QuarexNews

The China International Hydrogen Congress & Expo 2026 (CIHC 2026), which concluded on March 27, brought together over 500 enterprises from 14 countries at the China National Convention Center. The three-day event drew around 100,000 professional visitors and served as a key window into China's hydrogen industry development.

China is pursuing industrial-scale breakthroughs in the hydrogen sector, targeting regional self-sufficiency in renewable and clean low-carbon hydrogen to fuel its broader economic transformation as the nation embarks on its 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30). The expo gathered top government officials, academicians and global energy experts to discuss elevating hydrogen from a niche sector into a robust, market-driven pillar of the economy.

SHPT publicly premiered its new-generation fuel cell products, including the PROME M5H fuel cell stack and PROME P5H fuel cell system, which deliver a nearly 15% increase in rated efficiency while volumetric rated power density and durability have both risen by approximately 50%. These products are scheduled for mass production in Q4 2026 and will provide hydrogen power solutions for medium- and heavy-duty long-haul trucks.

Beijing's overall air quality index reached 107 on Thursday, April 2nd, with PM2.5 concentrations at 107 and PM10 at 78, according to real-time monitoring data. As of March 31, 2026, air quality in China remains poor, with major cities experiencing air quality in the "unhealthy" range and high PM2.5 concentrations, posing serious health risks to residents, especially children and the elderly.

March and April bring their own challenge as this period has the highest frequency of sand and dust weather, with storms primarily originating from Mongolia capable of spiking PM10 concentrations several fold. More sustained improvement is expected by late April to May, as warmer temperatures, stronger winds, and spring rainfall help disperse pollutants.

Despite recent progress, including Beijing's average annual PM2.5 concentration falling to 27 micrograms per cubic meter in 2025 - the first time below 30 - spring weather patterns continue to pose challenges for air quality management. Residents are advised to limit outdoor activity, keep windows closed, wear masks when outside, and use air purifiers indoors during poor air quality periods.

China's job market has remained generally stable, with the surveyed urban unemployment rate holding steady at 5.3 percent in the first two months of 2026, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed on Monday. In February alone, the surveyed urban unemployment rate was 5.3 percent, 0.1 percentage point higher than the previous month.

Due to the Spring Festival holiday, the rate was higher in January and February than in December 2025, while the two-month average was unchanged year-on-year, indicating stable employment, NBS spokesperson Fu Linghui said at a press conference. Across 31 major cities, the surveyed urban unemployment rate held steady at 5.1%.

Tier 1 cities such as Shanghai, Beijing, and Shenzhen continue to lead in average pay, while Tier 2 cities offer growing opportunities with lower living costs. Shanghai remains the highest-paying city in China in 2026, reflecting its global business hub status. "Major economic indicators saw notable improvements in the first two months, pointing to a favorable start for the national economy this year," Fu said.

China's real estate market in key cities such as Beijing and Shanghai showed signs of a "minor spring" recovery in March. Although Q1 transaction volumes remained below 2025 levels, second-hand housing in top-tier cities rebounded strongly, and new home sales posted modest gains, supporting price stabilization.

In Beijing, second-hand home transactions reached 19,886 units in March, the highest monthly level in nearly 15 months, and new home sales totaled 3,670 units, still below the same period last year but more than double the volume recorded in February. Property prices in Beijing averaged 25,204.497 RMB per square meter in February 2026, staying constant from January.

The number of secondhand homes listed for sale in Beijing has declined in recent weeks, with residential resale inventory standing at about 140,000 units as of Wednesday, down by more than 6,000 from the 146,000 units recorded in early December. The recovery has been driven by sustained government policies to stabilize the market, improved buyer expectations, and selective inventory management.

From December 29, 2025 to March 29, 2026, vehicles with license plate numbers ending in certain numbers will be prohibited from running in certain areas on designated weekdays: 3 and 8 on Mondays, 4 and 9 on Tuesdays, 5 and 0 on Wednesdays, 1 and 6 on Thursdays, and 2 and 7 on Fridays. New License Plate-Based Traffic Restrictions took effect on March 30 in Beijing, according to the latest government announcements.

The restrictions apply to automobiles inside the 5th Ring Road from 07:00 to 20:00 Beijing time on weekdays, with violations resulting in fines of ¥200. The automobiles that are not allowed on public road space during restricted weekdays rotate every three months. Electric cars are not subject to the driving restriction, as a government incentive to promote the use of cleaner vehicles.

Road space rationing is a transportation demand management regulation aimed to reduce traffic by restricting automobile travel based upon the last digits of the license number on certain established days. The main objective of this restraint policy in Beijing is to reduce the amount of exhaust gas generated by motor vehicles.

China's Ministry of Public Security on January 31, 2026, published a 68-article Draft Law on Cybercrime Prevention and Control. If enacted, the bill would bring together rules that govern China's telecommunication, internet, and banking systems under a single framework, strengthening authorities' ability to trace user activity across platforms and expand police powers to suspend access to financial accounts and communication services.

In February 2026, CAC mandated that social media platforms censor content deemed as spreading "fear of marriage" or "anxiety about childbirth." The latest report by InterSecLab analyzing leaked materials reveals how China exports its internet surveillance and censorship technologies to other countries, with AI systems processing vast volumes of network data using pattern recognition, anomaly detection, and behavioral scoring to flag users as "suspicious."

"The draft cybercrime law reflects President Xi Jinping's broad efforts to restrict digital and physical spaces by allowing state security to expand and tighten social controls, including beyond borders," said Yalkun Uluyol, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. "The draft cybercrimes law is part of the Chinese government's 'digital authoritarianism,' through which the authorities are weaving a set of laws to restrict the remaining pockets of freedom that people once enjoyed in cyberspace."