NEWS / the week of April 18 to 24, 2026
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.
China's Q1 Fiscal Spending Accelerates / April 24, 2026
China's fiscal spending rose 2.6% in the first quarter year-over-year — a significant acceleration from a 1% increase in 2025 — as Beijing steps up support for economic growth amid global risks. Total fiscal expenditure for the January–March period reached 7.47 trillion yuan ($1.09 trillion), while fiscal revenue grew 2.4% to 6.16 trillion yuan.
China Enacts Sweeping Supply Chain Security Regulations / April 11, 2026
China's State Council published new Regulations on Industrial and Supply Chain Security on April 7, taking effect immediately with no transition period. The rules create a unified, national security–driven framework overseen by more than 15 government agencies, and extend potential scrutiny to multinational companies, including restrictions on supply chain data collection and possible enforcement actions for commercial decisions to exit China-related supply chains.
South China Sea Tensions: Barrier at Scarborough Shoal / April 21, 2026
Satellite imagery from April 10–11 showed Chinese fishing boats, a naval or coast guard vessel, and a floating barrier blocking the entrance to Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. Philippine authorities said a roughly 1,150-foot barrier had been installed and later removed. China has deployed similar barriers at the disputed shoal multiple times, most recently in October 2025.
Wang Yi Visits Cambodia, Thailand, and Myanmar / April 21, 2026
Foreign Minister Wang Yi traveled to Cambodia, Thailand, and Myanmar, where he also participated alongside Defense Minister Dong Jun in the inaugual China-Cambodia 2+2 strategic dialogue between foreign and defense ministers — a new diplomatic mechanism between the two countries.
New US Trade Investigations Targeting China / April 20, 2026
The US Trade Representative launched two new Section 301 investigations in March 2026 focused on excess industrial capacity and forced labor, targeting China and other trade partners — as an alternative tariff mechanism following the Supreme Court's February 2026 ruling striking down Trump's IEEPA tariff authority. Hearings are scheduled for April and May, and findings could trigger additional tariffs on Chinese goods.
China–Taiwan: KMT Visit and Cross-Strait Maneuvering / April 17, 2026
Taiwan's opposition Kuomintang Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun met with CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping on April 10, during which she reiterated positions aligned with Beijing's standard framing on cross-strait relations. Analysts at ISW/AEI assessed that Beijing is using the KMT relationship to set conditions for continued political cooperation.
China Condemns Japan Over Yasukuni Shrine / April 21, 2026
Beijing strongly condemned Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi for sending a ritual tree offering to the Yasukuni Shrine — which China regards as a symbol of Japanese wartime militarism — and lodged formal protests with Tokyo. China noted that 2026 marks the 80th anniversary of the start of the Tokyo war crimes trials.
DeepSeek-V4, the Chinese AI model adapted for Huawei chips / April 24, 2026
Chinese startup DeepSeek on Friday released a preview version of V4, its new artificial intelligence model adapted to run on Huawei chips, marking another step in China's push to build a self-sufficient AI ecosystem.
Why leading Chinese scientists are rising to the top in the Communist Party / April 24, 2026
The number of members from the country’s elite research academies in a key decision-making body has doubled in the course of a decade.
How China is reinforcing its ‘legal shield’ against foreign pressure / April 24, 2026
New rules take aim at sanctions and ‘long-arm jurisdiction’, and the Strait of Hormuz crisis could provide a high-stakes testing ground.