News on China Archives - Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research | Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research

News on China | No. 30

Tricon_CN — Sat, 11 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0000

11 July 2026

About 10 min read.

China successfully tests nuclear-capable submarine-launched ballistic missile

China’s Ministry of National Defense announced on 7 July that the People’s Liberation Army Navy had successfully launched a missile from a strategic nuclear submarine into the Pacific Ocean as part of its annual training program. The test, conducted with a dummy warhead, was designed to assess the reliability of the country’s strategic weapons systems and the combat readiness of its strategic forces. According to the ministry, the launch achieved its expected objectives. The announcement came as China and Russia began the Joint Sea-2026 naval exercise near Qingdao, followed by joint maritime patrols in the western Pacific as part of their annual military cooperation plan.

Read More:

China Urges US to Lift Sanctions on Venezuela to Support Post-Earthquake Reconstruction

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning called on the United States on 7 July to lift illegal sanctions on Venezuela, saying the restrictions are hampering humanitarian assistance and post-earthquake reconstruction. More than 3,800 people have died and over 17,900 have been left homeless. Mao reaffirmed China’s opposition to unilateral sanctions, echoed Acting President Delcy Rodríguez’s call to release Venezuela’s frozen assets, announced the arrival of the first Chinese shipment of more than 80 tonnes of emergency supplies, highlighted Beijing’s 100 million yuan (US $14 million) humanitarian assistance package, and said China would continue supporting the country’s reconstruction efforts.

Read More:

At UN Security Council, Beijing Urges Ceasefire and Dialogue as US-Iran Strikes Threaten Truce

Warning that the Middle East ‘cannot once again become an arena for big-power rivalry,’ Fu Cong, China’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, used an emergency Security Council session on 2 July 2026 to press Washington and Tehran to honour their memorandum of understanding and reopen the Strait of Hormuz – which carries as much as 20% of the world’s seaborne oil and gas – while affirming that dialogue and negotiation remain ‘the only viable way’ to resolve disputes.

Read More:

CPC Commends 149 Outstanding Members and 399 Grassroots Party Bodies on 105th Anniversary

On 1 July, the Party leadership singled out outstanding individuals and advanced collectives from every front, conferring the National Outstanding Party Member title on 141 living comrades and 8 posthumously, alongside 150 outstanding Party affairs workers and 399 advanced primary-level organisations, and calling on the CPC’s 101.29 million members to emulate their loyalty and service in advancing Chinese modernisation.

Read More:

Forex Reserves Dip to US $3.42 Trillion as Central Bank Extends Gold Streak to 20th Month

A stronger US dollar trimmed the valuation of non-dollar holdings (a translation effect rather than capital flight), pulling China’s foreign exchange reserves down US $26 billion to $3.42 trillion in June, though the world’s largest stockpile held above the $3.4 trillion sufficiency level for a third month as the central bank extended its gold-buying streak to a 20th consecutive month, its largest purchase of the current cycle, adding 480,000 ounces to reach 75.44 million.

Read More:

China’s First Outbound Investment Regulation Takes Effect, Adding Security Review to Opening-Up

Issued through a State Council decree signed by Premier Li Qiang, the 34-article framework brings promotion, services, safeguards and management under a single architecture, subjecting deals that bear on national security to formal review while pledging alignment with high-standard international economic and trade rules and high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, as outbound direct investment reached 506.95 billion yuan (US $73.36 billion), up 3 percent year on year in the first five months of 2026.

Read More:

China mobilizes hundreds of millions of yuan in disaster relief after floods, tornadoes and landslide leave at least 71 dead

China has expanded emergency response after extreme weather disasters across several regions. Floods caused by Tropical Storm Maysak, which led to reservoir breaches in Guangxi, killed 39 people, left nine missing and forced around 130,000 evacuations. Tornadoes in Hubei killed 11 people, while a landslide in Gansu left 21 forestry workers dead. Authorities raised Guangxi’s flood response level, deployed more than 4,000 troops and 9,500 rescue workers with boats and drones, and allocated hundreds of millions of yuan in emergency funds, including 260 million yuan (approximately US $38 million) for flood and typhoon relief.

Read More:

China’s World-First Standard Bars EV Battery Fire and Explosion After Thermal Runaway

Issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and in force since 1 July 2026, GB 38031-2025 replaces a 2020 version that only guaranteed occupants a five-minute escape warning, now obliging battery packs to neither ignite nor explode even after a cell enters thermal runaway and to pass an external short-circuit test after 300 fast-charge cycles, raising the safety floor in a market where new energy vehicles already make up more than half of new car sales.

Read More:

Memristor Chip Reconstructs Human Brain Cortex in 2.12 Milliseconds for Medical Diagnosis

Published in the journal Science by a Peking University and Chinese Academy of Sciences team, the world’s first neural dynamical system built on phase-change memristors performs computation inside memory to reconstruct the cerebral cortex up to 478 times faster than an NVIDIA A100 GPU on that specific task, opening the way to real-time brain ‘digital twins’ for surgical navigation, Alzheimer’s screening and brain-computer interfaces.

Read More:

China Marks 89th Anniversary of Anti-Japanese Resistance War’s Outbreak at Lugou Bridge

Flowers, bowed tributes and a tolling peace bell across Beijing, Nanjing and Shenyang on 7 July 2026 commemorated the 1937 July 7th Incident, when Japanese troops attacked Chinese forces at the Lugou (Marco Polo) Bridge outside Beijing, escalating aggression into a full-scale invasion whose atrocities included the Nanjing Massacre, Unit 731’s germ-warfare human experiments and the coercion of some 200,000 ‘comfort women’; the 14-year war inflicted 35 million military and civilian casualties before Japan’s 1945 surrender.

Read More:

News on China | No. 29

Tricon_CN — Sat, 04 Jul 2026 07:00:56 +0000

No. 29 | 4 July 2026

About 10 min read.

China sends US$ 15 million in aid and satellite imagery to earthquake-hit Venezuela

China announced 100 million yuan (US$ 14.7 million) in emergency supplies for relief and reconstruction following the recent earthquakes in Venezuela. Beijing also provided satellite imagery to support disaster response, while the Red Cross Society of China pledged US$300,000 in humanitarian assistance. Chinese-funded companies mobilized construction machinery, medical supplies and rescue teams, donating more than 115 tonnes of aid and preparing over 200 additional tonnes for delivery. Meanwhile, overseas Chinese communities donated nearly 1,700 tonnes of relief supplies, benefiting tens of thousands of affected families. China also reaffirmed its readiness to provide further assistance as recovery efforts continue.

Read More:

China and Belarus launch 2026-2027 Years of Industrial Cooperation

During Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko’s visit to Beijing, President Xi Jinping reaffirmed China’s support for Belarus’ sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, describing bilateral ties as being at their best in history. As a key outcome of the meeting, the two countries launched the 2026-2027 China-Belarus Years of Industrial Cooperation to expand manufacturing and industrial collaboration. They also agreed to deepen high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, advance flagship projects including the Great Stone Industrial Park, strengthen coordination within the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and promote multilateralism, stability and shared development amid global uncertainty.

Read More:

Communist Party of China marks 105 years with 101 million members and annual growth of 1 million

According to figures released by the Organization Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee on the Party’s 105th anniversary, membership reached 101.286 million, an increase of 1.015 million over the previous year. The Party has 5.431 million grassroots organisations nationwide. Women account for 31.914 million members, while ethnic minorities total 7.878 million. More than 84% of new members admitted in 2025 were aged 35 or younger, highlighting continued generational renewal. At a ceremony in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, President Xi Jinping presented the July 1 Medal to outstanding members from defence, healthcare, science and rural development.

Read More:

China prioritises upgrading 587,000 rural reading rooms over new construction

A new action plan jointly issued by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs call on local governments to improve the quality and efficiency of China’s 587,000 village reading rooms. The plan prioritises digital integration through online libraries, audiobooks and QR codes while discouraging unnecessary demolition, reconstruction and costly showcase projects. It also seeks to reduce administrative burdens on grassroots organisations and promote better use of existing public cultural resources instead of expanding infrastructure through new construction.

Read More:

China Leads Global Maritime Transport with 8 of the World’s Top 10 Ports

China consolidated its position as a global leader in maritime transport during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), according to the Ministry of Transport. The country accounted for nearly one-third of global maritime cargo transport and is home to eight of the world’s ten busiest ports by cargo throughput. In 2025, Chinese ports handled a record 18.3 billion tonnes of cargo and 354 million TEUs, while the Chinese-owned shipping fleet reached 490 million deadweight tonnes, all ranking first globally. The national port network expanded to 3,061 large-vessel berths, 18,500 km of high-grade inland waterways and 60 automated terminals.

Read More:

China reverses groundwater depletion in North China under 14th Five-Year Plan

Groundwater levels across North China’s overexploited aquifers have risen significantly during the 14th Five-Year Plan, according to the Ministry of Water Resources. The recovery was driven by the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, stricter groundwater extraction controls and ecological river replenishment. Since the end of 2020, shallow groundwater has risen 3.76 metres and deep aquifers 7.65 metres across the North China Plain, one of the world’s most heavily exploited groundwater regions. Independent research found groundwater levels increasing by around 0.7 metres annually, surpassing 2005 levels by 2024 and confirming the effectiveness of China’s long-term water management policies.

Read More:

China completes world’s largest fusion magnet with fully domestic technology

A major milestone in China’s nuclear fusion programme was achieved after the Institute of Plasma Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences announced the successful testing of a 582-tonne toroidal field magnet and a high-temperature central solenoid coil built entirely with domestic core technology. Measuring 21 metres in length, the magnet stores three times the energy of the equivalent component for the international ITER fusion project despite having only 1.3 times its volume, demonstrating significant advances in China’s fusion engineering capabilities.

Read More:

UBTech launches world’s first mass-produced humanoid companion robot

China’s robotics sector has expanded further with the launch of a mass-produced humanoid companion robot by UBTech. The company introduced the UWORLD U1, the world’s first mass-produced humanoid companion robot, available in male and female versions starting at US$17,647, featuring 88 degrees of freedom, expressive facial movements and AI-powered interaction. UBTech said pre-orders exceeded 13,361 by its official debut on 30 June. Targeting China’s growing elderly population and single-person households, the launch reflects rising demand for consumer humanoid robots in a country that accounted for 85 percent of global humanoid robot installations in 2025, according to industry data.

Read More:

China expands social protection and service hubs for gig workers

Delivery riders and couriers across China are receiving expanded welfare and service support as part of broader efforts to improve conditions in the country’s rapidly growing gig economy under the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030). Grassroots Communist Party organisations are being mobilised to integrate workers into urban governance systems while strengthening access to public services. Support measures include a dedicated service centre in Yiwu for more than 6,000 riders, over 14,000 rest hubs in Beijing, and subsidised shared housing in Shanghai starting at around 500 yuan (US$ 73) per month. At the national level, an occupational injury insurance pilot has now been extended to all 31 provincial-level regions, covering more than 27 million workers.

Read More:

Livestreaming boosts incomes in remote Chinese village as rural e-commerce surpasses US$431 billion

Young local officials in Qianjin Village, Wuchuan County, in southwest China’s Guizhou Province, have launched a livestreaming initiative on Douyin to promote agricultural products and boost rural incomes. The debut broadcast of the ‘Village Douyin Market’ generated more than 3,200 orders and 120,000 yuan (US$ 17,200) in a single day, while partnerships with courier services reduced shipping costs from 8 yuan to 3.5 yuan (US$ 1.15 to US$ 0.50) per parcel. The local initiative reflects a broader national trend, as rural online retail sales exceeded 3 trillion yuan (US$ 431 billion) in 2025, with platforms hosting more than 4 million agricultural livestreaming sessions, according to industry data.

Read More:

News on China | No. 28

Tricon_CN — Sat, 27 Jun 2026 07:00:35 +0000

No. 28 | 27 June 2026

About 10 min read.

China Calls for Multilateralism and Stronger Global South Voice at BRICS Security Advisers’ Meeting in New Delhi

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the 16th Meeting of BRICS National Security Advisers and High Representatives for National Security in New Delhi on 23 June, where members exchanged views on counter-terrorism, cybersecurity, energy and food security, and artificial intelligence governance ahead of the BRICS Summit. On the sidelines of the meeting, Wang held talks with Indian officials, discussing bilateral relations and regional cooperation. He called on BRICS countries to uphold multilateralism, reject unilateralism and protectionism, and strengthen the voice of the Global South in global affairs.

Read More:

China Promotes Innovation and Global Cooperation at Summer Davos in Dalian

Chinese Premier Li Qiang attended the opening plenary of the 17th Annual Meeting of the New Champions, or Summer Davos, in Dalian, northeast China, on 23 June under the theme ‘Innovation at Scale.’ The forum gathered over 1,700 participants from more than 90 countries and regions to discuss innovation and global cooperation. On the sidelines, Li held meetings with the prime ministers of the Republic of Korea, Kazakhstan and Mongolia on trade, connectivity and energy. He also rejected ‘China Shock 2.0’ narratives, framing China as a source of ‘China Opportunity 2.0.’

Read More:

Xi Makes East-West Cooperation Permanent After 30 Years, Elevating Fujian-Ningxia Pairing Model

Conveyed at a national work conference that opened on 17 June in Yinchuan, capital of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, the directive binds the east-west pairing-assistance framework to the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) and holds up the Fujian-Ningxia model, through which Fujian provided 7.68 billion yuan in assistance funding and drew over 1,600 enterprises, lifting rural incomes from about 1,400 yuan in 1996 to more than 20,000 yuan in 2025.

Read More:

Three Chinese Ministries Unveil 15-Point Plan to Open Services, Finance and Pharma to Foreign Capital

Developed jointly with 27 government departments for the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–30) and released on 22 June, the package groups 15 measures across five areas – expanding market access, easing investment procedures and guaranteeing national treatment – as officials cited 533,000 foreign-invested enterprises by end-2025, average annual growth of 4.5%, and aggregate stock approaching US$4 trillion.

Read More:

China’s Combined Budget Deficit Narrows 4.1% in First Five Months Despite Weak Demand

General public budget revenue rose 4 percent year-on-year to 10.0465 trillion yuan (US$1.47 trillion) in the first five months of 2026, the Ministry of Finance reported, while expenditure grew just 0.8 percent and the combined shortfall across the two largest budgets shrank 4.1 percent to 3.16 trillion yuan (US$466 billion) – its first decline since 2023 – as restraint proceeds despite soft demand.

Read More:

Wheat Harvest Tops 90% as Scientists Find MBS1 Protein Shielding Crops from Midday Yield Loss

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs reported that over 20 million hectares had been cut and per-unit yields would rise, declaring a bumper summer grain crop already assured, while researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences published findings in Cell on a protein, MBS1, that shields photosynthesis from the heat-and-light slump that can cut output by around 30%, pointing toward higher future yields and carbon fixation.

Read More:

Beijing Vows Continued Climate Leadership at 10th Ministerial as US Quits Paris Process

Convening representatives from 30 governments in Brussels on 22 June to align priorities ahead of COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, the trilateral EU–Canada–China forum saw Minister of Ecology and Environment Huang Runqiu reaffirm Beijing’s resolve to anchor multilateral cooperation following Washington’s exit from the Paris Agreement, stressing that over 130 countries have submitted their 2035 climate plans and the process ‘will not come to a halt due to the absence of individual states’.

Read More:

MWC Shanghai Opens as MIIT Targets Dual-Ten-Gigabit Networks and 6G by 2030

Mobile technologies generated US $1.5 trillion for China’s economy in 2025 – about 7.2% of GDP – and are projected to reach US $2.1 trillion by 2030, the GSMA’s Mobile Economy China 2026 report found as Asia’s largest connectivity event opened on 24 June, with the country already holding over 40% of global 5G connections, 5G-Advanced live across more than 330 cities and 5 million 5G base stations, as a government keynote charted the next infrastructure build-out.

Read More:

China Telecom Links Photonic Quantum Computer to Tianyan Cloud in Claimed World First

Controlling 2,682 photons, the newly operational Tianyan-P2000 – announced on 24 June 2026 and built on the same architecture as the Jiuzhang 4.0 prototype – completed a benchmark task in 29 microseconds that developers say classical supercomputers would need an estimated 16 billion years to finish, a claim its makers limit to a narrow class of problems rather than general-purpose computing, while the platform reports over 50 million visits from more than 60 countries.

Read More:

China Daily, 24 June 2026

State Tightens Infant-Product Oversight, Launching Multi-Agency Probe into Baby Diaper Safety

After Sanlu Group’s melamine-tainted formula killed six infants in 2008, China enacted its first Food Safety Law in 2009 and later amended it with the heaviest penalties yet – raising fines to 30 times a product’s value, adding 15-day detention and requiring baby formula to be registered. Under that regime, a market-regulator-led task force, joined by industry, health and disease-control agencies, is now investigating reports of toxic formamide in Huggies, Bibabebe and Babycare diapers, which the brands deny.

Read More:

Shanghai Film Festival Reaches Asia’s Largest Scale with Record Global Participation

The 28th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) reached unprecedented international scale in 2026, receiving around 4,100 film submissions from 125 countries and regions and screening more than 420 films across over 1,600 sessions. As China’s only film festival accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF), SIFF has become Asia’s most significant international film platforms. The festival also expanded cultural exchange through initiatives such as the Belt and Road Film Week, connecting filmmakers and audiences from different regions.

Read More:

News on China | No. 27

Tricon_CN — Sat, 20 Jun 2026 07:00:21 +0000

No. 27 | 20 June 2026

About 10 min read.

Myanmar President’s Beijing Visit Seals 18 Deals and Advances Economic Corridor to the Indian Ocean

Hosted by President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on 16 June, Min Aung Hlaing secured a high-profile endorsement from China, Myanmar’s largest trading partner with bilateral trade reaching US $19.4 billion in 2025, up 19 per cent year-on-year, as the two governments pledged to steadily advance the corridor connecting landlocked Yunnan to a deep-water port on the Indian Ocean.

Read More:

White Paper Urges Reform Giving Global South a Greater Voice in International Institutions

The State Council Information Office on 17 June released the document outlining the Global Governance Initiative, built on five core concepts including sovereign equality and multilateralism, which Foreign Minister Wang Yi said has won endorsement from nearly 160 countries and international organizations, with more than 60 joining a newly formed Group of Friends of Global Governance.

Read More:

Fifth Human Rights Action Plan Foregrounds Development, Adds Chapter on Emerging Digital Rights

Launched on 11 June 2026 at the 2026 Forum on Global Human Rights Governance in Beijing, where more than 400 participants from over 100 countries gathered, the fifth consecutive blueprint of its kind frames rights as development-led outcomes woven into the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), while breaking new ground on artificial intelligence governance, data protection and digital inclusion.

Read More:

Five Years On, Zhejiang’s Green Rural Revival Program Builds 12,700 Common Prosperity Workshops

First launched in 2003 to clean up polluted waterways and upgrade village infrastructure, and honoured with the United Nations Champions of the Earth Award in 2018, the two-decade rural-renewal drive has narrowed Zhejiang’s urban-rural income ratio from 2.43:1 to 1.81:1 by 2025, lifting rural per capita disposable income above 45,000 yuan and creating 551,000 grassroots jobs.

Read More:

Retail Sales Fall 0.6% in May, First Monthly Consumer Decline in over Three Years

Consumer-goods spending totalled 4.109 trillion yuan in May, reversing April’s 0.2% rise and undershooting the flat outcome economists had forecast in a Reuters poll to register the weakest year-on-year reading since December 2022, a deterioration that the cumulative January–May headline of 1.4% growth obscures even as it sharpens pressure for measures to revive household demand.

Read More:

High-Tech and Equipment Manufacturing Drive 5.4% Industrial Output Growth in First Five Months

Released by the National Bureau of Statistics on 16 June, the May data showed value-added output of large industrial enterprises rising 5.4 percent year on year across January to May, led by equipment manufacturing up 9.5 percent and high-tech manufacturing up 15.1 percent, while industrial-robot and 3D-printing-device output jumped 27.9 percent and 54.4 percent, signalling a deepening shift toward new growth drivers.

Read More:

Renewable Energy Covered All of China’s 2025 Electricity Demand Growth for the First Time

The China Renewable Energy Development Report, released on 12 June 2026, found that green generation reached 3.99 trillion kilowatt-hours in 2025, up 9.6 percent year on year and 38.3 percent of total output, with renewables comprising 82.7 percent of new capacity; independent analysts confirmed the added clean power outpaced rising demand, trimming coal as energy and industry emissions fell 0.3 percent.

Read More:

Overseas Cloud Node Deepens China-ASEAN Cooperation on Weather Warnings and AI Crop Monitoring

Operated from the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, the meteorological data-sharing platform transmits weather information and disaster warnings to ASEAN states within seconds, having supported five joint typhoon-response operations and two maritime search-and-rescue missions and helped safeguard the release of more than 120 million aquatic seedlings, while collaboration now extends to AI-integrated crop monitoring for partners including Thailand, the world’s second-largest sugar exporter.

Read More:

China Daily, 1 June 2026

China Tops Nature Index 2026 with 22.4% Growth as Zhejiang University Overtakes Harvard

Released on 10 June 2026 under the most substantial methodological overhaul since the bibliometric database launched in 2014, the latest Research Leaders tables ranked China the only top-ten nation with double-digit output growth, confirmed the Chinese Academy of Sciences as the world’s leading research institution and placed nine of the global top ten in China, up from eight, as Harvard University – the top-ranked university since 2015 – slipped to third overall.

Read More:

22nd Satellite Group Lifts Off Toward a Planned 13,000-Strong Guowang Space Internet

Lifting off at 10:44 am on 17 June from Wenchang, Hainan province, aboard a Long March 12 carrier rocket, the satellites form the 22nd batch of China’s state-owned Guowang constellation, which is targeting 400 satellites in orbit by 2027 en route to a planned 13,000 to deliver worldwide broadband and narrow the digital divide across the Global South.

Read More:

WHO Official Hails China’s Drive to Make Exercise Accessible, Citing Shared Bicycles as Model

Speaking after signing a letter of intent with the China Institute of Sport Science, WHO Representative to China Martin Taylor described the country’s efforts to make physical activity reachable as worth promoting in developing nations, singling out the dockless shared bicycles now spanning 460 cities, a network he said lets millions cycle to work in a way that was ‘impossible’ two decades ago.

Read More:

Ancient Dragon Boat Festival Fuels 2026 Cultural-Tourism Boom Across China as Heritage Endures

Commemorating Qu Yuan (屈原, c. 339–278 BCE) and observed on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, the Dragon Boat Festival (Duanwu / 端午节) – inscribed in 2009 as the first Chinese tradition on UNESCO’s intangible-heritage list – now converts age-old zongzi-eating and dragon-boat racing into a spending surge, with folk-experience travel up over 40 per cent week-on-week and Foshan’s Nanhai district staging nearly 40 sporting competitions backed by over US $29.57 million.

Read More:

News on China | No. 26

Tricon_CN — Sat, 13 Jun 2026 07:00:44 +0000

No. 26 | 13 June 2026

About 10 min read.

Xi’s First Pyongyang Visit in Seven Years Reaffirms Socialist Ties with Four-Point Plan

Coinciding with the 65th anniversary of the 1961 Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance – the only mutual-defence pact either country maintains – talks in Pyongyang between the two Marxist ruling parties produced a four-point framework spanning high-level exchanges, party and military ties, and practical cooperation in trade, agriculture and science. Xi Jinping pledged that China’s backing for the socialist cause of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) would remain unchanged.

Read More:

Vice President Han Zheng Promotes Global Governance Reform at St. Petersburg Forum, Backed by 160 Countries

Addressing the plenary of the 29th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Russia on 5 June 2026, the Chinese vice president set out four proposals to advance the Global Governance Initiative (GGI) – genuine multilateralism, stronger United Nations authority, common development under the 2030 Agenda, and coordinated action – framing the reform as a means to expand developing countries’ representation in global affairs. On the sidelines, he also reaffirmed China–Russia coordination during a meeting with President Vladimir Putin.

Read More:

Old House Reclamation Plan Turns 214 Rural Dwellings into Homestays in Henan

Launched in 2018 in Checun, a mountain township in Song County near Luoyang in central Henan province, an old-house reclamation policy channels idle rural dwellings through village cooperatives before leasing them to returning entrepreneurs who convert them into themed homestays. The pilot zone now attracts over 35,000 visitors annually and generates around 20 million yuan (US $2.95 million) in tourism revenue, contributing to rural revitalization efforts through collective management and cultural tourism development.

Read More:

China Daily, 11 June 2026

Transport Ministry Conducts Maritime Survey East of Taiwan in Shift to Integrated Waters Management

A four-vessel fleet from maritime safety and rescue agencies in Fujian and Guangdong, together with the Eastern Navigation Service Center and the East China Sea Rescue Bureau, conducted a maritime operation from 6 to 10 June covering 1,030 nautical miles east of Taiwan, China. The mission inspected 198 vessels, surveyed 1,025 nautical miles of seabed and submarine-cable corridors, and checked navigation aids. Authorities described the operation as part of a shift toward integrated maritime management combining traffic enforcement, shipping support, and rescue coordination in the region’s waters.

Read More:

China’s Flexible Employment to Reach 320 Million in 2026, Covering Over 44% of Workforce

Spanning platform and gig work, freelancing, self-employment and a growing segment of digital content creators and micro-entrepreneurs, China’s flexibly employed workforce is projected to reach 320 million workers in 2026, according to analysis by Nanyang Technological University. This would account for over 44% of total employment. Authorities currently describe the sector as an “employment reservoir” that helps absorb labour-market pressures, supported by emerging national labour protection policies aimed at improving conditions across non-standard forms of employment in the expanding digital economy.

Read More:

Ocean Economy Reaches US $1.6 Trillion in 2025, Making Up 7.9% of China’s GDP

Observed around World Oceans Day on 8 June, the sector expanded 5.5% year-on-year in 2025 – outpacing the broader national economy – as intelligent deep-sea farms reached over 98% fish survival, newly connected offshore wind capacity rose more than 60%, and an International Seabed Authority training centre extended deep-sea expertise to 120 specialists from over 40 developing nations, with a sector development index climbing 2.2% to 128.8.

Read More:

Annual Bulletin Logs Record-Low PM2.5 of 28 Micrograms as 14th Five-Year Plan Closes

Released by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment on 5 June, the country’s annual ecological status report logged broad-based improvement across air, water and land in 2025, with good-quality surface-water sections reaching 91.4%, 246 cities meeting national air-quality standards and forest coverage at 25.09%, capping the environmental targets set under the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–2025).

Read More:

China Reportedly Plans US $295 Billion Network of Green-Powered AI Data Centres by 2028

Agencies led by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) are drafting a blueprint that would reportedly channel around 2 trillion yuan (about US $295 billion) over five years into a unified national computing system by 2028, building on existing green-data-centre rules requiring average power-usage effectiveness below 1.5 by 2025 and renewable-energy utilisation to rise 10% annually, steering compute toward renewable-rich western regions.

Read More:

World’s First AI Aerosol Forecasting System Open-Sourced, Predicting Sandstorms in 36 Seconds

Developed by the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences under the China Meteorological Administration, the system generates a full five-day global forecast more than 100 times faster than traditional physics-based methods, running on graphics processing units rather than the supercomputer clusters those methods require, and has accurately predicted over ten major dust events across northern China since late 2025 before being released openly under a Creative Commons licence as a low-cost solution for developing countries.

Read More:

Gaokao (高考), China’s National University Entrance Exam, Offers Fair Path to Opportunity as 12.9 Million Sit Test

Opening nationwide on Sunday 7 June 2026 and running two-to-four days depending on the province, the standardised written exam tests three compulsory subjects – Chinese, mathematics and a foreign language, usually English – and decides admission largely by the provincial ranking of a candidate’s total score, an anonymous contest insulated from interviews, connections or ability to pay that hands rural and poverty-region students a fairer ladder, reinforced by a special-enrollment plan that lifted their key-university places to 131,000 by 2021.

Read More:

Ministry of Education Adds 38 Undergraduate Majors in AI, Chips and Low-Altitude Economy

The updated national catalogue, which now spans 883 majors across 13 disciplinary categories and for the first time establishes a standalone ‘Interdisciplinary’ grouping, maps emerging fields such as embodied intelligence, semiconductor process and equipment, and the low-altitude economy directly onto the 15th Five-Year Plan, with the revisions re-publicised days before 12.9 million candidates sat the gaokao on 7 June.

Read More:

News on China | No. 25

Tricon_CN — Sat, 06 Jun 2026 07:00:24 +0000

No. 25 | 6 June 2026

About 10 min read.

Brazilian Foreign Minister’s visit to China advances coordination on multilateralism and global governance reform

The fifth China–Brazil Comprehensive Strategic Dialogue was co-chaired in Beijing on 1 June 2026 by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira during Vieira’s visit to China. The meetings focused on coordination within the United Nations and BRICS, as well as discussions on reform of global governance. Both sides also addressed WTO reform, expanded trade now exceeding US$160 billion, and broader economic cooperation. The discussions reflected shared efforts to strengthen bilateral coordination and advance a more multipolar international order with greater participation from Global South countries.

Read More:

China Deploys Medical Expert Team to DR Congo to Support Ebola Response

A five-member Chinese medical expert team arrived in Kinshasa on 2 June for a three-month mission to support Ebola response efforts in the Democratic Republic of Congo. According to the World Health Organization, the outbreak has recorded more than 300 confirmed cases and around 60 deaths. The team will work with local authorities on surveillance, diagnosis, and treatment. Beijing said the deployment is part of ongoing health cooperation with Africa and reflects support for global public health efforts. China added that it is closely monitoring the situation and stands ready to provide further assistance if needed.

Read More:

Revised Trade-Secret Rules Extend Protection to Data and Algorithms for Digital Economy

New rules issued by China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) on trade secrets took effect on 1 June, updating a framework first established in 1995 that predates cloud computing and artificial intelligence. The measures extend protection to data and algorithms in the digital economy, introduce confidentiality requirements for remote work and cross-border collaboration, and allow extraterritorial enforcement in cases affecting China’s domestic market. They also set fines of up to 5 million yuan (about US$725,000), strengthening the legal framework for the country’s digital economy.

Read More:

Unitree Becomes First Embodied-Intelligence Firm Listed on China’s STAR Market

Approval was granted by the Shanghai Stock Exchange on 1 June 2026 for Unitree’s listing on the STAR Market, making it the first embodied-intelligence firm to enter the exchange. The Hangzhou-based humanoid robotics company secured approval just 73 days after its 20 March filing, the fastest under the China Securities Regulatory Commission’s mid-2025 fast-track channel for hard-tech firms. It will raise about 4.2 billion yuan (US$620 million). The company reported 2025 revenue of 1.7 billion yuan (US$236 million) and net profit of 280 million yuan (US$39 million), reflecting strong growth in China’s robotics sector.

Read More:

Central Funding for Childcare Subsidies Rises 10.6% to US$14.65 Billion to Support Families

China’s Ministry of Finance has allocated 99.9 billion yuan (about US$14.65 billion) in central funds this year for childcare subsidies, with total spending expected to reach around 110 billion yuan (about US$16.1 billion) including local contributions. The policy supports a broader family assistance system that includes a universal 3,600-yuan (about US$510) annual allowance per child under three, phased free preschool education, expanded tax deductions, and reduced childbirth costs. The measures are part of efforts to build a more childbirth-friendly social policy framework.

Read More:

Second Teosinte Gene Lifts Maize Protein to 15%, Cutting Reliance on Imported Soybean Meal

A research team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences reported in Nature on 4 June 2026 the identification of a second gene from maize’s wild ancestor, teosinte, that enhances nitrogen metabolism. When combined with a gene identified in 2022, the allele raises kernel protein content from 10% to 15% in inbred lines and above 12% in widely cultivated hybrids, without reducing yield. The development could offer a domestic pathway to reduce reliance on imported soybean meal, potentially displacing around 30 million tonnes of imports annually.

Read More:

National Parks Quadruple a Sichuan Village’s Income While Turning Herders into Paid Rangers

China’s unified national parks system, launched in October 2021 and now covering 230,000 square kilometres, is designed to integrate local communities into conservation rather than displace them. In Fazhan village, beside the Giant Panda National Park, per capita income has quadrupled since a 2017 pilot, while guesthouses have doubled. A “one household, one ranger” scheme has turned more than 17,000 former herders into salaried ecological wardens, reflecting a model of social and environmental integration.

Read More:

Homegrown Rapeseed Gene Chip Ends Two-Decade Foreign Monopoly, Cutting Costs to One-Eighth

A “Zhongxinyou No.1” solid-state gene chip, jointly developed by the Jiangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University and Suzhou Laso Biotech, carries over 17,000 genome-wide markers and more than 1,500 functional loci. It enables breeders to assess oil content and disease resistance in seedlings immediately after germination, reducing rapeseed variety development from around ten years to as little as three. The technology ends nearly two decades of foreign dominance in solid-phase chip fabrication and cuts costs to one-eighth.

Read More:

Killing of Stolen Celebrity Dog Fuels Push for Animal-Protection Law

A border collie with over 1.5 million online followers was stolen in Henan and later sold for US$25 to a meat trader before being killed, triggering public outrage in China. The case has renewed calls for an animal-protection law, building on repeated legislative proposals and growing public support. A 2020 state-broadcaster poll found over 280,000 of 299,000 respondents in favour of such legislation, reflecting rising awareness of animal welfare across the country.

Read More:

Yangshao Petal Pottery, 6,000 Years Old, Reborn as Fashion in China’s Guochao Heritage Drive

Unveiled at the 22nd China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair, the “Blossoms of China” initiative brought together the Miaodigong Museum, designer Zhang Yichao and 24 specialists to translate 6,000-year-old Yangshao Culture (仰韶文化) petal motifs into contemporary apparel. The designs draw on Neolithic symbols linked to the character 华 (hua) in “Huaxia” (China), a foundational concept of Chinese civilisation dating to c. 5000–3000 BCE. The project highlights the cultural reinterpretation of heritage within China’s guochao drive, positioning the country’s garment industry as both global manufacturer and cultural producer capable of shaping international design narratives while drawing on deep historical continuity and identity today.

Read More:

China Daily, 29 May 2026
Petal motifs：

News on China | No. 24

Tricon_CN — Sat, 30 May 2026 07:00:48 +0000

No. 24 | 30 May 2026

About 10 min read.

China Expands Influence in the Balkans During Serbian President’s Visit to Beijing

China hosted Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić in Beijing from 24 to 28 May for talks on trade, infrastructure and political cooperation. More than 20 agreements were signed covering artificial intelligence, green energy, education and bilateral trade. Commerce between the two countries reached US$6.49 billion in 2025, reflecting growing economic ties. Xi Jinping described Serbia as an important partner in the Belt and Road Initiative, while Vučić reaffirmed Serbia’s independent foreign policy and commitment to cooperation in a multipolar world.

Read More:

China Launches Global Anti-Poverty Partnership with 53 Countries in Beijing Forum

China launched a new Global Partnership for Poverty Alleviation and Development during the Global Poverty Reduction and Development Forum held in Beijing on 27 May 2026, bringing together representatives from 53 countries and nine international organizations. The initiative aims to expand financing, policy exchange and technical cooperation on poverty reduction. Participants highlighted rural revitalization, agricultural modernization, digital infrastructure and “small yet smart projects” in developing countries. China presented its experience lifting around 800 million people out of poverty as a reference for South-South cooperation and collective efforts toward a more equitable multipolar order.

Read More:

Older Workers Win First National Rules Guaranteeing Minimum Wage and Injury Insurance

For decades, Chinese workers employed beyond the statutory retirement age were excluded from standard labor protections, often classified under civil service contracts rather than formal employment relationships. New regulations issued jointly by five government departments, effective from 1 July, now guarantee minimum wage standards and work-injury insurance for older employees. Officials estimate the measures could affect between 87 million and 120 million people as China responds to an aging population and rising elderly participation in the workforce.

Read More:

China Daily, 27 May 2026

Guangzhou State Enterprise Launches Pilot to Buy Second-Hand Homes for Affordable Housing

Owners of small, ageing flats priced at or below 3 million yuan (about US $440,000) and under 70 square metres within the city’s ring expressway may, until the end of 2026, sell to a municipal state-owned enterprise that escrows the proceeds for a mandatory new-home purchase within 180 days; acquired units become affordable and talent rental housing, making Guangzhou the second first-tier city after Shanghai to absorb resale stock.

Read More:

US Investment in China Rose 24.5% in Early 2026 Despite Overall 10.3% FDI Decline

Foreign direct investment in China showed a mixed trend in early 2026, with US investment rising 24.5% even as overall inflows fell 10.3%, according to figures released by the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) on 24 May. Total actually-used FDI reached 287.69 billion yuan (about US$42 billion). Officials attributed part of the increase from developed economies to capital routed through third regions, including free trade ports. High-technology sectors attracted 20.3% more investment, accounting for 40.4% of total inflows.

Read More:

Silk Road Expo Draws 64 Nations as Western China Becomes Belt and Road Frontier

The five-day Silk Road Expo concluded on 25 May in Xi’an, the eastern terminus of the historic trade route, bringing together participants from 64 countries and nearly 200 overseas firms. The event highlighted the growing role of China’s interior regions in Belt and Road cooperation, with western provinces accounting for 72% of the country’s territory but 27% of its population. Initiative funding reached US$124 billion in the first half of 2025, surpassing the total US$122 billion recorded in all of 2024.

Read More:

Green Shield Launches as China’s First Open-Source Crop-Protection AI Model for Farmers

Nanjing Agricultural University, with more than 30 partners, has launched Green Shield (绿盾), China’s first open-source AI model for crop protection. Trained on over 2.5 billion tokens, the system cross-checks pesticide recommendations against the national registration database to improve agricultural safety. It builds on the earlier Si Nong (司农) agricultural AI model released on ModelScope and GitHub in January. The initiative aims to expand accessible digital tools for farmers and support agricultural development across the Global South.

Read More:

Smart Greenhouse Technology Goes Global as Shouguang Expo Exhibits 2,600 Vegetable Varieties

In Shouguang, China’s major vegetable hub, intelligent equipment, internet-of-things systems and standardized production now exceed 85% in new greenhouses, while labor productivity has risen 30–50%, according to data presented at the city’s 27th vegetable science expo. The 40-day event showcased more than 2,600 vegetable varieties and highlighted how controlled-environment agriculture technologies are being exported abroad. Container-based systems have been deployed in desert regions above 50°C, while a plant factory in Abu Dhabi produces around 7,000 kg of vegetables daily.

Read More:

Shenzhou-23 Lifts Off with Hong Kong’s First Astronaut, Targeting a Year-Long Space Stay

China launched the Shenzhou-23 mission on 24 May, sending three astronauts into orbit aboard a Long March-2F rocket, including Hong Kong’s first astronaut. One crew member will remain aboard the Tiangong space station for 365 days, surpassing China’s previous 204-day record. More than 100 experiments in space life science, aerospace medicine and materials research will be conducted during the mission, generating key data to support future crewed lunar exploration planned before 2030.

Read More:

Brazil’s Lula Performs Remote Surgery on China’s Toumai Robot, Hailing Wider Health Access

Operating a console linked across 1,400 kilometres of Brazilian territory, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva carried out a simulated procedure on a Chinese-developed laparoscopic system during a 15 May visit to a Barretos cancer hospital. The initiative is embedded within the world’s largest tax-funded health service and advances South-South medical cooperation now reaching 13 countries, while lifting one centre’s annual robotic caseload from 400 to 680.

Read More:

State Council Launches Probe into Shanxi Mine Blast That Killed 82

On 22 May, a gas blast tore through the Liushenyu colliery, whose operator had handed rescuers inaccurate underground maps and never logged how many miners were on shift, ultimately leaving 82 dead and 128 injured and prompting central authorities to deploy national medical and rescue teams, detain the mine’s executives, and order a probe vowing strict, law-based accountability.

Read More:

Low-Budget Dialect Film ‘Dear You’ Tops US$146 Million, Revives Diaspora Letter Heritage

From the mid-19th century, impoverished Chaoshan villagers left to seek a living in Siam (present-day Thailand) and beyond, posting home combined letters and remittances that sustained their families for over a century and channelled patriotic donations during the resistance against Japan – a heritage that re-entered public memory after an audience-driven family drama crossed 1 billion yuan (about US$146 million), reviving interest in the UNESCO-listed correspondence.

Read More:

News on China | No. 23

Tricon_CN — Sat, 23 May 2026 07:00:27 +0000

No. 23 | 23 May 2026

About 10 min read.

Xi and Putin Sign over 40 Agreements and Multipolar World Declaration at Beijing Summit

Held days after President Donald Trump’s own China visit, the 20 May talks at the Great Hall of the People further extended the 2001 Treaty of Good-Neighborliness, produced over 40 cooperation agreements spanning energy, technology, transport and media, and yielded a joint declaration on a multipolar world order setting out principles for democratising international relations through BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the UN Security Council, with bilateral trade reaching about US $228 billion in 2025.

Read More:

Cost of Living and Inequality Push Taiwan Administration’s Disapproval to 55%

Marking its second year in office on 20 May, Lai Ching-te’s administration faces growing public dissatisfaction, with 55.6% of voters expressing discontent with the economic situation. Food prices climbed over 3% through 2025, while growth driven by AI semiconductor exports left traditional industries stagnant in a K-shaped pattern. Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office rejected the administration’s speech as separatist provocation. Rising inequality and high living costs continue to challenge governance and public trust.

Read More:

Xi Urges Top Priority on Disability Work, Framing Inclusion as Driver of Chinese Modernization

Released on 16 May 2026, on the eve of China’s 36th National Day of Assisting Persons with Disabilities, the instruction commits Party committees and governments at all levels to deepen the social-security and service systems for the country’s 85 million people with disabilities, building on the 2023 Law on Developing Barrier-Free Environments and on 14th Five-Year Plan achievements that lifted compulsory-education enrolment for disabled children to 97 percent.

Read More:

Ministry of Water Resources Activates Level-IV Flood Response Across Seven Southern Provinces

The strongest sustained rainfall of the 2026 flood season – with hourly intensities in Hubei’s Jingzhou breaking 1953 local records and 24-hour totals reaching 339 mm in Hunan’s Shimen County – prompted the simultaneous activations on 19 May 2026 covering Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou and Hainan; at least 18 deaths were reported across four affected provinces, while central agencies disbursed 150 million yuan (about US $22 million) in initial relief.

Read More:

Power of Siberia 2 Pipeline Advances as Russia-China Trade Bypasses the US Dollar

More than 40 cooperation documents spanning oil, gas, nuclear power and transport were signed during Vladimir Putin’s 20 May 2026 Beijing state visit, alongside an in-principle understanding on a planned 50-billion-cubic-metre-per-year gas pipeline running from West Siberia through Mongolia to Xinjiang, with Russia confirming that ‘virtually all’ bilateral commerce now settles in rubles and yuan rather than US dollars and Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak saying companies are ‘nearing the final agreement’ on the pipeline’s commercial terms.

Read More:

Urban Recycled Water Tops 22 Billion Cubic Metres in 2025, Becoming Stable Second Source

Issued on 14 May 2026, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of China’s annual statistical bulletin documented delivery of the 14th Five-Year Plan’s urban water-conservation programme, including pipeline-leakage management in 50 key cities, sponge city pilots in 60 cities and more than 10,000 completed sponge city projects, alongside reclaimed-water consumption now described as ‘a stable second water source for cities’.

Read More:

Xinhua News Agency, 14 May 2026

Sow Inventory Target Cut to 37.5 Million to Steer Pork Prices Back into Reasonable Range

Released on 14 May 2026 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China – the second cut since February 2024 – the sow-inventory target and frozen-pork reserve buying aim to keep prices in a reasonable band: troughs like the eight-year low of 10.68 yuan per kilogram trigger panic-culling that fuels the next spike, push smallholders out of a strategic protein supply and drag on the consumer-price index, while sharp peaks erode household budgets; parallel subsidies extend the doctrine to dairy.

Read More:

Eleven Hospitals Begin Trial of 128-Channel Fully-Invasive Intracortical Brain Implant in China

Launched on 18 May 2026 by the Department of Neurosurgery of Beijing Tiantan Hospital (Capital Medical University) as lead site, the protocol will enrol up to 32 patients with quadriplegia from high cervical spinal cord injury and follow each implanted recipient for 180 days, advancing a national programme that targets core breakthroughs in brain-computer interface technology by 2027 and the cultivation of two to three globally influential industry players by 2030.

Read More:

Yuan Longping’s Hybrid Rice Legacy Endures Across the Global South Five Years on

Marking the 22 May 2026 fifth anniversary of Yuan Longping – ‘Father of Hybrid Rice’ and Medal of the Republic recipient – whose three-line breeding system (pairing male-sterile, maintainer and restorer parent lines to harness hybrid vigour) lifted China’s per-hectare rice yields and helped end the chronic hunger that defined twentieth-century rural life; the same Chinese-bred varieties now feed Global South partners, with roughly 90,000 hectares planted across Madagascar at 7.5 tonnes per hectare against 2.45 tonnes for local cultivars.

Read More:

Shanghai Municipal Film Bureau Suspends ‘Mum from Prison’ Release over Court-Record Distortion Controversy

After the film – marketed as ‘anti-domestic-violence’ resistance despite a public 2009 Xi’an Intermediate People’s Court conviction of lead actress Zhao Xiaohong for intentional injury resulting in death, with no abuse evidence introduced at trial and parts of the production shot while she was still serving her sentence – drew nationwide backlash, the Shanghai Municipal Film Bureau on 21 May 2026 cited Film Industry Promotion Law violations in the registration and approval process and pulled the 30 May release, while TV host Wang Han and actress Yao Chen disavowed involvement.

Read More:

AI-Generated Titles Hit 38% of Top-100 Chart as Hengdian Live-Action Production Contracts

By March 2026, Zhang Xiaolei, a 28-year-old veteran of roughly 200 ‘bossy president’ miniseries, had returned to chilli farming in Qinghai – one of thousands of crew members displaced as generative-video tools captured the mass commercial pipeline; citing surging low-quality output and unauthorised AI use of performers’ likenesses, the National Radio and Television Administration removed more than 25,000 non-compliant episodes and now requires provincial approval for any production above one million yuan.

Read More:

News on China | No. 22

Tricon_CN — Sat, 16 May 2026 07:00:33 +0000

No. 22 | 16 May 2026

About 10 min read.

Xi Warns Taiwan Could Trigger Conflict During Beijing Summit With Trump

During a summit held on 14 May 2026 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping warned U.S. President Donald Trump that the Taiwan question remains the most dangerous issue in bilateral relations and could lead to “clashes and even conflicts” if mishandled. While both sides expressed support for a more “constructive and strategically stable” relationship, major disagreements persisted over sanctions, military activity in the Asia-Pacific and restrictions targeting Chinese technology companies. The meeting also exposed tensions surrounding Iran and the Strait of Hormuz amid growing instability in the Middle East.

Read More:

US Sanctions Chinese Firms Days before Xi-Trump Summit

On May 8 and 9, days before U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to China from May 13 to 15, Washington announced new sanctions and export restrictions targeting Chinese companies, increasing pressure on the country’s technology sector. The measures affected firms linked to semiconductors, satellite technologies, and trade networks associated with sensitive exports, including operations related to Iran. Combined with existing U.S. technology restrictions, these actions intensified pressure on Chinese firms. Beijing criticized the sanctions as unilateral. The issue was one of the main topics discussed during the meeting between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump in Beijing.

Read More:

From Wenchuan to Xizang: BeiDou and Wing Loong UAVs Mark China’s Saturated-Rescue Era

Memorial ceremonies on 12 May 2026 at the Xuankou Middle School ruins in Sichuan marked 18 years since the 2008 Wenchuan disaster, with the intervening years transforming improvised mobilisation into a saturated, technology-enabled rescue posture: when a magnitude-6.8 quake struck Xizang in January 2025, the Wing Loong-2H drone surveyed the epicentre and helped pull 407 trapped people out within 24 hours, while a BeiDou satellite messaging service launched in February 2026 across the three Chinese telecoms and 60 smartphone models.

Read More:

Xi–Trump Summit Sees Boeing China Order Reduced to 200 Jets, Sending Shares Down 4%

Vice Premier He Lifeng and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent held around three hours of closed-door consultations in Seoul on 13 May ahead of the meeting between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump in Beijing. The talks addressed a potential managed-trade framework still under negotiation, with references to a reciprocal package of around US$30 billion in non-sensitive goods, alongside continued restrictions on advanced semiconductors and strategic sectors. Trump told Fox News that Xi had agreed to purchase 200 aircraft, below earlier reports of up to 500 jets, prompting Boeing shares to fall about 4% as investors reassessed expectations around the deal.

Read More:

CCTV Secures 2026 World Cup Rights with FIFA at US$60 Million, Below Asian Benchmarks

On 15 May, China Media Group (CMG), the state broadcaster controlling CCTV, and FIFA signed a broadcast rights deal for the 2026 World Cup worth US$60 million, below Japan’s level and the previously reported US$80 million ceiling cited by CCTV itself. The agreement comes as FIFA reviews its pricing strategy in China following the exit of major streaming platforms from premium sports distribution. The withdrawal of players such as Tencent and iQiyi has reduced domestic capacity to absorb sublicensed fees, weakening the market structure. Asian benchmarks show Japan paying up to US$200 million and Thailand around US$14 million.

Read More:

Solar-Drip System Triples Cotton Yields and Cuts Water Use by 30% in Uzbekistan’s Aral Sea Region

Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography (XIEG) have spent three years deploying photovoltaic-powered fertigation systems on cotton plots near Nukus in Uzbekistan’s Aral Sea region. The system combines solar panels with drip irrigation, using solar-generated electricity to pump and deliver water and fertilizer directly to plant roots, improving efficiency in arid conditions. The project has tripled yields to nearly five tonnes per hectare while reducing water use by around 30%. It also includes the transfer of more than 200 salt- and drought-resistant plant species to Uzbekistan. The cooperation began after a 2018 request following a severe salt-dust storm and is framed under the Global Development Initiative.

Read More:

Xining Launches Cold-Climate Vegetable Brand to Supply 200,000 Tonnes to Greater Bay Area

Xining, capital of Qinghai province on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau in western China, has launched a cold-climate vegetable brand aimed at supplying around 200,000 tonnes to China’s Greater Bay Area. The initiative marks a shift from raw-product exports to higher-value branded agricultural supply chains. In 2025, plateau cultivation reached 17,467 hectares, up 6.6% year-on-year, with output of 714,600 tonnes, an increase of 8.1%. The expansion was supported by more than 800 million yuan (US$111 million) invested in greenhouses, water-fertiliser systems and cold-chain logistics. The initiative was launched on 8 May with distribution hubs in Dongguan.

Read More:

China and UNESCO Launch Three-Year Plan to Train Global South Teachers in Digital Skills

China has launched a three-year plan aimed at strengthening the digital skills of Global South teachers in cooperation with UNESCO. The initiative was unveiled on the closing day of the 2026 World Digital Education Conference in Hangzhou by the Africa division of Zhejiang Normal University’s Institute of Global Teacher Development. It is aligned with UNESCO’s Global Teacher Campus and will be delivered through Confucius Institutes and Luban Workshops, with pilot “lighthouse schools” established in two to three host countries. The program is positioned as an initial response to UNESCO’s projection of a global shortage of 44 million teachers by 2030.

Read More:

Tianzhou-10 Launches First In-Orbit Study of Stem-Cell Embryo Models in Space

Tianzhou-10, a Chinese cargo spacecraft used to resupply the Tiangong space station, has begun what is described as the first in-orbit culture of stem-cell-derived human embryo-like models aboard China’s orbital laboratory. The experiment, led by Yu Leqian of the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Zoology, was launched from Wenchang on 11 May. It does not involve fertilised embryos, but stem-cell structures that mimic early human development stages between days 14 and 21 after fertilisation. Samples will be cryogenically returned after five days to study how microgravity and cosmic radiation affect early cellular development in space conditions and biological processes.

Read More:

Pang Dong Lai Worker Ballots Turn “Fairness” Into Operational Governance System

Pang Dong Lai, a privately owned retail chain based in Henan province in central China, has used worker ballots to redefine its internal governance by turning its stated principle of “justice” into an operational system. The retailer says the model allows frontline employees to continuously raise the thinking, competence and governance quality of their superiors. In the April 2026 appraisal cycle, anonymous ballots cast by 16,675 of 16,676 eligible workers resulted in the demotion of 19 out of 1,455 managers and the dismissal of one. Conducted twice a year, the process frames managerial authority as a continuously verified responsibility within the company’s internal accountability structure and governance framework.

Read More:

Sino-German Police Cooperation Helps Dismantle Telegram Abuse Network; Ringleader Jailed in Frankfurt

A Sino-German police cooperation channel helped dismantle a drug-facilitated sexual abuse network operating via Telegram, resulting in the sentencing of its ringleader to 14 years in prison in Frankfurt. Between 2020 and 2024, the group allegedly used fake rental listings on WeChat and Xiaohongshu to recruit Chinese women into a Telegram network with around 4,500 peripheral members. German investigators received verified leads in November 2024 through China’s Ministry of Public Security International Cooperation Bureau, following an alert from the Chinese Consulate in Frankfurt, which contributed to the subsequent arrest of the suspect.

Read More:

News on China | No. 21

Tricon_CN — Sat, 09 May 2026 07:00:04 +0000

No. 21 | 9 May 2026

About 10 min read.

China Delivers 650 Tons of Humanitarian Aid to Lebanon as Israeli Strikes Kill over 2,600 and Displace More Than 1 Million

China delivered 650 tons of humanitarian aid to Lebanon on 4 May 2026 through two shipments handed over at the Port of Beirut. The assistance includes tents, blankets, mattresses, food and medical supplies that will be distributed by Lebanon’s Higher Relief Committee to families displaced by Israeli attacks. Lebanese authorities report that Israeli operations have killed more than 2,700 people and injured over 8,300 since March, while more than one million people have been displaced across the country. Beijing’s aid arrives amid continuing attacks despite the ceasefire announced on 17 April.

Read More:

Beijing Calls US-Israel War on Iran ‘Illegitimate’ as Wang Yi and Araghchi Press for Comprehensive Ceasefire

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi held talks in the Chinese capital on 6 May 2026 during his first visit since the 28 February US-Israeli strikes triggered the war. Meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Araghchi secured Beijing’s renewed support for Iran’s sovereignty and endorsement of Xi Jinping’s four-point Middle East peace proposal. China also publicly called for a comprehensive ceasefire and the swift reopening of the Strait of Hormuz ahead of the 14–15 May Trump-Xi summit, warning that continued escalation threatens regional stability and global trade routes.

Read More:

Two Former Defence Ministers Sentenced to Death with Reprieve as Anti-Graft Drive Reaches Highest PLA Ranks

A Chinese military court on 7 May sentenced former defence ministers Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu to death with two-year reprieve for accepting bribes (Li also for offering them), with deprivation of political rights for life and confiscation of all personal property; the suspended sentences will convert to life imprisonment with no commutation or parole. The verdicts are the heaviest imposed on senior PLA officers since China’s 2012 anti-corruption campaign began, demonstrating the campaign’s reach into the highest military ranks and confirming death-with-reprieve as the standard alternative to immediate execution in senior graft convictions.

Read More:

China Advances Healthcare Security Reform, Extending Maternity Insurance to 200 Million Flexible Workers

The 22nd session of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress, held on 27 April 2026, reviewed in second reading a healthcare security law draft that merges the maternity insurance fund with the urban employee basic medical insurance system and further deepens provincial-level pooling. The proposal also encourages commercial health insurance, charitable donations, and mutual aid as complementary layers to public coverage. The reform aims to extend maternity insurance benefits to up to 200 million flexible workers within a system that already covers around 255 million people, strengthening protection for non-standard forms of employment.

Read More:

Communist Youth League of China Reaches 78.34 Million Members by End-2025, Reversing a Decade of Contraction

Annual organisational statistics released on 3 May 2026 show that the Communist Youth League of China reached 78.34 million members by the end of 2025, after adding 9.14 million new members during the year. Grassroots units expanded by approximately 753,000 to 5.15 million nationwide, while about 41.83 million members are concentrated in schools, colleges and universities. This represents a year-on-year increase of 3.02 million in the youth segment, marking a return to overall organisational growth after a period of contraction.

Read More:

Commerce Ministry Issues First-Ever Blocking Order Against US Sanctions on Five Petrochemical Refineries over Iran Oil

China’s Ministry of Commerce issued on 2 May 2026 its first blocking order under the Rules on Counteracting Unjustified Extraterritorial Application of Foreign Legislation and Other Measures, in force since January 2021. The move nullifies within Chinese jurisdiction US Treasury sanctions targeting Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) and four Shandong-based independent refiners accused of purchasing Iranian crude. The decision represents the first operational use of China’s anti-foreign sanctions blocking mechanism, signaling Beijing’s readiness to deploy legal countermeasures against long-arm jurisdiction practices. Ahead of President Trump’s forthcoming Beijing visit.

Read More:

Indonesia–China Cross-Border QR Payments Go Live, Expanding Regional Local Currency Use

Indonesia and China have launched cross-border QR code payment interoperability, making China the sixth foreign partner connected to Indonesia’s QRIS system. The initiative allows payments in Indonesian rupiah and Chinese yuan under the Local Currency Transaction Framework between the People’s Bank of China and Bank Indonesia, upgraded in September 2025. Chinese visitors can now pay Indonesian merchants using domestic mobile apps, while Indonesian travellers can do the same in China. The system strengthens bilateral financial integration and supports broader ASEAN efforts to expand local-currency settlement and reduce reliance on third currencies in cross-border transactions.

Read More:

Q1 Electricity Demand Climbs 5.2% as Renewable Capacity Reaches 2.4 Billion kW, Approaching Half of Power Mix

The China Electricity Council reported on 30 April that China’s electricity demand rose 5.2% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, while total installed renewable energy capacity reached 2.4 billion kW, approaching half of the country’s power mix. Power-sector investment surged 33.4% to 313 billion yuan (US $45.6 billion), driven by rapid growth in EV charging and battery swapping (+53.8%), internet data services (+44%), and high-tech manufacturing (+8.6%). Non-fossil energy sources now account for around 62% of installed capacity, advancing the 15th Five-Year Plan’s dual-carbon transition goals.

Read More:

Xi Calls for ‘Greater Efforts’ on Basic Research as Top Priority of 15th Five-Year Plan

Convening eight leading scientists at a symposium in Shanghai on 30 April, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for intensified efforts on basic research as a central priority in the implementation of the 15th Five-Year Plan. The agenda outlines reforms including failure-tolerant evaluation mechanisms, greater support for younger researchers, diversified funding channels, expansion of major scientific infrastructure, and enhanced international cooperation. The initiative builds on a 2025 baseline in which basic science accounted for 7.08% of total research and development expenditure, a continued push to strengthen China’s innovation capacity and scientific self-reliance.

Read More:

Digital China Summit Reports National AI Compute Reaches 1.88 Million PFLOPS as Inference Data Overtakes Training for First Time

Held in Fuzhou from 29 April to 1 May, the National Data Administration’s keynote presented 2025 figures showing China’s total data output reaching 52.26 zettabytes, up 27.28% year on year and accounting for 27.44% of global volume. AI-related workloads totaled 199.48 exabytes, while daily AI token processing rose from over 1 trillion at the start of 2025 to around 140 trillion by March 2026. The report also indicated that national AI computing capacity reached 1.88 million PFLOPS, with inference workloads surpassing training for the first time, reflecting a structural shift in China’s AI deployment ecosystem.

Read More:

Hangzhou Court Voids AI-Based Layoffs as Beijing Expands Injury Insurance to 31 Provinces for Platform Workers

A quality-assurance employee – formerly earning 25,000 yuan (US $3,571) a month before his role was automated and a reassignment cut his pay 40% – won wrongful-dismissal compensation after judges held that adopting AI is a strategic management choice that cannot satisfy Article 40 of the Labor Contract Law’s ‘major change in objective circumstances’ test, dovetailing with the labour ministry’s 28 April rollout of pay-per-order injury insurance to all 31 provincial-level regions, a judicial-administrative pairing easing tech-driven displacement anxiety.

Read More:

Shenzhen’s Outdoor Smoke-Free Regime, Backed by Citizen-Reporting App, Faces National Pushback After Bus-Stop Fine Goes Viral

On 24 April a 33-year-old smoker was penalised and reconciled the same night after a Guangming-district dispute, reopening debate over the city’s strictest-in-China rules extending bans to outdoor queueing areas and a WeChat tool letting any citizen photograph offenders, splitting opinion between non-smokers cheering progress toward the Healthy China 2030 goal of a 20% adult smoking rate and critics warning of one-size-fits-all enforcement, even as 24 provincial-level units and 254 cities now adopt similar regimes.

Read More: