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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 Beggam with you on this Wednesday, February 19th, 2025.
You're listening to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
On today's program, presiding over a U .N.
Security Council meeting, China's four ministers called for a more fair and equitable global governance system.
U .S. and Russian officials have held talks in Saudi Arabia on the Ukraine issue and bilateral ties.
Enthusiasm in China's private sector is growing after President Xi Jinping's address to a symposium in Beijing.
In business, home prices edge up in China's first -tier cities.
In sports, football action from the Champions League playoffs.
In culture and entertainment, China's latest animated blockbuster will extend its stay in theaters.
Now checking the day's top stories.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has called for upholding multilateralism and accelerating the construction of a more fair and equitable global governance system.
He made the remarks while presiding over a UN Security Council meeting on Tuesday.
Wang stressed the importance of upholding the authority of this UN institution amid rising global challenges.
The Security Council was entrusted with authority and such authority should be upheld by all countries.
Any act of bullying, trickery or extortion is a flagrant violation of the basic norms of international relations.
Any unilateral sanction that circumvents Security Council authorisation lacks legal basis, defies justification and contradicts common sense.
Members cannot just sit by and watch multilateral institutions become dysfunctional and ineffective due to their own failure to cooperate.
The Security Council must rise above narrow -minded geopolitical considerations, champion the spirit of solidarity and cooperation, fulfill its duties conferred by the UN Charter, and effectively play its role for the maintenance of international peace and security.
The senior diplomat also reiterated China's stance on regional hotspot issues, including the Gaza crisis and the Russia -Ukraine conflict.
Jody Jacobs reports from New York.
This is one of China's signature debates for the month of February in its capacity as the president of the Security Council.
Addressing the 15 -member council on Tuesday, China's foreign minister made it clear that multilateralism and international law should be upheld at all costs.
Tuesday's meeting here in New York comes at a time of significant geopolitical tensions among some major powers, especially following Donald Trump's return to the White House last month.
Already, the U .S. president has withdrawn and paused critical aid to key U .N.
agencies. Wang Hi says that the time has come to speed up efforts to build a more just and equitable global governance system.
China's top diplomat told council members that China continues to advocate for a political settlement in Ukraine and fully supports all efforts conducive to peace talks.
He also added that Gaza and the West Bank are the homeland of the Palestinian people and should not be used as a bargaining chip in political trade -offs.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary -General Antonio Guterres too called on the Security Council to begin playing a more active and unified role in maintaining peace and security.
While members call for reform and change, much will depend on the Council's permanent members who hold the veto to enact this change.
The United States remains critical of the world body and says it is currently conducting a review of its support to the UN and will consider whether the actions of the organization are serving American interests and whether it can be reformed.
That was Jody Jacobs on the Chinese foreign minister's speech at the UN Security Council.
Earlier, Shu Dajir spoke with Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohammed Ishak Dar.
The official stressed the importance of multilateralism, echoing the theme of the UN Security Council chaired by China.
What do you think of the importance nowadays for multilateralism?
Well, this importance has been a need of the time for a few, particularly for a few last years.
You see, and I must compliment the leadership of China, particularly my dear friend, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, having chosen this interesting subject, practicing multilateralism, and then they are talking of reforming and implementing the system.
The global community and the global multilateral system should be working together for the peace, stability and development of everybody.
And quoting the Chinese, win -win for everybody is the name of the game.
That we should all be working, which is win -win for every nation, every developing country and the developed countries.
So we have to work together.
It's not easy, but I think we can bring a lot of improvement, a lot of clarity and a lot of wisdom.
That was Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohamed E.
Shakhtar. And for more, Zhang Shi and Li Dongning spoke with Teng Jian Chun, a director of the Diplomacy Studies Center at Hunan Normal University.
First of all, help us understand the concept of multilateralism, since Wang Yi actually stressed a lot on this concept.
Tell us what this concept means, especially in today's uncertain, a bit chaotic world, and how important is it to maintain regional peace, stability and security?
Yeah, this is a very important concept for the international community, especially why we are facing a lot of common challenges like climate change, like the proliferation of WMD and also the proliferation of terrorism.
So at this moment, the most important thing for the international community is to think about the common challenges we are facing now.
And the second, we should have more and more solidarities and cooperations in dealing with these challenges.
I think the U .N. should be the most important platform for us to promoting the multilateralism in dealing with these challenges.
Mr. Tun Wang Yi also said that the United Nations must rise above narrow -minded geopolitical considerations.
What is he alluding to here, and what is your assessment of the UN's role in addressing regional conflicts, especially in the past couple of years?
At this moment, some countries would like to adopt a policy just by the geopolitical concept, by the unilateralism or the protectionism or even isolationism.
This is actually a very bad or negative step taken by the major powers in the world.
We should think about the world we are facing now.
We are living in. For example, the proliferation of terrorism, the proliferation of WMD.
I don't think the world can go ahead without the solidarity and the cooperation among major powers, among the member states of the United Nations.
So we should go ahead together, not only stop policy.
say for example the unilateralism for the own sake because no individual country can deal with the challenges we are facing now including pandemic and including the proliferation of terrorism right and all countries should be united to face all the challenges you mentioned but it's currently kind of difficult
to do that and but it's possible for part of the countries to unite together, for instance, Global South.
And Wang Yi actually called for upgrading the Global South status for a peaceful world.
How do you see the significance and influence of Global South?
Yeah, this is actually a good development and a very positive development.
In recent years, we have witnessed the Global South should be the key, you know, or key player in the maintaining of the peace and the stability or give more and more, you know, driving forces to the economic development today.
So I think the global child countries, you know, they all have the common interests in this regard.
And the cooperation or some other, you know, efforts made by the global child countries can give important driving forces to peace and stability, not only in some regions, but also in our international community.
That was Tung Jan Chun at Hunan Normal University.
Coming up, U .S. and Russian officials meet face -to -face in Saudi Arabia.
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Nine minutes past the hour.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Russia will not allow NATO troops in Ukraine.
He made the remarks after senior Russian and U .S.
officials met in Riyadh on Tuesday.
They discussed restarting relations and ways to end the Ukraine conflict.
Kiev was not invited to the talks.
Though no major breakthrough was reached at the meeting, both Lavrov and U .S.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the talks have helped them better understand each other's positions.
The conversation, I believe, was very useful.
We didn't just listen, but we heard each other.
And I have reason to believe that the American side has become aware of our position.
I came away today convinced that they are willing to begin to engage in a serious process to determine how and how quickly and through what mechanism can an end be brought to this war, whether we can ultimately reach that outcome.
Yes, Sir Hakeem has more on the meeting in Saudi Arabia.
Diplomats for Russia and the United States met for more than four hours on Tuesday in Riyadh, looking for a way to bring the conflict between Russia and Ukraine to an end.
Though no date was set for a U .S.-Russian summit, the two teams agreed to establish a mechanism to restore diplomatic and economic relations, review sanctions on Russia, and appoint a high -level delegation to work on a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Russia insisted it be allowed to keep troops in Ukraine after a ceasefire and repeated calls for not letting Ukraine join the NATO alliance.
Hosting the meetings in Riyadh is a testament of the growing role by Saudi Arabia, not just in the region, but in global politics.
No Ukrainian officials were at the one -day talks.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he will not sign any agreement negotiated without Ukrainian involvement.
That was Yasser Hakim on the meeting between top Russian and U .S.
diplomats in Riyadh.
And following the talks in Saudi Arabia, U .S.
President Donald Trump said he was more confident of a deal to end the Ukraine conflict.
Trump suggested that he could meet Russian President Vladimir Putin before the end of the month.
Trump also pushed back against Ukraine's objections to being excluded from the talks, while vaguely accusing Kyiv of starting the whole conflict in the first place.
When they want a seat at the table, you could say the people have to, wouldn't the people of Ukraine have to say like, you know, it's been a long time since we've had an election.
That's not a Russia thing.
That's something coming from me and coming from many other countries also.
But today I heard, oh, we weren't invited.
Well, you've been there for three years.
You should have ended it three years.
You should have never started it.
You could have made a deal.
The tirade comes after Ukraine's leader earlier criticized the U .S.-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia for excluding Kyiv, saying efforts to end the war must be fair and involve European countries.
The Ukrainian president did not immediately respond to Trump's comment.
At the meeting between Russian and U .S.
officials, or rather as the meeting between the Russian and U .S.
officials took place in Riyadh, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky traveled to Ankara to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Ardoğan.
The two leaders discussed bilateral ties as well as the future of Ukraine.
Zelensky also decided to postpone his scheduled visit to Saudi Arabia.
Michal Bardavid has more.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Turkey coincides with a meeting between Russian and U .S.
delegations in Saudi Arabia.
Analysts say the timing underscores Ukraine's determination to be part of key negotiations about its future, while also allowing Zelensky to seek stronger security commitments amid ongoing tensions.
During a joint press conference, Zelensky stressed that it wouldn't accept any outcome of talks that didn't include Kyiv.
I'm convinced that for Ukraine and for our region, for Europe, it's critical that any negotiations to end the war are not happening behind the backs of the key parties affected by the Russian aggression." Zelenskyy insisted that Europe, Britain, Turkey and the U .S.
all needed to be included in peace talks and the development of security guarantees.
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that Washington's diplomatic approach to quickly launch peace negotiations aligned with Ankara's priorities.
He also stressed Türkiye's eagerness to play a role in the process.
Considering the active diplomacy we have been following for the last three years, our country will be an ideal host for the upcoming talks between Russia, the U .S.
and Ukraine. The two countries also signed cooperation agreements in the fields of communication and education during the visit.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky postponed his trip to Saudi Arabia on March 10th to avoid what he called coincidences.
That was Mihal Bar -David on the Ukrainian president's trip to Turkey.
Turning to the Middle East, Hamas says it'll release the bodies of four Israeli hostages on Thursday, while the remaining six hostages still alive will be released on Saturday.
As the ceasefire continues to hold, an assessment by the The UN, EU and World Bank says rebuilding Gaza will need more than 50 billion U .S.
dollars. Rami Amagari has the latest from Hanyunas.
There have been reports about the entry of some machineries, heavy machineries and some tents in mobile homes.
This is a humanitarian crisis that is actually looming in the near future.
unless these humanitarian aid enter with the capacity they have been agreed, it has been agreed on during the troops' talks between Israel and the mass mediated by Egypt and Qatar.
Recently, there have been reports about less truckloads of aid entering the territory, about maybe less than 200 compared with the 500 agreed on a daily basis.
Still, the situation is desperate in terms of the food and in terms actually of the reconstruction material of the repair efforts by the local authorities here in Gaza.
That was Rami Amagari reporting.
A batch of humanitarian aid from China is on its way to Gaza from Jordan.
The emergency aid consists of 60 ,000 food parcels delivered in six shipments.
The Chinese embassy in Jordan and a local charity group have held a ceremony marking the departure of the aid.
Chinese Ambassador Chen Chuan Dong pledged more support to the Palestinian people in Gaza.
China, as a good friend of the Palestinian people and a responsible major country, has provided multiple pledges of aid to the people of Gaza.
We will continue to push for the political settlement of the Palestinian question and bring peace and security to the region.
Secretary General Hussein Shibli of the Hashemite charity organization expressed hope for further cooperation with China.
We hope the cooperation with China can be the starting point of more future cooperation.
We help people in the Gaza Strip support them and alleviate the difficulties in their day -to -day lives.
We try to relieve the severe shortages of grains, food, shelter relief items and medical supplies.
May our cooperation continue between Jordan and China.
The initial shipment includes around 12 ,000 food parcels.
They'll be handed over to the World Food program The Palestine Red Crescent and other charity organizations in Gaza.
Palestinians say the Gaza Strip is not fit for habitation after 500 days of devastating war between Israel and Hamas.
Residents in central Gaza say although about a month has passed since the beginning of the ceasefire, basic necessities are lacking.
500 days of war, no life, only destruction, displacement from one area to another.
Total destruction. No water, no electricity, no food, nothing.
Everything is destroyed.
Nothing is left in Gaza.
Gaza is not fit for life.
From October the 7th until now, we have not seen any signs of life.
Life has completely disappeared from us.
On Monday marked the 500th day of the latest war between Israel and Hamas starting from October 7, 2023.
The current phase of a tenuous ceasefire is set to expire in early March, and it's unclear if the sides will extend it, begin negotiations for a more lasting ceasefire, or resume fighting.
The war has caused mass destruction in the Gaza Strip.
It's destroyed around 250 ,000 housing units and more than 92 percent of the main roads.
It's also forced around 90 percent of the population of Gaza to flee.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, schools in Goma are struggling to restart classes despite an order from the ruling militant group.
M23 rebels captured the strategic eastern city nearly three weeks ago.
Fighting between the group and Congolese government troops destroyed vital infrastructure, halting education at most institutions in the city.
After speaking with headmasters and students, Wilkister Niabwa said local schools may need more time to recover than previously expected.
Life is slowly returning to the Industrial Technical Institute of Goma.
Students are starting to come back, a week after M23 urged parents to send their children back to school.
According to the principal of this large technical school, more than half of the students turned up this Monday, unlike the previous week.
It was since last Monday, February the 10th, that we resumed activities.
but it started very timidly because on the first day we had 40 or 47 students but until Saturday we were around 300, 313 to be exact and today we see that the number has increased.
The institution is among the oldest schools in Goma responsible for training engineers but it was a casualty of the recent clashes between the M23 rebels and the DRC's armed forces Located between Goma Airport and Rwanda, several shells fell on the school buildings during the fighting.
Some classrooms were looted and destroyed.
There have been negative impacts because there is, for example, in IT, where we will go a long time without any practical lessons because there has been damage.
In some classrooms, as you have noticed, there are no windows.
The technical school is one of the few schools in the vicinity that have reopened their doors.
At the Sankante School, the largest and most prestigious public school in Goma, learning is yet to resume.
Our loss was enormous to the point of being valued at more than $738 ,053.
For the course to be operational here at home, we must at least have achieved more or less than $400 ,000 US dollars to rehabilitate the school at the University of Goma learning appears to be continuing as normal but students still have a fears it's the first time to experience that so we are literally
traumatized well as they always say everything that has a beginning also has an end it's sure to add one day in the hope that everything will get better with time activity is gradually resuming in parts of Goma.
However, most banks are yet to reopen and resume operations.
That was Will Kister, Nyabwa, reporting in the DRC.
Coming up, China's private enterprises are eager to support the country's modernization drive.
China has conducted another major asset reshuffle to overhaul its financial sector.
The Ministry of Finance has transferred all of its controlling stakes in the group of financial companies to central Huijing, a sovereign fund under the state council.
What prompted the reshuffle?
Is it just an asset transfer between different pockets of the central government?
And to what extent will it help to overhaul the country's financial sector?
Find out on this week's Chat Lounge on your favorite podcast platform and CGTN radio.
At 22 minutes past the hour, Chinese President Xi Jinping's speech at the recent symposium on private enterprises has sparked enthusiasm among representatives from various sectors of China's economy.
They're determined to use their industries and new technological innovations to drive progress and contribute to the prosperity of the country.
Wang Chuanfu is chairman and president of electric vehicle giant BYD.
He says the symposium brought a lot of confidence.
The symposium on the private economy has strengthened our confidence in the development of the private sector.
We must follow the words of President Xi and focus on real industries, concentrate on our core businesses, and dedicate ourselves to using our industries to contribute to the nation's prosperity and realize the dream of a strong China.
Lei Jun is chairman of Xiaomi.
He also felt strong encouragement.
I am extremely excited and uplifted.
I deeply feel the concern, support, and care that President Xi and the Party's Central Committee have for private enterprises and entrepreneurs.
We are determined to bring the latest technologies such as AI into our products and enhance the global influence of Chinese -made products.
International companies have also expressed a positive view about the Chinese government's support for the private economy.
Simon Zheng is global CEO of RIS Consulting, and he says the confidence and support means a lot to the private economy.
The symposium reiterated support for the private economy and put it into the country's fundamental policymaking.
I think it has given great confidence to private companies which are crucial for China's economic restructuring.
This symposium also pointed out that we need high -quality development.
We can see that the entrepreneurs who attended the symposium are from everywhere, including the real economy and the internet.
It means the country supports the development of various sectors.
Speaking at the symposium on private enterprises, earlier this week, President Xi urged more support for the healthy and high -quality development of the private economy.
He also pledged that the party and the country will ensure equality for economic entities under all forms of ownership.
Senior executives from companies including Huawei, BYD, Xiaomi and Unitry Robotics presented advice on the development of the economy.
Chinese authorities have pledged more efforts to support private companies after President Xi Jinping met corporate leaders of the country's major private enterprises on Monday.
China's top economic regulator and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology have said they would urge local governments to meet overdue payments to smaller -sized private companies and establish a long -term institution to solve such problems.
The two departments have also vowed to widen market access, diversify funding channels for private companies to ensure that they keep participating in China's major initiatives.
Those include key security projects, the procurement of new equipment, and consumer goods trade -in programs.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has emphasized the crucial role of the private sector in boosting the country's economy.
The private sector is now increasingly seen as key for rural areas.
Xu Shin Chen has the story.
Spongy little fungus.
Morel fresh off the ground.
A guanmen treat birthing with health purse.
This little mushroom is raking in billions to this town in southwest China.
Morels are typically planted in early winter and harvested in early spring.
Farmers can easily pick 100 to 150 kilograms of fresh morels a day.
To put it in perspective, a single morel weighs just about 10 grams.
These delicate fungi now bring in a whopping 8 billion yuan, over 1 billion yuan annually.
This means higher incomes for locals, and more job opportunities.
Now, 90 % of China's morel trade happens right here.
I visited one of the region's earliest morel cultivators.
Duan Kai -Xun was among the first farmers to introduce morels to Jing Town.
fresh morels are dried before they are sold four kilograms of fresh morels shrank down to half a kilogram of dried fungus these dried morels are then shipped all across china during the peak season such as for spring festival we walk late into the night preparing orders and ship them out early the next
morning duan also notes that morels aren't the only crop they grow they rotate morels with other crops and vegetables, allowing for three harvests a year.
Family -owned farms are the backbone of local morel cultivation.
The little fungus has also attracted people from across the country to set up warehouses for drying and distribution, mostly private traders.
Family farms and cooperatives play a crucial role in the export of gentile morels, helping our morels reach both domestic and international markets.
I witnessed a real trade in action.
Two buyers from Guangzhou, about 1 ,600 kilometers away, are sourcing morels here.
Li Yibao is one of the largest wholesalers here.
Originally from a neighboring Yunnan province, he saw the potential in Jing Town and set up this shop.
The supply chain here is robust.
With high supply and demand, it's the largest distribution hub in the country.
Without volume, how could we sell?
And dried morels from here are raging markets worldwide.
China believes private economy holds the greatest potential for the country's economic growth, even in the primary sector.
Family owned Merrill farms are leading innovation in cultivation techniques, and creating jobs.
The future is clear.
There is a strong push to boost added value and establish an exchange system.
As China forges ahead on its path of modernization, the private economy is firmly recognized as a crucial driving force for growth and development.
That was Xu Xinchen reporting.
We're at 28 past the hour.
Beijing down to minus 4 Wednesday evening.
Sunny skies and plus 4 on Thursday.
Nanchang's down to 7, then moderate rainfall and 8 degrees.
Elsewhere in Asia, Islamabad's 12 overnight, moderate rainfall and 13 on Thursday.
Vientiane's down to 20, then sunny skies and 31.
Phnom Penh's down to 23 overnight.
That's followed by a slight rain and 33 degrees.
In Africa, Nairobi is getting cloudy conditions in 33 degrees Celsius.
It's time for a short break.
So far this hour, presiding over a U .N.
Security Council meeting, China's foreign ministers call for a more fair and equitable global governance system.
U .S. and Russian officials have held talks in Saudi Arabia on the Ukraine issue and bilateral ties.
An enthusiasm in China's private sector is growing after President Xi Jinping's address to a symposium in Beijing.
Shane Bigam with you.
Stay with us here on The Beijing Hour.
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Examining the events that impact and shake 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.
I'm Shane Biggum with you on this Wednesday.
Still to come, in business, home prices edge up in China's first -tier cities.
In sports, football action from the Champions League playoffs.
And in culture and entertainment, China's latest animated blockbuster will extend its stay in theaters.
To contact us, you can email radio at cgtn .com or follow our X account at cgtnradio.
Now check the day's headline news.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's emphasized multilateralism at a meeting on peace and security at the United Nations Security Council.
The diplomat chaired a ministerial -level open debate under China's presidency of the council.
It focused on pressing global challenges such as conflicts, climate change and economic inequalities.
Wang Yi reiterated the two -state solution to bring peace to Gaza and the Middle East.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson says the country will continue to work with the international community to help ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and achieve long -term peace and stability in the Middle East.
Guo Jiakun made the remarks after China sent a new batch of humanitarian aid to Gaza through Jordan.
He adds that the two -state solution must be upheld to achieve peaceful coexistence between Palestine and Israel.
China's delivering 60 ,000 food parcels to Gaza in six shipments.
The first shipment includes 12 ,000 parcels.
It departed from Jordan on Tuesday.
China's education ministries announced the timetable for this year's National College Entrance Exam, also known as the Gaokao.
The exam will be on June 7th and 8th.
The annual exam is one of the most important for Chinese students as college admission in the country relies primarily on its results.
Over 13 million students across the country registered for the exam last year.
U .S. President Donald Trump says he'll probably meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin this month.
Trump also dismissed Ukraine's concerns about being left out of the U .S.
Russian talks in Saudi Arabia on ending the Russia -Ukraine conflict.
He says Ukraine could have made a deal with russia three years ago the president adds that he'll not oppose the stationing of european peacekeeping troops in ukraine but the u .s will not participate russian foreign minister sergey lavrov says moscow will not allow nato troops in ukraine lavrov discussed
ways to end the conflict in ukraine and improve relations with the u .s secretary of state marco rubio the meeting in riyadh was the first face -to -face interaction between senior officials from russia and the U .S.
since fighting began in Ukraine three years ago.
Both diplomats spoke positively about the talks.
Ukraine and European countries were not present at the meeting.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said he'll not accept any outcomes, and he's postponed a visit to Saudi Arabia.
Hamas says it'll release six living Israeli hostages and hand over the bodies of four others.
The group doubled the number of captives in exchange for Israel, allowing mobile homes and construction equipment into Gaza.
A mass spokesperson rejected Israel's demands for them to leave Gaza.
Israeli media says that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to begin negotiations for the second phase of a ceasefire deal.
Fighting in Sudan is leading to widespread human rights violations and abuses.
A recent U .N. report shows it includes attacks on densely populated areas and deliberate targeting of health facilities.
U .N. Human Rights Office The spokesperson Ravina Shemdasani says the situation needs great improvement.
Inute and deliberate attacks on civilians and civilian objects, as well as summary executions, sexual violence, and other violations and abuses underscore the utter failure by both parties to respect the rules and principles of international humanitarian and human rights law.
UN official says local people are facing severe food insecurity.
Since April 2023, when the conflict began, it has triggered the world's largest displacement crisis and an unprecedented food security situation, with half the population facing acute food insecurity and famine conditions confirmed in at least five locations.
Conflict in Sudan started almost two years ago when tensions between the leaders of the military and the rapid support forces exploded into open fighting in Khartoum and other cities across the African country.
The conflict has killed more than 28 ,000 people and forced millions to flee their homes.
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been charged for allegedly plotting a coup to overturn his loss in the 2022 election.
The charges filed on Tuesday come after a two -year police investigation.
Prosecutors accuse Bolsonaro and his running mate with leading a criminal organization that aimed to overthrow Brazil's 40 -year -old democracy.
Bolsonaro supporters staged riots in early 2023, a week after President Luiz Inacho Lula da Silva took office.
The former presidents denied any wrongdoing.
Meantime, 34 others were also charged in the plot, including several top military officials.
This is Shane Bingham in the Chinese capital.
Coming up in business, home prices edge up in China's first -tier cities.
The Beijing Hour. Your window on China and the rest of the world.
36 past now with business.
Here's Wang Zahang.
Thank you, Shane. Stock markets on the Chinese mainland closed higher on Wednesday.
The Shanghai composite was up over 0 .8%, while the Shenzhen component gained nearly 1 .5%.
The equipment and the home appliance sectors were among the top gainers.
Elsewhere in China, the Hong Kong stock market ended lower for the day, was the Hang Seng Index dipping over a tenth of 1%.
In neighboring Japan, the Nikkei Stock Index shared nearly 0 .3%.
Official data shows home prices in first -tier Chinese cities continue to increase on a monthly basis in January.
In the four first -tier Chinese cities including Beijing and Shanghai, prices of new and second -hand homes each went up by 0 .1%.
In the second -tier cities, prices of new homes mark their first increase since June 2023, rising by a tenth of a percent from the previous month.
Prices of second -hand homes dipped by 0 .3%.
For more, Michael Wong spoke with Chen Jiahe, the Chief Investment Officer at Novem RK Technologies.
First -tier cities on average seeing continued month -on -month price increases for new properties, while second and third tier cities seeing a slight overall decline.
What's your overall take on where China's real estate market stood in January?
Well, for the property market, I think we have got a few trends to monitor.
The first is that the price seems to stabilize on an overall extent.
There is hardly much sign for an overall price increasing at the moment, but at least less people are now concerned about another round of price dropping.
For the people who buy their properties, there are many financial factors that they are considering, which, first of all, includes the comparison of property price and rent.
In recent years, with the dropping of overall property price, buying a home is now much more worthy, at least when compared with a few years ago.
Another factor is that people are considering the mortgage burden after they buy the home.
As China has reduced the overall mortgage rate for home buyers, this financial burden has also been reduced.
So we're now seeing more buyers for properties compared with one year ago.
Right. So you're alluding to this in terms of liquidity and transaction volumes, because it's one thing to look at the price signal for the market.
But what have you seen and heard on the ground when it comes to property transactions and the overall liquidity in China's real estate market right now?
Yes. With the stabilizing of price in the recent few months, the trading volume seems to be rising in many cities.
I have asked some property sellers and agencies regarding how easy it is to sell the properties or how hard it is.
And recently, there seems to be a rising trading volume, which means with the same price, it is much easier to conduct the trade.
But they also said it is not a good idea yet to raise the price in trades.
You know, in property market, a trade can take a few months' time.
So it is not always a price that matters, but the trading volume of the market matters as well.
And it seems that in both the first -hand and second -hand property markets, the sentiment seems to be improving.
My friends from Nanjing said that now you can close a deal in about two months time.
But back one year ago, it would take much longer, even a certain degree of price dropping.
So the liquidity of the property market is certainly increasing at this very moment.
Right. Then, Jiahu, what's your overall take on the policy feed through to the real estate market so far?
What else will you be looking out for in the first half of the year, in the coming months, to better assess the stabilization of China's property sector?
Well, in this round of property market movement, many policies have been set for the property market include things like reducing the mortgage rate, reducing the down payment, which aims at reducing the financial burden of home buyers, the policy that aims at ensuring the delivery of properties, which stabilizes
the housing market.
Also, there has been the whitelist for developers, which improved the financial health of these companies.
These measures have worked effectively towards China's property market.
And we have saying that with the price being stabilised in recent months, there has been a rise with trading volume.
And the real estate developers are now much more stable and healthy regarding their financial status.
And the burden carried by the financial system is also reduced.
There was Chief Investment Officer Chen Jiahe at Novam Arcade Technologies on China's property market.
China's real estate market has seen robust recovery in the opening weeks of 2025.
the transaction volume has steadily climbed with housing prices beginning to stabilize.
The momentum comes on the heels of a series of government policy measures aimed at revitalizing the sector.
Olivia He tells us more.
Since the beginning of 2025, China's first -tier cities have shown unexpected resilience in their real estate markets.
January resale home transactions in Beijing jumped 97 % compared to the previous year, with Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen also indicating strong recovery signals.
Guangzhou saw a 57 % year -on -year increase in new home sales in January.
New home transactions in Shanghai reached 500 ,000 square meters, a 29 % daily average increase.
Shenzhen also reported growth in both new and resale home markets.
Second -tier cities like Chengdu, Nanjing, Nanchang and Wenzhou are experiencing heightened market activity, showing a nationwide increase in real estate demand.
Real estate activity unexpectedly surged during the spring festival, typically a slow period due to strong policy support and developer promotions.
Local governments have lowered down payment ratios, eased purchase restrictions and offered housing subsidies to reduce barriers to home buying.
Developers attracted buyers with holiday promotions, including discounts and waived fees.
Policy adjustments have significantly impacted market activity.
In Beijing, new home sales reached 720 units during the first weekend after policy changes, a 240 % increase compared to the previous weekend, highlighting the powerful influence of policy shifts.
Experts predict continued real estate market recovery as policies take effect and market conditions stabilize, contributing to China's economic stability and enhancing residents' quality of life.
That was Olivia He reporting.
Locals in Guizhou are transforming agricultural products into global commodities, breathing new life into rural economies in the landlocked province in the southwest.
A rural food factory in Sinan County churns out over 100 ,000 boxes of fiery sweet potato noodles every day.
Last year, thanks to cross -border e -commerce platforms like Alibaba and JD .com, many overseas consumers, including those from Saudi Arabia, were able to buy the products.
The manager of the company says they aim to double overseas sales to two million US dollars this year, with a focus on the markets of Southeast Asia.
In 2023, Sinan became one of Guizhou's first pilot counties to develop rural foreign trade.
To date, the province's exports have surged the past 200 million yuan, or around 28 million US dollars.
Guizhou aims to have 500 enterprises engaged in rural exports this year, adding 5 billion yuan to annual export revenue in the sector.
The local government of Luoyang in central China has been helping private enterprises to expand into overseas markets.
City officials are enabling manufacturers of specialized farming machinery to power their way onto the international arena.
Luoyang in Henan province is home to some of the country's leading agricultural machinery companies.
Many overseas buyers are keen to place orders in the city.
In recent years, local authorities have been exploiting the city's advantages in competitive sectors such as the production of machine components to help more companies boost their domestic and foreign trade.
Shi Yuping from the Xin An Economic and Technological Development Zone says they have been taking steps to achieve that goal.
We've been facilitating cooperation between enterprises and academies to help firms reduce costs, increase efficiency and enhance site tech innovation capacity.
In addition, we have organized companies to actively participate in exhibitions at home and abroad.
Meanwhile, we also invited foreign enterprises to visit our industrial park for further consultations.
Data shows that China's exports totaled nearly 3 .6 trillion US dollars in 2024, up almost 6%.
Private enterprises contributed over 2 .3 trillion US dollars, making up more than 64 % of the total.
The first group of tourists to enjoy China's new visa -free policy has arrived in Xishuang, Ban Nah.
They can stay for up to six days in the southwestern prefecture after China waived visa requirements for tourist groups from ASEAN member countries.
The 15 travelers from Thailand and Laos were greeted with a water splashing ceremony outside the Xishuang Banna station on the China -Laos Railway.
China's finance ministry has issued this year's first batch of renminbi -denominated treasury bonds in Hong Kong.
The scale of the bonds has reached 12 .5 billion yuan, or around US $1 .7 billion.
The issuance includes 3 .5 billion yuan of two -year bonds, 3 billion of three -year bonds and 3 billion of five -year bonds.
So far, the ministry has issued over 360 billion yuan in treasury bonds in Hong Kong.
The move aims to help improve the regular issuance system of renminbi -denominated treasury bonds and further strengthen Hong Kong's status as an international financial center.
China has activated a groundbreaking underwater intelligent computer cluster in Hainan.
The new data module off the coast of the southernmost province marks a significant leap forward in sustainable high -performance computing.
It has established connection with an existing underwater data center launched in 2023.
The newly installed facility is capable of housing over 400 high -performance servers.
With this new facility in place, the cluster now delivers computing power equivalent to 30 ,000 high -end gaming PCs, processing a year's worth of calculations for an average computer in just one second.
The cluster supports AI applications requiring massive data processing.
It enables DeepSeek's AI Assistant to handle 7 ,000 queries per second.
The system uses seed water as a natural coolant, significantly cutting energy consumption compared to land -based centers.
All right. Thank you very much.
That was Wang Zihong with Business.
You're listening to The Beijing Hour coming up in sports, football, action from the Champions League playoffs.
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48 past the hour now, turning to sports and here's Yang Guang.
Thank you Shane, we begin with football.
Afonso Davies' last -minute equaliser has earned Bayern Munich a 3 -2 aggregate victory over Celtic in Tuesday's Champions League playoff.
Bayern ended the match with a 2 -1 lead from the first leg.
The Scottish champions looked sad to take their playoff tie into an extra time after Nicholas Kuhn had put them ahead at the Allianz arena to level the tie at 2 -0.
However, Bayern piled down the pressure in the hunt for an equaliser in the final minute of any time.
Kasper Schmeichel clawed the way Leon Griskas' header only for Davies to scramble home the rebound from close range for Bayern.
The result sends Bayern through to the last 16, with Celtic eliminated from the competition.
Bayern striker Harry Kane was taken off the pitch at halftime.
Head coach Vincent Kompany said Kane gave the thumbs up Tuesday morning before the Celtic match.
He's an experienced player it's an important game so we obviously fully trust his judgment but then during the game he felt like he was he wasn't able to fully help the team anymore and in that moment of course we we uh we didn't want to uh take the extra risk how long it's going to be if he's injured
or not I don't have enough information right now but then he couldn't continue for the second half.
Meantime Celtic manager Brandon Rogers said and he took immense pride in the match, as the guys had given everything they had.
Well, like I said, a mixture of, firstly, pride in the performance level.
We have to remember this is Bayern Munich, and I think everyone had talked about that before the game and the challenges that we have here, but I thought performance -wise we were outstanding in the game.
Played without any fear.
Also on Tuesday, Feyenoord drew 1 -0 with AC Milan and advanced to the next round with a 2 -1 win overall.
Club Bruges eliminated Atlanta and Benfica outclassed Monaco.
On Wednesday, Real Madrid hosts Manchester City.
Real won first leg 3 -2 last week in England.
Juventus faces PSVR in Haaland in the second leg.
The Serie A team won 2 -1 in Turin last week.
Paris Saint -Germain will be at home against Brest.
PSG took home a 3 -0 win in the first leg.
Borussia Dortmund faces Sporting Lisbon with a 3 -0 away victory.
The final draw of this current Champions League season will be held on Friday in New York, Switzerland.
In Asian football, Salo Mineiro scored a hat -trick as Shanghai Shenhua handed 10 -man Viso Kobe a 4 -2 defeat on Tuesday.
The victory at Shanghai Stadium moves Shenhua onto 10 points and into the qualifying places of the AFC Champions League elites.
Australia etched China 2 -1 in Shenzhen on Tuesday to top Group A of the U20 EFC Cup.
The two teams already secured spots in the final eight following wins in their first two matches.
Having won all three matches, Australia will play the Group B run -up in the quarterfinal.
China will face the Group B winner.
In basketball, former Australian captain Andrew Gates has welcomed Kerry Irving's bid to switch allegiance to Australia.
Dallas Mavericks point guard Irving was born in Melbourne, but represented the United States at the 2016 Real Olympics.
Irving said this week he was in the process of making the switch and finding out the best route to become eligible.
Gay said a 32 -year -old would be a welcome addition to the boomer squad that could boast NBA players Dyson Daniels and George Giddy at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Irving conceded playing for Australia at the 2012 London Olympics, but decided to focus on earning a spot on the Team USA roster for 2016.
The switch would need to be approved by global governing body FIBA, along with Australia and the United States.
Australia was knocked out of the quarterfinals at the Paris Olympics after taking bronze at the Tokyo Games.
In tennis, Martiu Berrettini has dumped Novak Djokovic out of the ATP 500 Qatar Open in Doha in his first career victory over the former World No.
1 in five attempts.
The 28 -year -old Italian struck 19 forehand winners and won 85 % of points on his first serve in a 7 -6, 6 -2 triumph that lasted 95 minutes.
Two -time champion Djokovic was making his first appearance in a singles match since he retired from his Australian Open semi -final against Alexander Zivirov with hamstring injury.
In the second round at the newly upgraded tournament, Berrettini will face Talon Grisbo of the Netherlands, who beat him in the first round in Rotterdam earlier this month.
Teenage tennis sensation Roro Fonseca frustrated his home fans at Real Open in the first round last Tuesday.
Two days after winning his first ATP title, Fonseca lost 6 -1, 7 -6 to No.
60 -ranked Alexander Muller of France, making 34 unforced errors and appearing to be exhausted during the match.
The 18 -year -old Brazilian won his first career title at the elite level at the Argentina Open on Sunday.
Muller will meet Argentina's Thomas Martin Etcheverry in the next round.
Also on Real, German top seed Alexandre Ziviroev toiled more than two hours to get past his Chinese opponent Buin Chagde 7 -6, 6 -4.
Ziviroev will face K6 -10's Alexander Shevchenko in the next round.
And finally, McLaren driver Lando Norris says his team will aim for the Drivers and the Constructors' Championships in the upcoming Formula 1 season after clenching the latter in 2024.
After last year, I think we kind of have no excuses, I guess.
In the past, we've had our fair share, but honest and true excuses.
I think this year, we kind of don't have any.
We have nothing to hide behind.
We proved last year we have everything we need and everything it takes to fight at the top and be the best.
If we are not at the beginning of the season then we've we're just not not good enough and now we've not done a good enough job but that's certainly not how we're thinking of things it's not how our mentality's been.
Norris was speaking before a new live show launched in the 2025 season all 20 formula one drivers and 10 teams gathered in London for the occasion.
All right thank you very much that was Yang Guang with sports.
Coming up in culture and entertainment China's latest animated blockbuster will extend that stay in theaters.
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34 past the hour, turning to culture and entertainment.
Chinese animated blockbuster Nudge 2 will extend screenings until March 30th.
Since its release on the Chinese mainland during the Chinese New Year, the film's worldwide earnings have surpassed 12 .3 billion yuan, more than 1 .7 billion U .S.
dollars. This figure positions the film ahead of Inside Out 2, making it the highest -grossing animated film globally.
The blockbuster premiered in Hong Kong on Tuesday night and is having a fully open schedule on Saturday.
Hong Kong residents have welcomed the movie's upcoming release.
We are very happy that Nejia 2 is being screened in Hong Kong.
We know that this movie promotes Chinese culture and fully reflects cultural and national confidence.
We look forward to more excellent domestic films being screened in Hong Kong.
A lot of people have been asking us since Spring Festival when Naja 2 could come to Hong Kong.
This grand premiere allows audiences in Hong Kong to finally enjoy the movie.
Major cinema change will coordinate film scheduling to bring Hong Kong and Macau audiences the movie.
The film is already opened in overseas markets such as Australia, New Zealand and North America, where it's received critical acclaim.
The ancient Chinese legend of Huan Mulan has entered the digital age as an ambassador of a historical city in North China for cultural and tourism promotion.
Huan was a warrior maiden in a classic folk ballad who disguised herself as a man to take her father's place in the army.
Datong in Shanxi province and Zhonghua Book Company jointly unveiled a digital representation modeled after the iconic heroine.
In the official promotional video, Mulan is depicted in helmet and armor, wielding a sword and standing proudly in front of the renowned Yun Gong grottos in Datong.
The tale of Mulan dates back over 1 ,500 years to China's Northern Wei dynasty when Datong, then known as Pingchang, served as the dynasty's capital.
Richard Linklater's starry musical biopic, Blue Moon, has had its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival, where it's competing for the top prize.
Linklater Walked the Red Carpet with the stars Ethan Hawke Margaret Qualley and Andrew Scott he said he was thrilled to finally cast Qualley in a project of his oh yeah she's wonderful I love her she's so smart she pushes herself so hard I don't know what a great collaborator I've known her for about 10
years and I couldn't wait I was really couldn't wait to work with her so I'm glad it worked out as a part of a Broadway songwriting team heart wrote classics such as blue moon my funny valentine and the lady is a tramp scott plays heart's composing partner richard rogers quality stars as elizabeth weyland a 20
year old yale student that heart introduces as his protege the 75th berlin international film festival runs through sunday and china's named six archaeological sites as the top new discoveries in 2024 among the honorees is the daddong paleolithic site in jilin province is the largest and most culturally
rich upper paleolithic discovery in northeast asia the shiatung neolithic site in jajang is also on the list it's crucial evidence of china's cultural history at 58 past the hour beijing down to minus four wednesday evening sunny skies and plus four on thursday nanchang's down to seven then moderate
rainfall and 8 tomorrow.
Else in Asia, Islamabad's at 12 overnight, moderate rainfall and 13 on Thursday.
Vientiane's down to 20 and then sunny skies and 31.
Phnom Penh's at 23 this evening, followed by a slight rainfall and 33.
In Africa, Nairobi will be cloudy in 33 degrees on Thursday.
Kampala's down to 21 degrees, then a slight rainfall and 28.
Juba's down to 26, then overcast conditions in 41 degrees Celsius.
And that's it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.
Making news today, presiding over a U .N.
Security Council meeting, China's foreign ministers call for a more fair and equitable global governance system.
And U .S. and Russian officials have held talks in Saudi Arabia on the Ukraine issue and bilateral ties.
On behalf of the staff, this is Shane Bigam in the Chinese capital, hoping you'll join us for the next edition of the Beijing Hour and open a window to the world together.
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