China's national electricity load exceeded 1.5 billion kilowatts on Wednesday, setting a new historic high, the National Energy Administration said, as extreme heat in wide swathes of the country drove up electricity demand.

China pledged to rein in “irrational competition” in its electric vehicle industry, a sign policymakers are concerned about price wars threatening economic growth.

China has officially launched internet identification requirements that rights groups have warned will further curtail online anonymity and increase the risks for freedom of speech in what is already one of the world's strictest online censorship and surveillance systems.

China has sentenced a Japanese pharmaceutical executive to three and a half year in prison for espionage, a decision that will raise concerns among foreign businesses and drew warnings from Japan that opaque judicial processes were deterring travel to the country.

The U.S. Navy will construct two facilities for the repair and maintenance of Philippine military boats in a province facing the South China Sea, where confrontations between the Philippine and Chinese coast guards have flared.

China's cabinet on Wednesday pledged to regulate what it called "irrational" competition in the country's electric vehicle industry, vowing to strengthen cost investigation and price monitoring, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

The research center said its survey also found a "marked departure" from the results of a 2023 survey, with more people seeing China as the world's leading economic power. A median of 41 percent saw China as the top economy, compared with a 39 percent median who named the United States.

Beijing is taking an industrial policy approach to help its A.I. companies close the gap with those in the United States.

Foreign investors are returning to China in search of opportunities in artificial intelligence startups, including those in their early stages.

China is positioned to attract global talent as Trump’s policies weaken American competitiveness, some lawmakers say.

Teatime revels in China now include hugs with lion cubs in a four-course afternoon set offered by a restaurant in the northern province of Shanxi, drawing widespread attention online and fueling concern for the animals’ welfare.

Global views of China and its leader Xi Jinping have improved, while opinions of the U.S. and Donald Trump have declined.