【听 · 焦点】利比里亚新总统维阿宣誓就职

Chinese president calls for concerted efforts with Latin America on B&R Initiative 

The 2nd ministerial meeting for China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) Forum has opened in the Chilean capital, Santiago.

In his congratulatory message, Chinese President Xi Jinping called on Latin American countries to actively participate in the Belt & Road Initiative and forge a trans-Pacific path of cooperation.

During the meeting, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his counterparts will discuss closer economic connections.

He has also urged for unity in their common endeavor. 

China urges Japan to reflect on its history of aggression 

China has again urged Japan to "listen to the call for justice and correctly understand and deeply reflect on its history of aggression and militarism."

The call was made after Japan's public broadcaster NHK aired another documentary about Unit 731.

Unit 731 was a Japanese germ warfare unit that committed atrocities during the occupation of northeast China.

The newly published documentary is the 2nd part of a series about the unit.

NHK aired the first chapter just ahead of the Victory Day over Japan in August last year.

On Monday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said China appreciates those Japanese who have the courage to expose the truth of history and hopes Japan can respect the feelings of China and other victim countries in Asia. 

IMF raises global growth forecast due to increased growth momentum 

The International Monetary Fund has revised up its global growth forecast for this year and 2019 to 3.9 percent.

The international lending agency suggests the better outlook results from a strong global growth and short-term boost led by U.S. tax reform.

Meanwhile, the IMF has also revised upward the growth of global output in 2017 to 3.7 percent.

The pickup in growth has been broad based, with notable upside surprises in Europe and Asia. 

S. Korean president expects inter-Korean dialogue mood to continue after Winter Olympics 

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has stressed the need to continue the inter-Korean dialogue beyond the upcoming Winter Olympics.

He suggested it should be developed into talks between North Korea and the United States.

He made the suggestion as 7 delegates from North Korea were wrapping up a two-day trip to South Korea.

The delegation visited venues selected for the performance of a North Korean art troupe during next month's winter Olympic Games.

Meanwhile, South Korea is to send an advance team to the North later today to check facilities for a cultural event and joint training of ski players from the two sides 

Liberia's new president takes office 

 Liberia's new president George Weah has taken the oath of office with a vow to bolster the economy and to eradicate corruption.

The new president has assured his country will create an environment conducive for investment.

He also reiterated the adherence to the One-China principle.

The former football star won a presidential run-off last month.

He took over from Africa's first elected female president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who served a two-term tenure of 12 years.

It's also the country's first power transition between democratically-elected leaders since 1944.

Weah's swearing-in ceremony was attended by international guests including a special envoy of Chinese president Xi Jinping. 

China cracks down on 'Elsagate' videos 

A campaign is underway in China to crack down on videos that utilize well-known animated characters to spread violent and pornographic content.

The move comes after a large number of online videos were found to use classic cartoon characters to present content involving violence, terror, cruelty and pornography.

The well-known characters used include Elsa from Frozen, Peppa Pig, and Mickey Mouse.

Such cult cartoon videos were also spread on foreign websites but were deleted from YouTube last year after sparking controversy.

The incident was dubbed "Elsagate" after the main character of a 2013 Disney film.

China's National Office Against Pornographic and Illegal Publications is warning that anyone making or spreading such videos will be punished severely.

Meanwhile, major domestic video platforms such as Tencent and Youku, have vowed to delete such videos and tighten the management of online content. 

Xi stresses Party's "absolute leadership" over political, legal work 

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has stressed the Party's absolute leadership over political and legal work.

He made the call in a statement delivered to the ongoing central conference on political and legal work.

（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！）

He also called for efforts to promote justice and guarantee a safe living environment for the people.

Priorities were also given to judicial protection of human rights and property rights. 

China' leading e-commerce company JD.com opens office in Paris 

Chinese leading e-commerce company JD.com announced on Monday it had opened an office in Paris.

The partnership is expected to provide French brands and retailers access to over 260 million Chinese consumers on the e-commerce platform.

J.D has signed an agreement with Business France, the country's official trade promotion agency, to sell 2 billion euros, or about 2.5 billion U.S. dollars of French goods to Chinese consumers over the next two years.

The deal also included a one-stop shop solution for French retailers to get their products to Chinese consumers quickly and conveniently. 

（以上文稿仅供参考）

上期回顾： 突破！中国女子跳台滑雪运动员首次打进冬奥会

上期答案：The inspection trip was made after it was announced that North Korea would send 22 athletes to the Winter Games and compete in three sports and five disciplines.

跟随英语环球，天天进步就从这每日一题开始吧！