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China's Football Themed Schools; North Korea: 15 Years Hard Labor for American Student Otto Warmbier; Aid Workers in Syria Dodge Airstrikes to Deliver Help; Republicans Stand Firm on no Supreme Court Nomination Hearings. New Aired 8:00a-9:00a ET

Aired March 17, 2016 - 08:00:00   ET

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


[08:00:13] KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. And welcome you to News Stream.

Now, the urgency behind talks to end Syria's conflict: we get an exclusive look at the desperate situation inside the country after five

years of war.

Now, U.S. military drills spark more tension with North Korea days after the country jails an American tourists.

And we visit a giant school in China dedicated to one thing: producing great, young football players.

The UN envoy for Syria is broadening. Geneva peace talks on ending the country's brutal war by talking with an umbrella opposition delegation

and it includes the so-called Moscow and Cairo groups which have distinctly different visions of a future Syria.

But Syria's main opposition group, the High Negotiations Committee suggests

it should be the only one to speak for the opposition.

Now, five years now into Syria's civil war, senior correspondent, Clarissa Ward went undercover into rebel-held territory where virtually no

western journalists have gone for more than a year. In this exclusive report, she met up with an aid worker as he dodged airstrikes trying to

help civilians trapped by the violence.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is a Tuesday in Syria. British aid worker, Tauqir Sharif, is making the

dangerous drive to Aleppo.

TAUQIR SHARIF , BRITISH AID WORKER: It's really important that we drive with the windows open because any kind of explosions that land close

to us, the last thing we want is shrapnel of glass and so on landing on our face.

WARD: He is traveling in to devastated city to deliver an ambulance but it isn't long before he is diverted.

WARD: Four air strikes have hit. Sharif runs into the wreckage to see what is needed.

SHARIF: This is a house. It's all houses.

WARD: Remarkably, no one has been injured or killed but the sound of another jet means it's time to leave.

SHARIF: Everybody out. Let's go. Let's go.

They are saying that the plane is in the sky. We can hear it. They are saying attack particular that it uses, when ambulances turn up they will

hit the same place again, so we're just going to try to get to a safer place.

WARD: Sharif is one of just a handful of Western aid workers living in Syria.

SHARIF: Most of the big aid organizations they don't want to go into the line of fire in a sense. This is something that we have to do. This is

something that is a human response. If we don't do it, then who will?

WARD: In the relative safety of an olive grove near the Turkish border he told us religious conviction played a big part in his decision to come

here three years ago.

SHARIF (ph): We need to look at what do the people really want? And if the people are Muslims and they want some form of Islamic governance then

it's important that we help them to establish that.

WARD (on camera): Is that what they want?

SHARIF (ph): In my opinion, that's what I believe. And you can ask -- you can go and ask the people, what do you want. I don't think they will

settle for anything else, especially after all this bloodshed, their right to self determination.

WARD (voice-over): For many of the 6.5 million displaced people in Syria, there are perhaps more immediate concerns. Most live in sprawling

tent cities along the border. Conditions in the camps are brutal. There is a lack of food and clean water. And they become more crowded every day.

SHARIF (ph): We just recently done a survey of this camp. Just this camp here, alone, which is a conglomeration of about 40 camps, is around

80,000 people.

WARD (on camera): 80,000 people.

SHARIF (ph): And this is just one on this border. There is another one, it's not too far from here, another maybe 65,000, 70,000 people.

(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

SHARIF (ph): (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WARD (voice-over): Sharif's (ph) favorite project is this smaller camp that houses roughly 100 widows and their children.

Syria is now a country full of widows and orphans, some still too young to understand what has happened to their country, others who have

seen too much, all of them dependent on the mercy of others.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Incredible that message of service and selflessness from that aid worker echoing what we heard from that Syrian Doctor in

yesterday's report.

Clarissa Ward joins us now live with more on her series of reports from inside Syria. And Clarissa, as you know, of course this week if the

fifth year anniversary already of the war, this tenuous truce is in place. We've got talks going on in Geneva.

But inside Syria, among everyone that you've talked to, how hopefully are they for peace?

[08:05:21] WARD: Well, Kristie, I think the reality is that people in Syria are pretty jaded at this point. They no longer have a lot of faith

in the peace process. They -- most of them feel that their needs are not being represented and their voices are not being heard in Geneva.

You mentioned in the introduction to this piece the sort of squabbling that is going on between various different factions of the opposition in

Geneva, all of whom claim to somehow represent the people on the ground. And the reality is there's a profound disconnect between all of those

opposition members who are sitting in Geneva and those who are fighting and dying on the ground inside Syria.

The people who we spoke to are absolutely emphatic that there can be no talks without it being included that President Bashar al-Assad has to

step down. And if that statement is not categorically placed in the rubric of any kind of agreement, they believe there's simply no possibility of any

long lasting peace inside Syria.

Of course people are cautiously optimistic about the the Russian withdrawal. And they wold welcome an end to the bombardment that Russia's

military intervention has brought with it. But I think there's a great deal of skepticism, Kristie, as to exactly what this withdrawal will really

look like.

LU STOUT: So, this desperate situation inside Syria is likely to drag on. And Clarissa, I just wanted to ask also your thoughts during your

series of reports, because you and your team, you traveled deep into the heart of opposition controlled Aleppo. You know, incredible access here.

Also a very dangerous journey. What was it that you saw or encountered or you learned talking to people there that most surprised or shocked you.

I mean, I think there were several things. First of all, I had been to Aleppo in 2012 when it was already being bombed on a regular basis by

the regime. And I thought to myself that it could never get worse. It was already such a desperate situation. And then coming back four years later

in the midst of the Russian intervention it was clear that actually it could get worse, and it had become worse.

But what really surprised me, was talking to these people on the ground, one assumes that anyone who had the money or the means to get out

of Syria would do so, and yet there are many people who actively choose to remain in Syria, to risk life and limb to brave the bombardment, to

continue working towards trying to carve out some semblance of a normal life in these rebel-held areas.

And that, to me, was just astonishing the determination and the steadfastness.

I don't use the word heroes lightly, but you look at these aid workers and these doctors who could be at home int he UK or who could easily find

refuge in a neighboring country like Turkey and you just have to take your hat off to them that they're deciding to do something so dangerous in an

attempt to build some kind of a new life for people.

LU STOUT: That's right, staying put, risking air strikes to save and to help civilians, they are indeed heroes. And Clarissa, thank you very

much, indeed, for your reporting. Thank you and take care.

Clarissa Ward there joining us live.

Now, all this week, Clarissa and her team are giving us this rare look inside rebel-held Syria. And if you missed any of her reports, you could

watch them again on our website, just go to CNN.com/Syria. And you could also follow the latest on Twitter using the hashtag #undercoverinSyria

That's all part of our exclusive coverage inside Syria behind rebel lines only on CNN.

Now, Turkey has been shaken by several deadly bombings in recent weeks and we've now learned taht Germany has closed it's embassy and a consulate

in Istanbul because of a possible threat.

Now the German foreign office also says a German school in Ankara has been shut while it investigates.

The announcement follows Sunday's bombing that killed 35 people in the Turkish capital. An offshoot of the Kurdish PKK has claimed

responsibility.

The White House has placed sanctions on North Korea after it announced it had exploded a

nuclear bomb and conducted missile tests. It also comes after North Korea sentenced an American student to 15 years hard labor for taking down a

political banner at a hotel. The U.S. says the punishment is too harsh and is calling for his release.

Now, let's bring in CNN's Ivan Watson. He joins us live from Seoul. And Ivan, the U.S. has slapped new sanctions on North Korea. China, we've

learned, China opposes them. How does that complicate efforts to reign in Pyongyang?

IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the international community clearly doesn't know what to do with North Korea. And it can't

seem to convince Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons program, which it repeats almost on a daily basis, saying it will develop a nuclear arsenal

and intercontinental ballistic missiles. They're saying that every day practically.

You have the U.S. and China, the biggest powers in the region on the United Nations Security Council, they agreed to a fresh round of sanctions

and a resolution punishing North Korea for its latest nuclear test, that sanctions, those resolutions came in earlier this month.

But now you are seeing divergence between these two powers now with Beijing saying taht it doesn't approve of any unilateral sanctions. It

doesn't see it helpful to further ratchet up tensions on a peninsula where we already see the worst relations between North and South Korea that we've

seen in years.

And it has also expressed concern about sanctions that could harm Chinese interests. And the new sanctions that the U.S. has imposed

unilaterally look like they could affect third parties, intermediaries, that do business with North Korean industries. In other words, Chinese

companies. That China is the main gateway for goods coming in and out of North Korea -- Kristie.

[08:10:19] LU STOUT: And Ivan, we have to talk about the fate of the American student

who has been sentenced to 15 years hard labor for stealing a banner in a hotel in Pyongyang. What can be done to secure his release?

WATSON: Well, there are diplomatic efforts underway from the former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. He is trying to lobby through his

diplomatic contacts for this 21-year-old's release. The U.S. has called for his release immediately on humanitarian grounds.

But North Korea has made it clear, he is getting 15 years of hard labor. The crime is state subversion. Otto Warmbier was arrested in early

January and he was allowed to speak before cameras during his court appearance. Take a listen, Krsitie.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OTTO WARMBIER, AMERICAN DETAINED IN NORTH KOREA: My brother and my sister need me. I beg that you see how I am only human, how I have made

the worst mistake of my life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: So, there you have Otto Warmbier in that emotional display, the second he has done now before cameras in recent weeks. The fact is

that the relations between Pyongyang and Washington are very bad right now. Te U.S. just imposed new sanctions and North Korea is so angry about the

joint military exercises that the U.S. is conducting now in South Korea with the South Korean military that it is actually threatening preemptive

nuclear strikes and it's also calling for a meeting of the United Nations Security Council to protest these joint exercises.

So they do not things do not look good for this young American man to get a swift release from

North Korean custody -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: Especially with tensions so high right now.

Ivan Watson reporting live from Seoul for us. Thank you, Ivan.

Now, he firmly denies inciting violence, but a disturbing prediction from Donald Trump has

his critics up in arms. We'll have more on the Republican frontrunner's latest controversial comments.

And from the campaign trail to Capitol Hill, why there is a heated battle over this man, President Obama's pick for the Supreme Court.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:15:06] LU STOUT: Now, he has already been accused of inciting violence but Donald

Trump has turned up the rhetoric by warning of riots if he gets a majority of delegates but does not become the Republican presidential nominee.

Now, the party frontrunner needs to win more than half the remaining delegates to clinch the nomination, which is possible.

CNN's Phil Mattingly is following this and joins us live. And Phil, Donald Trump is

warning of riots if he is not the nominee. How is that being interpreted there?

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, it's raising a lot of concern and you have to look back over the last couple of weeks to see

exactly why. The tone and tenure of this campaign, particularly on the Republican side has really hit an area that makes people across the

spectrum really, really nervous. What happened in Chicago, what we have seen at a number of rallies with violence and protests, things right now

aren't heading in a great direction. And what Donald Trump said yesterday certainly isn't helping.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, 2016 REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (via phone): I think you would have problems like you've never seen before.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Donald Trump warning his supporters could riot if he's denied the Republican nomination, in a live interview on NEW DAY

Wednesday.

TRUMP: We're way ahead of everybody. I don't think you can say that we don't get it automatically. I think it would be -- I think you'd have

riots.

MATTINGLY: The GOP facing the very real possibility of a contested convention if no candidate meets the delegate threshold for the

nomination.

SEN. TED CRUZ, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That would be an absolute disaster. I think the people would quite rightly revolt.

MATTINGLY: Former presidential candidate Ben Carson, who's endorsed Trump, reiterating that sentiment.

CARSON: There's no question that there would be a lot of turmoil if the establishment tries to thwart the will of the people.

MATTINGLY: But party leaders are downplaying that possibility.

REINCE PRIEBUS, RNC CHAIRMAN: All of these stories are going to continue, and everyone's going to have opinions, and they're going to get

people stirred up, but those delegates will vote on the first ballot as they are bound to vote under the law. MATTINGLY: And dismissing Trump's

warning if his supporters are ignored.

SEAN SPICER, RNC CHIEF STRATEGIST & COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: I assume he's speaking figuratively. I think, if we go into a convention, whoever

gets 1,237 delegates becomes the nominee. It's plain and simple.

MATTINGLY: With the Republican field winnowing, Trump now attempting to look more like a general election candidate, dropping his first attack

ad aimed at the Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, painting her as too week to go up against opponents of the U.S.

Trump foreshadowing his plans to go after Secretary Clinton earlier this month during FOX's last GOP debate.

TRUMP: I have not started on Hillary yet. Believe me, I will start soon.

MATTINGLY: This week, he's pledging to skip their next debate, forcing FOX to pull the plug.

TRUMP (via phone): How many times can the same people ask you the same question? I won't be there, no.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MATTINGLY: Kristie, there is no question Donald Trump has really touched a nerve inside the

American electorate, really identifying a group of supporters that are extraordinarily passionate having been to a number of their rallies. They

express their passion quite openly whether it be through shouts or profanity or fists. There's no question they back their candidate. And

anything that gets in the way of that could be problematic come the Republican convention.

LU STOUT: He's definitely a stirring and controversy candidate. Phil Mattingly reporting live from Philadelphia, thank you.

Now, this man is the face of an intense political battle in Washington right now, and President Barack Obama wants Merrick Garland to be the next

U.S. Supreme Court justice. But Republican law makers are doubling down on promises not to hold confirmation hearings.

CNN senior political reporter Manu Raju has more from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANU RAJU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Senate Republicans declaring President Obama's choice for Supreme Court dead on arrival.

BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Widely recognized not only as one of America's sharpest legal minds but someone who brings to

his work a spirit of decency, modesty, integrity, even-handedness, and excellence.

RAJU: The president touting 63-year-old Merrick Garland as a consensus nominee with more federal judicial experience than any other nominee in

history, who worked on high profile cases like the Oklahoma City bombing and the Unabomber as a long time Justice Department lawyer and federal

prosecutor.

SEN. ORRIN HATCH, (R) JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: Put this off until after the next president is elected.

RAJU: But Republicans argue it is about principle, saying American voters should first elect a new president before confirming a nominee.

MCCONNELL: It seems clear that President Obama made this nominee not with the intent of seeing the nominee affirmed but in order to politicize

it for purposes of the election.

RAJU: Majority Leader Mitch McConnell even calling Garland to say that he will not meet with him or get a confirmation hearing.

SEN. DICK DURBIN, (D) ILLINOIS: That principle has no history, no precedent, and is virtually impossible to defend.

RAJU: Senate Democrats urging their counterparts to do their job, warning more obstructionism could clip control of the GOP led chamber in

November.

HARRY REID, (D-NV) SENATE MINORITY LEADER: Give President Obama's nominee a meeting, a hearing, and a vote.

SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER, (D) NEW YORK: We hope the saner heads in the Republican Party will prevail.

RAJU: But several in tough reelection races standing firm with Republican leadership.

[08:20:10] SEN. ROB PORTMAN, (R) OHIO: If I do meet with him, it may not be a good use of his time because I'm not going to change my position.

RAJU: For his part, Garland got emotional at yesterday's announcement, having been passed over twice for a seat on the high court.

JUDGE MERRICK GARLAND, SUPREME COURT NOMINEE: This is the greatest honor of my life, other than Lana agreeing to marry my 28 years ago.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: You're watching News Stream. And still to come on the program, a former human trafficker opens up about his ugly past. We'll

find out how hundreds of young women in India are being sold into slavery. That story is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: All this week, CNN's Freedom Project is focusing on human traffickers are preying on young tea pickers in India.

Now yesterday, I spoke with journalist Muhammad Lila about how poor girls are being lured from home with promises of a better life. And today,

he talks to a convicted trafficker who admits selling girls into slavery.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[08:25:01] MUHAMMAD LILA, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: For many trafficking victims, this is where their modern day slavery begins, loaded

on to crowded trains headed to a life of bonded labor.

But for the people behind it all, it takes months of planning.

Do you still remember her, her face?

Pola Jen (ph) is a convicted trafficker who spent four months behind bars, admitting he tricked young girls from tea plantations with promises

of a better life.

He agreed to talk to us, and as we drive through town, he describes how he was the middleman taking three girls to Delhi knowing they might

never come home.

How much money were you paid taking these girls to Delhi?

It works out to less than $200 American dollars per girl.

Do you think it's okay for people like you to traffic girls, take money, and send these girls away and they never come home?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): At the time, I thought it was OK. But I am being punished, and I realize now it was the wrong thing to

do.

LILA: Traffickers like Pola Jen (ph) specifically target young girls on tea plantations. He says

it was an easy way for him to make some quick money.

To find out why, we head to the nearest police district.

Subinspector Bohra (ph), nice ot meet you. I'm Muhammad with CNN's Freedom Project.

When girls go missing, it's the subinpector Bohra's (ph) job to find them.

So, he just said there are about 20 or 30 cases of trafficking just in this one district alone.

Most of them are them are girls whop work and live on tea plantations, sometimes making just pennies a day with no education and no hope for a

better life.

Why are there so many cases of trafficking involving families or girls from these tea gardens?

"If you ask me," the subinspector says, "people who work on tea gardens are financially poor, they're uneducated and they have a lot of

debt, so they need a lot of money."

And that makes them perfect targets. Hundreds have been tricked by phoney placement agencies who promise them jobs and money that they can

send home, instead they are sold into bonded labor or the sex industry with no way to escape.

Back at the railway station on the very same platform where he took those girls away, this trafficker insists he is a changed man.

If you had a chance to do it again and you knew 100 percent you wouldn't get caught, would you do it again, would you put girls on a train

like this?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): No. I don't think I would do something like this ever again, no matter how much money I was offered.

LILA: But beneath his remorse, there's an even darker reality, for every ex-trafficker like

him, there are dozens more waiting to take his place.

For the CNN Freedom Project, Muhammad Lila in Guahati (ph), northeastern India.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now, thankfully all around the world people are trying to make a difference in the fight against human traffickers. On our website,

you can find stories of hope from brave survivors and links to those helping in that global battle. Just go to CNN.com/freedom.

Now, Brazil's embattled former president has a new job, and that is igniting anger on the streets. When we come back, details on the new

political appointment that has triggered mass demonstrations.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(HEADLINES)

[08:32:02] LU STOUT: Now there is outrage in Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has accepted an offer to become chief of staff to the

current president. Now, critics argue that the appointment is designed to give the legal protection from a corruption investigation.

Now, CNN's Shasta Darlington is following the story. She joins us live from Rio and Shasta tell us more about the political maneuvering that

is getting so many people angry there. Why was the former President Lula, who is under investigation for corruption given a cabinet post.

SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there were a couple of different ways to interpret that. The government claims they

brought him in to help shore up confidence in his hand-picked successor, his protoge, current president Dilma Rousseff has rock bottom approval

ratings and is even looking at an impeachment proceeding in congress over budget dealings.

Now, the critics would say that that's nonsense, this is just a straight get out of jail free card. The longrunning corruption

investigation was circling in and getting closer to former President Lula in fact federal police had raided his home just a couple weeks ago, taken

him in for questioning and under Brazilian law, the top government officials can only be tried in the

Supreme Court, so this would certainly slow things down, the judge in charge of that corruption investigation has to pass everything to the

Supreme Court and at the very best, this wouldn't be affecting Lula in the near term, becuase it would slow things down.

So, critics certainly see this as political maneuvering. And that was actually fueled by a phone tap that was released by the judge last night

that seems to suggest that Rousseff was sending over the document proving that Lula was indeed -- had a cabinet post just in case somebody came by

looking for him -- Krsitie.

LU STOUT: Thank you for explaining what is going on here. Political tensions certainly on the rise there in Brazil. Shasta Darlington live

from Rio for us. Thank you, Shasta.

In Beijing, authorities have issued a yellow alert for air pollution that is set to last for days. One photographer has been documenting smog

in the Chinese capital by snapping photos from his apartment window. And the results here, a dramatic series of images showing how the skyline

changes day to day over the course of three years.

Now, he spoke to us about why he thinks fighting pollution is everyone's responsibility.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZOU YI, PHOTOGRAPHER (through translator): I think there are a lot of things the government needs to do, but society also needs to become aware

more of the problem. Both sides need to join together try and improve air quality. For the government to be the only one to make changes that's not

enough. If ordinary people don't take part, the problem will remain.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now, one group of pigeons has taken to the skies to tell Londoners just how bad their air pollution has gotten. Now, they're called

pigeons air patrol. It's a flock of 10 brave birds all equipped with tiny backpack sensors, and assisted by plume labs (ph).

Now, they've been flying over the city this week tracking the toxic air there and then tweeting back through Twitter, tweeting back their

readings.

Now, London has some of the world's dirtiest air, a vet has been on hand to monitor the bird's well-being over the course of three days.

And the birds, they have names like coco, Julius, Norbert (ph).

Now, the company's next project here is to recruit 100 Londoners to carry out pollution monitorings, this time safely on the ground.

Now the saying goes, you have to spend money to make money. And when it comes to football, it's a phrase China has certainly embraced. Just

ahead, see the multi-billion dollar investment it's making to ensure power on the pitch.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now, let's check in on Richard Quest and on his around the world budget odyssey. Now, remember, he is traveling only on low-cost carriers,

nine countries, eight days, no upgrades, no frills.

Now, Richard has now arrived in Sydney, Australia, three-quarters of the way into his journey. Let's take a look at how he is doing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's day six and we have made it halfway around the world from where we began. We are, of

course, in Sydney, Australia.

The flight from Singapore was my first experience of the long-haul low-cost airline, in this case, it was Scoot. We even had the CEO onboard

who pushed the trolly selling the duty-frees while the flight attendants danced in the aisle.

Now from Australia, after I had taken the picture and then had a local food, we start the long trek back across the northern hemisphere, crossing

the Pacific to Honolulu, on to Los Angeles, to New York and then back to London.

Remember what this is all about, it's how the low cost carriers have changed the way we fly. So, it's ten airlines across nine countries in

eight days with one journey in low cost.

Richard Quest, CNN, Sydney, Australia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And online you can find out how much or how little Richard is paying for each leg of his journey. Be sure to follow him on Twitter

with the hashtag #flywithquest. He has reviews of his budget flight experience and is accepting special challenges at each stop.

Now, China's influence has steadily grown on the global stage, but when it comes to the football pitch they still have a long way to go.

Now, CNN's Matt Rivers visited a school that symbolizes the country's hope for the future of

its soccer team.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The view from above the Evergrand Football School is expansive: 50 pitches spread out across some 160 acres

in southern China's Guangdong Province, the biggest in the world.

It's ambitious, to say the least, a trait matched by a young student far down below.

HE XINJIE, STUDENT (through translator): I wanted to play for the team and then play for

Spanish clubs like Barcelona or Real Madrid.

RIVERS: He Jinjie is a skinny 14-year-old midfielder from Fujian Province. His family doesn't have a lot of money so when he got a full

scholarship to Evergrand eight months ago, he didn't think twice. For him, football is life.

XINJIE (through translator): I feel really lucky to be here, otherwise I'll be in some normal school playing football on the side.

RIVERS: He is one of more than 2,000 students that live on the Evergrand campus. 80 percent of their time is spent inside these ornate

buildings attending class. The rest of the time they eat together, they live together and they train together. Collectively they represent the

future of Chinese football.

LIU JIANGNAN, PRINCIPAL EVERGRAND FOOTBALL SCHOOL (through translator): Our school aims to improve the level of football in China and

cultivate some stars while helping them grow as people.

RIVERS: Principal Liu Jiangnan says his school reflects a growing trend in China. Football is becoming more popular.

Every Saturday, the entire school gets together, and teams from different grades play matches

against one another. It's the kind of scene young kids involved, parents coming out to watch, that the Chinese government hopes gets replicated time

and again across the country as everyone gets more invested in the sport.

President Xi Jinping, a big fan of the beautiful game, has led the surge of investment in youth football. The sport is now a mandatory part

of sport curriculums and there are plans to have 20,000 football themed schools up and running by 2017. The ultimate goal is to win a World Cup.

To do that, you need to develop star players. That's the task facing people like Sergio Zarco Diaz (ph), a Spanish youth coach who moved to

China four years ago as part of a partnership between the school and European heavyweight Real Madrid.

We asked if he has any future Messis or Ronaldos on his roster.

SERGIO ZARCO DIAZ, FOOTBALL COACH (through translator): I hope so. I hope so. But we're not in a rush because we know that this is a process

that takes time.

RIVERS: As for the 14-year-oll He Xinjie, he might not be the next Messi just yet, but the next time China makes the World Cup, he says he

will be a part of the reason why.

You are reminded of China's ultimate goal as soon as you arrive at the school. This replica FIFA World Cup trophy sits right out front its

entrance. Principal Liu says he hopes that the national team can manage to qualify for that tournament in the next 10 to 15 years and maybe even one

day well down the road even win.

Matt Rivers, CNN, Chian.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: They have the eyes on the prize.

And that is News Stream. I'm Kristie Lu Stout. We have got more football straight ahead. Alex Thomas will have the list of champion league

quarterfinalists on World Sport next.

END