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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 week day.
Now here's your host, Shane Biggin, with you on this Monday, May 19th, 2025.
You're listening to the Beijing Hour coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
On today's program, Chinese authorities said the country's economy is resisting current pressures and maintained steady growth in April.
China and Denmark have pledged to deepen cooperation, as the two sides mark 75 years of diplomatic ties.
And Israel's announced that it'll allow a small amount of aid into the Gaza Strip.
In business, Chinese officials say home prices in the country remain stable.
In sports, badminton action from the Thailand Open.
In culture and entertainment, exploring the China Pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival.
Now checking the days top stories.
Chinese authorities say the economy's managed to withstand pressure and maintain steady growth in April.
Retail sales expanded 5 .1 percent, value added industrial output grew 6 .1 percent.
The National Bureau of Statistics said employment remains stable and new growth drivers gathered momentum.
Wang Ziyuan breaks down the economic figures.
China's economy maintained the staple growth despite of the ongoing pressure in April, and the index of service production has increased by 6%, and the total retail sales of survey consumer goods has increased by 5 .1 % year on year and reflecting the steady recovery of domestic demand.
Well the CPI edged down 0 .1 % year on year but rose 0 .1 % month on month reflecting the price stability of the Chinese market.
There are a few things have been highlighted.
1. The tourism and travel sectors on the rise from January to April.
They have shown the double digits increase on tourism, transport and communication sector.
2. Online retail has continued to thrive, especially during the May Day holiday.
The number of tourists has increased by 24%.
And another thing they mentioned is the China's Brazilian foreign trade and China's trade number with belt on the road in the countries has increased by 3 .9%.
And a lot of reporters have asked about the recent China -US trade tariff talk in Geneva.
And a spokesperson said that lowering the China -US trade tariffs will boost the bilateral trade and help with global economic recovery.
Well, the spokesperson said China's economy is more like an ocean, not a pound, and that they will do their best to release the full potential of the Chinese market, especially in the long term.
So looking ahead they will expand a high standard opening up and stabilizing employment, advance the higher quality development, also develop the full potential of the Chinese domestic market.
That was Wang Siwen on the performance of the Chinese economy in April.
We asked professor John Gong at the University of International Business and Economics about his take on the April performance and explains how the numbers reflect the Chinese economy is resiliency.
My biggest impression has to do with the consumption increase of 5 .1 percent.
This number is extremely important in my view as it is the entire economy is counting on the consumption to take the lead to drive the growth pattern here.
And I think the data is showing that it's exactly what's happening.
Another thing I want to point to is with respect to the private enterprises.
If you look at the GDP growth, that is the value -added growth in April across different kinds of companies.
The private companies have experienced the most increase, actually, 6 .8%, larger than the state -owned enterprises as well as joint venture and foreign companies.
I think this is a very good sign that private investors are starting to invest, who are starting to come back to their board of provision.
And I think this is actually very good news and I read a lot about that statistics.
The final thing, as respect to exports, it's just amazing to see that the April exports number is at a 9 .3 % increase.
This is in spite of the background of tariffs imposed by Washington.
We understand very well in April the bulk of the month exports to United States pretty much stopped.
And yet the aggregate numbers showing a 9 .3 % increase.
and this shows how much resilient, how much appearing Chinese products are global -wise.
Professor Gong also said the figures showed a shift in spending habits.
It's quite interesting to see that the growth in expenditures on services, not so much on buying things that you actually use, but on services.
It actually increased more than the expenditure increase on buying goods, especially in the tourism area, in travel in you know other service areas like gaming you know other sort of spiritual life related stuff it's actually going much much faster.
I think this represents an overall trend in chinese consumption pattern that is you know as we upgrade the consumption what are we upgrading on there actually not much on buying things but by much on you know by services." How was professor Zhang Gong on China's monthly economic performance?
Monday is China Tourism Day.
Officials are rolling out thousands of beneficial measures for tourists, offering over one billion Yuan in subsidies.
That's around a hundred and forty million U .S. dollars.
The China Tourist Attractions Association is launching an event with discounts totaling 80 million Yuan.
Zheng Chun 'ing tells us more about China's increasingly appealing tourism sector.
Latest figures show that domestic travel in the first quarter of this year surged 26 .4 % year -on -year to 1 .79 billion trips, generating a revenue of over 1 .8 trillion yuan, rising over 18%.
One major interesting trend is that culture has emerged as a key driver for tourism.
For example, the hit TV drama My Aunty significantly boosted tourism in Xinjiang's Aunty region, attracting over 1 million visitors in a single week in May.
Additionally, the video game Black Myth or WooKong spurred interest in cultural sites.
Meanwhile, outbound tourism in 2024 also continued to recover.
According to the National Immigration Administration, the number of cross -border entrance and exit at ports nationwide reached 610 million, reflecting an increase of nearly 44 percent.
China has unveiled its 2024 tourism report, which showcased a remarkable rebound in international arrivals and spending.
The country welcomed over 132 million foreign visitors in 2024 alone generating a staggering $94 .2 billion in revenue.
The 132 million inbound trips or 158 % increase compared to 2023 included tourists, business travelers and students.
and tourism revenue represents a year -on -year growth of over 77%.
And these surges are attributed to streamlined visa policies.
Over two million foreigners entered China via visa -free channels.
That was Zhang Chunying reporting.
Home appliances were China's fourth largest export to the U .S. last year, but tariffs have strained the trade flow, even with Beijing and Washington announcing a temporary reduction.
The full set of U .S. tariffs on Chinese goods remains steep.
In a Southern Chinese manufacturing hub, producers are racing to adapt.
Huang Fei visited several companies in Zhongshan.
The southern Chinese city of Zhongshan is a major manufacturing hub for home appliances.
For years, much of its products headed straight to American homes, but an onslaught of U .S. tariffs in April brought shipments to a standstill.
So how much money is tied up here in this warehouse?
It is difficult to tell.
see we have um five big buyers only one of them stocking about 30 container i think totally is about five million us dollars ricky's products now fees up to 55 percent in tariffs your clients what are they saying they even feel anxious because they know i will not lower down the price and they know the tariff will shoot the bottom itself ricky's clients include walmart the world's largest retailer whose ceo recently warned price hikes are hard to avoid given the reality of narrow retail margins.
To cushion the blow from terrorists, Rukey's factory, like many others, is moving some production overseas.
In China, we are in charge of developing the tooling.
And then we also make some key components from China.
In Vietnam, we do some simple assembly and also some production still.
We also need to find more buyers.
For example, these items belong also from Europe.
It's all hands -on deck as factories raised to deliver during the 90 day tariff reprieve.
And alongside big container orders, companies are also learning to handle smaller direct to customer shipments.
Here at the Dongfeng Town government, a new cross -border e -commerce association has been set up to help companies make that shift. Long makes luxury cabinets for wine and cigars.
Half of his exports go to the U .S. Our products are non -essential.
When prices rise, consumers tend to cut back, so tariffs hit us harder.
We've been in domestic e -commerce since 2011.
The local markets are still huge.
Now the town is pooling our supply chain resources together to build a brand for overseas markets.
Just 20 minutes away in a town called Nantou, another company is taking a different path, doubling down on being the world's factory.
Today, advances in AI, automation and robotics have made China's manufacturing efficiency world -class.
For large -scale production, that means lower costs.
Are high -end products now rival or even surpass friends from Japan, Korea, Europe and the in both tech and design.
With that edge, we're steadily gaining ground in global markets.
Just days after a visit, most of Ricky's inventory was shipped at the request of US clients.
Some even placed new orders hoping to beat the 90 day deadline.
China and the US are rolling back most of the tariffs imposed since early April.
For many companies, the tariffs are still steep.
The hope is that more duties are lifted after the 90 day cooling period.
In the meantime companies are bracing for a long fight building factories overseas exploring new markets and doubling down on innovation.
The pressure is real.
So is the determination to keep moving and keep winning.
That was Huang Fei reporting from Guangdong Province.
Coming up China and Denmark are celebrating 75 years of bilateral ties.
Washington is tightening its containment of China's tech industry, launching a global crackdown on AI chips from Chinese firms, with Huawei squarely in the crosshairs.
What's fueling this escalation, and how might it reshape the global semiconductor landscape?
Join us on The Chat Lounge this week as we break down the Power Play's potential blowback and China's next move in this high -stakes Silicon showdown.
Listen wherever you get your podcasts and on CGTN Radio.
Twelve minutes past the hour.
China and Denmark have reaffirmed their commitment to multilateralism and pledged deeper cooperation.
This comes as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met his Danish counterpart Lars Loki Rasmussen in Beijing.
Rasmussen's on an official visit to China as the two countries mark 75 years of diplomatic ties.
Zhao Yunfei has more.
The two sides really cherish the relationship between the two countries especially the diplomatic relationship.
It has been 75 years.
Wang Yi said that Denmark has a strength in innovation and green development, he said that China is willing to work with Denmark to further expand cooperation to tackle global climate change and boost a sustainable development.
Wang Yi also mentioned about multilateralism.
He said that currently the post -World War II order is under -challenged so it's important for China to stand with Denmark to play its important role in the international stage, as well as the multilateral stage.
Rasmussen said that echoed Wang Yi's statement and he said that during the challenging times, exchange is important.
He also mentioned the relationship between the two countries.
Not just the diplomatic ties but also the friendship between the two countries can be traced back to hundreds of years and he said that the two countries find their own paths of development, However, they can always find common ground and common interest for the common good.
Recently, Chinese President Xi Jinping has replied a letter from the founder of the Danish Chamber of Commerce in China.
In the reply letter, President Xi wrote that China was and will be an ideal, secure, and promising destination for foreign investments.
Upon the Danish foreign minister's visit to China, The Chinese foreign minister said that this visit aims to boost political mutual trust between the two countries.
That was Zhao Yunfei reporting.
Bucharest mayor Nicusius Dan has promised to lead the change in Romania after the independent candidate won the presidential election.
Results from the electoral authority show that Dan secured more than 54 % of the vote, ahead of George Simeons' nearly 46%.
Pro EU Dan promised to strengthen rule of law reforms, maintain support for Ukraine and deepen ties with the West. Asimian, who heads the Alliance for the Union of Romanians party, led the first round of the elections two weeks ago.
The election took place after the annulment of last year's results over alleged foreign interference.
Pablo Gudierrez has more from Bucharest. The turnout has exceeded what many analysts were predicting.
Over 11 .6 million Romanians went to the polls.
Now this is the second largest turnout since 2014 and what's striking is who's showing up.
It's young voters, first time voters, and also an unusually high number of Romanians living abroad.
Many describe this as a vote that they simply could not sit out.
Now, the two candidates could hardly be more different.
Nicolas Chordan is an independent centrist known for his anti -corruption work and for staying outside the traditional party system here in Romania.
He promises to keep Romania firmly anchored in the European Union.
His opponent, George Simeone, leads the far right party, AUR, and he is a populist who challenge EU policies and drawn support from nationalist voters including those that back Calin Iorgescu he is the ultra -nationalist that was disqualified last year that disqualification ultimately led to the annulment of the 2024 election so the vote is being watched closely many see it not just as a choice between two men but as a test of Romania's democracy the The presidency isn't just ceremonial.
The winner will command the military, appoint prime minister and represent Romania on the world stage.
So for many voters, this is about reclaiming trust in the system and deciding what kind of future Romania should have. That was Pablo Gudieras on what the election results mean for Romanians.
Portugal's center -right democratic alliance has won the parliamentary election.
The Alliance garnered 32 .1 % of the vote, or 86 seats.
The Socialist Party placed second with 23 .4 % of the vote.
Socialist Party leader Pedro Núños -Santes has accepted the center -left party's defeat.
We didn't provoke these elections, but we wanted to win them.
We did everything in our power.
We had a good campaign, but we did not manage to win these elections.
The Portuguese people have spoken out clearly.
and as always, we respect the decision of the Portuguese public.
The Democratic alliance fell short of the seats needed for a majority, but leader Luis Montenegro said he had received a clear and reinforced mandate from the people.
Portugal's third general election in three years, as Dashed hopes that the ballot could end years of political uncertainty in the country.
In Poland, voters are returning to the polls on June 1st, after no presidential candidate secured more than half of the vote in the first round.
A ruling coalition candidate Rafal Terzikowski and independent candidate Carol Naraki will contest the runoff next month.
The Ipsos exit poll showed that Warsaw Mayor Terzikowski garnered 30 .8 % of the vote.
Renrop Naraki's a historian and newcomer to electoral politics.
And he's consistently ranked second in the polls.
Mexico has resurrected a decades -old campaign to encourage consumers to buy local.
The United States neighbor, and one of its largest trading partners, is aiming to enhance pride in national products at a time of high global trade tensions.
Frank Contreras has more from Mexico City.
Made in Mexico. This regional economic development strategy kicks off as US President Donald Trump continues to threaten to impose steep tariffs on Mexico and other major US trading partners.
Mexico's government aims to convince consumers here to prioritize purchases of domestic products, including the world famous and popular Mexican Jaz avocado major foreign -owned companies here are also planning to sell more products made in Mexico.
Even newer and lesser -known Mexican products like the Sacoa electric vehicle support the initiative.
The Made in Mexico campaign includes fine Mexican wines produced in the high deserts of northern Coahuila state.
The president of Mexico's national for the Winemakers Council.
Salomon Avedrop says it's an opportunity to ramp up already strong sales of locally bottled wines.
Porque hecho en México nosa distintivo en México.
Made in México makes us distinctive and gives us presence in the national market.
Consumption of Mexican wine is growing, so we have to make a strong effort so that Mexicans continue to seek out and consume Mexican wines.
Golden delicious mangoes and a multiplicity of other products are produced and made here in Mexico.
But to participate in this national campaign, producers and companies alike must register with the National Secretary of the Economy.
The director of development studies at Mexico Cide University, Aldolfo Laborde, says President Schoenbaum's administration is not the first to use this approach. There could be vegetables, fruits or alcoholic beverages.
Other products will include those manufactured here which include Mexican science and technologies and can help facilitate scientific development in our country.
This Made in Mexico campaign aims to substitute imported products with local ones.
They can be produced less expensively and they will use existing logistics to incorporate these products into supply chains.
Using national pride to boost the domestic economy is not new in Latin America.
Still Mexican government officials hope this measure will protect Mexico in times of economic uncertainty.
That was Frank Contreras reporting on Mexico's campaign to support local businesses.
Coming up, Israel will allow a small amount of aid into the Gaza Strip.
Thank you. Join our global reporters for captivating stories and thought -provoking conversations, search Deep Dive on your favorite podcast platforms, and get ready to dive in.
We're at 21 minutes past the hour.
Israel says it'll let limited amounts of aid into Gaza after the military announced extensive ground operations in the northern and southern parts of the territory.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Israel will allow a basic amount of food to ensure a hunger crisis does not develop.
There was no progress in ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas.
The Israeli military suggested it could scale down operations to help reach a deal.
Jonathan Regev has more.
The army stating that the expanded operation has begun and that ground forces are now advancing into Gaza both from the North and from the South.
This is after quite a buildup for the past two weeks or so.
Tens of thousands of reservists being called to service, going through some training period.
Israel was said that it will wait until the end of the visit of President Donald Trump to the region.
He left on Friday afternoon, and roughly 48 hours later this operation is beginning.
The operation is going on, but Israel did signal that it can stop or at least pause the operation at any time.
If there's any breakthrough in the negotiations which are happening in Qatar, Israel said it loud and clear negotiations will happen under fire.
It's not as if fighting will stop while negotiations are going on.
And the Israeli forces, we've also heard from Gaza, going deeper and deeper into the strip.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu added that the negotiations for the moment are based only on the Whitcough plan, the plan calling for the release of 10 Israeli hostages.
which will bring some weeks of ceasefire.
This is as opposed to what Hamas is saying.
Hamas wants an agreement which will free all of the hostages together, but will also bring an end to the war.
That is something that Israel is not doing, other than the prime minister.
The first minister to leak things outside is the minister of national security, Itamar Ben -Naveer, who said there will not be any such an agreement.
No such thing as an agreement which will not bring Hamas down all together.
That was Jonathan Raghavan, Israel's new plant in Gaza.
Malaysians have said goodbye to a pair of giant pandas that return to China after an 11 -year stay.
They will spend at least a month in quarantine at a protection and research base in southwest China.
The two countries have a plan to begin a new conservation project within the year.
Ryan Meltzer spoke with some panda enthusiasts in Malaysia.
Fu -wa and Feng -yi were the first ever pandas in Malaysia, sent to celebrate 40 years of diplomatic ties with China.
For the past 11 years they lived in this purpose -built, air -conditioned enclosure and drew adoring crowds right till the final day.
Normally, each month I come four or three times just to see the pandas.
If they ask me about my feelings of course instead they are leaving.
So, so sad. But we promise to send them back so we need to let them go.
Of course, very sad.
And feeling not to let them go back, but I have two left. Because each one is their motherland.
For the past couple of weeks, the pandas have been in quarantine to prepare them for their departure.
So, the public have only been able to see them from inside this glass -enclosed viewing area.
Little over a year after their arrival, Feng Yi and Fu Wai produced a healthy cub — the fastest natural conception in captivity outside of China.
followed by a second Cub in 2018 and third in 2021.
They've all been sent to China.
On Sunday, Feng Yi and Fu Wa left the National Zoo, boarding a plane back to China's Sichuan province.
China has pledged to send a new adult panda pair to Malaysia in the coming months.
I'm very excited to wait for the new pair to come.
No matter which pandas.
As long as they are pandas, I will still love them, come and see them more very often.
Of course I am excited when the new pandas come, I'll just feel the same way about them.
I love them like I love Fuwa and Feng Yi.
And Malaysians will hope that the new pair will also delight them by producing cubs like Fuwa and Feng Yi so successfully did.
That was Ryan Meltzer on Malaysia's giant panda cooperation with China.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams says there's no significant damage to the Brooklyn Bridge after a Mexican Navy ship collided with it.
Two crew members died as the mast snapped, leaving some sailors dangling in the air.
Early signs point to mechanical issues for the incident during the ship's global goodwill tour.
Jim Spellman has more.
The Mexican Navy ship, covered in glowing lights, appears to be out of control as it collides with the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City at sunset on Saturday.
The tops of its mast were shorn off before the vessel collides with the embankment.
Nick Corso witnessed the collision.
And you can see there is a lot of pandemonium on the boat.
I didn't realize until after but there was people on the mass of the boat, like, up there.
They were, so one of theirs got hit and they fell off of it and they were hanging on the rope because they were all attached to it.
In addition to the fatalities, the Mexican Navy says at least 22 other crew members were injured.
The Mexican ministry of the Navy would search for every family of every one of the injured in order to give them a very detailed panorama of what's going on with every one of them.
The ship, known as the Cuauhtemoc had a crew of 277 and was in New York on a goodwill mission leaving port and route to Iceland, but instead of heading south toward open waters, the ship traveled north and was apparently going backwards, stern first as it collided with the bridge.
No one on shore was injured and officials say the bridge was not significantly damaged.
The cause of the crash is not immediately known, but investigators suspect a mechanical issue may be behind the accident.
The pilot, the captain that was maneuvering the ship Lost, I guess, power of the ship and the current mechanical function caused the ship to go right into the pillar of the bridge hitting the mass of the ship where there were a couple of sailors on top of it.
These sailors were injured as a result of the mass striking the bridge.
Police, boats and medics responded, taking injured crew members to local hospitals.
By morning, the ship was docked.
The US National Transportation Safety Board is now investigating the incident.
That was Jim Spellman reporting.
Trains killed two people and injured another in Ohio after it struck pedestrians on a railroad bridge.
Emergency crews sirsey the river underneath for at least one missing person.
Police have closed the bridge in Fremont.
The mayor said the victims are part of a large family that traveled to the city for fishing.
Residents in Kentucky and Missouri have sifted through damage in tornado -stricken neighborhoods after storms swept through parts of the Midwest and south and killed more than two dozen people.
Edwina Wilson and her husband took cover in a hallway as a tornado barreled toward their home in Kentucky.
The house started shaking and the loud roaring happened and we just fell right there in the hallway.
And then when it finally did stop, he wasn't moving, but I screamed at him and he started shaking his leg to let me know he was okay.
And I told him, you have to say something.
So he did. And we started peeling our way out.
Kentucky was hard as hit as a devastating tornado killed at least 19 people and left many homeless.
Meteorologists predicted a fresh mix of dangerous weather conditions across the U .S. midsection starting Sunday with heavy rains thunderstorms and the possibility of more tornadoes.
29 past the hour. Beijing is down to 17 degrees on Monday evening.
It will be cloudy in 33 on Tuesday.
Nanshong is at 24 overnight then moderate rainfall in 29 degrees.
Elsewhere in Asia, Islamabad is down to 23 and then clouds in 42 on Tuesday.
Bien Thien is at 25 overnight then a slight rain in 32.
Phnom Penh is at 25 this evening than some rainfall and 33 tomorrow.
In Africa, Nairobi is getting a slight rain and 25 degrees on Tuesday.
Compel is at 20 overnight.
That is followed by a slight rain and 24 degrees Celsius.
It's time for a short break so far this hour.
Chinese authorities say the country's economy is resisting current pressures and maintain steady growth in April.
China and Denmark have pledged to deepen cooperation as the two sides mark 75 years of diplomatic ties.
Israel has announced that it'll allow a small amount of aid into the Gaza Strip.
Shane Begum with you, stay with us here on the Beijing Hour.
Shh, listen up. Can you hear the heartbeat of our world?
It's vibrant and pulsating with the essence of life itself.
From the stem of trees to the gurgle of rivers.
from the silent strength of mountains to the icy whispers of glaciers even the solid ground beneath our feet and right there in the midst of all beats the heart of humanity what if those other heart beats were to stop would ours keep on ticking?
Ever wondered what's actually going on in Africa through the perspective of an African?
How are things really going between China and Africa?
What's the narrative of this relationship?
Well, get a perspective with China -Africa Talk.
Hear from African diplomats, entrepreneurs, academics, Chinese natives, and more.
Get on our wavelength every week to find out what's real with China -Africa Talk.
Find us on your favorite podcast. We'll 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 Bingham with you on this Monday, still to come.
In business, Chinese officials say home prices in the country remain stable.
In sports, badminton action from the Thailand Open.
In culture and entertainment, exploring the China Pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival.
To contact us, you can email radio at CGTN dot com or follow our ex -account at CGTN Radio.
Now let the check of the day's headlines.
Here's Dou Hongyu. Thank you, Shane.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has stressed sound democratic and law based decision making to ensure the country's next five year plan for national economic and social development is formulated in high quality.
He made the remarks in a recent instruction on the work concerning the compilation of the 15th five -year plan between 2026 and 2030.
The Chinese economy managed to withstand pressure and realize steady growth in April.
The country's value -added industrial output expanded 6 .1 % year -on -year last month.
China's retail sales of consumer goods, a major indicator of the country's consumption strength, expanded 5 .1%.
In addition, commercial home prices in major Chinese cities continue to stabilize in April.
The World Health Assembly has decided not to include a proposal on Taiwan's participation as an observer.
The highest decision -making body of the World Health Organization is currently in session in Geneva.
It was the ninth time in a row that the World Health Assembly has turned down the proposal.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has said that Israel will ease its blockade and let limited amounts of food into Gaza.
The announcement came after the Israeli military said ground forces had begun extensive operations in northern and southern Gaza.
Abu Mohammed Yassen is among many who are fleeing Jabalia in northern Gaza after Israel launched new ground operations in the territory.
He says residents are collecting what they can sell to get money for the evacuation.
I collect wood and sell it to get the fee for the cut that we will travel in.
I am thrown here between the Tuam area and Area 17 in a tent.
I don't have money for transportation.
We collect some wood along with some plastic and sell it to leave. Palestinian health officials say hundreds of people have died from Israeli attacks in the past week.
including over a hundred killed in the new offensive.
Bucharest mayor Niku Sordin has declared victory in the presidential election in Romania.
This is your victory, you know.
This is the victory of thousands of people who campaigned these days who believe that Romania can change in the right direction.
Don't ever forget the force you showed these weeks because together we will need it when we'll have things to surpass.
Early results show the 55 -year -old winning the race in a shock upset over his rival, Georges Simeone, who has conceded defeat, with nearly all ballots counted, then secured over 54 % of the vote.
The result marked the conclusion of a re -run presidential election after the annulment of the 2024 results due to allegations of campaign irregularities and foreign interference.
French Interior Minister Bruno Redayo has won the election to lead the right -wing Republicans party.
With over 74 % of the vote in an internal election, he beat Laurent Wokie, who leads the party in France's lower house of parliament.
Redayo said his priority is to restore order.
I want to bring back people who had left us, and they did.
So what we can do with activists?
I'm sure that tomorrow at another stage we can do it with the voters whom the riot has unfortunately disappointed too often because the riot hasn't kept its promises." The victory has bolstered Hedayo's chances ahead of a 2027 presidential election in which many believe he will run.
Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum has expressed her solidarity with the families of those killed when a Mexican ship struck Brooklyn Bridge in New York.
The injured are being attended to first and foremost. And our solidarity always goes out to a cadet and a sailor who died.
And we're going to be attending to them.
The cause has already been reviewed by the secretary of the Navy and the authorities of the U .S. who are also reviewing it.
A Mexican Navy sailing ship on a global goodwill tour struck the bridge on Saturday, killing two crew members and leaving over a dozen injured.
The Mexican Navy said that the incident involved an academy training vessel.
New York City mayor Eric Adams said the 142 -year -old bridge was spared major damage.
Alright, thank you very much. That was Do Hongyu with headlines.
Coming up in business, Chinese officials say home prices in the country remain stable.
The Beijing hour. Your window on China and the rest of the world.
37 past the hour. In business now, here's Tianyu.
Thank you, Sheng. Stocks on the Chinese mainland closed almost flat on Monday.
Timothy Pope has more.
Cautious is the word for the Chinese mainland stock market.
The Shanghai Composite Index ended the session practically unchanged despite those early losses.
The same was pretty much true of the Shenzhen component as well.
There was some conflicting economic data that was weighing on investors' minds and that really did help tip them towards this risk -off sentiment.
Firstly, China's factory output showed some resilience in the face of the tariffs last month so that would have been welcomed.
But retail sales missed expectations, they were up by 5 .1%, so still a fairly good reading, but it was less than we saw in March, and that dip has been put down to the U .S. tariffs again.
There was also some lackluster home price data to contend with too.
Nothing dire enough to really spook investors, but it definitely didn't spur much buying.
There was one area, though, where stocks did go up very strongly, and that was Chinese port operators.
Because there was almost nothing headed for the US from China while the tariffs were as high as they were, exporters rushed to book containers and port space after the 90 -day pause was announced.
So we saw stocks in Zhuhai Port and Ningbo Port both up more than 10 % just their daily limit.
Shanghai International Port added more than 1 .7%.
China Merchants Port group was also up more than two and a half percent.
So investors are clearly capitalizing on the current rush with some people uncertain over whether those tariffs might even come back again in the not too distant future so they're making those bets while they can." That was Timothy Pope reporting Elsewhere in China the Hong Kong stock market closed almost flat In Japan, the decay was down nearly 0 .7 percent An official survey shows commercial home prices in major Chinese cities continue to stabilize in April The survey showed home prices in 70 major cities stayed flat or dipped last month.
National Bureau of Statistics spokesperson Fu Linhui says home prices have remained stable in general, with the pace of decline in prices further easing.
On a month -on -month basis, the prices of new commercial residential properties in 1st and 2nd tier cities among the 70 large and medium -sized cities remained unchanged in April, while those in third -tier cities slightly declined, while the yearly decline in the prices of commercial residential properties in all 70 cities continued to narrow.
New home prices in first -tier cities fell 2 .1 % compared with a decline of 2 .8 % in March. The price decline in second -tier cities narrowed by half points, while the decline in third -tier cities narrowed by 0 .3 points A report shows that the business environment for small and medium -sized enterprises in China continued to improve last year The report by the China Center for Promotion of SME Development selected 50 cities as subjects It reported reduced barriers to market access and progress in building a unified national market Director Jingtia Ying of the Policy Research Division said most of the surveyed
enterprises are satisfied with the current development environment.
The survey data showed that over 90 percent of the enterprises expressed satisfaction regarding market access, supply of factors and government services, and 44 surveyed cities had a higher comprehensive credit index compared with 2023.
In general, as continuous efforts are made further to promote the construction of a unified national market, noticeable results were yielded in improving the market environment for SMEs.
The report also said the operating revenues of the SMEs in the surveyed cities remained stable.
over 60 % of them reported the same or higher operating revenue compared with 2023.
More than 80 % of the surveyed cities have operated public service platforms for SMEs.
Associate Researcher Lai Xiao says the services boost development.
These services not only help the enterprises overcome bottlenecks in their development more effectively, but also help them develop their unique advantages and achieve steady growth.
In the next step, we will provide more characteristic functions on the website for serving China's SMEs and make efforts to promote data connectivity and service sharing.
All the surveyed cities have set up special funds to help promote the development of SMEs.
Data shows that China's coaching logistics sector sustained steady expansion in the first quarter.
The sector amounted to over 2 .2 trillion yuan, or 300 billion US dollars, during the first 3 months up 4%.
The fruit and vegetable wholesale market saw a basically even trading volume compared to the same period of last year.
The retail market experienced growth with online sales of fruits, vegetables, and frozen foods increasing.
Investment in cold chain logistics projects rose 9 .4 % to over 8 .7 billion yuan from January to March. The cold chain transportation for products like fruits, beef and seafood has become more active in China amid the optimized cross -border logistics channels.
Direct flights and new transport modes in integrating trends with coaching logistics are bringing more high -quality foreign agricultural products to Chinese consumers.
Ching Yuming is the secretary -general of the Coaching Logistics Committee of the China chain processing companies are shifting focus and diversifying strategies to enhance competitiveness amid the global trade uncertainties.
Many export -oriented enterprises in China are expanding into emerging markets through multichannel business strategies in regions like Latin America, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Central Asia.
At the same time, we are seeing a growing number of these companies ramp up efforts to develop the domestic market, focusing on offering higher quality products to meet the demands of consumers in China.
Experts say the cold -chain logistics sector will see further growth in the second quarter amid the rising demand for fresh agricultural products during summer.
Data shows that China's postal industry maintained strong growth in the first four months of the year.
Express delivery firms handled over 61 billion parcels during the period, up nearly 21%.
Courier services deeper integration into key sectors such as agriculture, fresh produce, flowers, pharmaceuticals, and auto parts, filled the expansion.
The courier companies have addressed diverse consumer delivery needs by supporting modern agricultural and advanced manufacturing.
They have also developed drones and established overseas warehouses.
Cross -border express delivery services handled over 1 .3 billion parcels from January to April.
Beijing has begun levying anti -dumping duties on imports of a plastic originating in the US, the European Union and Japan and China's Taiwan region.
An investigation shows that imports from these origins have involved dumping causing damage to the industry on the Chinese mainland.
The anti -dumping duty rates on imports of co -palmer ranges from 3 .8 % to nearly 75%.
It is primarily used in auto parts, electronic appliances, industrial machinery, and sports equipment.
And finally, foreign trade companies in two coastal provinces of China are expanding into diversified international markets to secure or increase order volumes.
A shoe -making company in Shandong is busy preparing to ship 30 ,000 pairs of sports shoes to Europe.
The U .S. market accounts for nearly 30 % of the company's export orders but Washington's tariffs caused delivery challenges.
Production manager Du Jie says the company has managed to increase overall order volume though it faced difficulties.
We have expanded into more than a dozen international markets, including Australia, Turkey, Singapore and Malaysia, achieving a 25 % increase in overseas orders.
Meanwhile, by tapping into domestic market potential and meeting local consumer demands, we have grown our domestic market share by 15%, significantly reducing our over reliance on external markets.
The company has also developed differentiated products tailored to the specific needs of different markets.
Thank you very much, that was TnU with Business.
Coming up in sports, badminton action from the Thailand Open.
Sideline Story brings you all things sports related.
The hottest topics, latest events, juiciest stories, all with a very personal take.
Subscribe to Sideline Story Podcast for heated sports discussions covering events that are happening in China and around the world.
Thank you Shane. We start with Badminton.
Tokyo Olympics champion Chen Yu -fei has won the women's singles at the Thailand Open with the convincing victory of home favorites Pompavi Chu -chou -wan in Bangkok.
Chen started well and led 9 -6 after Chen Shuwan returned wide.
The world No .8 stretched the gap to 5 with a powerful smash.
She won the opening game 21 -16 when her Thai opponent hit wide again.
In the second game Chen maintained the whole momentum and led 2 -1 after a clever cross -court shot.
The 27 -year -old who already won the Swiss Open and Asian championships this year led 15 -6 on another smash.
She wrapped things up to 21 -12 to lift the Thailand Open trophy for the second time in her career In the mixed doubles final, China's Feng Yanzhie and Huang Duongping defeated teammates Guo Jiaxuan and Wu Mengying to win their first title In the NBA, Shea Gujias Aleksander scored 35 points to lead Oklahoma City Thunder to a dominant 125 -93 win over the Denver Nuggets in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals The Thunder now advance to the conference finals for the first time since 2016 where they were faced the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday Caedrus Alexander admits that he was nervous
but motivated during the game.
I was nervous to be honest Just knowing like what's on the line We've worked so hard the whole like 82 game season.
We've all worked so hard in the summer and to know like If you don't bring your a -game they could all be over with and all for nothing Jaylen Williams bounced back from a poor game, 6 scoring 24 points on 10 of 17 shooting.
OKC's defense was key forcing 23 Denver turnovers and scoring 37 points off them.
Alex Caruso was instrumental guarding Nikola Jokic, holding the MVP to 20 points while finishing with a 40+.
After trading early, the Thunder seized momentum with a 13 to nothing run and never looked back, building a 60 to 46 halftime lead and outscoring Denver by 37 in the third. In Formula 1, Max Verstappen has stormed to victory and Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, pulling of a bold first lap move around pole -seater Oscar Piastri to take control.
The Red Bull driver braked late into turn one, capitalized on a slight gap and never looked back.
The Wayne marked Verstappen's second of the season and his fourth consecutive triumph at Imola more than any other driver.
It also delivered Red Bull's 100th fastest lap in Formula One, coming in their 400th Grand Prix since debut in 2005.
Verstappen says he was surprised to win and happy with a balanced car.
Despite McLaren dominating practice and locking out the front row with PSG and Landonaris, Verstappen upstaged the favorites with a decisive move and relentless pace.
McLaren still holds a commanding 132 -point lead over Mercedes in the constructed standings after seven races.
Turning to tennis, Carlos Alcaraz has seen off Yannick Sinner in the Italian Open final, sealing a 7 -6 6 -1 victory to snap to W1's 26th match winning streak and break home crowd hearts in Rome.
Alcaraz etched a tense opening set in the tiebreak after he and Sinan traded blows from the baseline on a warm evening in front of a packed centre court crowd.
However, from the second set onwards, Alcaraz silenced the home fans as he completely outplayed Sinan cruising to victory in their first -ever clash in the Masters 1000 final.
Alcaraz praised Sinan's performance after beating him for the title.
even more focused when i'm playing against him.
Cena says he was satisfied with his performance during the tournament.
Talking in general, very happy about this tournament.
Gives me then hopefully confidence to play some good tennis halls in Paris.
Let's see what's coming out there but after three months coming here, making this result means a lot to me, a lot to my team also.
we we worked a lot to to be here so uh happy also with with with my family and everything so yeah.
The Spaniard has now beaten Senna in the last four meetings.
And finally in football, Napoli has missed the chance to clinch the Serie R title after a 10 scoreless draw at Palma, pushing the title race to the final weekend.
Inter Milan also dropped points with a 2 -0 draw against Godzilla, allowing Napoli to maintain a one -point lead and heading to the last round, Napoli will host Kali Ari, while Inter face in form Komo.
Alright, thank you very much. That was Yang Guang with sports.
Just ahead in culture and entertainment exploring the China Pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival.
Experience the musical classics of the East. Mingle with the masters of Chinese music.
Music talks. Witness the sound of antiquity and modernity.
Fifty three minutes past the hour in culture and entertainment as the global spotlight shines once again on the Cannes International Film Festival.
The China Film Pavilion returns for a fourth consecutive year, a reflection of the growing global footprint and creative dynamism of Chinese cinema.
Young -Yan has more.
2025 marks the fourth straight year that the China Film Pavilion has featured at the Cannes International Film Festival.
This year, the pavilion highlights the vitality and openness of Chinese cinema through business networking, themed presentations and film screenings.
I think it's incredible what has happened in the last couple of years with Chinese films. What I find interesting is how mythology is such an important topic within the films that I have seen.
For instance, the more modern contemporary perspective, but also the creation of the gods, for example, I find very impressive.
But it is clear that mythology is important and that there is a real enthusiasm to tell those stories.
Obviously there is a global phenomenon, which is very impressive.
And it also shows that it has not only touched the Chinese diaspora in Europe, for example, around the world, but it has found a much wider audience.
In the first quarter, China's box office revenues have seen a year -on -year increase of 49%.
No Jatuu broke multiple records, becoming the highest -grossing film in the single market worldwide and the top -performing animated film globally.
Several Chinese productions were also promoted during the event, offering a gateway to Chinese culture and showcasing a growing link between film, tourism and cuisine.
I think exchange and collaboration is always a very good way to move forward. Generally co -production is always good, because two countries come together with storytelling ideas from both countries working together exchanging and usually you mutually benefit from each other and maybe it's also possible in the future to have some exchange that some European and German filmmakers can see how Chinese filmmakers make their movies in China They could come to Germany and see how we're doing movies here and then you can learn from each other From record -breaking releases to international partnerships
Chinese cinema is expanding its reach, inviting global audiences to connect through shared stories and cultural exchanges.
As the industry continues to grow, so too does its dialogue with the world, one film at a time.
That was Young Yen reporting.
Two volumes of the over 2 ,300 -year -old Chu silk manuscripts have returned to Beijing from the National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, Unearthed in 1942 at the Serdanku site in central China, the manuscripts are the only known Silt texts from the Warring States period.
Smuggled to the U .S. in 1946, the three -volume collection has long been considered a vital piece of China's early intellectual and astronomical history.
A delegation from China's National Cultural Heritage Administration traveled to the U .S. and brought back the second and third volumes titled Wuxingling and Gongshoujan. These texts contain content reflecting the two state's unique cultural legacy.
The public will have a chance to view them when they go on display at the National Museum of China in July.
A new tourist trains departed from Chengdu Sichuan province launching the first railway service themed around the legendary Sanxingdui ruins running daily from Chengdu East Railway Station.
The train reaches the ruins in just 18 minutes and Zhou Jai Valley in around two hours connecting to southwestern province's most iconic destinations with 13 round trips a day.
It expects to carry around thirty thousand passengers daily.
Decked out with bronze masks, murals, and symbols from the ancient Shu civilization, the train offers more than just transport it's a cultural journey.
Developed by China railway Chengdu group and the Sanxingde Museum, the themed trains aim to deliver an immersive experience for travelers from China and abroad.
57 past the hour. Check in the forecast before we go for the day and Beijing's 17 on Monday evening.
Cloudy skies in 33 on Tuesday, Nanchang's down to 24.
That's followed by moderate rainfall and a high of 29.
Elsewhere in Asia, Islamabad's 23 this evening, it's cloudy, and 42 on Tuesday.
Vientiane's down to 25, and a slight rain in 32.
Phnom Penh's 25 overnight, then a slight rain and 33 degrees Celsius tomorrow.
And that's it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.
Making news today, Chinese authorities said the country's economy is resisting current pressures and maintained steady growth in April, and Israel's announced that it will allow a small amount of aid to enter the Gaza Strip.
On behalf of the staff this is Shane Bigum in the Chinese capital hoping you'll join us for the next edition of the Beijing Hour and open a window to the world together.
Find the Beijing Hour at precisely 6 P .M Beijing time.
We meet you on podcast and on air every weekday.
The Beijing Hour, your window on China and the rest of the world.
He can't live without the Yellow River in his eyes.
The Yellow River is so noble and elegant.
Both my grandpa and dad made the living from the river.
Would you like to move away from the Yellow River?
Umm, I don't think I will.
I love it so much. The Yellow River, the second longest river in China, is regarded as a shaping force in the history, economy and culture of northern China.
Today, about 100 million people live within its water basin, making up nearly 9 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 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 the time of digital transformation?
From 2021 to 2024, our reporters visited the upper, middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, talked to the herders, farmers, boatmen, fishermen and eco -activists who share a close bond with the river and present their stories in pictures, podcasts and videos, or in our you
