Despite domestic easing of COVID curbs after last month's unprecedented protests, over 50% of Chinese say they woul put off travel abroad, up to more than a year, even if borders re-opened, a sign that consumer recovery from COVID measures will take time

Thousands of mosquito-eating fish have been released into parks in Foshan, Guangdong province, to control the spread of dengue fever, chikungunya and other diseases transmitted by mosquitoes; over 4.000 chikungunya cases have been reported in the city

Beijing has once again stated that only the Chinese government can choose the future leader of Tibetan Buddhism; the Dalai Lama, who will turn 90 this month, had instead said that his successor will be identified by a Tibetan exile group

The first cluster of satellites for a planned AI supercomputer system have been launched; it will be the first-of-its-kind array and will enable scientists to perform in-orbit data processing

Tension escalated in the South China Sea as Chinese and Philippine personnel both raised their national flags on Sandy Cay, a contested outcropping, underscoring the persistent territorial disputes and the strategic importance of the area for both nations