Xi hosts Slovakia's president while calling overseas Chinese to national cause
Plus: Beijing's book fair marks 1.18 billion yuan in sales, Moonshot AI releases powerful open-source model, and Tencent revives QQ Pet with AI.
TL;DR
- Xi met Slovakia's Peter Pellegrini in Beijing, discussing partnerships in clean energy, AI, and robotics as the nation expands diplomatic ties.
- Moonshot AI released Kimi K3, an open-weight model with 2.8 trillion parameters rivaling US competitors and available for free public download.
- China's 34th National Book Fair concluded with 1.18 billion yuan in transactions, drawing 560,000 visitors and showcasing nearly one million titles.
- Beijing's Central Axis UNESCO World Heritage sites celebrated their second anniversary with new exhibitions and public openings.
Politics and diplomacy
Xi hosts Slovakia's leader as Beijing deepens Eastern European ties
Chinese president held substantive talks with Slovakia, exploring partnerships in emerging technologies while framing diaspora engagement as crucial to national goals.
Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Slovak President Peter Pellegrini at the Great Hall of the People on July 28, proposing a strategic partnership rooted in mutual respect and benefit. Xi highlighted potential cooperation in clean energy, digital economy, robotics, and artificial intelligence, while noting China views the EU as a partner and hoping Slovakia would support healthy China-EU relations (via Xinhua).
Xi urges overseas Chinese mobilization. President Xi issued an instruction calling for pooling the strength of over 60 million Chinese residing abroad and 40 million returned overseas Chinese to build a stronger nation and advance national rejuvenation, framing diaspora engagement as central to development, global cooperation, and cultural promotion worldwide (via Xinhua).
Business and economy
Book fair breaks 1 billion yuan as innovation labs and CIIE build momentum
China's publishing, research, and trade sectors logged strong gains as the nation prepared for autumn's major import expo.
China's 34th National Book Fair concluded in Hangzhou with 1.18 billion yuan in transactions, drawing 560,000 visitors to a four-day gathering that featured over 1,000 exhibitors and nearly one million titles. The fair hosted more than 1,000 reading events, underscoring the nation's publishing vitality (via Xinhua).
Yongjiang Laboratory fuels economic growth. Nestled in Ningbo, Zhejiang, the Yongjiang Laboratory concentrated on cutting-edge basic research in new materials and leveraged technological innovations to support economic development, featuring advanced XR and VR technologies alongside specialty polymer research capabilities (via People's Daily Online).
CIIE marks 100-day countdown. Shanghai held a ceremonial event on July 27 marking exactly 100 days until the 9th China International Import Expo (November 5–10, 2026), with 53 countries and three international organizations confirming pavilions, including returning participants Canada and debut entries Moldova, Romania, and the UN Development Programme (via Xinhua).
Technology and industry
Moonshot AI releases powerful open-weight model; Tencent revives AI-powered QQ Pet
China's AI labs released capable open models and consumer applications, competing directly with US rivals and expanding generative AI reach.
Moonshot AI made its 2.8-trillion-parameter Kimi K3 model available for unrestricted public download, positioning it as the largest open-weight model globally with capabilities rivaling OpenAI and Anthropic offerings. The model features native visual understanding, a 1-million-token context window, and hybrid linear attention, enabling developers to deploy and customize the technology freely (via Bloomberg).
QQ Pet returns with AI companion. Tencent resurrected its classic virtual pet after an eight-year absence, integrating the Hunyuan Hy3 large language model to give the penguin distinct personalities—"Little Sunshine," "Clingy One," "Naughty Kid," and "Drama Queen." The pet can now generate personalized diaries, initiate conversations, and adapt across QQ chat scenarios, bringing AI emotional companionship to millions (via TechNode).
Society
Beijing's Central Axis celebrates UNESCO heritage milestone with public openings
UNESCO site marks two years of World Heritage status with exhibitions and visitor access along the capital's most iconic axis.
Beijing's Central Axis marked the second anniversary of its UNESCO World Heritage designation by opening major heritage sites to the public on July 27–28. The Palace Museum, Zhengyangmen Gate, and the Altar of the God of Agriculture (Xiannongtan Temple) launched new exhibitions, while the Drum and Bell Towers hosted cultural performances. Stretching 7.8 kilometers from Yongdingmen Gate in the south to the towers in the north, the axis embodies centuries of Chinese urban planning philosophy and has seen systematic conservation efforts including the renovation of Yongdingmen Gate beginning in October 2025 (via Xinhua).