China

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

Hainan province saw a -29.3% y-o-y decrease in duty-free spending in 2024 from CNY43,76 billion in 2023 to CNY30,94 billion (US$4.23 billion), according to Haikou Customs data, confirmed in Q1 2025; This was driven by a -15.9% fall in shoppers in 2024

All Chinese airlines have been ordered not to take further deliveries of Boeing; authorities open new chapter in response to the US decision to impose 145% tariffs on Chinese goods, Bloomberg News reported, citing people familiar with the matter

At Geely's Zeekr 5G intelligent factory in Ningbo, in the eastern Chinese province of Zhejiang, dozens of advanced humanoid robots work in factory departments, marking a new era of human-like teamwork in manufacturing

For months, over 500 self-driving taxis have been roaming the streets of the city of Wuhan, in what is the world's largest experiment with self-driving cars

Hainan, the tax-free island province popular with luxury domestic shoppers and international high-end brands, experienced a 29,3% YoY decline in duty free sales in 2024 as the nation's sluggish economy led to a reduction in tourism

The World Bank, in its latest economic update on China, revised upwards - even though minimally - its economic growth forecast for 2024 to 4,9%