicit that is what many people in Iran believe
and that is going to be something the Trump administration is going to have to push back from.
We do know that on Monday Donald Trump talked to Benjamin Netanyahu by phone and at the time he urged Netanyahu to not lash out, not strike Iran's nuclear facilities saying you need to focus on ending the war in Gaza.
At the time Trump said it was a very good phone call between the two.
But apparently that did not happen.
So what is going to move forward?
How will the United States move forward?
But one of the major sticking points in trying to find some way to work forward on this nuclear deal is the fact that Iran believes it has a right to enrich uranium.
It believes that every nuclear nation has the right to do that.
That's something the United States has said is not going to happen.
So that has been a major sticking point.
So the fact that we know that not only nuclear facilities were attacked, but military facilities were attacked, as well as the Republican National Guard within Iran, this is certainly going have people seething in Iran.
Their venom is going to be not only aimed at Israel but also the United States as well if we can use the past as any kind of yardstick.
So clearly what's going on now in the bowels of the White House is Trump talks to his cabinet, Secretary of State, Ambassador Mike Huckabee in Israel, they're trying to figure out how they're going to deal with this fallout and once dawn comes here in Washington, once we know how Iran is digesting this information and what that nation is going to do and how Israel now under a state of emergency.
We saw people clamoring through the streets at four o 'clock in the morning, something you would not see normally at that hour.
So a lot is in motion at this hour and it's going to be virtually up to these three nations to try to figure out a way for it.
That was Sean Caleb's reporting.
And for more on the Israeli attacks on Iran, Hsieh Cheng spoke to Wang Jin, director of the Center of Strategic Studies at Northwest University.
Does Israel's attack come as a surprise to you?
Why do you think Israel is attacking Iran's targets right now?
I think actually Israel's target surprises me because I predicted that maybe Israel's attack would come this weekend or maybe later.
I didn't expect that Israel's attack against Iranian targets would come so fast. And also I think it also surprised many people, including the Iranians, because if Iran were They were able to get the news and predict what would happen.
Iran would successfully intercept Israeli military activities but, actually, Iran did not successfully do it.
So that's why I think Israeli's attacks surprised everybody.
And the Israeli's, according to the reports that's released now, I think Israeli's target's very clear.
It wants to express concerns over Iranian's nuclear capabilities, Iranian's strategic influenced in this region as well as Iranian's missile capabilities because we are looking at what the Israeli target.
It targets leadership, the palace, the residential places of many Iranians, high -level military officers, as well as Iran's missile and nuclear -related facilities.
So that's why Israel successfully expressed its own concerns and stances, particularly very aggressive stances by its military strikes against Iran targets.
And further, I think Israeli targets would lead everybody, including the original countries, into the very dangerous scenario.
Well, Professor Wang, how would you describe the extent of destruction that Iran has suffered, especially in terms of its nuclear facilities there?
I think actually Iran suffers a lot.
First of all, Iran's reputations were very strongly hurt and attack because we know that Iran tried to show that it was able to defend its own national security, particularly the national security of the very key nuclear -related facilities.
But right now, after the Israeli attack, actually Iran did not successfully do it.
And then Iran's very national interests were hurt because what we saw from the news reports, many facilities and important facilities has been hit by Israeli targets, by Israeli strikes, so that's why Iran actually suffers a lot, and finally, but not the least, we have to know that there are many Iranian high level leaders has been killed during Israeli attacks, and these attacks are very precise and actually lead to the very important losses for Iranians a military and the political levels.
So that's why I think Iran suffers a lot and the Iran need to retaliate against the Israeli targets and then strikes.
So I think that's why the tension might be further escalated in the future.
I was Wong Jin at Northwest University sharing his insights on the Israeli attacks on Iran.
Coming up, investigating the Air India crash.
15 minutes past the hour.
The Indian government's launched a formal investigation into Thursday Thursday's Air India plane crash in Gujarat.
Authorities have brought more than 260 bodies to a hospital in Ahmedabad where the crash occurred.
Among the dead were 241 people on board the Boeing aircraft, while the rest of the casualties took place on the ground.
Air India said the sole survivor of the flight is a British national of Indian origin.
He's receiving treatment in hospital.
Aviation authorities have found one of the two black boxes of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
The London -bound flight crashed on Thursday afternoon.
Shortly after takeoff, Chinese President Xi Jinping has conveyed condolences to the Indian president and prime minister, as well as to the British king.
There were 169 Indian nationals and 53 British citizens on board that doomed flight.
Boeing says it's in contact with Air India and ready to support the investigation.
Radhika Bajaj has more from a hospital in Ahmedabad.
This is one of the post -mortem rooms at the civil hospital here in Ahmedabad, and here primarily we're seeing the bodies of the students of the medical college being released.
These are the students who were enjoying a lunch break when the plane literally fell out of the sky onto them.
Many lives have been lost. Young students and families are coming here from different parts of the country, from the state of Gujarat as well to claim these bodies.
What we're being told from the doctors is that the bodies of the plane victims have been charred beyond recognition in most of the cases, which is why those bodies are not being released at the moment.
But the students who were on the ground and perished after the plane landed on them are now slowly being released after the post -mortem and some heart -wrenching visuals really coming from here.
There is a focus now also on finding out the cause behind this massive tragedy.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau will be taking the lead in the investigations in India and because there were British nationals, 53 of them who also perished in the crash, Britain is sending across a team of its experts as well.
For Boeing, the planemaker, this is a huge dent on its safety reputation.
It has struggled with that but this particular model of the aircraft has never had a safety incident of this magnitude.
So, what we understand is that it has also formed a team of aviation experts and forensic experts from America who are due to land in Ahmedabad.
Radhika Bajaj reporting.
Aviation safety experts told media that officials will have to look into the plane's configuration to determine why the London -bound Air India passenger aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff on Thursday.
CEO John Cox with Safety Operating System said something didn't seem right when the plane was leaving the tarmac.
From looking at the aircraft from behind, it doesn't look like the trailing edge flaps are in the position I would have expected them to be, but I'm very cautious that the image quality is not good enough to make that a conclusion.
It's just an area where I know that they're going to look.
The expert also cautioned against any tendency to discredit the aviation industry following the incident.
I don't believe you can draw the conclusion that in some way the 787 is not a safe aircraft. It's demonstrated repeatedly that it is.
Aviation in general is the safest form of transportation ever designed by humankind.
There were over 240 people on board when the crash happened in Ahmedabad.
The disasters killed over 260 people including many on the ground.
U .S. Federal Aviation investigators will travel to India to assist with the investigation into that deadly plane crash in the South Asian country.
President Donald Trump has described the disaster as one of the worst incidents in aviation history, pledging to offer assistance.
Kate Fisher has more from Washington, D .C.
India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau will lead the probe into Thursday's crash, And the US national transportation safety board is sending a team to India to assist. Staff from the Federal Aviation Administration are also set to help the NTSB.
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States would offer whatever assistance India needed.
And he mentioned that he gave officials some pointers on possible causes.
Mr Trump went on to say it's a big country, a strong country and they'll handle it I'm sure, but I let them know that anything we can do and will be over there immediately.
Meanwhile Boeing, the manufacturer of the 787 Dreamliner released a statement following the crash.
Its chief executive said our deepest condolences go out to the loved ones of the passengers and crew on board Air India Flight 171 and added that the Boeing team stands ready to support the investigation.
The crash is of particular concern for Boeing, not just because of the tragic circumstances but also because it's the first crash of a 7878 Dreamliner, as Kate Fisher reporting.
Boeing's facing a new wave of scrutiny following the deadly plane crash in India on Thursday.
Karen Kiefer with CNN takes a look at how the disaster is reverberating throughout the airline industry.
This is a difficult day for all of us at Air India.
The CEO of Air India says investigations into what caused a London bound flight to crash shortly after takeoff from the western India city of Ahmedabad will take time.
Meanwhile, the deadly crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner will put the American aerospace giant and the aircraft under greater scrutiny.
This is a devastating setback for the company.
The Dreamliner debuted in 2011 and got off to a rough start.
In 2013, the FAA initiated a global Dreamliner grounding over fire risk associated with battery failures.
But the Dreamliner had never experienced a fatal crash until Thursday.
It's never had a crash that involved fatalities and it is a highly automated aircraft. Boeing said in a statement they were in contact with Air India and ready to support the airline.
The company has been mired in a years -long quality control crisis, including two deadly crashes of its 737 MAX plane in 2018 and 2019.
Before the crash, on Wednesday, members of a Senate panel asked President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Federal Aviation Administration how he'd hold Boeing accountable for safety.
I look forward to advancing certification technologies, processes, employee development around certification, and certainly holding Boeing accountable.
The crash also putting air safety back in the spotlight as the summer travel season heats up in the U .S..
and less than six months after an Army helicopter collided with American Airlines Flight 5342 on approach to Washington's Reagan National Airport, leaving 67 people dead.
I was Karen Cafa in Washington, DC.
Coming up, the China -Africa Economic and Trade Expo is now underway.
You're listening to the Beijing Hour.
Sixty minutes of comprehensive news.
Your window on China and the world.
Twenty two minutes past the hour.
The fourth China Africa Economic and Trade Expo is underway in Changsha.
The Expo in the central Chinese city attracted over 30 ,000 participants.
Thirty trade and economic events will take place during the Expo, which runs till Sunday, covering a range of collaborative fields.
Olivia He has more.
The fourth China, Africa Economic and Trade Expo is one of the most important economic and trade exchanges between China and African countries this year.
So far, the expo has secured 279 signed projects from Chinese and African partners, a 43 .8 % increase from the previous session.
During the event, 175 cooperation agreements with $11 .39 billion will be signed.
The expo will featured 30 high level trade and economic events focusing on cutting edge fields, such as green energy, digital economy and agricultural modernization providing a platform for in -depth dialogue.
Additionally, six themed events including the China Africa Private Economic Forum and China Africa Film Week will take place, strengthening cultural ties and people -to -people connections.
Furthermore, five Chinese prophecies, including Hubei and Chongqing and nine African nations such as Rwanda and Angola will host dedicated promotion sessions to facilitate precise resource matching, driving China -Africa cooperation toward higher value industrial and supply chains.
How is Olivia He in Changsha?
A Kenyan official says the fourth China -Africa Economic and Trade Expo provides an opportunity community for attracting Chinese investment to Africa.
Lee Myani Kanyanju is the Kenyan cabinet secretary for investment trade and industry.
He made the remarks during an interview with Gao Jun -yup at the expo.
The official also welcomed China's decision to extend zero -tariff measures to 53 African countries.
We are very grateful for this opportunity.
China has extended to 53 African countries, zero salary quarter free, meaning we can be able to export to China as much as we can be able to do this.
And I think this will greatly help us with the balance of trade, because there has been a lot coming from China but not as much coming from the African continent.
We therefore hope that we will be able to align our economies, and I think we can more importantly, revolutionize our production from agriculture to make sure now we grow large -scale coastal production, increase varieties, and also align with the global supply chains.
We also hope that through this, we will be able to create employment for our young people, create food security, and also improve our foreign currency as well.
So, I think it is a great opportunity and we look forward. As Kenya, we want to take advantage of it.
We will be aligning our production.
We produce coffee, tea, macadamia, and basically all the nuts and cloves.
And we will be working together with the farmers and producers to put the value out there and also align with the markets.
So it's a great opportunity for us.
And can you also share with us some of your priorities of this visit to this expo?
I think our priority for this visit is twofold.
One is for trade and therefore this issue of China opening up its market for Africa and Kenya for that matter is very welcome.
The other aspect is on investment.
And these are companies that are interested in coming to invest in Kenya.
We have very special incentive packages for companies.
And I must say that in the last two years, we have seen and increase in the number of Chinese companies coming to invest in all sectors from electronics to production, agriculture in every sector.
So we're looking forward and working to see at least three major global companies come before the close of this year.
So is there an investment also or is there opportunity to attract investment into Africa?
So, we are working on that and we are seeing great progress.
I've been able to meet most of them and be able to align our visits.
In turn, we can meet those who have interest in coming to Kenya and how it can align their coming in the settings that have already provided for my country.
And what about green energy?
We know that Kenya is also leading in terms of green transformation in Africa.
And there's been a lot of outcomes when it comes to green cooperation between China and Kenya and what are the potential and what are you looking for in this specific sector?
The government of Kenya has lined up what we call green investment portfolios and these are specific areas of opportunity where investors from across the world can be able to come.
In green energy, Kenya is living in Africa and we want to encourage investors from China have a technological edge to be able to invest. Also noting that we have a special incentive specific to the green sector, to the green energy sector.
Solarisation is another area where we are really trying to encourage and much of the panels actually come from China, so I think it is a great opportunity from across all sectors.
Geothermal, we are also very big and we are cooperating with some of the Chinese companies I think it's an opportunity for a country like China to make the next bold step.
Lee Myoni Kyiyanju, the Kenyan cabinet secretary for investment, trade and industry, sharing his aspirations for the China -Africa Economic and Trade Expo.
The US appeal court has allowed President Donald Trump to maintain deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles.
The move temporarily paused lower court ruling that blocked the mobilization.
It comes after a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order directing Trump to return control of the National Guard to California.
The order said Trump's deployments of National Guard and U .S Marines to Los Angeles were illegal and it came after California filed an emergency motion asking the judge to block the Guard from assisting with immigration raids.
UN members have voted overwhelmingly to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza they also called for the release of all Hamas held hostages, the return of Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel, and unrestricted aid delivery.
149 countries voted in favor of the Spain drafted resolution in the 193 member General Assembly on Thursday.
We're at 29 minutes past the hour.
Now Beijing's down to 22 on Friday evening.
It'll be getting moderate rainfall and 26 on Saturday.
Manchang's 27 tonight then thundershowers and 32 degrees.
Elsur in Asia. Islamabad's 27 this evening then cloudy and 41 for Saturday.
Vientiane's down to 24 degrees and then a slight rainfall and 31.
But on pens at 25 overnight, then some rain in 33 in Africa.
Nairobi's getting overcast conditions in 25 on Saturday, compatible us down to 20 followed by some rain in 27.
Chubas, 22 this evening, then sunny in 36.
It's time for a short break.
So far this hour, Israeli airstrikes in Iran have killed top military officials and nuclear scientists.
Investigators are trying to determine the cause of an Air India plane crash that killed hundreds.
In the fourth China, Africa economic and trade expo, is now underway in Changsha.
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From stem of the trees to gurgle of rivers.
from the silent strength of mountains to the icy whispers of glaciers even the solid ground beneath our feet And 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 Bigam with you on this Friday.
Still to come in business, China and Europe seek trade certainty amid Washington's unpredictable tariffs.
In sports, tennis action including the Queen's Club Championships in London and culture and entertainment, Shanghai is buzzing with city's 27th international film festival.
To contact us, you can email radio at cgtn com or follow our x account at CGTN radio.
Now checking the day's headlines.
Chinese president Xi Jinping has called for learning from veteran leader Chen Yun and carrying forward his legacy to build China into a strong country.
He made the remarks at a meeting in Beijing marking the 120th anniversary of Chen's birth.
Chen is one of the founding figures of China's socialist economy.
He was key member of the first and second generation of central collective leadership of the Communist Party of China.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the China Central Asia Summit in Kazakhstan.
His trip to Astana will last from Monday to Wednesday.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Loxson will pay an official visit to China next week and that visit runs from Tuesday to Friday.
The Israeli military says its fighter jets are still conducting strikes against Iranian military and nuclear facilities.
The Israeli Defence Forces say Iran has launched drones toward Israeli territory after Israel launched a wave of attacks across Iran.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the operation will continue for as long as necessary.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned of severe punishment against Israel.
Iran's confirmed the killing of top military officials and scientists.
They include Chief Commander Hossain Salami of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard and Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces.
Iran has closed airspace and suspended flights at the main international airport in Tehran.
The crash of the 787 passenger jet in India is putting the spotlight back on Boeing.
It was the first fatal crash since the plane, also known as the Dreamliner, went into service in 2009.
Boeing shares have tumbled since the incident.
This latest high -profile fatal crash has not helped ease public concern over the company's safety record. Todd Curtis is an aviation safety analyst and said people's fear of Boeing might be slightly exaggerated.
Unfortunately there are so much attention paid to Boeing by the government and by the industry and by the general public than anything Boeing did or anything that happened with the Boeing aircraft in the last five years has been magnified.
I don't think it has made their customers run to another supplier.
Despite the optimism, Boeing did post a loss of 11 .8 billion U .S. dollars in 2024, and the figure brought its total losses since 2019 to more than 35 billion.
U .S. appeal courts allowed President Donald Trump to maintain deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles.
The move temporarily paused a lower court ruling that blocked the mobilization.
It comes after a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order directing Trump to return control of the National Guard to California.
The order said Trump's deployment of National Guard and U .S. Marines to Los Angeles were illegal.
It came after California filed an emergency motion asking the judge to block the guard from assisting with immigration raids.
UN members have voted overwhelmingly to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
They also called for the release of all Hamas -held hostages, the return of Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel, and unrestricted aid delivery.
One hundred and forty -nine countries voted in favor of the Spain drafted resolution in the 193 member general assembly on Thursday.
Israeli ambassador to the UN Danny Dennin expressed vehement opposition after the vote.
It must be acknowledged that by failing to condition a ceasefire on the release of the hostages, you told every terrorist organization that abducting civilians works, that holding elderly men and young women in tunnels earns you a seat at the table, that you can brutalize the innocent and still be rewarded with resolutions from the world's highest body.
This is no diplomacy.
It is surrender." Also addressing the occasion, Palestinian UN Ambassador Ryad Mansour expressed his gratitude.
This illegal, immoral situation cannot continue.
It has to stop and stop immediately.
We thank all those who are mobilized to end this horrific tragedy.
Governments and peoples from across the globe who are standing up for humanity and the defense of the entire nation of Palestine." Meanwhile the United States said it does not support one side of measures that failed to condemn Hamas.
Although the vote outcome is not legally bonding it's still seen as a barometer of world opinion.
Experts and human rights workers have been warning of widespread hunger in Gaza.
It's estimated that around 2 million Palestinians are at risk of famine if Israel does not fully lift its blockade and halt its military campaign.
Coming up in business, China and Europe seek trade certainty amid Washington's unpredictable tariffs.
The Beijing Hour, your window on China and the rest of the world.
Thirty seven pass the hour in business.
Now here's Tianliu.
Thank you, Shane. Stock markets on the Chinese mainland closed lower.
On Friday, Timothy Pope has more.
The markets around the region and the world are unsurprisingly jittery this Friday after those Israeli attacks on Iran.
Investors made a bid for safe havens and that left the Shanghai Composite Index trading about three quarters of one percent lower at the end of the session.
The Shenzhen component index was down about 1 .1%.
It's an escalation in tensions obviously and the reaction here on the Chinese Mainland mirrored what we have seen in most markets since the airstrikes.
What that meant for the market was that gold stocks did well.
Obviously, gold, one of the top safe havens.
Zhongjin gold was up more than 2%, as were a couple of other Chinese miners including Western region gold.
Energy stocks also did pretty well because of course tension in the Middle East often sees oil prices rise.
A sub -index tracking oil and gas shares here in Shanghai ended the session up by about 2 % as well.
What's been interesting to see over the course of this week, though, is actually how quick optimism over this week's trade talks seems to have faded on the markets.
They got a bit of a bump after China and the US came away from talks in London, with the US in particular touting an agreement, but since then there's been a little bit of a reappraisal and some combing over the comments and over what was actually agreed upon, really.
And so while it does at least seem to market dialing down at the tensions and the market is happy to see that, some of the more mature reflection that we have seen in the last day or so on the results has been a bit cooler than the initial positive reaction which meant that things had flattened out a bit before those Israeli airstrikes spooked investors all over again.
That was Timothy Pope reporting.
Elsewhere in China, the Hong Kong stock market closed lower with the Hunsom index down by nearly 0 .6 %.
Meantime, the decay in Japan fell by about 0 .9 %.
China has urged the United States to adhere to World Trade Organization rules than to make joint efforts to stabilize bilateral trade ties.
This comes after US President Donald Trump claimed that two sides have reached an agreement under which Washington will impose 55 % tariffs on Chinese goods while Beijing will levy 10 % duties on US products.
The Commerce Ministry said China will make good use of the trade talks with the United States and maintain communication.
Meanwhile, China and the European Central Bank have agreed to hold annual meetings to enhance cooperation.
People's Bank of China Governor Pan Gongshan and ECB President Christine Lagarde held their first meeting exchanging views on global monetary challenges.
Lagarde highlighted the importance of closer China -Europe ties, especially amid rising trade uncertainties.
In an interview with Guangxin, the ECB president stressed the need for central banks to strengthen coordination in a volatile global landscape.
When I look at the global economy, I see an economy that has sustained a series of incredible shocks.
You know, we have short memory, but when we remember what we faced in the last three years, it's incredible.
So from those successive and almost compounded shocks, eventually Obviously the global economy came out with a high degree of resilience and this is particularly the case in Europe, and unfortunately as we were going into this recovery mode, great uncertainty landed on our global economy as a result of the tariff threats and the announcements that were made and then withdrawn and paused and negotiated.
And that has dampened global growth expectations.
projections, our projections have been revised downwards so have the projections of the IMF, the World Bank, the OECD and most countries are affected.
It's not a win -win situation, it's a lose -lose situation that we are looking at at the moment and it's aggravated by the level of uncertainty that is actually putting a break, a hold if you wish on many investment projects on many developments because investors are not too sure what the future lays ahead.
And of course the impact of U .S. trade policies are from the center of many discussions.
President Trump has delayed the planned 50 % tariffs on EU imports, China and the U .S. has concluded the first round of talks in London.
How do you assess the recent development?
And given how uncertain U .S. trade policy has been.
So, how is the ECB preparing for potential trade shocks?
The European Central Bank has one key mission and it is stability.
So in our mission we have price stability, but we also know that they cannot be price stability without financial stability.
So we are very focused monitoring the potential risks, the uncertainty that abounds around the European economy to anticipate any further consequences and be able to respond.
But at this point in time what I will say is that we have stabilized prices at the level that we were expecting.
and we are within range of our medium term target which is 2 % and we are in a good position to withstand future shocks.
So, we have to keep that stability as much as is required under the circumstances and we stand ready for that because our objective is stability.
I think all central banks in the world are currently facing the same issues.
Because of the unprecedented shocks that we faced, because of the uncertainty that we have now, we really have to rely on multiple indicators, on a series of models, on sensitivity analysis, on scenario analysis to try to anticipate what the activity will be in the world, market, where prices will be heading, where employment will go, to calibrate our monetary policy.
And I think that all central banks face the same issue.
Models in the traditional way, do not have all the answers to those questions.
So we have to use multiple antennas and indicators and instruments in order to assess the situation and the future situation of our economy.
Now with the PBOC, the Central Bank of China, we have a long -standing relationship, a good relationship.
That was Guan Xin speaking with ECB President Christine Lagarde.
A false China -Africa economic and trade expo is underway in Changsha highlighting deepening economic ties.
Trade volume between China and Africa marked a false consecutive year of record highs in 2024, reaching about 295 billion US dollars, up by 4 .8 % on a yearly basis.
China's imports from Africa rose nearly 7 % while agricultural imports surging 70 % in the first quarter.
Cocoa bean imports alone grew by 57%.
In a recent move, China and the UN's Agricultural Agency signed a deal to promote climate resilient farming in Tanzania using satellite technology benefiting up to a million farmers.
As part of the Beijing Forum on China -Africa Cooperation, China will build or upgrade 10 agricultural technology centres and dispatch 500 agricultural experts to Africa this year, reinforcing its support for sustainable development on the continent.
The 6th Qingdao Multinational Summit is set to open in Shandong Province next week.
Officials said more than 470 guests from 43 countries and regions have confirmed attendance, over half from emerging markets signalling growing global interest. Li Yongjie is the Deputy International Trade Representative.
The summit will convey a positive signal to the world that China continues to expand its opening -up and welcomes foreign investment, providing a platform of policy dialogue, industry integration and project cooperation among multinational corporations.
Since its launch in 2019, the summit has attracted over 420 Fortune Global 500 companies and facilitated investment deals worth nearly US $ 70 billion, reinforcing China's commitment to opening up and welcoming multinationals.
China's Ministry of Commerce has reiterated its resolve to expand high -standard opening up and market access.
The Ministry urged the government bodies to implement this year's guidelines to stabilize foreign investment and pledge to fast -track pilot zones in cloud computing, biomedical technology, wholly foreign -owned hospitals and other services.
It will also leverage free trade zones and national economic and technological development zones, while revising the catalogue of industries for encouraging foreign investment to create more opportunities for foreign enterprises.
A World Bank report says unleashing consumption potential will help sustain economic growth in China which maintained momentum early in the year.
It noted that policy support has helped boost consumption and spurred a rise in home sales in major Chinese cities.
The report expects the country's proactive fiscal policy to support economic growth by expanding public investment and providing targeted support to households.
Official data show that China's s domestic product grew by 5 .4 % in the first quarter.
All right thank you very much. That was Tian Liu with Business.
Coming up in sports, tennis action, including the Queen's Club Championships in London.
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 Thank you, Shane, starting with tennis and action from the women's side of the Queens Club Championships in London.
Top seed Chen Qingwen was able to edge past Mactani Kasler in 3 sets and reached her first tour -level grass quarterfinal.
Joan had a better start with WTA returning to this event for the first time since 1973.
The Chinese won the first frame 6 -3.
America's Kasler on the other hand won her first main draw grass match after win over Francesca Jones in the first round.
The 25 -year -old delivered a backhand volley before taking the second, 6 -4 looking to continue that fine form.
Jones became only the second Chinese player in the open era to reach the women's quarterfinals at this year's French Open.
12 number five fought back from 4 -1 down in the decider and jumped out to a 6 -5 lead.
Kasla shocked Coco Gau for the first top 10 win earlier this year in Dubai, but she was unable to do it again.
Jeong closed things out 7 -5 and advanced to her first tour -level quarterfinal on grass.
Next up for the Paris Olympic champion is Emma Raducanu.
Raducanu had an easier time in securing her last eight plays after a straight sets win over Rybka Srlomkova.
The 22 -year -old started strong with an opening break thanks to a four -hand volley.
The bread got to the set point, but Srlomkova, who beat reigning Wimbledon winner Barbara Krajcikova in the first round, fended it off with a smash.
However, the home favourite stayed in control and sealed a 6 -4 win in the opener when the Slovakians' return went white.
Raducanu then dominated second -6 -1, when the 28 -year -old could only find the net when trying to stave off match points.
The 2021 UN's Open win advanced to the last eight, at the WTA grass -court event for the third time in her career and all in the space of last year.
In the women's doubles, Zhang Shui and Ellen Peres needed two tie -breaks again in their win over Tamiya Bubbles and Luisa Stefani to reach the semifinals.
finals. Next up for the Chinese and Australian pair are second -seats Anna, Dani Lina, and Diana Schneider.
Moving to the men's side at the Stuttgart open, home favorite Alexander Zivirev beat quarantine Moutee to reach the quarterfinals.
This was Zivirev's first appearance in Stuttgart since 2019.
American Brandon Nakishima is next for him.
Meanwhile, with Wimbledon just around the corner, the chairperson of the All England Club said this year's tournament will increase its prize money.
Debbie Javin said this year's prize will be a total of 53 .5 million pounds which is a 7 % increase from last year and double from a decade ago.
round by round breakdown shows our focus on both the early and the late rounds of the draw, rewarding the successes of our champions but also continuing to support the lower ranked players.
Wimbledon 2025 will open on June 30th.
Turning to volleyball from the FIVB Men's Nations League, China celebrated coach Vito Hainen's 56th birthday by defeating Serbia for the time in 15 years, with a straight set's victory at home in Xi 'an.
33 -year -old veteran Ji Daoshui played the key role in the first set.
His powerful spike pulled hosts ahead 7 -5.
China improved in serving and blocking from their last match, and when Drazern Lubridge fired the alarm, they claimed opening frame 25 -23.
The second was also close, and Lee had previously won all ten head -to -head meetings since 2010.
However, Wang Bin's ace helped the 24th ranked home side bring up set -points.
The Serbian saved two set -points but the Chinese squad remained composed to take it 25 -23 following another serving error.
Alright, thank you very much. That was Yang Guang with sports.
Just ahead in culture and entertainment, Shanghai is buzzing with the city's 27th International Film Festival.
Experience the musical classics of the East. Mingle with the masters of Chinese music.
Music talks. Witness the sound of antiquity and modernity.
52 past the hour now.
In culture and entertainment, the 27th Shanghai International Film Festival is opened.
The event runs till June 22nd.
The film Gala will present the Golden Goblet Awards in five categories, including the main competition, Asian New Talent, short film animation, and documentary unit.
This year marks the 130th anniversary of world cinema And the 120th anniversary of Chinese cinema.
The festival plans to commemorate these milestones with special screenings and themed exhibitions that blend artistic excellence with popular appeal.
Established in 1993, the Shanghai International Film Festival is currently the only competitive feature film festival in China.
Guangzhou Museums' Embracing the Digital Age, launching a series of innovative digital cultural products related to its rich collection of historical artifacts.
This initiative aims to make cultural heritage more accessible and engaging for a wider audience.
Ding Siu -wei reports.
This stunning enamel gold artifact is over 200 years old, from the Qianlong Period of the Qing Dynasty.
This exquisite piece, once a tribute to the Qing court, now exists in digital form, ready to be explored.
We provide technicians with numerous photographs of the artifact from various angles, through 3D modeling and after about 10 months of work were able to fully digitize the piece.
The project involves digitizing key artifacts and extracting their core design elements on the Canton Data Exchange's Digital Cultural Products Service Platform.
These elements are then incorporated into a range of merchandise including everyday items like cups and refrigerator magnets.
This allows people to connect with the museum's treasures in their daily lives, fostering a deeper appreciation of Guangzhou's history and culture.
Our platform allows museums to list their digital cultural products for compliant registration and trading.
Factories can then buy these products and use them in their own merchandise.
Currently, the platform has successfully registered over 100 digital cultural products across 14 series.
This marks a significant step in the museum's digital transformation, making its collection more accessible and relevant in the modern world.
This is Ding Siyue reporting.
China's ancient glass -making tradition takes center stage at the National Museum of China.
From imperial replicas to modern creations, the show bridges past and present in luminous detail.
Yang Yan reports. A new exhibition at the National Museum of China offers a dazzling journey into the world of Liu Li.
Visitors can see a wide range of glass artworks in vibrant hues and intricate forms, many of which originate from the city of Zibo, important hub for glassmaking since the Yuan dynasty.
Their local minerals have long been transformed by skilled artisans into luminous decorative pieces.
Among the stand -out exhibits is a modern glass replica of a dragon and phoenix crown.
the original, once worn by Empress Xiao Duan of the Ming Dynasty, is celebrated for its ornate design and refined craftsmanship.
The exhibition also compares ancient Chinese glass with artifacts from ancient Rome and Sassanian Persia.
This side -by -side display highlights the contrasts and connections in materials and techniques between East and West. And with over 180 exquisite glass works, both historical and contemporary, the exhibition traces the development of Chinese glass art, celebrating the legacy of tradition alongside the creativity of today's innovators.
That was Young Yan reporting.
Around 130 representatives from media and cultural industries of China and Japan have discussed the role of media in promoting people -to -people and cultural exchanges.
The discussions came as part of a media salon at the Chinese embassy in Japan.
Media professionals from both countries emphasized the importance of maintaining objectivity, fairness and rationality in the face of a complex media landscape.
They called for more diverse reporting, face -to -face interactions and on -site interviews to foster mutual understanding and portray the diversity of both societies.
Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wu Zhenghao highlighted the frequent coverage of China in Japanese media, reflecting strong interest in China and in bilateral relations.
Shiro Nakamura, head of the Japan Newspaper Publishers and Editors Association, stressed the long history of media exchanges between the two countries and their important role in fostering mutual understanding.
57 past the hour, checking the forecast before we go for the weekend.
Beijing's down to 22 on Friday evening.
It's getting moderate rainfall in 26 degrees on Saturday.
Nanchang's down to 27, followed by thundershowers in 32.
elsewhere in Asia, Islamabad's 27 overnight then cloudy in 41 on Saturday.
Fientian's down to 24 degrees then a slight rainfall in 31.
Phnom Penh's at 25 this evening then slight rain in 33.
In Africa, Nairobi's getting overcast conditions in 25 degrees on Saturday, Kampala's down to 20 followed by some rain in 27.
Chuba's 22 this evening, followed by sunny conditions and 36 degrees.
And that's it for this edition of the Beijing Hour, making news today.
Israeli airstrikes in Iran have killed top military officials and nuclear scientists.
Investigators are trying to determine the cause of the Air India plane crash that killed hundreds.
And the fourth China -Africa Economic and Trade Expo is now underway in Changsha.
On behalf of the staff, this is Shane Bigham 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.
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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 nine percent 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 the 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, boat men, fishermen and eco -activists who share 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.
