【听 · 焦点】十三届全国人大一次会议开幕会举行

The first session of 13th NPC opens in Beijing

The first session of the 13th National People's Congress has offically begun in Beijing.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is delivering a government work report to the openning session, in which he is reviewing the Chinese government's work for the past year and laying out work targets for this year.

Li Keqiang says that over the past five years, the structure of the Chinese economy has seen a major transformation, and that innovation-driven development has yielded fruitful outcomes.

The Premier also says significant headway has been made in reform and opening up.

The work report has also pointed out that living standards in China have been constantly improving, and that the environment has seen gradual improvement.

Chinese 2018 GDP growth set at 6.5%

China has set its GDP growth target at around 6.5 % for 2018, unchanged from that for 2017.

A report issued by the Chinese government says that given China's economic fundamentals and capacity for job creation, GDP growth of around 6.5 percent will enable China to achieve relatively full employment.

China aims to maintain inflation levels at around 3 percent and create over 11 million new urban jobs.

The surveyed urban unemployment rate is projected to stay within 5.5 percent, the registered urban jobless rate within 4.5 percent.

The Chinese economy outperformed its annual growth target by expanding 6.9 percent last year, picking up for the first time in seven years.

China to raise defense budget by 8.1% in 2018

The Chinese government says it will raise its defense budget by 8.1 percent this year, up from last year's 7 percent increase.

The 2018 defense budget will be 1.11 trillion yuan, or 175 billion U.S. dollars.

Although slightly higher than the previous two years, the latest growth rate marks the third consecutive year that it has stayed in the single digit since 2013.

China's defense budget takes up a smaller share of its GDP and national fiscal expenditure compared with other major countries.

Its military spending per capita is also lower than those of other major countries.

China's party system is great contribution to political civilization: Xi

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called the system of multiparty cooperation and political consultation led by the Communist Party of China (CPC) "a great contribution to the political civilization of humanity."

The Chinese leader has made the remark at the first session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

He said the Chinese system unites all political parties and people without party affiliation toward a common goal, effectively preventing the flaws of the absence of oversight in one-party rule, as well as those with power rotation and nasty competition among multiple political parties.

The president said that the CPC leadership aims to create a form of democracy that is broader and more effective.

China's four major banks get approval to open outlets in China's new development area of Xiong'an

Subsidiaries of four major Chinese banks have been approved to open in the Xiong'an New Area in Hebei province.

The four banks are the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the Agricultural Bank of China, the Bank of China, and the China Construction Bank.

The outlets will provide financial support to the central government and provincial enterprises in the area.

In April last year, China announced a plan to open the Xiong'an New Area, an economic zone about 100 kilometers southwest of Beijing.

It is believed the area will serve primarily to relieve Beijing of functions nonessential to its role as the capital.

UK PM tells Trump of "deep concern" over trade tariffs

British Prime Minister Theresa May on Sunday told U.S. President Donald Trump that she has "deep concern" at his decision to raise tariffs on steel and aluminum.

A Downing Street spokesperson said May had a telephone call with Trump on Sunday, in which May also said that multilateral action was the only way to resolve the problem.

Trump has said he plans to slap a 25-percent tariff on steel imports and 10 percent on aluminum.

He has also threatened to increase taxes on European cars if the EU retaliates against his steel and aluminum tariffs.

May and Trump also discussed the humanitarian situation in Syria.

UN ready to deliver aid into Syria's Eastern Ghouta

The United Nations says that it's planning to deliver humanitarian assistance into Eastern Ghouta outside the Syrian capital Damascus.

The UN says its aid convoy will consist of 46 truckloads of health and nutrition supplies, along with food for more than 27.000 people.

The UN also says it has received approval to deliver assistance for 70,000 people in the district of Douma.

（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！）

Meanwhile, the Syrian government has said it is ready to send aid to Eastern Ghouta, noting that the rebels have targeted the crossing point into the region.

U.S. embassy in Turkey to close due to 'security threat'

The U.S. embassy in Turkey says that it will be closed to the public on Monday because of a security threat.

The embassy, however, has not specified what the security threat is.

It advised U.S. citizens in Turkey to be aware of their own security when visiting popular tourist sites and crowded places.

（以上文稿仅供参考）

上期回顾： 习近平同汤加国王图普六世举行会谈

上期答案：China's Ministry of Commerce responded by saying the recommendation was "baseless" and did not accord with the facts, and that China would take necessary steps to protects its interests if the final decision affects China.

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