News from China
From Tricontinental.org
China Expands Influence in the Balkans During Serbian President’s Visit to Beijing
China hosted Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić in Beijing from 24 to 28 May for talks on trade, infrastructure and political cooperation. More than 20 agreements were signed covering artificial intelligence, green energy, education and bilateral trade. Commerce between the two countries reached US$6.49 billion in 2025, reflecting growing economic ties. Xi Jinping described Serbia as an important partner in the Belt and Road Initiative, while Vučić reaffirmed Serbia’s independent foreign policy and commitment to cooperation in a multipolar world.
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China Launches Global Anti-Poverty Partnership with 53 Countries in Beijing Forum
China launched a new Global Partnership for Poverty Alleviation and Development during the Global Poverty Reduction and Development Forum held in Beijing on 27 May 2026, bringing together representatives from 53 countries and nine international organizations. The initiative aims to expand financing, policy exchange and technical cooperation on poverty reduction. Participants highlighted rural revitalization, agricultural modernization, digital infrastructure and “small yet smart projects” in developing countries. China presented its experience lifting around 800 million people out of poverty as a reference for South-South cooperation and collective efforts toward a more equitable multipolar order.
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Older Workers Win First National Rules Guaranteeing Minimum Wage and Injury Insurance
For decades, Chinese workers employed beyond the statutory retirement age were excluded from standard labor protections, often classified under civil service contracts rather than formal employment relationships. New regulations issued jointly by five government departments, effective from 1 July, now guarantee minimum wage standards and work-injury insurance for older employees. Officials estimate the measures could affect between 87 million and 120 million people as China responds to an aging population and rising elderly participation in the workforce.
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Guangzhou State Enterprise Launches Pilot to Buy Second-Hand Homes for Affordable Housing
Owners of small, ageing flats priced at or below 3 million yuan (about US $440,000) and under 70 square metres within the city’s ring expressway may, until the end of 2026, sell to a municipal state-owned enterprise that escrows the proceeds for a mandatory new-home purchase within 180 days; acquired units become affordable and talent rental housing, making Guangzhou the second first-tier city after Shanghai to absorb resale stock.
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US Investment in China Rose 24.5% in Early 2026 Despite Overall 10.3% FDI Decline
Foreign direct investment in China showed a mixed trend in early 2026, with US investment rising 24.5% even as overall inflows fell 10.3%, according to figures released by the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) on 24 May. Total actually-used FDI reached 287.69 billion yuan (about US$42 billion). Officials attributed part of the increase from developed economies to capital routed through third regions, including free trade ports. High-technology sectors attracted 20.3% more investment, accounting for 40.4% of total inflows.
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Silk Road Expo Draws 64 Nations as Western China Becomes Belt and Road Frontier
The five-day Silk Road Expo concluded on 25 May in Xi’an, the eastern terminus of the historic trade route, bringing together participants from 64 countries and nearly 200 overseas firms. The event highlighted the growing role of China’s interior regions in Belt and Road cooperation, with western provinces accounting for 72% of the country’s territory but 27% of its population. Initiative funding reached US$124 billion in the first half of 2025, surpassing the total US$122 billion recorded in all of 2024.
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Green Shield Launches as China’s First Open-Source Crop-Protection AI Model for Farmers
Nanjing Agricultural University, with more than 30 partners, has launched Green Shield (绿盾), China’s first open-source AI model for crop protection. Trained on over 2.5 billion tokens, the system cross-checks pesticide recommendations against the national registration database to improve agricultural safety. It builds on the earlier Si Nong (司农) agricultural AI model released on ModelScope and GitHub in January. The initiative aims to expand accessible digital tools for farmers and support agricultural development across the Global South.
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Smart Greenhouse Technology Goes Global as Shouguang Expo Exhibits 2,600 Vegetable Varieties
In Shouguang, China’s major vegetable hub, intelligent equipment, internet-of-things systems and standardized production now exceed 85% in new greenhouses, while labor productivity has risen 30–50%, according to data presented at the city’s 27th vegetable science expo. The 40-day event showcased more than 2,600 vegetable varieties and highlighted how controlled-environment agriculture technologies are being exported abroad. Container-based systems have been deployed in desert regions above 50°C, while a plant factory in Abu Dhabi produces around 7,000 kg of vegetables daily.
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Shenzhou-23 Lifts Off with Hong Kong’s First Astronaut, Targeting a Year-Long Space Stay
China launched the Shenzhou-23 mission on 24 May, sending three astronauts into orbit aboard a Long March-2F rocket, including Hong Kong’s first astronaut. One crew member will remain aboard the Tiangong space station for 365 days, surpassing China’s previous 204-day record. More than 100 experiments in space life science, aerospace medicine and materials research will be conducted during the mission, generating key data to support future crewed lunar exploration planned before 2030.
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Brazil’s Lula Performs Remote Surgery on China’s Toumai Robot, Hailing Wider Health Access
Operating a console linked across 1,400 kilometres of Brazilian territory, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva carried out a simulated procedure on a Chinese-developed laparoscopic system during a 15 May visit to a Barretos cancer hospital. The initiative is embedded within the world’s largest tax-funded health service and advances South-South medical cooperation now reaching 13 countries, while lifting one centre’s annual robotic caseload from 400 to 680.
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State Council Launches Probe into Shanxi Mine Blast That Killed 82
On 22 May, a gas blast tore through the Liushenyu colliery, whose operator had handed rescuers inaccurate underground maps and never logged how many miners were on shift, ultimately leaving 82 dead and 128 injured and prompting central authorities to deploy national medical and rescue teams, detain the mine’s executives, and order a probe vowing strict, law-based accountability.
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Low-Budget Dialect Film ‘Dear You’ Tops US$146 Million, Revives Diaspora Letter Heritage
From the mid-19th century, impoverished Chaoshan villagers left to seek a living in Siam (present-day Thailand) and beyond, posting home combined letters and remittances that sustained their families for over a century and channelled patriotic donations during the resistance against Japan – a heritage that re-entered public memory after an audience-driven family drama crossed 1 billion yuan (about US$146 million), reviving interest in the UNESCO-listed correspondence.
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