outbreak, taking the total to nearly 500. the world health organization says there is still a window of opportunity of it becoming a global pandemic. a spokesman said the tough measures taken by china had given the rest of the world the opportunity to ensure it was prepared for any potential infections. first partial results from the democratic party caucus in iowa give pete buttigieg a narrow lead over bernie sanders, with elizabeth warren in third place, and joe biden in fourth. and this video is trending on bbc.com. it shows a meteor burning up in the skies above the city of derby in the english midlands. the event was caught on a video doorbell system late on monday evening. the fragments came to earth without causing any damage or injuries. that's all. stay with bbc news. now on bbc news it's

stephen sackur with hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. china's rise to economic superpower status has not brought with it and opening up a politics or culture. farfrom with it and opening up a politics or culture. far from it. with it and opening up a politics or culture. farfrom it. the communist party has intensified its efforts to suppress dissent of all —— in all its forms. so it is, yesterday, the most internationally famous artist in china, ai weiwei, now lives here in the united kingdom, not in beijing. he is a refugee, of sorts. so how has that affected his creative output?

ai weiwei, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. has living in exile changed you, do you think, as an artist? it does change me somehow, but i think, essentially, eye and the same. i was born as an exile. my father was in exile the year i was born. he was sent to xinjiang, a very re m ote born. he was sent to xinjiang, a very remote area , born. he was sent to xinjiang, a very remote area, now they have the uighur people being put in the education camps. i guess this is different, because you are so very farfrom your different, because you are so very far from your homeland and so much of your artistic alp in china was sort of pushing at the edges of a repressive system, asking questions of it, challenging it, and now you are no longer in it. they are a bit

relaxed, also i am a bit relaxed. i'm all look at china in a global view. you know, china is not china anymore, china is everywhere. you can see china in the us, china in the west, africa or south america. china is present everywhere. you mean because of its global economic reach? i think, yes, mean because of its global economic reach? ithink, yes, exactly, the global economic and clinical outreach of china is quite heavy. do you think the outside world, particularly the western world, because you base now in the kingdom, do you think we have come to terms now with what china represents, perhaps even the threat it represents? i think the west has enjoyed china as a partnerfor represents? i think the west has enjoyed china as a partner for the past 30 years. and the west economically benefited by such a

huge market and, you know, the environmental events dictated the shape and still produce the material and the labour and all the possibilities, the west cannot handle this. so this is a very great partner for the west until today. they gradually realised china became the top economic force. and it is the top economic force. and it is the political ideology. china still isa the political ideology. china still is a state totally, clearly announced they will not follow the international standard, which has common values of voting to elect a democratic system, to have independent prayers or freedom of

speech, and the independentjudicial system, which causes a greater challenge for the west. sea, 25 yea rs challenge for the west. sea, 25 years ago, when perhaps the economic engagement with china really took off, the argument was more we engage, we build these trade relationships, we develop our ties to china and, of course, see china grow, the more we will see china adopt our systems, our mindset in terms of values, freedoms, democracy. are you now conclusively sure that ain't happen? from the very beginning, when people assume to china would become a more liberal and democratic society, i think it's just, how do you call, wishful thinking. and this kind of society, like china, with a clear authoritarian dictatorship can last quite long and may last longer than we think. so china never change

their political condition. they become much more powerful and had more influence. in many ways, the west ca n not more influence. in many ways, the west cannot even compete with it. but china will never change. you, i think, in the last few months have been heavily involved in filming the protests in hong kong, the pro—democracy protests. you can't do it yourself, of course, because you are not able or, you're not willing, at least, to travel to hong kong because of the security system. but when you look at what is happening in hong kong and the reaction of the uk, the united states, other western powers, do you feel that the people of hong kong who are on the streets are being let down? i'd do think the young people in hong kong, it was such a beautiful demonstration, which waving the flags of western freedom and democracy and that com pletely freedom and democracy and that completely been let down by the

western nations. because they think china's problem. as president trump already clearly told mr xie, we will not interfere. and to use that as a bargain to get better trading deals, which i think is very shortsighted, is not an internal problem. hong kong reflects the western ideology and the west should not or cannot just lose those important values. but interestingly, one particular issue, the americans have made a stand, and that is the question of huawei, an extremely successful telecoms firm in china which is at the forefront of developing sg communications technology, the americans have decided they want nothing to do with it, yet in the united kingdom the government has just made a decision, in a limited form, to allow huawei to be one of the developers of 56 technology here

in the uk. as somebody with a very strong opinions about the relations between the west and china, what do you think of the uk's decision?” think the uk's decision is shortsighted. i think the uk should examine the conditions, huawei is not a normal company. it is a state run military type of a company, which can have a potential danger to your western security, uk security. also i think in this case the us is com pletely also i think in this case the us is completely right to cut off the kind of connection and to ask us allies to also do so. but huawei says look, treat us like a normal tech company. that is what we are. and this idea we are given instructions by the beijing government, is completely false, trust us, they say. are you

saying there can be no trust whatsoever, as one british mp who criticised the uk deal with it, "ltis criticised the uk deal with it, "it's like inviting the fox into the henhouse". is that fair?” "it's like inviting the fox into the henhouse". is that fair? i think it's fair. i think analysing, if you look at the history of china, i don't know what can be trusted. they are telling lies in very unnecessary even conditions, ever since there is a interest. everybody has to raise their hands to sacrifice our interests with the party. so how far do you take this view of yours or beating. for example, the other day we heard the vice president of the united states, mike pence, describe the chinese communist party as the greatest threat to the interests of the united states in the world today. do you go as far as that?”

think he is absolutely correct in that sense. if you talk about something that can threaten the western civilisation, this party has a clear vision, ability, and very well organised and they will never compromise. that is the problem.” dare say there will be many chinese people watching this who will say" ai weiwei has fundamentally betrayed our country. here he says now in his co mforta ble our country. here he says now in his comfortable exile, condemning his own country. i'm not condemning my country, i'm condemning our country being, how do you say... it's not the country, is the communist party. the people have no voice in this so—called country. and the communist

party totally dominate every single detail of individual life in the public performance. talking of that, you, these days, of course, your artistic output is still pretty prolific, but a lot of your time is spent campaigning, as an activist, particularly as a human rights activist. anai was very strong about something you wrote in the new york times recently about events in china which you say are tantamount to a sort of cultural side of whole peoples and you are particularly concerned about the fate of the muslim uighur people in a part of the country that you know well, because, as you told me, yourfamily was sent into an sale in xinjiang. this word culture side, what you mean by it? i think it is a clear strategy by the controllers of the

nation trying to make uighur people will or tibetans disappear by sacrificing their culture and their religion and their language. and it isa religion and their language. and it is a long—time strategy. religion and their language. and it is a long-time strategy. again, the chinese government, and spoke recently to the chinese ambassador in london, he says this is nothing but distortions and lies. and they just wonder whether you ever pause to consider the achievements of the chinese communist party. there are hundreds of millions of chinese people today in your country who are living better lives, materially much better lives, because of this strategy and policy pursued by this communist party that you portray as an enemy of the people. my father is

the may be the most important communist poet. he is the number one patriotic poet. he is friends of mr she's father, a close friend. and i think this party maintains, tries to maintain its power and sacrifice the early ideology and they completely betrayed their own ideology against the start of the struggle decades ago. and what i'm saying is the truth. i'm not anti— china or anti— chinese people, but to tell the truth is the best way to help them out. let me turn now to your life out. let me turn now to your life out of china. when you first went into exile you went to berlin and had a studio in berlin. i think you

found life difficult in germany and, of course, in the end you chose to leave and to come to the united kingdom. but you left with some controversy, because you appeared to feel that in germany you were not truly welcome. they germany was not an open, tolerant society and there was one incident in a casino in berlin where you got into an altercation with a member of the staff and, ultimately, during an argument, you accused him of having argument, you accused him of having a nazi attitude. what was happening there? it seems like you were struggling to get in what we regard as progressive, liberal, western society. well, i think that's an illusion. by any means, germany is not a progressive, liberal society. and if you see a society, just

imagine, not too long ago, millions of people being sacrificed because of people being sacrificed because of certain authoritarian ideas. and this society basically culturally still has a strong inference from this kind of authoritarian state. surely the lesson of germany over the last 60—70 years is that it is an extraordinary magra has an extraordinary ability to leave the past behind. yes, i can see the effort, but i can also see this is such a heightened structure in their political behaviour and cultural behaviours, which very clearly you can see they have this kind of xenophobia for foreigners, foreign ideas, or different kind of discussions or liberal thinking. and they are very, i will say, sad to say, they are very narrowminded. but

ina way say, they are very narrowminded. but in a way it seems you were frustrated by the liberalism itself. because at one point, when you were discussing the way germany refuses to ta ke discussing the way germany refuses to take a stand on china, for the reasons we discussed, their deep economic ties and their investments in china, you said i don't trust all these liberals, even if they called mea these liberals, even if they called me a liberal, the truth is these liberals are incapable of taking meaningful actions. they're just talking heads. so you don't seem to fit in, clearly you don't fit in china, but i'm wondering if you really feel you fit in western europe either. it is true. i may be a conservative liberal or a liberal conservative. i think many liberals that we talk about today are failed. you can see in the global political situation the brawls are the coming are

talking had, they do not make anything happen. they cannot really fight, the far right of this particular motion. i think it it ta kes a particular motion. i think it it takes a true struggle to become a true liberal. let's take one issue that has really concerned you as an artist over the last few years, particularly since you lived in europe, and that is migration, and the challenge of europe about what to do about the hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people, many of them suffering terribly in their home countries want to make it to security and perhaps hopefully to prosperity in europe. you made a film, human flow in 2017, which was an extraordinary visual expression of these flows of people. you followed up with another one, rest, which focused on individuals caught

in this migration trap, the overall impression was that you think europe has failed. totally. i think europe has failed. totally. i think europe has been very shortsighted and selfish and has been very lazy, and that has impaired the responsibility andi that has impaired the responsibility and i think this is... let us be honest. what is their responsibility? i think their responsibilities to see the world has one... one location, you know, anywhere, human rights for human dignity has been violated, the west should stand up to protected. 0f course it is a difficult situation, it is complicated, that is why europe should be united, you know, to be as a unity to protect its own values. do you think you sometimes ta ke values. do you think you sometimes take it too far? i am thinking of that photograph you set up of

yourself in a pose which mirrored that of the young boy, the migrant who was washed up dead on a beach. in greece. and you recreated that image using your own body. some found that exploitative, tasteless. many people found it that way, as george orwell said, it is just the one who is telling the story, most people would not like to hear about, iamso people would not like to hear about, i am so identified with this kind of idea, and besides his brother dead 50 metres away, nobody took that photo, and there are many thousands under the ocean, on the bottom of the ocean, and nobody cares. i want

to tell the truth. but there is an element of ego in there, putting yourself... comparing your own migrant experience to that.” yourself... comparing your own migrant experience to that. i was in a desperate situation, i once said to myself in the same kind of position, to understand what it is like, and actually that is one request, it is not even initiated by me. i am interested by that reference you just made to george 0rwell, reference you just made to george orwell, and i just reference you just made to george orwell, and ijust wonder whether, asi orwell, and ijust wonder whether, as i talked all —— mccurley about the balance between your activism and yourart, do the balance between your activism and your art, do you feel that you fundamentally change, that activism is now more important to you than creating new artistic output? my art is like a vehicle, but my activism is like a vehicle, but my activism is like a vehicle, but my activism is like the gas or the engine. the

fuel? yes, the fuel. so they cannot move without one another. it is not possible. going back to our earlier conversations about exile and feelings about china, it is ultimately still your homeland, and it is where your family, your mother live. will you go back? under the current political circumstance, i will never go back. you know, i don't think i can function there. it is not possible. i am not existing in that society. my name cannot be mentioned. so why go back and just give extra charge to the political security, you know. that thing you have just said that under the current circumstances with this government, i cannot go back, it

does raise one fundamental question. do you think in your lifetime that the communist party of china will find its grip on power, loosened, that china will fundamentally change? i... it isa that china will fundamentally change? i... it is a serious question. i don't think the party would have this kind of conscience or intention to make any change. that means i will never be able to go back. and just in terms of the country, of the feelings you have, i would just ask you a final question about something that is happening in your home country right now, which we are all talking about. the spread of this coronavirus. you made a distinction between the government and the people. when you read about the thousands of new cases, about the thousands of new cases, about the degree of panic and fear in china, across china today, do you feel a human empathy? deeply... i

feel a human empathy? deeply... i feel very ironically. first, you have a state which never gave any clear information where this disease really co m e clear information where this disease really come from. there still is a question, and they even lock up the first eight doctors who announced the situation on the internet. and they have tried to cover up from the beginning and that made the disease spread in the very crucial, early period. now, still you don't know exactly what is going on because it isa exactly what is going on because it is a state very transparent. so that whole cost, if you have such a tragic... i puta whole cost, if you have such a tragic... i put a tweet. i said whole cost, if you have such a tragic... i put a tweet. isaid if you don't let people walk on the

street, then you have to lock the whole city. that is the result. if you don't let people freely talk about it, then you have two lock their doors, put them in hospitals. so, china today, what happens today in china, the so—called coronavirus, isa in china, the so—called coronavirus, is a first in china namebrand, and that was set an alarm for many, many to come. and for the people of the country? that is suffering, but they have been suffering for a long time. it is not the first time. they have suffered 60s, 70s, 80s, the students movement, and we all know what is happening in china, and this is the fa ct, happening in china, and this is the fact, it is not a fantasy. if we don't act to really, seriously put china on the same table to talk

about human rights, human conditions, it is too late, because china becomes so strong globally.- weiwei, thank you very much for being on hardtalk. it is so nice to see you again. thank you. hello. from start to finish, this week almost couldn't be more different. high pressure means a lot of settled weather currently, but it is very much the calm before storm when light winds, dry conditions and sunshine, end of the week and that picture will change dramatically. here we are today with high pressure across the uk, barely a breath of

breeze for most of us. the highjust picking off a little bit more moisture on its western flank, though, thanks to the breeze coming in off the atlantic. that gets fed into the northern half of the uk and that moisture will take the form of cloud through the day today basically. sunshine, perhaps hazy and a little overcast at times, even for northern ireland, parts of scotland. a few showers possible for the far north and west of scotland. could be some early fog across eastern wales through into the midlands, but that should lift through the day. 0ur highs somewhere around the 6 to 8 degree mark. 0vernight wednesday and into thursday, the high stays with us, the wind stays light, perhaps the cloud drifting a little further south across the uk. a shade milder, actually, towards the north—west with that feed off the atlantic, the core of our frost likely across wales into the midlands. but again, patchy frost possible just about anywhere as our temperatures, particularly in rural areas, can dip down below freezing. the high still firmly with us on thursday, just drifting a little further eastwards. a chilly start, but a fine day in prospect.

perhaps as the high drifts eastwards, the breeze in the west can pick up a little more and break up the cloud for northern ireland and western scotland through the day. a lot of fine weather, though. bright, if not sunny spells, and our temperatures very similar to today, perhaps even a degree or so down in one or two spots, particularly if we get some lingering fog. but we're looking at the 6, 7—degree mark. thursday into friday, again, it's just a slow shift for our high eastwards, but fronts do start to come into our picture later on in the day on friday. and notice the isobars start to squeeze together too, the change is beginning. the wind will start to strengthen through friday afternoon to the west of the uk, maybe even gales around irish sea coasts and for the western isles, then some showers arrive before close of play. some milder air trying to come in too, though, as the south—westerly wind kicks in, but my goodness, is it set to kick in. basically for the end of the week, the jet stream feeding across the atlantic, which feeds us our weather system, starts to align itself like a motorway driving systems straight across the atlantic

towards the uk and this is what that looks like on our the pressure chart. here's the uk. notice how many isobars, that high is long gone, and potentially some deep low centres towards the north—west. it could get stormy.

this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon, in singapore. the headlines: president trump gets ready for his state of the union address, with the economy set to dominate his speech. first partial results from the democratic party caucus in iowa give pete buttigieg a narrow lead over bernie sanders, with joe biden back in fourth place. i'm kasia madera, in london. also in the programme: the world health 0rganisation says china's drastic measures to contain the coronavirus have given the rest of the world the chance to stop it from spreading. and in a special bbc report, we meet the children no—one wants — the sons and daughters taken by their parents to join the islamic state.