World Insight with Tian Wei

The APEC economic leaders' meeting this year is to take place in November in Shenzhen. Over the weekend in Beijing, the APEC China CEO forum was held focusing on openness, connectivity and coordination. AI built itself. What does it mean for human beings? Those questions are being frequently asked today as Al is moving to the center stage of economies and society. I talked to a computer scientist on the sidelines of the BAAI conference, one of the leading forums in China bringing key Al stakeholders together.

The Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs announced that the talks between the United States and Iran scheduled for Friday in Burgenstock have been cancelled. The mountain resort in Switzerland had been designated as the venue for initial negotiations between the two countries on the implementation of their agreement. Earlier this week, Iran and the US announced the finalization of the memorandum of understanding to end the war on all fronts, including Lebanon. Despite the official signing of the US-Iran agreement, Israel continues its strikes on southern Lebanon. What caused the scheduled talks to stall? What does this reversal mean for all parties involved? And in what areas can Iran and the US still engage in further detailed negotiations in the future?

China concludes its presidency of the United Nations Security Council. From addressing the climate crisis to fostering peace and sustainable development, China's proposals are increasingly shaping the blueprint for international cooperation. In an exclusive interview, Stephen Jackson, the UN resident coordinator in China, shares his profound insights on the deepening ties between the UN and China and how Chinese wisdom is translating into actionable solutions for today's most depressing global challenges.

Artificial intelligence is reshaping our world today from society to individual life, but who laid the groundwork for this digital world? Doctor Whitfield Diffie is the man to ask. As a world-renowned Touring Award recipient and a member of the US National Academy of Engineering, he is widely regarded as the founding father of modern digital security. His pioneering work on public key cryptography remains the bedrock of the global digital economy today. I did catch up with him at the recent Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence Conference. We talked about the evolving relationship between Al and humanity, and whether governance can keep pace with rapid tech changes.

France hosts this year's G7 summit starting Monday. Reducing global imbalances is a top priority. Many suggest this summit comes at a critical time. Global governance faces strain on multiple fronts while the transatlantic rift on trade and defense deepens. At the same time, middle powers are winning growing influence in global affairs. With the G20 and APEC still ahead, this summit offers a glimpse into whether the traditional Western alignment still works. Many more are also asking if the G20 could really turn its theme into action.

A low-budget film with no star actors or fancy effects is winning hearts across China. Dear You follows a grandson's journey to Thailand, uncovering a decades-old story of family devotion.

The world today is changing rapidly with technology development driven by basic science. China, as the second largest economy, put a lot of effort on basic science research. In 2025, China's total R&D investment exceeded 3.92 trillion yuan, about 569 billion US dollars, reaching 2.8% of GDP. Basic research funding last year hit nearly 280 billion yuan, accounting for 7.08% of the total R&D spending. More and more young talents from China and abroad are devoting themselves to basic science and their cause will eventually contribute to the development of humanity.

The World Conference of Classics 2026 is held in Athens, Greece this week under the theme "Dialogue Between Ancient and Modern: Contemporary Inspiration from Classical Wisdom." The term of classic studies is a relatively new academic subject in China and there are debates on its definition. Roger Ames is one of the most well-known American scholars on Chinese classics. I sat down with him at the Hall of Fame of Chinese Philosophers in Peking University in Beijing before he leaves for the World Conference of Classics.

General Secretary Xi Jinping of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, also the Chinese president, is paying a state visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from June 8th to 9th at the invitation of Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the DPRK. The visit marks his first overseas trip this year and his first state visit to the DPRK in seven years.

World Environment Day this year focuses on climate change, with an eye on the Earth's alarming distress signals - rising seas, raging wildfires, heatwaves and melting glaciers. That's why China has been actively pushing for a greener world. It has contributed roughly 25 percent of the world's green renewal in recent years. Efforts to push back encroaching barren deserts, including the Mu Us Desert, one of the four major sandy lands in China, resonate with people, including those between China and the US. In 1999, Ronald Sakolsky, an American middle school exchange teacher in central China's Henan Province, raised 5-thousand dollars to help a Chinese couple plant more tree saplings in China's Mu Us Desert. Today, that gift has grown into more than 50,000 thriving trees across the desert. We talked to the American teacher who, together with his Chinese friends across the Pacific, made an unforgettable story of kinship and respect.