Gaokao Pressure: Millions of Chinese students across the country began the gaokao on Sunday, with about 12.9 million registered and families bracing for results later this month. Xi-DPRK Summit: China says Xi Jinping will visit North Korea June 8-9, his first state trip in seven years, as Pyongyang signals it won’t discuss denuclearization and insists its nuclear status is “absolutely irreversible.” Taiwan Strait Tensions: Taiwan’s coast guard says it deployed vessels after a Chinese “law enforcement operation” east of the island, while China also launched a maritime law enforcement operation in the same area. Cross-Strait Animal Diplomacy: Taipei Zoo received two endangered red pandas from China for the first exchange in over a decade, with a month-long quarantine before public display. Currency Moves: Several Chinese banks raised USD deposit rates to slow yuan strength, aiming to discourage firms from converting dollars into yuan. Tech and Industry Watch: CATL outlined a sodium-ion battery rollout, with first customer deliveries due in September and shipments targeting gigawatt-hour scale in 2026. Online Censorship: A Chinese article warns VPN use alone can trigger punishment, highlighting a widening crackdown on how people access the internet. Regional Soft Power: A night of Chinese music in Auckland promoted the UN’s Dialogue among Civilizations theme, alongside broader China-New Zealand cultural exchange.