March 31, 2026 – China Headlines

Story gist: CAS Space’s Lijian-2 (Yao-1) carrier rocket completed its maiden flight and successfully launched a space test spacecraft from China.

Bias summary: Left-leaning Xinhua frames the story neutrally as a straightforward launch success. Center outlets like Wall Street Insights emphasize excitement with ‘one arrow three stars’ and unit costs rivaling SpaceX, highlighting commercial competitiveness. Right-leaning China.com focuses on the Qingzhou prototype payload, portraying it as inaugurating a new era of on-orbit technology verification with optimistic, milestone-oriented tone.

Story gist: Former U.S. President Donald Trump stated that what he wants most is Iran’s oil.

Bias summary: Left-leaning outlets like guancha.cn frame Trump’s remark with alarmist tone, headlining ‘danger level off the charts’ and implying aggressive ‘big heist’ plans in Iran. Center outlets like DW.com report neutrally, using the direct quote as headline. Right-leaning coverage absent, omitting defenses of Trump or emphasis on energy security perspectives.

Story gist: Ding Xuexiang attended the founding conference of the World Data Organization, read a congratulatory letter from President Xi Jinping, and delivered a keynote speech.

Bias summary: Left-leaning chinanews.com.cn emphasizes Ding Xuexiang’s prominent role, Xi Jinping’s message, and keynote, framing it as strong Chinese leadership endorsement. Center-leaning Sina focuses neutrally on the organization’s establishment, omitting leadership details. Right-leaning coverage is absent, leaving skeptical or oppositional perspectives unrepresented.