People's Daily Tonight: Podcast News (5/2/2018 Wed.)

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

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Mnuchin leads US trade delegation to visit China on Thursday

US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin will lead a delegation from the Trump administration to China on Thursday.

Mnuchin is also US President Donald Trump’s special envoy.

Chinese Vice Premier Liu He will exchange views on economic and trade issues of common concern with the US delegation.

Liu is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrives in DPRK

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrives in North Korea.

Wang is visiting from Wednesday to Thursday at the invitation of North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho.

The trip comes after the historic summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, and ahead of the planned meeting between Kim and US President Donald Trump in a few weeks.

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5.2-magnitude quake hits waters near Taiwan: CENC

A 5.2-magnitude earthquake jolts waters off Taiwan's Hualien County Wednesday morning, Beijing Time.

That’s according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.

Seismologists say the epicenter had a depth of 15 kilometers. 

There have no reports of damage or casualties.

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Relic thieves damage Great Wall in North China

Relic thieves damage Great Wall in North China.

Illegal excavations have left a dozen holes under a section of the Qin Dynasty Great Wall built more than 2,000 years ago in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Police say they have arrested two thieves who allegedly dug for relics such as coins and arrowheads along the Great Wall.

Inner Mongolia boasts of 35 percent of the Great Wall.

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Dominicans welcome diplomatic ties with China

Citizens of the Dominican Republic welcome the establishment of diplomatic ties between their country and China. 

Dominican Republic Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas and Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the announcement in Beijing.

The decision is seen as a "significant" step that will "bear fruit in a very short time" for the Caribbean island nation.

Dominican Minister of Policies for Regional Integration Miguel Mejia says closer ties with China and its people are bound to have a positive impact on his country's trade and technology.

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109 in custody after Paris May Day violence: police

French police said 109 people were in custody after violent May Day protests in Paris, and not 209 as given by the Interior Minister. 

Hooded youths had torched a McDonald's restaurant and several vehicles after joining the traditional May 1 union-led demonstration for workers' rights.

President Emmanuel Macron deplored the violence. 

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China sees tourism boom during May Day holiday

And the just concluded May Day holiday enjoys a tourist boom.

Data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism show tourism-related revenue of $13 billion during the three-day holiday.

That’s a 10.2 percent increase from last year.  

China saw 147 million domestic tourists during the holiday, or a 9.3 percent growth.

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

(Produced by David Nye, Jiang Zhuqing and Chi Jingyi)