China

Economy

China announced it will eliminate tariffs on imports from most African countries starting in May and hosted the first senior officials' meeting for its 2026 APEC host year. Domestically, the electric vehicle sector saw challenges as BYD lost its top sales position in China, while new safety regulations for electric cars were announced. Internationally, China criticized a U.S.-led critical minerals alliance as an 'exclusive bloc' and imposed new countervailing duties on EU dairy products, a response to EU tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.

Politics

Diplomatic engagements with major powers were prominent, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's visit to Beijing and meetings between senior Chinese and U.S. diplomats in Munich. Xi Jinping held calls with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump. Domestically, Xi Jinping visited Beijing residents ahead of the Spring Festival, while party discipline actions continued with the expulsion of a former bank vice president. China strongly criticized the awarding of a Grammy to the Dalai Lama.

Security

Xi Jinping publicly stressed the fight against military corruption, following the removal of nine senior military officers from lawmaker positions. The People's Liberation Army conducted routine patrols in the South China Sea and advanced its space program with a key test for a crewed lunar mission rocket. Internationally, China forcefully rejected U.S. allegations of a secret 2020 nuclear test. Tensions surrounding Taiwan intensified, with Chinese military encounters near the island and warnings from officials about U.S. arms sales.

Information

Domestic technology firms advanced their artificial intelligence capabilities, with Alibaba unveiling its Qwen3.5 model and ByteDance launching its Doubao 2.0 model and Seedance 2.0 video generator. The latter tool drew copyright criticism from Hollywood groups. Internationally, TikTok faced regulatory challenges, with the European Commission accusing it of violating digital rules. A U.S. company accused several Chinese AI labs of using its technology to train competing models.

Humanitarian

Nationwide Spring Festival celebrations featured a blend of technology and tradition, including robotic displays and cultural activities. State media reported a sustained drop in serious crimes and a narrowing urban-rural income gap, alongside the nationwide rollout of direct maternity allowance payments. A human rights group reported the detention of two journalists following corruption reporting, coinciding with reports of China's birth rate falling to its lowest level since 1949.

Energy

Domestically, China is rapidly expanding its solar and wind power capacity while simultaneously building many new coal-fired power plants, described as necessary backup for grid stability. Internationally, the United States is advancing a $12 billion plan to create a national stockpile of rare earth minerals to reduce dependence on China. Separately, Trump stated he would welcome Chinese investments in Venezuela's oil sector, a remark noted by China's foreign ministry.