新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 08:00 2013/07/17（打印版）

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has issued a new call for a more 'scientific' approach for Chinese economic policies.

The mainland's lead liason in Hong Kong is moving to try to reassure the city about the move toward universal sufferage.

The White House is renewing its call for Russia to hand over Edward Snowden following word the NSA whistleblower is requeseting asylum in Russia.

In Business, a Chinese smartphone maker is reporting massive revenue increases through the first half.

In sports... England and Australia gearing up for the start of their second clash at the Ashes starting tomorrow.

In entertainment.... a coroner in Canada has determined the cause of death of "Glee" star Cory Monteith.

Beijing will be sunny today, with a high of 32 degree Celsius in the daytime, and it will be overcast tonight with a low of 22.

In Shanghai, it will be sunny today, 36 the high, and it will be cloudy tonight, the low of 28 degrees Celsius.

Lhasa will see showers in the daytime the temperature's at 24, and tonight will have slight rain with a low of 14 degree Celsius.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has issued a new call for this country's macroeconomic policies to be more "scientific, forward-looking and targeted" in order to promote more sustainable growth.

Li Keqiang has made the comments at a conference in Beijing among several economists and business leaders, who have gathered to discuss China's economy.

It comes as latest government data shows China's economic growth slowed to 7.5 percent in the second quarter from 7.7 percent in the first.

Li Keqiang says the country's economy has entered a new phase, where it has to rely more on economic transformation and upgrading.

"We would maintain the economic development under a rational micro-policy frame. If exceeded, adjusted measures involving maintaining economic increase, adjusting structure as well as accelerating reform should be taken. Within the frame, the key task is still to change development mode to realize sustainable and health economic development in a long run."

The Chinese premier also cautions that economic fluctuations are inevitable, saying it's the government's task to avoid sharp fluctuations and keep economic growth within a "reasonable range".

Li Keqiang says when economic growth is in a reasonable range, the government should prioritize promoting economic restructuring and giving better play to the market mechanism.

But when the economy reaches its upper or lower limits, the Premier says macroeconomic policies can be adjusted to either encourage growth or control inflation.

He says there are risks for the economy if it slips out of the reasonable range or undergoes large fluctuations.

"The premier has spoken out his understanding toward macroeconomic policies. Based on my observation, it centers around those reforms driven by market force, less government interference and economic restructuring."

The central government's goal is to keep growth around 7.5-percent this year, while at the same time holding inflation at around 3.5 percent.

Chinese economy expanded 7.6 percent in the first half, down from a full-year growth rate of 7.8 percent last year.

China's top political advisors have held a special meeting in Beijing to discuss China's economy.

Several political advisors are warning of the risks of sacrificing the quality of urbanization for speed.

Top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng says the urbanization process should be more coordinated and "human-oriented".

This represents a 20-percent increase compared the start of Reform and Opening-up some 3-decades ago.

Recently announced major Chinese investments in London are prompting more and more Chinese interest in potential investments in the UK capital.

"The places I'd like to visit are mainly business and commercial areas like the City and Canary Wharf."

Dai's company has previously helped with the planning of a finance and trade zone in Shanghai's Lujiaozui area, and is looking at Canary Wharf as a case of study.

"Shanghai is a global cosmopolitan city, so we chose the finance districts of those cities like New York, Paris, London, and Tokyo as examples for research."

While some Chinese companies are studying from afar, some are coming straightforward to tap into the local market.

Ping An Insurance Group has agreed to buy the landmark Lloyd's building in the City of London for around 390-million US dollars.

Last month, Chinese property developer Dalian Wanda Group announced plans to invest some 1.5-billion dollars to buy a British yacht maker and develop a five-star hotel in London.

And in May, Beijing-based developer Advanced Business Park signed a deal worth 1.5-billion dollars to transform the Royal Albert Dock in east London into a business port.

"London has demonstrated a very credible growth even when the market was very tough over the last couple of years."

Ajay Bhalla is Professor of Global Innovation Management at Cass Business School with City University in London.

"It has outperformed most of the world property markets especially in the developing world. I think that confidence which London has built has become a very attractive proposition for Chinese and other investors. And the market's future outlook is to remain very buoyant."

A latest United Nations report shows foreign direct investment into Britain rose 22 percent to over 60-billion dollars last year.

Haidi Dai says a comparatively high rate of return is the main factor driving Chinese investors to look abroad.

"Return on investment in China's property market is relatively low at the moment. Take office buildings as an example. The ROI is only around 5 percent."

In comparison, analysis is suggesting property prices in London are expected to enjoy an average increase of around 25 percent over the next 5-years.

And with the UK economy still struggling, most politicians and business leaders in the UK are welcoming the potential for more Chinese investment.

"The investment in land often is a different intention. In these cases, all these investments which we've recently seen from China are the ones that are going to generate jobs, are the ones going to generate development of real estate, which means real money. And we've got to remember these investments often are long-term investments, and are passive investments, not active in interfering in each other's affairs. And that's often welcomed by any advanced economy."

The central government's chief liaison in Hong Kong has gone on record saying authorities on the mainland are sincere in achieving universal suffrage for Hong Kong.

Zhang Xiaoming, director of the Liaison Office of the Chinese Central People's Government in Hong Kong, has made the comments during a lunch meeting with the city's Legislative Council.

Zhang Xiaoming is calling for the combined effort of everyone in Hong Kong to make universal suffrage a reality.

"If we want to achieve universal suffrage sooner, we need to follow the track of the Basic Law and the related decisions of China's top legislature, and avoid taking a wrong path."

Zhang also says the process needs to adhere to the current governing principle of "one country, two systems".

"Hong Kong is not a country. It's an administrative region of PRC with high autonomy. Therefore, when we are designing the universal suffrage system of Hong Kong, we must comply it with the "One Country, Two Systems" principle and make sure the country's sovereignty safety and the central government's legal rights are well protected."

Commenting on the so-called 'Occupy Central' movement which calls for a mass demonstration to bring the Central hub of Hong Kong to a stand-still, the chief liaison says he is against it, saying it violates the law of Hong Kong and does harm to young people.

Ahead of the lunch meeting, Hong Kong's Chief Executive CY Leung has issued a statement, saying Beijing has always acted strictly in accordance with Hong Kong's Basic Law.

Leung also says the SAR government is happy to see communication between representatives of the central government and Hong Kong lawmakers.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has met with visiting Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko here in Beijing.

The two leaders have agreed to raise the bilateral relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

Both sides have also agreed to increase cooperation in infrastructure, telecommunications, energy and finance.

As part of Lukashenko's three-day visit to China, both are expected to sign a joint declaration and more than 20-bilateral agreements, protocols and contracts.

Military head Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who is also the defense minister, is also acting at Beblawi's deputy.

Ousted President Mohamed Morsi's political party is also refusing to take part in national reconciliation talks being requested by President Adli Mansour.

Mansour has gone on record saying he expects most Islamic-based political groups in Egypt to take part in his reconciliation efforts.

A new report to the UN Security Council is suggesting that some 5-thousand Syrians are dying every month in the country's civil war.

UN refugee Chief Antonio Guterres also says refugees are fleeing the country at a rate not seen since the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

"Measures must be taken now to mitigate the enormous risks of spillover and to support the stability of Syria's neighbours, so as to keep the situation from escalating into a political, security and humanitarian crisis that would move far beyond the international capacity to respond."

The new UN report says over 6-thousand refugees are leaving Syria on a daily basis right now.

"Potential dangers are unfortunately turning into actual realities. Increasing cross-border fire and incursions from Syria into Lebanon are threatening the stability and security of my country."

Lebanon has already witnessed a series of battles between supporters and opponents of Syria's Bashar al-Assad government within its own borders.

Lebanon, with a population of just over 4-million, has already taken in over 600-thousand people.

The White House has issued a statement, once again calling on Russia to hand over NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.

The new call from the Obama administration comes following word Snowden has officially filed a request for temporary asylum in Russia.

A spokesperson for the White House says the US and Russian sides maintain contact on a number of issues, including the Snowden case.

This would be the common criteria used to judge whether someone should qualify for political asylum.

However, President Vladimir Putin has suggested this week that Snowden could be granted temporary asylum as he tries to find transit to a different country, provided he stop harming US interests.

Snowden has been stuck in the international transit lounge at Moscow's main airport since arriving there from Hong Kong some 3-weeks ago.

Over a dozen people have been arrested after a protest against the acquittal of George Zimmerman turned violent in Los Angeles.

Authorities say that while the original demonstration was peaceful, a group of young protesters began to turn violent, setting fires and attacking people.

The Crenshaw district of Los Angeles was the scene of some of the worst upheaval during the Rodney King Riots which hit the city in 1992.

George Zimmerman's acquittal in the shooting death of 17-year old Florida teenager Trayvon Martin has created concern about a repeat of what happened in Los Angeles two decades ago.

The acquittal has already sparked demonstrations in major cities in the US, and has renewed debate about potential injustice against ethnic minorities, though Zimmerman himself is mix-raced Hispanic.

Israel's Prime Minister is blasting a new EU decision to cut off funding for Israeli institutions operating in occupied territory.

Benjamin Netanyahu is suggesting the decision by the European Union infringes on Israeli sovergnty.

"I will not allow hundreds of thousands of Israelis who live in Judea and Samaria, the Golan Heights and in Jerusalem - our united capital - to be harmed. We will not accept any external edicts about our borders."

Netanyahu says any issues connected to land can only be resolved through direct negotiations with the Palestinians.

The new guidelines block EU cooperation grants for Israeli entities that operate in any territory annexed by Israel following the 1967 war.

The implication of the move by the European Union is that it doesn't consider areas such as east Jerusalem and the Golan Heights as Israeli territory.

Algeria's ailing President has returned to his home country, weeks after suffering a stroke in April.

Abdelaziz Bouteflika has been shown on state television meeting with senior government officials while in a wheelchair at the military airport near the capital, Algiers.

A statement from his office says Bouteflika will continue to rest and rehabilitate for the next while.

Word of the 76-year old's stroke in April has spurred opposition calls for early elections to replace Bouteflika, with rumors swirling that he will not be able to effectively run the country.

Amid those reports, Bouteflika appeared on television to try to reassure people in Algeria about his status.

He's been a part of Algerian politics since the country's independence from France in 1962, and was a leading figure in the resistance movement before that.

NASA has aborted a spacewalk at the International Space Station because of a dangerous water leak in one of the astronaut's helmet.

Italy's first spacewalker, Luca Parmitano, was pulled back to safety after he felt a lot of water on the back of his head an hour into his spacewalk.

"Hey, Luca, can you give us what you think. It sounds like we just heard you cannot hear? Is that true as well?"

"No, no, no, I can hear perfectly. I can still hear perfectly. But, my head is really wet, and I have a feeling that it is increasing. And, I'm thinking that it may be - I don't know if it's possible - but, I'm thinking it may be the LCVG (liquid cooling ventilation garment) that's leaking? Is that a possibility?"

The planned 6-hour spacewalk had been scheduled to perform cable work and other routine maintenance on the ISS that has been stacking up over the past couple years.

U.S. stocks pulled back on Tuesday, with the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite Index snapping an eight- day winning steak.

Investors took a cautious stance ahead of the Federal Reserve chief's testimony to a U.S. congressional panel on Wednesday.

The economic data came in generally positive on Tuesday but failed to push the market higher.

The Canadian stock market's main index moved lower Tuesday as declines in shares of energy companies offset strength in the gold mining sector.

In Europe, European shares retreated from six-week highs on Tuesday, as concern about the earnings outlook prompted some investors to book profits.

Xiaomi Technology, a Chinese maker of android-based handsets, has more than doubled its revenues through the first half of the year.

The company's revenues have surged 140 percent from a year ago, coming in at nearly 13.3-billion yuan in the first 6-months.

Xiaomi smartphones have become increasingly popular in second and third-tier cities in China.

Among the 47 companies currently in the red, shipping giant COSCO Holdings is suffering through the worst of the losses of over 9 billion yuan.

COSCO is followed by China Aluminum Corporation, which posted net losses of more than 8 ??billion yuan over the past year.

Of all the losers on the top 500 list, steel makers make up the majority, with ten different companies posting losses.

For more on this year's China Fortune 500 list, we are joined on the line by Benjamin Cavender, Associate principal at China Market Research in Shanghai

1. First of all, does this list reflect China's economic landscape over the past year? What trends does this list point to?

2. Why steel makers as a sector were hit the hardest at a time when the country is still having massive construction and infrastructure building going on?

3. Authorities here have talked a lot about structural reforms in the economy, does the list provide any clue to who could see their positions boosted and who will be the next in line to drop off?

Energy giants Sinopec, Shell and Total have announced plans to build and operate a shared lubricants park in Singapore.

Shell says the construction of the shared industrial park is scheduled to start later this year.

The joint venture will include shared facilities, including an import and export jetty, common pipelines, infrastructure and storage facilities.

These will service companies' respective lube oil blending plants and grease manufacturing plants.

Hewlett-Packard has announced plans to build an international software training center here in China worth some 2-billion US dollars.

The American IT giant has signed the agreement with authorities in the city of Jining in Shandong.

As part of the deal, a software talent training center, software testing outsourcing service facility and an IT resource service base will be built.

The talent training center is expected to train up to 10-thousand IT professionals every year.

U.S. builder confidence levels for newly-built, single-family homes has hit its highest level in more than 7-years in July.

Any reading over 50 indicates that more builders view sales conditions as good rather than poor.

However, observers are cautioning the positive momentum could be disrupted by threats on the policy side.

A mortgage interest deduction and federal support for the housing finance system are being cited as potential impacts.

The average rate for the 30-year fixed mortgage in the US hit a two-year high to 4.51 percent last week.

Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, the so-called "core" inflation index rose 0.2 percent in June.

The UK's core inflation, which excludes food, alcohol, energy and tobacco, accelerated to 2.3 percent in June from 2.2 percent the previous month.

Chrysler is recalling nearly 46-thousand of its Ram 1500 trucks to fix a problem with the vehicles' stability control system.

Chrysler says the recalled models have an error in the Electronic Stability Control which can disable the system when the trucks are running.

In June, the automaker recalled around 30-thousand Ram 1500's to fix a faulty warning light in the dashboard.

Chrysler has already launched 4 separate recalls this year, three of which were to fix problems with the electronics in vehicles.