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NEWS IN CHINA

• President Xi Jinping Meets Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen: President Xi Jinping met Cambodian People's Party President and Senate President Hun Sen in Beijing, where the two leaders reviewed the progress in bilateral relations since Xi's state visit to Cambodia last year and discussed ways to deepen cooperation across political, economic, security, and regional affairs. President Xi described Cambodia as a priority in China's neighborhood diplomacy and reiterated Beijing's support for Cambodia's sovereignty, security, and independent development path. He called for expanding party-to-party exchanges, advancing the Industrial Development Corridor and Fish and Rice Corridor, fully utilizing the China-Cambodia Free Trade Agreement, and enhancing cooperation against telecom fraud through a new security partnership. He also stressed the importance of closer coordination to promote regional stability and safeguard shared interests. Hun Sen congratulated China on its development achievements and thanked Beijing for its long-standing support for Cambodia's economic growth and national interests. He reaffirmed Cambodia's adherence to the one-China principle and its opposition to any form of "Taiwan independence." The Cambodian leader also pledged to align the country's Pentagonal Strategy with the Belt and Road Initiative and deepen cooperation in key sectors.
  
  
• NPC Standing Committee Concludes Session, Adopts Revised Laws and Key Personnel Changes: The 23rd session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress concluded in Beijing on June 26, approving a series of legislative, administrative, and personnel decisions. Presided over by Zhao Leji, the session adopted a revised Trademark Law and amendments to the Certified Public Accountants Law. Chinese President Xi Jinping signed the relevant presidential decrees to promulgate the legislation. The committee also approved a decision authorizing the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to exercise jurisdiction over the Hong Kong section of Huanggang Port and its related extended areas. Members further endorsed the central government's 2025 final accounts and approved a report on the qualifications of certain National People's Congress deputies. The session also approved several personnel appointments and removals, including the dismissal of Guan Zhi'ou as Minister of Natural Resources. Wang Zhonglin was appointed Vice Chairman of the NPC Environment and Resources Protection Committee, while Zeng Ping became Vice Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee's Legislative Affairs Commission. Following the meeting, members attended a special lecture on the evolution and modernization of China's banking industry.
  
  
• Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang Calls for Accelerated Development in Xinjiang: Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang conducted an inspection tour in Xinjiang from June 25-26, urging full implementation of Xi Jinping’s instructions and the Party’s strategy for governing Xinjiang in the new era. He called for advancing the region’s “five strategic positioning,” strengthening Xinjiang’s advantages, and accelerating high‑quality development. At the China‑Europe Railway Express (Urumqi) assembly center, Ding highlighted the railway’s growing role in Asia‑Europe connectivity and the opportunities it brings to Xinjiang. He emphasized expanding multimodal transport, improving digital capabilities, and enhancing service quality to build a stronger westward‑opening corridor. During his visit to the State Grid Xinjiang Electric Power Energy Big Data Center, he stressed ensuring a stable summer energy supply and maximizing Xinjiang’s coal, oil, gas, wind, and solar resources. He called for advancing the national strategic energy base and improving clean‑energy transmission channels. Inspecting Xinjiang Bayi Iron & Steel Group, Ding underscored the need for technological innovation and green transformation to support China’s dual‑carbon goals. At Xinjiang University and Xinjiang Light Industry Vocational and Technical College, he emphasized the role of education in long-term stability and encouraged graduates to contribute to Xinjiang’s development.
  
  
• SAMR Releases Seven National Standards for AI Intelligent Agent Interconnection: According to the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), China has released seven national standards for the interconnection of artificial intelligence (AI) intelligent agents, establishing a unified framework to support the development and deployment of next-generation AI systems. The standards aim to facilitate the growing adoption of intelligent agents capable of autonomous perception, memory, decision-making, interaction, and task execution across industries. The newly issued standards define specifications for overall architecture, identity coding, identity management, agent description, agent discovery, interaction protocols, and tool invocation. Together, they create a comprehensive technical framework covering the entire lifecycle of AI agent collaboration, from identity verification and capability description to coordinated interaction and execution. According to officials, the standards fill critical gaps in the AI standardization landscape by introducing common architectures and communication protocols that enable interoperability between intelligent agents developed by different organizations. The framework is expected to reduce reliance on customized development, lower implementation costs, and shorten product development cycles. It also establishes standardized identity authentication and end-to-end traceability mechanisms to improve security, reliability, and accountability. 
  
  
• World's Highest Dam Begins Power Generation in Sichuan: The Shuangjiangkou Hydropower Station in Sichuan Province has officially begun generating electricity after its first unit was connected to the grid, marking a major milestone in China’s construction of ultra‑high earth‑rock dams. Standing at 315 meters, the dam is now the tallest of its kind globally, surpassing previous records held by Jinping‑I and Lianghekou. Built on the upper reaches of the Dadu River, the hydropower station has an installed capacity of 2 million kilowatts and is expected to generate about 7.7 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. It also features a reservoir with a storage capacity of 2.9 billion cubic metres, enabling annual water regulation and supporting downstream hydropower generation. Designed by POWERCHINA Chengdu Engineering Corporation Limited, the project overcame major engineering challenges, including high altitude, deep overburden layers, harsh weather conditions and seismic risks. Engineers introduced several innovative construction technologies, including intelligent material production systems and advanced winter construction methods. Once fully operational, the station is expected to strengthen Sichuan's electricity supply, improve grid stability, enhance flood control across the Dadu River Basin, and increase clean energy generation from downstream cascade hydropower projects.
  
  

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER

Weibo Users React to CCTV Report on College Application Agencies Using AI-Generated Consulting Services: A post with the hashtag #CCTVExposesCollegeApplicationAgenciesResellingThousandQuestionServices# is going viral on Weibo after China Central Television (CCTV) reported irregularities in college application consulting firms. The post alleged that some agencies employ minimally trained staff who rely heavily on AI tools such as “Thousand-Question” to generate advisory reports for students and parents, often without meaningful expertise. It also highlighted that staff lacked professional knowledge and depended on AI to produce application content they did not fully understand themselves. Many users questioned the value of expensive consultancy services in the age of freely available digital tools. One user said that paying high fees for such services is unnecessary when “AI can provide the same information instantly.” Another user remarked that school admission websites already provide sufficient data, including historical scores and admission plans. Several users criticized the industry for exploiting parental anxiety, with one stating it has become a “high-profit business built on information gaps rather than real expertise.” A few others argued that the “low entry barrier allows poor-quality service providers to thrive." Some users also noted that “using AI tools or platforms like Qianwen has already made the process easier and more transparent, reducing dependence on paid consultants."

INDIA WATCH

Guancha Discusses India’s AI Dependence Amid US Export Restrictions: An article in Guancha discussed India's concerns over continued access to advanced US artificial intelligence models after Washington imposed restrictions on foreign use of cutting-edge systems developed by AI firm Anthropic on national security grounds. The article noted that although India joined the US-led Pax Silica (Silicon Peace) initiative in February as part of a broader technology partnership aimed at countering China, it was subsequently "backstabbed" by Washington after the US imposed restrictions on foreign access to Anthropic's advanced AI models. It highlighted remarks by Indian Electronics and IT Secretary S. Krishnan, who stated that the US had assured India that access to advanced AI models would not be withdrawn once granted, despite recent policy changes. The article argued that the incident exposed the vulnerabilities of countries dependent on US-controlled AI technologies, even among close strategic partners. It further described the Silicon Peace initiative as a US-led effort to coordinate AI chip supply chains and export controls aimed at limiting China's technological advancement. According to the article, the restrictions have prompted several US allies to pursue greater technological self-reliance and "digital sovereignty." It concluded by reiterating China's position that US export controls cannot curb China's technological progress and called on Washington to uphold fair competition and market principles instead of imposing restrictive measures.