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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 Megan, with you on this Friday April 4th, 2025.
You're listening to the Beijing Hour coming to you live from the Chinese Capital.
On today's program South Korea's constitutional courts voted unanimously to remove impeached President Yoon Suk Kyol from office.
Global economies are reacting to Washington's trade war and markets are in turmoil.
Earthquake survivors in Myanmar are cleaning up with the help of Chinese teams. In business, China launches a first -of -its -kind green bond in London.
In sports, China's Jerry Zheng -shin Wen advances at the WTA Charleston Open in South Carolina.
In culture and entertainment, of the West ban theater in Shanghai has a stellar lineup planned for its opening this month.
Now checking the day's top stories.
South Korea's constitutional courts voted unanimously to remove impeached President Yoon Suk -yol from office.
Acting Chief Justice Moon Hyun -bei delivered the verdict.
The benefit gained by dismissing the response overwhelmingly outweighs the national losses resulting from the president's impeachment.
Therefore, I issued ruling with a unanimous opinion.
Since this is an impeachment case, I will confirm the time of the verdict.
It is 11 .22 AM. Order respondent President Yoon Seok Yew is impeached.
The Court upheld the National Assembly's decision to impeach Yoon for his failed attempt at martial law in December.
Jung Yoon reports. The Constitutional Court acknowledged all five grounds for impeachment by the National Assembly and concluded that there were serious unconstitutional and illegal acts, enough to justify Yuan's removal.
It is said that Yuan had mobilized the military and police, undermining the National Assembly and other constitutional institutions, violating fundamental human rights, and abandoning his duty to protect the constitution.
The court determined that Yuan's declaration of martial law was illegal.
Moon said that, Yun has violated the Constitution and the law by declaring martial law.
Repraising the country's history of abuse of martial law decrees dating back to military regimes.
Yun has denied the charges against him as he's unprecedentedly for a sitting president appeared in person to defend himself in eight of 11 court hearings leading up to the verdict.
he apologized for not meeting public expectations, the AUSTED leader thanked the people for the support and noted that it was an honor to work for the country, Yong is expected to have to exit from the presidential residence in Hamnan -dong Yongsan District soon, in 2017 ex -president Park Geun -hye left the residential residents after two days.
Park was impeached in late 2016 for abuse of power and corruption and ousted through an unanimous decision on March 10, this led to an early presidential election on May 9 that year.
Likewise, an election to choose Young's successor will take place within 60 days or June 3 at the latest. For the Beijing Hour, I'm John Yoon reporting from Seoul.
The constitutional court's ruling keeps acting president Handuk Su in power, and has promised an orderly and peaceful vote.
In support of the will of the sovereign people, we will do our best to manage the next presidential election, so that the next government can be launched without disruption, in accordance with the constitution and laws.
Polls indicate that Democratic party leader Lee Jae Myung will be the favorite in a snap election.
The end of Yoon's presidency doesn't mean the end of his legal trouble.
Jack Barton explains.
Well, next for president, Yun Song Yol will be the criminal investigation that's running parallel to this, I should say the criminal trial on charges of insurrection.
So Yun's troubles are not over by a long shot.
He'll be stripped of the presidency.
There will be the trial on insurrection, but now the prosecution can add other charges to the list. Even leading up to that ruling both camps knew where it was going, the pro -Yoon and anti -Yoon.
The anti -Yoon demonstrators cheering, applauding, each time the Chief Justice Moon went through the list of charges the National Assembly had brought against him and made it clear that each of them had broken the Constitution.
So, by the time that verdict came down, everybody knew where this was going.
again, anger from the pro -Yoon camp, but we've already heard from E .J.
Young, the opposition leader, thanking the people who came out onto the streets to give this reassurance to South Korean democracy, and also saying this sends a message of stability again to the world that the period of political paralysis here in South Korea is coming to an end.
We're with the pro -Yoon people, and that ruling was read down.
The Chief Justice also had some pretty harsh words for the opposition and many of the anti -Yoon people were nodding.
The people who you would think would be supporting the opposition party and that is why we're seeing a sort of a surprise political split.
The opposition still has the lead but there's been a real growth in the People Power party.
The ruling power of Yoon because it's seen that the acting presidents actually haven't done a bad job of governing while Yoon has been going through this process.
particularly the previous one, Tui Sang Mok, is really been seen as a stable set of hands.
So it depends who they put in place against E .J.
Myung. And the other big wildcard factor here is it isn't just martial law that will be playing into this election.
It is, of course, Trump and his tariffs.
So perhaps whoever handles that best in the eyes of the public may ultimately be the victor.
And that was Jack Barton and Soul.
Philip Hampshire spoke with Chair Professor Rong Ying at Sichuan University about the significance of Yun's impeachment and the challenges facing the government.
How significant is this decision from the court in South Korea?
The verdict itself represents not the end of the political division, rather it represents a new beginning of the political divisions of South Korea.
And I think it raised a lot of questions, the issues related to the presidential powers, the need or necessity for political constitutional revisions or political restructuring.
The last point, I believe, is that the responses of the conservative parties, the TPP...
And of course it's a huge blow, it's a huge strike, not only to the leadership, former President Jung, but also for the party, which now had to prepare get ready for the coming elections in two months time.
And that would be again, related to cause a lot of problem.
All in all, I will just say that the verdict and the decision by the continued court is I think the victory of Korean people, the victory of Korean.
I mean the the resilience Korean polity and of the most importantly I think the victory of rule of law in in Korea.
Ying, let's talk about the future here.
What are the challenges that are currently facing the acting President Han Deuk -su?
What happens in South Korea from today?
Yeah. I think I personally have I mean I mean sort of cautious optimism about the Korean society as a whole despite the difficulties and the huge, highly divisive division of society.
I think we should expect that they will be able to find a way to address that.
But the role and the leadership that is going to be demonstrated and exercised by the acting president and prime minister, Han Do -Soo, is going to very much important.
On the one hand, you have to manage these day -to -day affairs.
The biggest challenge comes from the economic front with the global tariff war launched by President Trump, plus the economic downturns, the social and political division.
It is a very difficult job for him.
That was Professor Rong -Ying on the political turmoil in South Korea.
Friday is Ching -Ming Festival in China.
It's a time for families to honor ancestors.
People usually visit graves, clean tombstones and leave offerings.
China's having a three -day holiday for the occasion, also known as Tomb sweeping day.
Many see the long weekend as a good opportunity for a short trip.
The transport ministry is anticipating 760 million passenger trips nationwide and Dai Ka -i has noticed some trends.
It's the first official holiday since china's Lunar New Year holiday and it's also a perfect time for a short getaway.
Now, a recent report from Ctrip .com shows that the searches and also the bookings for Chingjing Festival trips surged by 136 percent compared to the previous week.
Now, people are favoring shorter or relaxed trips this time and many are choosing to drive themselves.
And of course, people are taking high -speed rails and the holiday time lasts for three days, but if travel time is factored in, it stretches to five.
China's railway authorities estimate over 84 million trips during the entirety of holiday.
Some of the popular activities include flower viewing, camping, and hiking.
Now if you talk about camping, the camping gears, they're on the rise.
For example, from tents to the portable showers, they searched up the sales of them on some of the major online shopping platforms. Rural tourism is another trend with urban dwellers looking to experience countryside life, farming life, and local traditions.
Meanwhile, searches related to sports events, to music concerts are also on the rise.
They searched around 48 % year -on -year in theme parks like Shanghai Disneyland Park, Universal Studios Beijing, and some of the homegrown theme park brands in China will continue to draw massive crowds.
Now with local governments, in many places rolling out consumer vouchers, spending on travel, on dining, accommodation, entertainment are expected to see another boost. That was Dai Kai reporting.
One destination for flower viewing trips during the holiday is Wuhan.
The central city is known for its cherry blossoms. Wang Jingyam has the story.
It's currently cherry blossom season in Wuhan.
To mark the occasion, the city has gone all out by releasing a host of products geared toward tourists.
At Wuhan East Lake Cherry Blossom Garden, shops selling cultural and creative products are attracting crowds, with tourists snapping up the special items. We've made the Yangtze River Cruise for three days.
and we just arrived today and this is surprise because we can see the cherry blossoms. I just bought a small umbrella and the lovely little bags for my granddaughter.
These are related to the cherry blossoms. They're pretty and exactly what my little grandchild wants.
I am brought here by my tourist group but, in fact, the flowers and the park and the temple are all very attractive.
Well, I found this, I bought a fan and some souvenir is very attractive flowers all around, so these are in paint color, just fit the color of this part Some of the special products are so popular that they are now in short supply or in some cases, temporarily out of stock Our cherry blossom -themed liquid sand refrigerator magnet is currently very popular with over 5 ,000 units sold.
We also have over 800 pre -sale orders waiting for delivery.
Our best -selling products also include fans, refrigerator magnets, keychains, plush ornaments, notebooks and more, all of which are part of our Wuhan cherry blossom series.
In recent years, a growing number of cultural and creative souvenirs have been released that blend Wuhan's local characteristics ranging from pillows featuring the famous yellow crane tower to three -dimensional refrigerator magnets with lights.
These creative culture products are designed to show off Wuhan's unique local culture in the fun way.
That was Wang Jingya on tourist attractions in Wuhan.
Coming up, global reactions to US tariffs and the related market turmoil.
Dive into news like never before with Deep Dive, the podcast from CGTN radio.
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.
China's Association of Automobile Manufacturers says it hopes the United States will listen to the voice of the industry and correct its wrongful practices.
A 25 % tariff on all automobiles and car parts reaching United States took effect on Thursday.
The Chinese Association said the unilateral US move violates World Trade Organization rules and will result in higher car prices and hamper global economic recovery.
Meanwhile, the China National Light Industry Council has expressed firm opposition to the US move to cancel duty -free treatment for low value packages from China.
Starting May 2, tariffs will apply for packages of US dollars or lower that come from the Chinese mainland in Hong Kong the councils calling on the international community to resist trade bullying and safeguard a mutually beneficial international trade system Canada says it'll match the US move by imposing a 25 percent tariff on automobiles from the United States that are not compliant with the US Mexico Canada free trade deal those follow the sweeping duties against global trading partners that US President Donald Trump introduced a day before.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called the moves a tragedy for Global Trade.
Dan Williams reports from Ontario.
Workers depart the Stellantis assembly plant in Windsor Canada having been told that from Monday the plant will close for at least two weeks.
The decision follows the 25 % auto tariff that came into effect on Thursday.
Any new car or light truck that is exported to the US is subject to the tariff.
That prompted Stellantis to act.
It's hard to comprehend at first and then it's hard to see where, where things are going to go from here, right?
I think that everyone is hoping that it won't be long, but I have a feeling that it could be years.
Little nervous, to be honest right now with the way things are going over in the United States, it definitely affects us.
And if we're not selling cars, we're not gonna have a job.
Stellantis also announced it would pause production at a plant in Mexico and temporarily lay off some 900 workers at two plants in the U .S Mid -West in Michigan and Indiana, but Canada is hitting back.
Prime Minister Mark Carney announcing 25 % retaliatory tariffs on U .S vehicles that are not compliant with the U .S.-Mexico -Canada Free Trade Agreement.
Three different sets of U .S tariffs remain in place and will continue to pose significant threats to Canadian workers and Canadian businesses.
They are all unjustified, unwarranted, and in our judgement, misguided.
It hasn't taken long for impacts from the tariffs to begin, but experts warn this could be just the start of the fall out if the tariffs remain in place for any length of time.
If vehicle sales stall, manufacturing will stop.
The car companies will not keep building cars if they can't sell them.
they just can't do that and they won't so if they're not building cars they will lay the workers off this will snowball through the entire economy of the globe.
It appeared to be business as usual at the Ambassador Bridge that spans Ontario in Canada to Michigan in the U .S. to key Auto hubs but in reality for autoworkers here it is anything but.
That was Dan Williams with how Canada is hitting back at U .S. trade measures.
Until the south of the U .S. border, Mexican President Claudia Scheinbaum has promised decrees to boost the auto steel and aluminum industries.
Mexico's Undersecretary for International Trade said officials will meet with U .S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik and Trade Representative Jameson Greer next week.
Alistair Bavristock has more.
Amid the global storm set off by Donald Trump's Liberation Day tariff announcements, Mexico awoke Thursday in a pocket of relative calm.
Her country exempt from many of the measures, President Claudia Scheinbaum recapped the impacts at her morning press conference.
In the case of Mexico, there were no additional tariffs, and that's good for the country and it is due to the good relationship that we have built up with the US government based upon respect.
While Mexico was spared from Trump's 10 % baseline tariff supplied to most countries, 25 % levies on car exports to the U .S. took effect Thursday as expected.
Before there were two ways to avoid tariffs.
Through free trade agreements and through a WTO clause called Most Favored Nation.
President Trump's new trade policy has eliminated the second way.
So how can companies keep avoiding tariffs by complying with free trade stipulations?
Any imports from Mexico that do not comply with the USMCA rules of origin continue to face 25 % levies for now, though the White House says that rate could be cut in half if the US sees improvement in drug intervention at the border.
President Sheinbaum says her government has fielded a flurry of calls from concerned companies.
Many companies here have approached us, asking how to start complying with the USMCA rules of origin.
Is it possible? Of course.
Is it good for Mexico?
Yes, because more products will be made here.
North American free trade has brought hundreds of billions of dollars of nearshoring investment into Mexico.
yet President Trump continues to cast doubts over its future.
The future of the USMCA creates a great deal of uncertainty because business and investment decisions in Mexico are based upon the treaty.
And if things happen as Trump wants, we won't be talking about renegotiations, rather striking a completely different deal.
USMCA renegotiations are set for 2026, if not before.
That was Alistair Babrestock reporting.
The Director -General of the World Trade Organization says new U .S. tariffs along with existing ones could lead to a 1 per cent contraction in global merchandise trade volumes this year.
Ngozi Okonjo -Oweala has expressed concern about the potential escalation into a tariff war.
The WTO said it's observed a 6 per cent drop in the global trade under its administration because of recent tariffs.
Meantime, French President Emmanuel Macron is urging European companies to suspend planned investment in the United States.
He suggested using the European Union's anti -coercion instrument to protect trade.
Brazil's Congress has approved a new reciprocity bill that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva set as an administration to shield national companies and workers from potential impacts.
U .S stocks plummeted on Thursday in response to the announcement of global tariffs.
Major indexes reported the biggest one -day losses in years.
Mitch McCann has more from outside the New York Stock Exchange.
Well Thursday marked the worst day for the market since the height of the coronavirus pandemic five years ago.
The Dow Jones fell 1679 points, its worst day since June 2020.
The S &P 500 was down as well.
4 .84%, also its worst day since June 2020.
And the NASDAQ was down as well, 5 .97%, its worst day since March of 2020.
Now there were broad sell -offs across all markets, but let's start with some of the tech stocks that have been selling.
Investors have been selling stocks in Apple, which makes a number of its devices throughout Asia.
It finished down 9 .25%, meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.
It was down 8 .96 % at the closing bell.
Amazon was down 8 .98%.
Also affected were sportswear brands, many of whom make their products in Vietnam, Indonesia and China.
For example, Nike is reportedly a company that makes 25 % of its shoes in Vietnam.
It finished down 14 .44%.
Adidas was down 10 % and Puma was down 11 .84%.
Now, despite the gloom on the markets on Thursday, President Trump says he's determined to continue with this approach, saying things are going very well.
Those were Hertz words.
As he departed the White House on Thursday, he said the markets are going to boom, the stock is going to boom, and the country is going to boom.
That was Mitch McCann on the performance of US shares.
And we'll turn to the markets in Asia and Europe in Business News a little later on in the show.
Coming up, Myanmar continues to clean up and recover following last week's deadly earthquake.
Shanghai has made history, becoming the first Chinese city to ban smoking in outdoor public spaces.
Could this be the start of a nationwide shift?
China aims to cut adult smoking from 24 % to 20 % by 2030.
But with cigarette sales still climbing, is that goal realistic?
Can this policy genuinely make an impact or will deep -rooted smoking culture stand in the way?
Find out wherever you listen to podcasts and I'll see you at the end of the show.
At 24 past the hour, China's embassy in Myanmar says at least five Chinese nationals have died in the 7 .9 -magnitude earthquake last week.
The total number of deaths in Myanmar surpassed 3 ,100 as of Friday afternoon.
A cleanup and repair are underway in Nai Padau.
Jiang Xiaoning reports on the living conditions in the capital city.
We visited Nai Padau again.
The damage to the roads were visibly rapid and traffic had largely resumed, although most the places were only temporarily filled with sand and stone.
When we visited the residents' homes, they said that basic life has returned to normal and the prices have not changed much. In terms of relief for the survivors, in addition to efforts by the Myanmar side, the Chinese Embassy, Chinese NGOs and companies have brought medical care, distributed food and donated tents.
On the evening of April 2, municipal electricity finally restored in Nipido.
And on the evening of April 3, there were more people on the road and traffic police were directing the traffic.
We believe that with the joint efforts of China and Myanmar, Myanmar will be able to overcome the difficulties.
That was Chung Xiaoning reporting.
In Mandalay, residents are salvaging their belongings with the help of rescuers who are combing through damaged buildings, and Chinese medical teams are also on -site.
Zhenzhe Yuan reports from near the epicentre.
Rescuers going through streets by streets to really see if there is any information for rescue for survivors trapped inside or anybody needed help.
But according to what we see on the ground most of the buildings are being cleaned out meaning that heavy machines like excavators are being dispatched to neighborhoods.
Also in addition to what the rescuers are doing street -by -street Chinese medical teams are also heading out to offer medical support to local residents and we're seeing here some of the locals here needed help to treat headaches or scratches, as well as some of them even bought their CT scans for doctors to help them to basically look at because the medical health here are really in huge needs here.
So Chinese medical workers are really offering this help alongside of West Gill workers to help those locals who need medical treatment or facing some challenges.
We're seeing less rescue work but more reconstruction here happening especially people are cleaning their room bringing out some of the remaining furnitures that are not damaged to really slowly transitioning to the face of recovery from this huge disaster.
That was Zhenze Yuan on the post earthquake order in Mandalay.
The acting inspector of the US Defense Department says he's beginning an evaluation of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's use of the Signal Messaging app to discuss military operations.
The objective of the evaluation is to determine the extent to which Hegseth and other personnel complied with the Defense Department's policies and procedures for the use of a commercial messaging app for official business.
The evaluations in response to a March 26 letter from the chair and the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
They requested an inquiry into recent public reports on the defense secretary's use of an unclassified commercially available messaging app to discuss information about military actions in Yemen earlier in March. The editor -in -chief of the Atlantic detailed in an article published last month how senior U .S. national security officials shared information with him about a strike in Yemen, in a group chat that he'd been added to.
U .S. President Donald Trump says Elon Musk will likely be leaving the Department of Government Efficiency in a few months.
Trump describes Musk as fantastic, saying he has a number of companies to run.
The entrepreneur owns enterprises including Tesla, SpaceX and social media Platform X.
There have been growing indications that Musk will start winding down his work for the Trump Administration soon.
Musrul asked leader of Doge's strong backlash, with protesters swarming Tesla's showrooms and dealerships across the United States.
Participants at the first global artificial intelligence summit on Africa have explored AI's potential to boost economic growth, improve public services, and tackle challenges in healthcare, agriculture, and education.
The summit opened in Kigali, Rwanda, on Thursday.
Digital Umugonda CEO Odese Nyankuru says AI could help farmers with better access to important information.
If you think how does a farmer in rural Rwanda access an AI you know engine to ask about information, about market prices, to ask about pests and diseases in order to do that there's need for that particular technology to be in Rwanda because 76 % of Rwandans don't speak any other foreign language like English and French only speak in Rwanda.
So the need for AI working for the majority of Rwandans is rooted in it being the local language they speak.
And that's the basis of our work." The summit has gathered over 1000 participants from 90 countries.
29 past the hour in Beijing is down to seven degrees on Friday evening.
It'll be sunny in 22 on Saturday and answering the 15 overnight then cloudy in 25 elsewhere in Asia islamabad 15 this evening.
It's sunny in 34 tomorrow, Vientiane's down to 24, followed by a slight rain in 39 degrees, but on Penn's 24 overnight, then a slight rain in 35.
It's time for a short break.
So far this hour, South Korea's Constitutional courts voted unanimously to remove impeached President Yoon Suk -Jil from office.
Global economies are reacting to Washington's trade war and markets are in turmoil.
Earthquake survivors in Myanmar are cleaning up with the help of Chinese teams. Shane Begumotheep, stay with us here on the Beijing Hour.
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 mist of all, beats the heart of humanity.
What if those other heartbeats 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 here 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 see you there.
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 Beggum with you on this Friday.
Still to come, in business China launches a first -of -its -kind green bond in London.
In sports, China's Zhang Xunwen advances at the WTA Charleston Open in South Carolina.
In culture and entertainment, the Westpan Theatre in Shanghai has a dollar lineup planned for its opening this month.
To contact us, you can email radio at cgtn .com or follow our ex -account at cgtnradio.
But now a check of the day's headline news.
China's state council customs tariff commission has announced an additional 34 % tariff on all imports from the United States.
The new rates will apply next week on Thursday.
The decision comes on the heels of the U .S. tariffs targeting almost all global trading partners.
China's commerce ministries listed 11 US companies including Skydio, on its list of unreliable entities and banned them from foreign trade and investment in China.
The ministries also put 16 other US entities on its export control list. South Korea's constitutional court has upheld President Eun Seok -yol's impeachment over his short -lived declaration of martial law last December.
The unanimous vote means Yoon's officially removed from office.
Yoon apologized after the result, seeing that he's truly sorry and heartbroken that he was unable to meet the people's expectations.
The court's ruling paves the way for snap elections within 60 days.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights says the violent conflict between Israel and Palestine over the past 18 months has made it clear that there's no military path out of the crisis.
Volker Turk told the United Nations Security Council that the only way forward is a political settlement based on two states living side by side in equal dignity and rights in line with UN resolutions and international law.
Turk also condemned the recent killings of 15 aid workers last month.
They were buried in a shallow grave in southern Gaza.
I'm appalled by the recent killings of 15 medical personnel and humanitarian aid workers, which raise further concerns over the commission of war crimes by the Israeli military.
There must be an independent, prompt, and thorough investigation into the killings, and those responsible for any violation of international rule must be held to account." Fu Tsung is China's permanent representative of the UN and he called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the resumption of the entry of humanitarian aid into the Strip.
Resuming hostilities will only lead to more bloodshed and hatred and is never the correct way to secure the release of hostages.
The best solution to save lives and bring hostages home is a lasting ceasefire.
FU's also called for actions to prevent more casualties among civilians in Gaza.
China has revised a number of its aviation heroes who died during the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression' to 1 ,470.
The Nanjing Anti -Japanese Aviation Martyrs' Memorial Hall released a second list, consisting of new names and additional details.
A staff member at the facility in East China said the revision shows respect to the heroes in history.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the Allied Victory in World War II.
The leader of Haiti's transitional presidential council has vowed new measures to stop the bloodshed caused by rampant gang violence.
Fritz Alphonse Jean made the promise a day after gunfire erupted in Port -au -Prince as thousands of protestors demanding an end to gang violence clashed with police outside the offices of the council and the prime minister.
Jean told the people that they understand their misery, pain and suffering and he added that the fight against gang violence will require hard work.
The fight against the darkness is not insignificant, but we are not insignificant ourselves.
It's nothing compared with the battle we fought to get out of slavery.
Jean said the Council will take steps to quell the violence, including setting aside a special budget, and incorporating agents from an armed state environmental group.
The UN says over 4 ,200 have died from gang violence across Haiti from July to February, and that over 60 ,000 people were left homeless in one month alone.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has rejected the US attempt to annex Greenland, citing international law.
During a visit to the autonomous territory, Frederiksen also expressed concern over what she described as pressure and threats from the US.
But she said she is willing to maintain dialogue with Washington, saying she is open to future talks with President Donald Trump.
The visit came amid Trump's continuous expression of interest in acquiring Greenland.
Vice president J .D.
Vance and an American delegation visited a U .S. military base on the island last month.
Vance criticized Denmark for not doing enough for security in the Arctic or for the well -being of the Greenlandic people.
This is Shane Bingham coming up in business.
China launches a first -of -its -kind green bond in London.
The Beijing hour, your window on China and the rest of the world.
37 past the hour, turning to business now.
Here's Wang Zhan. Thank you, Shane.
Stock markets on the Chinese mainland and in Hong Kong are closed for the Qingming festival holiday on Friday.
Other Asian markets continue to plunge in the wake of the new US tariffs.
Japan's Nikkei shared more than 2 .7 % for the second straight day.
Markets in Singapore, Seoul and Manila also fell, while European stocks closed to nearly 2 % lower.
China has issued its first -ever overseas RMB -denominated sovereign green bond in London.
The deal totalled 6 billion yuan or around $823 million.
It includes 3 billion yuan for a three -year term with an interest rate of nearly 1 .9 % and 3 billion for a five -year term at an interest rate of slightly over 1 .9%.
The London offering has spurred strong demand from international investors, drawing a diverse range of participants from across various regions.
Total subscriptions have hit almost 41 .6 billion yuan, nearly seven times the issuance value.
Vice Finance Minister Liao Min attended the bond's launch ceremony at the London Stock Exchange.
This is a green development, so that means the international investors have a huge confidence about the sustainable development of China, both in the green development and also digital transformation.
China is the world's biggest producer of green technology.
Analysts say the bond could offer some stability for markets on edge after US President Donald Trump's tariff announcement.
The impact of U .S. tariffs on global trade is a pressing issue for countries, including China and Australia.
Lincoln Humphrey spoke with Vaughn Barber, chair of the China -Australia Chamber of Commerce, on strategies for navigating this complex landscape and uncovering potential opportunities.
U .S. tariffs have changed the global trade landscape, injecting quite a bit of uncertainty.
How should China and Australia respond?
We see China responding by emphasizing dual circulation, boosting domestic demand and staying open for global engagement.
On the Australian side companies are trying to diversify their exposure, at the same time the government you know restating its commitment to and the importance of rules -based trading system was of course is important for a country like Australia that relies so heavily on trade.
It's important to appreciate that notwithstanding that churn and change, Australian companies are not retreating from the China market.
70 % of the more than 400 companies that we surveyed recently have said that China remains the top or one of the top three priority markets for global investment.
And about the same number of companies report optimism about the opportunities in the market.
Do you think a trade war presents opportunities.
Look at the challenges arising from US tariff policy I would put them into three categories the first is what's that going to be the impact on particularly agricultural exports from Australia to the US.
Second how will US companies impacted by retaliatory tariffs approach markets which are important for Australian exports?
And then finally, what would all of this how would that affect China's demand for Australia's exports?
That's in terms of challenges, in terms of opportunities.
We would expect China will impose some degree of retaliatory tariff that will impact our particularly agricultural and energy exports from the US to China.
And that may open up opportunities for Australia in segments like beef, other agricultural segments, and energy.
And that's certainly something that we're alive to and watching.
So, yeah, challenge and opportunity.
China's approach to inbound foreign investment in your time here, has that changed manifestly and what particular sectors do you see as showing the greatest promise?
The first thing is the return of a stable bilateral relationship.
That's been very important there.
Our members say that's the number one factor influencing their decision about investing in China.
And since the third plenum last year, then the work report and then the president's meeting with foreign business executives last week sending a very strong signal of the support for foreign investors.
There was Wong Barber with the China -Australia Chamber of Commerce sharing his thoughts on how Beijing and Canberra can cooperate to navigate U .S. tariffs.
Now Shanghai is seeing an influx of international travelers coming from all corners of the world with the country's visa -free policies.
Chen Yilin spoke with local officials and tourists on the latest trend.
Heading to Shanghai after work this Friday, flying for the show, stay for the city.
You might have heard these buzzwords which define Shanghai, a dazzling global mega -city in China which is becoming one of the top destinations and the latest China travel boom.
According to data released by Shanghai immigration authorities, the number of foreign nationals entering and exiting through Shanghai ports has surpassed 2 .65 million in the first quarter of 2025.
Shanghai's Pudong and Hongqiao International airports have seen a year -on -year increase of 49 % when it comes to passenger flows, serving 2 .4 million travelers in the first quarter of the year.
In the first quarter of 2025, about 80 percent of foreign passengers arriving through Shanghai's Pudong and Hongqiao international airports came for tourism or business purposes.
Visa -free arrivals during this period reached 601 ,000, accounting for more than half of the foreign inbound passengers at the two airports.
To ensure efficient border crossing, Shanghai immigration authorities have implemented a series of procedures, such as combining clearance lanes for arriving and transiting travellers, as well as offering multilingual translation services.
We're going to holiday.
We're going to see Disneyland and Universal Studios.
And then we will come from Indonesia.
Australia, we're from and we came here for tourism and we're going all over China.
It's expected to attract even more domestic and international visitors throughout the rest of the year.
There was Chen Yilin in Shanghai.
Hong Kong's stock market saw a sharp rise in newly listed companies and the total IPO fundraising in the first quarter.
The number of newly listed companies reached 16, up 33 percent, mainly covering sectors such as consumer goods, new energy vehicles and healthcare.
IPO fundraising reached about 18 billion HKD or around 2 .3 billion USD, surging over 280%.
Meantime, an increasing number of listed companies on the Chinese mainland's A -share market are exploring due listings in Hong Kong, aiming to expand their global presence and attract international investors.
Among the 16 newly listed companies, one was already listed on the A -share market.
Additionally, 33 more listed companies on the A -share market have announced plans to list in Hong Kong this year.
Chinese firms have unveiled cutting edge technologies and set the stage for stronger international trade partnership at the just -concluded Hanover Messe 2025.
The trade fair in Germany focused on industrial AI and its transformative role in revolutionising manufacturing.
Under the theme, Energising a Sustainable Industry, it has drawn 4 ,000 exhibitors from around 60 countries and regions.
Organisers say about 1 ,000 Chinese exhibitors have participated, making China the second largest group after Germany.
Companies across sectors such as intelligent manufacturing, the industrial internet and green energy integrated automation with sustainability to highlight advancements in industrial transformation and innovation.
Who thrives when victory is up for grabs?
Time is ticking down and the world is watching.
In this week's sideline story, we reveal the most heart -stomping moments in sports.
From Michael Jordan to Novak Djokovic, we discuss the most reliable players in key moments.
and debates are clutch legends born or built.
Subscribe to sideline story wherever you listen to a podcasts.
47 past the hour now and turning to sports in tennis from the WTA Charleston open in South Carolina Jung Chin Wen's defeated Elise Mertens for her 13th straight win on clay and reached the quarterfinals in her first meeting against Mertens Jung won the first set 6 -3 Mertens then fought back take the second set 6 -3.
Jung made good use of her power advantage in the third taking that one 6 -3.
It was the Chinese player's first quarterfinal at that tournament.
She'll now face ninth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia.
Top seeded American Jessica Pagula stormed into the quarters with the straight sets victory over Isla Tamblyanovic.
Pagula next faces defending champion and fellow American Daniel Collins.
Fourth seed Emma Navarro beat fellow American Ashlyn Krueger in three sets to reach the quarters.
She'll face another compatriot in the in the last eight with number eight seed Amanda Anisimova.
A top seed Wong E. Di of China narrowly escaped an upset bid by compatriot Chian Tien E to advance to the women's singles quarter -finals of the WTT Champions Inchon in South Korea.
In men's singles, Chinese player Lin Gaoyuan eliminated six -time Olympic medalist Dmitry Ovcharov of Germany three to one.
On Thursday, China's Kuai -Man defeated India's Sareeja Akula in five games to reach the last 16.
First of all, it did not matter that I fell behind, because the match was not over.
so I was just playing point by point to come back.
There were a few points I did not handle very well, but by the fifth game I had already adapted to the rhythm, and I finally found my form." On the men's side, Cheng Peng broke the hearts of the local fans by beating Zhang Wijian.
In snooker, Chinese player Ding Junhe enjoyed another momentous victory with a 10 -5 win over world champion Caron Wilson in the quarterfinals of the Tour championship in Manchester.
The world number nine will meet four -time world champion Mark Selby in the semis.
Barry Hawkins is up against John Higgins to fight for a spot in the final which will take place on Sunday.
Ding's victory came on the 20th anniversary of his first ranking title.
It came at the 2005 China Open where Ding beat Steven Hendry in the final and he's since become Asia's most successful player with 15 ranking titles to his name.
In football from the English Premier League, Chelsea beat London rivals Tottenham Hotspur 1 -0 to return to fourth place, boosting their hopes of a return to the Champions League next season.
Argentina's Enzo Fernandes was left unmarked to head home in the 50th minute from a perfect cross by Cole Palmer on the England forward's return from a brief injury absence.
Chelsea thought they had a second goal, but Moise Cecetto's volley was ruled out after a VAR check for offside.
The Spurs had their own celebrations dashed in the 69th minute when substitute to Pape Sars shot from outside the box was ruled out for a foul.
Chelsea manager Enzo Moresca reviewed the game.
You need also to learn and to play in the way we played in the last 10 minutes win a game in a dirty way because I think for for 90 minutes until the extra time we were in control we create chances enough to win the game we create chances enough first half and then to be honest that's been my mistake because I did a change before I saw the extra time and when I saw 12 minutes I saw that probably was too early to make that kind of change but fortunately we won the game and we are happy.
When lifted Chelsea one point above fifth place Manchester City with Newcastle United two points back in sixth.
The Spurs remain in 14th with their hopes of European competition next season dependent on their ability to win the Europa League.
In international football, China suffered a 2 -1 defeat to host Saudi Arabia in the opening match of the AFC under -17 Asian Cup.
Saudi Arabia took the lead in the 11th minute when team China goalkeeper Ihasan Elamou slipped, leaving an open goal for Abdulhadi Mothari to calmly slot home.
The hosts doubled the lead in the first half stoppage time as Osama al -Dagma finished off a counter -attack.
China managed to pull one back deep into second half injury time when Wei Shengxin cut inside from the left and fired into the near corner.
China faces Uzbekistan on Sunday while Saudi Arabia encounters Thailand.
The tournament also serves as the Asian qualifiers for the FIFA Under -17 World Cup later this year in Qatar with the top two teams from each group securing direct qualification.
McLaren's Oskar Piastri emerged fastest in an interrupted second practice session for Sunday's Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix.
Piastri clocked a fastest lap of a little over one minute and 28 seconds.
Lando Norris ensured that McLaren finished the session 1 -2.
Piastri and Norris of each won a Grand Prix in a dominant start of the season for McLaren.
Piastri said that it was not an easy race.
It's been a pretty tricky day.
Obviously, FP2 was pretty stop -start, so it was hard to get into a rhythm.
But I think by the end of the day, I felt reasonably comfortable.
Still some fine tuning to go.
I think there's been some things I've been happy with today, but it's not been the easiest overall.
The eventful second session, which was red flagged four times, saw rookie Jack Doon badly damage his Alpine in a heavy crash into the barriers.
Two of the red flags were for trackside fires in dry, sunny conditions at the Suzuka circuit.
And that was sports.
Just ahead in culture and entertainment, the Westbound Theatre in Shanghai has a stellar lineup plan for its opening this month.
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53 passed the hour.
Turning to Culture and Entertainment, the Westbound Theater in Shanghai will fully open to the public later this month.
The new cultural landmark is along the Hongpu River.
Zhengyue has more. Another cultural landmark is ready to make its mark on Shanghai.
With up to 100 performances scheduled for the spring season, the Westbound Theater in the Shihui Riverside area is now in its soft opening phase.
Be on the lookout for plays, concerts, ballet, contemporary dance, traditional folk shows and even stand -up comedy.
Performance groups come from China and Japan, Croatia, the United States and Australia.
The honor of being the theatre's first performance goes to the play Reborn Beads.
Created by pop singer Aa Duo, it blends traditional and contemporary music, incorporating elements of chū jia culture.
Traditional singing styles such as the crying marriage song, noushengchang, and water tunes are incorporated into the play, which presents a journey of courage, transformation, and cultural heritage, as it centers on the theme of female growth.
Just 20m from the Huangpu River, the theater is nestled within a dynamic hub of art museums, cultural centers, shopping, and open waterfront leisure spaces.
Inspired by water, the theater's exterior walls feature undulating lines resembling ripples along the waterfront, while the lobby features expansive glass surfaces.
The interior adopts an earthy color palette, matching the tones of the riverside bra walk, while the mirrored stainless steel ceiling reflects light to evoke the shimmering surface of water.
From the gallery on the third floor, visitors can enjoy an unobstructed view of boats gliding across the Huangpu River.
The theater features a main auditorium with 1 ,673 seats and a smaller stage with 208 seats.
Every seat has been thoughtfully designed, with audience experience in mind, ensuring optimal comfort, clear sidelines, and excellent acoustics.
The theater plans to host more premier performances from Shanghai and across China, while also introducing international productions.
And that was a Zhengyue reporting.
Now, Binkleby Jordan and Ryan Coogler walked the red carpet in New York for the world premiere of Sinners.
The Creed star and director team up again in this tale of evil as Jordan plays a dual role as troubled twins coming back to their hometown only to find an unimaginable evil awaiting their return.
Jordan spoke of tackling the roles.
Oh, I mean, they're both two different people.
You know what I'm saying?
But the idea of twins and their connection psychologically, you know what I'm saying, is a strong one.
so unique so music really helped kind of differentiate the two how they walk, their mannerisms, prep was completely different for both of them.
And it took time for me to transition from one to the other so you know we did what we had to do.
The horror thriller is based on original script by Kugler with the project set in the 1930s in the south and filmed earlier this year in the new orleans area.
Sinners opens in theaters nationwide in the us on april 18th.
The 2025 CinemaCon convention ended in Las Vegas on Thursday with the Big Screen Achievement Awards.
The awards named Top Gun Maverick actor Glen Powell Star of the Year.
He'll next appear in a remake of The Running Man.
Channing Tatum won the Distinguished Decade of Achievement in film.
He recently appeared as Gambit in Deadpool and Wolverine and is expected to reprise the role in the upcoming of Avengers Doom Day.
Anada Armist won Action Star of the Year for her solo turn as John Wick spin off character Ballerina.
Lindsay Lohan received the CinemaCon Vanguard award while the Cinema icon award went to Star Wars alumni Mark Hamill.
Cheech and Chong won for career achievements in comedy.
57 past the hour Beijing seven degrees Friday evening.
It'll elsewhere in Asia up Islamabads down to 15 and then sunny in 34 degrees on Saturday and that's it for this edition of the Beijing hour making news today South Korea's constitutional courts voted unanimously to remove in peace president Yoon Suk -hyil and global economies are reacting to Washington's trade war and the markets are in turmoil on behalf of the staff this is Shane Megham in the Chinese capital hoping you'll join us for the next edition of The Beijing Hour and open a window to the world together.
Find The Beijing Hour at precisely 6pm Beijing time.
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He can't live without the Yellow River in his eyes.
The Yellow River is so noble and elegant.
Both my grandpa and dad made the living from the river.
Would you like to move away from the Yellow River?
I don't think I will.
I love it so much. The Yellow River, the second longest river in China, is regarded as a shaping force in the history, economy and culture of northern China.
Today, about 100 million people live within its water basin, making up nearly 9 % of the country's population.
How is climate change felt at its headwaters?
And what are the locals doing to cope with it?
What are the descendants of the boatman 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
