China launches the world’s first quantum science satellite

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...

The AIIB formally opened for business with China as its largest shareholder and a broad multinational membership. Its creation expanded the institutional landscape of development finance and gave...

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,...

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...

The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress adopted the Cybersecurity Law, which took effect in June 2017. It set obligations for network operators, data handling and state oversight. The...

Xi Jinping delivered a prominent defense of economic globalization as political leaders elsewhere questioned free trade. His speech positioned China as a defender of multilateral trade in that moment,...