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

Coming up on the program this evening...

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Taiwan leader Ma Ying-Jeou shake hands in Singapore today in an historic cross-strait meeting.

The Chinese President promising to solve issues in the South China Sea through negotiations as part of a speech in Singapore.

Egyptian authorities say they've not been given any foreign intelligence suggesting a bomb may have taken down a Russian jetliner a week ago.

In the 2nd half of the hour, we'll be bringing you the latest from the world of business.

In sports... Guangzhou Evergrande getting set for its first leg of the Asian Champions League final tonight in Dubai.

In entertainment... Director Zhang Yimou given a lifetime achievement award.

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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Top NewsCross-strait ties reach the best period in 66 yearsAnchor:

Xi Jinping and Ma Ying-jeou have sat down together at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore, marking the first face-to-face exchange between the two leaders across the Taiwan Straits in 66 years.

CRI's Wang Mengzhen has the details.

Reporter:

Addressing each other as "Mr", Xi Jinping and Ma Ying-jeou agreed that the cross-straits ties had reached its best period since 1949.

After a historic handshake lasting for some 70 seconds, Xi Jinping told Ma that history has proved that no force could set the two sides apart.

"The 66-year history of the development of cross-Straits relations shows that no matter how much ordeal the two sides have undergone and how long the two sides have been isolated from each other, they cannot be pulled apart. We are brothers who are still connected by our flesh even if our bones are broken. We are 'one family'."Looking ahead, Xi Jinping said both sides are now at the crossroads for choosing the direction and path for future development in cross-Straits relations.

"We should prove with concrete moves to the world that the Chinese from both sides have the capabilities and wisdom to solve their own problems. As such, I hope that the two sides could adhere to the 1992 Consensus, consolidate common political foundations, stick to the path of peaceful development, and maintain the right direction for development of cross-Straits ties."Ma Ying-jeou echoed Xi's viewpoints, calling for a joint effort to consolidate the 1992 Consensus, and maintain the peaceful status quo.

In his five-point proposals, Ma suggested that the two sides could achieve a win-win outcome by reducing hostility and resolve disputes in peaceful means, while expanding cross-Straits exchanges.

"Maintaining peace and stability on both sides of the Taiwan Straits is the mainstream public opinion in Taiwan. The future development of cross-straits relations must follow the people's desires. I especially emphasised that the two sides must base our ties on integrity, respect, clarity and good will in order to narrow the distance between the two sides. So I specially mentioned that both sides should turn hostility into friendship, and seek peace, not war."Ma Ying-jeou added that both sides could set up a joint hot-line to exchange views on urgent matters.

Later, Zhang Zhijun, head of mainland's Taiwan affairs office, revealed some key points during their 1 hour meeting behind closed doors.

Zhang Zhijun says Xi has encourged the expansion of cross-straits cooperation in various aspects on the basis of "One China" Principle.

"Xi Jinping expressed his great hope that both sides could soon clinched deals about the cross-straits trade on goods and the set-up of cross-straits offices between the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) and the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS). Xi Jinping welcomes people in Taiwan to join the 'Belt and Road' initiatives, also welcomes Taiwan could join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank in future."Both leaders stressed the goodwill across the Taiwan straits since Ma Ying jeou was elected as Taiwan leader in 2008.

In the past seven years, 23 agreements have been signed between the two sides, making bilateral trade volume worth over 170 billion US dollars.

At the same time, over 8 million tourists travelled across the straits annually.

For CRI, I am Wang Mengzhen.

Xi-Ma Meeting ApplaudedThe meeting between Xi Jinping and Ma Ying-jeou has been generating excitement on the mainland.

"It is certainly a good thing. The Taiwan issue has been a long-running issue between the mainland and Taiwan. We need to resolve this problem sooner or later. I think Xi Jinping and Ma Ying-jeou made a historical step.""I think the relationship between the mainland and Taiwan will be improved a bit more after this meeting. Taiwan is part of China and we can't afford the deadlock between the two sides. There has to be some improvement. I think their meeting will help improve the relationship."The meeting marks the first top-level contact between the two sides in 66 years.

The handshake before their meeting has been dominating the home-pages of news websites from around the world throughout the day.

Historic handshakes ahead of Xi-Ma meetingThere's been a long road leading up to today's historic handshake.

The Kuomintang and its followers fled to Taiwan toward the end of the civil war 1949.

From that point, relations between mainland and Taiwan remained strained for decades.

However, in the late 1980s, the two sides began chipping away at their mutual isolation.

Singapore's first prime minister Lee Kuan-yew hosted a groundbreaking meeting in Singapore in April of 1993 the then-President of the mainland-based Association for Relations across the Taiwan Straits and the chair of Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation.

That meeting was fostered by the previous year's signing of the "1992 Consensus," which is commonly called the "one-China principle."However, that engagement soured due to the political situation in Taiwan in 1999, which saw the election of a pro-independence leader on the island.

Re-engagement then turned around after former CPC General Secretary Hu Jintao met with Kuomintang chair Lien Chan in Beijing.

The first meeting between the leaders of the two political parties opened the door for trade and further exchanges between the two sides.

2008 saw the Kuomintang retake the leadership of Taiwan under Ma Ying-jeou, with trade and cross-strait ties expanding even further.

And then last year, another meeting between mainland's Taiwan Affairs Office and Taiwan's Mainland Affair council, but this time in Nanjing.

The head of the mainland's Taiwan Affairs Office later travelled to Taiwan for a reciprocal visit.

This created an institutionalized mechanism which allows both sides to talk to one-another upon request.

Xi vows closer cooperation with Southeast Asian countries, ASEANAnchor:

During his speech at the National University of Singapore, Chinese President Xi Jinping said China is willing to promote the building of a community of common destiny with ASEAN.

He also made a point of saying that China would resolve territorial disputes with neighbours in the South China Sea through peaceful talks.

CRI's Li Jianhua has more.

Reporter:

In his speech at the National University of Singapore, Chinese President Xi Jinping noted that by the end of this December the ASEAN Economic Community will be in place. And this would mark the first ever sub-regional economic community in Asia.

"China will firmly develop friendly cooperation with ASEAN, firmly support the growth of ASEAN, firmly support the construction of the ASEAN Community, and firmly support ASEAN in playing a leading role in East Asia."Hailing Singapore as a close and friendly neighbour, Xi stressed that China would always adhere to peaceful development.

"The concept of peaceful development is an inherent gene of the Chinese culture. Emphasizing faith, promoting goodwill, and advocating friendly exchanges among nations constituted a basic content of China's foreign policy toward neighboring countries."In addition, the South China Sea issue was another highlight of Xi's speech. China, he said, was dedicated to solving the disputes through negotiation and consultation on the basis of respecting historical facts, and in accordance with international law.

"China needs open and smooth navigation in the South China Sea more than anyone else. Despite the fact that some islets and reefs that China has sovereignty over are occupied by others, China has always advocated for solving the problem through peaceful negotiation."He also added that China welcomed "countries from outside the region" having a "positive influence" on the stability and development of Asia. In the meantime, he said, China hoped countries from outside the region could show respect and play a constructive role.

"We welcome countries from outside the region taking part in the cause of Asia's peace and development, and playing an active role. At present, the most pressing issue faced by various governments of Asian countries is how to ensure sustainable and speedy growth. To achieve that requires a peaceful and stable environment."As part of his speech, the Chinese President also noted that China rejects the logic that a country is bound to seek hegemony after it grows strong.

He also called on China's neighboring states to jointly implement the Belt and Road Initiative, saying these countries should be the first to enjoy the benefits of the China-proposed plan.

On a separate note, Xi Jinping also stressed that China must find "some innovative way to follow a path of non-carbon, green and sustainable development."For CRI, this is Li Jianhua.

New Deals Aim to Boost China-Singapore CooperationAnchor:

China and Singapore have signed a slew of deals, with leaders from both sides vowing to lift bilateral ties to a new level.

CRI's Luo Wen reports.

Reporter:

Among the accords is a long-anticipated deal over negotiations to upgrade the seven-year-old China-Singapore free trade agreement.

Zhang Jianping, a foreign trade expert with China's top economy planner, NDRC, says it's expected to meet the increasing needs of bilateral businesses and create more room for future cooperation.

"As free trade and investment is gaining further momentum around the world, it's necessary for China and Singapore to upgrade their FTA to boost bilateral trade, mutual investment and the cooperation between relevant sectors of the two sides. Once upgraded, it's likely to create more jobs for both sides."The existing China-Singapore FTA was signed in October 2008.

It came into force on Jan. 1 next year.

It was China's first comprehensive bilateral FTA with another Asian country.

The FTA deal is among those signed earlier Saturday in the presence of President Xi Jinping and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

One of those agreements concerns the third government-to-government project between the two sides.

Under the deal, the two sides will join hands to build Chongqing in southwestern China into an important nodal point for the "Belt and Road" initiative.

The latest deal follows the success of two previous G-to-G projects -- the Suzhou Industrial Park established in 1994 and an Eco-city project inaugurated seven years ago in Tianjin.

Chongqing, one of China's four municipalities, has seen a fast-growing economy since 2014.

The city's economy expanded by 11 percent in the first three quarters of this year.

Singapore Business Federation chairman Teo Siong Seng says the Chongqing project is different from the previous two as it will target China's central and west regions.

Teo is looking forward to the opportunities the new plan will bring.

"Apart from being an important transit center for Southeast Asia, Singapore has also advantages in finance, communications, e-commerce and logistics. We hope to fully play these advantages for the third project."Xi arrived in Singapore after wrapping up his state visit to Vietnam on Friday.

The two sides have agreed to redefine their ties as a partnership of 'all-round cooperation' in keeping with the times.

For CRI, I'm Luo Wen.

Xi's Aritcle Recognised by SingaporeansChinese President Xi Jinping's article on China-Singapore relations has won widespread recognition in Singapore.

Han Yong Hong from Lianhe Zaobao, the largest Singapore based Chinese language news provider, edited Xi's article in preparation for its publication.

She says she was impressed with Xi Jinping's approach to her country.

"First he spoke highly of Singapore and expressed his friendly attitude and emotions to Singapore. He proposed three advices to China-Singapore relations. First is communications at a high level, then is pragmatic cooperation in trade, and the last is cooperation in international issues. These proposals, in my opinion, are just what Singapore agrees with."Koh Chin Yee, the CEO of think-tank Longus Research Institute, believes Singapore's experience in many areas can help as China pushes forward with its Silk Road initiatives.

"The One Belt One Road is of importance to Singapore. We are a part of it, and we have many years of experience in aviation, maritime transportation, international trading and financing. We hope our experience can help build a complementary relationship with China for the initiative."Xi Jinping's article was written for Singapore's Straits Times newspaper ahead of his trip to the city-state.

In the article, he called for closer ties between the two sides.

Horizon 2020: Co-funding Mechanism for ChinaAnchor:

The Chinese government and the EU have agreed to co-fund research and innovation to support joint projects between European and Chinese universities, research institutions and companies, under the title of Horizon 2020.

for more on this, our reporter Chi Huiguang spoke to Robert Jan Smits, Director General for Research and Innovation at the European Commission.

Reporter:

Horizon 2020 is the biggest EU Research and Innovation program ever with nearly 80 billion Euros of funding available over 7 years from 2014 to 2020. It promises more breakthroughs, discoveries and world-firsts by taking great ideas from the lab to the market.

Robert Jan Smits says that up to 200 million RMB, or 28 million Euros, will be made available annually by the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology for the benefit of China-based entities that will participate in joint projects with European partners under Horizon 2020:

Through participation in Horizon 2020, China can gain great benefits from access to excellent knowledge, access to research data and access and connection to world-leading scientific networks and research teams.

"We are facing both China and Europe a lot of similar challenges. We have aging population. We have short of energies, so we need to deal with the energy security. Food safety is a big issue. The big cities problem: urbanization. So for that reason, scientists need to work together to find solutions for those problems."Chinese participation is welcomed in all Calls for Proposals of Horizon 2020.

"So what I think is very important is that Chinese Government is now decided to make the fund available to finance Chinese scientists who are working together with the European scientists. And that's a big improvement. It's an enormous boost to our cooperation."Seen as a means to drive economic growth and create jobs, Horizon 2020 has the political backing of Europe's leaders and the Members of the European Parliament.

"If China wants to continue to develop new knowledge and continue to strengthen its technological economy, you need to open up more, you need to have more foreign faculty staff from outside China, more foreign students from outside China. That is one of the biggest challenges your government has."Horizon 2020 is open to everyone, with a simple structure that reduces red tape and time so participants can focus on what is really important.

Smits describes the most prominent issue: we will soon have to feed 9 billion people on this planet, and with China's new two-child policy, some people even say the number will reach 11 billion.

"How can we deploy the best brains from China and Europe to really solve the food problem and produce enough proteins? It's this kind of strategic flagships which I hope one day we can develop together. That will be done in the next phase of the cooperation."The EU Framework Program for Research and Innovation will be complemented by further measures to complete and further develop the European Research Area. These measures will aim at breaking down barriers to create a genuine single market for knowledge, research and innovation.

Back Anchor:

CRI's Chi Huiguang reporting.

China releases guideline on mutual recognition of fundsChina has released a guideline on mutual recognition of funds to help securities investment in the country's inland areas and Hong Kong.

Under the guideline, only the total amount of MRF needs to be monitored, and no approval is needed for the quota of an institution or product.

The guideline also says the funds raised through trans-market issuance can flow between Hong Kong and the inland areas in Renminbi and foreign currencies, or can be changed by agents at banks.

The scheme, launched in July this year, allows funds domiciled on either side to be sold in the other's market.

Since its launch, more than 10 MRF products have submitted applications and are expected to be put on the market by the end of the year.

China's Vanke Invests in Driverless CarChina's largest property developer Vanke is developing driverless cars and other robots in response, they say, to labor shortages.

The company says its autonomous patrol car has now finished testing.

Vanke's Zhang Jinming says unlike Google's driverless cars which run on public roads, their models aim to transport people within an enclosed compound.

"We hope it can also solve issues that come along with normal cars. First of all, it is safer. It will not cause accidents that are due to human errors, such as having drivers who are drunk or sleepy. Secondly, it can save labour costs. We hope it can become the future of transportation in housing estates."Zhang added that the car is fuelled by solar panels and one charge is sufficient for a full day of use.

Meanwhile, the company is also planning to introduce a floor-sweeping robot later this month.

Vanke is also due to open a robot-staffed hotel in Shenzhen in 2017.

Foreign intelligence not shared with Egypt on Russian plane crash: FMEgypt's foreign minister says foreign intelligence on the cause of the Russian airliner crash over Sinai has not been shared with Egypt.

The minister also said that Egypt was not dismissing possible scenarios that led to the crash, but there was no hypothesis yet from specialists who are analyzing the black boxes.

He also stressed that the Egyptian government had always responded with cooperation and coordination in relation to similar plane crash accidents in the past.

Russia on Friday suspended all flights to Egypt due to speculation over possible terrorist attacks on the Russian plane that crashed over Sinai Peninsula last Saturday.

The suspension has left some 79-thousand Russians currently in Egypt, mainly in the resorts of Hurghada and Sharm al-Sheikh.

UK-Egypt FlightAnchor:

Flights out of the Egyptian resort of Sharm al-Sheiikh have begun leaving for the UK - after a 48 hour suspension following concerns over security.

The British government grounded all flights in and out of the Red Sea resort on Wednesday after intelligence reports suggested that a bomb may have passed through airport security and brought down a Russian jet on the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt.

But as some airlines resume operations - there remains confusion. Our UK correspondent Dan Whitehead reports.

Reporter:

While investigations into the downing of the Russian Metrojet airliner continue - relations between Egypt and the UK have been strained...

On Wednesday, the British government halted flights to Sharm - and only on Friday did some airlines manage to start returning tourists to the UK.

But there was confusion, after some Easyjet flights were not allowed to land at the airport - Egyptian authorities say that was down to capacity issues and extra security.

The ban on flights over security concerns coincidently came as Egypt's President Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi began a three day visit to the UK to hold talks with Prime Minister David Cameron.

In a joint press conference, Mr Cameron stressed how important returning flights to normal between the UK and Sharm al-Sheiikh was...

"We are also committed to working together to restore normal flights in both directions as soon as possible. British holidaymakers want to go to Sharm and Egyptians want to welcome them there. Almost a million British holidaymakers enjoy Sharm al-Sheikh every year and we recognise the importance of their visits to Egypt. And it's in our mutual interest to address this and to get back to normal as soon as possible."Egypt's President Sisi insisted both the UK and Egypt were cooperating over security issues...

"And I understand this. I understand that the Prime Minister wants to be assured of his citizens' well-being and this is his right and we responded to all his requests that he comes, that his teams come and check on the procedures we have in place at Sharm al-Sheikh airport and we say it one more time: we are prepared to cooperate further with any procedures that reassure all our friends that the security measures in place at Sharm al-Sheikh airport are enough and that the airport is safe to a good standard."It wasn't just the UK which changed it's policy on flights to the resort...

On Friday afternoon, Russia's security chief said Russia should suspend all flights to Egypt until the outcome of the investigation into last Saturday's crash.

In Germany, Lufthansa announced it was no longer flying there and was avoiding airspace around northern Sinai...

Belgium, Ukraine, the Netherlands Austria and Switzerland also made changes to flight schedules or official advice.

As flights slowly return to normal - many will be concerned about the impact on Egypt's tourism industry.

Resorts like Sharm and Hugharda are heavily reliant on British and Russian tourists - nearly one million British nationals holiday there every year.

As the investigation into the crash continues, any proof that a bomb did bring down the jet would likely have a major impact on Egypt's tourism industry - and cause another major review of airport security.

For CRI, I'm DW, in London.

Mexico, Cuba Seal Accords amid Closer TiesThe leaders of Mexico and Cuba have announced several new agreements.

Mexican President Enrique Nieto and Raul Castro have signed-off on the deals as part of Castro's trip to Mexico this week.

Among the accords is a memorandum of understanding which Nieto says will "guarantee the legal, orderly and safe flow of migration" between the two countries.

"We have agreed to modernise and broaden the bilateral legal framework through which the five agreements have been signed. They are meant to guarantee a legal, safe and ordered migratory flow between the two countries and, with it, combat and prevent human trafficking and other crimes related to migration."The agreement comes as increasing numbers of Cuban migrants continue to use southern Mexico a conduit to try to eventually make it to the United States.

Details of the migration agreement signed in Mexico City have not been forthcoming.

Cuba and Mexico have maintained diplomatic since 1902.

However, those ties have been strained for over the last decade under the previous administrations of former Mexican President Vicente Fox and his successor Felipe Calderon.

Myanmar president vows to respect Sunday's election resultMyanmar's president Thein Sein has said his government and the military will respect the results of Sunday's election.

His remarks are believed to be aimed at signaling to the international community that the government is sincere about the fairness of the election.

"I heard that there are worries about whether the outcome of the election will be respected. Our government and the military want to repeat that we will respect the outcome of the free and fair election. According to the outcome of the election, we will work together in the new political arena."The nation's 40,000 polling stations have been making final preparations before the historic poll.

First results are expected within 48 hours of the vote, with the full results within two weeks.　Preparations for the elections have marred by a series of setbacks with around four million people, including 1.3 million from the Muslim Rohinya minority, being barred from the voting.

Deadline to give up weapons in Burundi arrivesA government-imposed deadline for people to give up their weapons has arrived in the African country of Burundi.

The government of Pierre Nkurunziza has set the Saturday deadline amid protests against his hold on power, and among increasing international concern the small country in the African Great Lakes region may once again explode into a genocide.

Reports out of the capital, Bujumbura, are suggesting security forces are preparing to round-up those thought to be opposed to Nkurunziza's administration.

The son of a leading opposition figure is among over a dozen people that have reportedly been killed this week in the political violence which has been flaring up in the country.

At least 200 people have been killed since Nkurunziza announced his intention to run for a 3rd term in office in April.

He's since won re-election, which many countries have condemned as a violation of the political accords which pulled Burundi out of a 13-year civil war less than a decade ago.

Although the current violence is political on-the-surface, Burundi has a history of deadly between the Hutu majority and the Tutsi minority.

Nkurunziza originally took power in 2005 near the end of a civil war which saw some 300-thousand killed between 1993 and 2006.

An emergency UN Security Council meeting on the issue has been called for Monday.

WeatherBeijing will have slight rain tonight with a low of 3, tomorrow will be cloudy with a high of 10.

Shanghai will have shower tonight with a low of 17, tomorrow will have more shower, high of 19.

Chongqing will have slight rain with a low of 16, tomorrow will be overcast, high of 20.

Lhasa will be clear with a low of minus 1, tomorrow will be sunny with a high of 15.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad will be cloudy with a high of 23.

Kabul, cloudy, 11.

Down in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney, slight rain, high of 20,Brisbane,rainy,25,Perth, cloudy, 29,And finally Auckland, New Zealand will be cloudy with a high of 20 degrees Celsius.

Headline newsLeaders across Taiwan Strait meet for first time in 66 yearsXi Jinping and Ma Ying-jeou shook hands on Saturday afternoon in Singapore in the first meeting between the two leaders of across the Taiwan Strait since 1949.

Xi Jinping told Ma Ying-jeou that the 66-year history of the development of cross-Strait relations shows that no matter how much ordeal the two sides have undergone and how long the two sides have been isolated from each other, they cannot be pulled apart.

Xi Jinping also said that the two sides across the Taiwan Strait are "one family".

The meeting has been hailed as a "milestone" in cross-Strait relations.

Hundreds of journalists from around the world witnessed the historic moment at the Shangri-La Hotel.

China, Singapore launch 3rd G-to-G project in ChongqingChina and Singapore have agreed to designate Chongqing in southwestern China as the site of their third government-to-government project.

The Chongqing project is among a raft of deals the two countries have signed on Saturday in the presence of visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Currently, China and Singapore have two Government-to-Government projects -- the Suzhou Industrial Park in east China's Jiangsu Province and the Tianjin Eco-city in north China's port city of Tianjin.

Chongqing is one of the four municipalities directly under the Chinese central government.

It is one of China's fastest-growing cities since last year, with its economy expanding at 11 percent in the first three quarters of this year.

China resolute in boosting friendly cooperation with ASEANChinese President Xi Jinping says China supports the growth of ASEAN and is resolute in boosting friendly cooperation with the Southeast Asian bloc.

In his speech at the National University of Singapore, Xi Jinping noted that China will firmly support the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community, which will be in place by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, he added that China is willing to jointly implement the Belt and Road Initiative with its neighboring countries to achieve common peace and development.

The Chinese president is in Singapore for a two-day state visit, the second leg of a two-nation Southeast Asia tour that has already taken him to Vietnam.

Foreign intelligence not shared with Egypt on Russian plane crash: FMEgypt's foreign minister says foreign intelligence on the cause of the Russian airliner crash over Sinai has not been shared with Egypt.

The minister also said that Egypt was not dismissing possible scenarios that led to the crash, but there was no hypothesis yet from specialists who are analyzing the black boxes.

He also stressed that the Egyptian government had always responded with cooperation and coordination in relation to similar plane crash accidents in the past.

Russia on Friday suspended all flights to Egypt due to speculation over possible terrorist attacks on the Russian plane that crashed over Sinai Peninsula last Saturday.

The suspension has left some 79-thousand Russians currently in Egypt, mainly in the resorts of Hurghada and Sharm al-Sheikh.

Weekly Biz Roundup (Saturday)Weekly Business ReviewAnchor:

It's time to take a look back at some of the headlines from business over the past week in our Weekly Business Review.

In this edition, we will take you through the proposals for China's development blueprint for the next five years and tell you about the spat between two leading Chinese e-commerce firms.

CRI's Wenjie has more.

Reporter:

The Communist Party of China on Tuesday issued the full text of proposals for mapping out a blueprint for China's development over the next five years starting from 2016.

In explaining the proposals, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that the country's annual growth rate should be no less than 6.5 percent in the next five years to realize the goal of doubling GDP and per capita income by 2020 on the basis of 2010.

Xu Shaoshi, head of the National Development and Reform Commission, says China is able to maintain medium-high growth in the next Five-Year Plan.

"The next round of economic recovery in the world depends on technical innovation and industrial revolution. This provides a good opportunity for China as it promotes innovation at the same time. Meanwhile, our new urbanization process breeds a huge market demand. What's more, we have 1.3 billion people, 900 million labors and over 70 million market entities. Therefore, Chinese economy has great potential to grow."According to Tuesday's proposals, China will also accelerate opening up of capital market by gradually making the Chinese yuan convertible on the capital account and further expanding the investment quota for qualified foreign institutional investors.

The proposals also say China will establish a Green Development Fund to promote clean production methods and sustainable growth.

////////////////China's State Council unveiled a guideline for reforming the management of the country's state-owned assets on Wednesday.

A new business entity is going to be established to deal with state equity, staffing and the movement of funds in SOE's.

Liu Shangxi, director of Research Institute for Fiscal Science with the Ministry of Finance, explains the role of the new entity.

"The investment firm will work to manage the capital instead of providing specific products or services. The emerging of such a company as an intermediary agent will prevent the government from interfering in the concrete operation of enterprises. "At the same time, the government is promising to accelerate the elimination of outdated SOEs and dispose of inefficient assets.

State-funding is going to be eliminated from certain SOEs.

Others are going to go through a restructuring process.

Yet many difficulties still lie in the reform of state-owned asset management, and Minister of Finance Lou Jiwei noted that more work is needed to help deal with the difficulties.

"Fundamentally, as long as it's a set of stated-owned assets, it will be associated with the government. Then a series of complicated problems will be brought about. If we want to deal with the problems properly, we will need to leave some leeway, to make progress step by step, to make a balance between management and decentralization, and to encourage exploration."///////////////China's top legislature on Wednesday ratified the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank agreement.

The ratification is a significant step closer to the AIIB's formal establishment, slated for the end of this year, as China is the bank's largest shareholder.

The document itself outlines the financial share each founding member has to put in, as well as rules on policymaking, the bank's governance structure, as well as its business and operational systems.

/////////////On Thursday, China's industry regulator rebuffed the reported merger plans of the country's top three telecoms companies.

Ministry of Industry and Information Technology spokesman Zhang Feng:

"The ministry will continue studying reforms in the telecom sector to figure out the next step, but has not taken any action toward the consolidation of telecom companies."His remarks followed media reports that the government is considering merging the country's three state-owned telecom service providers to improve efficiency and accelerate modernization of the information sector.

The three operators, China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom, exchanged executives in August, the first such adjustment in a decade.

//////////////On Wednesday, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing rebuffed earlier reports confirming the creation of a Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect system.

This came after the mainland's central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan posted a report suggesting the new Connect system would be up-and-running before the end of the year.

The head of the PBOC is being quoted saying the Shenzhen Stock Connect, along with the Shanghai-Hong Kong Connect system, is further proof "the mainland capital market has been opening up to the outside world."HKEx has confirmed it's in discussions with its counterparts on mainland side connected to the establishment of the Shenzhen program.

The Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect system was set up last year, which allows traders from the mainland and Hong Kong to trade shares listed on both exchanges.

////////////////China's securities regulator said Friday that it will restart initial public offerings after suspending them in July in the wake of a stock market rout which began in the middle of June.

Deng Ke, spokesman with the China Securities Regulatory Commission, told a press conference that IPOs of 28 companies will be allowed before the end of this year.

Due to sharp market fluctuations, the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges said in early July that 28 scheduled IPOs would be suspended.

Among them, 10 companies that had accepted subscriptions for their shares were required to refund the money to investors.

Deng Ke said those 10 companies will go back into the IPO process first, adding that they may need about two weeks to go through some legal procedures.

///////////////On the corporate front,China's machine manufacturer Sany has settled its lawsuit against the U.S. government by filing the dismissal papers on Wednesday.

A subsidiary of SANY Heavy Machinery, Ralls Corp, sued the US government and the office of US President Barack Obama after they killed a wind-farm project in the US state of Oregon 3-years ago, citing national security concerns.

He Weiwen, former Chinese consular official in New York, says the new settlement actually works well for the Chinese firm.

"It has gone beyond our expectations... In fact, better than we expected. At first, I thought there would be little progress. But now, both sides have decided to back down. This allows Ralls to transfer its project in Oregon to a third party. I think it's quite good. It's not easy to arrive at this result given the situation here in the US."As part of the settlement, Ralls will be able to sell its Oregon wind farms to an investor.

//////////////////On Friday, a court in Beijing agreed to hear an unfair competition lawsuit launched by e-commerce firm JD.com against Tmall.com.

JD.com is accusing Tmall of exaggeration on some of its outdoor and newspaper ads in September that promised same-day delivery in Beijing.

JD.com says only people living in certain parts of the city are eligible to get the service, and only on items ordered before a certain time of the day.

The company notes many people still have to wait until the next day to get their packages.

JD.com is demanding Tmall stop posting the ads and release a statement admitting they had been deceptive.

Alibaba, which owns Tmall, has yet to comment on the suit.

The lawsuit came after the State Administration for Industry and Commerce formally accepted JD.com's request to investigate Alibaba for possible unfair promotional practices.

And that concludes this edition of the weekly business review. I'm Wenjie. Thank you for listening.

SportsGuangzhou Evergrande begins ACL final tonight in DubaiIn football,The first leg of this year's Asian Champions League final gets underway later tonight.

It's Guangzhou Evergrande set to battle UAE side Al-Ahli in Dubai.

Al-Ahli midfielder Habib al-Fardan says his side is pumped-up.

"We waited for this game for a long time and this opportunity came.　We must exploit this chance and we will prove to everyone that the team can achieve the Asian Championship."Al-Ahli is unbeaten at home this season in Dubai.

The second leg will be played in Guangzhou on November 21st.

--------------Football action here in China,Hosts China breezed past Iran 4-1 last night for their first win in the Under-16 Women's Asian Championship in Hubei's capital, Wuhan.

China will next take on Thailand, who beat South Korea 1-0.

------------In Europe,Round 12 of the English Premier League gets underway tonight.

Third place Leicester City is looking to extend its winning streak to 3 as they take on Watford.

In other action,Manchester United is at home to West Brom Albion.

Bournemouth takes on Newcastle.

Sunderland battles Southampton.

Norwich takes on Swansea.

And it's West Ham United against Everton.

--------------On Sunday,Tottenham and Arsenal are set to clash in the 181st edition of the North London derby.

Hotspur's manager Mauricio Pochettino.

"The derby is always different game. You need to play with your heart and with passion. I know what it means for our supporters. The past is not important to how you play the game. We arrive in very good form. It's true that our opponent always has an advantage because they have a day more to prepare and for recovery but we cannot complain. We need to be ready. We need to be strong in our mind and try to win the game because we know what it means, the derby."Tottenham comes into the match off a 2-1 victory over Anderlecht in Europa League play.

Arsenal was hammered by Bayern Munich 5-1 that same day.

Sunday's matches will also see league leaders Manchester City taking on Aston Villa.

Chelsea will face Stoke City.

ATP Paris Masters Preview; Zhuhai Elite Trophy Tournament PreviewIn tennis,The semi-finals of the Paris Masters are set for tonight.

It's second seeded Andy Murray up against Spainyard David Ferrer.

Murray is into the semi-finals of the indoor tournament for the first time after downing Frenchman Richard Gasquet last night in a 3-set battle.

He joins Roger Federer, Nadal and Djokovic as the only players to reach the semifinals or better at all nine of the Masters 1000 Series during their career.

--The other semi-final has top-seed Novak Djokovic taking on Stan Wawrinka.

--The semi-finals are also underway at the WTA Elite Trophy tournament in Zhuhai.

Top seed Venus Williams is into the finals, needing just over an hour to put down Roberta Vinci 6-2, 6-2.

She's set to take on the winner of the other semi-final between Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic and Ukraninian Elina Svitolina.

On the doubles side, Anabel Medina Garrigues and Arantxa Parra Santonja of Spain are through to the finals afater knocking out Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski and Poland's Alicja Rosolska 6-3, 6-2.

They will face either the Chinese duo of Wang Yafan and Liang Chen or Klaudia Jans-Ignacik and Andreja Klepac for the title.

Golf: Chinese golfer tied for 2nd at HSBC ChampionshipsIn Golf,A Chinese golfer is just one stroke off the lead after the 3rd round of the HSBC Championships in Shanghai.

Li Hongtao carded a 6-under-66 today to sit one stroke back of leader Kevin Kisner after today's round.

Kisner still holds the lead at minus-16.

Li Hongtao is joined in 2nd by American Dustin Johnson and Scotland's Russel Knox.

World number-1 Jordan Speith had a solid day, shooting a blistering 9-under-63 to move up to minus-13 heading into the final round.

Sun Yu into the Korea Masters FinalIn badminton,Chinese second-seed Sun Yu has cruised into the final of the Korean Open, easily dispatching South Korea's Bae Yeon-ju, 21-8, 21-8 in the semi-finals.

He'll be up against Japan's Sayaka Sato, who got past Chinese shuttler Shen Yaying 21-12, 21-15.

In men's doubles,The Chinese duo of Li Juhui and Liu Yuchen has moved into Sunday's final with a straight-sets victory over a pair from South Korea.

Basketball: Lakers notch 1st win of NBA seasonIn basketball,The LA Lakers are finally in the win column.

The Lakers, in what is likely to be Kobe Bryant's last game against the Nets in New York, scored 18-points in leading LA to a 104-98 win over Brooklyn.

Brooklyn is now 0-6 on the season.

--Across the Brooklyn Bridge, it was the Nets cross-town rivals also on the losing end of things, with the Knicks going down to Milwaukee 99-92 at MSG.

--It was Orlando breaking Toronto's season-opening winning streak at 5 with a 92-87 win at home.

--Cleveland remains perfect at home so far this season, holding of Philadelphia 108-102.

LeBron James with a season-high 31 points in the victory.

--The Hawks continue to be perfect outside Atlanta, moving their road record to 4-0 on the season with a 121-115 win over New Orleans.

The Pelicans remain winless on the season at 0-5.

--Boston beat Washington 118-98.

--It was Indiana edging Miami 90-87.

--Detroit downed Phoenix 100-92.

--Sacramento has now lost 4-in-a-row, going down to Houston 116-100 at home.

--And it was Stephen Curry with a double-double, knocking down 34-points and adding 10-assists to keep the defending-champion Golden State Warriors perfect on the season with a 116-104 victory over Denver.

--------In CBA action from last night,It was Randolph Morris leading the charge for the Ducks with 32-points to help Beijing to its first win of the season, hammering Jilin 101-84.

--The Southern Tigers came out the winner of the battle of Guangdong, thumping Foshan 127-100.

--Xinjiang move to 2-0 on the season with a 120-96 win over visiting Jiangsu.

--Shandong easily handled Shanxi 117-93.

--And it was Guangsha over Fujian 119-110.

The Lions have little time to relish in their victory, as they're one of 10-teams in action again tomorrow to start out Week-3 of the CBA season.

Hockey: Rookie Lindburg scores 7th in NYR win over CarolinaFrom the National Hockey League,The New York Rangers continue their surprisingly hot start to the year.

Rangers rookie Oscar Lindberg scored his 7th goal of the campaign to lead New York to a 2-1 road win over Colorado earlier today.

The Rangers, who many anticipated might struggle this year after gambling on a series of trades to shore up their playoff run last year, remain 1st in the Metropolitan Division with a 9-2-2 record.

In other action,The Pittsburg Penguins managed to keep pace with New York in the Metropolitan with a 2-1 victory over Edmonton.

--It was Detroit getting past Toronto 2-1 in overtime.

--New Jersey doubled-up on Chicago 4-2.

--Anaheim managed to hold off Columbus 4-2 as well.

--And Dallas thumped Carolina 4-1.

Italian cyclist Mareczko Jakub wins 7th stage of Tour of Taihu LakeItalian rider Jakub Mareczko has taken stage 7 of this year's Tour of Taihu Lake cycling race in Jiangsu.

The 20-year-old Italian had already won 4 of the previous 6 stages.

Chinese rider Ma Guangtong came in 4th in today's stage.

Over 130 riders from 22 professional teams are taking part in this year's Tour of Taihu Lake.

The event will conclude tomorrow.

IAAF's annual gala in Monaco cancelled amid corruption allegationsThe governing body of world athletics, the IAAF, has cancelled its annual awards ceremony.

This comes amid the formal investigation into former President Lamine Diack.

The World Athletics Gala, which honours the world's top athletes, had been scheduled for November 28th in Monaco.

Instead, the Male and Female Athletes of the Year will now be announced online.

The IAAF ethics commission is looking into allegations Diack was part of a bribery scheme which allegedly saw international sports federations funnel money through himself and a handful of others to cover-up doping violations.

His son is among 4 others caught-up in the scandal.

The 82-year old Diack stepped down as the head of the IAAF following this year's Championships in Beijing.

EntertainmentZhang Yimou receives special lifetime achievement honor in US-China Summit in Los AngelesChinese director Zhang Yimou has received a special lifetime achievement honor at the 6th annual U.S.-China Film Summit in Los Angeles.

Other honorees include Le Vision Pictures founder and CEO Zhang Zhao and the Beijing Film Academy for its role in cultivating Chinese cinema talent during a period of historic industry growth.

The Asia Society-sponsored event features a series of panel discussions addressing a raft of perennial cross-border industry topics: such as Chinese investment in Hollywood, Hollywood investment in China.

Zhang Yimou's latest film "The Great Wall" is currently in production.

The film will hit the screens next year.

Elvis Presley tops UK album chart again, 40 years onNearly 40 years after his death, Elvis Presley is back at the top of the British album charts with his 12th UK Number 1 - "If I Can Dream," a collection of Elvis classics featuring orchestral reworkings by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

This means Elvis has now had more Number 1 albums in the UK than any other male solo artist.

The Official Charts Company says that puts him level with Madonna in second place for the most chart-topping albums, behind the Beatles, who have 15.

Elvis claimed top spot with 79,000 chart sales, the company added, giving him the second-fastest selling album of the year behind Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds' "Chasing Yesterday."Rod Stewart landed his 34th Top 10 album with "Another Country," new at Number 2, while Elbow frontman Guy Garvey was third with his first solo release "Courting The Squall."Lord Of The Rings soundtrack tops film music hall of fameThe soundtrack to The Lord Of The Rings, by composer Howard Shore, has been voted top movie theme for the sixth year running.

It was chosen by thousands of listeners to the British radio station Classic FM in an online poll. The runner up was Schindler's List with the theme to Gladiator coming in third. Also making it into the top 10, the theme music to Jurassic Park and Star Wars.

Meanwhile, John Williams has again been voted the nation's favourite composer of film music, with no less that eight entries in the top 30, including Jurassic Park, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, and Raiders Of The Lost Ark.

With the latest Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens due for release next month, Williams's theme music reached fourth place in the annual chart.

Coldplay debuts new single, 'Adventures of a Lifetime'

Coldplay has premiered a new song "Adventures of a Lifetime," the first lifted from the British act's seventh studio set.

The track will be featured on Coldplay's forthcoming album, "A Head Full of Dreams," due out December 4.

Produced by Norwegian hitmaking duo Stargate along with longtime collaborator Rik Simpson, the album features guest appearances by Beyonce, Sweden's Tove Lo and Noel Gallagher, among others.

"A Head Full of Dreams" will contain 12 songs, including a hidden work "X Marks The Spot."The band's last album, "Ghost Stories," was released in 2014 and reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

They chose not to tour "Ghost Stories," instead returning to the studio to record "A Head Full of Dreams."Angelina Jolie Pitt's 'By the Sea' pannedAngelina Jolie's latest attempt at film-making is meeting with some stark reviews so far.

"By the Sea," which was written and directed by Jolie, tells the story of a couple in 1970's France who are working through marriage issues and find themselves drawn into the lives of people living in a small seaside town.

The Hollywood Reporter is describing the film, which she stars in along with husband Brad Pitt, as a "vanity project."Variety calls the film "meandering" and "overlong."Of the positive reviews - if you can call it that - Indiwire describes "By the Sea" as a "cult curiou in the Jolie-Pitt filmography""By the Sea" is Jolie's third attempt at directing.

Her last film, "Unbroken," earned 160-million dollars worldwide, but has also been panned by critics as over-drawn and historically questionable.

WeatherBeijing will have slight rain tonight with a low of 3, tomorrow will be cloudy with a high of 10.

Shanghai will have shower tonight with a low of 17, tomorrow will have more shower, high of 19.

Chongqing will have slight rain with a low of 16, tomorrow will be overcast, high of 20.

Lhasa will be clear with a low of minus 1, tomorrow will be sunny with a high of 15.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad will be cloudy with a high of 23.

Kabul, cloudy, 11.

Down in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney, slight rain, high of 20,Brisbane,rainy,25,Perth, cloudy, 29,And finally Auckland, New Zealand will be cloudy with a high of 20 degrees Celsius.

That's it for this weekend edition of the Beijing Hour.

A quick look at the headlines before we go...

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Taiwan leader Ma Ying-Jeou shake hands in Singapore today in an historic cross-strait meeting.

The Chinese President promising to solve issues in the South China Sea through negotiations as part of a speech in Singapore.

Egyptian authorities say they've not been given any foreign intelligence suggesting a bomb may have taken down a Russian jetliner a week ago.

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