1. TikTok resumes service in U.S., hours after it suspended
The resume came just one day after U.S. users were met with a message stating "A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can't use TikTok for now."
Earlier on Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a law forcing TikTok's Chinese owner, ByteDance, to sell the app to an American company or face a nationwide ban starting on Sunday, just one day before Trump's inauguration.
2. China's GDP expands 5% in 2024
China's gross domestic product (GDP) grew 5 percent year on year in 2024, meeting the government's full-year target.
China's GDP reached a record of 134.9084 trillion yuan (about 18.77 trillion U.S. dollars) last year, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed.
3. PLA Navy commissions new guided-missile frigate
China's first Type 054B frigate, the Luohe, was commissioned in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy on Wednesday morning at a military port in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province.
The Luohe, designated hull number "545," has a displacement of approximately 5,000 tonnes. This new-generation frigate, independently developed and constructed by China, boasts advancements in stealth technology, combat command systems and firepower integration, significantly enhancing overall performance.
4. China completes testing of Fukushima seawater
China's research institutions have recently completed the testing and analysis of seawater samples collected near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and no abnormalities were detected in the concentration of hazardous elements such as tritium, cesium-137 and strontium-90, according to the China Atomic Energy Authority.
The specific data will be compiled and published by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
It was the first time that China independently collected the samples since the Japanese government unilaterally started discharging nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station into the ocean on Aug 24, 2023.
5. China unveils country's top 10 sci-tech achievements in 2024
The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) on Wednesday announced the country's top 10 sci-tech achievements of 2024, with the list including a lunar exploration mission, a brain-inspired chip and a super microscope.
Top 10 achievements of 2024 include the Chang'e 6 lunar mission, which collected lunar samples from the far side of the moon; the world's first brain-inspired complementary visual chip based on primal language; and the first domestically-built ocean drilling vessel, which is named Mengxiang or Dream in English, that was officially commissioned last year.
The list also includes the world's first petabyte-level ultra-high-capacity optical disc storage device; the Einstein Probe astronomical satellite, also known as the Tianguan satellite, which was successfully launched and has achieved a series of results; a new solution for helium-free ultra-low-temperature refrigeration; and the world's first universal CAR-T therapy that uses donor-derived CAR-T cells to treat rheumatic and autoimmune diseases.
In addition, the 2024 list features the super microscope which can provide a panoramic view of large-scale cell interactions; the first successful observation of graviton modes in condensed matter in the world; and the second Qinghai-Xizang Plateau scientific research expedition, which drilled the world's longest mountain glacier core and achieved a series of breakthroughs.
6. China sees domestic, cross-border travel surge in 2024
China recorded a total of 5.615 billion domestic travel trips in 2024, marking a 14.8-percent increase from the previous year, and more than 20 million inbound foreign trips were made visa-free, a year-on-year increase of 112.3 percent according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
7. Heavy rain caused Guangdong landslide, report finds
A monthslong investigation into the landslide that killed 52 people and injured 30 on an expressway in Guangdong province in May last year, has determined that the cause of the serious disaster was prolonged heavy rain combined with multiple factors.
The landslide occurred early on May 1 at the Chayang section of the Meizhou-Dabu Expressway, sending 23 vehicles tumbling and causing widespread devastation.
8. Heilongjiang all set to host 9th Winter Games
With 15 days to go until the 9th Asian Winter Games, all preparations for the event have been fully implemented, according to the organizing committee.
The Games, set to open on Feb 7, will feature the largest representation of Asian countries and regions to date, with more than 1,270 athletes from 34 countries and regions.
9. Panda cubs send Spring Festival greetings from Southwest China
Twenty-five giant panda cubs were gathered at two breeding bases in Southwest China's Sichuan province on Thursday to send Spring Festival greetings to global audiences.
All the cubs were born in 2024 — 13 at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, and 12 at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.
10. Humanoid robots to participate in half-marathon, sports events in Beijing
A half-marathon for humanoid robots is scheduled for April in Beijing, presenting an intriguing test of the swiftly advancing robotic technologies.
The competition, open to robot clubs worldwide, is now inviting humanoid robots to participate, according to the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area Administrative Committee.
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