The world is undergoing its most profound transformation since the end of World War II. Against this backdrop, China’s “Two Sessions” this year have become an important window for the international community to observe and better understand the country—drawing widespread and growing global attention.
Ahead of the sessions, CGTN, a subsidiary of China Media Group (CMG), and Tsinghua University’s Xinhua Institute for International Communication jointly released the 2026 Hot Topics Outlook Report. The report argues that the current international order is evolving amid a state of “rapid yet uneven change.” It further notes that fast-paced technological advances are intensifying disputes and competition over norms and governance.
Regarding China-focused global discourse, the report highlights that international public opinion is paying closest attention to China’s efforts to stabilize expectations and cultivate new drivers of growth under the principle of high-quality development. This includes a new phase of institutional reforms and heightened attention to platform and technology governance.
The report identifies ten key global issues for 2026, including regional conflicts and heightened global security concerns, growing competition over artificial intelligence and regulation, escalating global refugee and migration crises, and the rise of the Global South and emerging world order. According to the report, global security risks will remain elevated. In regions with weaker governance, security vacuums may widen, great-power competition is expected to deepen, and the Global South will take a more active role in reshaping international norms. Western populism may continue to rise, while competition and regulatory struggles surrounding generative AI will intensify globally.
China’s governance approach is projected to produce increasingly visible effects, which may accelerate the fragmentation of global AI systems and amplify risks of “decoupling” and barriers to innovation. Meanwhile, global public health systems are expected to shift from “emergency response” models toward more resilient institutional frameworks. Climate risks will be more clearly recognized as structural constraints on long-term development.
The report also outlines ten China-related topics expected to dominate international attention. The year 2026 marks the launch of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan and the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC). On one hand, the full implementation of innovation-driven development strategies will inject more sustainable momentum into China’s long-term economic growth; on the other, deeper reforms and further opening-up will enhance the internal driving forces and resilience of the economy. Additionally, issues related to “economic resilience and the dual-circulation development model” are expected to remain central points of global interest.
Source: Jinia-Touhid-Tuhina, China Media Group.