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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 Bigum, with you on this Friday, January 30th, 2026.
You're listening to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
On today's program.
The UK Prime Minister is now in Shanghai following meetings with the Chinese President and other top leaders in Beijing.
The US president says he plans to hold talks with Iran and remains hopeful that military action will not be needed.
A civil society group in Japan is asking the country's prime minister to retract controversial remarks on China's Taiwan region.
In business, China's cultural sector enjoyed steady growth in 2025.
In sports, a thrilling mixed doubles final at the Australian Open.
In culture and entertainment, a leading U.K. dance company is preparing to go on tour in China.
Now checking the day's top stories.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is now in Shanghai, the final leg of his official visit to China this week.
During his time in Beijing, Starmer said it was important to maintain dialogue and cooperation with China.
He made the remarks at the UK-China Business Forum in the Chinese capital.
Starmer described his trip to China as historic.
This is a historic day because this is the first time in eight years that a British prime minister has been here on Chinese soil.
Eight long years, a historic occasion, and we can feel that already.
We've had key bilaterals yesterday with President Xi and also Premier Li.
Very warm, very good meetings.
Just the level of engagement that we hoped for on behalf of both of our countries to develop that comprehensive and strategic partnership that is both long-term and consistent.
And I fundamentally believe that the more we engage, the more we exchange, the more we take advantage of the opening of access to opportunities business, art and culture and so many others, then that is the way that we build the mutual trust and respect that is so important.
The forum brought together government officials and business leaders from the two countries.
It aims to advance economic and trade cooperation between China and the UK and promote people-to-people and cultural exchanges.
Starmer also toured the Forbidden City in Beijing.
He says the relationship between his country and China is in a good and strong place.
We had a very good productive session with real concrete outcomes and It was a real strengthening of the relationship.
And that's in the national interest because, of course, there are huge opportunities here in China.
It's the second biggest economy in the world.
And that's why we've got such a big business delegation.
A lot of the discussion was about how we open up access for those opportunities focusing, as I always do, on how is this going to be delivered back in the United Kingdom?
How does it benefit people back at home?
And we made some really good progress on tariffs for whiskey, on visa-free travel to China and on information exchange and cooperation on irregular migration, focusing particularly on small boats and engine parts.
So a very good constructive meeting with real outcomes.
Forbidden City, now the Palace Museum, is the largest palace complex in the world.
It's where the royal families of the Ming and Qing dynasties lived and worked hundreds of years ago.
China and the UK have reached numerous agreements during Prime Minister Keir Starmer's visit.
The two countries agreed to establish a China-UK high-level climate and nature partnership.
They'll also resume the China-UK high-level security dialogue.
The two sides will hold new rounds of the strategic dialogue, the economic and financial dialogue and the Joint Economic and Trade Committee meeting this year.
They also agreed in principle to resume exchanges between legislative bodies.
The two countries will hold the China-UK Business Council meeting and agreed to further strengthen trade and investment cooperation.
They also welcomed the establishment of the China-UK Financial Working Group and the convening of its first meeting.
China's also considering implementing a unilateral visa-free policy for British citizens.
It's reduced the import tariff rate on whiskey from 10 to 5 percent.
The two sides also signed 12 intergovernmental cooperation documents in areas such as the economy and trade, agriculture and food culture, market supervision and law enforcement.
China and the UK are reviving high-level business engagement, as the UK-China Business Council has restarted after an eight-year pause.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer is visiting China, along with a large delegation of British firms and institutions.
Companies from the two countries are exploring new opportunities together.
Lee Shuang has more.
At the Great Hall of the People, business leaders from China and the UK sit down for direct talks on trade, investment and industrial cooperation.
In total, more than 60 British companies and 50 Chinese firms are taking part.
The UK-China Business Council is the business centerpiece of Prime Minister Keir Starmer's visit to China.
And this is a visit that has historic significance, ladies and gentlemen.
It's eight years since a UK prime minister last came to China.
It's definitely the right time.
The China-UK goods trade now rivals the UK's trade with some of its closest traditional partners and exceeds Britain's trade with many G7 economies.
In 2025, bilateral trade exceeded US$100 billion, up more than 5% year on year.
Two-way investment also grew steadily, reaching over US$30 billion on each side.
For some executives traveling from the UK, the visit marks not just a return but a deeper commitment.
Eight years ago, we actually came, we were in China to bring our medicines to patients in China.
And today we are very proud to announce we're going to invest 100 billion yuan in China over the next four years, five years until 2030, to build, continue building our presence in China through research and development, manufacturing investment across the country.
For others, it's their first delegation, but still a longstanding partnership.
Well, I'm very honored to be here.
As you know, Airbus knows China, and China knows Airbus very well.
So we're ramping up to meet the demand in the market.
China is our biggest customer in terms of country.
So we are very happy to do business here.
Prime Minister Starmer's visit and his meeting with President Xi earlier today mark an important milestone in further deepening the mutually beneficial relationship between the world's second and sixth largest economies.
Now our presence here today points to that positive dynamic.
With leaders on both sides emphasizing stability, openness and long-term cooperation.
Today's meeting could set the tone not just for this trip, but for where China-UK economic relations go next.
That was Li Shuang on China-UK business engagement.
China and the UK have forged a robust foundation in advancing green energy and climate action.
In 2010, the two sides held the first China-UK energy dialogue, establishing a platform for bilateral cooperation and exchange.
During the 8th China-UK Energy Dialogue last year, both sides engaged on topics including clean energy technologies, energy transition pathways and international energy governance.
In recent years, cooperation between China and the UK in the offshore wind sector has grown increasingly close, transitioning from project investments by Chinese companies to deeper industrial integration.
At the same time, the technological frontier of cooperations extended to emerging fields such as offshore wind to hydrogen production.
Senior officials from both countries have identified the sector as a key direction for cooperation in the latest energy dialogues.
With more.
Joe Funk spoke with Guan Dabua, Distinguished Chair Professor of Climate Change Research from Tsinghua University.
The UK possesses leading offshore wind technology and project operation experience.
At the same time, China has achieved rapid development in wind power in recent years.
What is the current focus of cooperation in this field between the two sides?
Firstly, there has been some of the government to government dialogues, strategic coordination on that.
China-UK has been collaborating more closely on electricity grid, on this renewable energy.
Overall, it has become a standard channel to discuss how the clean energy technologies would be able to cooperate together between UK and China.
Myself, on behalf of Tsinghua, Institute for Carbon Neutrality.
We host the Lord Valance, who is the Minister of Science and Technology in the UK, his visit to China, to Tsinghua, to give a public open speech about the UK being very much willing to collaborate with China on many clean energy technologies, energy transition technologies, even the fossil fuel face-down kind of technologies, and also many other parts AI data, etc.
So this kind of a clean energy partnership between the two countries would be able to serve as a basis for many other collaborations that would happen from an academic perspective, from an industry perspective.
And actually the UK government has identified hydrogen as a core component of its net zero strategy.
At the same time, China also places high importance on hydrogen industry development.
How can the two countries conduct cooperation grounded in their complementary strengths?
The wind resources is a lot for the UK.
There are many small islands, especially in the north part of the UK.
In China similarly, near Zhejiang and Guangzhou, there's many little islands on that.
So the offshore winds will become a very obvious kind of options.
So both UK and China would actually exploring what will be the opportunity, what will be the options for making use of those offshore winds like electricity.
So they can build those transmission lines back to the mainland.
On the other hand, you have storage, energy storage to do that.
But to make it more economically feasible, it's what they called the energy islands.
Basically what that means is that you have the wind turbines installations in that to generate electricity and those electricity to electrify the water and get the hydrogen out of that.
And then the hydrogens.
You could sell the hydrogens later on or you could use the hydrogen to make methanol or many other different chemical products.
Then the methanol can be used as a fuel to power large machineries and ships in the future possibly aircraft as well.
That was Distinguished Chair Professor Gwen Dabua from Tsinghua University talking about green energy and climate cooperation between China and the UK.
Chinese students make up one of the largest international groups on UK campuses.
The trend has its roots in the wave of English learning in the last century, pioneered by British publishers like Pearson.
Chen Tong has more on what lies ahead for the educational collaboration between the two countries.
For generations of Chinese learners, new concept English is more than a textbook.
It's a collective memory of unlocking the world.
Following a reform and opening up which began in 1978, the need for English soon created opportunity in the education market in China.
Pearson has been in China for almost 60 years, starting with Longman's Dictionary.
And so I love seeing enthusiasm from such an incredible place for new concept, English and other Pearson properties.
And so we love the fact that, as China advances and grows, that Pearson can be part of that journey as well.
Nowadays, Chinese students have ranked among the top two sources of international students in the United Kingdom for many consecutive years.
More than 160,000 Chinese students were studying in the UK during the 2023 and 2024 academic year.
And meanwhile, enthusiasm for acquiring professional skills also continues to grow, creating the new need for workplace education.
We bring digital technologies and AI in all of those stages to help people learn and help them progress in their lives.
I wouldn't say it's a minor mark, but our scale is smaller than it should be.
I think we could be much bigger and I think Pearson can at least double its business in China in quite a short time period.
Companies like Pearson are actively integrating into the lifelong learning trend among young Chinese.
By capitalizing on this momentum, they share in the market opportunities arising from China's modernization process.
The English language and British culture behind the language serve as a vital bridge, strengthening the people-to-people ties and economic cooperation between China and the United Kingdom.
That was Chen Tong reporting.
Coming up, the U.S. president says he's planning on holding talks with Iran to ease tensions.
Find your way to a wealth of Chinese culture and thinking all on POSPLUS.
15 past the hour now.
U.S.
President Donald Trump says he's planning to talk to Iran and hopes there won't be any need for military action.
The US is sending more military assets to the Middle East as it tries to get Iran back to negotiations on a new nuclear deal.
Trump pulled the U.S. out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal during his first term.
A guided missile destroyer was tracked sailing through the Suez Canal toward the Gulf on Wednesday.
At least 10 U.S. warships are now believed to be stationed in the Middle East.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the Pentagon is prepared to deliver Trump's decision on Iran.
Iran says it'll hold live fire exercises on Sunday and Monday in the Strait of Hormuz, a choke point for nearly 20 of the world's oil and natural gas.
Tehran Mayor Ali Reza Zakhani says underground parking lots and metro stations are being transformed into war shelters.
Ehsan Kevani has more from Tehran.
Iran has issued a strong response to escalating rhetoric from the United States, with senior officials warning against any potential military action, while laying out firm conditions for a return to nuclear diplomacy.
Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Arafchi, responding to recent remarks by US President Donald Trump, said any aggression against Iran would be met with a swift and decisive response, pointing to what he described as the country's heightened defensive readiness.
Arafat reiterated Tehran's openness to diplomatic engagement, but stressed that any future nuclear talks must be conducted without threats or pressure.
He said negotiations would only be possible on the basis of equality and mutual respect.
Here are the latest remarks by Iran's foreign ministry.
We are honest in negotiation and resolute in defense.
We will not be passive in the face of threats or aggression.
To any violation, our armed forces will respond decisively and regrettably.
The message was reinforced by Ali Shamkhani, a senior Iranian security official, who warned that the US military action would be viewed as the start of a full-scale war.
He said such a move would trigger an immediate and unprecedented response from Iran, including the possibility of expanding the conflict beyond Iran's borders.
The heightened rhetoric comes as Iranian authorities restore nationwide internet access following a blackout that's lasted more than two weeks.
The shutdown was imposed during a wave of violent protests across the country.
The tensions are unfolding a challenging economic backdrop.
The Iranian currency, the rial, hit a record low this week, trading at around 16 million rials to the US dollar.
Tehran strongly condemned the European Union for designating Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization.
Iran says the move is provocative and a major strategic mistake.
The EU has also rolled out sanctions targeting individuals and entities it says are responsible for serious human rights violations.
EU foreign policy chief Kayakala says recent protests across Iran accelerated the decision.
Palestinians in Gaza are waiting for the full reopening of the Rafah border crossing under a ceasefire deal signed last October.
While Israel's allowed limited pedestrian movement, the flow of humanitarian aid remains severely restricted, as aid trucks face continued delays and repeated rejections by Israel.
Yasser Hakim has more from al-Arish near the Rafah border.
On your way to the Rafah border, you cannot but notice the long queues of aid trucks parked along the desert road as drivers wait for the green light to enter Gaza.
Some of these drivers express their anger that in many cases they had to go inside the Rafah border crossing to deliver the aid, but it's rejected and they have to go back with the same shipment on board.
Truck driver Ali Ibrahim tells me he's not moved from the spot for over two years.
He showed me a document stating that the last time he managed to send aid into the strip was in November 2024.
I'm carrying medicine, important medicine.
My cargo was denied by Israel 21 times.
For 15 months I went to the border and they turned me back.
Angwa is desperate to receive it.
This medicine came from other countries by plane.
I brought it from Cairo airport and it's been lying here for nearly two years.
Ali is frustrated.
He knows that while people are dying in Gaza, life-saving help is right here.
He says he feels helpless and claims that Israeli authorities are intentionally preventing them from saving lives.
One time, they rejected the medicine because the truck's wooden pallets were scratched.
The other time, they said, my truck is 180 centimeters high and should be five centimeters shorter.
Just excuses.
They unload the medicine.
They break a lot of it while searching, then they load it back and tell me it's rejected.
But Ali's colleague, Adel, was luckier today.
He's just returned from a successful delivery to Gaza after many weeks of delays.
I deliver food, tents and blankets.
The truck is searched twice at the border, unloaded on the Palestinian side and I return.
Some food became spoiled due to the delay, but the rest was fine.
Currently, an average of 108 trucks enter Gaza daily, a big drop from the 600 trucks entering each day before the war on Gaza that has killed over 70000 Palestinians so far.
The reopening of the Rafah border for the first time in two years has been widely welcomed, even if only for pedestrian traffic for now.
We hope that the situation will improve.
I wish the Rafah border crossing will open indefinitely and we can deliver aid all the time, like before the war.
I've been here since 2020.
I want peace for our brothers in Gaza.
They are suffering.
For the time being, these drivers have to continue enduring long waits that could stretch up to months.
So they wait, living in their trucks where they eat and sleep, staying put until the next time they're allowed to make another life-saving trip into the war-destroyed enclave only a few kilometers away.
That was Yasir Hakim reporting.
Coming up.
A civil society group in Japan wants the country's prime minister to retract comments on China's Taiwan region.
You've been listening to programs from CGTN Radio.
We invite you to visit us online for more audio, pictures and in-depth reports.
Thank you. minutes past the hour.
A Japanese civil society group has called on Prime Minister Sanae Takeuchi to retract her remarks on China's Taiwan region.
The Japanese Association for Inheriting and Developing the Murayama Statement supports a landmark 1995 statement by then Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama, acknowledging remorse for Japan's aggression during World War II.
Secretary General Takagagi Fujita criticized Takeuchi at a gathering.
Japan has been extremely inadequate in fulfilling its responsibility for the war of aggression against China and colonial rule in the past.
I believe we must rely on the power of Japanese democracy to compel Prime Minister Takeichi to retract her so-called survival crisis situation remarks.
Former Prime Minister Yukio Hatayama said Takeichi's remarks have damaged Japan-China ties.
The Taiwan question is China's internal affair.
Regarding internal affairs, our consistent principle is to never interfere.
Takaichi's remarks completely contradict the spirit of the China-Japan joint statement.
Yet she still made it, severely damaging Japan-China relations as a result.
Can such a prime minister truly be allowed to continue in office?
Other guests attending the gathering also expressed criticisms.
This completely betrays the commitments made during the normalization of Japan-China relations in 1972.
It betrays the promises made to China.
Prime Minister Takeuchi's remarks are extremely irresponsible.
War must absolutely not be allowed to happen, especially in East Asia.
Japan, a country that once launched a war of aggression, should take a stance of deep reflection and actively promote peace.
Takeichi claimed in November that a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait could be a survival-threatening situation for Japan, warranting the exercise of collective self-defense rights.
Her remarks have faced strong criticism globally and domestically.
U.S.
President, Donald Trump has signed an executive order threatening new tariffs on countries supplying oil to Cuba.
It follows Trump's statement that the US would cut off Cuba's oil imports from its primary supplier, Venezuela.
Trump signed the executive order under a national emergency declaration.
It puts Cuba's struggling economy under more stress and increases pressure on Mexico, which has already reduced oil shipments to Cuba.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel says Washington has no moral authority to force a deal on Cuba.
China's voiced strong support for Cuba following U.S.
President Donald Trump's new executive order.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said Beijing firmly supports Cuba in safeguarding its sovereignty and security, opposes external interference and condemns actions that deprive the Cuban people of their right to survival and development.
The comments came after Trump signed the executive order threatening tariffs on countries supplying oil to Cuba.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said Washington has no moral authority to force the deal while US
Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Washington supports regime change in Cuba, but stops short of confirming direct involvement.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has said the immigration enforcement operations launched by the Trump administration need to stop, not just in the city but nationwide.
Addressing a gathering of mayors in Washington DC, Frey said an estimated 3000 to 4000 federal agents have descended on a city that has a local police force of only 600 officers.
He said people's constitutional rights have been trampled.
We are on the front lines of a very important battle.
And it's important that we aren't silenced, that we aren't put down.
This is not a time to bend our heads in despair or out of fear that we may be next.
Because if we do not speak up, if we do not step out, it will be your city that is next.
A phrase.
Remarks in Washington come as Senate Democrats have voted to block legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security and several other agencies.
Democrats are continuing to negotiate with Republicans in the White House on new restrictions for the administration's surge of immigration enforcement.
The almost century-old Brown's Diner in Nashville Tennessee, has given free meals to hundreds of people following a power outage over the weekend.
Diner owner Brett Tuck said the coolers had about 1000 pounds of ground beef and other stuff in them and they feared that the food could not last, even amid the freezing weather.
He said they were considering taking it to a shelter or donating it, but he also had a food truck, and so they decided to just use that truck to cook as much as they could and give it away.
And we were like let's just get a crew together and let's put it on the food truck and cook as much as we can and give it away.
We made a call to all of our staff and we got some volunteers to come up here and help us get it going, and now we're just Grilling as fast as we can to get everybody fed.
They handed out cheeseburgers, chili dogs, fries and tots in a parking lot on Thursday.
Tuck estimated about 500 or 600 people came out to eat.
Digital content makers from across Africa gathered in Lagos for a summit calling for content creation to be recognized as full-time work rather than a side hustle.
Among them was Ibukunle Frosh Ekeridi.
More than 2500 digital creators from 15 countries came together to examine how Africa can turn its cultural capital into income.
Speakers said the fast-growing creator economy now functions like a business ecosystem, employing production crews and helping many creators pay bills and build long-term careers.
The African creator economy has grown rapidly in recent years, driven by social media, video streaming and increased mobile phone use across the continent.
At 29 past the hour.
Checking the forecast ahead of the break in Beijing's overcast, with a low of minus 6 on Friday evening.
Saturday will be sunny and plus 5.
Nancheng's getting a light rainfall tonight and tomorrow.
It's down to 4 degrees this evening, then a high of 6.
Also in Asia, Islamabad will be overcast in 6, then a high of 17 on Saturday.
Vientiane's overcast and down to 18, then cloudy in 30.
Phnom Penh's overcast tonight and tomorrow, a low of 21 and a high of 33.
In Africa, Nairobi is overcast and 28 degrees on Saturday.
Kampala will see a light rainfall and 18 degrees overnight, then moderate rain and 28.
Juba will be cloudy tonight and tomorrow, a low of 26 and a high of 38.
In Oceania, Port Vila is getting a light rainfall tonight and tomorrow a low of 23 and a high of 30.
It's time for a short break.
So far this hour.
The UK Prime Minister is now in Shanghai following meetings with the Chinese President and other top leaders in Beijing.
The US President says he plans to hold talks with Iran and remains hopeful that military action will not be needed.
A civil society group in Japan is asking the country's Prime Minister to retract controversial remarks on China's Taiwan region.
Shane Bigham with you.
Stay with us here on The Beijing App.
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Even the solid ground beneath our feet, 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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We'll see you there 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 friday, still to come In business.
China's cultural sector enjoyed steady growth in 2025.
In sports, a thrilling mixed doubles final at the Australian Open.
In culture and entertainment, a leading UK dance company is preparing for a tour of China.
To contact us, you can email radio at cgtn.com or follow our ex-account at cgtnradio.
And now with the check of the day's headlines, here's Tianyu.
Thank you, Shane.
General Secretary Xi Jinping of the Communist Party of China Central Committee has chaired a meeting of the body's political bureau.
The meeting revealed a report on deliberations over work reports submitted by leading party member groups of institutions, including the top legislature, the central government, the top political advisory body and the Supreme People's Court.
The meeting urged officials to focus on key economic and social goals, strengthen party discipline and make sure central tasks are carried out effectively.
The China Coast Guard continues law enforcement patrols in the territorial waters around China's Huangyandao Island in the South China Sea.
The CCG said it has stepped up patrols since early January to deal with illegal and infringing vessels in accordance with the law and to safeguard China's maritime rights and territorial sovereignty.
During the operation, the Coast Guard also conducted emergency rescue efforts for Filipino sailors following a shipwreck, ensuring maritime safety and order.
US President Donald Trump says he's planning to talk to Iran and hopes there won't be any need for military action.
The US is sending more military assets to the Middle East as it tries to get Iran back to negotiations on a new nuclear deal.
At least 10 US warships are now believed to be stationed in the region.
Meanwhile, Iran has announced that it will hold live fire exercises on Sunday and Monday in the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for nearly 20 of the world's oil and natural gas.
UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has warned that power is prevailing over law globally and called for the acceleration of multipolarity.
Guterres gave his 2026 opening briefing in New York, calling for a revamp of the current system to address global challenges.
We are living in a world where actions, especially reckless ones, are provoking dangerous reactions.
And unlike in physics, these reactions are not symmetrical or predictable.
They are being multiplied by geopolitical divisions and magnified by an epidemic of impunity.
The law of power is prevailing over the power of law.
International law is trampled, cooperation is eroding and multilateral institutions are under assault on many fronts.
The UN chief said, multipolarity by itself does not guarantee stability or peace, adding that there is a need for strong multilateral institutions where legitimacy is rooted in shared responsibility and shared values.
The UN Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution to extend the mandate of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti for a year, until January 2027.
Pierre-Éric Pierre is Haiti's permanent representative to the UN.
He welcomed the unanimous adoption of the resolution.
The Republic of Haiti welcomes this resolution, which reflects a more integrated understanding of the current challenges and, above all, of the need to produce concrete results.
The resolution revises the UN Office's mandate to cover six key tasks, including facilitating inter-Haitian national dialogue, providing electoral assistance and supporting Haitian authorities' efforts to reduce community violence.
Gang violence has surged in Haiti and the UN said more than 8000 killings were reported across the country, of nearly 11 million people, from January to November last year.
Colombian airline Statena says it did not receive any prior warning of adverse weather conditions that would have prevented the flight of a plane that crashed and killed 15 people.
The airline said it is awaiting the results of a formal investigation.
Brigadier General Néstor Fabian Nieto Rivera gave further details about Wednesday's accident.
After locating the aircraft, we began deploying troops both on the ground and in the air.
With the participation of the military aviation, we managed to reach the area and secure it so that the relief agencies and technical agencies that depend on the Civil Aviation Authority could enter the site and begin their work.
He says soldiers will remain in the area until investigative authorities have finished their work.
Thank you very much.
That's Tianyu with Headlines.
Coming up in business, China's cultural sector enjoyed steady growth in 2025.
37 passed now.
And turning to business, Chinese mainland markets closed lower on Friday.
The Shanghai Composite edged down by around 1, while the Shenzhen Component fell by around 7 tenths of a percent.
Stocks related to textile machinery, agriculture and papermaking led the gainers, while shares in the non-ferrous metals and oil sectors suffered major losses.
Hong Kong's stock market also finished lower, with the Hang Seng Index closing down more than 2.
Tokyo's Nikkei inched down by nearly a tenth of a percent.
China's cultural industry maintained steady growth in 2025, demonstrating strong resilience and vitality.
The combined operating revenue of major cultural companies amounted to over 15 trillion yuan, or nearly 22 trillion US dollars up 74.
Cultural manufacturing revenue edged up by 0.6% to exceed 4.1 trillion yuan.
Wholesale and retail grew by 4 to over 25 trillion yuan, and services increased surged 12 to nearly 86 trillion.
Sectors featuring new business forms, such as digital publishing and online advertising, saw a 143 revenue increase.
The industry's profitability also improved, with profits from major cultural firms rising 65 to around 14 trillion yuan.
China recorded nearly 67 billion across regional passenger trips in 2025, marking a 35 increase from the previous year.
The Ministry of Transport highlighted three key trends, including growth in transportation production, a significant rise in port throughput and strong transportation investment.
Rail passenger numbers rose by 6%, air travellers increased 5%, and road traffic grew by over 3%.
Fixed asset investment on transportation surpassed 3.6 trillion yuan, or $520 billion.
The government said that the transportation sector made steady and positive progress throughout the year.
China's Ministry of Transport forecasts a busy spring festival travel season.
Passenger traffic will set new records with a total of 9.5 billion cross-regional trips.
The nine-day holiday will see the highest daily passenger flow in history.
The peak travel day is likely to be the sixth day of the Chinese New Year, with 340 million people on the move.
Highway traffic will also reach record highs.
Electric vehicle trips will total 380 million, marking a new milestone.
The ministry is ready to ensure smooth travel for all passengers.
China's Spring Festival holiday begins in mid-February this year and travelers are busy planning their trips and picking up travel deals for local and overseas destinations.
Zhang Manyuan has more.
Although the Spring Festival holiday is still a few weeks away, One travel agency in Beijing is already brimming with customers eager to scout the best deal possible while they still have time, as they consult with agents and rush to sign travel agreements.
Booking data shows the outbound travel market is experiencing robust growth.
Overall booking for long-distance trips to destinations such as France Switzerland Italy, the UK and Spain have surged by around 60 from the same period last year.
Short distance travel has seen an even more dramatic increase, with the year-on-year growth rate of 160, as destinations like Thailand Singapore, Vietnam and the Maldives remain highly sought after.
Meanwhile, the extended holiday is creating greater consumer opportunities within the domestic market.
This year's extended spring festival holiday season will run from February 15 to 23.
That was Zheng Mengyuan on spring festival tourism.
British businesses on the Chinese mainland have the highest level of optimism for this year since before the pandemic.
According to the latest annual survey from the British Chamber of Commerce in China, 38% of participating companies expect higher revenues, and that's up five points from last year.
British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, stressed the importance of dialogue and cooperation between the two countries at the UK-China Business Forum in Beijing.
And for more.
Vivian Nunes spoke with Chairman Chris Torrens of the British Chamber of Commerce in China.
Just picking up on the Prime Minister's words.
He does keep emphasising what he says is a new consistency, a new stability to the relationship.
I guess his assertion then is that the lack of consistency, the lack of stability was damaging really, not just for the relationship but for British businesses operating in China.
You're at the coalface of that.
How does it affect your members?
Did it affect your members? when things weren't perhaps so warm or as close as they might have been?
It certainly did, yeah.
I think we went from the golden era of Prime Minister Cameron through to what's been called the Ice Age.
I think it was less an Ice Age, but just more a period of political paralysis where the The previous administration didn't really know how to handle China.
So there was no engagement, there was no confrontation, there was just nothing.
And in a vacuum with uncertainty, with that kind of instability, it's really difficult for British businesses to operate.
They didn't feel like they had the back of the government.
Now that's changed.
So it's incredibly important to have you know even those words being stated is important because, given all the geopolitical uncertainty we're in, it's really refreshing to have the sense that there's a plan and there's some kind of pragmatism and a way forward.
So it's been hugely helpful for British companies on the ground.
But how much also is about real gains?
Because Keir Starmer will inevitably be thinking about the UK economy, which is not going through a very strong time.
So how much can actually be achieved on a trip like this?
I think from the UK perspective, at any rate, it's not about symbolism.
It's about gains.
It's about getting something that works for the UK economy.
It's about getting support for UK companies operating in China.
So...
I think our members feel the same.
But it's really about making substantive progress for British companies in China and also helping identify opportunities for Chinese companies that might be going to the UK, because obviously the UK services industry is a really important part of the UK economy and so British service companies are already beginning to support Chinese companies as they go out, whether it's to the UK or elsewhere around the world.
So I feel like there's something really material and substantive that can be gained from the trade.
That was Chairman Chris Torrens of the British Chamber of Commerce in China.
British firms like Intercontinental Hotels Group view China as a platform for sustained growth and innovation by adapting their business models to the local market.
Company CEO, Daniel Aylmer, said their success highlighted the strong presence of international brands in China's consumer economy.
China, for us over the last 50 years, has evolved with pace.
But we built a business that's very much related to being in China.
We are an in-China-for-China business, which is also one of the key reasons that has driven our success in this part of the world.
Well, he added that the company's journey reflects a wider trend, with global brands increasingly learning to listen, adapt and evolve within the Chinese market.
If I look where 50 years ago we brought Holiday Inn to China, We actually now take the designs, the feel and how we look at Holiday Inn in China.
We actually take that out now globally, because the Chinese consumer has pushed us to evolve very fast.
Now we take what we do for Holiday Inn and other brands in China and we export it back to different parts of the world.
Beyond hospitality, China and the UK see significant potential for deeper collaboration in areas like green energy, the digital economy and creative industries.
The UK car market saw significant growth in 2025, surpassing 2 million sales, with Chinese brands gaining substantial traction.
Electric vehicle sales hit a record high, accounting for nearly a quarter of all new registrations.
While new entrants face initial challenges, innovative solutions are helping smooth the path to success in Europe.
Marie Addison visited a research center in Berkshire for a closer look crumpled bonnets, broken windows.
Before issuing a policy, insurance companies in Europe need to know how risky or repairable a vehicle really is.
However, Chinese brands entering the UK often arrive with no information about crash damage, repair times or vulnerability to theft.
In Berkshire, research is putting every new Chinese model through its paces to give insurers the information they need.
Inside their test halls, each vehicle is pushed, pulled, crashed or even attacked.
Low-speed impact tests assess repair costs, security teams attempt to break in and engineers gather essential data.
So insurers have the confidence to quote.
But repairability is also a major hurdle.
Not all Chinese brands have established part networks across Europe, meaning a simple bumper repair can take weeks if components have to ship from China.
Manufacturers are now hard at work setting up dealer networks, logistics hubs and parts stock to meet UK expectations.
And when Chinese engineers do get clear feedback, they act fast, sometimes making design changes in weeks rather than years.
And the influx is only just beginning.
Chinese EVs already make up 7 to 8 of new electric car sales in parts of Europe, and Thatcham expects the UK to follow.
As more Chinese electric brands move into the UK, it's behind-the-scenes work like this that will decide how quickly they can truly compete on our roads.
That was Ray Addison reporting.
You're listening to the Beijing Hour coming up in sports.
A thrilling mixed doubles final at the Australian Open.
Sideline Story brings you all things sports related.
The hottest topics, latest events, juiciest stories, all with a very personal take.
Subscribe to Sideline Story podcast for heated sports discussions covering events that are happening in China and around the world.
47 past now and turning to sports.
Here's Yang Guang.
Thank you, Shane.
Starting with tennis from the Australian Open.
Australia's Olivia Gondeski and John Pearce became the first pair in 37 years to defend the Australian Open mixed doubles title.
They defeated French duo Kristina Mladenovic and Manuel Guinard in a thrilling final at Rottweiler Arena.
And women's singles world number one, Arena Sabalan got bounced to her fourth consecutive final in Melbourne last with the straight sets win over Elena Svitlina.
The achievement was something only Yvonne Gulagon and Martina Higgins had done previously in the Open era.
She reached her eighth Grand Slam final overall and will face Elena Rybakina in the rematch of the 2023 final.
Meanwhile, Rybakina secured her place in the final by getting past Jessica Pegula.
The Kazakh player said she's happy after winning the semi-final showdown.
Rebecca has been in impressive form since her quarter-final last in Wuhan last October.
The 26-year-old claimed the title in Limbo and at the WTA finals in Riyadh.
She also reached her quarterfinals in Brisbane to start the season.
Rubikina is seeking her second Grand Slam title after winning Wimbledon in 2022 and is also yet to drop a set at Melbourne Park.
China's short track speed skating team has held their final training session at the capital indoor stadium before departing for Italy.
Coach Zhang Jinside started training at the stadium after 10 athletes were selected for the final list of participants, with Liu Shaolin and Wang Ye missing out on the final spots.
The session focused on the relay events beginning with the mixed team events.
Wang Xingran fell while going around the curve and hit Zhang Zhitong and Zhang Ziyue.
All three were immediately taken off the ice and appeared to be fine after injury checks.
Team leader Liu Hao said China's short track skaters are excited and ready for the Games.
Every athlete has to face the speed challenge every day in training and we will run more tests, but it seems to us for now that the athletes who fell earlier are fine, except for a few scratches.
The team is excited and nervous about the Olympics, which is quite normal, and this is a very important competition.
We are representing our country, so everyone is definitely very excited and I think the team is ready.
China's short track speed skating team has always been a squad that wins honor for the country, and our goals have always been the same to win honor for our country.
China's short track speed skaters are set to leave for Milan on Saturday morning.
And finally, volleyball content platform, Volleyball World has announced an exclusive partnership with creative artist agency China.
The Chinese market is one of the sport's largest broadcast and digital audiences.
Guo Tianqi spoke with Volleyball World CEO Ugal Valenci about the partnership and China's role in the growth of volleyball worldwide.
From your perspective, what makes China such a unique and high potential market for the development of volleyball?
The development of volleyball in China has been nothing but spectacular over the past few years.
I was at the World Championships that were in Thailand last year.
But we had through CCTV and OEM, we had more than a billion views over two weeks for the events.
We just announced the calendar of the Volleyball Nations Leagues.
We will have the finals in Ningbo and in Macau, and we'll have stops as well for the Women's Nations League and for the Men's Nations Leagues in China.
So the development of volleyball in China, first of all at the professional level, is incredible, and the development at the grassroots level as well, supporting that growth.
So we will definitely continue to invest in the future, organizing more events and reaching more fans through the sport.
Volleyball world has positioned itself as a leader in gender equality.
So what tangible progresses have been made so far?
We're going to continue to promote what is existing, which is that volleyball, by nature, as we are organized today, is completely equal.
The men and the women, they are playing the same events.
You have world championships between the men and the women that are organized with the same formats.
And that has been going on for a very long time.
So we are already completely equal from the get-go.
If I compare it to football, well, obviously, it's predominantly a men's sport.
And then the women's sport is catching up only for the past few years.
For us, it's not the same.
For us, we've been equal from the start.
So we're going to continue to promote that.
What's great as well is that our fan base is 50-50 men and appeals to everyone and is very equal by nature.
That was Volleyball World CEO Hugo Valencia talking about China's role in promoting volleyball.
Thank you very much.
That's Yang Guang with sports.
You're listening to the Beijing Hour.
Coming up in culture and entertainment, a leading UK dance company is preparing for a tour of China.
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.
53 past the hour.
In culture and entertainment.
Founded in 1926, one of Britain's leading contemporary dance companies is celebrating its centenary with highlights that include a tour of China.
A ballet at Rimbaud has performed in China before, but it's now bringing its interpretation of a smash hit TV show.
Michael Voss reports.
Ballet Rombert is the oldest dance company in England.
Founded in 1926, it introduced classical ballet to a wider public, before evolving into one of the country's leading contemporary dance groups.
It performed in China several times and more recently run dance classes there.
Now it's going back to China as part of its centenary year celebrations.
Important for us at Romber is to acknowledge our international heritage.
We're a company that was born out of Polish emigre, coming to London from the Ballet Russe to start the first ever UK company.
So it felt really important as we turn 100 to acknowledge that.
And it felt particularly exciting to go for such a long time to a relatively new territory, because we haven't been for about 30 years.
So we're really excited.
In fact, the links go back even further.
This footage is of Ballet Rombert performing in China in 1957, the first Western dance company to visit during the Cold War.
The tour was a success and during their three months performing in China, Ballet Rombert were introduced to both Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai.
Back then, it took three days to reach China, and the whole tour involved 27 flights.
Back in 1957 the company performed two classical ballets and one more contemporary dance, but that had to be dropped because audiences didn't take to it.
Now, Ballet Rombert is going back to China with its latest cutting-edge productions. following its successful tour of the uk and europe ballet rombert is taking its stage adaptation of peaky blinders the redemption of thomas shelby to china peaky binders was a popular television series in the uk and internationally on netflix though less well known in china the show features an on-stage band with the music and songs helping the dancers portray this dramatic crime video and love story set in the English city of Birmingham,
Michael Voss reporting.
The Shanghai Oriental Arts Center has unveiled its new performance season.
It'll present 49 stage productions across 61 performances from February through August.
The BBC Symphony Orchestra returns on March 18th and on March 31st the Budapest Festival Orchestra is visiting.
The season also showcases renowned soloists, including Mikhail Platenev and Yuja Wang, as well as chamber music highlights from the Berlin Philharmonic.
Traditional opera, charity performances, and educational programs will also be offered.
Beijing's subway system is offering commuters a new way to engage with books and culture.
The National Library of China and Beijing MTR have teamed up to unveil a cultural exhibition inside the city's metro network, transforming everyday travel into a reading-friendly experience.
Part of the 36th M-Subway Library Program, the exhibition traces the evolution of Chinese color culture, showcasing artifacts such as ceramics and Song Dynasty brocade, interactive color installations, AI-powered audio guides and hands-on activities ahead of the Spring Festival aimed to boost public engagement.
Commuters can also scan QR codes to access themed e-books and digital content through their mobile devices.
The launch comes as China moves to institutionalize nationwide reading efforts through legislation encouraging the use of public spaces for short-form or fragmented reading.
With daily ridership exceeding 10 million, a Beijing subway has become a key venue for this initiative.
57 past the hour.
Checking the forecast before we go for the weekend.
And Beijing's overcast and down to minus 6 on Friday night.
Saturday, sunny and 5 degrees.
Nancheng is getting a light rainfall tonight and tomorrow.
A low of 4 and a high of 6.
Elsewhere in Asia, Islamabad will be overcast and down to 6, then a high of 17.
Vientiane's overcast and 18 overnight, then cloudy and 30.
Phnom Penh is getting overcast conditions tonight and tomorrow a low of 21 and a high of 33 degrees Celsius.
And that's it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.
Making news today.
The UK Prime Minister is now in Shanghai following meetings with the Chinese President and other top leaders in Beijing.
And the US President says he plans to hold talks with Iran and remains hopeful that military action will not be needed.
On behalf of the staff.
This is Shane Bigum in the Chinese capital, hoping you'll join us for the next edition of The Beijing Hour and open a window to the world together.
Find The Beijing Hour at precisely 6 p.m.
Beijing time.
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The Beijing Hour, your window on China and the rest of the world.
He can't live without the Yellow River in his eyes.
The Yellow River is so noble and elegant.
Both my grandpa and dad made a living from the river.
Would you like to move away from the Yellow River?
I don't think I will.
I love it so much.
The Yellow River, the second longest river in China, is regarded as a shaping force in the history, economy and culture of northern China.
Today, about 100 million people live within its water basin, making up nearly 9 of the country's population.
How is climate change felt at its headwaters? what are the locals doing to cope with it?
What are the descendants of the boatmen doing?
What has kept some people from leaving their home village by the river?
And what has drawn others back?
Could the fading fishing community revive in a time of digital transformation?
From 2021 to 2024.
Our reporters visited the upper, middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, Talk to the herders farmers boatmen, fishermen and eco-activists who share a close bond with the river, and present their stories in pictures, podcasts and videos.
All in our 12-part series, The Yellow River Mosaic, available only on CGTN Radio.
