China's Week, April 10

Science & Technology

A Fudan U team built a 2D, 32-bit, RISC-V IC with 5,900 transistors, 1 nm. thick, a new benchmark. It handles 4.2 billion data units, supports Gb-scale data storage and access, and executes programs with 1 billion RISC instructions.

Of the world’s top ten AI apps, half are made in China. Quark, Doubao, DeepSeek, Yuanbao, and Talkie are five little dragons rising.

Record 300,000-pixel, LED mesh flying screen has a display area of 800 sq ft (73 sq m), weighs 250 gm/sq m, it can hover stably in a 3-step wind.

Remember that scary Chinese underwater cutter that can slice the thickest cable? The source was an early design paper, “Design of an Electric Cutting Device for Deep-sea Cables”. It does not exist.

China invested $100m into green electricity -> hydrogen -> metallurgy project producing 250,000 tonnes of cast and forged steel annually using direct H2 reduction to replace fossil fuel with green H2.

Congressional commission urged lawmakers to take action to counter China’s “frightening” ascent in biotechnology, as the tech rivalry between the two major powers continues to escalate.

Thousands of Chinese scientists locked out of the world’s largest cancer database in a new round of United States science policies targeting China, while Donald Trump’s administration pursues its trade wars.

DeepSeek Cuts API Rates by 755 as China’s AI Chatbot Price War Escalates.

Economy & Trade

Beijing adds 34% on all US goods. China exports 18.5% of its GDP, of which 14.7% goes to the USA. If they stopped trading, China would lose about 1% of GDP.

Citibank lowers China’s 2025 GDP from 4.7% YoY to 4.2%.

China has shifted from a VAT refund-upon-departure to a refund-upon-purchase, enabling tourists to reuse the refunded amount in real time for further shopping.

Singapore ex-FM Yong-Boon Yeo: “Trump's Reform reminds me of China's late Qing Dynasty Hundred Days/Wuxu Reform: the people responsible were all executed. Trump needs good relations with China”.

China’s trade measures to counter the United States: A 34% tariff on all imported goods originating from the United States. An industrial competitiveness investigation on American medical CT tubes; Export controls on seven categories of medium and heavy rare earth-related items; Adding 16 American entities to the export control list; Adding 11 American companies to the unreliable entity list.

Brazil, China ditch US dollar for trade payments in favor of yuan.

China’s using green hydrogen to produce circulating oil/lubricant and direct reduction of iron casting and forging.

Methanol dual-fuel ships are popular and China is building ports to refuel them and has also accelerated development of Sustainable Aviation Fuel.

Green methanol project already meets 43% of China’s current methanol needs and 19% of its ammonia that once required crude and natural gas or coal. Even replacing fertilizers and plastics will be a huge lowering of oil demand.

CPPCC Chairman Wang Huning: strengthen the eco-environmental conservation of the Yangtze River to ensure that its 14th Five Year Plan goals are achieved.

The Mobile Phone Safe Recycling and Disposal project was extended to all capitals, offering both door-to-door and postal service.

Society

Full-Time Employment for Delivery Riders substantially increased riders’ earnings, with some seeing their monthly income double from 6,000 to 12,000 yuan.

Meituan now provides endowment insurance for its delivery riders in Quanzhou, Fujian, and Nantong, Jiangsu.

95% of Chinese Gen Z now use AI tools like ChatGPT and DeepSeek for academic or work-related tasks.

“All media say the US tried to ban TikTok because the US is controlled by the Jews”. China has university classes explaining that the US is totally controlled by the Jews, and showing all the proof.

The Han Empire was more unequal and extractive than the Roman Empire.

Environment

Baosteel’s hydrogen-fed shaft furnace to replace fossil fuels in iron reduction,