“Long time no see!” China's Wang Yi met Russia's Lavrov in a cordial atmosphere. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Baku on October 14. During the meeting, Lavrov joked, “Long time no see!” Wang replied: “Yes, it has been so long!” This encounter came less than three months after their previous talks in Kyrgyzstan on the sidelines of an SCO event. #ChinaDiplomacy

Frontline Picks: Stories you should know over the past 24 hours 1. The first phase of the 140th Canton Fair concluded in Guangzhou. A 98-year-old Singaporean visitor has attended the Canton Fair for 70 consecutive years. Having made his fortune through the fair, he said the massive fair is “a classroom” for learning about new products. 2. China reported that its GDP for the first three quarters rose 4.6% year-on-year. The figure falls within the year’s 4.5%–5% growth target set in the government work report, keeping the economy on track. 3. The UN World Food Programme warned that funding shortages will force it to reduce its monthly food assistance by 500,000 people in Gaza amid the ongoing conflict. The agency called for urgent global donations to prevent a further deterioration of the humanitarian situation. #FrontlinePicks

Philippine BRP Sierra Madre caught dumping garbage at sea On October 15, the Philippine military vessel (LT-57), deliberately grounded at China's Ren'ai Jiao, was caught discharging garbage into the sea. The vessel has been grounded for 27 years, and its persistent waste dumping over the years has caused severe damage to the local marine ecosystem. #SouthChinaSea

Montenegro's Prime Minister Milojko Spajić greeted Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Chinese as the two met in Podgorica during Wang's official visit. #ChinaDiplomacy

Frontline Picks: 🔹𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐧𝐬 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐏𝐌'𝐬 𝐘𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐤𝐮𝐧𝐢 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 China's embassy in Japan condemned Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi for sending a ritual offering to Yasukuni Shrine on Saturday. A spokesperson accused the move of whitewashing war crimes and distorting history, saying the international community opposes such actions by Japan. 🔹𝐀𝐏𝐄𝐂 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧: 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐨 With one month remaining before APEC leaders gather in Shenzhen, the city is stepping up preparations as China enters the final stretch of its host year. The 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting is scheduled for November 18–19, with the APEC CEO Summit set for November 17–18. 🔹𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐲 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬: -𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐚'𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐬 In the first three quarters of 2026, China’s goods trade with ASEAN rose 22.7% year-on-year to 6.84 trillion yuan. Trade with the EU and the US grew 8.4% and 4.1%, respectively. -𝐈𝐧𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 𝐮𝐩 China's railways recorded 19 million trips by foreign passengers in the first three quarters of 2026, up 33.4% year- on-year, as visa-free transit policies helped boost inbound travel. 🔹𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡: -𝐃𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐮𝐩𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐀𝐈 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥 DeepSeek has updated its V4.1 Flash model to V4.1-Flash-1017. The new version uses reinforcement learning with self-feedback to improve its ability to build complete projects from scratch, including games and 3D models. -𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐮𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐢𝐥𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝟏𝟎𝟎,𝟎𝟎𝟎-𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐀𝐈 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 China unveiled the physical system of its first domestically developed 100,000-card AI supercluster, "Sugon 8000," at the ongoing 2026 CCF National Annual Conference on High Performance Computing in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province. Its computing power can support the creation of a digital twin of the brain and even simulate the evolution of a universe spanning tens of billions of light-years. -𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞-𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 Eight satellites from the 02 group of ADAspace's "star compute" plan were launched, bringing the company closer to its goal of building a space-based AI infrastructure network comprising 2,800 computing satellites. Here are the stories from China and beyond worth following recently. #FrontlinePicks

Canton Fair products offer hope for people recovering from illness Products showcased at the 140th China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, are more than just business opportunities. They can also make a difference in people's lives. UK buyer Suzanne Elliott tried an exoskeleton designed and made in China to support mobility. The experience moved her to tears as she experienced how the device could help her keep moving.

Humanoid robots impress global buyers at China's 140th Canton Fair Humanoid robots kicking and sparring are catching the attention of international visitors at the 140th Canton Fair. This year, the event is showcasing 235,000 AI products, as exhibitors bring AI out of the lab and into real-world applications across a growing range of industries. #ChinaTech #CantonFair2026 #HumanoidRobot

Chinese FM Wang Yi meets Montenegrin counterpart Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with his Montenegrin counterpart on Saturday during his visit to Montenegro. On October 15, Wang attended the Seventh Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Baku, Azerbaijan, as Special Representative of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Wang is visiting Azerbaijan, Croatia, Montenegro and Bulgaria from October 14 to 20.#diplomacy

Why has Yasukuni Shrine refused to return these Chinese stone lions? Two stone lions taken from China during the First Sino-Japanese War still stand at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo. Tsuguo Tokairin has joined repeated efforts to secure their return. He has also once guided visitors there telling the history from a perspective different from the shrine's. Now, he says, outside guides are no longer allowed to lead tours there. #yasukuni #japan

Frontline Picks: 1. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said Katie Zakaria is welcome to come and see China, in response to her controversial remark claiming China lacked "proper toilets". 2. China’s high-speed rail is poised to lift its commercial speed benchmark: newly announced X-prefixed train services, with maximum operating speed above 350 km/h, will surpass the current commercial threshold. 3. The 2026 China International Import Expo (CIIE) runs November 5–10, setting new records, with 4,142 overseas companies exhibiting. Companies from the US, Germany, the UK and France lead in exhibition space. For the first time, more than 300 Fortune Global 500 companies and industry leaders are participating. Here are the interesting stories from China and beyond over the past 24 hours. #FrontlinePicks

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic at the Croatian government headquarters in Zagreb on the morning of October 17. Croatia established diplomatic relations with China 34 years ago. #Croatia #ChinaDiplomacy

Centimeter-level precision: Chinese soldiers master heavy machinery Now that's precision! Chinese officers and soldiers of the People's Armed Police Force put their heavy machinery skills to the test, making moves with centimeter-level precision. Could you do this? #ChinaTalents

Chinese military says will deter sabotaging moves in South China Sea China has reaffirmed its sovereignty over Huangyan Dao and Nansha Qundao, rejecting the Philippines' claims of safeguarding its rights in the region. The response follows recent incidents involving the Philippines and its military's claim that more than 100 Chinese vessels were present in nearby waters. Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Chen Xi said on Friday that the islands and reefs lie outside Philippine territory. #SouthChinaSea

The year 2026 marks 90 years since the victorious conclusion of the Long March, one of modern China's most pivotal chapters. CGTN correspondent Ken Browne picked up the trail in Sichuan Province in southwest China, from snow-covered mountains to local morning markets, to find out what it means today, 90 years on, to everyday Chinese people.#LongMarch

Croatian President Zoran Milanovic met with China's top diplomat Wang Yi in Zagreb on Friday. Wang also held talks with Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Gordan Grlic Radman. Wang is on a four-nation tour from Oct. 14 to 20, with stops in Azerbaijan, Croatia, Montenegro and Bulgaria. On Oct. 15, he attended the Seventh Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Baku, Azerbaijan. #ChinaDiplomacy

US students step inside China's flying car in Guangzhou 29 US college students got a close-up look at China's flying-car technology during a visit to XPeng AeroHT in Guangzhou on October 16. They explored the futuristic aircraft and filmed their experience on their phones. One student from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign described the visit as "a once-in-a-lifetime experience." The visit was one of the activities organized under China's recent initiative to invite 100,000 young Americans to China for study and exchanges over the next five years. #ChinaTech #ChinaUSConnects

Across Yalu River, new China-DPRK bridge opens to cargo traffic  The New China-DPRK Yalu River Bridge opened to cargo traffic on Thursday at a joint inauguration ceremony. The four-lane highway bridge connects Dandong of China’s Liaoning and Sinuiju of the DPRK. It will lift freight capacity and boosts bilateral trade and people-to-people exchanges, as noted by China’s Foreign Ministry. #economy

Chinese sand-control pioneer named among FAO's 100 Women Heroes Chinese sand-control pioneer Yin Yuzhen has been named among the FAO's 100 Women Heroes in Agrifood Systems and Rural Development, a global recognition initiative launched by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Yin has spent more than four decades combating desertification in north China. Her American friend Ronald Sakolsky, who in 1999 donated $5,000 to support her afforestation efforts, applauded Yin's achievement. #InspiringChina #ChinaUSConnects