NEWS / the week of Mar 6 to 13
Current news about China and the Chinese people
NOTE: The news reports below are not in chronological order. There is often a time lag in their reaching the US and in gaining our attention. These reports reflect the opinions of a variety of news sources.
🏛️ Politics & Governance
China Approves 15th Five-Year Plan & Slams U.S. Trade Investigation / Mar 12, 2026
China's Foreign Ministry called a new U.S. trade investigation a "pretext for political manipulation," while Beijing moved ahead with its new five-year economic plan.
China This Week: Strategic Moves & Messaging / Mar 13, 2026
As the Two Sessions concluded, Beijing approved a sweeping "ethnic unity" law mandating Mandarin-language education and directing schools and local governments to cultivate "correct views" of Chinese history and national identity.
Five Key Takeaways from China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi Press Briefing / Mar 12, 2026
Wang Yi criticized the U.S.-Israel war with Iran but signaled openness to an expected Trump–Xi summit at the end of March, saying the world cannot afford conflict between the two largest economies.
📈 Economy & Trade
China Sets Lowest GDP Growth Target Since the 1990s / Mar 6, 2026
China announced a GDP growth target of 4.5–5% for 2026 at the National People's Congress, its lowest target in decades, as it faces headwinds from Trump's trade war and weak domestic consumer confidence.
Manufacturing Talent Boom? Why China’s Smartest Students Are Factory-Bound / Mar 4, 2026
New Tsinghua University data this week reveals a nearly 20 per cent rise in graduates joining the manufacturing and energy sectors, signaling a major shift in career pursuits in China. The sharp rise seen in Tsinghua’s class of 2025 indicates a renewed interest in traditional industrial sectors among top-tier talent as well as the pull of national strategic priorities. As some of China’s brightest minds enter these fields, the country is poised to intensify its competitive challenge to Western companies in advanced manufacturing.
Tesla China Sales Climb While BYD Numbers Drop / Mar 13, 2026
Tesla's China-made EV sales rose more than 35% in the first two months of 2026, while BYD reported a 36% decline in deliveries over the same period.
Gen Z Flocks to Chinese Medicine as Trust in US Health System Plummets / Mar 13, 2026
“It’s So Personalized to Being Human” Did you drink ice water today? If you did, that was “not very Chinese of you”, according to Sherry Zhu, a 23-year-old Chinese American creator based in New Jersey. If you were really serious about “becoming Chinese,” you would be sipping hot water every day, she warned in a TikTok video with millions of views. “I really do feel like, digestion-wise, a lot better when I’m drinking hot water,” she later explained to GQ.
🌏 Foreign Policy & Security
China & Taiwan Update / Mar 6, 2026
update examines cross-strait developments, including China Coast Guard patrols near Taiwan's outlying islands and PLA experiments with aerial drone spoofing to disguise activities and confuse adversaries.
Wang Yi Press Conference on Foreign Policy / Mar 8, 2026
Wang Yi called 2026 a "big year" for China-U.S. relations, saying high-level exchange agendas are already set and urging both sides to treat each other with sincerity.
China-North Korea Passenger Trains to Resume / Mar 10, 2026
Passenger train services between China and North Korea are set to resume this week, six years after their suspension due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Society
“Bumping” Into Adolescence: Kids’ Smartwatches and the Battleground Between Safety and Control / Mar 4, 2026
In parks and schoolyards across the country, kids can be seen bumping their watches together, a soft beep signaling that a new friend has been added and a social circle affirmed. “For many kids, especially in the lower grades, ‘bumping’ watches to add contacts is the digital equivalent of sharing toys and snacks. It’s an icebreaker, a low-stakes way to initiate contact,” notes Zhang Tingting, a middle school English teacher and head of a ninth-grade class in Shenzhen Longgang Middle School.
Podcast—Will China Own the Green Energy Future? / Mar 4, 2026
The conflict in the Middle East has sent energy prices soaring, and for countries that import a high proportion of their fuel, it’s a reminder of the perils of energy dependence. As the recipient of almost 90% of Iran’s crude oil, China knows this only too well. Which partly explains why the country spent the last decade heavily investing in clean power. To find out what else could be driving the strategy, Madeleine Finlay speaks to senior China correspondent Amy Hawkins. And energy correspondent Jillian Ambrose reflects on how China’s ambitions could affect the rest of the world.
Religion
Nanning: A Village of Millions / Mar 3, 2026
This March, we are praying for Nanning. Nanning is the capital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China. As the name makes clear, Guangxi is home to many minority peoples, particularly Zhuang people. People in the city are kind and laid-back, and have a slower pace of life. Believers in Nanning say that traditional folk religion is still strong in Guangxi, and that the area has few Christians and not many churches.
Faith in the Shadow of Vices / Mar 6, 2026
Macau, a special administrative region of China that is known for its glittering skyline of neon-lit casinos, has long been considered the “Las Vegas of Asia.” According to the latest figures, Macau’s gambling revenue reached $30.9 billion in 2024, its highest revenue level since the pandemic. Macau is now considered the world’s biggest and most profitable gambling hub, surpassing Las Vegas. Yet beneath the neon lights of the world’s largest gambling hubs lies a complex spiritual landscape.
Periphery and Center—Diaspora, Scenarios, and Watchfulness / Mar 9, 2026
Peripheries feed centers. The Chinese diaspora—students and scholars, entrepreneurs and workers, pastors and artists—forms feedback loops: translating ideas, building institutions, raising families in new contexts, and then sending back practices, networks, and language. Those loops reshape worship, scholarship, counseling, youth ministry, and public engagement on both sides.
The Lord is my Shepherd, I Shall Not Want / Mar 10, 2026
2002 was the darkest year of my life. My career was in the depths, and I lost all confidence in myself. I had reached my limit. Burned out and depleted, I packed my bags and brought my wife and daughter to Irvine, California, to visit my sister. Directionless and aimless, I needed a change of environment and a new perspective on life.