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This is the Beijing Hour.
Examining the events that impact and shape China and the rest of the world.
This is the Beijing Hour.
One hour of news and information brought to you every weekday.
Now here's your host. Shane Begum with you on this Wednesday, July 30th, 2025.
You're listening to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
On today's program, China will set economic and social development goals for the 15th five -year plan during a meeting in October.
China and the U .S. aim to delay implementing tariffs on each other's goods.
The World Food Program says a quarter of Gaza's population is now experiencing famine -like conditions.
In business, the IMF has raised its economic forecast for China and the world.
In sports, Chinese athletes continue to impress at the World Aquatics Championships.
in culture and entertainment and Austrian artists' digital exhibition in Beijing.
Now checking the day's top stories.
The 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China will hold its fourth plenary session in October.
The much -anticipated meeting will outline the country's economic and social development goals for the 15th five -year planned period covering 2026 to 2030.
The Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee met on Wednesday to set the agenda for the October session.
It emphasized the critical role of the 15th Five -Year Plan in advancing China's modernization, citing strong economic fundamentals and long -term potential despite rising global uncertainties.
Wednesday's meeting also reviewed the current economic situation and outlined priorities for the second half of the year.
Wang Xiao reports. During Wednesday's meeting, China's top leadership emphasized that despite growing global uncertainties, China remains resilient.
With strong economic fundamentals, a massive market, a complete industrial system and abundant human resources, the country is well positioned to navigate risks and seize new opportunities.
Officials highlighted the need to maintain strategic focus, strengthen confidence and accelerate efforts to achieve breakthroughs in areas central to Chinese -style modernization.
The guiding principles include fully implementing Xi Jinping's thoughts on socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era, advancing the new development philosophy.
The plan aims to improve both the quality and quantity of economic growth while promoting innovation, common prosperity, and coordinated regional development.
Since the start of the year, China's economy has has continued to recover, with solid progress in new quality productive forces and key reforms. However, challenges remain.
The second half of the year will focus on stabilizing employment, boosting domestic demand, supporting businesses, and maintaining market confidence.
Micropolicies will remain proactive and flexible.
Fiscal spending will be stepped up, and monetary policy will ensure ample liquidity while reducing financial costs.
efforts will also focus on promoting consumption encouraging private investment and deepening structural reforms China will further open up to the world support its major export enterprises and enhance high level platforms like free trade zones leaders also stress the importance of managing local government debt ensuring public safety and improving people's livelihoods particularly in employment, rural development, and disaster response.
The CPC also held a symposium with non -CPC personages to seek their opinions on the current economic situation and the economic work in the second half of the year.
Participants expressed full agreement with the economic assessment and policy direction for the second half of 2025.
They proposed targeted suggestions on promoting cross -regional innovation, integrating culture, tourism and commerce, boosting service consumption, advancing emerging industries and building a unified market.
During the meeting, President Xi Jinping emphasized the need to maintain and appropriately intensify micro -policy support with a focus on expanding domestic demand, deepening reform and opening up, advancing the integration of technological and industrial innovation, addressing key risks, and improving people's livelihoods.
He also called for leveraging institutional strength to produce forward -looking, practical That was Wang Chao reporting.
And for more insights, Zhang Junfeng spoke with Wang Yaojing, an economics professor at Peking University.
Ms. Wang, the meeting pledged to adopt a moderately accommodative monetary policy.
That's quite a shift from previous prudent policy.
What's your take on this macroeconomic policy stance?
Well, thank you for having me.
So China's current macroeconomic policy direction emphasizes proactive, forward -looking, and coordinated physical and monetary stimulus.
This moderately accommodative monetary policy, on the one hand, maintains ample liquidity for the economy, And on the other hand, lowers financing cost, which is very important to the expanded government investment in debt.
And this multi -pronged approach maintains an expansionary plus accommodative stance while stressing implementation efficiency and risk control, demonstrating a balanced approach amid complex domestic and external conditions.
The meeting also stressed the importance of domestic consumption as a way to mitigate foreign economic uncertainty and called for stabilizing both the housing and equity markets.
What's your view of this approach?
Well, this policy direction emphasizes stimulating domestic demand through a multifaceted approach. First is through consumption upgrade, expanding goods consumption while cultivating new service sector growth points.
For example, cultural tourism and elderly care.
And you mentioned addressing property market risk and capital market volatility, as well as improving social safety nets, provide essentially a fundamental spending confidence for the consumers.
And this reflects China's shift towards a consumption -driven growth, and its effectiveness really relies on the income growth expectations and systematic risk containment.
That was Professor Wang Yaojing from Peking University.
And today we're continuing our 25 -part special series, Resolve and Resilience, the Main Eastern Battlefield of World War II, which revisits China's pivotal battles and heroic stories during the War of Resistance against Japanese aggression.
In today's episode, we journey back to Hebei Province in 1933, when the Chinese battalion launched a daring raid against well -equipped Japanese troops in Xifengkou on the Great Wall in the country's north.
Swa Yichun reports.
In the Yanshan Mountains, the Great Wall at Xifengkou went through rocketeering.
Its bricks still bearing the scars of bullet marks.
In 1933, Japanese forces breached the Great Wall defenses, threatening northern China.
Xifengkou, a strategic stronghold, became the battleground where history would be written.
Look here. These are the scars left by Japanese artillery fire during the war of aggression.
Back then, enemy planes and cannons bombarded this area, destroying the bricks and walls, leaving deep marks behind.
At the time, the National Revolutionary Army's 29th group was poorly equipped, with a severe shortage of firearms. Facing overwhelming Japanese firepower, Zhao Dongyu, commander of the 109th Brigade, devised a bold strategy.
Close quarters combat and night race.
His troops forged brawls swords, grodly a deadly weapons.
Today, nearly a century later, these rusted blades are displayed at the Sifunco Great War Against Japanese Aggression Museum.
These brawls swords, reaching from 80 to 100 cm long and weighing 1 .2 to 1 .5 kg, handle -strapped in twine or curls claws, the variety designs they all served one purpose—difficulty, the homeland.
What we are displaying here are the actual broadswords used in the Battle of Xifengkou.
These blades vary in length and shape because at that time our equipment was outdated and steel supplies were scarce.
We resorted to traditional broadsword designs, and this tactic proved highly effective in In striking fear into the Japanese progressors, they dreaded close -quarter combat, night raids, surprised attacks, and slashing at these very blades.
The 500 -man burst -sword brigade killed over a thousand Japanese troops and destroyed 18 artillery weapons, marking China's first major victory since the September 18 incident.
The Battle of Sifengkou forced the enemy to retreat north of the Great Wall, shattering Japanese arrogance and galvanizing Chinese resolve.
The heroes all over the world came to war today.
Inspired by the battle composer Mai Xin wrote this rosinism, which quickly spread across the country.
The Broad Sword became a powerful symbol of resistance.
The 4th Broad Sword of China's Resistance, a 29 -meter long monument commemorating the 29th Army's bravery in 1933, it weighs more than 19 tons.
Japan's ambition was to bridge the Great Wall, occupy Northern China and enslave the entire nation.
The 29th Army's victory at Chifunco shattered that delusion.
The unbreakable spirit of the Chinese people, as enduring as the Great Wall itself, illuminated It dominates the path of resistance and embodies the indomitable will of a nation that would never yield.
That was Suo I -Chun reporting.
In the next episode, we'll take you back to the former Chihar province in northern China in 1933, when Chinese troops reclaimed lost territory from Japanese forces for the first time during the War of Resistance against Japanese aggression.
Coming up, China and the U .S. aim to delay tariffs on each other's goods.
United in purpose during World War II, the Chinese military and people stood as one, fearlessly resisting Japanese fascism.
China's unwavering whole -nation effort forged the pivotal Eastern Front.
Through fierce battles, immense sacrifices, heroic endurance, and decisive support to the allies on the European and Pacific battlefields, China has helped secure liberation, the final victory, and a lasting legacy for global peace and human progress.
S. Resolve and resilience, the main eastern battlefield of World War II, only on CGTN.
All right, 12 minutes past the hour.
A senior Chinese trade official says China and the U .S. have agreed to extend the pause regarding Washington's so -called 24 % reciprocal tariffs, as well as China's countermeasures.
Vice Commerce Minister Li Chenggang was speaking after the two sides held a new round of economic trade talks in Stockholm on Monday and Tuesday.
two economic and trade teams, will continue to maintain close communication and have timely exchanges on trade and economic topics.
We'll continue to push stable and sound development of our bilateral trade and economic relationship.
Lee described the discussions as in -depth, candid and constructive.
Over the last day and a half, The trade and economic teams of China and the United States have followed the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, China and the United States, in their June 5th phone call, continued to give play, great play, to the role of the China -U .S. trade and economic consultation mechanism and had some in -depth, candid, and constructive exchanges over important topics of mutual interest. Both sides fully aware of the importance of safeguarding a stable and sound China -U .S. trade and economic relationship.
He said the two sides had an exchange over each other's macro economies and their major trade and economic concerns and reviewed the implementation of agreements reached during previous talks in Geneva and London.
Chinese Vice Premier He Li -Feng led the talks with U .S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jameson Greer.
The vice premier called for reducing misunderstandings, strengthening cooperation, further deepening dialogue and consultations, and striving for more win -win outcomes.
The U .S. team said a stable economic and trade relationship is of great significance to the economies of both countries and the world.
A Besant reiterated that Washington does not want to decouple with Beijing.
I'm happy to say that London built on Geneva, Stockholm built on London and Geneva.
I think we had great momentum going into the meeting.
So now here you have the two largest economies in negotiation.
And as I've said before, and we reiterated to them, we don't want to decouple.
For more on the China -U .S. trade talks, we're joined live by Zhou Mi, a senior research fellow with the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.
Thanks for joining us this evening.
And given the latest progress in Stockholm, how far apart are China and the United States from reaching a final trade deal?
Well, it's hard to say, like, you know, when we're talking about the trade deals, because it has a lot of procedures needed and also a lot of trust needed.
So if you're looking back in the several years before when Donald Trump came into the White House for the first term, we have spent almost one year to reach the so -called peace one agreement by the two countries.
So I think that there are a lot of difficulties.
But I have to say that from another angle, if both sides have, you know, some consensus about the directions and some common principles like, you know, the principles stated by the host leaders, I think it's likely to reach agreement.
So it's not so easy to just charge from right now.
The U .S. just reached a trade deal with the European Union after relatively brief talks.
So why is it so much more difficult for Washington and Beijing to do the same?
Well, you know, every country or economy has its own characteristics and also the tasks and even some principles.
As for China, we are trying to do something based on our commitment to the multilateral system and also based on the equal treatment by the two sides.
So we want to make a deal, but the deal cannot just be everything.
We have to respect the market.
We have to take care of the long term of the development.
So we still need more time to discuss about the complicated situation.
I'm trying to find a better way for both sides to have some kind of certification about the agreement.
So we have a lot of issues to do, but I think it's a very good start.
We can continue with the negotiations or talks.
talks. Well, Vice Premier Houley -Fung emphasized reducing misunderstandings and enhancing win -win cooperation.
So what are the key next steps to ensure the spirit of cooperation continues beyond the 90 -day pause?
Well, the mechanism is very important.
Through this mechanism, both sides can have the opportunity to talk with each other and try to address their own concerns.
But I don't think that any problem can be only solved by the mechanism itself.
We have to use the forces of the market to try to encourage enterprises to be involved in dealing with the challenges like what we are going to do with some kind of the trade balance issues or the investment issues.
I think that is not helpful for just trying to order enterprises to do that, because they will will not do that without enough profit and expectation.
So we are having more opportunities to continue to start the negotiations and trying to address the challenges.
And the more important thing is we have to be together to discuss about the latest situation instead of just guessing what the other side wants to do and what's the effect of the other policies or regulations.
Thank you very much. That was Zhou Mi, Senior Research Fellow with the Chinese Academy of international trade and economic cooperation the china u .s trade talks in stockholm are the third round of negotiations between the world's two largest economies since may lee chan hwa reviews the retaliatory tariffs they imposed on each other which led to efforts to reach a truce and work out a deal they talked about seven hours so from the chinese side as much as we know that they are talking about the 24 percent reciprocal tariffs and they would like to put a pause on that there's actually extended.
So what is the 24 percent tariffs on each other?
It refers to a set of U .S. tariffs imposed on Chinese products, especially during Trump's first presidency between 2018 and 2019.
In response, China imposed between 5 to 25 percent tariffs on about 110 billion U .S. dollars worth of American exports, but some of them were reduced or removed under the phase one deal in 2020, in which China promised to buy about 200 billion U .S. dollars in the space of American products in the space of two years.
And right after that, we knew what happened.
It was COVID. So international trade was halted altogether.
That was Lee Jianhua reporting.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merritt says his country will face substantial damage from the latest trade deal between the European Union and the U .S. Merritt said its negative effects will not be limited to Germany but also Europe and the United States.
Economy Minister Katharina Reich said the 15 % tariffs will bring an enormous burden and that the EU is negotiating with the US from a position of weakness.
The deal has sparked criticism and concerns in Germany including from the auto sector, the country's biggest industry.
President Hildegard Müller of the German Association of the Automotive Industry said they have mixed feelings.
We view it with mixed feelings.
Of course, for now, it is first and foremost a reduction in tariffs that we have been paying on cars in part since April and May.
The car industry already pays 27 .5 % in tariffs.
In this respect, 15 % is a decrease, which is good.
But 15 percent tariffs still mean a multi -billion burden for the German automotive industry, especially in the middle of our greatest transformation.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Siarto calls the new EU -U .S. trade agreement shameful.
He says the deal will subject the EU to significantly higher U .S. tariffs.
The future U .S. tariffs on the EU will be six times higher than before.
Von der Leyen actually celebrated this.
And people on site even applauded the deal.
The content of this agreement is shameful.
How could von der Leyen choose to represent the EU like this?
I was the Hungarian foreign minister.
Coming up, a quarter of Gaza's population is experiencing famine -like conditions.
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At 21 minutes past the hour, a famine's unfolding across Gaza.
The World Food Program says a quarter of the two million residents in the strip are experiencing famine -like conditions.
The U .N. Agency for Women reports that a million women and girls are facing starvation, violence, and abuse.
use. Hospitals in Gaza have reported 14 more deaths resulting from famine and malnutrition.
Local authorities report that the number of Palestinians dying from the ongoing Israeli attacks since October 2023 has surpassed 60 ,000.
Jeremy Diamond with CNN reports.
Desperate and hungry, thousands of Palestinians scramble onto A -trucks that have just entered through the Gaza Strip.
They grab what they can, anything for the chance to feed themselves and their families, many of whom have gone days without food.
This sea of desperation driven by months of Israeli restrictions on aid distribution in Gaza.
Amid global outrage, Israel is now reversing course, ceasing fire in parts of Gaza for for 10 hours a day, and open designated secure routes to allow more aid trucks to flow in, steps humanitarian aid organizations have sought for months.
The U .N. says more than 100 trucks of aid were delivered into Gaza on Sunday.
Many more will be needed to even begin to alleviate this crisis.
As children scrape bits of flour from the beds of those trucks, the World Food Program says a quarter of Gaza's 2 million plus population is now experiencing famine -like conditions.
Israel also allowing airdrops into Gaza for the first time in months sending Palestinians running to grab what they can but as a rifle is fired into the air a reminder that it is often the strongest like gangs who steal and resell food at higher prices, who are first to eat.
I didn't get anything, this elderly lady says.
I was crushed in the crowd.
While some managed to grab a full box, others emerged with just a few items. Flour, oil, pasta.
A far cry from what they would get if enough UN trucks were entering Gaza.
This aid is disgraceful.
We are not dogs to be made to run after aid.
People fought over it, this man says.
We'd rather die of hunger with dignity than die in humiliation and filth.
Palestinians are also still getting shot and killed while trying to get aid.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said 25 people were shot by Israeli forces while trying to get aid during the past 24 hours.
The Israeli military said it was not aware of any casualties.
AMBASSADOR BESHARA, International He has only 12.
What was his fault?
He went to get flour to feed little children.
His brother survives on sugar water to feel full.
In the hospital's morgue, this body is a testament to an entirely different weapon.
Starvation has claimed 20 more lives in Gaza in the last two days, including 10 -year -old Nour Abussaleh.
she became like this because of hunger thirst and the siege the siege imposed on us by the israelis her uncle shouts this is a palestinian child he says the world would be outraged if only she had been born anywhere else that was jeremy diamond reporting israeli foreign minister gideon sar has denied that israel is deliberately starving gaza israel announced a a series of measures over the weekend to increase the flow of aid into the Strip under mounting international pressure.
They include expanded humanitarian corridors and international aid jobs.
U .N. officials say there had been little change on the ground so far and that much more aid is needed.
Jonathan Mergev has more from Tel Aviv.
A lot of factors are calling on Israel to do more, to send more aid into Gaza and perhaps blaming Israel for the situation which we have just heard happening on the Gaza Strip.
Israel on its behalf is saying that maybe there is hunger in Gaza, maybe there is starvation, but Israel is not the one to blame as Israel is currently sending a lot of assistance into Gaza, whether daily trucks going in or picking up trucks which are already on the Gazan side of the crossings.
And on this issue, we can hear the comments made by Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, speaking of the fact that Israel is constantly allowing aid into Gaza, and if there's any blame, the blame should be put on other factors.
The Israeli army putting a statement regarding what happened in the last few weeks, saying that just in the last month or so, some 36 militants have been arrested.
Other two militants were killed in clashes.
With the IDF, this is the Israeli point of view.
The Palestinian one is, of course, much different.
Many Palestinians are claiming that the army is basically going into places such as the Tulkarem refugee camp and the Janin refugee camp and basically displacing residents, kicking them out of their homes and destroying entire neighborhoods.
Just like in Gaza, there are conflicting narratives on what is happening on in the Gaza Strip.
As far as Israel is concerned, it sees this as a complete fight against the militants.
The Palestinians, of course, have a completely different view.
And that was Jonathan Regev reporting.
The United Kingdom is urging Israel to end its military operations in Gaza and commit to long -term peace.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his country will recognize the state of Palestine even if Israel refuses to do so.
So today, as part of this process towards peace, I can confirm the U .K. will recognize the state of Palestine by the United Nations General Assembly in September, unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, agree to a ceasefire, and commit to a long -term sustainable peace, reviving the prospect of a two -state solution.
The Palestinian authorities welcomed Britain's decision, saying it'll correct historic injustice about the Palestinian people and their rights.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the decision is a reward for Hamas.
Starmer expressed concern that the idea of a two -state solution has been receding under current circumstances.
Britain also called on Israel to allow the UN to resume humanitarian aid delivery into Gaza, agree to a ceasefire, and stop annexations in the West Bank.
London's This decision comes days after France announced it will recognize the state of Palestine by September.
The two countries' decision to consider Palestinian statehood has led to a discussion at the high -level conference on the two -state solution at the UN in New York, but the U .S. and Israel did not attend that conference.
Around 29 past the hour, checking the forecast ahead of the break, and Beijing's down to 22 degrees this evening.
Cloudy conditions and 31 for Thursday.
shanghai will see torrential rainfall in 26 overnight then a slight rain and 30 nanjing's down to 23 then heavy rainfall and 26 nanchang's 29 overnight sunny and 37 tomorrow elsewhere in asia islamabad's 23 overnight then a slight rain and 31 degrees vientian's down to 25 and some rain and 34 but on pens at 26 degrees this evening a slight rainfall and 33 degrees celsius on thursday day it's time for a short break so far this hour china will set economic and social development goals for the 15th five -year plan during a meeting coming up in october china and the u .s aim to delay implementing tariffs
on each other's goods and the world food program says a quarter of gaza's population is now experiencing famine -like conditions shane begum with you stay with us here on the beijing hour Shh, listen up.
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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 as usual shane bigum with you on this wednesday still to come in business the imf has raised its economic forecast for china and the world in sports chinese athletes continue to impress at the world aquatics championships in culture and entertainment an austrian artist digital exhibition in beijing and to contact us you can email radio at cgtn .com or follow our x account at cgtn radio we're now checking the day's headlines the communist party of china will hold a key meeting in October to discuss the drafting of the 15th Five -Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development.
The 20th CPC Central Committee will hold its fourth plenary session in Beijing.
The Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee met on Wednesday to set the agenda for that October meeting, chaired by General Secretary Xi Jinping.
Wednesday's meeting assessed the current economic situation and outlined plans for the second half of the year.
Leaders stress the 15th five -year plan period from 2026 to 2030 is crucial for solidifying socialist modernization.
The meeting called for maintaining strategic focus, fostering new quality productive forces through innovation, and expanding high -level opening up.
It also emphasized preventing and mitigating risk in key areas, boosting domestic demand, and ensuring stable employment.
climate. The Communist Party of China Central Committee has held a symposium with non -CPC members.
The symposium aimed to seek opinions and suggestions on the country's current economic situation and economic work for the second half of the year.
A senior Chinese trade official says China and the U .S. have agreed to extend the pause regarding Washington's so -called 24 % reciprocal tariffs, as well as China's countermeasures.
Vice Commerce Minister Li Chenggang was speaking after the two sides held a new round of economic and trade talks in Stockholm on Monday and Tuesday.
Li, also China's international trade representative, described the discussions as in -depth, candid and constructive.
Chinese Vice Premier He Li -fung led the talks with U .S. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant and Trade Representative Jameson Greer.
The vice premier called for reducing misunderstandings, strengthening cooperation, further deepening dialogue and consultations, and striving for more win -win outcomes between China and the U .S. The U .S. team said a stable economic and trade relationship is of great significance to the economies of both countries and the world.
Chinese authorities say the country will allocate 90 billion yuan, or 12 .6 billion U .S. dollars, to support the issuance of child care subsidies.
Central authorities will help local governments issue the subsidies, covering nearly 90 % of the total issuance.
Meantime, health officials say child care subsidy applications will gradually roll out across China in late August. China's announced the introduction of a nationwide child care subsidy program starting this year as part of broader efforts to support families and encourage childbirth.
China's issued an alert for a tsunami following a powerful earthquake in the Russian Far East. The Ministry of Natural Resources warned that the tsunami may have a devastating impact on areas including Shanghai and Taiwan.
Other countries such as the Philippines and Indonesia have also issued tsunami warnings.
Komei, the eighth typhoon of this year, has made landfall in Zhejiang province in eastern China.
The typhoon churned ashore at Joushan.
Zhejiang has upgraded the the emergency response level for the typhoon to the third highest level.
The world's top authority on food insecurities warned that Gaza is on the verge of full -scale famine, with one -third of the population going entire days without food.
In a grim alert that stopped just short of officially declaring a famine, the Integrated Food Security Phase classification said that without urgent and sustained humanitarian action, widespread death death is likely.
World Food Program official Martin Bauer said malnutrition in parts of the Palestinian enclave has quadrupled over recent months.
Today, we've got over 33 % of the population that goes an entire day without having access to any food.
For malnutrition, the levels of global acute malnutrition have quadrupled in Gaza City between May and July.
So for two of the three indicators, we're above famine thresholds, which indicates how serious the situation has gotten.
Now a famine is emerging in Gaza, and that requires action from Assad.
Warning comes after harrowing images of starving children circulated online, sparking international outrage and renewed pressure on Israel over its conduct during nearly 22 months of war in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected allegations of famine, saying Israel has delivered sufficient aid throughout the conflict.
You're listening to The Beijing Hour.
Coming up in business, the IMF has raised its economic forecast for China and the world.
The Beijing Hour, your window on China and the rest of the world.
37 passed now. And turning to business, here's Wang Zihang.
Thank you, Shane. Stock markets on the Chinese mainland closed mixed on Wednesday.
Zhu Zhu has details.
The Shanghai Composite Index closed at about 3 ,615, up around 0 .2 percent, while the Shenzhen Component Index ended at 11 ,203, down about 0 .8%.
Entertainment sector stocks remained strong throughout the day, with Happiness Blue Ocean hitting the 20 % daily limits.
Jingyi Cinema, C1 Media and others also hit their upper limits during trading.
Among baby and child -related concept stocks, multiple shares such as Sunshine Dairy and Bee & Mate hit their upper limits.
The agriculture sector rebounded after an early dip.
The rare earth permanent magna sector saw volatility, with Shanhe Resources and Huatong Technology among the top losers.
That was Zhu Zhu reporting.
Elsewhere in China, the Hong Kong stock market closed lower, with the Hang Seng index down more than 1 .2%.
In Japan, stocks also slipped, with the Nikkei ending just below flat.
at. The International Monetary Fund has raised its global growth forecast for 2025, with China getting the strongest boost among major economies.
The IMF now projects China's economy to grow by 4 .8 % this year, up from its 4 % forecast in April's World Economic Outlook.
It attributes the upward revision to stronger -than -expected economic activity in the first half of 2025, and a pause in the tariff war between the world's two largest economies.
The IMF also lifted China's 2026 GDP growth projection.
Globally, the IMF has raised its 2025 growth forecast to 3%, citing resilient economic activity and improved financial conditions.
The figure is 0 .2 points higher than its April estimate.
Emerging markets and developing economies are now expected to grow by 4 .1%, while advanced economies are set to expand by 1 .5%.
The Eurozone economy grew slightly faster than expected in the second quarter, but overall momentum remains weak amid looming US tariffs.
Eurostat reported a 0 .1 % GDP rise from the previous quarter, above flat growth forecast by down sharply from 0 .6 % in the first quarter.
Yearly growth hit 1 .4%, above the expected 1 .2%, yet below the previous quarter's 1 .5 % rate.
The region has seen sluggish growth in recent years as high inflation curbed household spending and dampened business investment.
While the Trump administration claims that tariffs are intended to bring manufacturing back to the United States, American automakers are bearing the brunt of the impact.
Dan Williams has more.
The vast Belvedere auto plant, situated some 100 kilometers from Chicago in the U .S. state of Illinois, stands empty.
Stellantis made the decision to shutter the plant in 2023, ending employment for some 1 ,300 workers.
A bit further down the road, Arctine Recepi operates the steam plant restaurant.
You can feel it more on weekends.
When they have day off, weekends maybe go down 10 -15 percent.
And it's not affecting just me, it's affecting the whole town.
The auto industry has faced numerous headwinds in recent years.
This year, the Trump administration has imposed tariffs on a range of goods, including vehicles and auto parts, as well as imported steel and aluminum.
Against that backdrop, General Motors reported a 35 % drop in second quarter profits.
Stellantis says it expects a $2 .7 billion loss in the first six months of the year, while Ford has warned it expects to take a $1 .5 billion tariff hit this year.
Mark Witte is a professor of economics at Northwestern University.
I think we're still in a world of tremendous uncertainty.
A lot of the parts of automobile assembly happen in the United States from parts made in Canada and parts made in Mexico, and the import of those intermediate products in automobiles and other things is subject to tariffs.
And so, yeah, this is making the price of American -made cars higher.
Automakers are announcing new U .S. investments.
General Motors will pour $4 billion into U .S. production sites, moving some production from Mexico, while Stellantis announced that it will invest about $1 .5 billion into reopening its Belvedere plant, creating around 1 ,500 jobs in the process.
though the company cancelled previous plans to invest even more into an electric battery plant, with EV production decidedly not a priority for the Trump administration.
The hope for many here is that the promise to reopen the auto plant by 2027 will hold, and that, in turn, will help revitalise business in Belvedere.
But against a backdrop of 4 .1 % unemployment, questions around the policy remain.
These aren't necessarily the jobs that are great for Americans, it's not clear that you can really bring jobs back without taking people from other jobs.
And it's not clear that people want to move from other jobs into manufacturing jobs.
So, you know, it's a romantic notion, but it's just not clear it's going to work.
While many in Belvedere remain hopeful for the future, plenty of uncertainty remains.
That was Dan Williams reporting.
Chinese Finance Minister Lan Fuan has pledged to accelerate the rollout of childcare subsidies, including gradually offering free preschool education and providing nursing support for people with disabilities and the elderly.
In a signed article focused on fiscal policy's role in sustaining China's economic growth, Lan stressed the importance of expanding domestic demand to enhance economic circulation.
He called for improving livelihoods and boosting consumption by enhancing elderly and healthcare services and launching a nationwide child care subsidy system to support household suspending.
Now for more on China's latest social subsidy measures, Zheng Junfeng spoke with Xu Xuezhu, a professor at the University of International Business and Economics.
How does the latest round of child care subsidies advance the building of a more family -friendly society in China.
Of course, through boosting fertility by reducing the burdens of the household.
So if the household have less burden raising their child, so of course people are more likely to have their children.
And second, I think this policy is more like the signal policy because this policy is an official signal to show that the burden or the responsibility of raising a child is not only responsible for a household but also responsible for society.
So I think this is how the policy for increasing or help to build a family -friendly society in two ways.
So around $500 for each child under three.
How do these subsidies contribute high -quality population development and strengthening China's social security net?
Yeah, of course, I think we have to separate first. It will build the high -quality population development first. First, it goes through the increasing nutrition, because especially low -income households will have more money to buy better food, more organic food, and etc. So they have better nutrition for the newborns.
And also the second is just through the newborns or the toddlers would probably receive more better quality kindergarten service if they have more money.
So that will also boost the competitive skill of the new child when they are growing to adult or in the later life period.
And second of all, in terms of the help for our social security, because we know that our oldest support system is a pay as you go.
So we actually need more young generation to input more funds or more money or more subsidies into the system so that we can keep our pay -as -you -go pension system to go on.
That was Professor Xu Xuezhu from the University of International Business and Economics.
China has introduced a unilateral visa -free entry and mutual visa exemption agreement with 75 countries as part of its efforts to promote international exchange.
change. According to the National Immigration Administration, 55 countries now offer visa -free transit for Chinese citizens.
The number of entry pools has expanded to 60 across 24 provincial level regions, and the permitted duration of stay has been uniformly extended to 10 days.
Thank you very much. That was Wang Ziheng with Business.
Coming up in sports, Chinese athletes continue to impress at the World Aquatics Championships.
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46 past the hour. Turning to sports and here's Yang Guang.
Thank you, Shane. We begin in the pool.
Chinese pair Cheng Zilong and Zhu Zifeng won the men's 10 -meter synchronized platform at the World Gwatex Championships in Singapore.
The Chinese divers led the chart after the first three dives but dropped to third after a flawed execution in the fourth round.
They produced a high -quality closing splash that edged the nearest rivals by 0 .93 points to secure the title.
Cheng said he will remember this comeback.
back. It's a memorable experience for me.
We took the lead first and lagged behind, but we fought back to win the title, which is not easy.
We never give up when we are trailing others.
We tried our best to work hard and show our best form.
Russian and American duos claim the silver and bronze medals.
In swimming, Tan Chianting won a bronze medal for China in women's 100 -meter breaststroke.
Katie Ledecky won her sixth gold medal in women's 1500 -metre freestyle at World Aquatics Championships.
China's Li Bingjie finished fourth.
In football, Manchester United defender Luke Shaw says he's aiming for a Premier League title next season.
He expressed a strong belief in the team's potential under Ruben Amorim.
His mentality, his demands.
He's extremely tough on the group.
I think, you know, he leaves no stone unturned.
And I think, you know, there's no stragglers in this group anymore.
I think everyone has to put the team first. He's made that very clear.
I think he's picking players on how he feels will be best for the team.
And that's his choice.
And us as players, we're fully behind him and fully behind on his ideas and what he wants to implement in his team.
Mind U has been in the United States for a Summer League series and is set to play Bournemouth in Chicago.
Shaw attended the clinic with children designed to strengthen and community ties and support the development of young people.
Media reports say the draw for next year's FIFA World Cup will take place in Las Vegas on December 5th.
The Saphir will reportedly serve as the ceremony site.
48 teams will be divided into 12 groups of four for the tournament jointly, hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The draw also took place in Las Vegas when the United States last hosted the World Cup in 1994.
On the women's side, China will compete with North Korea, Uzbekistan and Bangladesh in Group B of next year's Asian Cup.
The defending champions are aiming for a record -extending 10th Asian title.
China head coach Antti Milicic acknowledged North Korea as a strong but unfamiliar opponent.
The top two teams from each group, along with the two best third -place teams, will advance to the quarterfinals.
Hosts Australia will open the Asian Cup against the Philippines in Perth on March 1.
The tournament also serves as Asia's qualifier for the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil.
In tennis, Alexander Sivirev powered past Adam Walton in straight sets and the Toronto Open after a short confusion.
The top seed thought he had fired an ace in the tiebreak to wrap up the first set.
He celebrated before the umpire rooted a fault.
He eventually took the tiebreak 8 -6 and went on to win the second set 6 -4 to reach the third round.
This is the Germans' first match after a month absence from the court.
He lost the play at Wimbledon and suffered a first -round exit.
Hugo Rune eased into the third round by getting past Frances Giovanni and Pachi Pericard. In women's section, in Montreal, Chinese player Zhu Lin reached the third round in three sets.
In golf, defending champion Lydia Ko says she plans to learn from her playing partner Lottie Wald at Women's British Open.
and despite her three major titles the Kiwi said she still wants to inspect world up close during the tournament.
It will be my first time playing with Lottie so I'm excited you know she's coming in with a ton of momentum and you know I think there's going to be a lot of people that's going to come out and watch her and you know it's going to be really cool for me to see and you know see you know the things that I could possibly learn from her and and why she's playing good.
Valdi is playing in her just second tournament as a pro.
She became a first -time winner in her pro debut at the Scottish Open last weekend.
And finally, the Royal Automobile Club has presented Nick Tandy with the Zagreve Trophy for Outstanding Exploitation on Land, Sea or Air.
The Briton is the first driver to win every 24 -hour endurance race, a Grand Slam of Le Mans, Lebergrain, Spa and Daytona.
He's also the first racer to win Endurance Racing's Big Six, with titles in the Petit Le Mans and 12 Hours of Serbian.
Some have compared Fortillo to double Formula One champion and Indianapolis 500 winner Jim Clark, who also came from a farming background.
Past winners of the Royal Automobile Club's honor include Formula One champions Lewis Hamilton and Jackie Stewart.
Thank you very much. That's Yong Guang with sports.
Just ahead in culture and entertainment.
an Austrian artist's digital exhibition in Beijing.
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52 past the hour now.
In culture and entertainment, Cultural Zone Beijing Fun is hosting a digital art exhibition called Golden Age Gustav Klimt. It's part of a national tour showcasing 23 classic art pieces by the Austrian artists.
Young Yan has spoken with the organizers.
masters. Klim started out painting traditional decorative art for buildings but he later developed his own unique style.
During his famed the golden phase he lavishly used a gold leaf, giving his works a rich, almost mythical glow.
For me I really like the kiss it's a very special work of art and the technique which I described before was the gold leaves and when he put the paint paint through the sieve.
This is a classic one.
And you can see it's not regular, it just happened like that.
Random ones. Random, more or less, and then he had special painting technique.
But for this one, if you ever have the chance to go to Vienna, it's in the Belle Vedere Museum in Vienna, the original.
It's a lovely centerpiece.
Using cutting edge AI technology and light art, the exhibition breaks down Klim's use of dots, lines, shapes and colors, reimagining his iconic style through the lens of digital art.
These 23 pieces of work were selected by us from the Cultural Section of the Austrian Embassy.
We chose a number of representative pieces from Klimt's allegorical paintings, landscapes, and portraits, focusing on those that explore themes such as life, love, death, and eternity.
We included well -known works like The Kiss, portrait paintings such as Adele, and some paintings that reflect an Oriental influence what the cultural message does all string embassy want to convey through this exhibition I think this exhibition shows very clearly that first of all Klimt is a wonderful Austrian artist but more so what you can do with nowadays technology without official intelligence so how to bring the painting a life which is something which is unheard of when these paintings were painted than a hundred more than a 100 years ago so now you can really imagine how all this happened
how the scenery is happening how how the life of clint used to be so i'm very very happy that we can show this to the audience in china the immersive experience brings clint's timeless masterpieces to life in a whole new way that was young yan reporting a group of young leaders from more than 10 european countries have visited the greater bay area in southern china to promote cultural exchanges china and and the European Union are marking 50 years of diplomatic relations this year.
Guo Tianqi has more.
Shared history and shared values lead to a shared future.
Building bridges is the theme of this visit.
Young leaders from more than 10 European countries toured historical sites in Guangdong province, including the Museum of Dr. Sun Yat -sen, known as the founding father of modern China.
The most important fact, I think it's less of a historical fact, more of a principle.
Which is that the world needs more visionaries and it needs more people who have the courage to rise against injustice and do good things for their peers and for their planet.
And I think this is what I'm taking from the visit of the Honorable Dr. Sun Yat -sen.
The delegates also visited the Diao Luo or Witch Tower Complex in Kaiping, Jiangmen City, a renowned hometown of overseas Chinese in China, to see the unique architecture that combines Chinese and Western styles.
I visited the whole area including Shenzhen when it was a village with a couple of fishermen.
I went all around in 1986 and 1987, first time, and since that time I was like 20 times in China all around.
I love China. I took some pictures here of some kitchens at that time in the 80s where really some people living in similar kitchens.
So I would compare the picture when I'm home.
Traditional Chinese art performances and Western pop music also brought these young people closer together and enhanced their mutual understanding.
That was a report on bridging cultures in China and Europe.
China's summer box office has topped 5 .6 billion yuan as of Tuesday night with Dead to Rights leading the pack.
The diverse film lineup includes genres such as war, history and animation.
Dead to Rights has become a popular choice due to its profound historical significance and high production quality.
We're at 57 past and checking the forecast before we go.
Beijing down to 22 degrees on Wednesday evening.
Cloudy conditions and 31 for Thursday.
Shanghai will see torrential rainfall and a low of 26, followed by a slight rain and 30.
Nanjing's down to 23, then heavy rainfall and 26 degrees.
Nanchang's 29 overnight.
Sunny and 37 tomorrow.
Elsa in Asia, Islamabad's down to 23, then a slight rain in 31 for Thursday.
Vientiane's 25 overnight, then some rain in 34.
Phnom Penh's at 26 degrees overnight, a slight rainfall in 33 degrees tomorrow.
And that's it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.
Making news today, China will set economic and social development goals for the 15th five -year plan during a meeting coming up in October.
China and the U .S. aim to delay implementing tariffs on each other's goods.
On behalf of the staff, this is Shane Bingham 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.
Both my grandpa and dad made a living from the river.
Would you like to move away from the Yellow River?
I don't think I will.
I love it so much. The Yellow River, the second -longest river in China, is regarded as a shaping force in the history, economy and culture of northern China.
Today about 100 million people live within its water basin, making up nearly nine percent of the country's population.
How is climate change felt at its headwaters and what are the locals doing to cope with it?
What are the descendants of the 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 and their close bond with the river and present their stories in pictures, podcasts, and videos.
All in our 12 -part series, The Yellow River Mosaic, available only on CGTN Radio.
