新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 08:00 2014/04/24

The Beijing Hour
 
Morning Edition

 
Shane Bigham with you on this Thursday, April 24th, 2014.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this morning...
South Korean authorities say no attempt will be made to lift a sunken ferry as long as there is even a slim chance of survivors being trapped on board...
Chinese officials say US-Japan bilateral ties should not undermine China's territorial sovereignty and rights...
And the Queen of Denmark is in China for the start of a five-day state visit...
In Business...private investment has been allowed in 80 major projects across China...
In sports...Real Madrid has the advantage over last year's Champions League winner...
In entertainment...Chinese fans of a Canadian singer are not going to be happy about a new photo circulating online...
But first... lets get a check on the weather...
 
 
Weather
 
 
Beijing will be cloudy today, with a high of 26 degree Celsius.
Overnight temperatures should drop down to around 16.
Shanghai will be overcast with a high of 22 during the daytime.
In the night, temperatures should dip down to 16 degrees.
Chongqing will see showers in the daytime with a high of 21.
Overnight lows are expected to be around 16 with slight rain.
Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia.
Islamabad will be cloudy with a high of 32.
Kabul will see showers with a high of 23.
Over to North America.
New York will be sunny with a high of 14 degrees.
Washington will also enjoy a sunny day with a high of 18 degrees.
Honolulu, rainy, 27.
Toronto, Canada, will be cloudy with a high of 11 degrees.
Finally, on to South America,
Buenos Aires will be cloudy today with a high of 19.
And Rio de Janeiro will see moderate rain, a high of 25 degrees Celsius.
 
 
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Email: [email protected].
 
 
Top News
 
 
Russia will respond if interests threatened: Lavrov
 
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Russia will retaliate if its citizens' interests are threatened and its territory comes under attack.
The comment comes after the Ukraine government announced the resumption of a security operation to retake government buildings from pro-Russian activists.
"If we are attacked we would certainly respond. If our interests, legitimate interests, the interests of Russians have been attacked directly, like they were in South Ossetia for example, I don't see any other way but to respond with full accordance with international law. Russian citizens being attacked is an attack against the Russian Federation."
Lavrov also calls for Kiev to withdraw military units from the east of Ukraine and accused the U.S. of being behind the current tensions in Ukraine.
Ukraine's government has ended an Easter truce and is remounting the campaign to eliminate armed pro-Russian activists in the east.
Officials say the U.S. has assured military support to the Ukrainian government.
Meanwhile, in the eastern Ukrainian town of Slovyansk held by pro-Russian activists, the self-appointed mayor says security has been beefed up awaiting a possible operation by the government.
The moves come after Russia and Ukraine signed a deal last week, urging all parties in Ukraine to lay down the arms and vacate the public offices.
 
 
China denies U.S.-Japan alliance's Diaoyu Islands bearing
 
The Chinese Foreign Ministry says the US-Japan alliance should not undermine China's territorial sovereignty and legitimate rights.
The comment comes after U.S. President Barack Obama said the Diaoyu Islands fall within the scope of a security treaty between Tokyo and Washington made during the Cold War.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang:
"What I need to point out is that the so-called U.S.-Japan alliance is a bilateral arrangement from the Cold War and ought not to harm China's territorial sovereignty and reasonable rights. We resolutely oppose the Diaoyu Islands being part of the Japanese security treaty. The U.S. should respect the facts and take a responsible attitude to abide by its promise not to take sides on issues of territorial disputes."
Qin says China's stance on the Diaoyu Islands is consistent and clear, as China holds indisputable sovereignty over them.
He also says Japan's provocations on the issue are unjustified.
Japan occupied the Diaoyu Islands during the Sino-Japanese War in 1895 but the territory was returned to China after World War II.
 
 
Not to lift wreck of sunken ferry yet: SK authorities
 
South Korean authorities say no attempt will be made to lift the sunken ferry southwest of the country while there is any chance there may still be survivors trapped in the submerged vessel.
150 bodies have been retrieved from in and around the ferry, which sank last week. 156 others are still missing.
Ship-borne cranes have been on standby at the site of the sinking, waiting to raise the submerged vessel.
Ko Myung-suk is Director-General of the South Korea Coastguard Equipment and Technology Bureau:
"Even if there is only one survivor, our government will do its best to rescue that person, and then we will salvage the ferry."
29 bodies were pulled from the submerged hull yesterday  as divers searched passenger cabins on the third the fourth floors.
The search was suspended in the afternoon because of strong tidal currents.
Rain is in the forecast for Saturday and currents are expected to be even stronger, likely affecting the search and recovery operation.
Meanwhile, four more crew members from the ferry have been arrested, bringing the total to 11.
Police have also raided offices of companies linked to the ferry's owners.
The executives of the ferry company are now under investigation on possible charges including criminal negligence and embezzlement.
It remains unclear as to what caused the ferry to capsize before it sank.
 
 
Tony Abbott says may re-think search, but not giving up while reasonable hope remains
 
Australian Prime Minister Australia Tony Abbott says his country is not going to abandon the hunt for the missing Malaysian flight if the current underwater search turns up no evidence of the plane.
Abbott confirms that the American sub Bluefin-21 is continuing to search an area of around 400 square kilometres.
"If at the end of that period we find nothing, we are not going to abandon the search. We may well rethink the search, but we will not rest until we have done everything we can to solve this mystery."
On Wednesday, the air search for debris from the plane was suspended for a second consecutive day due to poor weather conditions.
But Western Australia Police have recovered some material that washed ashore 10 kilometers east of Augusta, south of Perth.
There is speculation it could be from the missing plane.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is examining photographs of the material to determine whether further physical analysis is required.
Meanwhile, Malaysian cabinet has approved an international investigation team to investigate the missing flight incident.
 
 
Chinese Vice Premier calls for closer people-to-people exchanges with UK
 
Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong has called for closer people-to-people exchanges between China and Britain.
The comment followed a meeting between Liu and British Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt.
The Chinese Vice Premier says extensive cooperation between the two countries has already begun in education and technology.
"Currently there are over 100 thousand Chinese students studying in the UK, which accounts for nearly half of the total number of Chinese students in European Union member countries. And there are some 5 thousand British students studying in China. In technology cooperation, the two countries have decided to invested some 200 million pounds to establish a joint scientific innovation fund, to step up cooperation in the fields of the peaceful use of outer space, civil nuclear energy, new energy as well as renewable energy."
During the meeting, the two countries also agreed to expand cooperation in the health sector by setting up a system for high-level dialogue.
British Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt says Britain is willing to extend the scope of its people-to-people exchanges with China.
"Whatever are differences, they should not dominate our relationships, but rather we should be bond together by the things that unite us, the shared objective of a stable world order, in which international boundaries are respected, the shared belief in a free and fair trading system to boost the prosperity of both of our peoples, the shared values that say the economic ties are not enough, genuine friendship and understanding between the peoples of our countries matter even more."
The two countries also signed cooperation deals on film production and other creative industries.
The China-UK people-to-people dialogue was first launched in 2012.
The framework includes over a hundred programs covering seven fields including education, culture and science.
 
 
Shakespeare's 450th Birthday
 
Anchor:
Wednesday marked the 450th anniversary of the birth of British bard William Shakespeare.
To commemorate the anniversary, the National Center for Performing Arts here in Beijing is hosting an array of Shakespearean plays to honor the English playwright.
CRI's Sam Duckett has more.
Report:
This year, to celebrate the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare's birth, The Grand National Theatre of Performing Arts in Beijing will be hosting a production of Dunsinane, a contemporary play that tells the tale of events just after the original Macbeth story, with a couple of twists thrown in.
Dunsinane is a co-production of the Royal Theatre of Scotland and the Royal Shakespeare Company. The play is set just after the death of Macbeth. An English army has swept through the landscape, killed the tyrant and taken the seat of power. Attempting to restore peace and put in place a new ruler, Siward, the commanding officer, is beset by a brutal guerrilla uprising. Increasingly isolated from his own men and Scottish allies alike, his efforts to restore order appear futile as the situation spins out of control.
Professional Chinese actor Yu Eentai is the official promoter for the production.
"Hello Everyone I am Yu Wentai, I am very happy to be promoting the 450th Shakespeare birthday celebration performances. TV and Movies sometimes leave me feeling distance from the theatre stage, but I think every actor has a passion for live theater. My understanding of the stage comes from Shakespeare. The style of this performance is totally original. Shakespeare represents eternal spirit and I hope everyone has a chance to come down and check out the performance."
Shakespeare's birthday has been an annual celebration in his home town of Stratford-upon-Avon since the 1650s. To celebrate Shakespeare's 450th birthday there will be a full weekend of entertainment, in his home city, which is sure to be unforgettable.
China also enjoys paying tribute to the classic Elizabethan writer during his birthday. The Grand National Theatre of Performing Arts has a profound respect for Shakespeare and has celebrated his birthday without fail for the past six years.
Project director of the China Grand National Theatre of Performing Arts, Wen Tianyi discussed with me some of the past birthday celebrations thrown in William Shakespeare's honor.
"During the 6 year history of the Grand National theatre we have host special productions every year for Shakespeare. During 2011, Oscar winning actor Kevin Spacey led an all English production of Richard IIIX. During 2012 we also had an English production of Henry the XV and the winter story. The name of the troupe that performed these two pieces was called propeller, they were an all male performance troupe. They gave a completely new perspective on both of these plays that left a strong impression on the audience. "
Shakespeare has had a huge impact on China, his works has allowed for foreign performance troupes from all over the world to travel to China and perform. His plays have also not only been performed by domestic Chinese troupes in mandarin, certain performing arts companies have also performed his work in Ethnic dialects.
Back Anchor:
That is CRI's Sam Duckett reporting
 
 
Hamlet on World Tour to Celebrate Shakespeare's 450 Birthday
 
Anchor:
Now moving on to Shakespeare's home country,
Celebrations are taking place across the UK to memorize the bard and the literary treasures he created, and Shakespeare's Globe theatre in London is now planning to take Hamlet on tour.
Our UK correspondent Duan Xuelian has more.
Reporter:
Hamlet is the longest and most frequently performed of Shakespeare's plays.
On the day of the playwright's 450th birthday, Shakespeare's Globe announced its international tour, with plans to take Hamlet to 205 countries.
Tamsin Palmer is one of the producers.
"There's something about Hamlet that has just stuck in everybody's imaginations. It's known. It's almost like a shorthand, you can say Hamlet to people and they have an idea of what you are about to do I think and so it captures people's imaginations. It's got to be Hamlet."
Located on the south bank of River Thames, Shakespeare's Globe has been built based on the design of the bard's original theatre.
During the London Olympics in 2012, the Globe hosted a theatrical festival which presented the whole collection of Shakespeare's classic plays in 37 languages.
The success of the festival inspired Tamsin Palmer and her production team to bring Hamlet to an even larger audience.
"We all feel here I think Shakespeare belongs to us, and two years ago, we realized, well, he doesn't, he belongs to everybody and all these different countries have a massive emotional response to Shakespeare and hold on to him and do his plays in their own way and found different things in the text and that was completely wonderful to see. So to take our version back out, we certainly won't adapt it to different audiences, cause that's not the point really. This is what we've got and we share it with you. "
The tour group will be composed of 12 actors and four stage managers, all of whom are from different cultural backgrounds.
The world tour is scheduled to arrive in Hong Kong and Beijing later this year. It'll finish on April 23, 2016, the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death.
For CRI, I'm Duan Xuelian, reporting from London
 
 
Danish Queen's visit to deepen Sino-Danish ties
 
Anchor:
Queen of Denmark Margrethe II is paying a five-day state visit to China starting today.
Reports say sustainability will be the theme that captures the whole visit, touching on many areas of cooperation between Denmark and China.
Yu Yang has more.
Reporter:
This will be the second time the Danish Queen has visited China, and the first visit in 35 years. In 1979, she became the first western monarch to visit the country. Usually, Danish monarchs never make a second official trip to a country they have visited except for those Scandinavian neighbors.
Zhang Bei, a research assistant with the China Institute of International Studies, explains the significance the Queen's break with convention.
"The Danish queen's visit is also in the bigger picture of the ever-closer China-Europe relationship. Denmark is a very special European country. It is an EU member with many famous labels like 'Nordic country' 'welfare state' and 'small but successful.' To make the best of the China-Denmark relationship will set a very good example as China seeks win-win cooperation with developed small and medium-sized European countries."
China and Denmark have witnessed fast development in economic cooperation since 2008, when the two countries established a comprehensive strategic partnership. China became Denmark's second-largest trading partner outside the European Union in the same year. Total bilateral trade volume was more than 107 billion Danish krone, or nearly 20 billion US dollars, in 2013.
Danish Ambassador Petersen says the state visit by the Queen will focus on how to support China in its pursuit of sustainable development. Researcher Zhang Bei says the two countries' economic and trade relations is highly complementary in nature.
"The visit is in a sense tailor-made to highlight and promote Denmark's advantages and strengthen China-Denmark business cooperation in these fields. These programs feature Denmark's head start in green technology areas, such as low-energy buildings, smart electricity grids, urban heating and cooling systems, and renewable energy generation. Also food, another strong Danish sector."
Zhang Bei adds the Royal visit also offers opportunities to shape new strategic partnerships, particularly in focal areas such as sustainable welfare, Energy & Environment, Health & Life Sciences, Food & Agro Industries, and Transport & Maritime Industries, where Denmark has strong capabilities which more importantly can serve the demand of the Chinese economy and society.
Four ministers, five vice-ministers and representatives from more than 110 Danish companies will accompany the Queen during the tour. In addition to Beijing, Queen Margrethe II will also visit Nanjing, Suzhou, Jiaxing and Shanghai in east China.
For CRI, this is Yu Yang.
 
 
Biz Reports
 
 
U.S. stocks edged lower as investors digested mixed earnings reports, with technology shares lagging after a recent rebound.
Also weighing on sentiment was a disappointing report on the housing market.
New-home sales for March declined 14.5% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 384,000.
In corporate news, biotech firm Intuitive Surgical dropped 11% after reporting disappointing first-quarter results.
Streaming-video provider Netflix lost 5% after shareholders were spooked by news that HBO agreed to license older episodes of its shows to Amazon.com.
AT&T fell nearly 4 percent a day after the Dow component reported earnings that beat expectations, offset by weak service revenue growth.
Boeing reported first-quarter revenue that beat expectations and lifted its core earnings forecast to reflect a tax settlement gain, sending its stock up more than 2 percent and giving the biggest boost to the Dow.
The S&P 500 lost a fraction of a percent. The Dow went down slightly. And the Nasdaq dropped four fifths of a percent.
European markets also closed lower, as concerns about the Chinese economy prompted traders to take profits after a three-day winning streak.
London's FTSE 100 fell slightly. And both Germany's DAX and France's CAC 40 lost more than half a percent.
 
 
China Opens 80 Projects in State-Run Sectors to Private Capital
 
China will allow private investment in 80 projects spanning the energy, information and infrastructure sectors as part of reforms.
Projects of this kind have previously been dominated by government and state-owned enterprises.
The move aims to accelerate reform of the country's investment and financing, and to diversify investing options.
The projects will be open to public bidding, and the government encourages the participation of private capital in the construction and operations of those projects through joint ventures, sole proprietorship and franchise.
 
 
China allows greater autonomy in companies' investment
 
The State Council, China's Cabinet, has announced that the country will reduce the government's power in terms of administrative approvals for companies' investment projects.
The central government says that investment projects will only need to be registered instead of approved.
The condition is that they can be effectively managed through economic measures and laws in sectors with sufficient competition and where companies have measures for self-regulation.
The central authorities add that allowing companies autonomy in investment is a necessity in balancing the roles of the government and the market.
 
 
Chinese trusts' assets hit 11.73 trln yuan
 
Anchor:
China is taking measures reigning in trust companies as the shadow-banking sector expands aggressively on the market.
New data shows that assets in Chinese trusts have surpassed 11 and half trillion yuan, or nearly 2 trillion US dollars, as of the end of March.
That's up 7.5 percent from the previous quarter.
The annualized rate for trust proceeds equaled 6.4 percent in the first quarter, down from 7.4 percent in the same quarter last year.
Trusts surpassed insurance companies last year to become the largest sector of China's financial system behind commercial banks.
The China Banking Regulatory Commission recently issued stricter guidelines governing trust companies in a bid to counter systemic risks posed by the shadow-banking sector. Trust companies are the biggest players in that area.
The new rules aim to reduce liquidity risks associated with off-balance-sheet Wealth Management Products.
For more on this, we're joined live now by Cao Can, CRI's Financial Commentator.
Questions:
--Just how significant is the risk involving Trusts and the shadow banking sector right now?
--The regulator is specific on forbidding financial vehicles called "fund pools", equating these to Ponzi schemes. Is this an accurate characterization or is there room for these products under more stringent regulations?
--How can trust products branch out from where they are now to give investors the highest yields with the lowest risk.
Anchor:
Cao Can, CRI's Financial Commentator.
 
 
China developing Linux-based OS after Windows XP shutdown
 
Chinese authorities say a new operating system based on Linux will be developed, to cope with the shutdown of Windows XP.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology says it will beef up support for the development of such system.
Microsoft ended support for the 13-year-old Windows XP earlier this month and advised users to upgrade to Windows 8.
For some users, it will be necessary to upgrade their PC in order to use the newer version of windows.
About 70 percent of Chinese personal computers, even in critical sectors like telecommunications, are still running Windows XP.
The Ministry says the shutdown will bring risks directly to China's basic telecommunication networks and threaten its overall security.
It is estimated that Linux has a market share of less than one and a half percent worldwide, compared to some 90 percent for Windows.
 
 
France delays reducing deficit
 
France has outlined a slower roadmap to reduce its deficit to the European Union's treaty limit next year.
Europe's second-biggest economy, with the highest public spending quota in the EU, is a serial laggard where recovery and public finances are concerned.
France has already been granted a two-year extension until 2015 on the original deadline to bring its public deficit below the ceiling of 3 percent of GDP.
 
 
Headline News
 
 
Russia will respond if interests threatened: Lavrov
 
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Russia will retaliate if its citizens' interests are threatened and its territory comes under attack.
The comment comes after the Ukraine government announced the resumption of a security operation to retake government buildings from pro-Russian activists.
Lavrov also calls for Kiev to withdraw military units from the east of Ukraine and accused the U.S. of being behind the current tensions in Ukraine.
Ukraine's government has ended an Easter truce and is remounting the campaign to eliminate armed pro-Russian activists in the east.
Officials say the U.S. has assured military support to the Ukrainian government.
 
 
China Denies U.S.-Japan Alliance's Diaoyu Islands Bearing
 
Chinese officials say US-Japan bilateral ties should not undermine China's territorial sovereignty and rights.
The comment follows a statement from the US President, who is in Japan for a state visit.
In an interview with a Japanse newspaper, Barack Obama said the Diaoyu Islands "fall within the scope of Article 5 of the US-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security."
That's a cold-war era agreement that was made without any input from the Chinese government.
The Foreign Ministry says China "firmly oppose(s) putting the Diaoyu Islands within the scope" of that treaty.
The Ministry further notes that Japan's occupation of the islands is illegal and invalid, calling them an inherent part of China's territory.
 
 
Naval symposium closes Chinese official says no compromise on sovereignty or security
 
A two-day international naval gathering has come to an end here in China, with a pledge by a leading Chinese military official promising resolve in defending this country's territorial integrity.
Vice-Chair of the Central Military Commission Fan Changlong says China will unwaveringly protect its sovereign rights, national security and development interests, and no country should expect China to swallow the bitter pill of its sovereign rights, national security and development interests being compromised.
The Western Pacific Naval Symposium in Qingdao has seen two-dozen Asia-Pacific nations adopt an agreement aimed at reducing the possibility of conflict between China and its neighbors.
The Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea is also designed to increase naval communication.
 
 
Not to lift wreck of sunken ferry yet: SK authorities
 
South Korean authorities say no attempt will be made to lift the sunken ferry southwest of the country while there is any chance survivors may still be trapped in the submerged vessel.
150 bodies have been retrieved from in and around the ferry, which sank last week. 156 others are still missing.
Ship-borne cranes have been on standby at the site of the sinking, waiting to raise the vessel.
The search was suspended in the afternoon because of strong tidal currents.
 
 
Fatah, Hamas Announce Palestinian Reconciliation Deal
 
In the Palestinian territories, the Fatah party and Hamas movement have announced a reconciliation agreement.
Under the agreement, the sides will start discussions to form a unity government within five weeks.
The new deal is the outcome of two days of intensive discussions between Hamas officials and a prominent delegation representing the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
The new understandings would end a Palestinian political rift that started when Hamas took over Gaza in June 2007 after routing forces loyal to Abbas, which now rules the West Bank.
 
 
Newspaper Picks
 
 
GLOBALTIMES
Headline
China to crack down on arbitrary school charges
Summary
Chinese authorities say a national campaign will be launched to crack down on arbitrary charges by primary and secondary schools.
The campaign will target irregular fee-related practices by teachers and schools, including holding extra classes for payment.
BEIJING MORNING POST
Headline
China to crack down on casinos for kids
Summary
A recently published judicial document says people operating illegal gambling houses, especially those open to children, will be seriously punished.
The document says running sites with 10 or more gambling tools, or those that have only two instruments but are open to juveniles, will be regarded as the crime of operating a gambling house, as stipulated in China's Criminal Law.
SHANGHAI DAILY
Headline
Penalty increases for dangerous practices
Summary
The legislative body in Shanghai says dangerous practices in the workplace, the food industry and the environment not covered by other laws now face higher fines from the city.
Officials say the body has increased the maximum administrative penalty to 300,000 yuan, up from 100,000, for illegal activities that threaten people's lives
BEIJING NEWS
Headline
Beijing creates blacklist of hospital bribers
Summary
Beijing has reportedly set up a blacklist of pharmaceutical companies and medical representatives who bribe hospitals.
Government-funded hospitals are not allowed to buy products made by the companies or people on the list within two years.
CHINA DAILY
Headline
Group to reinforce buildings prone to quake damage
Summary
China has established a nonprofit foundation dedicated to reinforcing buildings' resistance to earthquakes.
The foundation aims to inspect about 10,000 old buildings and structures located along seismic belts, or areas prone to earthquakes, within five years.
SOUTH CHINA METROPOLITAN DAILY
Headline
Full-price tickets for government air travel to be banned
Summary
China is planning to prohibit full-price air tickets during government travel as part of the ongoing frugality campaign.
The new regulation, to be enacted on June 1, states that government personnel traveling on official business must choose low-price tickets whenever possible.
BEIJING TIMES
Headline
Beijing police to share air support expertise
Summary
The police departments of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province have signed a framework agreement to form a cross-regional platform for cooperation in the air.
Under the agreement, the air support unit of the Beijing police department will assist the police in Tianjin and Hebei province by carrying out flight missions and conducting search-and-rescue work.
 
 
Special Reports
 
 
Beijing Auto Show: Local brands
 
Anchor:
Today in our special report on 2014 Beijing Auto Show, we go local to see how Chinese brands are dealing with challenges in an increasingly open market with stiff foreign competition.
Here is CRI's Ding Lulu.
Reporter:
With MORE than 2000 auto companies, 11-hundred vehicles and a hundred world premieres, the Beijing Auto Show is China's auto market in a nutshell, at the China International Exhibition Center.
The phrase "Market Penetration" is constantly on the lips of domestic carmakers and their international counterparts alike.
Du Guozhong is a public relations manager at Chinese manufacturer BYD.
"As joint venture brands and their domestic self-owned brands lower their product prices and penetrate deeper into second and third-tier markets, China's own domestic brands are meeting tough competition. So our market share is sliding downwards in general."
Du's company is trying to fight back with unique products that meet the demands of average consumers.
"The key is to develop our own techniques and to offer unique products. I mean we can always learn from our competitors, but we've got to have some highlights of our own. We'll rely on science and technology to improve the consumer experience."
Certainly, going "geek" with technology is seen as one way to succeed in a highly-industrial business.
But there are others who dare take a risk to build up a name.
Zeng Yehui from GAC Gonow Auto boasts "unprecedented service".
"Our clients can return their cars for any or no reason within 7 days of purchase. So far, GAC Gonow is the only company that supports returning without reason. And clients who buy our Xinglang model during a promotion period can enjoy free maintenance till the car becomes obsolete. We are the first carmaker to guarantee that service."
With enough commitment to customer service, China's domestic brands might just make a breakthrough.
But Wuhu-based Chery seems keen on winning the battle when it comes to personal tastes. Former Porsche designer Hakan Saracoglu now leads their design team.
"And we are an international team, a domestic team of international influence. My job is really to show possibilities; it is the designers themselves, the young creative Chinese designers putting these things on the paper. I can take their creativity, and put it into a real car to show them how to build a car, but the creativity comes from those guys, who can do it better than them?"
Decades ago, when China signed the treaty to enter the WTO, people worried about Chinese carmakers being knocked out by competitive foreign brands.
Today, still, no one can foresee the futures of those automakers, but now at least some of them are trying their best to enjoy the ride.
For CRI and China.com, I'm Ding Lulu.
 
 
Sports
 
 
Real Madrid takes lead after winning home leg 1-0 against Bayern Munich in Champions League semifinal
 
In football,
Real Madrid has won the first leg of its champions league semifinal draw against Bayern Munich.
Karim Benzema's only goal of the match in the first half will see Real taking a narrow lead to Germany for next week's second leg.
Real had lost four of its preivous semi-finals against Bayern, and now they threaten to stamp out Bayern's hopes for defending the European champions title.
Over here in the Asian champions league.
Both Beijing Guo'an and Shandong Luneng were stopped at the door of the knockout stage after each lost their last group match last night.
Guo'an lost to last year's runners-up FC Seoul 2-1, while Shandong Luneng squandered an early lead and conceded two goals in quick succession to fall against Japan's Cerezo Osaka with the same score.
Cerezo Osaka will next face Group G winner Guangzhou Evergrande, the only remaining Chinese side in the tournament.
 
 
FIFA suspends transfer ban on Barcelona
 
Off the pitch,
Football's governing body, FIFA, has decided to suspend its earlier ruling against Barcelona that would have prevented the club from transferring players for the next 14 months.
That means the Catalan club can buy and sell players this summer.
The Spanish club was slapped with the ban earlier this month after being found to have breached rules on signing underaged international players.
The ban had put Bara's signing of Croatia midfielder Alen Halilovic in jeopardy.
After Barca followed through on its promise to fight the ban, FIFA decided it will suspend the punishment until after the summer transfer window, which opens on the 1st of July.
 
 
Miami host Charlotte in second game of the playoff first-rounder
 
Onto basketball,
Three games in the NBA playoffs.
In action now, the Miami Heat are trying to extend their first round lead to two games against Charlotte.
The Heat opened their latest title defense with a win on Monday.
The sides switch courts on Saturday.
Later on, top seed San Antonio will entertain Dallas in their second match of the playoffs.
The Spurs also had one game in hand.
Still in the West, its Houston's second home game against Portland. And after losing the opener, they are desperate to even the series at one game apiece.
Yesterday, eastern conference top seed Indiana tied its series with Atlanta 1-1.
Washington defeated Chicago 101-99 to take a 2-0 series lead.
And Toronto bested Brooklyn to even their series 1-1.
 
 
David Ferrer crashes out at Barcelona while Rafael Nadal advances
 
In tennis,
Second-seed David Ferrer has crashed out in the second round of the Barcelona Open. Russia's Teymuraz Gabashvili beat him 6-4, 6-2.
A four-time finalist at the tournament, Ferrer was far from the man he was a week ago, when he beat his compatriot and world number one Rafael Nadal in the last eight at Monte Carlo.
Gabashvili, ranked 55th, was very pleased with his own play.
"I knew that I had to play aggressively because if you drop your intensity then these types of players, like David Ferrer, they take opportunities. Then you run like an animal. I didn't want to do this and tried to be always focused and always aggressive. As soon as I had a chance I tried to open him and make him run and then if I have easier ball then hit it strong, strong as I can but with control. I did quite well today."
Ferrer wasn not the only top seed to exit early as third-seeded Italian Fabio Fognini retired due to injury. He was trailing 6-0, 4-0 to Santiago Giraldo of Colombia.
Meanwhile, eight-time winner Nadal was made to labor against fellow Spaniard Albert Ramos.
Nadal had to win a tiebreaker in the first set before sealing the win with a second set victory 6-4.
Nadal will next face Ivan Dodig in the third round after the Croatian dismissed Spain's Feliciano Lopez in two straight sets 6-1, 6-4.
Also on Wednesday, two other local players, Nicolas Almagro and Albert Montanes, advanced after each posted wins in the second round.
 
 
Entertainment
 
 
Justin Bieber appologises for Yasakuni visit
 
Poor old Justin Bieber has got himself into trouble again, this time for visiting the Yasakuni Shrine, a source of great tension between Japan and its neighbours.
The Shinto shrine in Tokyo honors 2.5 million war dead, including 14 convicted war criminals.
China and South Korea in particular see Yasukuni as a symbol of Japan's past militarism and see visits to it as a lack of understanding or remorse over wartime history.
Justin Bieber posted 2 photos on social media on Tuesday which were subsequently pulled down.
The 20-year-old apologised saying he had been misled into thinking it was just a place for prayer.
Qin Gang of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs made this comment:
"We oppose Japanese government leaders visiting the shrine which honours Second World War Class A war criminals. I hope this Canadian singer, after his visit, will understand more about Japan's militaristic history and their militaristic thinking."
As well as being mislead Justin Bieber also said in a post online "To anyone I have offended I am extremely sorry. I love you China and I love you Japan."
 
 
'French Spiderman' Scales Galaxy Macau Tower
 
The world-famous free climber Alain Robert, dubbed as "The French Spider-Man" has scaled the outside of one of the Galaxy Macau resort's towers.　
The weather was far from ideal but, the 52-year-old Frenchman still managed to climb all 33 floors plus golden cupola in just over half an hour.
Robert, who has climbed more than 140 buildings in the world with nothing but his bare hands, had to use suction cups on the smooth exterior surface of this one. Something that gave him a couple of hairy moments in the drizzle.
"The weather was so, so. It was a little bit rainy so it was making the surface a little bit slippery. I got problems also at the top climbing the cupola. A few times I was sliding and sometimes it was a little bit difficult."
The stunt was part of the resort complex's promotion for 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2'.
 
 
Jodie Foster Weds Girlfriend Alexandra Hedison
 
The Oscar-winning actress Jodie Foster has tied the knot with her girlfriend Alexandra Hedison a spokesperson has confirmed.
Foster publicly came out in a heartfelt speech at the 2013 Golden Globe Awards, where the 51-year-old acknowledged longtime partner Cydney Bernard, with whom she has two sons.
The couple ended their 20-year relationship in 2008.
 
 
Kim Soo Hyun meets fans in Hong Kong
 
South Korean actor Kim Soo Hyun met with some 200 fans in Hong Kong last night.
The 26-year-old is in Hong Kong to promote a skin care brand for which he is the spokesperson for.　　
Kim's popularity skyrocketed when he starred in the TV drama "My Love From the Star" in which he played an alien who came to earth and fell in love and as he came down to earth in Hong Kong he said he was pleased to see a lot of love from his hundreds of adoring fans.
Kim has earlier visited three cities on the mainland and his next stop will be in Singapore, where he will meet fans on April 27th.
 
 
That’s it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.
A quick recap of headlines before we go.
South Korean authorities say no attempt will be made to lift a sunken ferry as long as there is even a slim chance of survivors being trapped on board...
Chinese officials say US-Japan bilateral ties should not undermine China's territorial sovereignty and rights...
And the Queen of Denmark is in China for the start of a five-day state visit...
In Business...private investment has been allowed in 80 major projects across China...
On behalf of the Beijing Hour staffers, this is Shane Bigham in Beijing hoping you'll join us for our next edition of the Beijing Hour to open a window to the world together.