Dear reader,

If a Beijing movie theatre at 9pm on a May Day holiday is a picture of consumer sentiment, then middle-class spending just flopped. A grand total of two people sat in the darkness to watch a documentary on China’s moon mission while five or so others emerged from the evening session of The Devil Wears Prada 2. There were more staff than movie-goers. Like almost every industry, filmmakers are trying to work out what is allowable, what people will pay for and how AI can make it happen.

Read our on-the-ground reports on William Lai's clan village, the former residence of Communist Party spy Wu Shi and what it all means for Beijing’s take on Taiwan. 

The Big Picture

See you in Beijing  
American C-17 heavy lifters and a presidential motorcade are spotted in the Chinese capital, following back-to-back phone calls by trade teams and diplomats.

• Why it matters: they are the surest signs yet that Donald Trump’s first trip to China in almost nine years is going ahead
• At the same time, Trump ally Steve Daines makes another trip to Beijing
• So, does the Iran war give Beijing the upper hand in the talks with Trump?
• Meanwhile, what was the message from the Iranian foreign minister’s trip to Beijing?
• And, what is China’s home-court model of diplomacy?

Brothers in arms
The US reveals details of the Golden Dome and the Pentagon considers outsourcing warship design and construction to South Korea and Japan.

• Why it matters: US military production lines are stretched but America is determined to target China's advanced weapons
• Meanwhile, will China’s YJ-20 hypersonic missile be a game-changer in maritime warfare? 
• And, why is China uneasy about Japan’s overseas missile launch and yet silent on the US’ Tomahawk test?
• Also, is China ready to export the J-35A fighter to Pakistan, and will the new Saudi-Pakistan defence pact give Chinese weapons more exposure?

Wins and Fails

Former defence ministers Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu receive suspended death sentences 

Yen Wen-chun, a nephew of Taiwanese Interior Minister Liu Shyh-fang, loses all positions at a mainland subsidiary of a Taiwanese company

Big Numbers

37 – the death toll from a fireworks factory explosion in Hunan province

50% – the increase in cases handled by a Shenzhen court with the help of AI

759 million yuan – the lacklustre box office takings in China during the May Day holiday

Direct Quote

“To me, being an American is carving out that third space, like what aspects of public life are you allowed.”

Matt King, a graphic designer in New York, grapples with his identity and shares Asian-Americans’ concerns about belonging and bias