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This is the Beijing Hour.
Examining the events that impact and shape China and the rest of the world.
This is the Beijing Hour, one hour of news and information brought to you every weekday.
Now, here's your host Shane Begum with you on this Monday, August 10th, 2026.
You're listening to the Beijing Hour coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
On today's program, typhoon dolphins made landfall in China and it's now a tropical storm bringing heavy rainfall up the coast into the northeast.
The U.S. president says he's considering more economic pressure on Iran instead of military action.
The 100-day countdown's on ahead of the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting in southern China.
In business, hundreds of listed companies in Shenzhen have released their economic numbers for the first half of the year.
In sports, teams are wrapping up their Premier League pre-season campaigns in Asia.
In culture and entertainment, a Chinese artist has received a prestigious international award for illustration.
Now checking the day's top stories.
A typhoon dolphin is weakened into a tropical storm after making landfall in Zhejiang.
Weather forecasters are warning of more heavy rain in the coming days.
In response, China's activated a national level four disaster relief emergency response.
The lowest of the four tiers.
A working group will support affected areas.
On Monday, the National Meteorological Center issued a rainstorm alert for the typhoon.
Since Typhoon Dolphin made landfall in Taizhou, it has forced the cancellation of thousands of flight, ferry and train services.
Many businesses and schools have also closed.
More than half a million people in high-risk areas have relocated, including around 410,000 people in Taizhou alone.
Wu Bin has details.
The city is recovering very quickly.
There are two most important things for the city to run smoothly, which are roads and electricity.
Let's first talk about roads.
Although they have debris, they have tree branches on the roadsides, but the main roads have been cleared.
And a local authority told me that all major roads in the urban areas have been cleared.
For some small streets, they are still facing some water logging, so they still need some more time.
And for electricity, most of the areas, electricity has been brought back.
But for suburban districts and mountainous areas, they are also racing against time to fix the lines.
For example, let's see over here.
I'm currently...
In a village, in a suburban district of Yuhuan.
And over 600 to 700 households, they were cut off from electricity because of the typhoon.
The workers from local electricity departments, they are racing against time to fix the lines.
And they also told me for mountainous areas, they are using new technologies like drones to locate
Those dangerous spots and those spots that needs to be fixed very quickly.
And they anticipate that to recover all the electricity of the entire city, including the mountainous areas, they still need another three days.
So within another three days, all the electricity will be brought back.
That was Wu Bin in Wenzhou.
Strong winds and heavy rain have also hit the central and northern parts of Fujian province.
Provincial flood control and drought relief authorities have raised the typhoon emergency response.
Authorities have evacuated 144,000 people from high-risk areas.
Over 400 reservoirs have discharged water to levels more than a meter from the flood control limit.
56 ferry routes and some train services have been suspended.
Over 150 scenic spots are closed.
Strong winds have triggered swings of the damper inside the tallest skyscraper in China.
Footage taken inside the Shanghai Tower shows the 1,000-ton damper swinging about 50 centimeters in one direction.
Shanghai's been on high alert.
More than 30,000 residents have evacuated from risky areas.
Over 1,300 flights and its two airports were canceled.
Four metro lines in the city and ferry routes were suspended.
And some train services are resuming on Monday.
Forecasters say Typhoon Dolphin will bring heavy rainfall to over 10 provincial-level regions across China this week as it moves inland.
They say Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Henan are seeing heavy rainfall through Wednesday.
The typhoon's remnants will move northward starting Thursday, bringing rainfall to Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and Liaoning.
Flood control authorities in the Chinese capital plan to activate a flood response on Tuesday.
Beijing is already on alert for torrential rains.
Hong Kong is also in the middle of typhoon season, with the city expecting up to seven tropical cyclones until October.
Forecasters warn that some could become super typhoons due to El Nino.
The Hong Kong Observatory is using artificial intelligence weather models to help predict storm paths, but experienced forecasters are still needed to interpret the data.
Laura Westbrook has the story.
For more than 140 years, the Hong Kong Observatory has been informing the public about typhoons and other types of weather from this building in the Kowloon District.
Now, forecasters like Kwok-Yu Ting have a new tool to assist them.
The AI models are quite skillful in the forecast of the tropical cyclone tracks in the near term, around three to five days ahead.
AI-powered models are trained using historical weather data going back some 40 years.
They are much faster than traditional models, which use computers to solve mathematical equations to predict weather patterns.
The observatory uses AI models developed on the Chinese mainland in Europe and the United States.
This helped forecasters spot when last month's typhoon Null was forming earlier than physics-based models.
That meant preparations could begin sooner.
Null triggered the second highest storm warning signal.
But figuring out where exactly storms will make landfall still requires both AI and traditional methods.
These AI models help forecasters predict where a storm might be heading, but there are still limitations, so they say traditional numerical weather models are just as important.
Scientists say that climate change is contributing to more intense typhoons.
AI models are trained using past weather data, so questions remain about how accurately they can predict extreme weather events in the future.
The AI models generally tend to underestimate the intensity of the stronger tropical cyclones.
So for extreme cases, especially under the background of climate change,
The AI model's power in forecasting such extreme events is yet to be verified.
The observatory expects several more typhoons to impact Hong Kong this year.
Under the influence of the El Niño weather phenomenon, the city is expecting heatwaves and heavy rain too.
So knowing when and where a storm might hit is useful.
AI could make mistakes.
Humans make mistakes too.
So I think if you can train the AI over a period of time,
Eventually it could become highly accurate in prediction.
And I think that would actually be a good thing.
AI-driven forecasts could help mitigate against the impact of severe weather by improving the accuracy and providing forecasters with earlier warnings.
But Kwok-Yu Ting says that human judgment is still needed to interpret the findings and assess the reliability of the machines.
That was Laura Westbrook in Hong Kong.
A jasmine trading market in South China is gradually recovering as the peak trading season gets underway.
Known as the world's jasmine capital, Hangzhou in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region produces around 60% of the world's jasmine.
But typhoon-triggered floods in July submerged more than 7,000 hectares of jasmine fields, affecting local growers and tea producers.
A director at Wufang of Hangzhou Agricultural Technology Extension Station says floodwaters have receded, but silt remains in some fields.
We are supporting flood effect adjustment farmers through work relief programs.
Our top priority now is silt clearance.
Farmers lack sufficient manpower to clean their fields on their own, so we gather villagers together for centralized operations.
Around 30 workers are dispatched for cleanup each day, and we expect to finish clearing all fields within several days.
The Hangzhou Jasmine Industry Service Center says jasmine output is expected to recover to around 80% of normal levels by the fourth quarter, with further measures planned to restore production.
A predicted record strength Super El Nino is intensifying across the Pacific and could stretch into early next year.
It threatens severe droughts, floods and disrupted harvests, deepening food insecurity for millions worldwide.
Thailand's already feeling the impact amid uncertainty facing the farming industry and one of the world's biggest rice exporters.
These fields remember the seasons.
This farmer remembers better days.
Costs are high, yields are low, and prices for their produce are extremely low.
Farmers can't bear it anymore.
For generations, the seasons set the pace of life here.
Today, every planting season has become a gamble, and one missed rain can wipe out months of work.
This is where Thailand's rice story begins.
In fields like this, farmers have cultivated one of the country's most important crops for generations, supplying both the local market and millions of people around the world.
But while the crop hasn't changed all that much, the conditions it has grown in has.
And for many farmers, a way of life built over generations could soon be pushed to its limits.
If rice cultivation lacks water it's over.
For farmers it's a complete collapse.
After years of increasingly erratic weather, experts say Thailand's rice industry is entering unfamiliar territory.
Meteorologists are warning that a super El Niño could bring even hotter temperatures and prolong dry spells across Southeast Asia.
The last major El Niño left reservoirs depleted, fields parched and yields falling.
But a super El Niño could push agriculture to a dangerous tipping point.
A doomsday scenario that could hit production, exports and rural incomes all at once.
The warning isn't simply about one harvest.
It's about Thailand's ability to continue producing one of the foods the world depends on as the climate becomes increasingly unpredictable.
Super El Nino is expected to be unprecedented in severity.
We estimate that the agricultural sector and production alone will suffer losses of approximately 62 billion baht, 1.84 billion dollars.
We estimate that approximately 5.4 million tons of unmilled rice will be lost from the system.
That annual reduction of around 15% is changing how Thailand thinks about food security.
The challenge isn't simply growing rice anymore.
It's growing rice with less water.
Inside this research center, scientists are racing against a changing climate, developing drought-resistant rice varieties capable of surviving longer dry spells while maintaining yields.
Using decades of breeding and genetic research, they're searching for rice that can survive a future where drought may become the norm rather than the exception.
If the Super Aninho is as severe as we predict, it will definitely have an impact on food security.
Water Savour Rice is a project we've been working on for almost 10 years now.
It's taken a long time because we started by searching for the gene in collaboration with the University of Sheffield and with partners in China.
Water-savour rice uses 20 or 30% less water than regular rice.
Scientists are rewriting the seed.
The next chapter will be written by farmers.
The question is if they can hold on long enough to weather what comes next.
That was Desita Salcao reporting.
In Canada, British Columbia is declared a state of emergency due to fast-spreading wildfires.
One blaze has forced over 20,000 people to flee.
Mark Neal has more.
In British Columbia, about a five-hour drive east of Vancouver, the Bald Range wildfire has led to the evacuation of about 20,000 people in two communities, Summerland and Peachland.
British Columbia's Premier David Eby described it like a bomb going off.
The fire has so far scorched more than 10,000 hectares, about 25,000 acres.
Flames reportedly climbed more than 60 meters, creating its own weather pattern, which also led to lightning.
The fire also knocked out power in the areas.
It is very fast moving.
Premier Eby said at one point the fire spread more than 800 hectares in just an hour.
More than 2,000 firefighters have been deployed to the area.
The fire went from 50 hectares to 400 to 1,000 to 5,000, like within two or three hours.
And what was once 15 kilometers away is now right here at the hill.
And yeah, so now we're just getting our animals ready and we're probably going to,
Head back to Kelowna before the highway closes.
I don't know whether my house is gone or still there or not, but that fire came so fast and furious.
A state of emergency has been declared for British Columbia.
Authorities say conditions are extremely volatile and that weather conditions are expected to get worse.
That was Mark Neal reporting.
Coming up, the U.S. president says he might apply more economic pressure on Iran instead of military action.
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U.S. President Donald Trump says he's prepared to put more economic pressure on Iran as opposed to ordering a new military offensive.
He says Washington is only semi-negotiating with Tehran.
But Iran denies any direct talks with the U.S.
The U.S. Central Command says more than 20 warships are in the Middle East to support its military missions, including the naval blockade of Iran, which Trump says has worsened Iran's economic crisis.
Tehran's repeated its demands that the U.S. meet crucial conditions for the Strait of Hormuz to be reopened.
Jagruti Devay has more from Washington, D.C.
Tehran continues to tighten its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, saying its reopening is contingent on the US agreeing to a sweeping set of conditions.
These include paying war damages, unfreezing Iranian assets and ending all aggression against Iran and its allies in the region.
In the meantime, Iran refuses to admit that negotiations with the U.S. are even taking place.
Iran's foreign minister says talks won't happen until the U.S. stops breaching the interim peace deal signed in June.
Negotiation has its own definition.
Negotiation takes place on a specific issue in order to reach a conclusion.
At the moment we have no negotiations with the United States.
Yes, there is an exchange of messages through intermediaries, but it is not called negotiation.
It is called message exchange.
Intermediaries are still trying to create the grounds for negotiations.
From our perspective, until the violations of the memorandum of understanding are resolved, and until the violations committed by the United States come to an end, it is not possible to start negotiations.
One thing both sides can agree on is that Iran is nearing an agreement with Oman on demarcating new shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz.
But Tehran is adamant the crucial waterway will not reopen until the US, quote, corrects its behaviour.
The US says its recent strikes were to stop Iran from attacking vessels crossing the Strait of Hormuz.
Donald Trump has been preparing to claim victory in the war with Iran if it reopens the Strait of Hormuz, according to US officials talking to the Wall Street Journal.
These officials also claim the US president is even privately mulling over the idea of walking away without a nuclear deal.
But as Iran doubles down on its demands, it's becoming increasingly difficult for Mr Trump to declare victory in Iran.
That was Jakruti Daveh reporting.
Iranian Supreme Leader Mahdaba Khamenei has appointed a former chief commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as his representative in the Supreme National Security Council.
Mohsen Rezaei is also the Secretary of the Security Council, following a decree by President Massoud Pazeshkian.
This comes as Iran says it's nearing a final pact with Oman over new shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz.
Ehsan Kevani has more.
There was a significant political meeting over the weekend that I should talk about.
President Zashkian sat down with Ayatollah Mustafa.
This meeting is getting a lot of attention because it marks the start of the president's third year in office, but also because the new supreme leader hasn't been appearing publicly since March because of serious security threats from U.S. and Israel.
They discussed domestic struggles, living costs, and budget management alongside military issues and foreign economic ties.
It's a clear sign leadership is focused on survival at home even
As foreign pressure amounts.
For now it looks like we are stuck in a waiting game, one where the gap between demands and reality just seems to keep growing.
That was Ehsan Kayvani reporting.
Sina Azadi is an assistant professor of Middle East politics at George Washington University, and he says Iran is unlikely to reopen the Strait of Hormuz unless it reaches a clear agreement with the U.S. on the terms and arrangements for shipping.
Without having an agreement, explicit arrangement,
For the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, we cannot have a permanent solution to the war.
If you may recall, the reason that the Iranians started attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz after the memorandum of understanding
Was that the language of MOU was quite vague at paragraph five that addressed the issue of pseudohormones.
And Iranians believe that the American side is trying to
Motivate the ships to sail through the southern shipping lane, which is through the Omani waters.
This is why they didn't want
Uh to uh lose their strategic asset and they started attacking ships so uh i i guess with
I think it is not a a peace deal in itself but it's it is an instrumental part of the permanent uh and facilities
I was Sina Azadi, an assistant professor of Middle East politics at George Washington University.
The Houthi group in Yemen has launched two deadly attacks on sites linked to Saudi Arabia.
The Houthis say they carried out the strikes in response to Saudi Arabia's movements in Yemeni territory.
Ahab Alfandi has more from Sana'a.
This is a new development that widens the military escalation linked to the war in Yemen.
Ansarallah, known globally as the Houthis, said it carried out two attacks on sites linked to Saudi Arabia.
One targeted the Maha area on Yemen's western coast, where officials say seven people were killed, while the other targeted an oil facility in southern Saudi Arabia.
The Ansarallah's military spokesperson, Yahya Sarri, said the attack on Makha was carried out using a large number of ballistic missiles and drones.
He said the attack targeted military gatherings and weapons storage facilities.
He added that the attack destroyed equipment and caused deaths and injuries, including among Saudis.
Nationals.
Ansarallah says the operation was a response to what it describes as Saudi military movements and reinforcements of weapons and equipment along Yemen's western coast and in Tehran's governorate.
The location of Magha is significant.
The area lies on Yemen's western coast near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and is a major route for trade and energy between Asia and Europe.
In separate operation, the group said they target an Aramco refinery in Jaisalem, southern Saudi Arabia, with a drone.
They said the attack was in response to what he described as Saudi drones entering the airspace over Yemen's northern provinces of Sadr and Hajjah.
Earlier on Sunday, the Saudi energy ministry said a fire at a facility linked to the Aramco refinery in Daizan had been extinguished.
It didn't give a cause for the fire.
As Ahab Alfandi reporting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected U.S. President Donald Trump's 15-point plan for Gaza.
He says Israel will not withdraw from the Strip until Hamas is fully disarmed.
Trump's Board of Peace announced a breakthrough last month in his plan to end the war, starting with last year's ceasefire.
Trump says Hamas has agreed to lay down its weapons.
Coming up, 100 days to go until the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting in Shenzhen.
Here's the difference with CTTN Radio.
There are 100 days to go until the APEC economic leaders meeting on November the 18th in Shenzhen.
Several APEC events took place in July, including Digital Week and a meeting of forestry ministers.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry says Beijing is committed to more productive events to ensure the success of the November summit.
Shenzhen posted a record increase of 33% in trade with other APEC economies to over $290 billion in the first half of the year.
Innovation is one of the three principles of APEC China 2026.
In Shenzhen, a new idea can find the hardware that it needs within 30 minutes.
Entrepreneurs call it a Shenzhen speed.
Powered by the city's vast supply chains, today, artificial intelligence and embodied intelligence are becoming new engines for
Driving technology and industry forward.
Lee Shuang has more.
We've all seen robots dance.
But at this embodied intelligence company, the goal is not to build performers.
It's to develop general purpose robots that can solve real-world problems.
The firm is developing machines with dexterous hands and an AI-powered brain.
They're being trained for everyday tasks, from folding clothes and tidying tables to picking up trash.
At the core is the company's open-source, world-unified model, designed to help robots understand the physical world around them.
With support from projects led by the government, our robots have been deployed in elderly care facilities in Shenzhen to assist people with disabilities.
These environments are highly complex, with demanding requirements for interaction and safety.
Our robots in homes project has been recognized as a good practice in the Asia-Pacific.
Another Shenzhen company is giving global manufacturers an AI-powered brain.
Its industry GPT is designed to make machines beyond simply seeing, toward understanding, reasoning and taking action.
By the end of last year, the company has served more than 730 leading companies worldwide, with customers across the Asia-Pacific.
Whether it's large language models, AI agents, or AI-powered products, they will become easier to use and more accessible.
This will allow companies that previously couldn't easily access industrial AI to benefit from it.
That is clearly the trend for the future.
And at APAC China 2026, with innovation among the region's priorities, Shenzhen will be showing how its technology and industrial ecosystem can help connect businesses, markets and people across the Asia-Pacific.
That was Li Shuang reporting.
A new trend called tech tourism is emerging among international travelers, providing them with new choices apart from historic landmarks and natural wonders across China.
Joe Ishin has more.
From spectacular drone shows to robot demonstrations, technology-focused tourism is emerging as a new attraction for international visitors to China.
In Beijing, a robotics exhibition has become a popular destination in its own right, giving visitors an up-close look at cutting-edge technologies and how they are increasingly being integrated into everyday life.
I find it very fun.
I think it's an amazing thing that China has developed such incredible technology.
We in Mexico don't have this many robots, so I think it changed my perspective on how technology can probably change the world in the future.
The advance of humanity in robotics and robots, it's incredible and super futuristic.
Some visitors are going beyond traditional tourist attractions, stepping inside working production facilities to see firsthand how technology is reshaping modern manufacturing.
At Xiaomi's electric vehicle factory, visitors can watch hundreds of robots carry out precision tasks along the production line.
Once largely closed to the public, these industrial facilities are now opening their doors to visitors, becoming new windows into China's manufacturing capabilities and innovation.
They could see a lot of interesting things that maybe they wouldn't be able to see back home in terms of the sophistication and probably more than anything, just the scale.
I think the scale and the level of advancement would be pretty staggering.
People want to understand more and more how things are made.
And that allows us to get a better grasp of how the world we live in is evolving.
The trend is also seeing China's inbound tourism market evolve.
Travel agencies and tourism destinations are now offering customized tech tourism experiences for international travelers.
We've seen more visitors booking through our online platform and international study groups are also showing strong interest in our exhibition.
Many overseas tourists share their experiences on social media after visiting.
As China travel and Chinese tech continue to gain popularity, more and more international travelers are discovering an innovative, dynamic and futuristic side of China and a new way to experience and understand the country.
That was Zhou Yixin reporting.
At 29 past the hour, Beijing getting overcast skies this evening.
Thunder showers rolling in tomorrow.
Lows 24, it's up to 32 on Tuesday.
Shanghai will see rainstorms this evening.
That rain eases to light tomorrow.
A low of 26 and a high of 30.
Chongqing's cloudy overnight and tomorrow.
Low of 27, the high is 36.
Nan Cheng will see moderate rainfall this evening, and that's easing the thundershowers tomorrow with a low of 26 and a high of 31 degrees.
Lass is getting a light rain tonight, becoming cloudy tomorrow, a low of 12 and a high of 24.
It's time for a short break.
So far this hour, a typhoon dolphin's made landfall in China and is now a tropical storm bringing heavy rainfall up the coast and into the northeast.
The U.S. president says he's considering more economic pressure on Iran instead of military action.
And the 100-day countdown is on ahead of the APEC economic leaders meeting in southern China.
Shane Bigham with you.
Stay with us here on The Beijing Hour.
The transition to a greener future is no longer a distant goal.
It's happening now.
In power plants, factories, farms and cities across China.
As the world grapples with climate change, energy security and the growing demand for electricity, China is searching for new ways to cut emissions while keeping its economy moving.
Across the country, our reporters visit renewable energy hubs, industrial centers, and agricultural communities to see what that transformation looks like in practice.
Through first-hand stories and on-the-ground reporting, we explore the opportunities, the challenges, and the ideas shaping China's green transition.
Listen to China's Green Code, Rewriting the Rules of Growth, a special series from Climate Watch, available wherever you get your podcasts.
Examining the events that impact and shape China and the rest of the world.
This is the Beijing Hour, one hour of news and information brought to you every weekday.
Now, here's your host.
Shane Bigham with you on this Monday.
Still to come.
In business, hundreds of listed companies in Shenzhen have released their economic numbers for the first half of the year.
In sports, teams are wrapping up their Premier League pre-season campaigns in Asia.
In culture and entertainment, a Chinese artist has received a prestigious international award for illustration.
Contact us.
You can email radio at cgtn.com or follow our ex-account at cgtnradio.
You're also welcome to subscribe to our Substack newsletter, Beyond Beijing, for the world's biggest stories, along with sharp insights and exclusive analysis.
But first of all, we're checking the day's headlines.
Typhoon Dolphin is weakened into a tropical storm after making landfall in Zhejiang province.
Forecasters warn that heavy rainfall will continue in the coming days.
In Taizhou, more than 390,000 people have been evacuated after authorities raised the emergency response to the highest level.
At a temporary shelter in Wenling, staff member Xiaoyu says they're working around the clock to support evacuees.
Our shelter currently houses 136 evacuated residents.
We provide three meals a day and have organized cultural and recreational activities, including badminton, basketball and volleyball.
Seven to ten staff members are working in two shifts to ensure the shelter operates smoothly.
The city is preparing for torrential rainfall and localized extreme downpours through Tuesday.
Work, schools, businesses, transportation services and outdoor activities have been suspended as authorities prioritize public safety.
Several Chinese-listed companies have reported receiving U.S. tariff refunds and interest since last month as the United States moves to return duties imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in February that President Donald Trump's tariff policies were unconstitutional.
A court document stated that the Trump administration had returned around $100 billion of tariffs by the end of last month.
China's South to North Water Diversion Project has reached a historic milestone, with its eastern and middle routes transferring over 90 billion cubic meters of water as of Monday.
According to the Ministry of Water Resources,
The Middle Route has delivered more than 80.5 billion cubic meters, while the Eastern Route has supplied over 9.9 billion cubic meters.
The megaproject, the world's largest of its kind, has significantly alleviated water scarcity in northern China.
It secured drinking water for millions, replenished groundwater and rivers, and bolstered national water security.
The water now accounts for nearly 80% of Beijing's urban supply, underscoring its critical role in balancing resources and supporting development across the country's arid northern regions.
Chinese research teams have discovered and named a new mineral with an average germanium oxide content of up to 72%, second only to germanite.
The International Mineralogical Association has approved the new mineral called wuxihe germanium ore.
Germanium is an indispensable and scarce material used in high-tech fields, including modern semiconductors, fiber optic communications, infrared optics, solar cells, and aerospace measurement and control systems.
Iran says talks with Oman on new shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz are in the final stages, but the waterway has not yet been reopened.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arachi said a possible agreement on navigation routes does not automatically mean the strategic waterway will resume operations.
An agreement on the routes may be reached, but reopening the Strait of Hormuz depends on a separate set of conditions being met.
And those conditions are being conveyed through intermediaries.
Arachi said Washington must stop violating a June memorandum of understanding aimed at ending weeks of fighting and reopening the Strait.
Iran's Supreme National Security Council later said the waterway would remain closed until the United States changes its policies, including ending military threats, lifting sanctions, and withdrawing forces from the region.
A Chinese maritime court has successfully mediated a dispute after a collision between two foreign vessels near the Strait of Hormuz last year.
The Guangzhou Maritime Court handled the case involving Antigua and Barbuda-flagged Adeline and Liberia-flagged Front Eagle.
Both parties selected Chinese law as the governing law for resolving the substantive issues.
A representative of Adeline's ship owners said the company decided to submit the dispute to a Chinese court because of its trust in the impartiality and fairness of the country's legal and judicial systems.
The two sides reached a settlement after the court organized pretrial meetings and held a public hearing.
You're listening to the Beijing Hour.
Coming up in business, hundreds of listed companies in Shenzhen have released their economic numbers for the first half of the year.
The Beijing Hour, your window on China and the rest of the world.
36 past the hour, stock prices on the Chinese mainland closed mixed on Monday.
The Shanghai Composite gained around 7 tenths of a percent, while the Shenzhen component was nearly flat.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index rose more than 1%, and Japan's Nikkei jumped more than 2%.
More than 900 companies listed in Shenzhen have released forecasts for their first half results.
More than 55% expect their earnings to grow.
More than 30% expect to remain profitable, with net profits rising by over 50%.
Strong demand from the artificial intelligence industry is driving growth, especially for companies involved in computing power and memory chips.
Meantime, humanoid robot maker Unitree Robotics has started its online IPO subscription on the Star Market.
The shares are priced under 151 yuan each, or around 21 US dollars.
The company is expected to have a market value of around 61 billion yuan, or $8.5 billion after the IPO.
The listing marks the debut of what is being called China's first publicly traded company focused on humanoid robotics.
Unitree shipped more than 5,500 humanoid robots in 2025, with overseas markets accounting for almost half of its revenue.
According to the latest industry data, Chinese humanoid robot makers accounted for more than 97% of global shipments in the first half of the year.
Memory chip maker Chongxin Technology has also been added to the MSCI China All Shares Index, effective on Monday.
Its market value is around 340 billion yuan, that's around 47 billion US dollars.
A strong wave of tech IPO shows that China's technology sector is moving from technology development to large-scale commercial use.
China's consumer prices rose in July, with stronger demand for travel and other services helping to drive the increase.
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics shows that the consumer price index rose by 0.5% last month.
The producer price index fell 0.7% from the previous month, but was up 3.5% on the year.
Tourism and travel services were one of the biggest drivers of consumer prices in July as the summer travel season boosted demand.
Travel agency fees, hotel stays, airfares and car rentals rose by around 5% on average from June.
Together, they contributed around a tenth of a point to the rise in CPI from the previous month.
The figures also reflect a broader shift in China's consumption structure, with spending on services emerging as a new growth area.
And for more on the key role of services in attracting foreign investment and boosting domestic spending, Su Yuting spoke with Chen Jiehe, chief investment officer at Novomarket Technologies.
How do you see the growth trend in China's service consumption in the first half of this year?
And what does this reflect about the state of the Chinese economy?
Currently the service consumption is still taking up a smaller percentage of China's overall consumption when compared with matured economies.
This rapid growth rate of the service consumption tells us that there is more potential for China's service consumption to grow in the future.
Looking into details, we can see that the service consumption has been increasing tremendously in many subsectors.
For example, foreign visitors who came into China have been increased by over 20% compared with last year.
The tourism and entertainment market has been increasing at over 10% and we can see that the consumption for live shows has been increased at almost 30% in the first half of this year.
These all tell us about the large potential that China's service consumption is having.
This trend will definitely be continued in the future and it will power the growing of China's economy over the long term.
Foreign tourists have been boosting China's consumer market.
So how do you assess the dual role of service consumption in boosting China's domestic demand and also promoting opening up to the outside world?
Yes, we can see that the number of foreigners who came to visit China has been increased at a rapid speed this year.
Over the first half of this year, the number of foreigners who came to visit China reached almost 23 million, over 20%.
More than one year ago, and the visa-free policy is definitely helping this a lot.
If we look at the service consumption, it is super important for attracting foreign visitors because when people are traveling to another country,
The consumption of concrete items will only be a part of the overall consumption.
But the service consumption is definitely more important.
For example, coming to look at the development of China's modern cities, look at the shows of Panda,
Look at the beauty of China's natural viewing.
All these are part of the service consumption.
So service consumption is definitely attracting a lot of foreigners who came to visit China.
At the same time, it is also very important for the growing of China's domestic consumption.
Furthermore, the increasing of service consumption will also bring more business opportunities between China and the global companies.
Because when there are more foreigners coming over to visit China, as well as Chinese people going to visit other countries, we will know each other much better.
And the better we know each other, the more business cooperation can be conducted.
This will increase the trade, this will increase the investment, and this will bring more business opportunities.
That was Chen Jiehe at Novum RK Technologies.
The International Congress of Basic Science has kicked off in Beijing, bringing leading scientists from around the world.
The event has honored nine outstanding researchers, highlighting China's growing focus on basic research and technological self-reliance.
Leo Jashin has more.
It's the fourth edition of the International Congress of Basic Science.
This year's event is taking place in Beijing's Huairo Science City from August 9 to 21, under the theme Advancing Science for Humanity.
Once again, this annual event brings together leading experts from all around to celebrate basic sciences, especially in mathematics, physics, and information science and engineering.
Distinguished attendees include nine 2026 ICBS medal recipients including Claire Boyson, Wang Yifang, Andrea Liu, Zhuang Xiaowei, Zhang Feng, etc.
Others include field medalists.
Touring Award winners, recipients of prestigious international honors such as the Shaw Prize, Wolf Prize, and Direct Medal, as well as more than 10 academicians from China and abroad.
First awarded in 2026, the ICBS Medal recognizes revolutionary advances in basic science, featuring a scientific giant's portrait on one side and the model for truth and beauty on the other.
It's an emblematic of the unending quest for ultimate truth and aesthetic perfection in understanding the universe.
We are particularly happy with what we are doing.
The arguments we use, the paths we follow involve some beauty.
The Congress is initiated and chaired by Shen Tongyao
Internationally renowned mathematician.
He was extremely happy for the two young researchers.
As the first Chinese-born field medalist, Professor Shen Tongyao said, one of his biggest hopes is that one day Chinese students can achieve the greatest academic goal without even studying abroad, because by the time China itself
Can be a global hub for fundamental research.
At the core of global tech competition is original innovation in basic sciences.
China's push for high-level scientific self-reliance puts basic research front and center
I'm very impressed.
I think in the last 10 to 15 years, China academics have really developed very, very strongly, much stronger than the Western world, I must say.
We are teaching a lot of Chinese students in our curriculum, and I have to say they are some of the very best we have in the country, in the UK.
Over the course of two weeks, nearly 1,000 scientists, young researchers and students from around the world will gather in Beijing to engage in discussions, foster collaboration and shape the future of basic science.
That was Liu Jiaxin reporting.
China and Thailand are working to train more AI talent for the digital economy.
From programming robots to running automated production lines, young people are gaining practical skills to prepare for the future.
Desita Sakow is here again reporting from Bangkok.
Before artificial intelligence can power an economy, it needs human intelligence.
Inside this Luban workshop, a China-Thailand vocational training center, students are learning to program robots.
And run automated production lines.
It's less a classroom than a training ground for the digital economy already taking shape.
We're learning with robots and AI is getting more involved.
It's becoming more and more integrated.
We're learning skills that can help us understand the future better.
But not everyone is moving at the same pace.
As AI expands, so do concerns over a widening digital divide.
While some countries race ahead, others struggle with access to technology, connectivity and digital skills, gaps that continue to hold back sustainable development.
So I think there is still a chance that the digital divide will widen because access is still very limited and also we still need to increase the knowledge of the youth and other stakeholders in using AI tools for the issues that we are facing right now.
That challenge brought youth leaders from across Asia and beyond to Bangkok.
Gathering at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, participants discussed how the next generation can help narrow those gaps through innovation, education and international cooperation.
It is part of China's Global Development Initiative, or GDI, which promotes cooperation on sustainable development, including digital connectivity and capacity building.
I think China can play a leader role because China is currently very advanced in terms of AI and other technologies.
So I think China can, in addition to invest more in R&D and innovation, it can also share its knowledge to other developing countries.
As artificial intelligence reshapes economies, initiatives like these are aiming to make digital development more inclusive, turning international cooperation into practical opportunities for the new generation.
That was Dusita Selkal reporting.
You're listening to The Beijing Hour.
Coming up in sports, teams are wrapping up their Premier League pre-season campaigns in Asia.
Sideline Story brings you all things sports related.
The hottest topics, latest events, juiciest stories, all with a very personal take.
Subscribe to Sideline Story podcast for heated sports discussions covering events that are happening in China and around the world.
47 to pass, now turning to sports.
Here is Yong Guang.
Thank you, Shane.
In football, Chelsea has wrapped up their Far East preseason tour with a 3-0 draw against the Dajuhu Darum Tazim in Malaysia.
New coach Xabi Alonso fielded mostly reserve players after the team played AC Milan in Jakarta just one day earlier.
Teenager Olu Tayul Subilawye made his debut for the club while Daryl Esugol captained the side.
Subilawye showed excitement to work with the new manager.
Working with the boss has been amazing.
You've seen the career that he's had but also the managerial career that he's had as well.
His knowledge is just something that everyone can learn from.
Me being a defender, even though he's a midfielder, still giving me pointers on how I can position myself better, whether I'm playing, like I played left-back, right-back today, or centre-back.
Just helping me in all the different positions has been amazing.
So yeah, the new boss, amazing.
Subi Laoye also says the pre-season tour was a great experience and hopes to impress and earn more opportunities.
I think it's been an amazing experience for me.
Our first kind of experience with the first team and obviously being here for like two and a half weeks, it's given me a chance to show myself in front of a new boss.
So I think it's been really good, obviously going into the season.
I think I'm going to be with the 21s, but hopefully I'm going to get some opportunities with the first team and in training, keep impressing, keep doing what I do best.
Super Low Year joined the Chelsea Academy at the age of 12.
Omar Mahmoud scored twice as Manchester City came from behind to beat Atletico Madrid 3-1 in a pre-season friendly in Seoul.
City manager Enzo Mariska is happy with the team's open-mindedness and progress, though there's still a long way to go.
Very happy, especially because the players, since we started, they show open-minded, they want to understand, they want to learn why we do things.
I know that when you start, when you join a new club, you try to install different patterns or different ideas.
I think the most important thing is that
We are getting better.
The path is still a huge path to improve things.
But the important thing is that I can see that what we are trying during the training session, we are getting better on that.
Manchester City will open the new Premier League season against Bournemouth.
In the Chinese Super League, Chengdu Rome Cheng lost 1-0 at Yunnan Yukun, extending their winless run to six matches.
Despite the defeat, Chengdu remains 13 points clear at the top.
Dalian Yingbo won the Liaoning Derby 1-0 in front of over 62,000 fans, with Nicola Stancho scoring the winner.
Shandong Taishan staged a late comeback to beat Tianjin 2-1 with Crisan netting a stoppage time winner.
Defending champion Shanghai Port etched Chongqing 3-2 in a five-goal thriller with Leo Souza scoring twice.
Elsewhere, Shanghai Xinhua won 1-0 and Qingdao West Coast played to a goalless draw with Henan.
In tennis, second-seeded Elena Rybakina has reached the Canadian Open quarterfinals.
She knocked out Lyudmila Samsonova in three sets.
Rybakina will next face Naomi Osaka, who beat Leila Fernandez in straight sets for a place in the semifinal.
World No.
4 Coco Gauff has also secured her spot in the quarter-finals in Toronto with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Alina Kourneva.
She will next take on Belinda Bencic who upset Alexandra Iala in straight sets.
On the men's side, the defending champion Ben Shelton is through to the quarter-finals of the ATP National Bank Open in Montreal, beating Joel Fonseca 6-3, 7-6.
The fifth seed extended his winning streak at the event to nine matches, having won his biggest career title here last year.
Shelton will next face 13th seed Jacob Mensik for Spartan the last four.
Mensik progressed after defeating Bodich van der Zandt in straight sets.
Leonard Tien is into the quarterfinals as well, beating Diego Augustin Durante 6-4, 6-4.
Tien now faces Daniel Marida Aguilar, who cruised past Talon Grigspo earlier.
And finally, also in tennis world number one, Yannick Sinner has withdrawn from the Cincinnati Open due to a right knee injury.
He also skipped the Canadian Open to prioritize his health.
Sinner won the Cincinnati event in 2024.
The Italian says he is now focusing on getting ready for the U.S. Open.
That will begin on August 30.
Thank you very much.
That's Yong Guang with sports.
You're listening to the Beijing Hour and coming up in culture and entertainment, a Chinese artist has received a prestigious international award for illustration.
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 now, turning to culture and entertainment.
A Chinese illustrator at Saigao has made history in Ottawa, becoming the first Chinese winner of the Hans Christian Andersen Illustration Medal in the award's 60-year history.
The former children's book editor says the prize has strengthened her commitment to sharing Chinese stories globally.
I can say that the impact of children's books on children is beyond imagination.
We still have a long way to go, and we need stronger support.
I'm deeply moved today.
I want to thank every part of my life and for all that each experience has given me in ways I could never have imagined.
I feel the profound weight of this gift from life.
I'm filled with mixed emotions.
I'm moved and grateful for everything I've been through.
Every experience has shaped me into the person I am today.
Cai Gao received the honor at the IBBY Congress on Saturday, Beijing time, after the win was first announced back in April.
In Sichuan province, overseas tourists are flocking to Liangshan, where the ethnic group celebrates its traditional torch festival.
It's a ritual believed to drive away pests, protect crops, and bring health and good fortune.
Yang Jinghao reports.
As the annual Yi Torch Festival arrived, Xicheng, the capital of Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, lit up the night on August 8.
Eighty-six bonfires and tens of thousands of torches turned the city into a sea of fire and joy.
The lighting ceremony carried forward the thousand-year-old traditions of the Yi people.
Thousands danced the Dati dance, torch parades filled the streets, and ancient folk customs came alive in a celebration of culture and heritage.
What I like the most is the people dancing around.
Because even though you don't know these people, they kind of become your family.
It doesn't matter.
It feels like you know them from your whole life.
I think this has become a main thing to do in China.
But Liangshan's charm goes beyond the festival.
With its unique plateau climate, the region enjoys an average summer temperature of only 21 degrees Celsius.
Cool weather and stunning landscapes offer a perfect escape from the heat.
In Jiangzhou town, local communities are turning their cultural and ecological resources into new opportunities.
Rice fields have become stages for fashion shows featuring e-embroidery, and traditional villages are attracting visitors through a blend of culture, tourism and summer retreats.
We plan the follow-up operation before starting any construction.
We train young locals to run catering, travel photography and tie-dye handicraft experiences.
Houses belonging to elderly residents are rented out and managed by the company, bringing about 30,000 yuan of additional income per household.
By making the torch festival a cultural symbol, Liangshan is integrating traditional customs, ecological tourism and rural development.
Festival enthusiasm is becoming a lasting source of tourism growth and rural revitalization.
We draw tourists with the festival.
Local farmers become multi-skilled new rural workers, earning income from tourism right where they live.
We expect cultural tourism revenue from this torch festival to hit around 3 million yuan.
This is the first time that I got to come here and experience the Torch Festival and all sorts of different kinds of e-culture and it's been a lot of fun.
Since it's in the middle of August and most places are really hot, coming here where it's all very cool was a nice change of pace and definitely recommend.
This summer celebration is a feast of Yi culture and a vivid example of Liangshan's journey toward high-quality development.
With blazing torches and refreshing mountains, this ancient Yi homeland is shining with new vitality in the modern era.
That was Yang Jinghao reporting.
Spider-Man Brand New Day has continued its reign at the North American box office, adding $145 million during its second weekend in theaters.
That marks the third best second weekend ever for a domestic Hollywood title.
The film has now swung to more than $650 million domestically and over $1.6 billion worldwide.
Meantime, The Odyssey held at number two, earning $31.5 million.
The epics become Christopher Nolan's highest-grossing film.
We're at 57 past the hour.
Beijing overcast overnight.
Thunder showers rolling in tomorrow.
A low of 24 and it's up to 32 on Tuesday.
Shanghai will see rainstorms tonight.
Those storms ease to light rain tomorrow.
A low of 26, a high of 30.
Chongqing will be cloudy tonight and tomorrow, a low of 27 and a high of 36.
Nancheng is getting moderate rainfall this evening.
That eases off to thundershowers tomorrow with a low of 26 and a high of 31.
Les is getting a light rain tonight, becoming cloudy tomorrow, a low of 12 and a high of 24.
Elsewhere in Asia, Islamabad will be getting clear skies this evening.
Moderate rainfall tomorrow.
The lowest 26 is up to 35 on Tuesday.
And that's it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.
Making news today, typhoon dolphins made landfall in China and it's now a tropical storm bringing heavy rainfall up the coast into the northeast.
The U.S. president says he's considering more economic pressure on Iran instead of military action.
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 together.
The best military commander is not he who fights a hundred battles and wins every one of them.
The best military strategy does not lead to the desiccation of the enemy's capital city.
Decoding the Art of War will help you understand why there's no art in war and how Sun Tzu stayed undefeatable using the science of war with fun stories and insightful breakdown of famous battles.
Find Decoding the Art of War wherever you listen.
A poem for the Tibetan antelope, the gentle spirit of the Qinghai Cizon Plateau, spoken by voices from across the world.
Every spring, female antelopes migrate hundreds of miles to Zhuonai Lake to give birth, as we build gentle passages for their journey.
Hello, little Tibetan antelope.
Eyes opening to the light for the very first time.
To see a world in a grain of sand and a heaven in a wild flower.
So much wonder calls for so much courage.
But have no fear.
The way home is right there, waiting for you.
From the snows of Conlon to the winds of Tangula, the wilderness will teach me to be strong.
But the call of life itself never ceases.
A train runs toward the horizon.
A road stretches through the wilderness.
The bridge that soars through the clouds is no barrier across the land, but a gateway to where I truly belong.
Tibetan antelope's hoof prints loosen the soil, letting snow melt sink into the earth.
Human presence passes through, but we've never walked this land alone.
