【听 · 焦点】《水形物语》13项提名领跑奥斯卡

China determined to remove institutional barriers through reform  

China's central authorities have laid out priorities in the country's reform this year.

An official statement says main efforts will be made to remove institutional barriers and deeply embedded interests.

Major targeted areas will include state-owned enterprises and state-owned assets, monopoly sectors, finance and taxation.

Property rights protection, rural revitalization, social security and ecological conservation are also high on agenda.

The statement was issued after meeting of the Leading Group for Deepening Overall Reform of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

As part of the meeting, General Secretary Xi Jinping called for new breakthroughs in the reform.

He suggested reform should be more systematic, holistic and coordinated to seek material progress in fundamental areas

China, Latin America and Caribbean vow to enhance cooperation under Belt and Road Initiative  

China has signed cooperation agreements connected to the Belt and Road Initiative with Latin American and Caribbean countries.

The Santiago Declaration confirms China and Latin America's determination against protectionism.

A joint action plan of cooperation for the next five years, as well as a special announcement on the Belt and Road Initiative, have also been released after a meeting between Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi and his counterparts from the Latin American and Caribbean region.

The meeting has also seen detailed cooperation plans drawn up covering politics, security, trade, finance, infrastructure construction and transportation.

The two sides have also agreed to extend collaboration to fighting corruption, drugs and cyber crimes.

Xi Jinping's envoy visits Cuba  

A special envoy of Chinese president Xi Jinping has met with officials of the Communist Party of Cuba.

Song Tao, a senior official with the CPC Central Committee, has met with Jose Ramon Balaguer with the central committee of the Communist Party of Cuba.

The Chinese envoy updated the Cuban side about the 19th CPC National Congress, held in October last year.

The two sides also entered an agreement on exchanges and cooperation between the two parties through 2020.

Song Tao is also expected to visit agricultural and development zones near Havana.

China criticizes US decision to slap tariffs on solar panels and washing machines 

China's Ministry of Commerce is criticizing a U.S. decision to impose steep tariffs on imported solar products and washing machines, calling the move an "abuse" of trade remedies.

（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！）

The Chinese commerce ministry says U.S. trade remedies in those industries in recent years have overprotected U.S. sectors, suggesting China will work with other WTO members to defend their interests.

Chinese GM rice obtains U.S. FDA clearance  

A type of genetically modified rice bred in China has passed safety inspections by the United States Food and Drug Administration, paving the way for it to be exported to the country.

The rice, Huahui 1, was successfully bred by Huazhong Agricultural University 20 years ago.

The species can effectively resist insects, and can greatly reduce the use of pesticides during production.

It was awarded with a biosafety certificate by China's Ministry of Agriculture in 2009, following safety evaluations that lasted for nearly 10 years.

The rice had also passed safety inspections by the US Environmental Protection Agency on pesticide residue levels.

China has the world's most strict safety evaluation system for GM products.

Of all major agricultural products, only GM cotton has been grown on a large scale in the country.

But its agricultural authority has suggested the technology may be widely applied in the corn production in the next step.

COSCO Shipping to take over Belgian Zeebrugge Port  

China's COSCO Shipping (CSP) has signed a concession agreement with the Port of Zeebrugge in Brussels of Belgium to acquire franchise rights to run the port.

Under the agreement, the state-owned shipping company will take control of the port and develop it into a gateway port for Cosco in Northwest Europe.

The Chinese company has also signed deals with France's leading shipping company, CMA CGM Group, for its initial investment of 10 percent in CSP Zeebrugge.

CSP Zeebrugge is one of the Belt and Road Initiative projects.

The port is the second largest port in Belgium with favorable geographical position.

"The Shape of Water" leads race for 2018 Oscars with 13 nominations  

Guillermo del Toro's lavish monster romance "The Shape of Water" has fished out a leading 13 nominations for the 90th Academy Awards.

It tells about a mute cleaning lady drawn into an otherworldly love affair.

It will compete for best picture with eight other films -- including "Call Me By Your Name," "Darkest Hour," and "Dunkirk."

The Oscar ceremony will be held on March 4 at Hollywood's Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.

It will be televised live in more than 225 countries and regions worldwide.

Venezuelan president says willing to run for reelection  

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has said he is willing to run for reelection in a poll that has been moved forward by at least eight months.

He made the remarks after Venezuela's National Constituent Assembly unanimously voted to move up presidential elections to sometime before the April 30 deadline.

Elections were set to take place in December 2018, but the ruling socialist party feared that external support for the right-wing opposition coalition could strengthen the anti-government movement over the coming months.

（以上文稿仅供参考）

上期回顾： 利比里亚新总统维阿宣誓就职

上期答案：The general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee urged more effort to safeguard the country's "political security and social stability."

跟随英语环球，天天进步就从这每日一题开始吧！