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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 Bigham with you on this Tuesday, April 8th, 2025.
You're listening to The Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
On today's program, Chinese authorities say they'll protect the country's interests as the US threatens even more tariffs.
Israeli protesters rally as their prime minister meets the US president at the White House, and South Korea set the date for an election following the formal removal of the country's impeached President.
In business, China's efforts to stabilize the country's stock markets, in sports, Arsenal and Real Madrid prepare to face each other.
In culture and entertainment, the China Pavilion is all set for the World Expo opening in Japan on Sunday.
Now checking the days top stories.
China says it'll enact countermeasures to defend its interests in the face of fresh US tariffs.
Washington threatened an additional 50 % tariff if China does not withdraw its 34 % duties on US imports.
China announced the move last week in response to the Trump administration's global taxes.
China's Commerce Ministry says the so called reciprocal tariffs are groundless and an act of bullying.
He says China will not back down if the U .S. insists on having its own way.
Beijing urged Washington to lift all unilateral tariffs and resolve differences through equal dialogue.
China's foreign ministry called the U .S tariffs unilateralism, protectionism, and economic bullying.
A spokesperson said imposing pressure and threats is not the way to approach ties with China and he said China's determined to safeguard its legitimate interests.
China's central bank has reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding the stability of the capital market.
The People's Bank of China also said it firmly supports Central Huijin Investments' move to expand investment in exchange traded funds.
The company said it's fully capable of maintaining the stable operation of the country's capital market.
Meanwhile, China's financial regulatory authorities have announced measures to raise the cap on equity investments by insurance funds.
The National Financial Regulatory Administration said the move aims to broaden investment channels for insurance funds, and inject more equity capital into the real economy.
U .S. farmers are facing an immediate impact from the global tariffs.
Members of the American Soybean Association have expressed opposition.
President Caleb Ragland explains how the interconnected nature of agricultural supply chains has a negative impact on farms in the rural economy.
We have a precedent from the trade war we went through about seven years ago that was devastating to the American soybean farmer?
Well, we're gonna have to find new opportunities and new customers, and that's very difficult.
We're working every day to find new uses and increase demand domestically.
But it's a drastic shift to find a new home for half of your production in any industry, and that doesn't happen overnight.
And let's find opportunities where we can do something it's good for both parties instead of building walls and barriers through increase tariffs because right now we're just hurting each other.
Let's find ways to do something that's positive and good for both of the countries involved.
That's the basic of a free market.
Some Chinese -American business owners in California have also spoken out against the import duties on China.
President Carl Chan of the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce warns that all consumers will eventually bear the suffering.
And now that because you know many imports coming in paying high tariffs, so they will be you know, translating into more higher costs for the wholesaler, the importers, and then it will be trickling down to the retailers.
And guess what? Toward the end it's all consumers are paying for it.
He also warns that small businesses are suffering the most and they'll not make more money even if people are paying more.
Danny Huang, who owns the grocery store, says he'll raise prices in response to the tariffs.
After this week we might increase the price for those products, I mean those ingredients and then the sauce.
How much to they pretend how much will be How much though, to increase the price for us?
Products the store sells include various sauces, noodles, ginger and garlic imported from China.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba says he's spoken with U .S. President Donald Trump and expressed concern the U .S. tariffs will discourage investment from Japan.
He urged Trump to seek mutually beneficial cooperation, and said Japan will keep negotiating to get the U .S. government to reconsider the measures.
yeshiba has described the challenge challenges as a national crisis the european commission says its first tariffs against the u .s will take effect on april 15th with the second wave starting a month later the countermeasures will target a range of goods in response to u .s tariffs on steel and aluminum the commission said at a ministerial meeting in luxembourg that it had offered a zero for zero tariff deal to avert a avert a trade war a few ministers agreed to prioritize talks.
US president Donald Trump said the offer was not good enough.
Pablo Gutierrez has more.
Well for now the European Union has chosen not to strike back, rather they're looking to strike a deal to bring Washington to the negotiating table.
They say they have a team ready to deploy to Washington at any time so they can start talks.
What's at stake here?
We're talking about 380 billion dollars of EU products that are shipped to the United States.
Could be taxed 20 plus percent.
Now, on a last ditch effort, we heard from the EU's top negotiator, Matos Cefkovic, who had talks with Commerce Secretary Howard Ludnick over this weekend, trying to de -escalate and input some common sense into the dialogue and part of the plan it's basically defending EU commerce.
That's the first step diversifying they're looking at trade agreements with other nations they talked about India and Indonesia and they're also talking about deterring trade divergence setting up a task force to help protect EU consumers.
China is the second largest trading partner of the European union.
We're talking about $800 billion of trade bilateral trade.
What they're trying to do right now is they're trying to level the playing field for European companies.
And we were talking a little bit before about Mr. Maro Sethkovich, who was also a week ago in China, trying to strengthen those bonds.
One of those areas is a customs cooperation program, and they said that that could be a positive first step to further develop this relationship.
That was Pablo Goodieres on the EU's response to US tariffs.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer says the country will work to lower trade barriers with key partners.
He's warned that new tariffs on UK goods pose a serious threat to their industrial base and the global economy.
Michael Marilié reports from London.
Here in the shadow of London's Big Ben, business people are looking for matches.
But not the romantic kind.
Instead they're searching for attractive investments.
So this is what it's all about.
Business people meeting, chatting and finding out if there's a chance of a long -term relationship.
It's been exciting.
It's almost like a dance.
Everyone's having a dance, they're seeing if they feel right with each other.
Across the Atlantic, President Donald Trump is dancing to his own tune, imposing tariffs on global trading partners.
Some people say Trump's approach is making China look even more attractive.
I think really it's important that the UK companies here now start realising maybe who their friends really are.
In business the one thing you need is stability.
And I'm afraid to certain places right now where stability is not really ordered today.
Chinese officials presented plans for their regions.
They say they're gearing up to work with British companies.
I think we can cooperate with the UK especially when it comes to the electric vehicle sector.
I've realised that the UK is also very interested in exploring new forms of energy.
The UK has had its fair share of economic troubles.
Even now the country is still coming to terms with record high inflation.
Some firms say Chinese manufacturers could be the answer.
Here in the UK it is very expensive, the labor is very expensive.
So for the UK businesses getting their things done from China is a lot of saving cost. The quality is also very good and in my opinion that's the future." It's not always love at first sight.
Some business people are worried about safeguarding their brands in China, but they're working to resolve any snags.
I'm in the process of getting my trademark, I'm working with a Chinese law firm and I really am looking forward to trading with China.
Business is built on relationships.
Events like this suggest countries are rethinking where their future lies.
That was Michael Morillier on exploring business opportunities in London.
Washington's decision to slap tariffs on even its closest partners has drawn backlash around the world.
The former president of the BRIC's New Development Bank says the measures are fueling economic uncertainty for everyone, including Americans.
Lee Shuan caught up with Marcos Trejo.
Trade and investment expert Marcos Trejol is an economist as well as a diplomat.
He points to a contradiction in U .S. policy.
While the country promotes deregulation and tax cuts to attract foreign investment, it's also imposing sweeping trade restrictions that risk isolating the U .S. economy.
And it seems to me that the current administration has a wrong diagnosis of some of the U .S. challenges.
And because it has the wrong diagnosis, it's implementing policies that I think at the end of the day will not only harm the U .S. consumer, U .S. firms, but the global economy as a whole.
For U .S. multinationals, the shift in policy could force costly realignments and reduce profitability.
So imagine a company that has recently made an investment in a manufacturing plant in Thailand, a distribution center in Morocco, and a finishing plant in Mexico.
If all of a sudden, because of current current trade and industrial policy, everything has to be say redirected to manufacturing in the United States, profitability is going to be cut, dividends to be paid will be cut.
And this is going to hurt the performance of American companies in stock markets.
With the US and China representing two of the world's largest economies, any fallout from this trade dispute could ripple across the globe.
I don't think that signals a very promising path forward. I truly hope that this is only a kind of negotiation tactics, although it does bring about a loss of confidence, a lot of, a loss of trust that would take a long time to recover.
But this is definitely, definitely going to hurt global economic performance.
Still, Treuhl sees opportunity amid the disruption.
With US trade policy turning inward, new partnerships may emerge, particularly between China and Europe or with major food exporters like Brazil and Argentina.
It's just that de -globalization does not necessarily mean the contrary of globalization.
As for US consumers, the immediate effect could be felt on store shelves and price tags.
choiho warns that domestic capacity simply can't replace global supply chains overnight.
So yes the consumer will pay and because the consumer you pay then let's not forget that the U .S. is the biggest consumer market in the world it's the biggest importer of the world.
There's not going to be either in scale or in terms of speed domestic alternative.
The question is whether this tractor leads to a more fragmented global economy or promotes a rethink in Washington.
That was Li Chuang reporting.
We asked Zhou Mi at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation about US decision -making.
The senior research fellow said there may have been some abuse of power.
Well, we know that normally that decisions on the policies of the target should be decided by collective efforts and a lot of groups supplied by the USTR and other officials.
But now it seems that only Donald Trump himself is trying to justify what numbers should they post on other countries input.
I don't think it's a real, kind of a very good thing, even for the United States because they're trying to use the IEP power authorized by the Congress too often and too more lightly.
I don't think it's a good thing that the world is looking at logic and also the predictability.
Without predictability, I think that the trade cannot even happen.
They have to worry about the price even before they have departed from the manufacturers and that is definitely even more serious for the producers for the agricultural products because they have to make decision even months before.
It's so hard for them.
That was Jomi on US tariff decisions.
Coming up Israeli protesters hold rallies as their Prime Minister visits the White House once again.
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Fifteen minutes past the hour, Israeli protesters have rallied in Tel Aviv after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held talks with US President Donald Trump at the White house.
Many of them cast doubts on whether the meeting will help their primary objective, which is to reach a deal bringing home the remaining hostages in Gaza.
First of all we have to solve our problems here between us.
Trump can be helpful, but I think this case is much more helpful to Bibi government, not to the people of Israel.
I don't think it's do any good for our people.
We are here in Israel suffering.
Everyone here has family, everything that is suffering, in the army, hostages, killed people.
And he's going and admitting that doesn't give any hope for us." Netanyahu arrived at the White House on Monday marking his second visit since January.
The two leaders discussed the 18 -month conflict in Gaza and the fate of Israeli hostages in the Strip.
US President Donald Trump's announced direct talks between Washington and Tehran over Iran's nuclear issue.
Trump surprised reporters with the news at a meeting with visiting Israeli prime minister.
Iran confirmed the talks in Oman on Saturday, but stressed they are indirect discussions.
Trump said he's hopeful of reaching a deal, but warned that Iran will be in great danger if the talks fail.
Iran's foreign minister said the meeting will be an opportunity, but also a test. Tehran has recently refused U .S. demands for direct talks over its nuclear program.
The leaders of France, Egypt and Jordan are calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
They met in Cairo, urging Israel and Hamas to resume negotiations for lasting peace and the release of all hostages.
Adel al -Maruki reports.
Egypt has gotten its strongest support since it announced its Gaza reconstruction plan in March. On Monday, in Cairo, French President Emmanuel Macron voiced his support to the Arab -Endorse plan, which ensures that Palestinians remain in Gaza during the reconstruction process.
We firmly oppose the displacement of populations and any annexation of Gaza or the West Bank.
this would be a violation of international law and a serious threat to the security of the entire region including that of Israel the French support challenges u .s. president Donald Trump's vision to build a Riviera of the Middle East after expelling all its population the talks on Gaza and Cairo expanded to include the king of Jordan the leaders of the three countries call for an immediate end of hostilities a return to the ceasefire in Gaza and the resumption of aid flow to civilians.
On Tuesday, Macron is scheduled to visit Al -Arish city in North Sinai.
It's about 50 kilometers away from the Egyptian border with Gaza and Rafah.
That was Adele Almaruki on French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Egypt.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society has urged an independent international inquiry into the killing of 15 aid workers last month.
Officials with the group say Israeli troops killed the aid workers in southern Gaza.
Their bodies and ambulances were discovered buried under the sand.
PRCS President Dr. Younus El Hatib says there are so many questions to ask Israel.
Why did you hide the buttons?
Why and why?" They have to answer for that.
This is why an investigation, an independent investigation has been our number one request from the internationally.
We added that those responsible must be held to account with no impunity for anyone.
The President also called for actions to ensure respect for international humanitarian law.
The Israel Defense Force has said six of the aid workers were identified as Hamas militants.
The military also backtracked on its account of the killings after phone video appeared to contradict its claim that the aid workers' vehicles did not have emergency signals on.
China's pledge continued support for United Nations peacekeeping operations at a Security Council briefing on the Blue Helmets.
Jody Jacobs reports on recent challenges and China's role behind the missions.
In 2024 the U .N. withdrew its peacekeeping forces from both Mali and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In both cases, the host country requested the withdrawals, claiming the U .N. had failed to uphold its mandate and protect civilians.
The United Nations admits there have been challenges and have called for urgent reforms to make peacekeeping more adaptable.
It says conflicts around the world are becoming more protracted as geopolitical divisions to widen.
Today's operating environment is increasingly dynamic and often characterized by hybrid threats that blur the boundaries among domains.
In this context, ceasefire monitoring can no longer be just about being present.
It's about rapidly understanding and acting on what is happening on the ground.
China which contributes close to 2 ,000 troops remains the largest contributing permanent member of the Security Council.
It also contributes more than 18 % to the peacekeeping budget.
Speaking during a Security Council meeting on Monday, China pledged its continuing support to UN peacekeeping operations.
China stressed the need to unlock the potential of emerging technologies to improve the operations of UN peacekeepers.
These include strengthening early warning and intelligence information to better protect the peacekeepers.
During a special session of the UN Security Council on Monday, Member States, while expressing their continued support to UN peacekeeping operations, warned that peacekeeping missions need to be equipped with modern capacity if they are to fully implement their mandates.
Last month, the secretary general stated that the biggest hurdle facing its peacekeeping missions is a growing gap between what's expected and the available resources.
That was Jody Jacobs reporting from the United Nations in New York.
Coming up, South Korea sets an election date after removing impeached President Yoon Seok -yol.
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23 past the hour. South Korea's governments approved June 3rd as the date for a snap presidential election following former president Yoon Suk -yol's removal from office last week.
Jack Barton brings us up to date about the presidential race.
Former president Yun Song -yol had his term cut short normally there's a single five year term for South Korean presidents you can't run for two terms and it's a simple plurality system there's one round of voting whoever wins the most votes they become the president.
The main candidate for the opposition will undoubtedly be EJ Myung he currently heads the party.
He was the candidate who ran against former President Yoon and lost by 0 .7%.
On the ruling party, lots of people are being talked about including the current acting President Handuk Su, he's been a stable set of hands.
He opposed the martial law of Yoon but in a way that hurt him within his own party.
But the man everyone's talking about is Kim Moon -su who resigned as the trade minister and has officially stepped forward to run for president.
Well, up until a few weeks ago, everyone of course would have assumed that moving on from martial law would have been the main motivator and that of course the opposition would win a resounding victory, but it seems US President Donald Trump and his tariffs have overshadowed all of that.
The US of course being South Korea's second biggest trade partner.
But also South Korea knows that the impact on other countries will also be felt.
So, you know, this is likely to dominate the elections.
There is a sense everyone has moved on from martial law.
What we see in the polls is the parties often neck -and -neck sometimes.
One of the reasons for that is because the ruling party has shown economic competency through this period.
but also there's a lot of outstanding corruption cases against the opposition leader E .J.
Myung. If you can push them through appeal and become president, he'll have presidential immunity.
But even many in his own party are not too happy about this fact.
That was Jack Barton in Seoul.
At least 33 people have died in severe flooding in Kinshasa.
The president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has visited flood victims who lost their Hundreds of people have moved to safer areas now.
Chris Okamiringa has more.
Picking up the pieces.
Kinshasa residents try to salvage their household items after severe floods submerged their homes on Saturday.
The floods were triggered by heavy rains that caused the Njili River to burst its banks.
Silvang, Kanku is among hundreds of victims who are counting their losses.
All my household items, money and clothes got destroyed.
I only managed to get this suitcase and some shoes.
I lost my savings, food rations, a refrigerator and new chairs.
I'm going to have to start life from scratch. Some parents have been separated from their children.
I just don't know where all of this will end up.
One of my children is still missing.
I was told my neighbors got her, but I don't know where they took her.
The running water caused walls to collapse and cut off a major road leading to the international airport.
The floods swept through this neighborhood of Debonom in Kinshasa over the weekend and caused a lot of destruction.
Kinshasa is known for severe floods during the rainy season.
Some civil society leaders blame the government for failing to fix the problem.
Whenever it rains heavily there is a lot of destruction because of people's failure to respect the norms of urban planning.
We Congolese like constructing houses wherever we please, but the government should bear the biggest blame for granting people permission to bolt in unplanned areas.
In 2022, at least 100 people were killed in similar floods in Kinshasa.
The government has evacuated hundreds of people who were stranded in their homes and promised to support others But many here are hoping a permanent solution will be found to prevent such disasters from recurring I was Chris Ocam Ringgert reporting a days of downpours of filled rivers to near record levels across Kentucky Submerging neighborhoods and threatening a famed bourbon distillery in Frankfort.
Our rescue crews are in inflatable boats They've checked on residents in this state.
The floodwaters also forced the closer of the historic Buffalo Trace Distillery close to the banks of the swollen Kentucky River.
Jeff Quammen's home is in the downtown historical district of Frankfort.
He says days of unrelenting rain have made the flooding some of the worst that he's seen in the city.
You're used to seeing storms last a couple days if it's a bad storm a day or two.
But this was six straight days of heavy torrential downpour and again with already saturated ground, there's just nowhere for it to go.
And so it's got to go up and it did.
And it did. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear called on residents not to drive through water or to move barricades.
Remember this event is not over until the waters have receded.
Until the areas that have flooded are fully dry, until we don't have saturated ground that can create mudslides over roads and bridges.
And so I'm asking everybody, just be careful.
We're now just looking probably at a period of days, maybe the rest of this week, but remember if those waters are receding it is still dangerous to drive your car through them.
The National Weather Service warned that dozens of locations in multiple states might reach a major stage with extensive flooding possible.
United Nations World Food Program says the termination of U .S. funding for emergency food assistance in 14 countries could amount to a death sentence for millions of people.
WFP chief Cindy McCain wrote on X that funding cuts will deepen hunger, fuel instability, and make the world far less safe.
The humanitarian organization said it's in contact with the U .S. administration to seek support.
We're at 29 past the hour, and Beijing is down to 9 degrees on Tuesday evening.
It'll be cloudy and 21 on Wednesday.
Nanchang's at 19 overnight, then thunder showers and 31 degrees.
Elsewhere in Asia, Islamabad's 19 overnight, overcast and 34 tomorrow.
Vinten's down to 23.
Followed by a slight rainfall in 35.
Panan pens, 26 this evening, a slight rain and 35 on Wednesday.
In Africa, Nairobi is getting a slight rainfall and 26 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.
It's time for a short break.
So, far this hour, Chinese authorities say they will protect the country's interests, as the US threatens even more tariffs.
Israeli protesters rally as their Prime Minister meets with the U .S. President at the White House, and South Korea set a date for an election following the formal removal of the country's impeached President.
Shane Begum with you.
Stay with us here on the Beijing Hour.
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From stem 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 mist 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.
1 hour of news and information brought to you every weekday.
Now, here's your host, Shane Begum, with you on this Tuesday.
Still to come in business, China's efforts to stabilize the country's stock market in sports.
Arsenal and Real Madrid are preparing to face each other in culture and entertainment.
to the China pavilions all set for the world expo, opening in Japan on Sunday.
To contact us you can email radio at cgtn .com or follow our ex -account at CGTN radio.
Now a check of the day's headline news.
China has vowed countermeasures.
If the United States continues to escalate trade tensions, a statement from the Commerce Ministry came in response to US threats to impose an additional 50 per cent tariff on Chinese imports.
The Ministry urged the US side to stop economic and trade bullying and address differences between the two countries through dialogue.
In a separate statement the Chinese Foreign Ministry said China is ready to fight till the end if the United States is bent on waging a tariff war or trade war.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged to work with key partners to reduce trade barriers globally.
Speed -up trade deals within the country, since championed free and open trade around the world.
He warned that newly imposed U .S. tariffs on U .K. goods pose a serious threat to the global economy and the British industrial base.
He also vowed urgent support for the domestic automotive sector at Jaguar Land Rover's manufacturing plant in the West Midlands.
The carmaker is among the hardest hit by the new trade barriers, with nearly a quarter of its annual vehicle sales destined for the U .S. market.
It's announced it will temporarily halt shipments of vehicles to the U .S. and explore cost mitigation strategies during the month long suspension.
Analysts warn that up to 25 ,000 jobs across the UK automotive industry could be at risk if the tariffs remain in place.
A storm has announced a package of support measures to help ease pressure on car manufacturers.
U .S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have discussed the Gaza hostage crisis and U .S. tariffs in their meeting at the White House.
Trump did not discuss any long -term plans for Gaza's redevelopment.
The meeting highlighted the complex relationship between the United States and Israel, balancing security concerns with economic interests.
Both leaders pledged to continue working closely on these issues.
The leaders of several UN humanitarian agencies have issued a warning urging world leaders to ensure the upholding of the basic principles of international humanitarian law.
UN Spokesperson Stefan Dujeric says the agencies are calling on the world to react with urgency to save Palestinians in Gaza.
The UN officials noted that for over a month, no commercial or humanitarian supplies have entered Gaza and more than 2 .1 million people are trapped bombed and starved again.
Food, medicine, fuel, shelter supplies are piling up at crossing points and vital equipment is also stuck.
Although the latest ceasefire allowed humanitarians to see that supplies reached every part of the Gaza Strip, they said that assertions that there is now enough food for all of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are far from the reality on the ground." Humanitarian chiefs made the plea just over a month after Israel cut access to Gaza for vital aid supplies.
Israel has also issued new displacement orders, forcing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to flee once again.
The UN has estimated that Israel's latest military action has displaced nearly 400 ,000 Gaza residents.
Egypt, France and Jordan have called for an immediate return to the ceasefire in Gaza.
The statement came after trilateral summit in Cairo.
Egyptian president Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, French president Emmanuel Macron, and King Abdul II of Jordan attended the summit.
They emphasize governance of Gaza, saying that it must be exclusively under the authority of an empowered Palestinian authority.
Authorities have confirmed that rain -triggered floods in the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo have killed at least 33 people.
Torrential downpours have significant damage across several districts of Kinshasa.
Injuring dozens and destroying numerous homes.
The government has set up a crisis management unit to carry out evacuations and deploy emergency teams. The flooding's paralyzed much of the city's infrastructure, submerging roads and triggering power and water outages.
The Ministry of Transport also reported disruption to routes to and from a local airport.
Emergency ferry services have assisted stranded travellers.
And many residents in Kinshasa say the disaster is shocking.
This is my first time seeing this kind of disaster.
I took this road to do my business, selling bananas and okra at the Gabi and Gambala bridges.
I've never seen something like this before.
I've never seen this kind of thing since I was born.
I spent the night at a party.
There was no way to cross the water because to get through you had to take off your clothes and Seven or eight people had to hold hands because the water was so strong meteorologists forecasts continued heavy rainfall in the coming days raising fears of further destruction in the city of 17 million people Coming up in business China's efforts to stabilize the country's stock markets The Beijing hour, your window on China and the rest of the world.
37 past the hour. Stock markets on the Chinese Mainland closed higher on Tuesday.
The Shanghai composite was up nearly 1 .6%.
The Shenzhen component gained over 0 .6%.
Agriculture and fisheries led the gainers.
Elsewhere in China the Hong Kong stock market ended higher with the Hang Seng index up over 1 .5%.
Meantime stocks in Japan also saw significant gains with the Nikkei gaining more than 6%.
China's capital markets are seeing a wave of stabilization efforts with 75 A -Share companies announcing share buybacks and at least 20 firms planning to increase holdings.
State -owned oil major CNP Seal repurchased shares of its subsidiary Petro China over the next 12 months on the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong markets.
China's state asset regulator has pledged full support for such initiatives by state -owned firms. In the private sector, battery giant CATL plans to buy back 4 -8 billion yuan, or up to US $1 .1 billion of shares in the domestic market.
The buyback trend spans multiple sectors, featuring prominent names such as Display Maker BoE, Appliance Leader higher, and premium liquor producer Quechua Motai.
Seven listed firms under China Merchants Group have announced plans to accelerate the implementation of share buyback programs based on firm confidence in the company's growth prospects.
Companies include China Merchants Shekou Industrial Zone Holdings Company, China Merchants Port Group Company, and China Merchants Energy Shipping Company.
According to China Merchants Group, the move aims to safeguard the rights interests of all shareholders, consolidate market confidence in the listed companies and enhance their investment value.
Chinese state -owned investment company central Huijin says it's once again increased holdings of exchange traded funds and will continue to expand it in the future to safeguard the stable operation of the country's capital market.
The company says it firmly believes in the development prospects of China's capital market and fully recognizes the current investment value of A -Shares.
The statement immediately injected dynamics into the market.
China Chengtong Holdings Group also says its two subsidiaries have increased holdings of ETFs and stocks of Central Enterprises, in a bid to safeguard the stable operation of the capital market.
The state -owned asset management and capital operation company has expressed faith in the future of the capital market.
It's also pledged to continue buying back stocks of Central enterprises and sci tech innovation companies to support the high quality development of listed companies.
Wang Qianyu has details.
The first move from the China's national team, the state owned central Huijin investment announced it had increased its holdings of exchange traded funds or ETFs and pledged to continue buying to resolutely safeguard market stability.
You might wonder what are ETFs and why do central Huijin choose them while ETFs track major stock indices, allowing broad market exposure without selecting individual stocks.
This provides quick liquidity and helps stabilize overall market sentiment, particularly in benchmark -index -heavy sectors.
And following central Hui Jin's move, China Reform Holdings committed Monday night to invest 80 billion yuan, or about 11 billion U .S. dollars, in state -owned enterprises, tech firms, and ETFs.
Other state investors, like China Chengtong Holdings, also announced increased holdings that were accelerated by bank plans.
But it's not just the national team at work.
China's central bank has pledged to firmly support central Huijian by ETFs and will provide sufficient relending support when necessary.
And, the China Securities Regulation Commission on Tuesday, announced measures to raise the capital on equity investments by insurance funds and guide institutional investors toward more long -term behavior.
The stabilization fund is a state -backed entity used to reduce excessive market mortality particularly during the sharp sell -offs.
So basically, it acts like a stabilizer of the stock market, these found intervene by buying or selling financial assets to maintain orderly markets.
Countries like Japan, South Korea and Singapore have deployed such tools during times of financial stress.
And in China, central Huijin plays a similar role, though it is not officially labeled a stabilization fund.
Central Huijin's repeated equity purchases during the market downturns like in 2008, 2015, 2023, and now again in 2025, have earned the reputation of China's stabilization fund.
So analysts believe that direct buying from the national team is one of the ways that China can immediately offset the impact from U .S. tariffs and stabilize the sentiment in the market a bit.
But more importantly, is the stimulus measures we can expect including the rate cuts and fiscal spending.
That was Wong Tianyu reporting.
And with more, Michael Wong spoke with Chu Chang, a research fellow from Minzu University of China.
From what we've seen so far based on the messaging and the commitments of China's financial and macros regulators, how determined is China in stabilizing its capital markets?
Well, I think this message has been loud and clear.
I couldn't remember for how many times, but maybe this is just the first time that when central Huijin, before the opening of the market, actually made an announcement to say, we're going to safeguard this market to stabilize everything with all the costs that we can provide.
So I think they're showing one very important confidence and very important signal to the market that we're going to safeguard the stabilities.
And we're looking into the long -term good for this development in Chinese financial market.
And the rest of the story probably has been witnessed with the whole day's trade that the Shanghai index, Shenzhen index and the Hensang index has been all rebounding very quickly back.
So it shows that the government has really made very strong commitment setting up not only a stability fund, but also setting up actually it's more like a leverage, leveraging not only by providing its own fund, but also to help all kinds of other players in the market, like an insurance company, like the brokers, like commercial banks, and also some listed companies do ripple their own stocks.
So, through all these ways, central weighting and the other counterparts, I try to leverage up all the players within the market to protect the benefit of the Chinese A -share market.
And also, I have to point it out that these confidences not only being put into China, You're going to see the confidence has already been passed far away to Hong Kong and then further influencing America.
Yeah, I think options and the futures for the indexes going towards the Nasdaq and also the Dow Jones has also been rising up quickly because they're thinking, well, one government at least are reacting very responsibly and also try to save the market.
I was a research fellow, Chu Chang, from Minzu University of China, talking about how China's financial regulators are working to safeguard market stability.
The China development bank has boosted support for the country's top 10 economically largest provinces.
The state -owned financial institution has extended 185 billion yuan in loans, that's roughly 25 billion US dollars, for projects in these 10 provinces in the first quarter.
These provinces including Guangdong, Jiangsu and Shandong account for over a 60 % of China's GDP as of 2024.
The loan amount was 38 % higher from the first quarter of last year.
It aims to support the acceleration of major projects and the development of new quality productive forces.
Official data shows that China's e -commerce logistics sector was more active in March, with the overall index coming in at 110 and up 1 .1 points from the previous month.
The sub -index for business volume increased three and a half points to 126 .8, with the western regions leading that growth.
The sub -index for rural business volume increased 5 .3 points, reaching 125 .7, with the central regions leading the uptrend.
Liu Yuhong is the director of the China Logistics Information Center.
The instant delivery in the e -commerce sector has seen fast growth which reflects people's strengthened spending power and the gradual improvement in supply and service capacity of e -commerce logistics.
New live streaming sales models emerged in China helping to fuel strong industrial growth.
Investors' sentiment in China remains positive despite the tariff turmoil.
A report by a multinational bank, HSBC shows that one third of the surveyed investors expect China's A -shares to outperform other emerging markets.
Mark Greven with IMD Asia says the huge and growing Chinese market remains a very interesting one for multinational companies.
Clearly there is there's a huge market that is very sophisticated, it is still growing despite that the growth rate is maybe not as high, it is still a growing market with increasingly sophisticated needs.
So yes, it's interesting.
It's still interesting for American companies as well and for American brands.
And we see in our research like in a companies like Lululemon and Nike are players here.
I agree with you that China is trying to be more open, attracting more investment and more companies to come and do business.
You're listening to the Beijing Hour coming up in sports, Arsenal and Real Madrid are getting ready to face each other.
Our 47 pass now in turning to sports.
Here's Yang Gua. Thank you, Shane.
Arsenal has trained at the London Colony based on the eve of the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter -final against reigning champions Real Madrid.
Arsenal goes into the game on the back of a 1 -0 draw at Everton.
The Gunners are in the last eight for a second successful season and are unbeaten at home in 10 games in the competition winning eight.
manager Michel Atata is full of confidence.
11 players, 60 ,000 people, really super convinced that we are ready to win and to beat them.
That's the mindset that I want.
The rest will be the team that we've been over the last quarter of the season, with all the ups and downs and things that we have to deal with, continue to that because that's our super strength.
Real Madrid arrived in London on the back of a shock 2 -1 home defeat by Valencia, a result that dented their chances of retaining the Spanish league title.
but goalkeeper Thiebaut Courtois says they are ready.
Quick on the counter -attack, they have people who can score easily.
Obviously they've got the set -pieces, so we know it's a team hard to break down and a team that can score easily also, so we have a lot of respect for them and we analysed how they play and where we can hopefully hurt them and where they cannot hurt us.
So we hope on a great game, but obviously we hope to win but I think Arsenal is doing great and I guess it's a matter of time before they win another trophy.
Hopefully we can pass in the Champions League but they are doing great.
The two teams have met just once before in the Champions League.
Arsenal came out on top 1 -0 on Arrogants in the 2005 -2006 season.
Elsewhere Inter Milan will take on Bayern Munich. Bayern will go into the match without young star Jamal Moussila who is sidelined with a muscle tear.
Jacob Murphy scored twice in the opening 11 minutes since Newcastle United beat Leicester City 3 -0 away, climbing to fifth in the English Premier League.
Leicester is 19th in the league standings.
It has become the first team in English Football League history to suffer eight street league defeats at home without scoring.
Leicester has lost 15 of the last 16 Premier League games and is 15 points adrift of the safety zone.
Turning to the NBA, Duncan Robinson scored 21 points and Miami Heat pulled away to beat the Philadelphia 76' 117 105.
Tyler Herro had 20 points and Calaway scored 19 for the Heat.
Quinton Grimes and Lonnie Walker the 4th each scored 29 points for Philadelphia which lost its 12th straight.
Adam Bowness scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the 76.
Meantime, Zach Lavigne scored 43 points and DeMott Rosen added 37 as the Sacramento Kings beat the Detroit Pistons 127 -117.
Dementor Sabonis had 19 points for the Kings.
Sacramento has won three straight and has a game lead over Dallas for ninth in the Western Conference.
Cade Cunningham scored 35 points for Detroit which has lost four of its last five games.
In the CBA, the Xinjiang Flying Tigers have eliminated Nanjing Monkey Kings in the best of three first rounds of the CBA playoffs.
All five Xinjiang starters scored in double digits as the Flying Tigers beat the Monkey Kings 1 -13 -108 on Monday to clinch the Series 2 -0.
Dedrick Lawson led Xinjiang with 24 points while forward Chilin contributed 18.
Lin Wei paced Nanjing with 24 points, 8 rebounds, and 11 assists.
Elsewhere, Damian Jones recorded a dominant double -double of 24 points in 18 rebounds as Zhejiang beat Qingdao 1 -4 81 leveling the series at 1 -1.
Yu Jianhao scored 25 points for Zhejiang.
Xinjiang will face the Liaoning Flying Leopards in the quarterfinals.
Zhejiang and Qingdao will meet in the decisive Game 3.
Turning to Tennis, Daniel Medvedev has booked the place in the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters.
He knocked out Karen Kechinev in three sets.
Medvedev is chasing his first title since the Rome Masters two years ago.
Next up for him is Alexander Mule.
Alejandro Davidovic for Kenya defeated Ben Shouten in three sets in opening round.
Lorenzo Musetti has also advanced after beating Chinese player Bui in chapter.
Meantime Carlos Alcaraz says he is eager to start his second ever campaign at Monte Carlo Masters.
The four -time Grand Slam champion is looking forward to getting his first win there.
Thinking about I've played, you know, the tournament's like five times, you know, saying like this tournament I just only played once is a weird feeling which means I'm excited about playing here getting experience getting matches here looking forward to get my first win here so that I haven't yet so I think it's a it's pretty beautiful club pretty beautiful tournament like I'm a little bit ashamed that I just played once but yeah I'm excited to play my second time here." Alcaraz will take co -f Window Francisco Serendolo who sailed past the five -year Fognini in straight sets.
The Spaniard's only appearance at the Monte Carlo Country Club was in 2022 when he lost to Spa Chien Kouda in the first match. Thank you very much that was Yang Guang with sports.
Just ahead in Culture and Entertainment, the China Pavilions all set for the World Expo opening in Japan on Sunday.
From north to south east to west, people in China are chasing their dreams and leaving their mark.
Want to know how they beat their odds and made a difference?
Footprints brings you the true life stories of their journeys.
53 past the hour. In Culture and Entertainment the World Expo is set to open in Osaka on Sunday.
Under the theme of building a community of life for man and nature China's pavilion fuses traditional culture with modern ideas.
The exhibit also shows China's vision for greener future.
Terence Tarashima reports.
The architectural design of the pavilion is inspired by traditional bamboo slip scrolls used in ancient times.
According to the China council for promotion of international trade, the combination of bamboo scrolls and Chinese characters showcase the spiritual and cultural essence of Chinese civilization, as well as the country's commitment to green development in the new era.
The China pavilion is one of the largest self built pavilions occupying 3 ,500 square meters.
It is near the center of the ground roof, a symbolic ring -shaped wooden structure in the Osaka expo.
One scroll in the entrance of the south side stands 17 meters high, another 15 meters in the northwest corner, giving a spectacular view as you enter the pavilion.
The China Pavilion features a diverse range of exhibits on traditional cultural, ecological civilization and technological achievements, including one of the key highlights a display of lunar soil samples collected by China's space mission.
There are a number of events planned at the China Pavilion for the duration of the expo such as Sichuan Week at the end of April, Beijing Week, and Shenzhen Week in the following weeks and so forth.
The Osaka expo is due to start from 13th April.
That was Terrence Tereshima reporting.
Chinese musical group has held a live performance in The Gambia sharing Chinese culture with vocals.
Momodou Lemanchoy reports.
This was a thrilling concert that brought together two cultures through the rhythm of music.
Strikest, Pakasan, and Ensemble, one of China's most acclaimed musical groups, are performing in the Gambian what is just their second performance on the continent.
One musical instrument which the artists share is the drum, symbolizing a blend of cultures that cross its borders.
On stage, the Chinese percussion ensemble and Gambian drummers performed together, with the audience enjoying the rhythm of drum beats and the fusion of cultures.
I'm extremely excited about his performance.
This is the second time our team has held a percussion music concert on the African continent.
African percussion music has a long and rich history.
We have brought China's most ancient percussion music to the most ancient continent.
We are truly honored to be able to perform on the same stage with African percussion music teams." Gambian government officials, including cabinet ministers, governors and diplomats, attended a special concert.
They held the event noting the role of culture in deepening friendship and cooperation between the peoples of the Gambia and China.
China and the Gambia have enjoyed strong cooperation that has helped boost their ties, bringing tangible benefits to many Gambians.
Over the years, people -to -people exchanges have grown with hundreds of Gambians from various sectors traveling to China for training that is crucial to the socio -economic development of the West African nation.
Usman Badout, Lemon Choy Reporting.
The Qianlong Garden at Beijing's palace museum all partly opened to visitors in September for the first time in nearly 100 years.
The garden is part of the Palace of Tranquil Longevity in the northeast section of the Forbidden City.
It covers more than 6 ,000 square meters and features four courtyard complexes and 27 structures.
We're at 57 past the hour Beijing is at nine degrees on Tuesday evening.
It'll be cloudy in 21 on Wednesday, Nanshong's down to 19.
That's followed by thundershowers and 31 degrees.
Elsewhere in Asia, Islamabad's at 19 overnight, then overcast in 34 tomorrow.
Vientiane is down to 23 degrees then a slight rainfall in 35.
Phnom Penh's 26th this evening, a slight rainfall and 35 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.
That's it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.
Making news today, Chinese authorities say they'll protect the country's interests as the U .S. threatens even more tariffs.
Israeli protesters rally as the prime minister meets the U .S. president at the White House.
On behalf of the staff, this is Shane Bigam 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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He can't live without the Yellow River in his eyes.
The Yellow River is so noble and elegant.
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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.
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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 you
