By Michael Oduro

A significant announcement recently captured attention across African social media: China has granted zero-tariff treatment to all 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic relations.

This move comes at a critical time, as global protectionism rises and the international trade environment faces unprecedented challenges. China’s move has created a significant opportunity for Africa to expand exports and accelerate industrialization. 

As an African journalist living and working in China, I have gained intimate, firsthand insights into the potential impact of this policy. 

In recent years, I have noticed how African products are gradually becoming more visible in Chinese daily life. Ethiopian coffee, Ghanaian shea butter, Kenyan tea — products that once felt distant are now available on major e-commerce platforms and increasingly appearing in supermarkets and specialty stores across China. Crucially, they are finding a warm reception among Chinese consumers.

It is no exaggeration to say this zero-tariff policy is reshaping the structure of China-Africa trade, opening new commercial pathways, and fostering a deeper appreciation among Chinese consumers for the quality of African goods. By lowering trade costs and expanding market access, China is effectively opening its doors — the world’s largest consumer market — to African farmers, businesses, and entrepreneurs more directly than ever before. Rooted in the principle of shared prosperity, this initiative fully demonstrates China’s commitment to supporting Africa’s economic development and its deeper integration into the global trading system.

Africans understand profoundly the historical difficulties African products have faced in penetrating global markets. For years, Africa’s foreign trade has been constrained by structural bottlenecks that severely undermined its international competitiveness. 

High tariffs, complicated customs procedures and weak cross-border logistics have often squeezed profit margins long before products even left the continent. 

Simultaneously, protectionist policies and additional tariffs imposed by some developed economies further compounded Africa’s trade challenges.

Given this context, China’s announcement of zero-tariff treatment for these 53 nations struck me as a powerful potential accelerator for development. It offers African goods unprecedented efficiency and reach into the vast Chinese market.

My coverage of last year’s 8th China International Import Expo left a lasting impression, particularly the debut of a dedicated exhibition zone for products from least developed countries. Seeing African specialties showcased there was deeply moving. Many African entrepreneurs told me the expo provided unmatched exposure for their products, and they eagerly anticipated the opportunities the zero-tariff policy would bring. Today, that anticipation is translating into tangible purchase orders and genuine benefits for African producers.

Of course, policy dividends do not automatically guarantee development. African countries must act proactively and seize the opportunity. Key steps include improving cross-border logistics, aligning products with Chinese market quality standards, and developing distinctive goods tailored to Chinese consumer preferences to transform policy advantages into concrete economic gains.

From my vantage point in China, I’ve witnessed African entrepreneurs tackling market challenges with impressive resolve. They are strategically positioning themselves within the Chinese market, adapting to consumer demands, and scaling up production. A growing number of African business leaders are blending entrepreneurial drive with strategic clarity, striving to convert potential into tangible improvements in livelihoods across the continent.

Through years of study and work in China, and participation in various Sino-African economic, trade, and cultural exchange activities, I’ve also felt a strong mutual desire for respect and cooperation. This embodies the true value of the China-Africa partnership — one built on solidarity and shared development.

The year 2026 marks the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and African countries. The zero-tariff policy vividly demonstrates China’s efforts to practice the principles of the country’s Africa policy — sincerity, real results, amity and good faith, and to pursue the greater good and shared interests. It reflects China’s openness, sense of responsibility, and belief in shared prosperity.

The “zero-tariff express” has started running. The challenge now is for African countries to seize this historic opportunity by strengthening their industrial foundations, improving logistics infrastructure, ensuring product quality, and building competitive brands that resonate with the Chinese consumers. 

With the strong foundation of China-Africa friendship and mature cooperation mechanisms already in place, African countries are fully capable of turning the advantages of zero tariffs into tangible economic and social benefits.

The future has already arrived. And Africa, without question, is beginning to pick up speed.

By Liu Shiyao, Shi Lei, People’s Daily

Before dawn on May 11, a Long March-7 carrier rocket launched from China’s Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Hainan, successfully sending the Tianzhou-10 cargo spacecraft into its preset orbit.

The Tianzhou series serves as a vital supply carrier for China’s space station. Since the maiden flight of Tianzhou-1 in April 2017, the Tianzhou cargo spacecraft program has entered its 10th year.

Over the past decade, ten successful missions have demonstrated relentless innovation and technological breakthroughs. China has steadily enhanced its capabilities in space cargo transport and in-orbit resupply, providing robust support for its space program.

What new supplies dose this “space delivery” carry? What scientific experiments will follow on China’s space station?

Tianzhou-10 carries more than 6 tons of cargo, including daily essentials and work materials for the Shenzhou-23 and Shenzhou-24 astronaut crews, as well as instruments, spare parts, and maintenance equipment for the space station. In total, the shipment comprises more than 220 items for astronaut systems, station operations, cargo spacecraft functions, and space applications.

Notably, the craft delivers a third-generation extravehicular spacesuit — replacing current models — and a new space treadmill for astronaut fitness. It also carries 700 kg of propellant to replenish the station.

Tianzhou spacecraft perform irreplaceable roles: delivering supplies and propellants, supporting experiments, returning waste to Earth, and assisting with station orbit and attitude adjustments while docked.

Tianzhou-10 will remain docked for up to 12 months — a record duration. Previous missions (Tianzhou-2 to Tianzhou-5) typically stayed for six months. Starting with Tianzhou-6, enhanced capabilities allowed docking periods to extend to 9-10 months. This extension reduces launch frequency and operational costs while demanding higher reliability standards. To ensure success, the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) team optimized designs and rigorously tested systems and equipment.

Tianzhou-10 carries the largest number of experimental payloads in the series’ history.

The spacecraft holds six experimental payloads, the highest number since the completion of the China space station. These payloads will support research in microgravity science, fluid physics, aerospace technology and other fields.

Tianzhou-10 is capable of hour-level Earth-to-space delivery.

The craft carries biologically sensitive samples requiring low-temperature storage, which demand ultra-timely transportation. To ensure their freshness, the Tianzhou team adopted an hour-level rapid delivery solution. After the spacecraft was transported to the launch tower, temperature-sensitive cargo was loaded at the tower and placed inside the craft’s refrigerator. Just hours after launch and docking, astronauts can retrieve and use the samples, a vivid example of China’s increasingly refined space supply support capability.

The arrival of the “space delivery” has paved the way for a new batch of space science experiments.

According to Gong Yongsheng, a researcher at the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 17 standard cargo packages and one cell life support device were sent to the space via Tianzhou-10, totaling 67 sets of research equipment with a combined weight of 768.2 kilograms.

Once transferred to the space station, these supplies will support 41 scientific research projects covering space life science, biotechnology, and microgravity physics. A host of high-profile experiments will be carried out in orbit, including high-resolution greenhouse gas monitoring and space embryo development research.

By Yang Zhilin

Terms like “AI agent” and “token” are becoming commonplace, reflecting how once-niche open-source AI projects are now spawning entirely new business models and market opportunities.

Amid this wave of technological transformation, China’s homegrown large models are advancing rapidly and finding broader real-world applications, injecting fresh momentum into the intelligent economy while increasingly serving as a foundation for global innovation.

As a core engine driving the next technological revolution and industrial upgrade, AI is now approaching a critical stage of development. In programming, for example, AI has already demonstrated enormous potential in code design, writing, testing and deployment. For many knowledge-intensive tasks, AI now performs at levels comparable to human professional experts.  

There is broad industry consensus that AI will significantly boost productivity in the coming years, becoming an increasingly capable in both professional and personal contexts.

In the past, discussions about China’s internet and digital economy largely focused on the country’s vast user base and diverse application scenarios. Those advantages have continued into the AI era. In March this year, China’s daily token usage surpassed 140 trillion, marking more than a 1,000-fold increase in just two years. The number of users of generative AI has exceeded 600 million, or 42.8 percent of the total Chinese population. Crucially, China has developed a new generation of self-developed large models capable of competing with the world’s leading systems, solidifying its role as an increasingly important contributor to global AI innovation.

China’s large models are advancing on multiple fronts: not just in quantity, but also in quality, real-world adoption and global influence. Examples include their top-tier performance on international AI benchmarks, rapid progress in multimodal capabilities, and the evolution from single agents to agent clusters.

Last year, Chinese open-source large models topped global downloads. In a recent technical report, our team redesign the residual connection, a key component of the Transformer architecture, from its underlying logic, marking the first such redesign in a decade. This has unlocked new evolutionary horizons for model training and has sparked widespread discussion at home and abroad. The new technology not only enables a broader range of domestic chips to be effectively used for large-model inference, but also reduces overall operating costs.

Chinese open-source models today boast advantages in both quantity and quality. They are increasingly setting benchmarks in global model evaluations and important samples for overseas research institutions, while gaining greater international influence. 

Kimi, the large model developed by our team at Moonshot AI, has gained substantial traction in the global market due to its strong cost-performance ratio. It has become a high-productivity tool for numerous overseas developers and end-s, with paid API (Application Programming Interface) calls and other key business metrics showing robust growth.

We believe Chinese open-source models offer a distinct path from closed, proprietary systems. They are well-suited for widespread global adoption and can foster a healthy, open ecosystem — one that drives worldwide AI progress through collaboration and shared innovation. As the adage goes, “many hands make light work.”

The rapid evolution of large models also requires patience, persistence and long-term commitment. Technological breakthroughs never happen overnight. Throughout the process of exploration, solving one problem often leads directly to the next. Only by confronting challenges head-on and steadily working through them can we continue making meaningful progress along the long road of AI development, with persistent efforts eventually delivering substantial long-term returns.

For thousands of years, humanity has sought new ways to push beyond the boundaries of knowledge. Today, AI has the potential to become one of the most powerful tools for achieving that goal. By pursuing solid foundational innovation and embracing an open and collaborative mindset, we aim to provide accessible AI technologies to the world and contribute greater Chinese insights and strength to the future of global innovation.

(Yang Zhilin is founder and CEO of Kimi developer Moonshot AI. The article was compiled and edited from an interview with People’s Daily reporter Gu Yekai.)