The Beijing Hour China Plus

The Chinese defense minister has called for peace and stability in Asia Pacific in his speech to the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore(01:05).
Preliminary results indicate that voters in Mexico have elected the country's first female president(09:46). An Israeli official says the prime minister has accepted the framework for a deal to wind down the fighting in Gaza(17:49).

Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin have discussed the Taiwan question and the South China Sea issue on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue(01:06). Donald Trump has become the first former U.S. president to be convicted of a crime after the guilty verdict from his hush money trial(11:09). And Hamas says it is ready to reach an agreement if Israel stops its attacks on Gaza(21:00).

Chinese President Xi Jinping has addressed a meeting on China-Arab states cooperation pledging to advance ties and offer additional aid for Gaza(01:05). Electoral officials in South Africa are pleased with a higher-than-expected voter turnout(11:17). And a new pair of giant pandas will arrive in Washington this year under a new conservation program(19:47).

A new assessment from the International Monetary Fund predicts that China’s economy will grow five percent this year, up from its previous projection of 4.5 percent(01:04). A report shows that human rights in the U.S. continued to deteriorate last year with problems such as gun violence, discrimination, and violations of the rights for women and children(09:30). South Africans head to the polls in a general election where the ruling ANC is projected to lose its parliamentary majority(18:05).

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is in China for a state visit and to attend the opening ceremony of a ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum along with several other heads of state(01:06). Israel says it is investigating a strike in Rafah that went wrong as it claims to have killed Hamas officials but also civilians(13:56). And Papua New Guinea is relocating residents from a landslide that officials say could have buried 2,000 people(23:28).

China, Japan and South Korea have agreed to step up cooperation and maintain close communication following a summit among the Chinese premier, Japanese prime minister and South Korean president(01:02). Authorities in Papua New Guinea say at least 2,000 people were buried in Friday’s landslide(15:22). And Israel has bombed Rafah after Hamas launched rockets at Tel Aviv(23:48).