Typhoon Bavi Disaster Response: China escalated flood control and disaster relief as Typhoon Bavi made two landfalls in Zhejiang, forcing mass evacuations and prompting red alerts for flash floods and geological hazards, with officials stressing reservoir safety, monitoring, and rapid grassroots warnings. South China Sea 10th Anniversary: The EU, the U.S., and 13 other countries marked the 2016 arbitral ruling’s 10th year by reaffirming it as final and legally binding, while China and regional critics continue to dispute its legitimacy and impact. Ethnic Unity Law Backlash: A new “ethnic unity” law took effect July 1, 2026, with critics saying it institutionalizes assimilation through mandatory Mandarin instruction and tighter ideological control, drawing international rights concerns. AI Export Controls Row: OpenAI and Google confirmed they provide AI services to Singapore subsidiaries of Chinese firms on the Pentagon’s 1260H blacklist, reigniting debate over whether current controls work when access is routed through third countries. Gold Reserves Move: The PBOC reported its biggest monthly gold-reserve increase in over two and a half years, adding 480,000 ounces in June as bullion prices fell. Debt-Repayment Push: Beijing urged African states to shift Chinese debt repayments from the U.S. dollar to the yuan, pointing to Kenya’s yuan-linked restructuring as a possible signal for wider change. Tech and Safety: China’s vulnerability database flagged “back door” concerns in Anthropic’s Claude Code, while separate reporting highlighted rapid EV turnover rates and ongoing semiconductor concentration in emerging markets.