During the past week (October 4–10), China demonstrated a high level of foreign policy activity, deepened its strategic partnerships, and achieved remarkable technological breakthroughs.

1. Intensified Diplomacy on the Korean Peninsula

Beijing strengthened its contacts with both Koreas. Chinese Premier Li Qiang visited Pyongyang, expressing readiness to enhance strategic ties. Cross-border postal communication with the DPRK was also resumed. In relations with the Republic of Korea, discussions focused on advancing the establishment of the Asia-Pacific Free Trade Zone (FTAAP).

2. European Visits of Foreign Minister Wang Yi

China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, visited Italy and Switzerland to reinforce European ties. With Italy, a three-year action plan was discussed, while with Switzerland, a joint document was published to deepen the strategic partnership.

3. Economic Stability During the Holiday Period

China’s economy demonstrated stability throughout the eight-day national holidays — the National Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival. This indicates the resilience of the consumer sector and robust domestic economic activity.

4. Tightening of Export Controls

China tightened export controls on critical technologies. The measures affected rare earth metals, exports of lithium batteries, and synthetic graphite anode materials. As part of these actions, 14 foreign organizations were added to the “Unreliable Entities List.”

5. Technological Breakthrough in Energy Storage

Chinese scientists achieved a breakthrough in developing fully solid-state lithium batteries — the “Holy Grail” of energy storage technologies. The creation of a self-adaptive battery with a sulfide electrolyte addresses key interface challenges, paving the way for mass production and potentially transforming the global battery industry.

ORIENT