Get a daily dose of local and national news from China, top trends in Chinese social media and what it means for India and the region at large.
Read ORCA's GCNS 2024 Conference Report
Shaping a Favourable Tomorrow
The Special Issue “India’s Soft Push for Power in South Asia: Shaping A Favourable Tomorrow” was ideated keeping in mind the increasing need for Indian policymakers to mitigate challenges emerging against New Delhi’s South Asian policy. Through each chapter, contributed by emerging Indian scholars specializing in India’s neighborhood policy, the publications envisions new and existing strategies to effectively leverage India’s soft power appeal in South Asia.
The dashboard is part of ORCA’s India-China Trade Project.
The dashboard is part of ORCA’s India-China Trade Project. Synopsis: The India-China Trade dashboard- Annual is a comprehensive visualisation of yearly merchandise trade between the two economies. It captures India’s imports and exports to China between 2011-12 to 2021-22 based on the Harmonised System (HS Codes).
How Made in China 2025 is Transforming China’s Shipbuilding Industry
Although ships are not as flashy as chips, shipbuilding is emerging as a flashpoint in China’s relations with the US and the world. Driven by the Made in China 2025 industrial policy, China’s efforts to climb the value chain and build high-profit and high-tech ships are yielding results, with Chinese shipbuilders making promising inroads into segments previously outside their expertise. The steady progression of China’s shipbuilding industry towards high-quality growth has pressing implications for international markets and the military balance of power in Asia and around the world.
Pacific Geopolitical Maneuverings
In the past few years, bullish visions of China’s regional aspirations have dissipated as its own domestic economic realities have become clear. There has been a significant fall in China’s development spending in the Pacific since 2016. Observers have noted that this is linked to a decrease in Chinese loans across the region, although this has also been a global phenomenon. Expectations around the BRI in the Pacific have also been tempered as various projects have stalled with commentators observing that “half-finished Chinese skyscrapers stand in disrepair” in various Pacific Island countries.
Structure and Strategic Implications
China's military modernization, under President Xi Jinping, has been marked by reforms that include the restructuring of the PLA into five theater commands: Eastern, Southern, Western, Northern, and Central. These reforms aim to improve joint operations and enhance the PLA's capabilities for modern warfare, focusing on fast decision-making, integrated command systems, and coordination across all branches of the military. The theater commands are strategically aligned with China's security priorities, including regional conflicts, border stability, and global power projection.
We are a Delhi NCR based research institute focusing on domestic Chinese politics/policy!Our work studies the Communist Party of China's internal maneuvering and how that impacts China's external posturing.
Ranging from op-eds to issue briefs, special reports and more by our Community of senior and junior Scholars
Subscribers every evening receive crisp insights divided into sections: China’s social media, regional news and an India Watch
Within an year of inception, ORCA began being accessed and read across continents with consistent readership that has only grown over time
Made with the intention of furthering our audience's knowledge, our interactive map will tell you some interesting facts about each province in China.
Join us in advancing knowledge and fostering meaningful discussions on China and Asia! Check out ORCA's submission guidelines and send us your work.
Province Name: Anhui Capital: Hefei Population Density 2021: 438.52 Party Secretary: Han Jun Contribution to GDP in 2022: 3.743% Did you know? Anhui translates to “Peaceful Beauty" and is famous for producing Xuan Paper and Hui Ink, which are traditionally considered the best for Chinese calligraphy.
Province Name: Beijing Capital: Beijing Population Density 2021: 1333.86 Party Secretary: Yin Li Contribution to GDP in 2022: 3.458% Did you know? Beijing has been the capital of China 6 times; the first time was in 221 BC during the Warring States Period. Zhongnanhai (中南海), the complex which houses the headquarters of CPC is located here.
Province Name: Chongqing Capital: Chongqing Population Density 2021: 389.80 Party Secretary: Yuan Jiajun Contribution to GDP in 2022: 2.42% Did you know? Chongqing is the deepest inland port in China along the shores of the Yangtze, Jialing and Wujiang Rivers. It was the first inland port opened for direct foreign trade.
Province Name: Fujian Capital: Fuzhou Population Density 2021: 337.93 Party Secretary: Zhou Zuyi Contribution to GDP in 2022: 4.413% Did you know? Located at a strategic maritime position across Taiwan, the third aircraft carrier of the PLA-N carries its name.
Province Name: Gansu Capital: Lanzhou Population Density 2021: 58.47 Party Secretary: Hu Changsheng Contribution to GDP in 2022: 0.931% Did you know? Political prisoners are often sent here. The Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, the first of China's four spaceports, is located in the Gobi desert of Inner Mongolia. It is currently China's only site for launching manned spacecraft into orbit and also tests medium to long range missiles.
Province Name: Guangdong Capital: Guangzhou Population Density 2021: 705.84 Party Secretary: Huang Kunming Contribution to GDP in 2022: 10.729% Did you know? Most populous province of China and has global economic hubs such as Shenzhen, and Guangzhou. It is also the birth province of Sun Yat-sen, the 'Father of Modern China'.
Province Name: Guangxi Capital: Nanning Population Density 2021: 211.99 Party Secretary: Liu Ning Contribution to GDP in 2022: 2.185% Did you know? Guangxi is the only autonomous region in China that has both land ports and deepwater seaports at its international border with Vietnam.
Province Name: Guizhou Capital: Guiyang Population Density 2021: 218.61 Party Secretary: Xu Lin Contribution to GDP in 2022: 1.676% Did you know? In 1935, during the Long March, Mao Zedong consolidated his power and took control of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in this province.
Province Name: Hainan Capital: Haikou Population Density 2021: 288.51 Party Secretary: Fang Fei Contribution to GDP in 2022: 0.567% Did you know? The world's first island-looping high-speed railway (HSR) — stretching 653 km — was completed in Hainan in 2015.
Province Name: Henan Capital: Zhengzhou Population Density 2021: 591.79 Party Secretary: Lou Yangsheng Contribution to GDP in 2022: 5.097% Did you know? Henan literally means "south of (Yellow) river" and it is considered as the cradle of Chinese civilization as two of the oldest Chinese dynasties Xia (21st C BC - 16th C BC) and Shang (16th C BC - 11th C BC) were based in Henan.
Province Name: Hebei Capital: Shijiazhuang Population Density 2021: 394.49 Party Secretary: Ni Yuefeng Contribution to GDP in 2022: 3.521% Did you know? The Beidaihe beach resort, more famously known for the CPC's annual summer retreat where inner-party deliberations are held, is located in the province.
Province Name: Heilongjiang Capital: Harbin Population Density 2021: 68.71 Party Secretary: Xu Qin Contribution to GDP in 2022: 1.321% Did you know? Heilongjiang literally means 'Black Dragon River' and borders Russia with Amur River (Chinese name: Heilong River) serving as the boundary.
Province Name: Hubei Capital: Wuhan Population Density 2021: 313.60 Party Secretary: Wang Menghui Contribution to GDP in 2022: 4.044% Did you know? The Three Gorges Dam situated in the province is the world's largest hydroelectric facility. The Wuhan Institute of Virology is situated in the capital city of this province known for spearheading research on SARS.
Province Name: Hunan Capital: Changsha Population Density 2021: 312.65 Party Secretary: Shen Xiaoming Contribution to GDP in 2022: 4.465% Did you know? Hunan is the birth province of China's first Chairman Mao Zedong. It is famous for food, being one of the most widely exported Chinese cuisine styles internationally.
Province Name: Jiangsu Capital: Nanjing Population Density 2021: 828.94 Party Secretary: Xin Changxing Contribution to GDP in 2022: 10.21% Did you know? Jiangsu has produced the most number of members in the 20th Central Committee which shows its growing political importance. The Nanjing Massacre took place here after the Battle of Nanjing in the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Province Name: Inner Mongolia Capital: Hohhot Population Density 2021: 20.28 Party Secretary: Sun Shaocheng Contribution to GDP in 2022: 1.924% Did you know? The world's largest rare earth mineral deposit is in Bayan Obo, a mining town located in Inner Mongolia. It was the first region in China to achieve the status of an autonomous ethnic region.
Province Name: Jiangxi Capital: Nanchang Population Density 2021: 270.64 Party Secretary: Yin Hong Contribution to GDP in 2022: 2.665% Did you know? Mao Zedong's famous 'Long March' began here in October 1934 and covered 10,000 km in the next one year.
Province Name: Jilin Capital: Changchun Population Density 2021: 126.73 Party Secretary: Jing Junhai Contribution to GDP in 2022: 1.086% Did you know? Manchukuo (Region of Manchu) had set up its capital in the city of Changchun in Jilin. It is a critical commodity grain production base and is located on the world-famous "golden corn belt" and "golden rice belt".
Province Name: Liaoning Capital: Shenyang Population Density 2021: 284.97 Party Secretary: Hao Peng Contribution to GDP in 2022: 2.408% Did you know? China's first aircraft carrier commissioned in 2012 into the PLA-N is named after the province. It has traditionally been one of the country's principal industrial provinces.
Province Name: Ningxia Capital: Yinchuan Population Density 2021: 109.61 Party Secretary: Liang Yanshun Contribution to GDP in 2022: 0.421% Did you know? The province is known for the production of Goji berries, an ingredient used as part of traditional Chinese medicine.
Province Name: Qinghai Capital: Xining Population Density 2021: 8.22 Party Secretary: Chen Gang Contribution to GDP in 2022: 0.3% Did you know? Asia's longest river Yangtze originates in the Tibetan plateau in Qinghai; the Qinghai region is called Amdo in Tibetan.
Province Name: Shaanxi Capital: Xi'an Population Density 2021: 192.12 Party Secretary: Zhao Yide Contribution to GDP in 2022: 2.723% Did you know? Birth province of Chinese President and CPC General Secretary Xi Jinping. The ancient Silk Road, which serves as the precursor to present-day BRI, originated here.
Province Name: Shandong Capital: Jinan Population Density 2021: 647.35 Party Secretary: Lin Wu Contribution to GDP in 2022: 7.265% Did you know? Confucius (Kong Zi) was born here near Qufu in 551 BCE. China's second aircraft carrier, which is the country's first domestically built aircraft carrier, is named after this province.
Province Name: Shanghai Capital: Shanghai Population Density 2021: 3925.86 Party Secretary: Chen Jining Contribution to GDP in 2022: 3.71% Did you know? Shanghai is a politically significant municipality in China; 8 of the 9 former Party secretaries of Shanghai since 1987 have earned a seat in Politburo Standing Committee - China's highest decision-making body.
Province Name: Shanxi Capital: Taiyuan Population Density 2021: 222.08 Party Secretary: Lan Foan Contribution to GDP in 2022: 2.131% Did you know? Shanxi possesses roughly a third of China's total coal deposits; the name literally means "west of the (Taihang) mountains".
Province Name: Sichuan Capital: Chengdu Population Density 2021: 172.22 Party Secretary: Wang Xiaohui Contribution to GDP in 2022: 4.716% Did you know? Sichuan means "four rivers", usually denoting four of the province's major rivers: the Jialing, Jinsha (or Wu), Min, and Tuo rivers. As a result, it is one of the largest grain producers in China.
Province Name: Tianjin Capital: Tianjin Population Density 2021: 1152.13 Party Secretary: Chen Min'er Contribution to GDP in 2022: 1.355% Did you know? Nankai University, China’s first private university, is in Tianjin and was the alma mater of PRC's first Premier Zhou Enlai. Tianjin port is one of the busiest ports in China after Shanghai.
Province Name: Tibet Capital: Lhasa Population Density 2021: 2.97 Party Secretary: Wang Junzheng Contribution to GDP in 2022: 0.177% Did you know? Tibet Autonomous Region, commonly called Tibet, is only a part of the historic country of Tibet and was created by China for administrative purposes; it originally comprised of 3 provinces, namely Amdo, Kham and U-Tsang.
Province Name: Xinjiang Capital: Ürümqi Population Desnsity 2021: 15.55 Party Secretary: Ma Xingrui Contribution to GDP in 2022: 1.474% Did you know? China's first nuclear weapons test, Project 596, was conducted at the Lop Nur test site in Xinjiang.
Province Name: Yunnan Capital: Kunming Population Density 2021: 119.00 Party Secretary: Wang Ning Contribution to GDP in 2022: 2.406% Did you know? Yunnan is called the "Kingdom of Plants and Animals" as it has the greatest biodiversity in China. It is also known as the "Kingdom of non-ferrous metals" as it ranks first in deposits of zinc, lead, tin, etc.
Province Name: Zhejiang Capital: Hangzhou Population Density 2021: 642.43 Party Secretary: Yi Lianhong Contribution to GDP in 2022: 6.458% Did you know? It is the birth province of Chiang Kai-shek, the former leader of Taiwan. It is also the headquarters of Alibaba Group whereas most Chinese global conglomerates have headquarters in Guangdong.