3. China achieves breakthroughs in major sci-tech projects

This screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Dec. 9, 2025 shows Shenzhou-21 astronauts Zhang Lu and Wu Fei (R) performing extravehicular activities outside China's orbiting space station. (Xinhua/Liu Yi)

China made advancements in space exploration in 2025 with the successful launches of three Shenzhou spacecraft and its first asteroid sample-return mission, Tianwen-2, as well as the 600th launch of the Long March rocket.

Over the past year, breakthroughs such as the AI model DeepSeek, the deep-sea manned submersible Fendouzhe (Striver), and the launch of the Fujian -- China's first aircraft carrier equipped with electromagnetic catapults -- have bolstered the country's technological self-reliance.