CiCM 1st-2nd February 2025

NEWS IN CHINA

Demand for New Electric Vehicles Rises in China: An increasing number of Chinese families are opting to drive home for Spring Festival family reunions using the New Energy Vehicles also known as NEVs. Experts have noted that last year, NEVs constituted about 15.9% of the road trips during the National Day holiday in October, and their share is further expected to surge throughout the 40-day Spring Festival. Additionally, to address the growing demand, China is actively working towards creating charging infrastructure which is pivotal for the NEVs. By the end of 2024, about 98% of major highways with service areas had advanced charging facilities. The new supercharging piles had an impressive charging capacity with each charging gun having a maximum output of 480 kilowatts. This facilitated the faster charging of NEV enabling the vehicles to cover distances up to 400 kilometers after just 10 minutes of charging. Over the previous decade, China has justified its position as the leading NEV market in the world. According to the Ministry of Public Security, NEVs accounted for 8.9% of the country’s total vehicle ownership in 2024 and the number of newly registered NEVs rose by 51.49% in comparison with 2023. China has also released guidelines for the insurance policies of NEVs and is striving towards countering several challenges that the sector is currently facing such as high insurance policies and potential risk of coverage denial.
Research Team Develops Highly Efficient Prosthetic Hand: A research team from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) has successfully introduced a groundbreaking biomimetic prosthetic hand that is capable of performing several functions from combing hair and using smartphones to executing sign language gestures. The device weighing just 0.37 kilograms can mimic several functions of the human hand therefore marking a significant achievement in the field of prosthetics and humanoid robots and offering a solution for millions of amputees globally. The normal human hand with 23 degrees of freedom (DOFs) can perform several independent movements. Usually, traditional prosthetic hands are not able to perform complex tasks because they are only equipped with 10 DOFs and struggle to balance weight and functionality. The team from USTC addressed these challenges by using Shape Memory Alloys (SMA’S) materials while creating their prosthetic hand. Additionally, the prosthetic hand also has remarkable dexterity which allows it to perform several complicated tasks. The user-friendly interface of the prosthetic hand makes it accessible to a wide range of users especially, amputees. Its versatility makes it suitable for practical applications across diverse fields like operations in dangerous environments such as nuclear power plant maintenance or deep sea equipment repair and medical rehabilitation.
Naval Patrolling Exercises in the Huangyan Dao Region: The Southern Theatre Command of the People’s Liberation Army conducted combat readiness patrols using naval and air forces in the waters surrounding the Huangyan Dao and the surrounding regions. Since the onset of January, the Southern Theatre Command has continuously intensified patrolling and vigilance in the areas near the Huangyan Dao to reinforce control over these maritime and aerial areas. Following the announcement of patrolling and vigilance by the Southern Command, the China Coast Guard (CCG) also announced patrols around Huangyan Dao. The Coast Guard also conducted law enforcement patrols in the territorial waters of China's Huangyan Dao and its surrounding areas. In a statement, the China Coast Guard emphasized that these efforts are aimed at resolutely safeguarding China's national sovereignty and security, and maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea.
China Reacts on US Tariffs on Imported Goods: Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Mao Ning in a statement emphasized that China has always believed that there are no winners in a trade war or tariff war and it remains committed to protecting its national interests. The remarks come after the United States under the new Trump administration imposed 10% tariffs on goods imported from China. The statement further pointed out that the US’s unilateral tariff hike severely violates World Trade Organisation rules (WTO) rules. They emphasized that the move neither solves the US’s problems at home nor does it benefit either side. Moreover, the statement added that the tariffs are being imposed under the pretext of the Fentanyl issue and that China is one of the toughest countries on Counternarcotics. It has also supported the US to counter the issue with Counternarcotics cooperation in the spirit of goodwill and humanity. Additionally, Mao Ning also urged the United States to address its mistakes, maintain the valuable progress made in counternarcotics cooperation, and promote the steady, healthy, and sustainable growth of the China-US relationship.
Heilongjiang Province to Host the 9th Edition of Asian Winter Games: The Opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games will take place on 7th February in Harbin which is the capital of the Heilongjiang Province. With over 1,270 athletes from 34 countries and regions across Asia participating, this year’s edition is the largest in terms of both athlete participation as well as delegation. Harbin also hosted the 3rd edition of the Winter Games in 1996 and has staged several editions of the national Winter Games. Several cities in the Heilongjiang province have been the hometown of Olympic champions. Harbin has been the center of several outstanding skaters like Yao Bin, elite pairs of Pang Qiang and Tong Jian, and Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao. The Qiqihar city in the west of Heilongjiang formed its first ice hockey team in the 1950s and has staged an ice hockey festival every year since 2017. Similarly, Qitaihe City has been the hometown of several Olympic champions like Yang Yang, Wang Meng, Sun Linlin, and Zhang Jie. There is an anticipation that the upcoming Asian Winter Games will play a pivotal role in advancing the growth of winter sports, which have a history spanning more than seventy years in Heilongjiang.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER

Fake Foreign Imposters Dupe Chinese Users on Red Note: A large amount of so-called fake foreigners have joined Chinese social media platforms like Rednote, pretending to be TikTok refugees deceiving young women, and sharing inappropriate content. Over the past few days, Rednote has seen rapid growth as several international users have joined the app and the platform has become a vibrant place for cross-cultural interactions. Posts of foreign users receive thousands of friendly and supportive comments from Chinese users. However, some malicious users have exploited this trend, using AI-generated images to impersonate foreign users. One female user reported receiving harassing messages from an imposter whose profile featured Western names, foreign-looking photos, and a US-based IP address. She grew suspicious when she realized he spoke far better Chinese than English and reported the account. According to mainland media, many of these fake foreign accounts are run by Chinese men, some working in organized teams. Some impersonate NBA players, while others use photos of “attractive” Western individuals to deceive young Chinese users, sometimes luring them into online relationships or persuading them to share explicit images. To tackle the issue, RedNote has intercepted about 2.4 million risky private messages and is recruiting English-speaking staff. Other apps, like Douyin, have already banned more than 10000 foreign user accounts to curb the deception.

INDIA WATCH

Article in South China Morning Post Analyses the Development of India-US Ties with Modi’s Visit to Washington: An article in the South China Morning Post analyses how India-US bilateral ties will be boosted when Prime Minister Modi visits the United States. The article highlights that President Trump plans to host Modi in Washington later this month and how he has been emphasizing that both countries share a cordial and productive relationship. Harsh Pant, a professor at King’s College states that the swift arrangement of Modi’s visit in Trump’s new term signifies India’s active engagement with Washington. However, it will be intriguing to see how Modi negotiates with the concern of high import tariffs on Indian goods which has been an issue that Trump has repeatedly emphasized, especially during the presidential polls. Trump’s invitation to Modi is also suggestive that he wants to prioritize the concerns in the Indo-Pacific and focus also on China in the region. The author states that immigration would also be in focus. The Trump administration is divided over the issue with tech billionaires like Elon Musk supporting H1B Visas which allow skilled professionals to work in the US while other members of the administration want to curb overall immigration levels. The article comments that the issue has become a significant topic of concern among the influential Indian-American community as a majority of them voted for Trump. The piece also quotes Christopher Blackburn, a British security analyst, cautioning India on this issue, noting its impact on the diaspora. It notes that Blackburn hopes Modi’s Washington visit will strengthen US-India ties and enhance defense and technology cooperation.

Prepared By

Ruchir Ketkar

Ruchir Ketkar is a First year student pursuing Masters in Diplomacy, Law and Business at OP Jindal Global University. After completing graduation in Political science, he found his interest in International Relations and Global Affairs. With a keen inclination towards security and conflict studies, he has also authored several articles and research papers. He also tries to keep himself updated with the happenings around the world and tries to analyse them using his perspective and understanding.