🔥 Hot Topics · Aug 20, 2026

12306 confirms multi-seat buyers control their purchased seats; Foxconn launches an urgent hiring spree for Apple's new iPhone with 8,800 RMB sign-on bonuses; a Nanjing man's 12.9M RMB luxury home turns out to be a model room; crime film 'Empty Gun' lands on the 30th anniversary of the Li Ka-shing kidnapping; the 10T RMB housing fund gets further activated; Moderna and Merck announce the first therapeutic mRNA melanoma vaccine; Japanese consumers queue 5 hours for Chinese cameras; Japan's Rakuten is exposed on weapons involvement; Saudi GDP falls 4.8% YoY in Q2; the China Gold Association objects to US entity-list designations; Chinese visitor numbers to Japan plunge; Huawei's 'genius boy' responds to selling corn after resigning.

1. 1. 12306: Purchased Seats Belong to the Buyer

   After two girls reserved three connected seats for snacks, 12306 said ticket holders control their seats and others must get their consent to use them.

2. 2. Foxconn's Urgent Hiring: 8,800 RMB Sign-On Bonus

   Ramping up for Apple's September launch, Foxconn offers 8,800 RMB to new hires plus 500 RMB for early start to build staffing for iPhone production.

3. 3. A 12.9M RMB 'Luxury Home' Turned Out to Be a Model Room

   Li in Nanjing paid 12.9M RMB for a 291-sqm finished home only to find it was an undisclosed model room with defects; the seller denies concealment.

4. 4. 'Empty Gun': The Kidnapping of Li Ka-shing's Son

   The crime film 'Empty Gun' premieres on the 30th anniversary of the Cheung Chi-keung kidnapping of Victor Li — a 2B HKD ransom demand, 1.038B HKD paid.

5. 5. 10 Trillion RMB Housing Fund Further Activated

   The revised Housing Fund Regulations take effect Sept 20 with 20 clauses — widening withdrawal and use, improving service, and expanding coverage to activate over 10T RMB of idle funds.

6. 6. First Therapeutic Cancer Vaccine

   Moderna and Merck announce the first successful Phase 3 mRNA melanoma vaccine study, combined with a drug as adjuvant therapy for high-risk post-surgery patients, hitting primary and secondary endpoints.

7. 7. Japanese Consumers Queue 5 Hours for Chinese Cameras

   Fans of Chinese cameras in Tokyo wait up to five hours, with one store selling over 3M JPY in half a day.

8. 8. Rakuten Exposed on Weapons Involvement

   Rakuten is reported to partner with Germany's Helsing to supply attack drones to the SDF, prompting one Japanese firm to cancel joining its e-commerce platform.

9. 9. Saudi Arabia Feels the Squeeze

   Dragged by a sharp drop in the oil sector, Saudi real GDP fell 4.8% YoY in Q2, with both government and firms tightening belts.

10. 10. China Gold Association Issues Stern Statement

    It opposes the US listing of Chinese gold firms under the 'UFLPA' and criticizes LBMA's suspension of their Good Delivery status as lacking factual basis.

11. 11. China-Japan Tourist Numbers Plunge

    Mainland visitors to Japan fell 56.3% YoY in the first seven months, with July marking an 8th straight monthly decline — the yearly total may dip again after five years.

12. 12. Huawei 'Genius Boy' Responds to Selling Corn

    Ning Boyu says leaving wasn't about performance or a 'face-saving exit' — he wants academia, having won a Marie Curie postdoc fellowship to research at KTH in Sweden.