Recent Current Affairs related to China

China has launched the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft carrying 3 astronauts to the Tiangong Space Station for scientific research and orbital operations.

The spacecraft was launched onboard a Long March-2F Y23 (LM-2F Y23) carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The mission marks the first spaceflight of the country expected to support a year-long human residency in orbit. It is scheduled to conduct over 100 scientific experiments during its orbital tenure.

The Asian Weightlifting Championships (AWC) 2026 was held at the Mahatma Mandir Convention & Exhibition Centre in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Organised by the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWLF), this event marked the 54th edition of the men’s tournament and the 35th edition of the women’s tournament.

China topped the medal tally with 41 medals (including 21 gold), followed by North Korea with 30 medals and Chinese Taipei with 13 medals. India secured a total of 10 medals, comprising 1 silver and 9 bronze. Gyaneshwari Yadav won a silver medal in the women’s 53kg snatch event and a bronze medal in the overall category.

India has won 2 medals, including 1 gold and 1 bronze, at the 20th edition of the Shanghai Hyundai Archery World Cup Stage 2 held in Shanghai, China.

The women’s recurve team, comprising Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat, and Kumkum Mohod, has won gold. Sahil Jadhav has won bronze in the men’s individual compound category. Turkiye topped the overall medal standings with 6 medals (2 gold), followed by China and South Korea.

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has introduced an updated Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to expedite the clearance of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) proposals. The new SOP identifies 40 sub-sectors, where FDI proposals from countries sharing land borders with India will be processed within 60 days.

The expedited timeline applies to investments from China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, and Afghanistan. These 40 sub-sectors are grouped into 6 primary segments: capital goods manufacturing, electronic capital goods and components, advanced battery components, polysilicon and wafers, rare earth processing, and rare earth permanent magnets.

China has won its 13th Thomas Cup title by defeating France 3-1 at the 34th edition of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Thomas & Uber Cup Finals 2026, held in Horsens, Denmark.

South Korea has won the 31st edition of the Uber Cup title (its 3rd overall) by defeating China 3-1. It is to be noted that the Thomas Cup is the men’s world team championship and the Uber Cup is the women’s world team championship.

Tsinghua University (China) is ranked top for the 8th consecutive year with a score of 93.6 at the 14th edition of the “Asia University Rankings 2026” released by the UK-based Times Higher Education (THE). It is followed by Peking University (China) and the National University of Singapore (NUS).

IISc Bengaluru, is the highest-ranked Indian university, ranking 43rd in Asia with a score of 65.1. It is to be noted that India leads the overall representation with 128 universities.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) report titled “TRENDS IN WORLD MILITARY EXPENDITURE, 2025” (published as the “SIPRI Fact Sheet April 2026”), India is ranked 5th among the largest military spenders globally in 2025.

The defense expenditure of India reached $92.1 billion, which is an 8.9% increase compared to the preceding year. This expenditure accounts for 3.2% of the total global military spending.

The USA is ranked first with an expenditure of $954 billion, followed by China, Russia, and Germany.

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) has launched the Pakistan Remote Sensing Satellite–Earth Observation-3 (PRSC-EO3) of Pakistan onboard the Long March-6 rocket.

The mission, conducted from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi, China, successfully placed the satellite into its designated orbit. It is to be noted that this marks the 640th mission of the Long March series of rockets.

According to the government data, China has emerged as the largest trading partner of India for FY26, with total bilateral trade reaching $151.1 billion. The country has replaced the USA, which served as the primary trading partner of India for four consecutive years until FY25.

The trade deficit between India and China widened to $112.16 billion. During this period, the exports of India to China increased by 36.66% to $19.47 billion, while imports from China grew by 16% to $131.63 billion.