This is People's Daily Tonight, your news source from China. 

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Boao forum sends positive message to foreign investors

China will roll out a basket of measures to boost opening-up this year, including further reducing the negative list for foreign investment and raising penalties on copyright infringement, Premier Li Keqiang said at the opening plenary of the 2019 Boao Forum for Asia (BFA).

The opening plenary was held Thursday morning in the coastal town of Boao in South China's Hainan Province. The 2019 BFA runs from Tuesday to Friday with the theme, "Shared future, concerted action, common development."

In his speech, Li reiterated calls to safeguard the rule-based multilateral trading system and seek cooperation. No country is immune from challenges such as downward pressure in the global economy, Li said, stressing that China advocates free and fair trade.

Experts, multinational company executives and government officials echoed Li's call for further opening-up and globalization, providing recommendations at sub-forums on how to tackle the rising uncertainties stemming from the de-globalization trend. (Global Times)

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Britain slammed for report on HK

China yesterday urged the United Kingdom to respect China’s sovereignty after the UK government released its latest six-monthly report on Hong Kong.

"We urge the UK to face the reality that Hong Kong has returned to China for 22 years, respect China’s sovereignty, stop releasing relevant reports, and stop interfering in Hong Kong’s affairs,"Geng Shuang, spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry, said.

It is undeniable that the “one country, two systems” practice has achieved widely acknowledged success, he said. “Hong Kong's affairs have been entirely China’s internal affairs since July 1, 1997. The British side has no right to make irresponsible remarks or interfere with any excuses,” Geng said.(Xinhua)

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Flight-control feature in the Ethiopian's Boeing 737 MAX jet activated: investigators

A suspect flight-control feature in the deadly crashed Ethiopian's Boeing 737 MAX plane was automatically activated before the plane hit the ground, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Friday citing investigators of the case.

The investigators reached the preliminary conclusion based on data retrieved from the flight's black boxes.

One of the investigators said in the WSJ story that the emerging consensus is the strongest indication yet that the same Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) misfired in the two fatal flights, the Ethiopian flight that killed 157 people in March and the Indonesian flight that killed 189 people last October.

The MCAS is an automated safety feature on the 737 MAX designed to prevent the plane from entering into a stall, or losing lift. (People's Daily app)

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China hopes nations to take 'real actions' for peace in space

China on Thursday reiterated its commitment to "peace and stability in the outer space" while hoping that all countries will take "real actions" towards that goal, a day after India successfully carried out an anti-satellite (ASAT) missile test.

"We have noticed related reports. We hope all countries can take real actions to protect lasting peace and stability in the outer space," Senior Colonel Wu Qian, director general of the Information Office of China's Ministry of National Defense (MND) and Spokesperson for the MND, told reporters.

India destroyed a low-orbiting satellite in a missile test on Wednesday becoming the fourth country after the United States, Russia and China to have the ASAT capability. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a rare televised address, claimed the feat made India a "space superpower."

The test was officially designated as "Mission Shakti," derived from the Hindi word for "power" or "force." (CGTN)

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Macao tourist dies in fall at Grand Canyon in US: Chinese Consulate General

A Macao tourist died Thursday after a fall while visiting the Grand Canyon in the United States, said a spokesman of the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles.

The Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles contacted American police and confirmed the death of the Macao tourist, said the spokesman.

"The Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles expressed deep regret over the death of the tourist and will provide necessary assistance in the aftermath," he told Xinhua.

The tourist slipped and fell to his death from a lookout while taking pictures near the rim at Eagle Point, a popular tourist destination, reported local media, some of which initially reported the tourist as a Hongkonger. (Xinhua)

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Huawei reports robust 2018 revenue, profit growth

Chinese tech firm Huawei reported robust revenue and profit growth in 2018 "despite a challenging environment," the company announced Friday.

The company raked in 721.2 billion yuan ($105.2 billion) in global sales revenue, up 19.5 percent year on year, while its net profit increased 25.1 percent to reach 59.3 billion yuan, according to Huawei's 2018 annual report.

Huawei continued to invest heavily in research and development (R&D) in 2018, spending 101.5 billion yuan, or 14.1 percent of its sales revenue, in this field.

Over the last 10 years, Huawei's total R&D expenditure has exceeded 480 billion yuan, the report showed.

Led by its smartphones, the consumer business stood as Huawei's biggest revenue contributor, with sales reaching 348.9 billion yuan, up 45.1 percent year on year. (Xinhua)

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Part service resumes at Sydney Airport after control tower evacuation

Flight services are returning to normal at Sydney Airport on Friday after its air traffic control tower was evacuated shortly before noon.

Airservices Australia, the body which oversees the nation's air traffic control operations, previously posted to social media platform Twitter that the tower had been evacuated due to smoke, now saying "firefighters have cleared staff to return to the tower" and normal services will resume.

At this stage it's not clear if the incident was a false alarm or whether there was a fire in the control tower.

But as a result of the incident, 20 air traffic control staff were reported to have been evacuated and all flights in and out of Sydney Airport were placed under a "full ground stop." (Xinhua)

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And that's People's Daily Tonight. Thanks for joining us.

(Produced by Han Xiaomeng and Qiao Wai)