Open-source gave the PRC its most striking AI victories. Seven of the world's top ten open-source models are now PRC-built. Now Beijing wants to govern the ecosystem that made that possible. Yet open-source works because it is open: distributed, international, and lightly governed. The architecture Beijing is building pushes in the opposite direction.
governance
R&D
ICT
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04 Jun 2026
By the classic logic of the Smile Curve, the PRC should be shifting away from manufacturing: its service sector reached nearly 60 percent of GDP in 2025 and contributed over 6o percent of growth. The State Council's 21 April plan to expand and upgrade the service sector sets a 2030 target of C¥100 tn for services, and seems to confirm the direction.
economy
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02 Jun 2026
From early 2026, holders of China’s digital currency could earn interest on their balances for the first time. By reclassifying the e-CNY from digital cash to digital deposit, Beijing made it the first CBDC (central bank digital currency) in the world to bear interest, giving it a clear advantage over WeChat Pay and Alipay and handing commercial banks a direct commercial reason to push it.
trade
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28 May 2026
Five years into a ten-year fishing ban, the Yangtze basin has passed its first formal audit with a split verdict. Fish stocks have rebounded faster than expected; the river’s broader ecology has not. A midterm review covering river life, social support and law enforcement found the Yangtze in ‘early recovery after a serious illness’. The bleeding has stopped; the healing has yet to begin.
fisheries & marine
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26 May 2026
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institutionalising open-source in the PRC
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services move to the factory floor
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why is Beijing making its digital yuan pay?
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can the Yangtze heal?
monitoring
recent commentary
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growth modeltax systemtax sharinghousing priceshousing stockproperty taxland marketsreal estate financingurbanisation...read more04 Jun 2026
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growth modelinvestment fundscapital accountscommercial bankinggoing globalcurrent accounttrade facilitationimportsexports...read more03 Jun 2026
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basic edvocational ed and skills traininglabour supplyunemploymentmigrantschildrenAI...read more02 Jun 2026
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energy transitiongreen techrenewablesgridelectricitypower sector reformtwo highsdual controlcarbon neutralitycarbon marketgreen finance...read more01 Jun 2026
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Xia BinState Council Development Research Centre Finance Research Institute honorary director
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Chen XinghuaNorth China University of Technology Energy Law Research Centre director; China Law Society Energy Law Research Association deputy secretary-general
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