CiCM 4th February 2025

NEWS IN CHINA

China’s box office revenue for the Spring Festival holiday reaches new heights: China’s box office revenue for the 2025 Spring Festival holiday has reached new heights crossing over 8 billion yuan, setting new records in the country’s film history as reported by the China Film Administration. The daily box office collection has exceeded one billion yuan consecutively for six days since January 29th after six films targeting the holiday season were released. These films span various genres, including martial arts, mythology, action and so on, preferred by audiences across all ages. According to Rao Shnguang, President of the China Film Critics Association, the number of moviegoers reached a new record and catapulted a stronger foundation for the audience and market growth of China’s film industry. Furthermore, He stated that it also reflects the high-quality development in domestic films and stresses the recognition of traditional culture among audiences.
Pakistani President’s state visit to China: Following the invitation of the Chinese President Xi Jinping, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari is currently on a visit to China from fourth to eighth February. Throughout the visit, the Pakistani President is expected to hold important meetings with the Chinese leaders in Beijing, and is expected to cover aspects of collaboration – trade cooperation, counterterrorism, China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), partnerships for security and so on. This visit is in accordance with the traditional high-level exchanges between the two nations and reflects a deep commitment to strengthen their All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership, said the Foreign Ministry of Pakistan. Further, the ministry also implied that the visit reaffirms mutual support on core issues of interest and to advance economic and trade cooperation. A day prior to the visit, the Prime Minister’s office made similar comments relating to the healthy and rapid progress of the CPEC and reaffirmed the progress of the Gwadar International Airport and Port being built on Chinese support. President Zardari, towards the end of his visit, will also attend the inaugural ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, a northeastern province of Heilongjiang.
PLA Air Force’s routine patrol over Huang yan island: The Air Force of the People’s Liberation Army’s Southern theatre command, on Tuesday conducted a routine patrol in the airspace above the Huang yan Island in the South China Sea. The deployed units of this force have been continuously on guard, defending the national sovereignty, China’s maritime security and have strived to achieve command over the military activities that may disrupt the South China Sea, said the spokesperson for Southern command. Additionally, Tian, the spokesperson for the Southern Theatre Command, emphasized that the relevant operations were carried out in a safe, standardized, and professional manner, fully adhering to international law and established international practices. The spokesperson also stressed on the fact that during the routine patrol, the Philippines collaborated with extraterritorial countries to organize “joint-patrols” in an attempt to deliberately undermine peace and stability.
China launches investigation into Google over suspecting anti-monopoly law violation: China's market regulator on Tuesday said that it has launched an investigation into Google for suspected violation of the country's anti-monopoly law. Investigation was launched in accordance with the law, the State Administration for Market Regulation said. The market regulating authority reported that it is probing Google concerning the suspected violation of the country’s anti-monopoly law, by the company. The investigation, on the United States tech giant, has been launched in keeping with the law, stated the regulatory agency. Further, the government, launching an antitrust probe, has a tangled equation with Google from the 2000s year. After launching its Chinese language search engine, it was to comply with Beijing’s laws and was regularly used as a search engine till 2009. However, following a 2010 cyber attack and rising incompliance with censorship rules, Google shut down its Chinese search engines and Beijing blocked Google services under the Great Firewall censorship system.
Considering U.S. tariff hikes, China files complaint with the WTO, further imposes additional tariffs on Washington: The United States has announced an additional 10 percent tariff, following which Beijing has filed a complaint with the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Reported by a spokesperson from the Ministry of Commerce, the move comes from the endeavour to protect China’s legitimate rights and interests, as these imposed tariffs have seriously violated the WTO rules. This takes away from the US-China economic trade foundation, disrupting stability of global industrial supply chains, showcasing Washington’s tendency to place unilateralism above multilateralism. The State Council Tariff Committee also announced on February 4th that additional tariffs will be imposed on certain imported goods arriving in Beijing from the United States. This imposition of tariffs by Beijing comes three days after Washington imposed ten percent tariffs on most Chinese goods exported to the US. The tariffs are imposed in accordance with the Tariff Law of the People's Republic of China. The Customs Law of the People's Republic of China, and the Foreign Trade Law of the People's Republic of China. Commencing 10th February, a fifteen percent tariff will be imposed on liquified natural gas and coal, ten percent tariff on crude oil, agricultural machinery and others.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER IN CHINA

Fujian province’s villagers go viral with their set-up country scenes: Residents of the Xiapu county of the Fujian province achieved the status of a trending and viral city as it staged picturesque country scenes. Even though the artists are charging 300 yuan to capture them, the netizens and visitors seemed reluctant to leave, due to the nostalgic sentiment these scenes invoked in them. Staging these country scenes instilled an emotion and reminiscent fever for country life that got swept away in the rampant urbanisation and industrialisation. The jarring shift in lifestyle shifts were well documented showcasing a shift from a slow paced go a fast-paced life. many users flaunted these nostalgic stills and timeless scenes as a way to offer guides on how to capture the best shots. For many it brought back childhood memories of farming families, bringing an increased crowd with each passing year. Huang Jumei, a jour guide, stated that "we saw this scenic spot online and decided to change our plans at the last minute to visit". She further added that tourists are reluctant to leave the place and it brings back childhood memories for many of us from farming families.

INDIA WATCH

Amidst the US tariff onslaught, speculation regarding the effect that India’s Harley-Davidson linked tariff cuts will have on Modi-Trump talks: India has moved to remove tariffs on items ranging from electronics to Harley-Davidson motorcycles. This development is perceived as a step taken by New Delhi to pave the ground to ease the emerging trade tensions with Washington ahead of Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the United States. Delhi lowered tariffs on commodities in the federal government’s budget, among them being 1,600cc engine motorcycles – a category dominated by Harley Davidson’s speciality. Puneet Gupta, director of mobility at S&P Global, said Delhi’s tariff concession would lay a positive foundation for Modi’s trade talks with Trump. He further stated that “While this segment of bikes isn’t a major seller in India, the move could help improve India’s image in the eyes of Trump”. “India is sending a larger signal that we are a reasonably open economy and would like to be part of the global value chain. With the duty reduction on motorcycles in particular, we are also giving a message to Mr Trump about being engaged with the US,” said T.S. Vishwanath, a principal adviser at international trade consultancy ASL-Legal in New Delhi. This move should help American companies sell motorcycles to India as they were highlighted by Trump in 2023 as he criticised India’s high tariff structures. Apart from 1,600cc engine motorcycles, the tariff rate on luxury cars with a price tag of above US$40,000 was cut to 70 per cent from 125 per cent. In addition, India has removed basic customs duties on lithium-ion batteries specifically for use in electric vehicles in the country. The move could spur further interest by electric vehicle makers to invest in India, analysts said.

Prepared By

Riddhi Deokar

Riddhi Deokar is a Second-year bachelor’s student pursuing Global Affairs with a minor in Public Policy at OP Jindal Global University. She exudes a strong interest in learning and researching about Northeast Asian and Middle Eastern dynamics, specifically learning about China’s equation with the two regions. She endeavours to contribute to solutions addressing gender issues in the political realm. She pursues her linguistic aspirations, learning French and Mandarin. She is also a TEDx speaker, spreading her message about the theory of 'Relative Happiness'. Understanding varied perspectives and keeping an open mind while analysing and researching global issues is an effort she keeps making.