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Spring breaks for many primary and secondary schools now overlap with the upcoming May Day holiday, creating longer travel windows and boosting demand. China's holiday travel market is expected to surge, with both trips and spending projected to reach new highs, according to the online travel agency Trip.com Group. Trip.com Group estimated on Tuesday that medium- and long-distance trips will dominate. Interprovincial travel is expected to account for 60.6% of journeys, with cross-province demand continuing to rise.

China's appetite for artificial intelligence data is exploding at a scale that is beginning to reshape the economy, with daily token usage soaring from just over 1 trillion at the start of 2025 to 100 trillion by year-end, showing "exponential growth", officials said on Wednesday. The figure rose further to 140 trillion by March this year, according to Liu Liehong, head of the National Data Administration, underscoring the accelerating value of data as a production factor and the rapid emergence of new forms of the "intelligent economy".

The world's first pure car truck carrier (PCTC) with a capacity exceeding 10,000 vehicles was delivered after a naming ceremony in Guangzhou's Nansha district on Tuesday, setting a new global record for single-vessel carrying capacity. The vessel, named Glovis Leader, was built by Guangzhou Shipyard International for South Korea's HMM. It was constructed at GSI's facility on Longxue Island at the mouth of the Pearl River, where the shipyard has now built and delivered 26 PCTCs in total.

China has issued its first national policy to regulate gig workers, outlining measures to improve labor protections and clarify responsibilities in the platform economy, officials and researchers said. The document sets out steps to better safeguard workers' rights, define the roles of platforms and employers, and address risks linked to flexible employment arrangements. It also targets the use of algorithms in platform-based work, calling for greater transparency, government oversight and mechanisms for workers to be informed and consulted on rule changes.

French fashion brand Lemaire issued an official apology in Chinese and English on Sunday after a promotional campaign for its Objets Senteur fragrance objects featuring a long braid sparked controversy and criticism among Chinese netizens. The controversy and criticism centered on a series of campaign images featuring an object named "Tresse," a braided linen piece said to be designed to hold fragrance. In the visuals shared on platforms including Instagram, the braid-like object was paired with elements such as a long gown and a pair of scissors.

Yiwu, located in Zhejiang province, is often referred to as "the world's supermarket" due to its vast selection of goods. This bustling business hub in eastern China offers an incredible variety of products. The charm of Yiwu also inspires its residents to dream big. Many entrepreneurs build impressive business empires, often starting from the smallest and seemingly insignificant items, such as buttons.

China has built a “space harbor” in deep space. It lies 310,000 to 450,000 kilometers from Earth and 70,000 to 100,000 kilometers from the Moon. Put simply, it is a natural space waystation between the Earth and the Moon - departing from here, missions to the Moon, to Mars, and to even deeper space can follow a favorable trajectory, significantly saving fuel.

The pizza market in China is being reshaped by rapid expansion into lower-tier cities and shifting consumer preferences, forcing brands to rethink how they compete and grow. Against this backdrop, DPC Dash Ltd, or Domino's Pizza China, reported another year of outsized growth in 2025, as aggressive store rollout and localization helped it pull ahead. The operator said on March 25 that revenue in China rose 24.8 percent year-on-year to 5.38 billion yuan ($789 million), while adjusted net profit climbed 43.3 percent to 188 million yuan.

China is showcasing an impressive mix of cutting-edge technology and traditional brands at its annual consumer products expo in Hainan, highlighting how the world's second-largest economy is blending innovation with cultural heritage to drive consumption. At the sixth China International Consumer Products Expo, visitors can experience products ranging from flying cars and AI-powered glasses to traditional jewelry and heritage crafts.

China opened its flagship consumer products expo in the southern province of Hainan this week, drawing thousands of brands from around the world to attend, signaling how the country has continually been making efforts to attract foreign businesses. The sixth China International Consumer Products Expo, which is the first major national exhibition after the Hainan Free Trade Port launched full customs operations, has attracted more than 3,400 brands from over 60 countries and regions, with international exhibitors accounting for 65% of the total. Some of the foreign participants at the expo said China remains a key growth market despite global economic uncertainty, citing strong demand and rapidly changing consumer trends.

According to the Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a research team led by Cheng Xin, in collaboration with Professor Yin Hao’s team from the Second Affiliated Hospital of the Naval Medical University (Shanghai Changzheng Hospital), has recently achieved a global first. They successfully used regenerated islets (E-islets) derived from both autologous and allogeneic stem cells for minimally invasive transplantation, enabling the restoration of islet function and autonomous blood glucose regulation in patients with type 1 diabetes.

Moonshot AI, the developer of Kimi, has seen its valuation rise to $18 billion, quadrupling in just three months, while a new $1 billion funding round is currently underway. In less than three months, Kimi has completed three consecutive financing rounds, setting a recent domestic record for the most rapid fundraising by a large language model company and becoming the fastest unicorn in China’s AI sector to surpass a $10 billion valuation.

Big shift for app developers in #China. #Apple announced it will cut App Store #commissions in mainland China after communication with regulators. Starting March 15, 2026, the standard commission on in-app purchases and paid apps on iOS and iPadOS will drop from 30% to 25%. For developers in the App Store Small Business Program and Mini Apps Partner Program, the rate will fall from 15% to 12%, including auto-renewing subscriptions after the first year.

According to China’s Ministry of Commerce, in 2025 the trade volume between China and South Asian countries exceeded $200 billion for the first time, marking a 10.7% year-on-year increase.

In the first two months of 2026, China’s imports and exports of goods rose 18.3% year on year.

On Tuesday afternoon, a press conference was held for the 4th Session of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC. It was noted that during this year’s “longest-ever” #SpringFestival holiday, restaurants, entertainment venues, and shopping malls saw booming activity. Domestic tourism spending exceeded 803.4 billion yuan, an increase of 126.4 billion yuan year on year. Meanwhile, total cross-regional passenger flows during the Spring Festival travel rush are estimated to reach 9.5 billion trips, equivalent to more than one trip per person globally.

On Monday, market research firm Omdia released data on the global wearable devices market for 2025. Annual shipments exceeded 200 million units for the first time, marking a 6% year-on-year increase. Xiaomi returned to the global No. 1 position for the first time since 2020, becoming the world’s largest wearable device vendor with an 18% market share.

A report released by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) shows that as of December 2025, the number of generative AI users in China reached 602 million, up 141.7% from the end of 2024. The penetration rate rose to 42.8%, an increase of 25.2 percentage points year on year.

Military strikes launched by the U.S. and Israel against Iran have significantly escalated geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, raising concerns over global energy supply. International oil prices surged sharply on the 2nd. By the close of trading, light sweet crude futures for April delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange rose $4.21 to $71.23 per barrel, up 6.28%. Meanwhile, Brent crude futures for May delivery climbed $4.87 to $77.74 per barrel, marking a 6.68% increase.

China has officially released its inaugural top-level design for the #humanoidrobot and embodied artificial intelligence (AI) standard system, covering the entire industrial chain and life cycle. This milestone marks a transition into a new phase of standardized and collaborative development for the sector.