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A research team involving the University of Coimbra reports that they have recreated immune cells with anti‑tumour activity in the lab using cellular reprogramming. The result is a preclinical milestone that could broaden the toolbox for cancer cell therapies but requires peer review, animal studies and clinical trials before clinical application.

Liu Yiyan, a SAIC Volkswagen executive and NPC deputy, has proposed that China stop differentiating between conventional and new energy vehicles in future subsidy and policy design, and accelerate measures to boost auto consumption, finance, autonomous driving laws, and AI‑auto talent development. Her recommendations aim to unlock short‑term demand while urging clearer legal frameworks for automated vehicles and deeper ties between industry and education.

Chinese research teams identified extracellular CD44 lactylation as a mechanism by which tumour‑generated lactate blunts CD8+ T cell function, revealing a direct metabolic route to immune escape. The discovery suggests new therapeutic strategies — including drugs or engineered T cells resistant to lactylation — but remains at the preclinical stage.

Hunan’s party secretary Shen Xiaoming has doubled down on a province-wide campaign to lure young people, pitching a mix of university resources, industry anchors and low living costs as reasons to relocate. The drive is part of a broader national scramble for talent amid demographic headwinds and will test whether second-tier regions can convert recruitment into long-term, high-value growth.

Yonyou’s CEO Wang Wenjing argued that AI agents will not render enterprise software obsolete but will transform it into a hybrid stack driven by data and models. Deterministic, process‑oriented systems will continue to provide stability and data, while AI decisioning and agents add predictive and autonomous capabilities, creating a dual‑mode architecture for future enterprise IT.

Xibei, a major Chinese restaurant chain, has come under fire after management rescinded earlier promises to protect employee pay, pushed staff toward voluntary resignations with a strict deadline, imposed standby wages at local minima, and offered severance in delayed instalments. The CEO, Jia Guolong, has stepped down amid a widening trust and reputational crisis that highlights wider risks for China’s restaurant sector.

JD.com grew revenue to RMB1.3 trillion in 2025 but saw operating profit collapse as it spent heavily to build a food‑delivery and local‑services business. The new businesses posted RMB46.6 billion in losses for the year, driven by steep increases in marketing and fulfilment costs, even as core retail and JD Health showed pockets of resilience. Management says spending will ease if competition stabilises, but the company must prove it can convert strategic subsidiaries into independent, high‑quality profits to win back investor confidence.

A week of shifting Iranian tactics in the Strait of Hormuz—from threats of full closure to targeted strikes on Western-linked vessels—has sent oil prices sharply higher and revived fears of a fourth global oil crisis. Tehran’s selective approach preserves leverage while limiting self-harm and avoids alienating Asian importers, but the risk of miscalculation and persistent market volatility remains high.

At an NPC press conference, Foreign Minister Wang Yi presented China as an essential stabiliser in a volatile world, promoting Xi Jinping’s summit diplomacy, a global governance initiative backed by over 150 states and organisations, and a call for ceasefire in the Iran crisis. He urged managed, respectful relations with the United States and pledged enhanced protection for Chinese citizens overseas.

China’s foreign‑exchange reserves rose to $3.4278 trillion at the end of February 2026 while the People’s Bank of China extended a 16‑month streak of gold purchases, bringing its holding to 74.22 million ounces. Beijing’s strategy reflects reserve diversification amid de‑dollarisation pressures, geopolitical uncertainty and a desire to shore up long‑term external stability.

At China’s Two Sessions, Wang Yi called the Middle East conflict “a war that should not have happened,” reframing the crisis as a humanitarian and political failure that demands de-escalation. The statement signals Beijing’s intent to project a stabilizing role in the region while safeguarding its energy, economic and diplomatic interests.

A televised apology from Iran’s interim president was swiftly contradicted by military strikes, exposing glaring divisions between civilian leaders and armed forces. The episode heightens the risk of miscalculation in an already volatile region and intensifies a domestic power struggle over who sets Iran’s strategic direction.

Donald Trump publicly criticised UK prime minister Keir Starmer for not immediately supporting US strikes on Iran, as Britain signals it may deploy an aircraft carrier to the Middle East. London authorised limited US use of RAF Fairford and Diego Garcia while keeping the HMS Prince of Wales at high readiness, underscoring tensions between alliance signalling and domestic political caution.

At an NPC press briefing, Wang Yi urged an immediate ceasefire in Iran, saying force does not confer righteousness and warning against escalation. Beijing positions itself as a pro-stability actor with vested economic and diplomatic interests in preventing regional contagion.

The United States and Israel conducted a joint pre‑emptive strike on Iran on February 28, a step Washington justified as necessary to head off an imminent threat. Legal experts say the action lacks clear backing in international law and risks eroding norms that limit the use of force, raising the prospect of broader regional escalation and diplomatic fallout.

At a lengthy press conference at the NPC, Foreign Minister Wang Yi outlined a confident Chinese diplomacy for 2026 that emphasises high-level summitry, South-South cooperation, defence of multilateral institutions and concrete economic measures. Beijing seeks to position itself as a stabiliser and reformer of global governance while setting clear red lines on Taiwan, urging ceasefire in the Middle East, and deepening ties with Russia and developing regions.

Thousands rallied across major U.S. cities on March 7 to demand an end to American military actions against Iran, voicing fears over civilian casualties and objection to war spending. The protests reflect growing domestic unease that could constrain U.S. policymakers and shape political debates over escalation and diplomacy.

Iran’s IRGC says it intercepted and destroyed a second Israeli "苍鹭" drone that it alleges was attempting to strike Isfahan, home to major nuclear research and uranium-conversion facilities. The claim, unverified by independent sources and unacknowledged by Israel, raises the risk of escalation by putting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure at the centre of possible covert strikes.

Iran launched a broad missile and drone campaign, including a Khoramshahr‑4 ballistic missile and hypersonic Fattah weapons, striking targets across the Gulf and into Israel after an Israeli strike destroyed an underground site tied to Iran’s leadership. The United States said it will not negotiate with Iran unless it surrenders, while UN agencies warned of a widening humanitarian crisis affecting some 25 million people.

The U.S. State Department approved a $151.8 million sale of 12,000 BLU‑110A/B general‑purpose bombs to Israel on March 6, with Secretary Rubio invoking emergency authority to bypass the usual congressional review. The move replenishes Israeli munitions swiftly but risks domestic political fallout and raises questions about escalation and oversight.