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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 Thursday, January 22nd, 2026.
You're listening to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
On today's program, China's reached all of its annual and five year targets for agricultural and rural development.
The US president's now ruled out the use of force to seize, Greenland still wants to take over the island.
The United States has withdrawn from the World Health Organization, but the WHO says the US still owes money.
In business, China strengthened its poverty alleviation and rural development efforts.
In sports, a Champions League action featuring another strong win for Liverpool.
In culture and entertainment, London Film School is launching a program here in China.
Now checking the day's top stories.
Chinese officials say the country has hit all major annual and five-year targets for agricultural and rural development.
Data shows grain output last year reached more than 710 million metric tons.
That set a new record.
Vice Agricultural Minister Zhang Xingyuan said the well-being of people living in rural areas has continued to improve.
Poverty alleviation gains in China have been firmly consolidated, ensuring no large-scale return to poverty.
2025 marks the final year of the transition period, and local governments and departments have continued their careful efforts to prevent any setbacks.
By the end of last year, more than 7 million people under monitoring had received assistance, effectively removing the risk of returning to poverty.
Access to compulsory education, basic health care, safe housing and clean drinking water for previously impoverished populations has continued to improve.
Countries built or upgraded over 50 000 square kilometers of high standard farmland, bringing the national total to over 660 000 square kilometers.
A seed industry revitalization has also advanced, while agricultural machinery research and application have accelerated.
Green transformations gained momentum across china and smart agriculture has expanded across the entire production chain.
Rural land reforms have also continued.
Pilot programs extending land contracts by another 30 years have expanded to seven provinces, covering more than 25 million rural households.
And for more about China's agricultural production.
Do Hongyu spoke with Li Li, an associate professor at China Agricultural University.
Despite extreme weather, such as droughts and flooding, China still achieved a record grain harvest last year.
What were the key agricultural policies, technologies or farming practices that helped stabilize and boost grain output under these challenging conditions?
First, I think it's because the policy level safeguards played a foundational role.
The government maintained a strict red line for arable land protection, expanded subsidies for grain farmers, covering seeds, fertilizers and machinery, and strengthened the construction of high standard farmland.
And second is the technological innovations providing critical support.
For example, the popularization of drought and flood-resistant crop varieties.
Wide application of precision agricultural technologies such as drip irrigation and unmanned area vehicle UAV assisted pest control.
And third, it's the adaptive farming practices enhancing on-ground resistance.
The extension of crop rotation and intercropping systems to improve soil fertilization and reducing disaster risks.
The establishment of regional emergency responding mechanisms for timely drought relief and flood control.
So altogether, these integrated policies form a multi-layered defense system enabling Chinese farmers to offset the negative impacts of climate challenges and stabilize grain production.
And, as climate risks further increase, what is needed to safeguard China's food security going forward in the long run.
To safeguard China's food security in the long run amid escalating climate risks, a holistic and forward-looking strategy encompassing technological upgrading, systematic governance and collaborative initiative is very essential.
First, to accelerate the research and development and scaling up the climate.
Smart agriculture technologies is a top priority.
This includes investing more in breeding super hybrid crop varieties with stronger tolerance to heat, drought and the flood.
Promoting digital agricultural tools such as the smart sensors and big data analytics for real time monitoring for crop growth and weather changes are very important.
And second, we should try to strengthen the resilience of agricultural infrastructure, to expand the coverage of high-stand farmland, to upgrade irrigation and drainage networks to cope with extreme water conditions, and build regional grain storage and emergency supply systems to buffer against the harvest fluctuations caused by the climate disasters.
And finally, to foster international cooperation, especially with the developing countries in the global south, could also facilitate knowledge sharing on climate resilient agriculture and joint efforts to address transnational food security challenges.
Although this is not a domestic food security issue, it could contribute to a more stable global food supply chain that benefits our own long-term food security.
That was Li Li, an associate professor at China Agricultural University.
China is experiencing a rebound in marriage registrations, driven by policy support and government incentives.
Catherine Drew has more.
Wedding dress shops in China are hoping for another bumper year.
The first nine months of 2025 saw an 85 rise in the number of marriages after nearly a decade of decline.
It came after the government relaxed rules to allow couples to marry anywhere in the country rather than in their place of residence.
That prompted a surge in so-called marriage tourism.
Like this mass wedding at Harbin's Ice and Snow World.
Even before getting married, I had always wanted to visit Harbin.
I love the food here.
There's so much delicious stuff.
The people here are also very friendly, so I'm very grateful for this opportunity to come here.
2025 saw a series of incentives and subsidies for childbirth and education services, including payments of 500 a year for every child under three.
If the government can introduce more supportive policies in all aspects, that would be a positive trend, because young people's attitudes have changed.
That's to say they have more considerations about marriage.
The marriage rate is already lower than before.
So the government wants to encourage more people to step into the marriage hall, right?
Some dress sellers say they're hoping more young people will say yes to the dress due to this year's favorable zodiac sign, the Year of the Horse, which is considered a time of success.
That was Catherine Drew reporting.
Coming up, the U.S. has ruled out the use of force against Greenland.
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Nine minutes past the hour.
U.S.
President, Donald Trump has ruled out the option of seizing Greenland by force, but he renewed his push to acquire the Danish territory while he was speaking at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.
Trump also said he and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte have a framework for a future deal concerning Greenland and the Arctic.
He held the newly agreed upon framework as a great deal for everybody.
It's a deal that people jumped at.
Really fantastic for the USA.
Gets everything we wanted, including especially real national security and international security.
How so?
Can you give us some details, please?
Well, the deal is going to be put out pretty soon.
We'll see.
It's right now a little bit in progress, but pretty far along.
It gets us everything we needed to get.
Does it still include the United States having ownership of Greenland like you've said you wanted?
It's a long-term deal.
It's the ultimate long-term deal.
And I think it puts everybody in a really good position, especially as it pertains to security and minerals and everything else.
Yolo Abdafid has more on Trump's address at the World Economic Forum.
Clarity at least, that the United States will not act in a military fashion against Greenland or Denmark.
I won't do that.
OK, now everyone's saying, oh, good.
That's probably the biggest statement I made because people thought I would use force.
I don't have to use force.
I don't want to use force.
I won't use force.
All the United States is asking for is a place called Greenland.
A reaffirmation that his desire as president, that he thinks he should acquire Greenland, control Greenland, own Greenland effectively.
It's no good just leasing it, he said.
We have to own it.
And he called Greenland our territory.
He also said that you know, dating back 80 years to the Second World War, that they defended Greenland then.
But it was at times a rambling speech, one hour and 13 minutes.
And in that period, he talked at length. after talking about domestic issues, about Greenland.
He made lots of different statements, many unverified.
But at least he now has promised not to take Greenland by force.
That will be a relief for many people in Greenland and probably in Denmark as well.
However, the tensions now surrounding whichever talks takes place to try and talk about whether this purchase is to go ahead or at least they're going to start a negotiation, it still might mean arguing and debating about trade tariffs, and the threat of trade tariffs in itself is going to destabilize the relationship between the eight european countries that these possible tariffs have been directed towards, and it will also increase tensions, of course, in the alliance with nato, because these these countries are members of nato.
The united states is treated very unfairly by NATO.
I want to tell you that when you think about it, nobody can dispute it.
We give so much and we get so little in return.
So this problem hasn't gone away.
There may be some de-escalation in terms of not using force.
But the threat of everything else and the absolute determination, it seems, by Donald Trump to say that the United States must now control Greenland for all those reasons he's given before, then it looks like that he's deadly serious about that.
And that was Yolo Apdafid in Davos.
The European Parliament suspended its work on the EU's trade deal with the United States.
European leaders will hold an emergency meeting on Thursday.
William Denslow reports from Brussels.
Here in Brussels.
All eyes, all ears will be on what exactly was discussed in Davos to prompt US President Donald Trump to post on social media that a framework agreement had been reached that would provide, as he says, security not just for Greenland but for the wider Arctic region under the so-called Golden Dome plan.
So very interesting to see what exactly this means for Europe, considering the fact that European leaders have been very clear to say that it's only up to Greenland, and indeed Denmark, to make decisions that involve this territory.
Now going forward.
We know that NATO partners, NATO allies of the US, have been bolstering their collective security in Greenland in recent days.
More exercises, more presence there.
We also know, according to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, that the EU is planning to step up its collective security in the Arctic.
We are at the crossroads.
Europe prefers dialogue and solutions, but we are fully prepared to act, if necessary, with unity, urgency and determination.
So all eyes will be on how exactly these plans are part of what Donald Trump describes as this framework.
Then, of course, there is the economic ramifications, with Donald Trump seemingly suggesting that these tariffs, for now, are off the table.
European leaders are still set to meet on Thursday evening here in Brussels.
They were set to discuss those tariffs and how the EU might respond.
So perhaps the conversation now turning to what exactly was involved in this framework agreement brokered with the NATO Secretary General, the US,
President and others on the sidelines of Davos, and how exactly Europe and Brussels will be a part of it going forward.
That was William Denslow in Brussels.
Several US governors who are in Davos have spoken out against President Donald Trump's campaign to take control of Greenland.
They say his actions have hurt Washington's relationship with its European allies.
Walter Morris reports from D.C.
Several US governors are in Davos for the World Economic Forum this week, and California Governor Gavin Newsom is one of many who have expressed concerns about the consequences of Trump's bid to take Greenland.
Trump told the audience during his address that he wants a piece of ice for world protection.
And if they say no quote we will remember.
He spoke for nearly two hours and he covered a wide range of topics like green energy and windmills.
He also mentioned several political rivals by name.
At one point during the speech, Governor Gavin Newsom could be seen standing by a wall and smiling after Trump referred to him as a good guy.
Now, this week, Newsom has been very critical of European leaders for failing to stand up to Trump.
And this is what he had to say after the speech.
For the European audience, that may have been a new speech.
My God, there wasn't anything new about that speech for the American audience.
The only thing that was new is he said he's willing to negotiate.
But wait a second.
That's not new either, because he's been saying he wanted to negotiate for over a year.
Newsom said he doesn't think the threat of the U.S. using force to take Greenland was ever real.
And leading up to Trump's highly anticipated speech, other US governors at Davos said they were worried about how European allies will react.
We're one year into a four-year term and the amount of damage that's been done is going to have a long, long tail for us competitively, for our stature in the world, for trust amongst allies.
This president has taken America from being leader of the free world to the bully on the playground.
From trying to promote democracy worldwide and always stand firm with our allies and friends to saying we can use force just because we can.
The Greenland thing is a little weird, I'll admit, because we can already put military bases on Greenland.
And during the forum, the governor of Kentucky also stressed the importance of NATO and the need for the US to stand with its allies.
That was Walter Morris reporting.
President of the United Nations General Assembly says the UN is under outright attack.
Annalena Baerbock made the remarks at the World Economic Forum.
It has become even more clear that we are not all singing from the same songbook anymore.
And due to this, more and more member states hesitate when circumstances demand principled conviction.
Voices that were once outspoken in their support for all the three pillars of the United Nations Charter peace and security, sustainable development and human rights fall more and more silent in the face of their erosion.
The UN is not only under pressure, but under outright attack.
Turning to Greenland, Baerbock rejected arguments that questioned the territory's status.
She said, Greenlanders belong to Greenland and remain citizens of the Kingdom of Denmark, the European Union and NATO with the same sovereign rights as people anywhere else in the world.
Coming up, the U.S. is withdrawn from the World Health Organization.
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19 minutes past the hour.
The US withdrawal from the World Health Organization has taken effect a year after it submitted its application.
But the WHO says the U.S. needs to make back payments.
The U.S. owes the WHO more than $270 million.
It says it'll not pay.
Jim Spellman reports from Washington, D.C.
On the first day of his second term in office, President Donald Trump began the process of withdrawing the US from the World Health Organization.
What is he withdrawing? from the World Health Organization.
Oh, that's a big one.
The director general of the WHO says withdrawal may damage public health around the world, while also putting the US at risk.
The U.S. cannot be safe unless the rest of the world is safe.
The WHO helps countries detect, study and react to threats, including pandemics, by sharing technical expertise and and coordinating responses, like testing and vaccine distribution.
The US will no longer participate in that global system.
Dr. Georges Benjamin is executive director of the American Public Health Association.
It creates a void and the inability for us to coordinate on a global scale.
And you know, the important thing to understand about particularly infectious diseases is that they do not respect geographical boundaries.
And we travel at the speed of our transportation systems, which is, you know, ours.
But Dr Benjamin says even if Trump or some future president were to bring the United States back into the World Health Organization, it could take years to rebuild the US public health system and reintegrate into the global health community.
That was Jim Spellman reporting.
Some experts are warning that the US exit from the WHO could reshape global health cooperation, especially in developing nations.
Countries like Indonesia, which felt the impact of vaccine inequality during the COVID-19 pandemic, could face similar challenges without strong WHO support.
Silkeena Alawalia has more from Jakarta.
This move by the United States is a major shakeup for global health.
For developing countries like Indonesia, experts say there are real consequences.
The middle-income countries usually, majority, they face the classic problem.
Nutrition, about stunting or poor nutrition.
And also about the sanitation.
And also the most big problem for middle-income countries is about the communicable disease TB malaria, HIV and et cetera.
So in terms of health system strengthening, they need support.
The World Health Organization was created with a mission to protect global health.
The United States is the agency's biggest donor, covering roughly 20% of WHO's budget.
That funding supports programs in more than 150 countries, many of them developing nations, that depend on the Organization for Vaccines Lab Support and Emergency Responses.
Now, with President Donald Trump withdrawing the US from WHO, experts warn the impact will be felt far beyond Washington.
Indonesia knows what it's like to be left behind in the race for vaccines.
During COVID-19, wealthier countries had access to supplies first, while developing nations were left waiting.
Now, with the World Health Organization facing uncertainty, there are concerns the same could happen again.
Fewer resources and slower global response could put Indonesia at risk.
It could affect vaccine supply chains and emergency funding.
In Indonesia where health resources are limited?
WHO provides technical expertise and lab support during crisis?
Of course, the current situation is impacting us, but we also have implemented anticipatory policies to address these issues.
We can still conduct most testing activities, but some samples are still pending.
However, we can still receive support from this at a national level.
There will certainly be an impact, but we are always preparing for it and finding solutions to ensure activities are not interrupted.
During COVID-19, the WHO helped negotiate fairer vaccine access for low and middle income countries.
Without US funding, that kind of coordination becomes far more difficult, potentially delaying vaccine distribution and weakening outbreak response.
Experts warn that developing countries, including Indonesia, may be increasingly.
Many European countries have rejected US.
President Donald Trump's invitation to join what he calls his Board of Peace.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersen says Sweden declined the proposal based on its current text.
Norway also rejected the invitation.
The Norwegian Prime Minister's office says the board raises a number of questions.
The German Foreign Office says that joining the Board of Peace is not possible at present.
But nine other countries, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey, say they will join.
The Board of Peace was originally proposed under the US-drafted 20-point peace plan aimed at ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and supporting the reconstruction of Gaza.
But the draft charter of the board makes no reference to the strip.
Trump said on Tuesday that the UN should continue because of its potential, but the Board of Peace might replace the organization.
Russian President, Vladimir Putin, says Moscow is reviewing its participation in Trump's Board of Peace.
He also expressed willingness for frozen Russian assets in the US to be used by the proposed board.
Putin will meet with Trump's envoys in Moscow to discuss developments in the deal to end the conflict with Ukraine.
Dasha Chernyshova reports from Moscow.
Well, we have the confirmation from the Kremlin that indeed, this meeting will be taking place at the Kremlin on Thursday.
And the Russian president is expected to meet also Jared Kushner, U.S.
President Donald Trump's son-in-law, who has been closely involved into the Gaza peace talks.
So the expectation is indeed that the sides would have an opportunity to talk about the peace plan, the details that have been emerged over the course of the past weeks,
And the last time Vitkov and Jared Kushner were in Moscow was in December.
Since then, there have been several rounds of talks.
The latest involving Russia, taking place in Davos with the participation of Russia's Kirill Dmitriev, special presidential envoy, who met with Vitkov there.
So now we are hearing from Vitkov that Russia has itself requested this meeting to be held in the Russian capital.
And obviously Moscow is expecting to see how its concerns are met and taken into account in the current form of the peace proposal, because Russia has been insisting that the so-called root causes of this conflict have to be eliminated to achieve the lasting peace.
And Steve Witkoff has been quoted as saying that There have been many successes on the track of Russia-Ukraine peace plan.
He has also been quoted as saying as 90% of that peace plan, even more has already been agreed upon.
So obviously, Russia will be looking to see whether its concerns have been made.
And earlier.
The Kremlin has rejected two comments on any of those talks, saying that they should not be part of the public diplomacy.
That was Dasha Chernysheva reporting.
The U.S.
Federal Reserve is facing another challenge to its independence with President Donald Trump's unprecedented attempt to fire one of its governors.
This comes as Chairperson Jerome Powell faces a criminal probe by the Justice Department.
No U.S. president has tried to oust an official from the Fed Reserve since its creation in 1913.
Owen Faircloth has more from Washington, D.C.
On a day when US President Donald Trump may, for some, have pulled back from putting the final nail in the coffin of the NATO alliance.
The US Supreme Court, which has often ruled in favor of Trump, may be about to check his presidential ambitions.
Not long after Trump took the stage at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, the justices here sat down to address a profound question.
To what extent can a president remove a Federal Reserve governor from their post?
The Trump administration is trying to overturn an injunction that prevents Trump from removing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook.
She's one of the officials that helps decide the main interest rate that influences so much economic activity, often the cost of a mortgage.
And it's a mortgage at the center of the allegations here that Cook allegedly misled banking authorities to try and get a preferential mortgage rate for herself.
And yet some of the justices at the Supreme Court are concerned that because this allegation took place before Cook joined the Fed, it doesn't constitute what's called for cause.
That's essentially a clause that allows presidents to remove a Fed Federal Reserve official for potentially some kind of crime or gross negligence.
That's a concern.
Even some of the justices that Trump appointed in his first term as president were concerned about the message this sends for the Federal Reserve's cherished independence to work independently of political pressure and independently of the White House.
It's long been known that Trump wants the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates faster than it already has.
Indeed, Trump wants to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.
There's concern that Trump's attempts to remove Cook, and indeed his threats to try and fire Powell, are a pretext to install his own people who will set interest rates to his liking.
And, as some of the justices observed, interest rates are set for the good of the economy, not for the short term goals of presidents or political leaders.
One potential outcome for this is for this case to be sent back to the lower courts to try and address these profound questions of presidential authority over the Fed, which is, to all extents and purposes, an independent agency.
But they also evoked the specter of Trump potentially acting as some kind of judge and jury for Fed officials who accused of wrongdoing, and the specter of Fed officials being effectively tried by Trump in the Oval Office.
That was Owen Faircloth in Washington.
At 29 past now, Beijing down to minus 10 Thursday night.
It's sunny and plus 2 on Friday.
Nanchang will be cloudy and minus 2, then sunny and 10.
Elsa and Asia.
Islamabad's getting heavy rainfall overnight 8 degrees, a light rain, and 10 degrees for Friday.
Vientiane will be cloudy and 14 overnight, then sunny and 26.
Phnom Penh's overcast tonight and tomorrow, a low of 20 and a high of 31 degrees.
It's time for a short break.
So far this hour, China's reached all of its annual and five-year targets for agricultural and rural development.
The US president's now ruled out the use of forests to seize Greenland, but still wants to take over the island.
The United States has withdrawn from the World Health Organization, but the WHO says the US still owes money.
Shane Bigham with you.
Stay with us here on The Beijing Hour.
Shh, listen up.
Can you hear the heartbeat of our world?
It's vibrant and pulsating with the essence of life itself.
From the stem of trees to the gurgle of rivers.
From the silent strength of mountains to the icy whispers of glaciers.
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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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 Thursday.
Still to come.
In business, China strengthened its poverty alleviation and rural development efforts.
In sports, Champions League action featuring another strong win for Liverpool.
In culture and entertainment, London Film School is launching a program in China.
To contact us, you can email radio at cgtn.com or follow our ex-account at cgtnradio.
Now with the check of the day's headlines, here's Do Hongyu.
Thank you, Shane.
A Chinese envoy to the United Nations says Japan is not qualified to seek a permanent seat on the Security Council because it cannot fulfill its responsibilities to maintain international peace and security.
Speaking at a meeting on Security Council reform, Sun Lei said right-wing forces in Japan have denied history and tried to justify historical crimes.
A country that shows no remorse for its historical crimes, violates the basic norms governing international relations, challenges the outcomes of the victory in World War II and blatantly tramples on the post-war international order, is incapable of fulfilling its responsibility of maintaining international peace and security.
It cannot gain the trust of the international community and has absolutely no qualification to seek a permanent seat in the UN Security Council.
The envoy said China is willing to work with all peace-loving countries to safeguard the post-war international order.
Finnish Prime Minister Pateri Orpo will pay an official visit to China from Sunday to Wednesday.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry says Beijing places high importance on its ties with Helsinki.
During the visit, China hopes to strengthen high-level exchanges, expand trade and economic cooperation and promote people-to-people connections.
It also aims to enhance coordination in multilateral affairs, taking bilateral relations to a new level.
China will send two giant pandas to Germany under a 10-year conservation program between the China Wildlife Conservation Association and Munich's Hellebrunn Zoo.
Chinese experts have carried out inspections and assessments to ensure suitable living conditions for the pandas.
Germany already hosts Giant Pandas and Zoo Berlin.
Meng Meng and Zhao Qing arrived from Chengdu in 2017 under a 15-year cooperation arrangement.
Israeli forces have killed three Palestinian journalists in a strike on a vehicle in central Gaza.
The journalists were filming at a newly established displacement camp overseen by an Egyptian government committee.
A spokesperson for the committee says the strike occurred five kilometers from Israeli-controlled areas and that the vehicle was known to the Israeli military as belonging to the Egyptian committee.
The Committee to Protect Journalists says Israeli fire in Gaza has killed over 200 journalists since the conflict began in 2023.
Australia is observing a national day of mourning on Thursday for the 15 victims of the Bondi Beach shooting.
The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet said Australian flanks will fly and have masks at all government buildings.
Two gunmen targeted people celebrating the Jewish festival of Hanukkah and the iconic beach last month.
One of the alleged shooters died at the scene and the other was charged with 59 offences, including terrorism and murder.
Three people have died following a shooting in the Australian state of New South Wales on Thursday afternoon.
Police confirmed that the shooting in Lake Kajaliko left two women and a man dead, while another man was hospitalized in serious but stable condition.
A crime scene has been established and authorities have urged local residents to stay indoors.
A landslide has struck a holiday park in New Zealand. leaving several people missing.
It sent rubble barrelling down on the beachside holiday park at the base of Mount Maunganui, a popular tourist spot on the northern coast of New Zealand.
Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell says search and rescue efforts are continuing.
There is still a lot of work being done to actually understand what damage has occurred.
We know that we've had multiple slips, infrastructure down, working hard to get power restored.
And obviously a real priority is the recovery of people and the rescue operation that is happening behind us.
Rescuers have not found any survivors so far.
The slips swept through camper vans, cars, tents, hot pools and a shower block.
Heavy rain and flooding battered parts of the North Island overnight, leaving thousands without power and isolating some communities.
All right.
Thank you very much.
That was Du Hongyu with Headlines.
Coming up in business, China strengthened its poverty alleviation and rural development efforts.
The Beijing Hour, your window on China and the rest of the world.
37 past now.
Turning to business, and here's Tianyu.
Thank you, Shane.
Stock markets in China ended higher on Thursday.
On the Chinese mainland, the Shanghai composite rose 0.1%, while the Shenzhen component gained 0.5%.
Hong Kong's Hansen Index added about 0.2%.
Tokyo's stock market also finished the day higher, with the Nikkei climbing nearly 2%.
China has continued to strengthen its poverty alleviation and rural development efforts.
But by the end of last year, authorities had supported more than 7 million people at risk of falling back into poverty.
Living conditions have steadily improved, with better access to education healthcare, safe housing and clean drinking water.
Job and industry support has also expanded, as more than 32 million workers from formerly poor areas are now employed.
China has also improved rural industries, infrastructure and governance.
The value added of large-scale agricultural and food processing enterprises rose 5.6%.
Official data shows rural residents' per capita disposable income reached about 25,000 yuan, up 6%.
Authorities say these efforts are helping create more livable, stable and prosperous rural communities.
For more.
Vivian Nunez spoke with senior fellow Liu Zhiqing from the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies.
So what were the major takeaways from that State Council conference when it comes to farming and villages?
I think the conference has sent a very important signal to the society, as we know that the countryside agricultural modernization plays the decisive role in China's modernization.
Because when we are talking about struggling for China's modernization, without agriculture or rural modernization, there is nothing happening.
So in this way we take a very significant importance to play the policy effort to modernize the rural areas.
As we know, the central government has already set one target, for instance, 1000 model villages or 10000 best villages in different areas.
So, in order to promote the modernized procedure in agriculture, as we know that the agriculture production is so important for China, because we have to avoid the so-called large-scale return to poverty,
The per capita disposable income of rural residents increased by 6% last year.
How has that been achieved and is it sustainable?
Yeah, that's true, because the central government has issued a series of positive and supportive policies to increase the income of the rural residents.
In the past years.
I think in many ways that we have the reduction of the price in the rural products and also in the TO INCREASE ALL THE SALARIES AND SOCIAL SECURITIES.
THAT MEANS PER PERSON GET MORE SUBSIDIES FROM THE GOVERNMENT.
SO INCREASE THEIR INCOME.
SO THIS WAY THAT WE SHOW THAT 6% IS NOT BIG. could be very satisfied.
The residents in rural areas are trying their best to get more income because they have different ways for doing business, not beside traditional farming.
They can e-commerce.
Also, they will use AI technology to increase the quality, the variety of the rural products.
That was Liu Zhiqing from the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies.
Several Chinese provinces have reported solid gains in foreign trade and tourism, highlighting steady economic momentum.
In Jiangsu province, total foreign trade reached about 6 trillion yuan in 2025, or roughly US850 billion.
That accounted for around 13% of China's total imports and exports last year.
Jiangsu's exports of mechanical and electrical products grew about 12, making up 71 of the province's total exports.
The eastern province is home to nearly 43000 foreign-invested enterprises, reflecting a strong appeal to global businesses.
Jiangsu's international trade links continue to expand in 2025.
Trade with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative rose over 11 to nearly 3 trillion yuan, or about US420 billion.
Hainan province recorded strong growth in tourism in 2025, welcoming about 106 million domestic and overseas visitors.
Visits to the tropical island increased more than 9% from the previous year.
Total tourism spanning rose 10.5% to over 225 billion yuan or about 32 billion US dollars.
Inbound tourism expanded sharply with around 1.5 million overseas visits.
It marked the first time.
Hainan received more than 100 million tourist visits in a single year and generated over 200 billion yuan in tourism revenue.
This year, Hainan aims to attract 115 million visitors.
Tourism spending is expected to reach around 250 billion yuan, while inbound visits are projected to rise to 2 million.
Authorities say Hainan will speed up efforts to become an international tourism hub, building flagship tourism brands and improving the business and consumer environments.
On the first anniversary of his R1 model's release, Chinese AI developer DeepSeek has updated a large amount of code on the GitHub platform.
Within 114 files, a new identifier labeled Model 1 appeared 28 times.
Experts believe that Model 1 likely refers to a new AI model with a different architecture, rather than just a minor update to the existing version.
This new design will focus on better memory efficiency and enhanced performance.
DeepSeq recently introduced a new training method and an AI memory module called Ngram.
These developments have sparked speculation that Model 1 may incorporate these cutting-edge innovations.
China's film industry chain reached 817 billion yuan, or over 117 billion US dollars, in total output in 2025, ranking it among the top film markets globally.
The core sectors of film production, distribution and exhibition contributed over 226 billion yuan.
Industries such as catering, transportation and tourism generated an additional 340 billion yuan.
China also opened its first virtual reality cinema in Beijing, which has already screened 13 VR films.
The rise of FilmPlus cross-industry collaborations is reshaping consumption patterns.
Activities like travel with movies and enjoying local cuisine through films are gaining momentum.
US streaming platform Hulu will officially shut down as a standalone service beginning in February.
Disney has spent years laying the groundwork for this transition by gradually integrating Hulu content into Disney and promoting bundled subscriptions.
This marks a major shift in Disney's long-term digital strategy and the end of a brand that has existed for over a decade.
Meanwhile, Netflix has announced an all-cash offer to acquire the assets of Warner Bros.
Discovery.
The bid aims to block Paramount's efforts to secure the Hollywood giant.
Sean Kellogg spoke with College Note CEO Dan Yeh about the changing landscape of the streaming wars.
Disney wants to create an all-in-one app for subscribers, but ESPN Plus and Hulu users can still purchase standalone subscriptions.
So how big of a game-changer would the loss of the Hulu app actually be?
Well, it's not that big of a deal, I don't think.
A lot of the Hulu users will migrate towards Disney+.
I am sure there will be a small segment of Hulu users who will just basically give up and not return.
But my guess is the majority of them will come back for the content.
And this will allow Disney Plus to have an all-in-one app in its competition against Netflix, against YouTube, against other streaming services.
So where do you see the state of streaming in the next 5 to 10 years?
This is really going to be a race to dominate that.
And also with Netflix perhaps moving in on Warner Brothers, who makes the big movies as well?
That's also at stake.
Well, you know, in most markets, it generally follows the rule of three.
So you tend to have a big three and you tend to have a small three.
So in Our case, I would say the big three will likely be YouTube, Netflix and Disney, especially YouTube.
YouTube is actually bigger than Netflix and Disney are together.
It's just that people don't talk about YouTube as much because it's user-generated content.
But if you look at the amount of minutes watched, YouTube by far is the biggest player.
And then you will have the small three, most likely CBS, Viacom, Skydance, and they will be competing for the rest of the eyeballs and you're going to see a lot more consolidation going forward because if you want to survive in this customer competition you need to consolidate in order to channel your strength to attract eyeballs right right consumers are not going to pay six subscriptions they're probably going to pay two to three and you want to be among those two to three subscriptions that users can live without And that was College Notes CEO Dan Yeh on the future of streaming platforms.
Thank you very much.
That was Tianyu with Business.
You're listening to The Beijing Hour coming up in sports Champions League action, featuring another strong win for Liverpool.
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.
At 47 past the hour, turning to sports, and here's Yang Guang.
Thank you, Shane.
In football from the UEFA Champions League, Liverpool took another step toward automatic qualification for the round of 16.
The English club beat Marseille 3-0 on the road, extending their unbeaten run to 13 matches in all competitions.
Mohamed Salah made his first start for the Reds since November after returning from duty from Egypt at Africa Cup of Nations.
Dominic Zubo's line broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time after sending in a free-kick that passed goalkeeper Gironimo Rulli to give the six-time champions a 1-0 lead.
Liverpool put the game to rest with 18 minutes left, as Jeremy Frimpong's low pass was deflected by Rulli and bounced into his own net.
Salah later passed up a chance to end his seven-game club goal drought before Cody Gugpo made it 3-0 in stoppage time.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slott said he's very pleased with Salah's return.
He knows his teammates and he knows how we want to play.
And it says a lot about how big of a professional he is that being away with us for a month in a different team that he was so fit to play today 90.
I think he was close to a goal.
Good ball from Cody.
Usually that's a goal for him.
Tonight it wasn't, but it didn't harm us because we scored three.
The victory lifted the Reds to fourth place in the 36-team table, and a win over Karabag at home next week would guarantee a top-8 finish.
In other games.
FC Barcelona won 4-2 away to Slavia Prague to keep its hopes of finishing in the Champions League top-8 alive ahead of next week's final round of matches.
Harry Kane scored in the 52nd and 55th minutes as Bayern Munich beat Union St.
Julois 2-0 at home to secure a top-8 finish.
Catherine Durham and Weston McKinney scored second-half goals as Juventus beat Benfica 2-0 at home.
Newcastle United took a step toward a top-eight finish with a 3-0 home win over PSV Eindhoven.
Chelsea finished the round in eighth after Moises Caicedo scored only goal in a 1-0 home win over Parthos.
Moving to the Saudi Pro League, Cristiano Ronaldo is now 40 goals away from the 1000 mark for his career.
It came after Art Nasser beat Denmark 2-1 to keep their title hopes alive.
The Portuguese superstar contributed the second goal for the visitors, his 960th career tally.
The win was Art Nasser's second in a row after three straight defeats.
It remains in second place with 37 points level with Art Ali.
But four behind leaders are Hilal who has a game in hand.
To the Australian Open, where Wang Xinyu has become the only Chinese player in the last 32 of the women's singles draw.
She produced a courageous comeback on Thursday against 24th seed Jelena Osterpenkel, to storm into the third round.
Wang was down a second break before digging deep to prevail in 2 hours and 20 minutes.
The world number 46 is China's highest-ranked player in Melbourne after Zheng Qingwen withdrew ahead of the tournament.
There are high hopes for Wang who has never progressed past the fourth round at the Grand Slam.
The 24-year-old will next play Czech 13th seed Linda Noskova, who defeated Australian wildcard Taylor Preston.
On the men's side, China's Xiang Juncheng slumped to a straight-set defeat against the British Venezuelan Xiaoping in the second round.
The Dutchman, a former World No.
22, will next face 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic.
Earlier, World No.
1.
Carlos Alcaraz withstood early power of German veteran Yannick Hanfmann before finding his range to advance into the third round.
The Spanish player said he is still adjusting himself in the tournament.
Obviously, I didn't see myself playing that good.
But then talking to my team, then I realized that I played better than I thought, which I think is great.
But obviously, I'm still getting used to the conditions, getting used to there, playing better.
Obviously, I think in front of me, I just played against a great player.
But just happy that I'm just improving every day after every match.
So just hopefully being better in the next round.
The 22-year-old is chasing the only Grand Slam title that has eluded him, having never progressed past the quarterfinals at Melbourne Park.
In Formula 1, Lando Norris is still adjusting to being the world champion after picking up another honour in London.
The McLaren driver was named inaugural auto sport champion at Maxine Publishers' 38th awards ceremony.
That's tough, giving inspiration to other people I struggle with.
Enjoy it and keep trying hard.
I mean, I was never one to go, I'm going to be world champion one day, you know.
That was just not my attitude.
It still isn't, kind of thing.
But I always just kept trying, I think was the main thing.
I kept working hard, kept building on my team around me, kept building on myself, and the work paid off.
The 26-year-old clinched overall title at last month's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Thank you very much.
That was Yang Guang with sports.
Coming up in culture and entertainment, London Film School is launching a program here in 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.
52 past the hour.
In culture and entertainment.
China's upcoming 15th five-year plan places new emphasis on culture, calling for a healthier creative ecosystem, stronger original storytelling and a new generation of high-level cultural talent.
International cooperation is crucial to that effort.
The London Film School is now launching an education program in China.
Huang Fei reports.
Stories travel when they're told right.
One of the UK's most respected film schools is betting that global education can raise the bar for film and television.
For the first time in its 70-year history, the London Film School is launching a program in China.
China's film and television industry has grown rapidly, not just in size but in professionalism.
Today's filmmakers have stronger skills and a broader international outlook.
That's why we see China as fertile ground for film education.
The school says the focus is long-term quality.
In the UK, hundreds of films are screened every month.
Distribution channels are well established, especially across Europe.
Our courses will continue to evolve, offering content Chinese students are interested in and new perspectives that help their work reach global audiences.
For China's creative industry, the challenge isn't a lack of stories.
It's how well they connect with the world.
Filmmakers trained across systems say the real lesson lies in bridging cultural gaps.
Language can be a barrier.
Things get lost in translation.
It's our responsibility to tell stories in a way that feels accessible to people everywhere.
Well, this collaboration has come at a pivotal moment.
The UK has vowed to nearly double investment in its creative sector to 31 billion pounds by 2035.
And for China, with its fast-growing creative sector and deep talent pool, cultural and education exchange like this will open doors far beyond the screen.
I think the UK is now the third biggest economy globally for creative industries.
So that has a huge economic benefit as well.
China's an important country and a big country and a changing country.
And once you start talking about creative industries, you get into what we call soft power, right?
Huge impact on everything from tourism to trade, to study, to learning, to culture.
The global success of Chinese animated blockbuster Nojia 2 shows how deep-rooted culture can resonate worldwide.
Educators hope partnerships like this will help produce more stories of impact, stories that bring the world closer together.
That was Huang Fei reporting.
Taylor Swift will become the youngest female artist inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
The 36-year-old pop superstar smashed her own sales record with her latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, which she released in October.
The 2026 class features nine songwriters, including Canadian-American singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette.
The Songwriters Hall of Fame has been around since 1969.
The prestigious club selects a small group of artists every year, and fewer than 500 people have been invited in over the last five decades.
The National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing has staged a traditional Chinese music show, bridging ancient art with modern composition.
Poetic Homeland.
Greater Bay Area.
Chinese Traditional Music Concert featured musicians Young Wai Kit and Sha Jing Shan, centered on Young's composition for bamboo flute and piano.
The work was born from his deep emotional connection to his homeland.
Young, a professor at South China Normal University, curated a program combining classical repertoire with original compositions, featuring instruments such as the bamboo flute and pipa.
The program also featured Young's composition Cantonese Bamboo, blending elements of Cantonese melodies with his personal musical language and creating a unique representation of the Guangdong landscape.
A New Year exhibition titled Guanyin is underway at the Chinese Traditional Culture Museum in Beijing, offering visitors a festive preview of the upcoming Spring Festival.
As the Year of the Horse approaches horses, the zodiac animal for the Lunar New Year, appear throughout the exhibition in a wide range of forms and media.
In Chinese culture, the horse has long symbolized hope, vitality, and good fortune.
The museum's exhibition hall resembles a traditional temple fair, recreating the lively scenes that many visitors remember from childhood.
Visitors can browse handcrafted goods and watch artisans at work, also sample seasonal foods and drinks.
By bringing together traditional crafts, folk performances and interactive experiences, the exhibition highlights customs passed down through the generations.
57 past now.
Turning to the forecast before we go in, Beijing's down to minus 10 on Thursday night.
It's sunny and plus 2 tomorrow.
Nanchang's cloudy and minus 2 overnight, then sunny and 10 degrees.
Also in Asia, Islamabad will see heavy rainfall and 8 degrees this evening.
Friday has a light rain and 10.
Vientiane's cloudy and 14 overnight, then sunny and 26 degrees.
Phnom Penh is getting overcast conditions tonight and tomorrow, a low of 20, a high of 31.
In Africa, Nairobi will be cloudy and 27 degrees on Friday.
Kampala is overcast and down to 18, followed by light rainfall and 28.
Juba is down to 24 degrees, followed by cloudy conditions and 39 degrees Celsius.
That's it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.
Making news today.
China has reached all of its annual and five-year targets for agricultural and rural development.
The US president's now ruled out the use of force to seize Greenland, but still wants to take over the island.
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.
Find The Beijing Hour at precisely 6pm Beijing time.
We meet you on podcast and on air every weekday.
The Beijing Hour, your window on China and the rest of the world.
He can't live without the Yellow River in his eyes.
The Yellow River is so noble and elegant.
Both my grandpa and dad made the living from the river.
Would you like to move away from the Yellow River?
I don't think I will.
I love it so much.
The Yellow River, the second longest river in China, is regarded as a shaping force in the history, economy and culture of northern China.
Today, about 100 million people live within its water basin, making up nearly 9 of the country's population.
How is climate change felt at its headwaters?
And what are the locals doing to cope with it?
What are the descendants of the boatmen doing?
What has kept some people from leaving their home village by the river?
And what has drawn others back?
Could the fading fishing community revive in a time of digital transformation?
From 2021 to 2024.
Our reporters visited the upper, middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, talked to the herders farmers boatmen, fishermen and eco-activists who share a close bond with the river, and present their stories in pictures, podcasts and videos, or in our 12-part series, The Yellow River Mosaic, available only on CGTN Radio.
