People's Daily Tonight: Podcast News (3/9/2018 Fri.)

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

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Xi urges energizing rural areas

President Xi Jinping highlights the importance of revitalizing the country's rural areas at the top legislature's annual session in Beijing. He says the strategy of revitalizing rural areas is a significant decision made at the CPC's 19th National Congress. He adds it’s also a great historical task to secure the decisive victory of building a moderately prosperous society.

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China's first homegrown commercial plane C919 to enter market by 2021: NPC deputy

The designer of China's C919 commercial plane says the first unit will be turned over to China Eastern Airlines by 2021. Wu Guanghui says six C919 airliners will undergo over 1,000 tests in the next three years. The C919 is China’s first domestically-built large passenger jet and was designed with the world’s most advanced technology.

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China blasts US steel, aluminum tariffs, vowing strong action

China slams steel and aluminum tariffs officially announced by the White House. Beijing says it breaks international trade rules and will harm itself. It calls the tariffs an act of trade protectionism carried out in the name of national security. China says it will assess the impact and take strong measures to defend its legitimate rights.

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Highlights of central bank governor's news conference

China’s central bank standardizes digital payments to ensure privacy and security. People’s Bank of China governor Zhou Xiaochuan says the primary purpose of research and development on digital currency is to ensure privacy and security. He says a roadmap for digital currency has been categorized in the international market.

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Trump to meet Kim Jong-un by May

US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may meet after all. This, after South Korea’s national security adviser said Trump agreed to meet Kim by May.

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Chinese courts resolved 195,000 graft cases in past 5 years

Chinese courts resolve 195,000 graft cases in the past five years Supreme People’s Court Chief Justice Zhou Qiang says graft-related cases involved 263,000 people, 101 of whom were former officials at the provincial and ministerial levels. A total of 13,000 people were convicted for offering bribes.

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China's CPI up 2.9%, PPI 3.7% in February: NBS

China’s inflation rate rose to 2.9 percent in February.That’s a 1.5 percent increase from January. And February’s producer price index was up 3.7 percent. It measures the cost of goods at the factories. The January index was down 4.3 percent.

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

(Produced by David Nye, Wu Kai and Liang Peiyu)