Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank begins operations

Presidents Xi Jinping and Barack Obama agreed that governments should not conduct or knowingly support cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property for commercial advantage. The agreement reflected...

The Communist Party announced that couples would be allowed to have two children. The shift responded to demographic pressures created by decades of population policy and altered the social...

The IMF Executive Board decided that the renminbi met the criteria to join the Special Drawing Rights basket. The decision recognized China’s scale in global trade and its financial reforms, though...

Parties to the UN climate convention adopted the Paris Agreement, with China among the world’s largest emitters and a major participant in climate diplomacy. The agreement’s universal framework...

The AIIB’s Articles of Agreement entered into force, establishing the new multilateral lender. China’s central role reflected demands for greater representation in development finance and its capacity...

A tribunal under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea ruled in the Philippines-China arbitration. China rejected the proceedings and award. The dispute highlighted conflicts between maritime law,...

The QUESS satellite, later named Micius, was launched to test quantum communications over long distances. The mission demonstrated advanced research capabilities and stimulated international...

China formally joined the Paris Agreement at a joint ceremony with the United States in Hangzhou before the G20 summit. The step increased the prospects for early entry into force and placed China...

China hosted the G20 leaders’ summit, placing it at the center of debates about global growth, trade, development, and climate. Hosting signaled an expanded role in global governance, though the G20’s...

The renminbi became the fifth currency in the IMF’s reserve asset basket, alongside the US dollar, euro, yen, and pound. The change symbolized China’s growing role in the monetary system but did not...