The Chinese Communist Party's 20th Central Committee Fifth Plenary Session is scheduled to be held from October 26 to 29 at the Jinji Hotel inside Beijing's Third Ring Road, with about 400 people attending the meeting.
Research by Yi Fuxian, a demographer at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, suggests that China's actual population may be close to 1.27 billion, with the officially announced figure of 1.4 billion overstated by 130 million.
The website of the CCDI and the National Supervisory Commission announced that Huang Qifan, former deputy secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Party Committee and mayor, is suspected of serious violations of discipline and law and is undergoing review and investigation.
On the afternoon of October 13, Liu Jinguo, Secretary of the CCP Central Committee Secretariat and Director of the National Supervisory Commission, acting on behalf of the top leadership, questioned Vice President Han Zheng about the Huang Qifan case.
The website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission issued a notice on the evening of October 13, announcing that Huang Qifan, former deputy secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Party Committee and former mayor of the Chongqing Municipal Government, is undergoing review and investigation.
The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission officially announced that Huang Qifan, the 74-year-old former mayor of Chongqing, is suspected of serious violations of discipline and law and is under investigation.
Former Chongqing Mayor Huang Qifan was detained at Shenzhen Airport, and it was announced on October 13 that he is under investigation.
Huang Qifan, who served as mayor of Chongqing and was known as an economic adviser, was officially announced on October 13 to be under investigation and taken down, drawing outside attention to the Chinese Communist Party's continued purge of old factions at the top.
Huang Qifan, a former member of the CCP Politburo and former mayor of Chongqing, was announced to be under investigation on the eve of the Fifth Plenum, sparking outside speculation about his authority to interpret the economic line and warnings to talk less about the economy.
President Trump said before leaving the White House for Alaska that there is a possibility he will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his visit to Asia next month.
In response to China's sanctions against two officials from Taiwan's diplomatic allies, the U.S. State Department stated that the United States opposes China's coercive behavior and reiterated its concern for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung delivered a speech at the Warsaw Security Forum in Warsaw, Poland, warning that excessive European dependence on China would bring economic risks and threats to sovereignty.
The IMF released its latest World Economic Outlook report, slightly raising this year's global economic growth forecast to 3.1%, and expects India to become the fastest-growing economy.
U.S. President Donald Trump said that the United States has not cut intelligence sharing with Ukraine, and that the U.S. is working with Ukraine and Russia in an effort to end the war.
The Egyptian Foreign Minister held a phone call with the Iranian Foreign Minister, calling on the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels to immediately cease attacks on Saudi Arabia and prioritize diplomacy.
China's Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security announced that it will use big data to find people and mobilize the uninsured to enroll in social insurance, drawing collective mocking private messages and questioning from netizens inside the Great Firewall.
A bipartisan group of senators has introduced a bill aimed at establishing a federal critical minerals strategy to reduce dependence on external supply chains such as China.
Defense company Shield AI partners with Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) to deliver the first VBAT vertical takeoff and landing reconnaissance drone to Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration.
In response to the scandal of its brake pedal breaking three times in a row, Huawei's Maextro publicly released a test report issued by the Testing Center of the China Automotive Engineering Research Institute, claiming that it passed a 3000-newton force test.
Russian authorities announced a ban on the entry of trucks and special equipment models from several Chinese brands, including Dongfeng, Foton, XCMG and JAC, into the Russian market, citing reasons such as non-compliance with safety requirements.
Moolenaar, chairman of the U.S. House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, released a report calling for stronger security vetting of taxpayer-funded research projects to prevent China from obtaining the results.
Agents from U.S. Homeland Security Investigations conducted a search outside a residence in Virginia, carrying several boxes of items out of the house and loading them into a vehicle.
On October 13, Xinhua News Agency announced that Huang Qifan, former deputy secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Party Committee and former mayor, is undergoing disciplinary review and supervisory investigation by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission on suspicion of serious violations of discipline and law.
On October 13, the Wall Street Journal reported that China's slowing economic growth combined with the popularization of AI has led to a record 12.7 million college graduates this year amidst a severe job shortage. The urban youth unemployment rate for those aged 16 to 24 stands at around 19%, leaving young people escaping to Dali to "lie flat" or struggling in the gig economy.
On October 13, 2026, the renowned Canadian media outlet Global News revealed that the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has officially initiated deportation proceedings against 63-year-old Tiger Yuan, founding president of the Canada-China Friendship Promotion Association. The CBSA alleges that Yuan committed war crimes and crimes against humanity while serving in the People's Liberation Army during the Sino-Vietnamese War in the 1980s, and that he misrepresented his military history when applying for permanent residency in 2008. The case has been referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) for a deportation hearing. Yuan's lawyer strongly denies the war crime allegations.
On October 13, The Wall Street Journal published a report citing research by Yi Fuxian, a scholar at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, saying that China's actual population may be around 1.27 billion, about 130 million fewer than the officially announced 1.4 billion, based on evidence including vaccine dosages, census data, and discrepancies in school-age population records, and noting that overestimating the population could exacerbate strategic miscalculations between China and the United States.
On October 13, 2026, Beijing time, media reports said that Lai Ching-te publicly made remarks related to a "city upon a hill," drawing criticism from Beijing. The related discussion also focused on the contrast in livelihood policies across the Taiwan Strait; the reports mentioned Taiwan distributing a 10,000-yuan "AI dividend" per person, contrasted with the survival difficulties emerging among ordinary people in mainland China and the public backlash.
On October 13, 2026, CBC Radio-Canada Chinese (RCIZhongwen) published an analysis pointing out that Ukrainian President Zelensky is currently caught in a pincer between escalating domestic hostilities and pressure from the Trump administration. The report said the Trump administration appears to be stepping up demands that Ukraine stop attacking oil refineries inside Russia, while the U.S. is also seeking a fuel-related deal with Moscow.
On October 13, MAEXTRO Auto released third-party test results for the brake pedal, stating that the October 11 inspection met the QC/T 788—2018 standard, and that after the longitudinal force was tightened to 3000 newtons, the pedal showed no cracks or damage. Previously, a Dongchedi test video claimed that the pedal bracket broke during continuous emergency braking of three V800 vehicles. MAEXTRO has announced free upgrades for delivered users, with the plan expected to be finalized by the end of October and implemented starting November.
On October 13, 2026, videos circulating online showed a heated dispute breaking out outside while Terry Gou was delivering a speech in Kinmen. A figure linked to the Democratic Progressive Party insisted on the position that Taiwan is a sovereign, independent state, and came face to face in a verbal confrontation with pro-Gou supporters holding "one China" or unification views over the question of Taiwan's national status. The scene was tense and drew onlookers and discussion.
On October 13, 2026, according to social media reports, Chinese regulatory authorities have officially approved the U.S. financial giant Visa to establish a locally registered bank card clearing institution within China. This marks a new milestone in the expansion of overseas card organizations' RMB clearing businesses in China and further promotes the opening up of China's financial payment and clearing market.
During an interview on Tang Hsiang-lung's program, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an was asked whether he is Taiwanese or Chinese, and replied only "I am Taiwanese," drawing public attention. Tang Hsiang-lung subsequently called on Kuomintang Chairman Cheng Li-wun to have the party set out a clear line on de-sinicization; Cheng Li-wun responded that being Taiwanese and being Chinese are not in conflict.
The Chinese Communist Party has announced sanctions against officials of Taiwan's diplomatic allies for the first time. Two ministerial-level officials from Belize and Paraguay were sanctioned because their countries continue to maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. The sanctions include freezing their assets within China, prohibiting Chinese organizations and individuals from conducting transactions or cooperation with them, and banning the two from entering mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau.
Beijing time, October 13, 2026, responding to a reporter's question about Russia having violated the ceasefire and attacked Ukraine, Trump said he was not sure and would look into the situation. He also said that Zelensky and Putin must sit down together and end this absurd war. The news was posted by X user @__Inty__.
At 13:42 Beijing time on October 13, 2026, X account @clashreport reposted Trump's remarks. Trump said that he had seen many radical left-wing commentators claiming that China and Russia are helping Iran, but he believed that even if they were, it was at a very low level; he completely did not believe it, because China and Russia have too many interests to look after, and the United States would be informed. The tweet received 31 likes and 4 retweets.
The tweet shows Shen Boyang recounting the regret of his life: because of KMT smears, he was unable to share a proper last meal with his mother, eating only roadside french fries. He used this story as a warning that the CCP's infiltration of Taiwan is extremely severe and could cause everyone to lose their freedom, and called on everyone to join together to block this infiltration.
According to a tweet, Taiwanese politician Shen Poyang received on-site support from more than 100,000 people at a campaign rally. Shen Poyang has been designated by the Chinese Communist Party as a "diehard Taiwan independence element" and is wanted by it. The tweet argues that the CCP's crackdown has instead become a "godsend assist," boosting Shen Poyang's momentum.
According to a post by netizen @QuanLujun, Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong has been arrested and detained by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for 2150 days for fighting for freedom, on charges of "collusion with foreign forces," and is still awaiting sentencing. The poster expects the CCP to continue to detain him and extend his sentence under various pretexts and charges. Joshua Wong is about to celebrate his 30th birthday in prison. This information is from a single source and has not yet been independently verified.
On October 13, 2026, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said that two vessels were hit by drone attacks about 24 kilometers off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, causing one of them to sink. The flag state of the attacked vessels, the cargo they were carrying, and the origin of the drones that carried out the attack remain unclear, and the incident is still under further investigation.
On October 13, 2026, Beijing time, X user LuJun Quan (@QuanLujun) posted a retrospective tribute to Ren Zhiqueng. The tweet said that Ren could have enjoyed a comfortable and fulfilling family life, but out of compassion and conscience for the底层 people of China, he resolutely spoke out publicly, and even knowing the struggle would be difficult, he chose to follow his heart. The remarks drew some attention online.
A 16-year-old Chinese netizen submitted a plea for help, saying he was in a scam park called "Ruidangni" (also known as "Xintiandi Park") on the Thailand-Myanmar border and hoped to leave and return home. The park reportedly gathers about 1,700 people, and around 2,200 including logistics staff, and is run under high-pressure security management, maintaining order through beatings, verbal abuse and corporal punishment. It engages in targeted-chat scam operations aimed at the domestic market, and is suspected of cross-border fraud and forced labor.
At 15:43 Beijing time on October 13, 2026, X account @clashreport posted remarks by former Israeli National Security Minister Gadi Eisenkot. Eisenkot stated that, as far as he is concerned, no laborer should be allowed to leave the Gaza Strip for the next 100 years. The tweet received 7 likes and 4 retweets, with a total of 13 interactions. This statement reflects the hardline stance of Israeli politicians on the movement of people from Gaza; no other independent sources have corroborated this yet.
Israeli Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot said in a tweet that Israel must take all measures, including attacking Iran, to prevent it from developing military nuclear capabilities. The tweet was posted at 15:39 Beijing time on October 13, 2026, and included a related link.
On October 13, 2026, former Israeli Chief of the General Staff Gadi Eisenkot publicly stated that the precise objective of the Gaza war should have been to destroy Hamas's military and governing power within a year, and that the "total victory" added by Netanyahu was a mistake, noting that the last time a total victory was achieved dates back to 1945.
Beijing time, October 13, 2026, former U.S. President Trump commented on the situation in Iran. In his remarks, Trump said that the U.S. side may have become too deeply involved in dealing with the Iranian leadership, and pointed out that it is currently difficult to determine with whom the U.S. should communicate. He believes that the U.S. could have stopped its actions at the first stage rather than escalating further. The remarks drew attention and discussion among social media users, reflecting their questioning and reflection on the current direction of U.S.-Iran diplomatic policy.
On October 13, 2026, Beijing time, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide publicly stated that it is not reasonable for those who have paid a lower price for supporting Ukraine to play a key role in the negotiations, and stressed that Europe needs to send a strong, independent voice.
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski responded to the speech by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at a UN Security Council meeting. Sikorski said that most of Lavrov's speech was an attack on Europe, which shows that Russia has realized it cannot resolve the issue with the United States alone, while Europe is paying the price for this war.
The Kremlin said on October 13, 2026 that contacts regarding an energy ceasefire in Ukraine are continuing, but no progress has been made so far.
Saudi Arabia has reportedly stopped issuing public warnings before Houthi attacks. Previously, Riyadh airport had been hit by four Houthi attacks, killing at least 18 people and injuring more than 300. Western officials said that Saudi authorities, after receiving complaints from residents, considered the warnings too disruptive.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on October 13 that Kyiv is still continuing to receive intelligence data from the U.S. He also acknowledged that there was a delay in air raid alerts during the Russian military strikes on the night of October 12, but explained that this was because the Russian forces used a special type of weapons. The statement was relayed in a tweet posted by the @clashreport account at 18:58 Beijing time on October 13.