#one-side-only

A 50-person pig farming equipment company in Foshan, led by Liu Wen, used AI to rewrite its software and generate marketing content, reducing customer acquisition costs from 1,500 yuan to near zero. The company now gets 30 new clients monthly, with new media revenue reaching 200,000-300,000 yuan in March 2025. The broader adoption shows AI's potential in traditional industries despite data and organizational barriers.

China and the US discussed Iran at their Beijing summit in May and Washington summit in September, with China taking a firmer stance on Tehran after the latest meeting. Analysts say further Xi-Trump summits could work in Iran's favor as the two powers find more common ground on Tehran. (48 words)

Arup Neogi, an India-born US citizen and photonics specialist, leads a research team at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC) in Chengdu exploring the interconnection between light and sound. The university, which has one of China's top electronics and communication programmes, has been on the US entity list. Neogi told Chinese state media "Science has no borders."

Chinese automakers' registrations in the UK rose to 519,424 vehicles between January and August 2026, capturing 28.1% market share, up from 12.9% in the same period in 2025. The best-selling Jaecoo 7, nicknamed the 'Temu Range Rover,' sold 10,814 units in September. UK Business Minister Jonathan Reynolds is considering matching the EU's up to 35.3% tariff on Chinese EVs to avoid Made in Europe barriers, with China warning of retaliatory measures.

Two summits between Presidents Trump and Xi in five months produced shared language but no breakthrough on the Hormuz Strait issue. Xi backed a return to the interim US-Iran agreement during his Washington visit, yet Trump recently rejected Iran's truce proposal and is considering resuming US bombing of Iran. Analysts say China needs to offer more concrete action rather than just diplomatic statements.

The author argues that the prevalence of short-form digital content is contributing to a decline in literacy and deep reading, characterizing the current era as "postliterate." The piece presents a critical perspective on how daily consumption of brief, superficial content may be eroding intellectual capacities traditionally associated with reading and writing.

China's military has opened a new outpost at Ban Keun Airport in northwestern Laos, a site once used by the CIA's Air America during the Vietnam War. The base includes a 2,000-meter runway and parking for 22 aircraft, and began operations on September 29 according to China's Defense Ministry. Analysts downplay the threat to U.S. forces, noting the runway is not positioned as a dagger pointed at any target and questioning its operational necessity.

International gold prices have pulled back significantly, with COMEX gold futures falling below $4,200 per ounce and domestic Shanghai gold breaking below 900 yuan per gram. Brand jewelry prices have dropped about 150 yuan per gram from their peak, while Shenzhen Shuibei wholesale gold fell to 1,061 yuan per gram. The price decline, coupled with National Day holiday promotions, has driven a surge in gold purchases by tourists from other cities at China's largest gold jewelry hub.

The Trump administration, through the Department of Labor's inspector general, announced an investigation into nine US universities over alleged J-1 visa fraud, with officials expressing concerns about Chinese scholars and the Chinese government. Anthony D'Esposito, inspector general of the US Department of Labor, announced the investigation at a Thursday press conference.

Against the backdrop of US-China strategic stalemate, Chinese analysts advise firms to diversify trade and develop sanctions-evasion tools as US trade controls expand. Observers note the absence of a business delegation accompanying Xi to Washington may reflect China's insecurity about the trading relationship. A China-EU trade resolution is hoped for by mid-October, with further tensions looming if talks fail.

Chinese social media focused on the unprecedented welcome at Joint Base Andrews—where Trump and Melania personally greeted Xi, and US military personnel knelt to inspect the red carpet—as the defining story of the summit. State media amplified the visual spectacle, with netizens framing it as a sign of China's elevated global status.

Cybersecurity researchers from Asia, Europe and the U.S. identified malware in Pinduoduo, a Chinese e-commerce app with 750 million monthly users, that can monitor activities on other apps, read messages and change settings. The app exploited dozens of Android vulnerabilities to collect user data without consent. Google suspended Pinduoduo from its Play Store in March. A company source said a 100-person team developed the exploits to boost sales before being disbanded in early March.