【听 · 焦点】中铁总：2020年高铁覆盖80%大城市

French president to visit China

It's been announced that French President Emmanuel Macron will pay a state visit to China starting next Monday.

It will be Macron's first official visit to China since he assumed the presidency in May last year.

A detailed agenda of his three-day trip has not been released as yet.

China's foreign ministry says the visit is expected to advance trust and cooperation in various fields between the two sides.

China, Russia to hold year of exchange for local-level cooperation

China and Russia will host the year of exchange for local-level cooperation.

This will be the latest part of state-level theme year activities between the two neighbors.

China's foreign ministry says the two sides are closely communicating with each other in order to hold a successful event.

It stressed that local-level cooperation has played an increasingly important role in their bilateral relations.

Israeli parliament passes law to tighten control over East Jerusalem

Israel's parliament has passed an amendment that will make it more difficult for the government to cede parts of East Jerusalem in any future peace deal with the Palestinians.

The bill was sponsored by the ultra-nationalist party of the Jewish Home.

It requires a higher threshold to relinquish control over parts of Jerusalem as part of a peace plan.

The law was criticized by the opposition as a serious blow to the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The new legislation is also expected to heighten the tensions sparked by U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Trump's statement triggered wide protest in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Pakistan shows disappointment at Trump's remarks: PM office

Pakistan's top civil and military leaders have expressed disappointment at US President Donald Trump's remarks against the country.

Trump tweeted about the US' aid to Pakistan over the last 15 years, describing it as a foolish act.

（这里有一句留给大家来填空，记得听完留言写下你的答案哦！）

It said the country's counter-terrorism effort helped decimate Al Qaeda's presence in the region.

It also stressed that Pakistan has fought the war against terrorism primarily out of its own resources and at a great cost to its economy.

South Korea proposes inter-Korean dialogue

South Korea has offered high level talks with North Korea next week to discuss its possible participation in the Winter Olympic Games next month.

Seoul's proposal comes just a day after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said Pyongyang is planning to send athletes to the Pyeongchang Games.

In his New Year address, Kim called on both sides to "urgently meet to discuss the possibility."

In response, South Korean President Moon Jae-in has welcomed the speech, saying it's an opportunity to improve their strained relations.

He has also ordered government officials to resume inter-Korean dialogue and draw up follow-up measures.

Meanwhile, China has also expressed support for the inter-Korean efforts to ease the tension on the peninsula.

Iranian official accuses US, UK and Saudi Arabia of instigating protests

A senior Iranian security official is accusing Saudi Arabia, the U.S. and Britain as the major players behind the recent anti-government protests throughout Iran.

Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, claims the countries are behind the social media campaigns fueling the ongoing protests.

The official says Iranian government analysis shows that nearly 30 percent of the new hashtags on Iran throughout social media are generated by the Saudi government.

In making the remarks, Shamkhani also says he expects the protests to be over in a matter of days.

At least 7 civilians and one police officer have been killed amid the protests against the government's economic policies, including looming price hikes.

Government officials say an undisclosed number of protesters have been arrested.

FTA between China and Georgia takes effect

A free trade agreement between China and Georgia has now taken effect, becoming the 15th such deal between China and another country.

It is also the first FTA China has signed with a country along the Silk Road Economic Belt.

According to the agreement, China will impose no tariffs on about 94 percent of products from Georgia, while Georgia will impose no tariff on more than 96 percent of products from China.

High-speed rail to cover over 80% of China's large cities by 2020

New analysis suggests China's high-speed rail network will hit 38-thousand kilometers by 2025.

The country's high-speed rail lines reached 25-thousand last year, accounting for two-thirds of the world's total.

Plans are in-place to build 4-thousand kilometers of new rail lines this year, most of which will be high-speed rail tracks.

A total of 3 billion passenger trips were made on railways in China in 2017.

Over half of those trips were made on high-speed railways.

China to create entrepreneurial, innovation-friendly legal environment

The Supreme Court is requiring courts across China to create an entrepreneurial and innovation-friendly legal environment.

The Supreme People's Court is urging courts at all levels to protect the legitimate interests of entrepreneurs equally according to the law.

In particular, it requires courts to strictly differentiate between the legal property and illegal gains of entrepreneurs.

It stipulates that courts should not confiscate or restitute property which has not been proved illegal.

（以上文稿仅供参考）

上期回顾：元旦小长假 冰雪相关旅游“爆棚”

上期答案：It begins right across the Russian border from China's northernmost city, Mohe, and covers over 940-kilometers between Mohe and Daqing in Heilongjiang.

跟随英语环球，天天进步就从这每日一题开始吧！