China Daily Briefing: Supercomputer, Carriers, and AI Lead June 24 News
June 24, 2026, delivered a remarkably dense news cycle from China, spanning breakthroughs in supercomputing and artificial intelligence, dual aircraft carrier operations across critical maritime theaters, and a major legislative push in Beijing. Here is a synthesis of the day’s most consequential developments.
Lingsheng Supercomputer Returns China to #1
China reclaimed the top spot on the global TOP500 supercomputer list for the first time since 2017, as the “Lingsheng” (灵晟) system achieved 2.198 exaflops of sustained double-precision performance at the International Supercomputing Conference in Hamburg, according to Xinhua News. The achievement places China ahead of the US Department of Energy’s El Capitan, Frontier, and Aurora systems, as well as Germany’s Jupiter, which rounded out the top five.
The return to #1 is particularly notable given ongoing US export controls on advanced semiconductors. While the specific architecture of Lingsheng has not been fully disclosed, the achievement signals that China’s domestic high-performance computing ecosystem continues to advance despite technology restrictions.
Dual Carrier Operations Mark Historic Moment for PLA Navy
In a rare simultaneous display of naval power projection, both of China’s active aircraft carriers were in operation this week. The Liaoning carrier group returned to its Qingdao home port on June 22 after a 40-day far-sea deployment — its longest-ever mission — operating in the South China Sea and Western Pacific. Military expert Zhang Junshe told Sina News that the extended deployment “further enhanced the capability for far-sea offensive and defensive system operations.”
A key highlight of the Liaoning’s mission was the first-ever integration of the Y-20 tanker aircraft (Yunyou-20) for aerial refueling of carrier-based J-15 fighters, extending their combat radius by approximately 1,000 kilometers. The carrier group also conducted joint exercises with amphibious assault ship groups, demonstrating multi-domain coordination.
Meanwhile, China’s third and most advanced carrier, the Fujian (Type 003, electromagnetic catapult), transited the Taiwan Strait from north to south and entered the South China Sea, as reported by Taiwan’s military. This is the Fujian’s second transit of the strait since its commissioning in November 2025, following its first northbound passage in December 2025. As Sina News reported, the Fujian is expected to progress from “basic” to “full” combat capability through 2026.
AI Large Models: China Extends Global Lead
China’s AI large models maintained their global dominance in token call volume for the eighth consecutive week, according to OpenRouter data cited by People’s Daily. During the week of June 15–21, Chinese models recorded 18.81 trillion token calls out of a global total of 46.7 trillion, outpacing the United States (5.76 trillion) by a wide margin.
DeepSeek-V4-Flash led domestically with 4.94 trillion weekly calls, followed by Xiaomi’s MiMo-V2.5 (3.94 trillion) and MiniMax M3 (3.77 trillion). Industry analyst Zhang Yi, CEO of iiMedia Consulting, noted that China’s advantage stems from “rich real-economy scenarios and massive national-level traffic entrances, plus an open-source ecosystem and extreme cost control.”
The data also reveals a maturing market: only 24 new AI model companies registered in 2026 compared to 395 in 2025, indicating consolidation as capital barriers rise — 44.52% of companies now have registered capital exceeding 50 million yuan.
NPC Standing Committee Advances Major Legislation
The 23rd session of the 14th NPC Standing Committee is reviewing multiple significant laws simultaneously. A Xinhua report on the unified national market showed that the “four beams and eight pillars” framework has been basically established, with the 2025 Negative List for Market Access reduced from 117 to 106 items.
Other legislative items include amendments to the Lawyers Law (codifying pilot reforms and expanding foreign-related legal services), the Central Bank Law (establishing macro-prudential policy as a “dual pillar” alongside monetary policy and clarifying digital RMB’s legal status), and the Ethnic Unity Promotion Law — the first law in over 30 years to include a preamble.
Economic Milestones and Infrastructure
China’s advertising industry revenue exceeded 2 trillion yuan for the first time, as reported by Xinhua. EU-China rail freight volume surged 10.8-fold, and the combined GDP of China’s five autonomous regions reached 8.66 trillion yuan in 2025.
In infrastructure, the Beiping Tunnel on the Xi’an-Chongqing high-speed railway was completed, and China’s C909 commercial aircraft opened its second high-plateau route. The Shanghai Grand Opera House, with its iconic “Chinese Fan” design, was also completed.
Anti-Corruption and Society
In a reminder of the ongoing anti-corruption campaign, Bian Zhigang, Deputy Director of the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, was placed under investigation. Separately, Zhu Zhisong, a former Shanghai official, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for accepting bribes totaling over 139 million yuan.
In a tragic societal story, Chen Jiaxin, a 30-year-old female deputy police chief in Baotou, Inner Mongolia, died heroically while attempting to save a suicidal citizen.
What to Watch
With the NPC Standing Committee session ongoing, further legislative developments are expected in the coming days. The Fujian carrier’s transit into the South China Sea will likely be followed by integration exercises, while the Lingsheng supercomputer’s performance specifications will draw closer scrutiny from the global tech community. China’s AI sector, meanwhile, appears poised to deepen its lead as market consolidation accelerates.