Li Qiang

Rule Changes

As of October 2026: Promulgated the new exit-entry regulation

China's exit rules, in effect since September 15, are hitting top tech talent first. Agencies have told AI and semiconductor executives, and in some cases their families, they need Beijing's approval before traveling abroad.

Updated Oct 1

Force in Play

As of May 2026: Delivered the 2026 Government Work Report to the NPC

China's National People's Congress formally approved a 7% defense budget to 1.94 trillion yuan ($277 billion) in March 2026, a new record, while setting the country's lowest GDP growth target since 1991. Military spending has outpaced economic growth every year for over a decade.

Updated May 31

Built World

As of May 2026: Led highest-level Chinese visit to Pyongyang in 16 years

North Korea sealed its borders on January 23, 2020, before most countries had heard of COVID-19. For six years it operated in near-total isolation: China trade fell 96%, food reached levels not seen since the 1990s famine that killed hundreds of thousands, and no tourists entered.

Updated May 30

Money Moves

As of May 2026: Delivered the 2026 Government Work Report to the National People's Congress

For three decades, China's annual growth target was a formality — the economy nearly always blew past it. On March 5, Premier Li Qiang set the 2026 target at 4.5% to 5%, the lowest figure Beijing has published since it began the practice in the early 1990s. The downgrade from the previous three years' 'around 5%' signals that China's leadership now expects structurally slower expansion for the foreseeable future.

Updated May 30

Rule Changes

As of May 2026: Delivered Government Work Report on March 5, setting 5% GDP target and announcing fiscal measures

China adopted five-year economic planning from the Soviet Union in 1953. The 15th Five-Year Plan, unveiled March 5, 2026 at Beijing's Two Sessions, shifts from the growth-first model (dominant since Deng Xiaoping's 1980s reforms) toward technological self-reliance and economic security. The plan earmarks $70 billion for semiconductors and targets 5% GDP growth, per Premier Li Qiang's Government Work Report.

Updated May 30

Rule Changes

As of May 2026: Called for timely information release and rigorous accountability

A gas explosion ripped through the Liushenyu coal mine in Shanxi Province on the evening of May 22, when 247 workers were underground. By the next day, state media reported roughly 90 dead, more than 100 hospitalized, and the mine's executives in detention.

Updated May 23