China Focus

A high school senior in Xinxiang, Henan, waited over an hour in a fuse-bead shop for a friend — without touching a single toy. Before leaving, she left 5 yuan and an apology note. She explained that she’d wanted to play but had no phone, so she left the money and her parents’ phone number in case it wasn’t enough. The shop owner, Ms. Sun, was touched: “She was so sincere and well-mannered.” She returned the 5 yuan and invited the girl back for a free, unlimited fuse-bead session.

A safety reminder in fluent English! 👮

A 19-year-old vendor in Urumqi, Xinjiang, hand-makes custom plush lambs — and people line up for hours before sunrise. The trend of this summer reflects a broader shift in Chinese tourism — from sightseeing to emotionally specific, participatory experiences. It has also generated real economic spillover, boosting local silk and handicraft sales, while authorities have responded with larger venues, reservation systems, and even a free “Lamb Tour” bus route. Read the story: 👉bit.ly/3Wy2XxT

What does the fifth plenum of the 20th CPC Central Committee signal to the world? The session, held from Oct. 26 to 29, underscored the Party’s emphasis on strengthening governance capacity, deepening Party self-governance, and advancing Chinese modernization. As China advances toward the next stage of national development, the CPC continues to present itself as a governing force focused on stability, modernization, and long-term strategic planning. Read more: 👉bit.ly/4AoRteA

Sometimes the best travel moments aren’t planned. A couple missed the Palace Museum — but a kind passerby gave them a photo of a lifetime instead.

Forget sprays and nets: a Chinese company has recently launched an AI-powered laser mosquito-killing device that can track mosquitoes in flight and burn their wings. The product has secured official CE certification from SGS and has moved to mass production and delivery. Named Photon Matrix, the device uses autonomous driving technology to pinpoint targets, with AI deciding when it is safe to fire the laser. For safety, the product features AI cameras and millimeter-wave radar that can spot people and pets and prevent the laser from firing, even in total darkness.

China’s Double 11 shopping festival has concluded, with e-commerce platforms racking up 1.776 trillion yuan ($266.3 billion) in sales, rising 4.8% yoy, according to a report released by Syntum on Thursday. Service consumption expanded 5.3% yoy, faster than goods consumption, which rose 3.8% yoy.

China's revenue from inbound tourism could reach $470 billion by 2040, accounting for 1.5% of the country’s GDP, according to the head of China leisure and transportation research at UBS Securities. China's inbound tourism is expected to grow by more than 20% next year, he noted, adding that the growth mainly comes from three factors, along with favorable visa policies, more convenient payment options, and other services.

A smart train automated entirely by AI rolled off the production line on Thursday in Qingdao, Shandong province. Powered by CRRC's industrial large model called Zhuolun, the train features GoA4, the highest level of automation in rail transit. Equipped with more than 2,600 monitoring points, it can collect real-time data on its operating status and surrounding environment. AI algorithms analyze data to detect potential faults or abnormalities in advance. It has a maximum operating speed of 100 km/h.

China's Pan Qimiao claimed the women's individual #sabre title with a 15-10 win over top seed Jeon Yuju of South Korea at the 2026 #YouthOlympics Games on Thursday. Pan opened the bout with eight straight hits to take an 8-0 lead after the first period, before Jeon rallied in the second and closed the gap to 7-9. Pan rebuilt her cushion and reached the match point at 14-8. Jeon scored two hits in a row before Pan landed the decisive hit, sealing the win in a bout lasting nine minutes 32 seconds.

Alibaba Group confirmed on Tuesday that its wholly owned subsidiary, T-Head, had confidentially filed an application on Sept 11 to list on the Hong Kong stock exchange, after the bourse cleared the proposed spin-off. JPMorgan estimated earlier this year T-Head's potential valuation at between $25 billion and $62 billion.

China has drilled a high-yield gas well in volcanic rock formations at a depth of more than 5,000 meters in the central Bohai Sea, marking a major breakthrough in offshore ultra-deep natural gas exploration. The well was drilled on Thursday to a depth of 5,770 meters and tested at a daily gas output of approximately 800,000 cubic meters.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will chair the 33rd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting and deliver remarks, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson announced Friday. The meeting will be held in Shenzhen from Nov. 18 to 19 under the theme "Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together," the spokesperson said.

China is maintaining communication with relevant parties on a meeting between the heads of state of China, Russia and the United States, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Thursday. Spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks at a regular media briefing in response to a related query.

Yantai Port, a pivotal coastal port for the foreign trade in commodity vehicles in China, has set up an innovative "four-in-one" export operation system for commodity vehicles which integrates roll-on/roll-off, container, flat-rack container and breakbulk cargo lifting.

NVIDIA Board of Directors announced Thursday that Jensen Huang has resigned as president, CEO, and a member of the board, effective immediately. U.S. stocks ended slightly lower Thursday as the resignation of Huang shook confidence in the artificial intelligence trade.

Too often, the CPC is assessed through categories developed to describe political parties that operate within the institutional and historical constraints of Western countries. Those categories obscure more than they reveal. The CPC is not a political party that competes for office within a pre-existing constitutional order. It is an agent of historical change that first seized state power through revolution and now bears responsibility for governing a vast and complex society through a prolonged period of socialist construction and development. Three dimensions—historical agency, mass organizational form and the deliberate cultivation of socialist democratic proximity—explain why the CPC cannot be adequately understood through the conceptual toolkit developed for Western political parties. Read the full analysis: 👉bit.ly/4sXGZ3o

China's first free trade agreement (FTA) with a Latin American country has entered a new chapter, with the upgrades to the China-Peru FTA taking effect on November 1. China is Peru's largest trading partner, largest export destination and largest source of imports, while Peru is China's fourth largest trading partner in Latin America and an important investment destination. Amid the current challenges posed by growing unilateralism, they demonstrate the shared commitment of China and Peru to upholding multilateralism and free trade. Read more: 👉bit.ly/4zGThj4

Yang Lanbin and Chen Ziyan helped China win the first-ever Youth Olympic mixed team gymnastics gold at Dakar 2026 on Wednesday. Chen scored 13.866 points in balance beam before Japan's Ikki Nishihara answered on the horizontal bar with 13.900. Yang, the last gymnast of the night, scored 13.966 for the floor exercise routine, fueling China to a competition-high 27.832 points.