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

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

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