1. Opening ceremony of The World Games 2025 held in Chengdu
The opening ceremony of The World Games 2025 was held in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, on Thursday. Athletes from 116 countries and regions gathered for the largest and most inclusive edition in history.
Members of the delegation of China parade during the opening ceremony of the World Games 2025 in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, on Aug. 7, 2025. (Photo: China News Service/Zhang Lang)
2. China’s foreign trade grows 3.5 percent in first seven months of 2025
China’s total imports and exports of goods rose 3.5% year-on-year to 25.7 trillion yuan ($3.6 trillion) in the first seven months of 2025, official data showed Thursday.
The growth rate accelerated from an increase of 2.9% registered in the first half of the year, according to the General Administration of Customs (GAC).
Photo shows the busy Chishui Port in Wuzhou City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Photo provided to China News Service)
3. China to implement free preschool education in stages
Starting from the upcoming autumn semester, China will exempt children from care and education fees in their final preschool year at public kindergartens, according to a guideline issued on Tuesday.
The move aims to effectively improve the country’s public education services and popularize preschool education, according to the guideline issued by the General Office of the State Council.
Kindergarten children experience the fishing season opening ceremony in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, July 1, 2025. (Photo/China news Service)
4. Xizang keeps thriving since establishment 60 years ago
Once a remote region with limited resources, Southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region now stands as a symbol of transformation, marking 60 years of economic growth and social development since its founding in 1965.
Its regional gross domestic product (GDP) reaching 276.5 billion yuan (about 38.52 billion) in 2024, 155 times that of 1965, marking an average annual growth rate of 8.9 percent, Wang Junzheng, secretary of the Communist Party of China Xizang Autonomous Regional Committee, said at the press conference on the 60th founding anniversary of Xizang Autonomous Region.
Wang noted that while it took the region 50 years to achieve its first 100 billion yuan in GDP, the second 100-billion-yuan milestone was reached in just six years.
Photo taken on July 18, 2025 shows the busy Lhasa Gonggar International Airport in Xizang Autonomous Region. (Photo: China News Service/Zhang Xiangyi)
5. Film on Nanjing Massacre leads China’s summer box office, tops 1.5 billion yuan
“Dead To Rights,” a film about the Nanjing Massacre, has maintained its dominance at China’s summer box office, grossing over 1.5 billion yuan (about 210 million U.S. dollars) within just 10 days of its July 25 debut, Xinhua news Agency reported on Monday.
The film will open theatrically in the U.S. and Canada next Friday.
Poster of film Dead To Rights
6. South Korea to offer visa-free entry to Chinese tourist groups
South Korea will introduce a temporary visa-free entry policy for Chinese tourist groups starting Sept. 29, local news agency Yonhap reported Wednesday. The policy will remain in effect until June 30, 2026.
The move aims to boost tourism exchanges following China’s expansion of its visa-free transit policy in November 2024. That policy allows ordinary passport holders from 38 countries, including South Korea, to visit China for up to 30 days without a visa.
A visitor tours the China-themed exhibition area at the Seoul International Travel Fair, June 5, 2025. (Photo: China News Service/Liu Xu)
7. Chinese table tennis star Fan Zhendong joins U.S. pro league as strategic investor
Chinese table tennis star Fan Zhendong will join Major League Table Tennis (MLTT), the United States’ first professional table tennis league, as a strategic investor, the league announced Wednesday.
The MLTT announced the move on Instagram, saying, “BREAKING: Welcome to MLTT, Fan Zhendong! The reigning Olympic gold medalist is joining America’s first professional table tennis league as a strategic investor.”
Fan Zhendong of China celebrates after the table tennis men’s singles final at the Paris Olympics, France, Aug. 4, 2024. (Photo: China News Service/Fu Tian)
8. China issues development guidelines to accelerate BCI breakthroughs
Seven Chinese government agencies, including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), on Thursday unveiled a comprehensive implementation plan to advance the development of China’s brain-computer interface (BCI) industry.
According to the plan, by 2027, China aims to achieve key breakthroughs in core BCI technologies and establish advanced technical standards. Looking ahead to 2030, the goal is to foster two to three globally influential enterprises, along with a group of specialized small and medium-sized firms, to strengthen its competitive position in the global BCI market.
A student tries the brain-computer interface technology at a science popularization activity held by the Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), May 24, 2025. (Photo/China News Service)
9. China’s homegrown eVTOL completes world’s first cargo flight to offshore oil platform
China has achieved the world’s first electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) cargo flight from land to a marine oil platform in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, Guangdong Province on Sunday, using a domestically developed aircraft, according to China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC).
The 2-metric-ton-class eVTOL is the world’s first in its category to receive a type certificate, production license, and individual airworthiness certificate.
China’s homegrown 2-metric-ton-class eVTOL achieves the cargo flight from land to a marine oil platform in Shenzhen City on Aug. 3, 2025. (Photo courtesy of CNOOC Shenzhen branch)
10. China approves new lunar sample applications from research institutions
China’s space agency has released the approved list for the ninth batch of lunar sample research applications, allowing successful applicants to borrow samples returned by the Chang’e-5 and Chang’e-6 missions.
A total of 30,881.8 milligrams of lunar samples will be lent to 32 research groups from 25 research institutions, according to the Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center under the China National Space Administration.
Photo shows a lunar sample retrieved by the Chang’e-6 mission exhibited at the 15th China Air Show held in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province. (Photo: China News Service/Fu Tian)
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