新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 08:00 2013/07/31

 Rebecca Hume with you on this Wednesday, July 31st, 2013.

Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this morning...
China's top leadership says the country's economy will maintain steady growth this year.
Israel and Palestine agree to meet within next two weeks
US Army private Bradley Manning convicted of espionage
Business
Apple faces worker abuse claims in China
Sports
Boxing great Manny Pacquiao and Chinese rising star Zou Shiming visit Beijing
Entertainments
Disney studios to work on a film adaptation best-selling children's book series Artemis Fowl.
Plus
Special reports takes a look at why foreign coaches say Chinese football needs better youth development
First, let's check on what's happening on the weather front...
 
 
Weather
 
 
Over 10 die of heatstroke in "hottest Shanghai summer"
 
Local health authorities in Shanghai say the heatwave there has killed at least 10 people.
Temperatures in Shanghai surpassed 39 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, the 8th straight day above 38.
The Shanghai Meteorological Center says this has been the hottest July for the city in over 140 years.
China's national meteorological bureau has issued its highest level emergency response to the current heatwave.
It covers 9 provinces and municipalities in eastern and central China.
 
 
Beijing will see thundershowers today, with a high of 31 degree Celsius in the daytime, and it will see thundershowers tonight with a low of 23.
In Shanghai, it will be cloudy today, 39 the high, and it will be cloudy tonight, the low of 30 degrees Celsius.
Lhasa will be cloudy in the daytime the temperature's at 22, and tonight will have slight rain with a low of 11 degree Celsius.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, sunny, 34.
Kabul, sunny, with a high of 36.
And in North America
New York, sunny, with a high of 27 degrees.
Washington, overcast, highs of 28
Houston, overcast, 34.
Honolulu, moderate rain, 31.
Toronto, overcast, 23
Finally, on to South America,
Buenos Aires, sunny, 17.
And Rio de Janeiro will be sunny with highs of 23 degrees Celsius.
 
 
Top News
 
 
China's economy to maintain steady growth: China top leadership
 
Anchor
China's top leadership says they believe the country's economy will maintain steady growth in the second half of this year.
However, they did admit it is facing "extremely complicated domestic and international conditions".
Su Yi has the details.
Reporter
The comments come following a top leadership meeting presided over by General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping.
The Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee has issued a statement after Tuesday's meeting, saying the central government will continue to coordinate stabilizing growth, restructuring the economy and promoting reforms.
Latest government figures suggest China's economic growth has slowed to 7.5 percent in the second quarter from 7.7 percent in the first three months.
The statement issued following the meeting contends major economic indicators are within "reasonable ranges" in the first half.
It goes on by saying the central government will not roll out massive fiscal and monetary stimulus.
Instead, it will adopt a different approach by introducing economic reforms that are driven by market forces to offset the impact of the current slowdown.
The central government has already rolled out a slew of such reform measures so far, including curtailing its own power in approving business projects, cutting taxes for small companies and opening the railway sector to private capital.
For CRI, I'm Su Yi.
 
 
Japanese Vice Foreign Minister visits China
 
It's been confirmed Japanese vice Foreign Minister Akitaka Saiki paid a two-day visit to China earlier this week.
Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement, saying Saiki had held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Chinese counterpart Liu Zhenmin during the visit.
Japanese vice Foreign Minister Akitaka Saiki:
"I had a serious and frank exchange of opinions with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and other related Chinese officials on a variety of issues in current Japan-China relations. After this we hope to continue discussions through various channels."
Chinese foreign ministry also said in the statement that China and Japan would maintain communication "at all levels and through multiple channels".
 
 
China launches the highest level emergency response to heat
 
Anchor
China's national meteorological bureau has issued its highest level emergency response to the current heatwave gripping parts of China.
The sizzling weather in Shanghai has so far claimed at least 10 lives.
CRI's Zhang Shuangfeng has more.
Reporter
It's the first time this year the Meteorological Administration has issued a level-two emergency response, the highest of its kind.
It covers 9 provinces and municipalities in eastern and central China.
Summer heat wave has gripped China with temperatures over 35 degrees Celsius over the past week.
In the city of Turpan in Xinjiang, temperatures hit a record of 44.3-degrees, making it the country's hottest city.
Shanghai has recorded its hottest July in 140 years.
Wu Rui is the head of the city's meteorological bureau.
"There have been 24 high temperature days in July this year. It should be a new record since Shanghai had its own weather recording. Also, in July of this year Shanghai reached 40.6 degrees Celsius, its highest ever temperature. So the highest temperature in July also broke a record."
Two elderly people died from heatstroke in a local hospital over the weekend.
Local hospitals have also been inundated with a soaring number of people suffering from heat-related illnesses.
The heat in Shanghai has many people looking for different ways to beat-the-heat.
"It's impossible for people to live without an air-conditioner. Just going outside in this kind of temperate can roast people. So I always stay in the office with an air-conditioner. We came here to avoid the summer heat. It's much cooler in the water."
Continuous summer heat has also triggered severe drought in Hunan Province.
Half a million people in parts of the province are also finding it difficult to access drinking water due to the drought brought on by the heat.
Forecasters are warning temperatures will continue to climb in early August.
This has led to warnings of heatstroke and fires.
Authorities are also recommending people find ways to stay cool and limit their outdoor activities.
For CRI, this is Zhang Shuangfeng.
 
 
Israel and Palestine agree to meet within next two weeks
 
Anchor
US Secretary of State John Kerry says negotiators from Israel and Palestine have agreed to hold another meeting within the next two weeks to kick off new peace talks.
The peace negotiations are aimed to achieve a final status agreement between the two sides.
CRI Washington chief correspondent Xiaohong has more.
Ann
Secretary Kerry described the two-day-meeting between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators "constructive and positive", saying both sides have agreed to keep the momentum.
"The parties have agreed to remain engaged and sustained continuous and substantive negotiations on the core issues and they will meet within the next two weeks in either Israel or the Palestinian territories in order to begin the process of formal negotiation."
Secretary Kerry disclosed that both the Palestinians and Israelis have agreed to put all issues regarding the final status of Palestine on the table for discussion.
Among the thorniest issues include the border and settlement problems, the status of Jerusalem, as well as the rights of Palestinian refugees.
Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat says he is delighted all issues are on the table.
"Palestinians have suffered enough. It's time for the Palestinians to live in peace, freedom and dignity within their own independent sovereign state."
He says he believes the Palestinian people will benefit the most from asuccessful negotiation.
Israeli chief negotiator Tzipi Livni says the Washington meetings and the future ones will cause a spark of hope.
"It is our task to work together so that we can transform that spark of hope into something real and lasting."
In the next nine months, the two sides are going to hold secret talks to work out a final status agreement with one single objective: to end the decades-long conflict.
For CRI, I'm Xiaohong reporting from Washington.
 
 
EU's Ashton says Egypt's Morsi in good health, has access to news
 
Anchor
European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton says Egypt's ousted President Mohamed Morsi, is in good health and has access to the news.
However she says she does not know where Morsi is being held.
Shen Chengcheng has more.
reporter
Ashton was allowed to meet with Morsi for two hours Monday evening.
However, she declined to reveal anything further about their conversation.
Morsi's spokesman Yasser Aly has described the meeting as being a "positive step".
"As EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton mentioned that there is a political initiative to end this crisis, we believe that a security solution will not solve the crisis and will not make protesters leave the streets that they have been camping out on for a month."
Morsi supporters say they are planning more protests in Cairo but the interim government has warned that any violation of the law will be dealt with firmly.
Security officials also threatened to dismantle a main protest sit-in near a mosque in Cairo's northeast.
As part of her mediation mission to end Egypt's political unrest, Ashton has also held talks with with interim leadership, including army chief General Abdul Fattah al-Sisi and representatives of activist gourps.
She is the first foreign diplomat to meet Morsi since he was detained after being overthrown close to a month ago.
For CRI, I'm Shen Chengcheng.
 
 
Military judge rules Manning of Wikileaks case not guilty of aiding enemy
 
Anchor
US Army private Bradley Manning, who is accused of leaking classified information to whistleblower site Wikileaks, has been convicted of espionage but not of aiding the enemy.
Marc Cavigli has more.
Reporter
The judge has found the 25-year-old guilty of 20 charges in total, including theft and computer fraud.
Manning admitted turning over hundreds of thousands of diplomatic cables and battle field reports to Wikileaks.
His lawyers say he leaked the information to Wikileaks to provoke debate and spark reform.
Elizabeth Goitein is the Co-director of Liberty and National Security Program at Brennan Centre for Justice.
"The issue there has really been, is it sufficient that he put information out there that he knew would get on to the internet. Is that sufficient to impute to him actual knowledge that this information would go to al Qaida?"
James Lewis, cyber-security analyst at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, says Manning's case should lead to some soul searching at the highest levels.
"You know, you have to feel a little sorry for Manning, because it's not clear that these people think two steps ahead. And so, he enjoyed it, he was a little manipulated there by some folks and I don't think he thought about the consequences."
Manning, who has already spent three years in custody, is facing a maximum sentence of over 1-hundred years.
His sentencing hearing is set to begin later this Wednesday.
For CRI, I'm Marc Cavigli.
 
 
President Robert Mugabe says he will comply with the outcome of Wednesday's election
 
Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe says he will surrender power if he loses elections on Wednesday.
Mugabe has ruled the country over 3 decades since it gained independence in 1980.
"If you lose, you must surrender to those who won. If you win, those who have lost must also surrender to you. And this is it, we will do so yes, comply with the rules."
89-year-old Mugabe will be facing Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai in the presidential ballot.
Tsvangirai said on Monday he doesn't trust the nation's state electoral body to conduct free and fair elections and called for their resignation.
Tsvangirai is accusing Mugabe's party of doctoring the voters' roll.
However, Mugabe's ZANU-PF party has denied the accusations, saying it was the electoral commision's responsibility to release the roll.
It's being reported the document features the names of thousands of dead people and some names also appear more than once with different ID numbers.
Zimbabwe Electoral Commision has not commented on the allegations.
 
 
Mamnoon Hussain elected as Pakistan's new president
 
Mamnoon Hussain of the Pakistan Muslim League has been elected as Pakistan's new president.
The Election Commission of Pakistan says Hussain secured 432 votes.
The only other candidate, retired Supreme Court judge Wajihuddin Ahmed, took just 77 votes.
Pakistan's Chief Election Commissioner Fakhruddin Ibrahim.
"As a result, Mr. Mamnoon Hussain has been declared, returned elected, to the office of the president of Pakistan."
The 73-year-old Hussain will replace Asif Ali Zardari, whose five-year term ends in September.
 
 
Int'l Workshop Calls for Wild Animal Protection
 
Anchor
Participants at a wildelife protection seminar are calling for more efforts to protect wild tigers as well as to combat illegal trade in animal products and poaching.
CRI's Lucy Du brings us the story.
Reporter
Yunan's capital city of Kunming is currently hosting an international workshop on the conservation of tigers and other endangered species.
Discussion topics include the protection of wild tigers and combating the illegal trade in animal products.
Shi Kun is the director of the wildlife institute at Beijing Forestry University.
"Indo-Chinese tiger is still distributed in the area. During the last three decades we found some records in the border area inside China in south and southwest of Yunnan province and on the border area with Laos and Myanmar, so we just ran the preliminary survey in the Xishuangbanna nature reserve, which is a hot spot of Indo-Chinese tiger distribution in the area. "
Three out of eight subspecies of wild tigers in the world are extinct.
China is home to 4 subspecies of wild tigers which are all on the verge of extinction.
Over 30 nature reserves and more than 70 conservation stations have been established, solely devoted to protecting wild tigers in the country.
Thanks to the construction of these ecological programs, the population of wild tigers in China has been increasing in recent years.
However, Yin Hong, deputy head of China's State Forestry Administration, says more needs to be done.
"I want to call on the international community to pay a close attention on the differences in economic strength, regulation capabilities and the effectiveness of law enforcement between different countries. We should provide more help to poor regions in order to improve protection of wild tigers and combat illegal trade of animal products."
This International Workshop on Transboundary Conservation of Tigers and Other Endangered Species is the largest of its kind here in the country.
The 3-day session has attracted more than 130 participants from a dozen countries and international organizations.
From CRI, I'm Lucy Du.
 
 
Biz Reports
 
 
Anchor
First off, a check on the stock market of North America and Europe.
Join me on the desk, CRI's Su Yi.
Reporter
The U.S. stocks closed mixed after choppy trading on Tuesday, with the Nasdaq refreshing a 12-year high.
Investors awaited the result of the U.S. Federal Reserve's two-day policy meeting and U.S. home prices in May logged the biggest increase in over seven years.
The Dow and the S&P 500 closed almost flat.
The Nasdaq edged up 0.5 percent.
Meanwhile, Canada's S&P/TSX lost 0.7 percent.
In Europe, European stocks rose across-the-board as research institute GfK said that German consumer sentiment indicator rose for the seventh straight month.
Germany's DAX was up 0.2 percent.
France's CAC 40 gained 0.5 percent and Britain's FTSE 100 edged up 0.2 percent.
 
 
Phoning with Ben Apple faces "worse than Foxcoon" worker abuse claims in China
 
Apple is facing fresh allegations of workers rights violations at the Chinese factories of one of its suppliers, Shanghai-based Pegatron Group.
New York-based China Labor Watch alleges three factories run by Pegatron violate a "great number of international and Chinese laws and standards".
The allegations include the use of underage workers, contract violations and excessive working hours.
Employees are said to be working close to 70-hours a week.
Last year, Apple found its image marred in China by a series suicides of workers at its chief supplier Foxcoon due to bad working conditions.
Earlier, Apple said its revenue from China fell 14 percent year-on-year to 4.6 billion US dollars in the second quarter.
That figure, which represents a 43 percent decline from the previous quarter, marked the first time revenue decreased in the country.
For more on its latest labor rights violation claims and Apple's fortunes in China, we are joined on the line by Benjamin Cavender, Associate principal at China Market Research in Shanghai.
1. How much do we know about the Pegatron Group and do these alledged violations come as a shock as people would generally assume that a company based in Shanghai would be subject to more strictly enforced regulations?
2. Apple's Chinese operations would be given more spotlight as this investigation keeps unfolding, will this publicity do more to tarnish its image or will it be more like the Foxcoon case where Apple came out of it even stronger?
3. Aside from this labor rights scandal, what is your assessment of Apple's fortunes in the Chinese market. What is it that enabled it to sweep the market here and is that still firmly in Apple's hand?
back anchor: Benjamin Cavender, Associate principal at China Market Research in Shanghai
 
 
China, South Korea, Japan launch 2nd FTA talks
 
China, South Korea and Japan have started their second round of trilateral talks on a free trade agreement in Shanghai.
This follows a first round of talks in Seoul in March.
Last year, the three countries' combined GDP came in at 15 trillion U.S. dollars.
This is around one-fifth of the world's total, and 70 percent of the GDP in Asia.
The third round of FTA talks will be held in Japan at the end of the year.
 
 
Eurozone economic confidence continues to improve in July
 
New data shows economic confidence in the eurozone continued to improve in July.
The European Commission reports the economic sentiment indicator or ESI increased by 1.2 points.
The figure represents a continuing the upward trend observed since May.
The report says rising confidence in the euro area was driven by the brightening morale in the major economies.
The ESI index rises 2.9 points in Italy, 1.2 points in Spain and France, and 0.7 points in Germany.
On a sector basis, eurozone saw improved confidence among consumers and managers in industry, services and retail trade.
Only in the construction sector confidence weakened.
 
 
U.S. consumer confidence dips in July
 
New stats show U.S. consumer confidence, which had improved in June, pulled back slightly in July.
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index stood at 80.3 for July.
It is down from 82.1 in June.
The June reading marked a more than five-year high.
The report shows that the present situation index has increased, while the expectations index has decreased.
Observers say consumer confidence remains well above the levels of a year ago.
They believe consumers' assessment of current conditions continues to gain ground and expectations remain in expansionary territory despite the July retreat.
 
 
U.S. home prices post best annual returns in over 7 years
 
New stats show U.S. home prices continued to increase in May and recorded best annual returns in more than seven years.
The S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices report increases of 2.5 percent and 2.4 percent for the 10- and 20-City Composites from April to May.
It is a leading measure of U.S. home prices provided by S&P Dow Jones Indices.
On an annual basis, the 10- and 20-City Composites annual returns posted the best year-over-year gains since March 2006.
The figures represent increases of 11.8 percent and of 12.2 percent respectively.
All 20 cities posted year-over-year gains.
As of May 2013, average home prices across the United States are back to their spring 2004 levels.
 
 
Chrysler posts 16 pct net profit increase for Q2
 
U.S giant auto maker Chrysler Group has posted net profits of 507-million U.S. dollars for the second quarter of 2013.
It is up 16 percent from a year earlier.
Chrysler's net revenue for the second quarter was also up 7 percent to 18 billion dollars.
The strong performance has helped boost its parent company Fiat SpA's second quarter net profit up by 82 percent.
Without Chrysler, the Italian automaker would have lost nearly 328 million dollars.
Fiat gained control of Chrysler as part of a 2009 bailout of the bankrupt automaker brokered by the U.S. government.
The Italian company currently owns 58.5 percent of Chrysler.
 
 
Barclays raising funds to meet tougher regulations
 
Britain's third-biggest bank Barclays says it is raising 5.8 billion pounds from its shareholders.
The move is to help plug a larger-than-expected capital shortfall identified by Britain's financial regulator at the bank.
The regulator said Barclays needed an extra 12.8 billion pounds to strengthen its capital reserves against potential market shocks.
The estimate was only 7 billion pounds a month ago.
Its being reported the increase in capital requirement is mainly due to tougher European rules on the way banks measure risks.
The British regulator gave the 320-year-old bank a year to fill the gap.
Banks across Europe are battling to meet tougher regulations aimed at preventing a repeat of the financial crisis.
Deutsche Bank, for example, missed second-quarter profit forecasts, hit by higher legal costs.
 
 
Headline News
 
 
China's economy to maintain steady growth: China top leadership
 
China's top leadership says they believe the country's economy will maintain steady growth in the second half of this year.
However, they did admit it is facing "extremely complicated domestic and international conditions".
The comments come following a top leadership meeting presided over by General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping.
The statement issued following the meeting contends major economic indicators are within "reasonable ranges" in the first half.
It goes on by saying the central government will not roll out massive fiscal and monetary stimulus.
Instead, it will adopt a different approach by introducing economic reforms that are driven by market forces to offset the impact of the current slowdown.
 
 
Japanese Vice Foreign Minister visits China
 
It's been confirmed Japanese vice Foreign Minister Akitaka Saiki paid a two-day visit to China earlier this week.
Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement, saying Saiki had held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Chinese counterpart Liu Zhenmin during the visit.
Chinese foreign ministry also said in the statement that China and Japan would maintain communication "at all levels and through multiple channels".
 
 
Israel and Palestine agree to meet within next two weeks
 
US Secretary of State John Kerry says negotiators from Israel and Palestine have agreed to hold another meeting within the next two weeks to kick off new peace talks.
The stalemated peace negotiations are aimed to achieve a final status agreement between the two sides.
In the next nine months, the two sides are going to hold secret talks to work out a final status agreement with one single objective: to end the decades-long conflict.
 
 
Military judge rules Manning of Wikileaks case not guilty of aiding enemy
 
US Army private Bradley Manning, who is accused of leaking classified information to whistleblower site Wikileaks, has been convicted of espionage but not of aiding the enemy.
The judge has found the 25-year-old guilty of 20 charges in total, including theft and computer fraud.
Manning admitted turning over hundreds of thousands of diplomatic cables and battle field reports to Wikileaks.
Manning, who has already spent three years in custody, is facing a maximum sentence of over 1-hundred years.
His sentencing hearing is set to begin later this Wednesday.
 
 
Apple faces new worker abuse claims in China
 
Apple is facing fresh allegations of workers rights violations at the Chinese factories of one of its suppliers, Shanghai-based Pegatron Group.
New York-based China Labor Watch alleges three factories run by Pegatron violate a "great number of international and Chinese laws and standards".
The allegations include the use of underage workers, contract violations and excessive working hours.
Employees are said to be working close to 70-hours a week.
Both Apple and Pegatron say they will investigate the claims immediately.
Pegatron assembles about one third of Apple's iPhones and iPads.
The company currently has 70-thousand people on its payroll.
 
 
Newspaper Picks
 
 
GLOBAL TIMES
Headline
New group advocates patients' right-to-die
Summary
A right-to-die advocacy group has reportedly been established in Beijing.
The Beijing Living Will Advocate Association promotes the idea of "letting patients exert their will to remove life support and die in dignity when they have come to the point where no medical means could cure them" .
SHANGHAI DAILY
Headline
Cleaner fuel on the way for city motorists
Summary
Gas stations across Shanghai will start selling cleaner fuel in December, the latest initiative by the city to reduce vehicle pollution.
Local authorities have announced a timetable for implementing the Shanghai V (5) standard for fuel.
SOUTH CHINA METROPOLITAN DAILY
Headline
Shanghai sharply increases water fees
Summary
Residents in Shanghai are to set to pay much more for water starting from August due to the implementation of a new multi-tier water pricing system.
The rising costs of water treatment and the government's desire to conserve water are said to be behind the price rise.
XIAOXIANG MORNING POST
Headline
Illegal tour firms face crackdown
Summary
According to a plan unveiled last week by the Beijing Commission of Tourism Development, tour agencies with one-day packages will have to log on through an electronic code with bus operators.
The move targets unqualified tour companies.
BEIJING TIMES
Headline
Man stands trial over poisoned dumplings
Summary
A court in North China's Hebei province has opened a trial for a man who allegedly added poison to frozen dumplings that sickened four Chinese and nine Japanese citizens.
According to the procuratorate, the man was dissatisfied with his salary and attempted to create an incident to attract the attention of managers in order to boost his salary.
BEIJING NEWS
Headline
Police arrest man in Beijing road rage toddler murder
Summary
Beijing police says the suspect surnamed Han, who allegedly killed a baby girl in a road rage attack, has been arrested.
Han is accused of lifting the toddler from her stroller and hurling her onto the ground in Daxing district on July 23rd, she later died in hospital.
CHINA DAILY
Headline
Healing stones
Summary
It is being reported a new trend for traditional therapies are being embraced, this time hot rocks are being used for their potentially restorative powers, and spas are taking advantage of the trend in Shanghai.
Hot-stone therapy is said to be helpful to cure ailments such as back pain and arthritis.
 
 
Special Reports
 
 
Foreign coaches say Chinese football needs better youth development
 
Anchor
Football observers here in China are offering up a host of opinions about why the men's squad continues to struggle on the international scene.
CRI's Jordan Lee has more.
Reporter
The men's national team failed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup.
Then the Chinese Football Association fired head coach Jose Camacho after his squad was thrashed by Thailand.
Even China's second place finish in the East Asian Cup wasn't enough to placate fans.
One Beijing footballer summed up a lot of people's frustrations:
Chinese football doesn't have any strengths or competitiveness. Didn't you see that the Chinese football team was just beaten by Thailand?
Two years ago, Wei Di, then general secretary of the CFA, admitted some measure of defeat. He told FIFA.com, "we didn't work hard enough to develop football in the country."
But actually, the problem might be that China has worked too hard to be good at football.
According to some of the foreign coaches who are teaching football at a grassroots level in China, the key to strengthening domestic football is as simple as tweaking the way young players learn the sport.
Serge Mbousnoum has been coaching youth football teams in Beijing for several years.
The Cameroonian native says the main problem is that the mainstream method of coaching focuses too much on technical perfection, and fails to develop players with a natural instinct for the game.
"During the training the coaches don't let the players create, think by themselves//here they will stop the scrimmage all the time. You should do this, you should have done that."
Mbousnoum epmashized that his young Chinese athletes have talent, athleticism, intelligence – all the ingredients necessary for great football players.
But they lack one essential quality: how to be a playmaker.
"For me, it should be like street soccer. Street football. Should let them think by themselves. When you let them create, think by themselves. They will find a way to find solutions. Football is not only the talent, it's also the heart."
Arie Haan, the former manager of China's 2003 and 2004 national teams, told Xinhua that Chinese football lacks identity, not talent.
One reason for this lack of identity is the absence of Chinese football stars.
The face of Chinese football is David Beckham. The English star was hired by the CFA to act as the official football ambassador back in March.
Wu Chao, a former assistant coach for China's under-16 womens team, says Beckham is not the ideal spokesperson for Chinese football, but there's also no Chinese player capable of the role.
I think his influence is only temporary, it can't last very long. Beckham is only helping Chinese football right now, because the national team doesn't have enough influence. The national level as a whole is not good, so there are no Chinese football stars."
The Chinese national team has sunk five places this year to a dismal 100th world ranking. Behind teams like Angola, Georgia, and New Caledonia.
One of the CFA's goals is to develop China's youth football programs and host competitions like this week's Weifan International Youth tournament in Shandong province.
Foreign coaches say that focusing on youth programs is a positive direction, but they also emphasize that sports tradition is something that is built over the years.
Sport dominance is not instantaneous.
For CRI, I'm Jordan Lee.
 
 
Sports
 
 
Peng Shuai sweeps golds at National Games
 
Peng Shuai swept all four gold medals in womens tennis events, after claiming the singles title at the 12th National Games yesterday.
Top-seeded Peng easily defeated her Tianjin teammate Duan Yingying in two sets.
The 27-year-old said the victory was meaningful because she's not sure whether she'll be able to participate in the next National Games, fours years from now.
And for the men,
Shanghai's Wu Di also had no problem defeating Jiangsu's Zhang Ze 6-1, 6-3 in the final.
The rest of the National Games will begin in Liaoning Province on August 31.
 
 
Katie Ledecky becomes youngest woman to win 1500 meter freestyle
 
At the FINA world championships in Barcelona, a successful day for American athletes yesterday.
Katie Ledecky became the youngest woman to win the 1500 meter freestyle event, her second gold at Barcelona. Earlier Ledecky won the 400 meter freestyle as well.
The 16-year-old made her international debut at the London Olympics, where she won gold in the 800 meter freestyle, also breaking the American record in that event.
Americans Matt Grevers and Missy Franklin took gold in their respective 100m backstroke events.
France's Yannick Angle triumphed in the 200m freestyle.
And Ruta Meilutyte didn't set another world record in the 100 meter breaststroke, but she did claim Lithuania's first world championship gold.
American Cesile Carlton was crowned the first ever women’s world champion high diver yesterday. Second place went to Ginger Huber, whose third and final dive cost her first place.
Large crowds gathered to watch the women leap from a 20 meter platform, which is twice as high the tallest diving board used at the Olympics.
It is not a sport for the fainthearted. Divers have to enter the water feet-first to prevent breaking their arms on impact. And a jet from a hosepipe is used to soften the surface of the water to render it less like concrete.
 
 
Manny Pacquiao and Zou Shiming give press conference in Beijing
 
Boxing great Manny Pacquiao was joined by China's rising star Zou Shiming at a press conference in Beijing yesterday.
China was the first stop for Pacquiao and American fighter Brandon Rios, who are traveling to promote November's welterweight bout in Macau.
The pacman hasn't been back in the ring since suffering two straight defeats nearly a year ago, the last of which left him lying unconscious face down on the mat.
Since then, Pacquiao has been spending his time serving his country as congressmen.
"I have time for serving people as a politician and I have time for boxing. I schedule (my time) like this. If I am in training, of course we set aside the things that can be distractions to our training, and we focus on our training. So we are pretty sure...　we have to make sure that we are in 100 per cent condition in the fight."
Pacquiao and Zou will begin training next month in the Phillippines with hall of fame coach Freddie Roach.
 
 
Australia and England look ahead to the third test at the Ashes
 
Tomorrow the much anticipated third Ashes test will get underway between Australia and England.
Australia's Chris Rogers said his side is hoping to turn things around after losing two consecutive tests.
"Ideally you like to win matches but we know this is a big challenge and it is a bit of a journey as well so...a lot of guys who are still kind of developing I guess and there is a long way to go. I think with Darren (Lehman) at the helm and Michael Clarke, who has been excellent as well - the mood is still good and positive and we win this game and things change quickly."
There has been talk that Australia might possibly bring David Warner back into the line up.
England's Jimmy Anderson says his side would have to reconsider their strategy if Warner plays.
"It would certainly be a new challenge because we have not played against him in test cricket. It is something...we have looked at all of their players from 1 to 15, the 15 or 16 in their squad and we have looked at all of them and hopefully we will be ready for every eventuality."
England leads the Test series 2-0 and a win at Old Trafford would guarantee them the urn.
 
 
Pau Gasol wants to assert himself as a leader for the Lakers
 
Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol talked humanitarian issues and basketball after returning from a trip to Iraq as the UNICEF goodwill ambassador.
Gasol visited a refugee camp that was designed to hold 15,000, but now provides shelter for over 50,000 of those fleeing armed conflict in neighboring Syria.
The Spaniard also spoke about his hopes for the upcoming NBA season.
With Dwight Howard gone and Kobe Bryant injured, Gasol is ready to assert himself as a leader.
"Now with Dwight (Howard) gone I'm the reference inside. And I'm more in a position like I was a couple of years back when we got to the finals three straight times and won two championships. So that makes a big difference as far as my play."
Also in Lakers news, Steve Nash decided to take a shot at professional football. The 39-year-old guard tried out for Italian club Inter Milan yesterday.
No word on how he fared at try-outs.
 
 
Entertainment
 
 
Disney to Adapt Children's Book Series Artemis Fowl
 
Disney studios has announced it will begin work on a film adaptation of the popular best-selling children's book series Artemis Fowl.
The live-action film will follow the events in the first two book of the 8-book series written by author Eoin Colfer.
The story follows a 12-year-old boy named Artemis who is a millionaire, criminal genius who kidnaps a fairy to use its powers to save his family.
Screenwriter Michael Goldenberg known for his work on Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix has been tapped to adapt the story.
(phoenix clip)
US award winning actor Robert DiNero will executive produce the film and may even appear in front of the camera as an actor though no details have been revealed yet.
 
 
Actor Alec Baldwin to Retire?
 
US actor Alec Baldwin has hinted he may be thinking about giving up acting.
(30 rock clip)
The 30-Rock actor claims he has grown disinterested in acting as of late and could see giving up the profession entirely.
He also added the impending birth of his and his wife's daughter creates another incentive to retire.
Baldwin is currently in filmmaker Woody Allen's latest film Blue Jasmine as the wealthy and inconsiderate husband to actress UK Cate Blanchett.
This isn't the first time Baldwin has paired up with the hilarious Allen though.
He also starred in the eccentric director's films Alice and To Rome With Love.
Blue Jasmine is now playing in the US and hits theaters in the UK in September.
 
 
Comedian Ricky Gervais to Tour?
 
UK-comedian Ricky Gervais has hinted he may take his famous The Office character David Brent on tour.
(office clip)
The comedian/actor recently announced he has had several offers from record companies to release an album as the embarrassingly awkward boss.
In the cancelled TV series The Office Brent is an egomaniacal office boss who fancies himself a best friend to everyone, a comedian, and a talented musician.
Gervais took to twitter asking fans what intimate venues would be appropriate for him to travel to and perform Brent's songs followed by a Q&A.
Sony and Universal have reportedly offered Gervais a 6-figure contract for a full studio album.
Gervais' series The Office which he created and starred in was the inspiration for the wildly successful US series of the same name.
 
 
Reissue of Nirvana Album
 
Details have emerged for the reissue of US grunge band Nirvana's third and final studio album In Utero.
(nirvana clip)
The new set features several extra goodies fans will be excited to hear about.
In addition to a remastered version of the 20-year old album the reissue will feature previously unreleased demos, B-sides, live tracks, and a DVD with the complete live performance from 1993.
The live performance features the final touring lineup of the band including Kurt Cobain and Dave Grohl.
In Utero was the challenging followup to Nirvana's 1991 breakthrough album Nevermind.
The reissue is available in September on both CD and vinyl formats.