新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 20:00 2014/03/19

The Beijing Hour
 
 Evening Edition
 
 
Shane Bigham with you on this Wednesday, March 19th, 2014.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this evening.
Chinese authorities have again expanded the search for a missing Malaysian Airlines flight.
The central government has denounced the East Turkistan Islamic Movement for its support of the March 1st attack in Kunming.
and reform of the hukou system is said to be key to China's new urbanization plans.
In business, the number of new enterprises registered in China has this month.
In sports, lost of football action from the Asian and European Champions Leagues.
In entertainment, a trip to Disney Shanghai.
 
 
Weather
 
 
Beijing will be clear tonight with a low of 5 degree Celsius. Sunny tomorrow with a high of 17 degrees.　
Meanwhile Shanghai will be rainy tonight, with a low of 8, cloudy tomorrow, with a high of 13.
Chongqing will be rainy, 13 degrees the low, also rainy tomorrow with a high of 22.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, overcast with a high of 26.
Kabul, overcast, 18.
Over in Australia
Sydney, shower, highs of 24.
Canberra, sunny, 25.
Brisbane, overcast, 28.
And finally, Perth will be overcast with a high of 31.
 
 
Top News 
 
 
China expands search for missing plane
 
Chinese vessels sailing toward new search areas as a multinational search mission for the missing Malaysian Airlines passenger jet enters its 12th day.
Nine vessels will leave from Singapore to waters southeast of the Bay of Bengal and west of Indonesia.
Lin Pu is the commander of the Chinese Emergency Response Team.
"The depth could reach beyond 3000 meters, and the waves will be huge in the Indian Ocean, meaning the search there will be much more difficult than in the Gulf of Thailand."
Earlier, China started searching its own territory for the missing plane.
Search aircraft and ships from 26 countries are scouring two giant arcs of territory amounting to roughly the size of Australia.
Meanwhile, Maldives authorities say none of the country's military radar has detected a trace of the missing plane.
The announcement comes after reports that residents on a remote island saw a low flying jumbo jet on the morning the plane disappeared.
Malaysia says the plane, which was flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, was intentionally diverted.
Police and intelligence agencies have yet to establish a clear motive to explain the plane's disappearance.
For more on the latest information, we eariler spoke with Nadiah Abdul Aziz, a journalist based in Kuala Lumpur.
…
Back Anchor:
That was Nadiah Abdul Aziz, a journalist based in Kuala Lumpur.
 
 
Pro-Russian activists have entered a Ukrainian naval base
 
Some 200 pro-Russian activists have entered a Ukrainian naval base in the Crimean city of Sevastopol.
Russian flags have been seen flying from buildings, the headquarters of the Ukrainian navy.
There have been no reports of clashes or shots being fired.
The move comes a day after Crimean leaders signed a treaty with Russia absorbing the peninsula into the Russian Federation.
Russia has since told the United States that Western sanctions over the Crimea dispute are unacceptable, and has threatened "consequences".
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov issued the warning in a telephone call to US Secretary of State John Kerry.
On Monday, the US and the EU imposed sanctions on several officials from Russia and Ukraine accused of involvement in Moscow's actions in the Black Sea peninsula.
Meanwhile visiting in Warsaw, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden says his country is considering rotating American forces to the Baltic region.
On Wednesday China again called for a political way to resolve the Crimean issue, urging all parties concerned to refrain from raising tensions.
 
 
China denounces ETIM support for Kunming terror attack
 
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has released a new statement, reiterating its stance on fighting against the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, ETIM.
The statement comes as the group voiced support for the terrorist attack in Kunming on March 1, in which 29 people were killed and 143 injured.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei.
"Terrorism is a common enemy of mankind. Fighting against the ETIM is a key component of the international anti-terrorism war. China calls on the international community to fully recognize the terrorist nature and severe damage of the "East Turkistan" forces, as represented by the ETIM, and to support China's anti-terrorism stance."
The ETIM has been listed as a terror group by the United Nations Security Council.
It has claimed responsibility for the Tian'anmen attack in October in which five people were killed and 40 others injured.
 
 
Chinese envoy visits DPRK over resuming talks
 
China's special representative for Korean Peninsula affairs has visited North Korea, as part of efforts to restart the long-stalled six-party talks on Pyongyang's nuclear program.
Wu Dawei's started his trip on Monday --- but it hasn't been revealed whether the mission is ongoing.
The talks between North Korea, South Korea, the US, China, Japan, and Russia have been suspended since late 2008.
However, in late January of this year, the North's ambassador to China indicated his country has agreed to resume negotiations.
 
 
Beijing court accepts wartime labor lawsuit
 
Anchor:
A Beijing court has accepted a lawsuit against two Japanese firms, filed by Chinese wartime forced laborers.
It is the first time that a lawsuit over forced labor during World War Two has been accepted by a Chinese court.
CRI's Li Jing has more.
Reporter:
37 plaintiffs, including former laborers and their family members, filed the lawsuit in Beijing No.1 Intermediate People's Court last month.
The companies named in the suit are Nippon Coke & Engineering Co., formerly Mitsui Mining Co., and Mitsubishi Materials Corp.
The plaintiffs demand compensation of 1 million yuan for each victim.
They also want apologies from the companies.
Over the years, former Chinese forced laborers have filed 14 lawsuits in Japan asking for compensation from Japanese companies.
However, none of the lawsuits have succeeded.
Kang Jian, the lawyer for the plaintiffs, says this case can open a new path to defend the rights of forced laborers.
"Japanese courts used unjustified excuses, saying the Chinese plaintiffs have already waived their rights to file lawsuits over forced labor, and the courts have shut the door for legal proceedings. But now, the Chinese court opens a new path to protect the victims via legal means."
Japanese courts have quoted the 1972 China-Japan Joint Statement, claiming China has waived the demand for war reparation from Japan.
But Professor Guan Jianqiang with East China University of Political Science and Law says the statement does not include lawsuits filed by individuals.
"After the war, the agreement signed between China and Japan stated that the government of China declares that in the interest of friendship between the Chinese and Japanese peoples, it renounces its demand for war reparations from Japan. But in the deals signed between Japan and other countries, it states clearly that the country and its people renounce the demand for reparations. The Chinese government did not use such expression."
Guan also says the lawsuit falls under the jurisdiction of Chinese courts, as the plaintiffs were forced to be brought to Japan from China.
Meanwhile, the Chinese Foreign Ministry urges Japan to deal with the lawsuit properly.
The Ministry spokesman Hong Lei:
"Forced recruitment of labor was one of the grave crimes Japan committed during the Second World War. Such act has severely impaired the dignity and legal rights of the forced Chinese laborers. We urge Japan to adopt a responsible attitude to history, address the historical issue properly."
During the Second World War, nearly 40,000 Chinese were brought to Japan for forced labor.
Over 6000 of them died in Japan.
For CRI, I'm Li Jing.
 
 
Reform to the hukou system is key to the country's new type of urbanization.
 
Anchor:
Some senior Chinese officials are pointing to the household-registration system, or Hukou, as a key area in need of reform as the country shifts to a new urbanization strategy.
CRI's Aucott Alexander has more.
Reporter:
Xu Xianping is the deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission.
He says China's urbanization process has seen achievements in the past decades, but also created obstacles that hinder healthy development moving forward.
His comment comes after the government released a new plan aiming to achieve a better quality of urbanization.
According to the official, one of the highlights is reform of the household registration system, or Hukou.
"The reformed system should involve different residential statuses, so those who have a rural Hukou but have been long working in the cities, as long as they are capable and willing, can apply for the urban Hukou. And for those who are also working in the cities but cannot apply for the urban Hukou, they can apply for a residential certification which grants them equal social services, as urban residents enjoy."
Official statistics show that by the end of last year, the registered urban population accounted for only 35.7 percent of China's total population.
The new central plan has vowed to increase that number to 60 percent by 2020.
Huang Ming, vice public security minister, says under the plan, the greatest increase in urban residents will be recorded in small cities.
That goal is to be achieved by controlling the measures for applying for urban Hukou in major centers.
"We should strictly control the population in the biggest cities. The measures for applying should be based on an open, fair and ordered principle, probably with a points-based system. And for people who are eager to apply for the urban hukou, it would be easier for them to apply in small cities rather than in huge ones."
Huang adds that such measures are also aimed at relieving pressure on big city residents, who are now facing "urban diseases" such as traffic jams, low capacity in dealing with sewage and garbage, and pollution in air, water and soil.
According to the newly-released plan, the country should further relocate the distribution of resources among developed and developing regions.
But the main idea is to guarantee equal services for all residents, no matter where they are living.
Qi Ji is the vice minister of the Housing and Urban-Rural Development Ministry.
"First of all, for rural residents who move into cities, they should be guaranteed affordable housing, which is to say they should all be covered by our housing security system. And then we need to gradually make basic social services available to all permanent residents."
The official also notes that the new type of urbanization should be ecologically-minded as well.
For CRI, this is Aucott Alexander.
 
 
China revs up fund to protect environment
 
Anchor:
The Chinese government has launched a new campaign and a promise not to pursue economic growth at the cost of the environment.
CRI's Chi Huiguang has more.
Reporter:
China will invest more than five trillion yuan, or about 815 billion US dollars, in environmental protection in the period between 2011 and 2015.
The remarks were made by Wu Xiaoqing, vice-minister of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, at a recent press conference during the annual session of the country's top legislature, the National People's Congress.
A total of nearly 1.7 trillion yuan, equivalent to about 277 billion US dollars will be allocated for air pollution control.
Analysts say businesses higher up the industrial chain for air pollution control industry will stand to benefit from the new policies since investment is expected to concentrate on containing the source of air pollution.
Among other beneficiaries are businesses involved in water pollution control.
Wu Xiaoqing, vice-minister of the Ministry of Environmental Protection:
"It will add another huge amount of investment after the introduction of the 'Water Pollution Control Action Plan' this year. We estimate investment in energy conservation and environmental protection especially that in protecting the environment will further rise starting from 2014."
The slated plan will pump nearly two trillion yuan, about 326 million US dollars into water pollution control schemes, as estimated by the Ministry of Environmental Protection.
The new policies have propelled many firms to anticipate tapping into the booming market of water pollution control.
Beijing Origin Water Technology Company is a public company that focuses on water treatment. He Yuanping, the vice president of the company, announced that the company recently won biddings for two water recycling plants in Beijing, involving nearly 876 million yuan, about 143 million US Dollars.
"We are eyeing good development and huge market potential for the country's environmental protection industry in the next few years."
Capital markets are also keen to gain from the potential profits new policies may generate. The domestic stock market has seen water treatment-related shares climbing by more than 6 percent, with major stocks jumping up to above 20 percent since the beginning of the year.
Yu Wali is an analyst with China Minzu Securities.
"We are very optimistic about the water pollution treatment sector in 2014. The new policies were formed in the first two years of the 12th Five Year Plan between the years 2011 to 2015, and will be put into practice between 2014 and 2015."
For CRI, I'm Chi Huiguang.
 
 
Biz Reports
 
 
Stocks
 
Chinese shares closed lower on Wednesday, dragged down by weakness in the property and banking sectors.
The property sector was weak over concerns about the default risk for Zhejiang Xingrun Real Estate Company, a small developer that was reportedly unable to pay 3.5 billion yuan in debt, including 2.4 billion yuan in loans from 19 commercial banks.
The People's Bank of China, the country's central bank, has denied holding bailout talks with the small property developer.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index went down 0.17 percent.
The Shenzhen Component Index lost 1.70 percent.
Combined turnover on the two bourses shrank by about 10 billion yuan, or about 1.7 billion US dollars, from the previous trading day.
Hong Kong's Hang Sang ended down 0.7 percent.
Elsewhere in Asia,
Japan's Nikkei ended up 0.4 percent.
South Korea's Kospi went down 0.1 percent.
Singapore's Strait Times Index dropped 0.4 percent.
Finally, Australia's ASX All Ordinaries Index gained 0.2 percent.
 
 
Chinese banks see forex surplus in February
 
Data shows that Chinese banks bought more foreign currency than they sold last month.
This is the seventh month for the banks to report such a surplus. However, the surplus in February was 37.5 percent lower than that in January, according to the nation's top foreign exchange regulator.
Surpluses may suggest pressure from trans-border capital inflow.
China's central bank widened the yuan's daily trading band from 1 percent to 2 percent earlier this week.
 
 
Number of enterprises surge 36.1 pct since registration reform
 
More than 120-thousand new enterprises registered in China in the two weeks following the launch of reforms of the corporate registered capital system. Changes were made at the beginning of this month.
The number of new enterprises surged 36 percent from a year ago.
The data also shows diversified growth rates in new commercial registrations in different regions and industries, while the sectors of energy, machinery and construction saw faster expansion.
China has amended and abolished a number of business regulations so as to make the market more accessible and invigorate social investment.
That includes lifting restrictions on minimum registered capital, payment deadlines, down payment ratios and cash ratios of registered capital.
 
 
Geely borrows 20 bln for overseas expansion
 
Anchor:
Shares in Chinese carmaker Geely surged 13 percent on Wednesday, one day after the company got 20 billion yuan worth of loans from the Export-Import Bank of China.
Geely says the loan will be used mainly to construct plants overseas and ease cash flow issues.
The money will also go toward the export and import of key components and international logistics bases.
For more on the move, Paul James earlier talked with Benjamin Cavender, Associate Principal at China Market Research Group.
…
Back Anchor: That was Benjamin Cavender, Associate Principal at China Market Research Group.
 
 
Greece strikes deal with Troika on terms of further aid: Greek PM
 
After months of negotiations, Athens and its international lenders have come to an agreement on the latest terms of its bailout program, allowing more aid to be released to Greece.
Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras.
"The lengthy negotiations with the troika have been completed with success. When others doubted the achievements of the economy or even tried to dispel them, this government, united, achieved its mission: to get the country out of the crisis."
Athens and the troika -- the representatives of its international lenders, The EU and IMF --- have been wrangling over economic reforms and the progress of Greece's bailout program since September, making it the longest inspection since Greece was first rescued in 2010.
The talks stumbled over reforms to make the economy more competitive, mass layoffs demanded by lenders, and the capital shortfall faced by Greek banks.
Athens has been trying to avoid further pain to Greek citizens. Samaras says the government would redistribute 500 million euros towards helping the poor.
Greece's next pressing funding needs are in May, when 9.3 billion euros of bonds expire, the biggest refinancing hump the country will face in the next three decades.
Economic indicators have shown signs of progress for the Greek economy, and it is expecting to post a primary surplus.
 
 
Rising dairy prices drive down New Zealand current account deficit
 
New Zealand's current account deficit fell to 800 million NZ dollars, or about 680 million U.S. dollars, in the quarter ending December 2013.
That's the smallest quarterly deficit in almost four years.
It was down from 1.7 billion NZ dollars in the previous quarter, driven by rising values for dairy product exports, according to Statistics New Zealand.
The deficit was funded by a net inflow of foreign investment with overseas investors increasing their holdings of debt securities issued by New Zealand's banking sector.
The rise in dairy products exports also drove down the annual current account deficit to 7.5 billion NZ dollars, or 3.4 percent of GDP, last year, down from 8.9 billion NZ dollars, or 4.1 percent of GDP, for the year to the end of September 2013.
 
 
Fitch Ratings has confidence in Australian iron ore outlook
 
Global rating agency Fitch Ratings has few concerns on the Australian iron ore outlook, saying the recent fall in iron ore prices does not threaten the country's big three miners.
Fitch says Australia's BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and Fortescue are all still very profitable at current iron ore prices.
Projecting up until 2010, Fitch believes that China's steel demand will continue to grow, despite iron ore inventory at China's major ports reaching a two-year high.
It says the seasonal slowdown over the Lunar New Year period has contributed to the inventory overhang, and fueled the negative sentiment, but Chinese demand for Australian commodities is not about to decline drastically.
 
 
Headline News 
 
 
China expands search for missing plane
 
Chinese vessels sailing toward new search areas as a multinational search mission for the missing Malaysian Airlines passenger jet enters its 12th day.
Nine vessels will leave from Singapore to waters southeast of the Bay of Bengal and west of Indonesia.
Search aircraft and ships from 26 countries are scouring two giant arcs of territory amounting to roughly the size of Australia.
Meanwhile, Maldives authorities say none of the country's military radar has detected a trace of the missing plane.
 
 
Pro-Russian activists have entered a Ukrainian naval base
 
Some 200 pro-Russian activists have entered a Ukrainian naval base in the Crimean city of Sevastopol.
Russian flags have been seen flying from buildings, the headquarters of the Ukrainian navy.
There have been no reports of clashes or shots being fired.
The move comes a day after Crimean leaders signed a treaty with Russia absorbing the peninsula into the Russian Federation.
Russia has since told the United States that Western sanctions over the Crimea dispute are unacceptable, and has threatened "consequences".
The US and the EU had imposed sanctions on several officials from Russia and Ukraine accused of involvement in Moscow's actions in the Black Sea peninsula.
Meanwhile visiting in Warsaw, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden says his country is considering rotating American forces to the Baltic region.
On Wednesday China again called for a political way to resolve the Crimean issue, urging all parties concerned to refrain from raising tensions.
 
 
China denounces ETIM support for Kunming terror attack
 
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has released a new statement, reiterating its stance on fighting against the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, ETIM.
The statement comes as the group voiced support for the terrorist attack in Kunming on March 1, in which 29 people were killed and 143 injured.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei says Terrorism is a common enemy of mankind.
He calls on the international community to fully recognize the terrorist nature and severe damage of the "East Turkistan" forces, as represented by the ETIM, and to support China's anti-terrorism stance.
The ETIM has been listed as a terror group by the United Nations Security Council.
It has claimed responsibility for the Tian'anmen attack in October in which five people were killed and 40 others injured.
 
 
US closes Syrian Embassy in Washington
 
The United States has ordered the Syrian government to suspend its diplomatic and consular missions in the US.
The suspension requires all personnel who are not legal US residents to leave the country.
The move comes in response to a decision by the Syrian government to suspend consular services for Syrians living in the U.S.
The U.S. State Department has already banned Syria's UN Ambassador Bashar Jafari from travelling outside the five boroughs of New York City.
It is reported that Jafari had been travelling around the U.S. on a publicity tour in support of the Syrian government.
 
 
Newspaper Picks 
 
 
China Daily
"Media workers sleep worst: report"
Occupations affect people's sleep.
According to the 2014 China Sleep Quality Index published by the Chinese Medical Doctors Association, media employees have the shortest and lowest quality sleep time.
It used an index of 100 to assign values the sleep quality of Chinese people, setting 60 as the passing line.
The average value of respondents' sleep quality was 66.5, but over one third of individual respondents scored below the passing line.
According to the report, people with the worst index ratings worked in the media (with a score of 56), followed by advertising and public relations (at 58).
The report said media workers get only 6.5 hours' sleep every day.
The same short-sleepers also suffer most from daytime troubles. About one third of people in the media feel sleepy during the day.
Media, advertising and public relations personnel involved in the survey say they don't have enough energy to deal with work, and 80 percent of media personnel have to rely on an alarm clock to get up.
China Youth Daily
"Pre-wedding gifts too costly for many Gansu men"
The expensive pre-wedding gifts required by prospective brides make it difficult for many men in Pingliang and Qingyang, cities in Gansu province, to afford to get married.
The expected value of pre-wedding gifts to prospective brides and their parents have increased in recent years to more than 100,000 yuan ($16,000), and even more than 300,000 yuan in some places.
However, official data shows the average net annual income of local rural residents in 2012 was only 4,200 yuan, meaning a villager would have to save for more 23 years without any other spending to afford the expensive gifts.
Social experts say a decrease in China's fertility rate partly contributed to the rising cost of pre-wedding gifts, as women's parents have to rely on the gifts to support them in their old age after their daughter leaves them to marry.
Japan Daily Press
"Japanese city introduces smart phone 'curfew' for school children"
A curfew on smart phones for children has been issued in Kariya, Japan, to lower the negative effects that increased smart phone use on children.
The curfew applies for the students in elementary and junior high school after 9:00 PM. And when the time is up, children will have to hand over their smart phones to their parents to refrain from using them.
The Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) in Kariya, together with a local group consisting of teachers, social workers and police came up with this idea several months ago.
Fushitoshi Ohashi, the principal of Karigane Junior High School, says an increasing number of kids still use their handsets to communicate with friends after 9 PM.
With the prefecture endorsement, the curfew hopes to be adopted by citizens in April, but it does not have any legal binding power as it won't be officially issued by City Hall.
Reuters
"Sensors based on a lobster 'nose' may someday sniff out landmines"
Scientists in Florida studying the way lobsters sniff around for food on the sea floor say they have found a clue to developing technology that could help soldiers detect landmines and hidden explosives from a safer distance.
A lobster's "nose" is a pair of hairy antennules that capture odor molecules which settle on the hairs and help the creatures locate food.
The team is studying lobsters' olfactory neuron that emits bursts of electrical pulses, much like radar systems use pulses of radio energy to detect airplanes or thunderstorms. Computer modeling of the lobster olfactory cells helped the team understand how a lobster was extracting and processing information from the environment.
Current detectors "sniff out" explosive materials but need a human handling the electronic nose to pinpoint the exact location. A new device using a "lobster nose" could direct human handlers to the source from a safe distance.
 
 
 Sports
 
 
Q&A with CBA correspondent Nick Bedard about Xinjiang vs. Beijing playoffs final
 
Anchor:
Tonight the CBA playoffs enter their final phase as Xinjiang and the Beijing Ducks go head to head in game one of their final series.
CRI's Jordan Lee sat down with Nick Bedard, editor of Basketballbuddha.com to talk about his playoff predictions, Stephon Marbury's role, team Xinjiang, and more.
Reporter:
You've been courtside following the CBA action this season, how are you feeling about a Xinjiang vs. Beijing final?
Nick: Wow, expect the unexpected. Here are two teams who have played each other twice in the regular season. The first game of the season was in Xinjiang, and Marbury led Beijing to a win. The Beijing Ducks have this underdog role, and this hungry demeanor to win games no matter what. I've seen them down 20 I've seen them down 30, and they make these comebacks. They've got this team that gels so well together, this chemistry. If one guy is down, you've got 11 other guys to lift them back up.
Reporter:　Were you surprised at all that Beijing managed to upset top ranked Guangdong in the semifinals?
Nick: It did surprise me. Here's a team in Guangdong that only lost four games all year. They manhandled the Shanghai Sharks in the quarterfinals, so it was surprising but it was deserved.
Reporter: One of the players you've been paying attention to is Beijing's Stephon Marbury.
Nick: Here's an NBA talent, an NBA all star. He's come back and he's been the catalyst to Beijing's success. He's been pushing the ball, attacking fearlessly, even though he's 37 years old with a bad knee. As we say in America, he's been "balling out of control". He's just been doing so well.
Reporter: Let's talk a little about team Xinjiang, how are they looking?
Nick: So they have a foreign MVP Lestor Hudson, he's kind of the CBA veteran. He's played for three different clubs here in China. And they have another foreigner James Singleton, he used to start with the Dallas Mavaricks in the NBA. A great player, he's kind of going to be a tough match up for Randolph Morris, Morris being the other foreigner on the Beijing Ducks. Singleton can shoot the three pointers very well, and that's going to force Morris to come out of his comfort zone which is low post.
Xinjiang also has this big center, #33; he's such a force down low. When Marbury is driving or any guard is driving, just his presence alone can alter shots.
Another thing I must mention is that playing in Xinjiang is so tough. It takes eight hours to go from hotel to airport to airport to hotel. The fans in Xinjiang are also known to be a little overpassionate. Not only do they swear in Chinese, but they also have this skill of swearing in English, and that's always a huge advantage to the home team.
 
 
Guanzhou Evergrande defeat Jeonbuk Motors in Asian Champions League
 
Now moving on to football,
AND Defending champions Guangzhou Evergrande defeated South Korean side Jeonbuk Motors 3-1 in the Asian Champions League.
Chinese player Liao Lisheng crossed to Gao Lin, who tapped in for a first close-range goal. Three minutes later Gao Lin doubled the lead with a header off a pass from midfielder Zhang Linpeng.
Jeonbuk reduced the margin minutes before the break, but never took over in the second half. Liao Lisheng then finished out the scoring with a sharp header to make it 3-1.
Guangzhou now leads Group G with seven points from three matches.
Elsewhere in the Asian Champions League,
Melbourne Victory defeated visiting Japanese side Yokohama Marinos 1-0.
 
 
Chelsea defeat Galatasaray to progress to Champions League Quarter Finals
 
Over in the European Champion's League English club Chelsea defeated the Turkish side Galatasaray 2-0 at home to go through the quarter finals.
After a one-all draw in the first match Chelsea Manager Jose Morinho said he was much more pleased with the way his side played this time round.
"Good,　very good performance. Very solid, very compact. No fears. I think a very good approach to the game because I think 1-1 is a difficult result. Even when you are winning 2-0 it is very difficult. If they score one goal you are in the limit. And I think team was very, very solid, very confident and very much in control for the 90 minutes, which is difficult for 90 minutes."
Much of the talk had been about Chelsea 'Old Boy' Didier Drogba before the match, but he failed to threaten his former side. Mourinho said without a good team behind them evens the best strikers in the world can be left feeling lonely.
 
Jese injured during Real Madrid Champions League victory vs Schalke
 
The other Champion's League Match last night was not much more than a formality as Real Madrid swept aside the German team Schalke with a 9-2 aggregate victory.
The celebration was dampened somewhat however as the Spanish youth international Jese was injured by a bad tackle and had to be stretchered off the pitch after just 2 minutes. Real Madid Manager Carlo Ancelloti revealed 21-year-olds injuries are quite serious:
"It has been confirmed he has torn the cruciate ligament. He hasn't had any luck. He has had some bad luck. I think everyone has had bad luck, everyone at Real Madrid. We are going to lose a very important player, a youngster who has done very well this season. He has surprised everyone, but this is football"
Jese is expected to be off the pitch for around six months.
Tonight at 7:45pm in England or 3:35am Beijing time Borussia Dortmund face Zenit St. Petersberg and Manchester United face Olympiacos for their respective places in the quarter finals.
There's much speculation that Man U boss David Moyes job hangs in the balance following the result of that match.
 
 
Aussie and American sportsmen meet ahead of MLB opener in Sydney
 
Aussie sport met North American sport on Wednesday at the Sydney Cricket Ground as some of the top names in Australia met with their Major League Baseball counterparts.　
In between team workouts. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw and Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt kicked and tossed around soccer, rugby league and Australian Rules footballs with rugby league player Sonny Bill Williams of the Sydney Roosters, Adam Goodes of the Australian Football League's Sydney Swans and Italian soccer legend Alessandro Del Piero of Sydney FC.
It's been 100 years since baseball was last played at the SCG and though baseball has been played in Australia for years it has always struggled for traction against other better established sports in the country. Craig Shipley is a former MLB Player from Australia.
"It's not easy because, as you just mentioned, we have six, seven, eight sporting codes that are well established in a smaller population. But there is a place for baseball. It's been here a long time and I think we can make inroads and I think this series will be a big focal point to drive that participation."
The Dodgers play Australia tomorrow in Sydney with the Diamondbacks playing the Australian team on Friday before the two clubs kick off the 2014 major league season on Saturday and Sunday.
 
 
Sport China through to Round 8 of Women's Curling Championship
 
The Chinese women's team has secured its 5th consecutive win after beating Latvia and Germany at the 2014 Women's Curling Championship.
China now sits among the Top 4 of the ranking board after forcing their Latvian opponents to surrender with a 9-5 lead, before they secured a 6-4 win against the German team.
Next, they will face Denmark in round eight.
 
 
Sport Hyper-sensitive anti-doping method developed by US researchers
 
US researchers claim to have developed a new way of detecting performance enhancing drugs that is 1,000 times more sensitive that current tests.
The method is inexpensive and works with existing equipment. Under laboratory conditions the new screen detected stimulants and steroids in minute concentrations meaning cheating athletes will be able to be caught for a much extended period of time.
 
 
Entertainment 
 
 
Disney Shanghai will have a "Pirates"-themed land
 
Walt Disney Co. Chairman and Chief Executive Robert Iger have revealed that the forthcoming Shanghai Disney Resort will include an attraction based on the "Pirates of the Caribbean" film franchise. The theme park will have a "Pirates"-themed land called Treasure Cove and a ride called "Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle of the Sunken Treasures.
A computer rendering of Treasure Cove has been unveiled, displaying several structures arrayed around a bay dominated by a pirate clipper ship.
The "Battle of the Sunken Treasure" ride will feature a combination of new technology and innovation to bring guests along a pirate adventure that will include some familiar faces, including Captain Jack Sparrow.
The multibillion-dollar "Pirates" movie series itself is actually the first film franchise based on a pre-existing ride, having been preceded by the pirate ship attraction at the flagship Anaheim Disneyland Resort that opened on this day 47 years ago.
The Shanghai Disney Resort, a nearly $4-billion theme park project that has been in the works for 15 years, is slated to open by December 31, 2015.
 
 
"Divergent" premieres in Los Angeles
 
The much anticipated film "Divergent" has made its premiere in Los Angeles on Tuesday, where stars Shailene Woodley, Theo James and Kate Winslet lit up the red carpet.
The film is based on the best-selling young adult trilogy by Veronica Roth and depicts a futuristic dystopia where all of society is divided into different groups based on certain virtues.
Woodley says her experience during the making of the film was fun but was certainly different than what she was used to.
"With a green screen, you're literally being like a child again pretending that like the floor is on fire and there's like hot lava on the floor, you know. You got to completely surrender to your imagination, which is really fun and exciting and also foreign."
Kate Winslet echoed Woodley's sentiments that the film was a new challenge for her. Winslet, who plays a villain for the first time in the film, says "Divergent" is not another teen popcorn franchise piece and calls the story wonderful and very intelligent.
"Divergent" will hit theaters in the U.S. on March 21st. Its release day in China has yet to be announced.
 
 
Aaron Kwok to star in upcoming martial arts film, "The Monk"
 
Hong Kong actor Aaron Kwok has joined Chen Kaige's upcoming martial arts action film, "The Monk," in which Kwok will play a martial arts master.
"The Monk" is set in China in the first half of the 20th century and tells the story of a Taoist priest who returns to society after a life of seclusion in the mountains proved to be lonely and boring. He then embarks upon a quest to master the essence of martial arts.
The film is based on Xu Haofeng's best-selling novel, "Dao Shi Xia Shan."
Wang Baoqiang, Fan Wei and Lin Chiling will also star in the film, which is scheduled to release in the summer of 2015.
 
 
"Game of Thrones" Season 4 to premiere April 4th, teasers
 
TV series "Game of Thrones" fans have only a few weeks more to wait for the fourth season of the show to begin.
Premiering on April 4th, HBO's massively popular and critically acclaimed political fantasy series, based on George R.R. Martin's bestselling books, promises to explore the fallout from the infamous Red Wedding, which concluded the last season and claimed lives of prominent characters. Plenty of teases have been revealed on what to expect in this upcoming season.
Maisie Williams, who plays Arya Stark, speaks about her character being in a very dark place after having lost most of her family and being separated from the rest.
"She's just completely changing and spiraling down a path that I'm not sure the audience is going to be too keen about. She's not this fun-loving Arya that with known before and actually we're going to start to question whether or not what she's doing is actually necessary."
Meanwhile, Arya's sister Sansa, played by Sophie Turner, will also be suffering but finds comfort in her husband. Cruel King Joffrey is finally set to wed Margaery Tyrell and fan-favorite Daenerys, played by Emilia Clarke, continues on her conquest with the aid of her maturing dragons.
More jarring character deaths, an infamous trait of the show, are to be expected. The Season 4 tagline, after all, is "All Men Must Die."
 
 
That’s it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.
A quick recap of headlines before we go.
Chinese authorities have again expanded the search for a missing Malaysian Airlines flight.
The central government has denounced the East Turkistan Islamic Movement for its support of the March 1st attack in Kunming.
and reform of the hukou system is said to be key to China's new urbanization plans.
In business, the number of new enterprises registered in China has this month.