Briefly

27 sentenced for antimony smuggling

Twenty-seven individuals were sentenced in Shenzhen for their involvement in six antimony ingot smuggling cases on Tuesday, according to the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court in South China's Guangdong province. The harshest sentence was given to Wang Wubin, the principal offender, who received 12 years in prison and a 1 million yuan ($141,952) fine for smuggling goods prohibited by the government from import and export. The other 26 individuals received sentences ranging from five years in prison to four months of detention, along with fines, based on their roles and the quantities they smuggled. The court found that from February to March 2025, Wang conspired with overseas smuggling groups to organize some of the defendants to purchase antimony ingots, conceal and disguise them, and make false customs declarations, all without obtaining the necessary export permits.

Digital consumer base in China tops 958m

The number of digital consumers in China topped 958 million in the first half of 2025, highlighting the growing role of digital spending in the country's overall consumption. According to a report released by the China Internet Network Information Center, China's digital consumer base accounts for 85.3 percent of the nation's internet users. Among them, Gen Z — people born between 1997 and 2012 — make up 27.2 percent of all digital consumers, while people aged 60 and older account for 12.2 percent. Rural users represent 26 percent of the total. In the first half of the year, 39.1 percent of Chinese internet users purchased smart products, including smart home devices, digital gadgets and wearable technology. About 8.2 percent bought blind boxes, IP-related merchandise or anime-themed products online, as per the report.

China Daily - Xinhua