People's Daily Tonight: Podcast News (5/16/2018 Wed.)
People's Daily
1526474843000

151724538xe1.jpg

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

_____

Chinese Vice Premier arrives in Washington for economic, trade consultations

timg.jpg

Chinese President Xi Jinping's special envoy arrives in Washington for trade talks with the US.

Vice Premier Liu He leads a delegation, whose members come from major economic sectors of the Chinese government.

A Chinese working group arrived in the US last week and engaged in intense consultations with the US side.

_____

China's Taiwan office: 'No way out' for Taiwan independence

China's Taiwan office says there is 'No way out' for Taiwan independence.

A spokesman says the military drills and island patrol recently conducted by the People's Liberation Army prevents "Taiwan independence" in any form.

He added that China has the ability and confidence to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

_____

US says to continue preparing Kim-Trump meeting despite DPRK's warning

20180516074432823 (1).jpg

The White House says it will independently evaluate a North Korean threat to cancel the summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says the US will look at what North Korea has said unilaterally and will continue to coordinate closely with US allies.

The US State Department says it has not received any formal or informal notice of anything related to the summit from North Korean officials.

North Korean state media has criticized the US over joint military exercises with South Korea.

_____ 

Former Malaysian deputy PM Anwar released

马哈蒂尔和安瓦尔.jpg

Former Malaysian deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is released from jail.

This, after being pardoned over a sodomy conviction that saw him jailed for the past three years.

Smiling and wearing a tailored black suit, Anwar emerged from a Kuala Lumpur hospital where he had undergone surgery for a shoulder problem. 

_____ 

Photos: Putin opens Crimean bridge with truck ride

wire-2969404-1526394379-614_634x422.jpg

Russian President Vladimir Putin opens a bridge linking southern Russia and the Crimean Peninsula.

The 19-kilometer-long bridge is the longest in Europe.

The bridge's capacity is 40,000 cars and 47 pairs of trains per day, 14 million passengers and 13 million tons of cargo per year.

_____

EU, Cuba build ties in face of US pressure

EU and Cuba sign a renewable energy deal.

It’s a step toward normalizing relations in defiance of Washington's continuing hardline stance on Havana.

The EU is seeking to add substance to its landmark cooperation agreement with Cuba, which came into effect in November. 

A top EU official condemned the US economic blockade of Cuba as "obsolete" and "illegal." 

The EU also plans to finance a food security support program for the island, and contributed 19.7 million euros.

_____

'Made in China' subway cars ready for Boston passengers by end of 2018

169-1G225192S5243.jpg

And new subway cars designed and manufactured by a Chinese company are undergoing tests and will be ready to take passengers in Boston by the end of the year.

A set of four cars appeared on a  test track at Wellington Yard in Medford, Massachusetts.

The cars were the first of 152 cars to serve the Orange Line in Boston.

Each car needs about 500 hours of burn-in tests before officially taking passengers on board.

______

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

(Produced by Davide Nye, Jiang Zhuqing and Liang Peiyu)