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China Celebrates 70th Anniversary of Communist Rule; Hong Kong Protests on China's National Day; Unique Getaways in Japan. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired October 01, 2019 - 01:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[01:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, everybody. Great to have you with us. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Studio Center at CNN's world headquarters.

Ahead this hour, China's communist celebrating 70 years in power. They show the world a new intercontinental missile capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads.

Hong Kong protesters though threatened to spoil the party. Police on standby for violent confrontations.

And he gets a subpoena, and he gets a subpoena. It's subpoena-palooza as Democrats focus there and frequent inquiry on Ukraine.

It's a day of celebration for China's ruling Communist Party marking 70 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China. The main focus of the day has been a huge military parade with 15,000 soldiers goose sipping their way across the Tiananmen Square. Right now, the citizen's march is underway, 100,000 strong.

Earlier, President Xi Jinping addresses the nation talking of unity and progress to the world's second-largest economy. But there are challenges ahead include the ongoing trade war with the United States as well as pressure to address human rights concerns.

And after four months of unrest in Hong Kong, President Xi wants to end talks of his commitment to one nation two systems. Protesters though were on the streets again today. The pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong has been gaining strength and at times has become increasingly violent.

Just in the past few hours, there have been clashes with police who responded with pepper spray. And as often the case, CNN's coverage of the demonstrations in Hong Kong was blacked out on the mainland by Chinese government censors.

CNN's Kristie Lu Stout is live this hour in our Beijing bureau with more on the day's events. And we saw the huge day, Kristie, now into the citizen's march. You know, this is a very big day and only celebrated once every decade. KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Yes, this is -- since march has in fact just ended with the release of 70,000 balloons and 70,000 doves into the skies above Beijing to mark, yes, the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

It is a day of celebration here in Beijing. There will be fireworks but the centerpiece was that military parade that involved 15,000 personnel, over 100 pieces of aircraft, 500 pieces of weaponry and new equipment including, as John alluded to, the DF41, that new intercontinental ballistic missile believed to be one of the most powerful on the planet.

We also heard from the Chinese President Xi Jinping who gave his speech emphasizing Chinese strength, emphasizing Chinese unity, as well, in fact, named checking Hong Kong as well as Macau seeing that they are committed to maintaining long term stability in Hong Kong.

Now we have correspondents fanned out across the country. We have David Culver, our corresponded who is there at the parade roots in Beijing, as well as Will Ripley standing by in Hong Kong. First, let's go to you, David.

The citizen's march has ended. How would you describe -- you know, just what caught your attention during the parade?

DAVID CULVER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, Kristie, you think about the weeks, the several weeks of preparation of rehearsals of carefully choreographed steps, all coming to this moment that we saw wrap up just a short time ago. But it seemed to really bring out a lot of emotion that the citizens portion of this.

I think if you look at the overall context of it, you had the three main tenants of China represented. You had the party, you had the military, and you had the people. But it was that last element that people were you saw the crowd really seemed to be engaged.

There were some emotions, and the music seemed to have folks swaying along on their feet. That was no doubt the most energetic portion of this parade. We're now towards the cleanup stage, if you will. And that's why we're able to turn around and kind of give you a different angle here.

That was essentially the reviews stand, the Gate of Heavenly Peace turned review stand for President Xi Jinping and other dignitaries, as they looked on to inspect the troops. There was an awe and admiration for a lot of the military might that was also displayed here.

And that was what we found at the core, really, what is the center symbolically of China, Tiananmen Square. But in places farther out, we wondered how folks were taking this all in. CNN has folks spread out across the city.

We've got our colleague, Ben Westcott who was just outside the more secure zone. He was catching up with folks and I was communicating with him. And he essentially relayed that a lot of people were taking this and not so much as a mass celebration, but rather as a holiday. There were people even dancing in the park, sitting there quietly

enjoying one another's company, many people in their homes are doing the same. And yet you had a few folks who were still following along in this modern age on their cell phones, Kristie. They were -- they were keeping posted on what was happening through social media and watching the live streams as well. So you had kind of a mixed reaction.

[01:05:18]

But ultimately people say this is really just the start of what will be several days of celebrating here, October 1st, of course, this is National Day, but it continues after the parade tonight. There's going to be another parade. There will be fireworks. There will be a party. And this will then lead to several days of vacation and holiday for the people of China.

There's even in some of the theaters, Kristie, some patriotic films that are out that one person told our Ben Westcott that he intended to be seen, it's called Me and My Country. And this is an opportunity for China and its film industry to really show off what they have to offer and they'll be doing that over the next several days.

STOUT: Yes. I mean, this may be a highly choreographed and micro- managed event to celebrate 70 years since the founding of China, but it still stirs up some very real feelings of nationalism and patriotism among many in China as you point out. David, we thank you for reporting.

Now, let's go now to Will Ripley who's standing by in Hong Kong. And Will, here in Beijing may be a day of patriotism and military palm, but what kind of protest action are you seeing there?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's certainly a very different kind of crowd that is growing pretty quickly here in Causeway Bay, Kristie, which is the starting point of many of the demonstrations that we've seen including on Sunday when a march began here, an illegal march, much like this one, which is not authorized by police, peaceful to start, but then as the hours went on, the -- as the government calls them, Hong Kong government calls them the radical protesters moved in, armed with Molotov cocktails, pulling breaks off the sidewalks, and of course, those inevitable confrontations with police that we saw with fire set in the street.

Tear gas and water cannons deployed and protesters setting up barricades and lighting those barricades on fire. I can tell you that the crowd behind me, this is kind of one side street, but it goes -- it goes, you know, around the corner here. We're outside of SOGO, which is a popular shopping mall here and what's normally a very busy, busy business district in Hong Kong.

Most of the businesses here are closed right now. The shutters are up. They don't want to take any chances. But you have throngs of people out instead. The crowd growing from dozens about an hour ago, to hundreds, and now I think it's safe to say, Kristie, that we have thousands of people out here. It's peaceful. They're chanting, they're familiar pledges, five

demands, nothing less. Those five demands, of course, include universal suffrage, what's the one thing they already got, the withdrawal of the extradition bill, also an investigation to police brutality, and calling these people protesters, not rioters, which is what the Hong Kong government has called them thus far.

Peaceful for now, Kristine. We just have to see how things play out. A lot of these people do not appear to be the more hardcore elements that we've observed. But it doesn't take a lot of people to create some big disruption which is why we have Hong Kong police, thousands of officers on standby throughout the city right now.

STOUT: Got it. Peaceful for now, but we're thankful to have you to monitor the situation. Will Ripley reporting live from Causeway Bay in Hong Kong, thank you, and John. We have two different cities with two very different narratives on this Chinese national day. Back to you.

VAUSE: Yes, as is often the case when it comes to Hong Kong and Beijing. Kristie, thank you. We'll move on now. The impeachment inquiry into the U.S. President seems to be moving ahead at a clip. House Democrats seem to be focusing on Ukraine issuing a subpoena for Donald Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani.

Congressional Democrats wanted documents relating to his dealings with Ukraine. Giuliani has admitted asking Ukraine to investigate Donald Trump's political rival, Joe Biden. He also met in Spain with an aide to you great leader.

This scandal emerged after a whistleblower complaint was filed over President Trump's July phone call with the president of Ukraine. A summary of the call note said they discussed with Giuliani as well as Biden. And now a source tells CNN the Secretary of State was also on that call.

Mike Pompeo has already been subpoenaed. That happened last week for his failing to turn over documents. Lawmakers want to know if Giuliani's contact with Ukraine was sanctioned by his State Department. They also would like to find out if the releases military aid was dependent on Ukraine investigating Joe Biden.

The Secretary of State has been relatively quiet since his scandal broke, but other Trump allies have been lashing out, including the President, at the whistleblower. Here's CNN's Jim Acosta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: In a sign of growing frustration that he faces the real prospect of impeachment, President Trump is demanding to find out the identity of the administration official who blew the whistle on his phone call with the leader of Ukraine about Joe Biden.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm trying to find out about a whistleblower, when you have a whistleblower that reports things that were incorrect, as you know, and you probably now have figured it out, the statement I made to the President of Ukraine. He was a good man, a nice man, knew -- it was perfect. It was perfect.

[01:10:15]

ACOSTA: That drew a quick response from the whistleblowers attorney who tweeted, "The Intel Community whistleblower is entitled to anonymity. Law and policy support this and the individual is not to be retaliated against. Doing so is a violation of federal law."

Lobbing grenades from his social media bunker, the President torn the House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff for mocking Mr. Trump's call at a hearing last week, tweeting, "Adam Schiff illegally made up a fake and terrible statement. Arrest for treason?"

TRUMP: It's a disgrace. This whole thing is a disgrace. There's been tremendous corruption and we're seeking it. It's called drain the swamp. There's been corruption on the other side. There's been corruption like you've never seen.

ACOSTA: White House aides have grown frustrated with Mr. Trump's clinging to a bogus conspiracy theory that it was Ukraine, not Russia that meddled in the 2016 election. A false claim former counterterrorism advisor Tom Bossert says he's tried to ask the President to abandon.

TOM BOSSERT, FORMER HOMELAND SECURITY ADVISOR: And at this point, I am deeply frustrated with what he and the legal team is doing and repeating that debunked theory to the President. It sticks in his mind when he hears it over and over again. And for clarity here, George, let me just again, repeat that it has no validity.

ACOSTA: Over the weekend, the President warned his removal from office would cause a Civil War-like fracture. That prompted one House Republican to tweet. "I have visited nations ravaged by civil war. I've never imagined such a quote to be repeated by a president. This is beyond repugnant." Mr. Trump's 2016 foes summed it up by calling the president a destructive force of nature.

HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: A corrupt human tornado.

ACOSTA: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says his chamber would have to consider removing the President if the House votes to impeach.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): Under the Senate rules, we're required to take it up if the House does go down that path, and we'll follow the Senate rules. It's a Senate rule related to impeachment that would take 67 votes to change, so I would have no choice but to take it up.

ACOSTA: Even the President's top surrogates are struggling to spin the Ukraine investigation.

SCOTT PELLEY, CORRESPONDENT, CBS NEWS: President Trump replies, I would like you to do us a favor though. REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA): You just added another word.

PELLEY: No, it's in the transcript.

MCCARTHY: He said, I'd like you to do a favor though?

PELLEY: Yes, it's in the -- it's in the White House transcript.

MACCARTHY: When I read the transcript --

ACOSTA: One top White House officials strangely insisted it's the President who's blowing the whistle.

STEPHEN MILLER, SENIOR ADVISOR, WHITE HOUSE: The President is the whistleblower here. The President of the United States is the whistleblower. And this individual is a saboteur trying to undermine a democratically-elected government.

ACOSTA: Sources familiar with internal deliberations over the last few days involving Mr. Trump and top advisors about his call with Ukraine's leader say aides to the President have warned him he faces the real likelihood of being impeached.

But one source said aides are divided over the subject, as some are reassuring the President that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is just placating Democrats and ultimately won't drive the process toward an impeachment vote. Jim Acosta, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: For more now, we go to CNN's Senior Political Analyst Ron Brownstein. Ron is also a senior editor at the Atlantic. He is with us from Los Angeles. OK, Ron, let's start with the subpoena for Trump's outside counsel Rudy Giuliani. Democrats want the phone records, e-mails, the texts all relating to that call with Ukraine's president.

The subpoena notes that Giuliani has almost submitted to everything publicly. But in response, Giuliani his tweeted this, "I've received a subpoena signed only by Democrats chairs who have prejudged this case. It raises significant issues concerning legitimacy and constitutional and legal issues, including inter alia, attorney- client, and other privileges. It will be given appropriate consideration.

That just sounds like legal gibberish. But it's a sign that Giuliani will try and stonewall the Democrats here. Has the game changed now that this is an impeachment inquiry though?

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST (via Skype): I think it's changed only in one respect. I don't think the administration and kind of the number of the administration, you know, those on the outside are likely to cooperate with this investigation now that has been dubbed an impeachment inquiry any more than they have been with all of the other investigations. The one difference was a signal in the letter to Mike Pompeo last

Friday when the House Committee chair said that a failure to comply would be considered another article of impeachment for stonewalling Congress, and I suspect that is where we're going to end up.

I don't think the ministrations going to cooperate more but I also don't think the House is going to go through this very elongated exercise of fighting out each one of these subpoenas in the courts either.

VAUSE: Well, the Wall Street Journal was the first to report that Secretary Mike Pompeo, he was also on that call with Ukraine's president that it's only been recently reported. He's also been submitted the documents, as you mentioned. But the big picture, if that subpoena is any indication, it indicates the Democrats are focusing just on the Ukraine phone call. All these other issues no matter what they were it seems is now just about Ukraine.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes, well, certainly, you know, the immediate investigation of the House Intelligence Committee, I think there is still a debate in Democratic circles, whether they want to get into anything else if they move impeachment to the floor, but certainly, it appears that the dominant feeling is to keep it focused on this issue.

[01:15:13]

And frankly, John, I think, you know, obviously, they're going to investigate and interview and ascertain the extent to which the whistleblower was right in the part of the complaint where he or she said that it was common knowledge, essentially common knowledge inside the federal government that the President would not meet with the President of Ukraine, unless and until they agreed to play ball. On the Biden investigation, I think that will be the big question that they are investigating now. But --even absent that, I think that you are going to be very close to having 2018 Democrats willing to impeach the president over what they have already read in the rough transcript of the call.

VAUSE: What is also for (INAUDIBLE) astounding every day is astounding, this one, for you know, another reason, and that's the President of the United States, demanding to know the identity of the whistleblower. And here's the thing, there's always a lot of news out of this administration, but the story doesn't really change. And it's basically a president who doesn't understand how the system works, and has no regard for the checks and balances.

BROWNSTEIN: Well, I think it's more of the latter than the former. I mean, I don't know whether or not he understands, I think he's indifferent to how the system works. I mean, he views everything as transactional, and everything as subject to negotiation, it does not accept any of the legal boundaries, you know, that have formal and informal that have traditionally limited the arbitrary exercise of executive power. And I was thinking the other day that in some ways, Congressional Republicans have brought themselves to this point, because I do not think that if he had faced pushback along the way, each time that he -- that from the majority at that point, in the House and the Senate, each time that he violated a norm, that he would have felt comfortable going as far as he did in this call, in overtly, you know, explicitly, saying, Kevin McCarthy notwithstanding, you know, I need you to do me a favor, though, before we talk about what you need.

But in fact, each time the President broke a window, as I said before, the Republicans in Congress obediently swept up the glass. And I think that made him feel emboldened to keep pushing these limits in the belief that he would never be held accountable when he went over the line. And now, we will see whether a likely impeachment in the House is sufficient to, you know, send any message to me.

VAUSE: Well, the republicans are sweeping up the glass over the weekend, listen to Senator Lindsey Graham on CBS, he was actually -- his defense of Donald Trump. Here we go.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You wanted the President to release this partial call record?

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): I did.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But you're saying this is hearsay. The complaint on a number of fronts is matched by the call record.

GRAHAM: The transcript and the complaint are not matched.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The reference to the DNC server --

GRAHAM: Now, wait a minute, please let me talk. Please, please.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- will you do a favor -- I'm laying out the facts here.

GRAHAM: No, you're not. You're making an argument.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The repeated reference to Joe Biden. All those things are laid out here.

GRAHAM: Here's the point, Joe Biden went to the --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The fact that the Attorney General was brought up.

GRAHAM: Never mind. You know, you got an opinion. I got an opinion. You got me on the show to tell me what I think. I think Mueller did a good job for the country and there was nothing there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: You know, Lindsey Graham, is what, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, he's also a lawyer, he doesn't know what hearsay is?

BROWNSTEIN: Yes. No, it's extraordinary. I mean, you know, the -- first of all, as you know, the interviewer suggested there. So far, what we have seen from the transcript matches to an extraordinary extent, the account that the whistleblower gave of it. And I think, you know, on that issue on what the President said in the call, we are past the whistleblower complaint, we have the actual transcript. And as I said, I think for many Democrats, that will be all they need to cast a vote for impeachment, because it's so clearly I think, in such plain language linked the Ukrainian government, opening -- you know, doing what the President wanted, as the price for the things that they wanted, including a meeting in the White House. But Lindsey Graham, you know, his remarks just continue.

First, his evolution or devolution from, you know, kind of an independent voice in the Senate to really I think, in some ways, the most slavish defender of the President, but it also underscores the extent to which Republicans so far with very, very few exceptions, have chosen to circle the wagons rather than exercising any independent judgment. It is worth noting that despite all that defense in the CNN poll out today, we are talking about a plurality, 47 percent of the country saying they would support not only the impeachment, but the removal of President Trump.

That is about 20 points higher than the CNN poll ever recorded for the impeachment and removal of President Clinton in 1998. So I'm thinking that despite that kind of, you know, intense resistance they were seeing from Graham and other Republicans. Again, House Democrats are likely to feel pretty comfortable moving down this road based on what they already have, much less wherever they turn up in the weeks and months ahead.

VAUSE: Also, the polls throughout there show support for impeachment above 50 percent, some as high as 55 percent, but that's interesting point about Clinton 20 years ago. Ron, as always, great to have you with us.

BROWNSTEIN: Thank you.

[01:20:05]

VAUSE: Nearly a year after Jamal Khashoggi's death, The Washington Post are paying tribute to the columnist but his killing remains shrouded in mystery. Those details ahead.

Also (INAUDIBLE) Brexit personal allegations against the British Prime Minister are now emerging from the Tory Party (INAUDIBLE).

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Well, it's a surefire crowd pleaser at the Tory Party conference, Boris Johnson's promise that Brexit will happen by the deadline of October 31st. What the party members have not heard is how the Prime Minister will get around a law which requires him to ask for a delay if he does not secure a deal at the upcoming European Union summit. He's also denying allegations, he gave preferential treatment to a U.S. tech entrepreneur. And then, he squeezed a reporter's thigh at a lunch 20 years ago.

It's been a year since journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappeared. The Washington Post is marking that with a column by its editorial board. They wrote, "Khashoggi never intended to be a dissident but he left Saudi Arabia because of the sharp increase in domestic repression under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman." But the Crown Prince is denying any personal involvement in Khashoggi's killing. CNN's Nic Robertson has the latest details.

[01:25:07]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: One year since Jamal Khashoggi's brutal murder, his body is still missing, his killers yet to be convicted. Justice for this internationally- respected Saudi journalist who become increasingly critical of his leaders yet to be delivered. Now, on the eve of the anniversary of his killing, inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, October 2nd last year, Saudi Arabia's ambitious Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is answering allegations he had a role in the killing.

MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN, CROWN PRINCE OF SAUDI ARABIA (through translator): Absolutely not. This was a heinous crime. But I take full responsibility as a leader in Saudi Arabia.

ROBERTSON: His interview with "60 Minutes" is the first time he has publicly accepted any responsibility. An indication he grasps the damage the killing has done to him and the kingdom.

SALMAN: This was a mistake, and I must take all actions to avoid such a thing in the future.

ROBERTSON: Yet these actions remain shrouded in secrecy. The trial of the Saudi officials involved, many of them captured in CCTV footage in Turkey before and after the killing began in January, and remains behind closed doors. The U.N. Special Rapporteur on the murder is one of the only international officials publicly shedding light on the case. She listened to secret Turkish recordings of Khashoggi's killings.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is nothing in the recording that indicate an accident.

ROBERTSON: Her 98-page report was condemned by Saudi officials yet provides the most detailed insight so far of what happened. His killers planning on cutting him up with a boom saw and putting on headphones while they did it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The matter of fact way with which the protagonist are discussing the dismemberment of Mr. Khashoggi, in the conversation itself. They expressed concerns but not over what they are about to do, but to weigh over their own fate and protection.

ROBERTSON: Turkish CCTV footage recorded outside the consulate before and after the killing, show what appears to be another part of the cover up. Bags believed to contain Khashoggi's body parts removed and taken to the nearby consult generals residents. When Turkish investigators did get access to the consulate, more than a week after Khashoggi's killing, they discovered chemicals had been used to clean up the scene. A year on from his death, Khashoggi's murder remains almost as much a mystery as the day that it happened. Justice equally elusive. Nick Roberson, CNN, London,

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: China's Communist Party celebrating 70 years in power, with the display of military might rolling through the heart of Beijing, and that includes a new nuclear missile the world has never seen before.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:31:44] JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you for staying with us. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

I'm John Vause with the headlines this hour. House Democrats have subpoenaed Donald Trump's personal attorney as part of their impeachment inquiry into the U.S. President. The Intelligence Committee wants Rudy Giuliani to turn over documents relating to his dealings with Ukraine. Giuliani says he will consider the request.

A huge military parade through the heart of Beijing has marked the 70th anniversary of the founding of Communist China. Earlier President Xi Jinping addressed the nation stressing the need for strength and unity and specifically made mention of his support for one country, two systems -- a reference to Hong Kong's status as a semi-autonomous region.

Meantime scuffles broke out a short time ago between pro-democracy demonstrators and police in Hong Kong. Protesters are using this public holiday to spread their demand for greater democracy.

Hong Kong police have been prepared for more violence like we saw over the weekend. Protesters threw as many as 100 petrol bombs and blocked off streets during those clashes.

Richard McGregor is a senior fellow at the Lowy Institute and former Beijing and Washington bureau chief for the "Financial Times". He's also the author of "The Party" considered the definitive book on China's Communist Party. And he joins us now from Sydney.

Richard -- good to have you here.

RICHARD MCGREGOR, SENIOR FELLOW, LOWY INSTITUTE: Hi -- John.

VAUSE: Ok. Just in terms of military hardware, you know, this is the largest national day parade ever, according to some reporting.

You know, assuming nothing happens by accident, what was the point of that? And what was the point for Xi Jinping only mentioning Mao but skipping over Deng Xiaoping? In the past, others have put them in together?

MCGREGOR: Well I think the first thing is this is really a display, if you like, of political shock and awe on China's part. There's an internal message, there's an external message.

The internal message, I think, is obvious that the Communist Party wants to put on a display of unity, confidence and strength to its own people.

Externally, it's more about deterrence. You know, the old days of China sort of hiding its strength under a bushel as it were are gone. And the military parade at a moment like this when China and U.S. are in a multifaceted competition. I think that's why you saw the display of hardware there today.

Very quickly on the point of mentioning that's a little -- it's a bit hard, there's a bit of criminology (ph) needed there, I think. I think it's because, you know, this is about the founding of state. Mao is responsible for the founding of state, the Communist state in 1949. So you mentioned him he'd covered. Deng was paraded down later on with other leaders but I think that was Xi's emphasis today.

VAUSE: Ok. We don't to get too into the weeds, forgive. Xi set out a goal for the country and was moderately prosperous within two years and fully developed and prosperous and rich by 2049. It would seem overly specific in detailed especially given the state of economy, possibly not even particularly achievable.

MCGREGOR: Well, I guess, he can say what he likes what's going to happen in 2049 but that's the 100th anniversary of the founding and I guess that's the way that there's sort of newly refashioned anthem (ph).

[01:34:50] The short term, you know, the big internal target short term has been the elimination so-called of poverty by the end of next year or the start of 2021. And I think that that's the sort of thing that local officials are working on.

Longer term, whether it's 2049 or 2029, this is about sort of quelling any pushback protests in Hong Kong and most importantly, it's about getting back Taiwan. And you don't want to set too tight a timetable of Taiwan because if you do, you might fall short of it. And that is pretty fatal for any Chinese leader internally inside China itself.

VAUSE: That's something I think which many people around the world are not really aware of just how determined mainland China, Beijing is to actually have Taiwan, this renegade province, back in the fold.

MCGREGOR: That's right, it's absolutely axiomatic of the sort of, you know, what Xi Jinping calls the great Chinese rejuvenation. There's no rejuvenation if according to their terms, the nation hasn't been unified or reunified.

But I think the Taiwan issue is extremely hard. I mean we have a lot of quite rightly (ph) people looking at the military balance to cross the strait. You know, in other words how quickly does China gain control of Taiwan? How quickly they could gain control of Taiwan before the U.S. arrived possibly to defend the island.

But I think, you know, as we've seen in Hong Kong, China could win a military battle in Taiwan and that might be when their problem start. Because Taiwan has a history of resistance over a long period of time and the idea that people are going to just be quiescent in the face of a new rule I think is really misplaced.

VAUSE: And you know, 10 years ago -- 2009 I think when we were there -- it all seemed to be the tail-end of the coming party -- (INAUDIBLE). This time, as you say, it seemed like a lot of rejuvenation and renewal.

MCGREGOR: That's right, you know. Because the renewal, in their terms, is a long term project, you know. It's about rebuilding the economy. It's about building wealth of the citizens. It's about gaining respect in the world globally and it's again about gaining friends in the world globally. But most important it's about Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Taiwan is something that's going to be a very big issue. We're just not exactly sure when. That' depends on whether Xi sets himself any timetable and he appears to have said that he wants it, you know, on the way to being solved before he steps down as leader and, of course, we don't know when that will be.

VAUSE: Yes. Richard -- it's good to see you. It's probably been 10 years since we were there. Time flies I guess. Good to see you. Thank you -- Richard.

MCGREGOR: Thanks very much -- John.

VAUSE: Cheers.

We'll take a short break. A lot more news here on CNN when we come back.

You're watching CNN and our coverage also of the 70th anniversary of the China's founding of the People's Republic of China.

[02:00:03]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Japan's capital is a surprising city blending the old with the new, the hustle and bustle of the city with the quiet serenity of natural beauty.

CNN's Coy Wire rides the waves to feel the spirit of Tokyo.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COY WIRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's the largest, most lively city in all of Japan. But this is also Tokyo -- a tropical getaway that's quiet and completely isolated.

Welcome to Niijima -- one of several islands with a short ferry wide away from downtown. Surfers like Masatoshi Ohno or Masa, call it paradise.

Hey -- how are you doing.

I'm Coy.

MASATOSHI OHNO, SURFER: Masa.

WIRE: Masa is going to take me out surfing, my first time in open water. But first a quick tour of this very laidback island.

Niijima is part of the easy chain of volcanic islands. Many tourists come here to soak in its (INAUDIBLE) or hot water springs.

Then there's the sweeping sea business. Look at this view.

But the real draw is how to shoot very kilometers of white sand, the 38 year old calls his second home.

When you get out here on this waves, and you're riding that, what does that feel?

OHNO: I can't describe in words but it just feels natural high.

WIRE: Natural high.

OHNO: Yes.

And never stop thinking -- the important part is to take off, visited three parts. Push up, one two three.

WIRE: Oh man. I'm fine. I feel it already.

After a quick lesson, we head out.

OHNO: Once you get in the water -- it's all about feeling.

WIRE: I try. Try. And try again. But all I feel is the bottom.

Masa's a natural.

OHNO: It's an amazing place to be just clear water, clean air, peace of mind.

WIRE: Close to Tokyo but world's apart.

Coy Wire, CNN -- on Niijima, Japan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Well, Britain's Prince Harry calling for greater conservation efforts around the world. Harry was in Malawi watching an anti- poaching drill at a national park. He said it may sound a little bit hippy for some, but (INAUDIBLE) Jim, must find a way to co-exist. We have wild life, while protecting the environment

Meantime in Johannesburg, his wife Megan put the spotlight on local artisans. She visited Victoria -- It's a home to decide studios. As well as the hard calories. And she

visited a clothing shop to pick up a pair of custom made jeans. It pays to plan ahead. She ordered them a month ago.

Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause.

"WORLD SPORT" starts after this.

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