Welcome to the Beijing Hour, live from the Chinese capital...

Coming up on the program this evening...

China's top political advisor outlines a list of suggestions for ethnic harmony in Xinjiang to mark the 60th anniversary of the autonomous region's founding.

10's of thousands gather in Tian'anmen Square to mark the 66th anniversary of the founding of the PRC.

Russian jets begin strikes inside Syria amid questions about what their targets actually are.

In Business... factory activity in China edges up slightly through September.

In Sports... Quarter-final action underway at the Wuhan Open tennis tournament.

And in Entertainment... "Lost in Hong Kong" with a record haul through its first 3-days in Chinese theatres.

in the 2nd half of the hour, an edition of People in the Know.

All of that coming up in the next hour, but first, just a reminder there are several ways to reach out to us here on the Beijing Hour.

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topTop Chinese political advisor delivers proposal at 60th anniversary of Xinjiang's autonomyTop Chinese political advisor has made a series of suggestions for peace and stability in Xinjiang.

Yu Zhengsheng has made the call at a ceremony in the regional capital, Urumqi, to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

"All missions in Xinjiang, including economic growth, improvement of people's livelihoods, reform and opening up, ethnic and religious work and party building, must revolve around the objective of maintaining peace and stability in Xinjiang. We need to keep this formidable challenge in mind as we make the fight against terrorism a top priority. But while fighting terrorism, we also need to try to resolve deep-rooted issues in Xinjiang in a down-to-earth manner to lay the foundations for peace and stability."Yu Zhensheng says part of the 'down-to-earth' approach is creating a society in Xinjiang which is not built on ethnic divides.

"We need to enhance communication among different ethnic groups in Xinjiang. We should be trying to build the region into a community which embraces ethnic diversity and unity. Ethnic groups in Xinjiang should embrace one another like the seeds in of a pomegranate."As part of the ceremony in Urumqi, a note of congratulations from the central government has been delivered by Chinese vice-Premier Liu Yandong.

Xinjiang, in China's northwest, is home to a majority ethnic Uyghur population.

However, its population of some 30-million people also includes ethnic Han, Mongolians and Kazakhs, among others.

Having been living in Xinjiang for over half a century, my heart belongs to this land: offspring of expats Li YizuAnchor:

Starting today, to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, we're bringing you a series of reports focusing on the lives of people in Xinjiang.

In this edition, we tell you the story of Li Yizu, separated from his American parents at birth, raised in China, and calls Xinjiang his home.

Here's CRI's Liu Xiangwei.

Reporter:

Bayanbulak Grassland is located in the hinterland of the Tianshan Mountain in northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. With an altitude of more than 3,000 meters, the vast grassland surrounded by cloud-kissing snow mountains attracts a large number of geologists and tourists every year.

Li Yizu, a silver-haired, yet very hale and hearty geological expert is introducing the spectacular and inspiring scenery of the place. With a typical Caucasian face, it's hard to believe the man who speaks in fluent Beijing dialect has lived in Xinjiang for more than 50 years.

Sitting in his office, the 77-year-old veteran geologist recalls his past.

"I lived in Beijing for 23 years, and then came to Xinjiang after I graduated from China University of Geosciences in 1961. I majored in geological exploration. All my classmates and I were looking forward to coming here, which was an undeveloped area at that time, using what we learned to do something meaningful."Li Yizu's life is anything but ordinary. Born in a missionary hospital in Tianjin in 1938, Li Yizu's parents were among many Americans who left China when the war against Japanese aggression entered its fiercest period. He was adopted and raised by a Chinese family, who brought him to the capital city Beijing.

He became a geological engineer of No. 156 coalfield geological team in Xinjiang after graduation. From the Altai Mountain to the Gangdise Mountain, his footprints covered almost every corner of west China in the next 20 years, including the A-Li region in Tibet, where the altitude is above 5,000 meters.

He says he never regrets his choice. For Li Yizu, there is no place he cannot go.

"We tramped over hills and dales with a map and compass. We tried to reach every corner. Sometimes we walked more than 40 kilometers per day, but we never felt tired. Each time we found mineral products, that kind of happiness was all worth it regardless the hardships behind it."Working as a geographical explorer made him fall deeply in love with every inch of the ground he has stepped on and also with local people.

"Working outside was easier since there was no shortage of helping hands. Once in 1975, our truck was stuck in a ditch in the middle of nowhere. There was a family approximately one kilometer away – two elderlies and one child, all Kazaks. They helped us pull out the truck. I took pictures of them as a thank-you gift. The old man changed clothes and put a pen in his upper pocket. All of them looked happy."Li Yizu says he has many similar stories. He says he believes human beings are shaped by the land around them. The blue sky, white cloud, high mountains and wide horizons, such boundless glamour of nature influencing the lives there. Therefore people from different ethnic groups in Xinjiang are unpretentious, passionate, bold and unconstrained.

Fifty-four years have passed since Li Yizu came to Xinjiang. With so many ups and downs in his past, his life seems more than legendary. However, Li insists that he is just an ordinary Chinese who loves the land he walks upon.

"I have been here for 54 years. It's very meaningful to live in such a fantastic place with beautiful mountains and rivers, and of course, lovely people. People always say I am a man with a foreigner's face, but a Chinese heart. I was raised by a Chinese mother. My heart will belong to China forever. Now I am in my 70s. I just want to do something useful, and try my best to do them well."The old man smiles proudly and satisfied. It's obvious he has been living the way he wants, with dignity, courage, intelligence and composure.

Back anchor:

CRI's Liu Xiangwei reporting.

Flag-raising ceremony held to celebrate 66th National DayMore than 50-thousand people have come together this National Day holiday at Tian'anmen Square in central Beijing to watch the flag raising ceremony marking the 66th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

"I was excited to watch the flag-raising ceremony today. I feel so happy and touched. I'm very proud to be Chinese. I'm a teacher. I will tell my students about my experience and let them know the prosperity of our country and try to do my best to help its future."The ceremony itself took place shortly after 6am.

Numerous events have taken place across the country to mark the National Day holiday.

Hong Kong Celebrates the National Day on Oct. 1stAnchor:

Taking time to mark National Day in Hong Kong, Chief Executive CY Leung is calling on people in the city to take advantage of the "one country, two-systems" policy to help Hong Kong grow.

CRI's Hong Kong correspondent Li Jing has more.

Report:

As part of his annual address on October 1st, Hong Kong Chief Executive CY Leung says as a part of China, Hong Kong is presented with a host of opportunities as the whole of China continues to grow.

He says all people in Hong Kong need to better-understand their Chinese roots if they hope to succeed in the future.

"In view of the rapid developments of our country, all people in Hong Kong, especially politicians and young people, need to gain a comprehensive understanding of the country's development from different perspectives, both for the good of the country and for their own careers."CY Leung also says despite the continued opening-up of the mainland, Hong Kong will remain a special place.

"At different stages of national development, Hong Kong has always been able to play its part, making contributions to the country while improving the lives of local people. We should not underestimate ourselves. We have the conditions and capability to continue to leverage our strengths in the new situation and work together with all the people of China for the progress of the country and of Hong Kong."The National Day ceremonies in Hong Kong have seen hundreds of people turn out to the flag-raising ceremony at Golden Bauhinia Square.

"This year marks the 66th birthday of our country, as well as the 70th anniversary of the victory of the war against Japanese aggression. It is very meaningful. So I decided to take the kids here to show them how great China is.""I come to watch the flag-raising ceremony every chance I get. I do this because I'm Chinese."A 23-minute National Day fireworks display is being staged over Victoria Harbor this evening to mark the National Day holiday.

For CRI, this is Li Jing in Hong Kong.

China able to meet economic goals this year: premierChinese Premier Li Keqiang says the government remains confident about meeting its economic goals for the year.

Speaking at a ceremony ahead of National Day at the Great Hall of the People, Li Keqiang says a series of regulations have been put in place to ensure China's economy continues to move in a positive direction.

At the same time, he says the government remains committed to helping individuals create a better life for themselves in China.

"People's wellbeing is the scale we use to measure the effectiveness of our reforms and development. The government has to do everything it can to increase employment. We also need to open up more ways to raise household incomes. The government has to take steps to ensure that children from poor families will no longer have to drop out of school, ordinary citizens won't become bankrupt by serious illnesses and young people, full of dreams, help create innovations or start their own business. We can't deprive people of these opportunities because of unnecessary formalities."The comments have been made as part of a reception attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping and other Chinese top leaders at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Around 11-hundred people from China and abroad have also attended the event.

Russia begins Syria air strikes as war enters volatile new phaseAnchor:

Russian air forces have launched their first sorties against targets in Syria.

However, debate is already underway about which targets the Russian air-strikes were aimed at.

CRI's Poornima Weerasekara explains.

Reporter:

Russian air strikes on Wednesday have plunged the four-year-old civil war in Syria into a new volatile phase.

The Russian defense ministry says the strikes targeted military equipment, communication facilities, arms depots, ammunition and fuel belonging to the Islamic State terror group.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says pre-emptive action is needed to combat international terrorism.

"Today a number of countries, The United States, Australia and France - are already using its combat aviation to perform strikes on positions of ISIS militants in Syria. We have always supported the fight against international terrorism. At the same time we are confident that it should be performed only in strict compliance with international law."Putin and US President Barack Obama had reached an agreement on fighting ISIS and opening lines of communication between their militaries to prevent any accidental conflict when they met at the United Nations earlier this week.

But Moscow and Washington offered conflicting accounts of which targets had been struck on Wednesday.

U.S. officials say targets in the Homs area, where local militias are fighting against the Syrian President appeared to have been struck, but not areas held by the Islamic State.

Josh Earnest, the White House spokesperson says Washington is concerned that Moscow is more interested in propping up Syrian President Bashar al-Assad than in crushing ISIS.

"The president is keenly aware of the fact that there's no military solution that can be imposed by Russia or anybody else on Syria. And the root of this problem can only be solved by the kind of political transition that results in President Assad leaving power."The Pentagon says Moscow had given Washington only an hour's notice before they launched the airstrikes and raised a red flag saying such short notice could lead to disastrous cross-fire situations on the ground.

US Secretary of State John Kerry, who met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in New York on Wednesday, has also raised concerns over Russia's targeting of anti-Assad militias.

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says China advocates extensive and comprehensive international counter-terrorism cooperation within the UN framework.

A coalition led by the United States, Arab countries and France have been carrying out air raids on IS targets in recent weeks.

The four-year-long conflict in Syria has killed over 150,000 people and displaced more than 11 million others.

For CRI I'm Poornima Weerasekara.

UN's Security Council Meeting on Counter-TerrorismAnchor:

The UN Security Council has opened debate on ways to fight terrorism in the Middle East and North Africa.

However, a Russian-proposed draft on what role Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should play in combating extremist groups remains an open question.

Our William Denselow has more from United Nations headquarters in New York.

Report:

On Wednesday at the United Nations, it was Russia's turn to call the shots on how to tackle terrorism in the Middle East and North Africa.

A day earlier, the United States held a summit on the topic.

However, Russia stayed away, with Moscow waiting to express its own views.

Highlighting the failures of past moves to bring stability to the Middle East, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov stressed to the council the importance of working with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad in the fight against groups like the self-proclaimed Islamic State.

"One cannot come up with slogans of fighting extremism in individual countries above the heads of their legitimate governments. Such attempts have already happened in the past and they led to nothing good as you all know."Having just begun air strikes in Syria, Russia is proposing a draft resolution on combatting terrorism.

The US says it's willing to collaborate with Russia, provided its serious about attacking the Islamic State, and not President Assad's enemies.

But fundamental differences remain.

Addressing the Security Council, Secretary of State John Kerry has pushed the United States' long-held position that Syria's long-term future can't include its current president.

"The answer to the Syrian civil war cannot be found in a military alliance with Assad. But I am convinced that it can be found, it can be found through a broadly supported diplomatic initiative aimed at a negotiated political transition."TAKE VO:

While the Islamic State has dominated the proceedings, the meeting also gave nations from across the region the chance to offer their thoughts.

Facing their own battle against Boko Haram, Nigeria's UN ambassador Joy Ogwu says more has to be done to clamp down on the number of foreign fighters joining terrorist groups.

"Any effort to address this menace will require cooperation not only among the affected states but indeed by the international community itself."One of the key themes emerging from the meeting is that deep rooted issues in the region still need to be tackled if any counter-terrorism measures are to have lasting success.

But with major powers still divided, real solutions appear to remain elusive.

For CRI, I'm William Denselow in New YorkAustria intensifies border security as migrant flow continuesAustria is beefing up security at its borders as thousands of migrants try to enter the country through Hungary.

Around 500 refugees arrived on the Austrian border on Wednesday after fleeing refugee camps in Hungary.

Austria's government is considering closing its borders to try to stem the flow of refugees transiting through the country on their way to Germany.

Around 280-thousand people have crossed through Austria over the past 6-months.

Meanwhile, the massive flow of migrants into Europe has topped the UN Security Council Agenda on Wednesday.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has used the debate to re-issue a call for the establishment of a safe-zone along the Turkish border with Syria border.

"Sustainable solution to migration can only be attained if root causes such as wars and conflicts, human rights violations and economic deprivation in many of the origin countries are prevented."Turkey is currently playing host to over 2-million Syrian refugees.

Erdogan is due to travel to Brussels on Sunday to push for greater EU cooperation in handling the situation.

EU to deploy Myanmar election observersThe European Union has announced plans to deploy observers to Myanmar for the upcoming elections in November.

The EU monitoring mission will be made up of 9 election-result analysts, along with 30 long-term and 62 short-term observers.

Meanwhile, the latest round of talks among the Myanmar government and the country's various ethnic rebel groups have wrapped up on Wednesday without any new agreements being signed.

Myanmar's ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party has been banking on a peace deal to try to shore up votes ahead of the November 8th general election.

The November elections will see more than 90 different parties vying for seats in the national parliament.

S.Korea urges DPRK to stop nuke, missile developmentSouth Korean President Park Geun-hye has issued a new call for North Korea to bring an immediate end to its nuclear and missile development programs.

In issuing the statement, Park says North Korean nuclear development puts the entire Korean Peninsula in danger.

She also says it remains stumbling block in world peace.

Park has made the comments as part of a speech marking South Korea's 67th Armed Forces Day.

It comes amid growing suggestions North Korea may be preparing to launch a satellite later on this month to mark the anniversary of the founding of the ruling Korean Workers Party.

A satellite launch is likely to be viewed as a breach of UN sanctions currently imposed on North Korea against ballistic missile testing.

China's manufacturing PMI rises to 49.8 in SeptemberNew figures suggest factory activity in China may have picked-up slightly in September.

The month-on-month stats from the National Bureau of Statistics show the PMI figures for this past month have come in at 49.8.

This is up slightly from the 49.7 registered in August.

50 is the boom-or-bust line between contraction and expansion for the Purchasing Managers Index.

The 0.1 increase does stop two months of declines in the manufacturing PMI readings.

The National Bureau of Statistics says the September increase is mostly due to fresh orders coming in before the Christmas season, as well as increased factory activity ahead of the National Day Holiday.

Western Digital's Stock Soars after $3.8 Billion Investment By China's UnisplendourChinese technology company Unisplendour has purchased a 15 percent stake in US-based digital storage company Western Digital.

The deal is worth some 3.8-billion US dollars.

Western Digital Corp.'s stock soared 15 percent in pre-market trading on Wednesday after the announcement.

Unisplendour is a subsidiary of state-owned Tsinghua Holdings, the investment arm of China's top Tsinghua University.

Wednesday's Western Digital deal follows Tsinghua's 23-billion US dollar purchase of U.S. chipmaker Micron Technology.

Johanna Konta up against Venus Williams in Shenzhen quarter finalsIn tennis action from the Wuhan Open,15th seeded Roberta Vinci has kept her hot streak going, earning a berth into the semi-finals after upsetting 8th seeded Karolina Pliskova earlier today 7-6, 6-3.

The Italian is joined in the semi's by Spanyard Garbine Muguruza, who blew past Croatian Anna Schmieldova in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2 earlier today.

The other quarter finals have Venus Williams up against Britain's Johanna Konta.

Konta earned her way into the quarter-finals after upsetting top seed Simona Halep last night in a 3-set dual.

The other quarter final has 6th seed Angelique Kerber of Germany up against American Coco Vandeweghe.

Ronaldo scores twice in Real Madrid Champions League victoryIn action from the European Champions League,Christiano Ronaldo potted a 90th minute marker to add to his first-half tally to lead Real Madrid to a 2-nil victory over Malmo in Group stage action.

The late-game goal puts Real Madrid on top of Group A with 6-points and 6-goals on 2-straight victories.

Paris St. Germain is also 2-0 in the group, but 2nd on 5-goals, despite a 3-nil victory over Shaktar Donestk last night.

In other action,It was Manchester United coming from behind to beat VFL Wolfsburg 2-1.

CSKA Moscow survived a pair of 2nd half goals to get past PSV Eindhoven 3-2.

Benfica surprised Atletico Madrid 2-1.

Juventus blanked Sevilla 2-nil.

Sergio Aguero converted a penalty kick in the 90th minute to give Manchester City a 2-1 victory over upstart German club Monchengladbach.

And an own-goal in the 89th minute helped Turkish side Galatasary eek out a 2-2 draw with Astana.

Domestic Comedy "Lost in Hong Kong" Rules China's Box OfficeThe latest installment of the "Lost" comedy series in China has blown away box-office records.

"Lost in Hong Kong," the latest from actor-director Xu Zheng, has grossed an unbelievable 685-million yuan, or around 107-million US dollars, in its first 3-days in Chinese theatres.

The comedy, starring himself and Bao Bei'er, along with actresses Zhao Wei and Du Juan, is the follow-up to his 2012 hit "Lost in Thailand."The 107-million US dollars over 3-days is nearly half of what "Lost in Thailand" earned through its entire run in theatres.

Second on the Chinese box-office list through this past week was "Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation" which earned just over 73-million yuan, or around 11-million US dollars.

"Minions" continues to generate cash at the Chinese box office, finishing 3rd this past weekend.

The animated hit has grossed close to 380-million yuan in China.

Chinese romance "The Third Way of Love" finished 4th this past week, while "Pixels" rounded out the top-5.

Australian Author Wins Prestigious Crime Writing PrizeAustralian author Michael Robotham has been given the "British Gold Dagger" award as the "Year's Best Crime Writer."Robotham has won the global crime-writing prize for his novel "Life or Death."He has taken the award ahead of authors Stephen King and JK Rowling.

"Life or Death" tells the story of a prisoner in Texas who escapes a day before he is due to be released.

Robotham has previously ghost-written memoirs for a number of celebrities, including former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell and disgraced children's entertainer Rolf Harris.

weatherBeijing will be clear tonight with a low of 10 degrees. Tomorrow will have sunshine with a high of 26.

Shanghai has some clouds overnight with a low of 17. It will be sunny tomorrow with a high of 25.

Chongqing will be overcast with a low of 17. Tomorrow will be cloudy with a high of 25.

Lhasa will be clear tonight with a low of 9, some clouds tomorrow with a high of 23.

That's all the time we have for this abbreviated, holiday edition of the Beijing Hour.

Recapping our top stories.

China's top political advisor outlines a list of suggestions for ethnic harmony in Xinjiang to mark the 60th anniversary of its founding.

10's of thousands gather in Tian'anmen Square to mark the 66th anniversary of the founding of the PRC.

Coming up in the next half-our, an edition of People In the Know.

On behalf of the Beijing Hour staffers, this is Paul James in Beijing hoping you join us for our next edition of the Beijing Hour, to open a window to the world together.