A spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Li Jian, stated on Friday that China is prepared to cooperate with the United States to implement important mutual agreements reached by the heads of both states in the field of artificial intelligence.
Speaking at a regular press briefing, Li emphasized that diplomacy at the level of state leaders plays an indispensable strategic guiding role in relations between China and the United States.
These statements were made after he was asked about reports that U.S. President Donald Trump had said that the two leaders would discuss issues related to AI during their meeting.
Chengdu hosted the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Digital Week in July 2026, affirming its status as a digital economy hub. The city boasts a computing power of 29,000 P, benefits from green hydro-solar energy, attracts 315 companies from the Fortune 500 list, and possesses a unique cultural and creative ecosystem, serving as a digital hub for Western China.
Chengdu's ecological advantage sets it apart from coastal computing centers. Thanks to abundant hydropower, solar, and wind energy resources in Sichuan province, the city has access to inexpensive green electricity, which is becoming increasingly valuable as AI clusters approach gigawatt-level power demands. Computing centers naturally migrate to areas with the lowest energy costs, following the same geographical logic as industrial plants in previous eras. National policies aimed at evaluating computing service capabilities and market pricing for computation will further enhance Chengdu's price advantage, as market mechanisms replace fixed pricing. Analysts predict that the advantage of green computing will be a determining factor in the next phase of AI infrastructure deployment.
Chengdu's digital ambitions are supported by global connectivity infrastructure. The city has established economic and trade ties with 235 countries and regions, hosts 315 companies from the Fortune Global 500 list, and has over 5,000 enterprises with foreign investment. With 106 international direct passenger and cargo air routes, ranking fourth among foreign state consulates nationally and first in Central-Western China, alongside 257 partner cities, Chengdu has created a comprehensive bilateral infrastructure for capital, information, and talent. For seven consecutive years, the city has been recognized as China's best city for attracting talent and the most attractive Chinese city for foreign specialists.
Chengdu's digital creative industries generated revenues of 413.9 billion yuan in 2025. Projects such as Nezha 2 entered the top five highest-grossing films globally, while Honor of Kings remains an iconic digital intellectual property, and The Eight Immortals became a summer hit. The cultural product reflects Chengdu's unique soft power: poetic heritage that creates content with global resonance that AI cannot replicate. Hosting APEC distributed meetings across multiple cities positions Chengdu as an example of regional digital development. The digitalization economy is changing the East-West gradient rules, as computing and data are no longer concentrating solely on the coasts. Chengdu's rise proves that digital transformation can alter economic geography.
Hongjun New Energy, founded by veterans of SMIC, has successfully passed space-grade qualification for heterojunction (HJT) solar cells aboard a computing satellite, demonstrating an approach based on semiconductor technology to create next-generation photovoltaic elements.
In May 2026, Hongjun New Energy achieved confirmation of the quality of space-standard HJT solar cells on a computing satellite. The team is led by Jiang Qingtang, who holds a physics degree from Peking University and has worked at SMIC since 2001. This team consists of SMIC veterans who apply semiconductor precision to photovoltaic technologies. The founders, who worked together at SMIC for over two decades, began working in solar energy around 2007 before merging in Zhuhai.
The development of space solar cells required a significant technological shift. Hongjun's primary product was previously N-type heterojunction cells for terrestrial use; however, for space application, a P-type architecture with thinner wafers, adjusted film layers, optimized electrodes, and appropriate sealing was necessary to withstand the harsh conditions of the space environment. The first two test batches in early 2025 failed the tests, and the fourth batch was also unsuccessful. Each iteration consumed R&D resources and required production line downtime, directly impacting delivery schedules. Wang Haijun admitted that the team was severely discouraged after the fourth failure. Nevertheless, founder Jiang Qingtang insisted on continuing the research, and the fifth and sixth samples eventually passed validation, leading to successful deployment on the computing satellite.
Heterojunction technology, originally developed by the Japanese company Sanyo, is characterized by low-temperature processing and higher conversion efficiency compared to mainstream TOPCon cells. This technology offers high bifacial efficiency, a low temperature coefficient, and the potential for thin wafers, as well as better compatibility with perovskite tandem architectures for future cells. Hongjun consciously chose this more technically complex path instead of following the TOPCon mainstream, which attracted most of the capital and capacity during the photovoltaic industry expansion period from 2023 to 2025. Gaining a team with semiconductor experience gave them confidence in their ability to solve interface control and process reliability issues that limited the scaling of mass HJT production.
The terrestrial market remains the foundation for Hongjun, where traditional modules and distributed projects support the operation of production lines and customer qualifications. The company is targeting regions in the Middle East and Africa with high temperatures and radiation exposure for differentiated application markets where its technology advantages are most pronounced. The path of space photovoltaics represents a long-term, higher-value opportunity. Although short-term volumes will not match terrestrial production, the successful space qualification creates barriers: satellite operators and solar panel manufacturers will favor partners with proven space-grade qualifications, establishing a protected commercial position as the space computing economy grows. Hongjun is exploring BC, HBC, and perovskite tandem technologies. Senior Vice President Wang noted that the company aims to lead in technology, not in volume. The achievement in space solar cells confirms the viability of tackling the most complex challenges first to build stronger competitive advantages. As space computing develops, Hongjun possesses a pioneer advantage in qualification.
Over three days, from July 22 to 24, China conducted three rocket launches that deployed 15 satellites. These missions, carried out by the companies Orienspace Gravity-1, CZ-3B, and CAS Space Lijian-1, included payloads for artificial intelligence processing and space debris monitoring.
The Orienspace Gravity-1 Y4 mission placed nine satellites into orbit from Eastern China. The CZ-3B rocket was used to launch Tianlian-2 06 from Sichuan. The CAS Space Lijian-1 Y15 agency delivered five satellites, including the first commercial space debris monitor and AI-based computing units.
The payloads demonstrate a clear trend toward the application of AI and task orientation. The CAS Space mission delivered Gande-1 01, which is the first commercial satellite for space debris observation, equipped with high-resolution and wide-field-of-view cameras. The Jitianxing A-04 satellite, developed jointly by Zhejiang Lab, Yunjian Information, MUSA GPU, and partners, uses a bore model for autonomous state management and independent mission planning, and is equipped with an intelligent MUSA GPU-based computing payload, an onboard router, and a laser communication terminal.
Furthermore, the Xiguang-2 03 satellite provides infrared sounding with three bands, while Yinglong Fengguang-1 carries meteorological microwave and infrared payloads.
During the Orienspace Gravity-1 mission, the Lilac-3 satellite was launched. This apparatus is described as China's first UFO-shaped satellite, featuring an ultra-thin, lightweight, and highly integrated design compared to traditional CubeSats. It serves as a test platform for the low-cost deployment of global university satellite constellations. The onboard high-performance star tracker functions as a celestial eye for controlling satellite orientation and is the primary source of data for space situational awareness. This mission marks the fourth flight of Gravity-1, continuing Orienspace's pace of rapid launches, while the reusable liquid-fueled rocket Gravity-2 is under development for the fourth quarter of 2026.
CAS Space Lijian-1 successfully launched 110 satellites across 15 flights with a total payload mass exceeding 16 tons, becoming the only commercial rocket in China to surpass the threshold of 100 launched satellites. Deputy Commander Meng Xiangfu emphasized that this achievement is not just a number but confirmation of product maturity and delivery capability. The rocket has fully passed technological verification and engineering research to reach the stage of mature serial production and frequency-normalized launch. The rocket has served over 30 clients, including six international customers.
Chief Designer Shi Xiaonin noted that the rocket has captured one hundred percent market share in China's external commercial market. Thanks to specialized, joint, and flexible models, as well as standardized interfaces, CAS Space guarantees launch windows, ensuring rare reliability. The achievement of mature rocket technology is gradually lowering barriers across the entire commercial aerospace industry chain.
