Nine Chinese die in Central African Republic attack on gold mine

Here’s what you need to know about China today:

Top story: Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 is in Moscow on his first visit since the start of the Ukraine war, in the latest show of support to an isolated Russia. His meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin come as Beijing seeks to play a more active role in mediating a resolution to the conflict. Scroll down for a summary or click through for the whole thing.

Nine Chinese nationals died in an attack on a mine in the Central African Republic yesterday, a few days after its opening. The attack came just days after gunmen kidnapped three Chinese nationals in a separate incident along the country’s border with Cameroon. Xi Jinping called for “severe punishment” on the perpetrators of the attack on the mine. Click here for The China Project’s report, and here for our TikTok coverage.

China and Cambodia are holding joint naval drills for the first time in Cambodian waters. The exercises mark a deepening relationship between the nations, which has become a source of friction among other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) given Beijing’s territorial claims over contested waters in the South China Sea.

China loves the concept of ChatGPT and one of its leading venture capitalists, Lee Kai-fu (李开复 Lǐ Kāifù) has announced plans to jump on the bot bandwagon, although he assures investors that it will “go beyond.”

• Earlier on The China Project: Baidu launches ChatGPT service but no one likes it

Debt bomb Evergrande Group wants to make good: The now-humbled company most associated with China’s real estate highs of the go-go years has released a new timeline for its delayed restructuring process.