CiCM 24th October 2025

NEWS IN CHINA

Xi Jinping Chairs Symposium with Non-Party Members to Discuss China’s 15th Five-Year Plan: The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee held a high-level symposium in Zhongnanhai, chaired by President Xi Jinping, to solicit opinions from leaders of democratic parties, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, and non-Party representatives on the draft proposal for the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030). Senior leaders Li Qiang, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, and Ding Xuexiang attended. Xi emphasized that the 15th Five-Year Plan period is a crucial stage in advancing socialist modernization and urged a focus on high-level technological self-reliance, common prosperity, and the creation of new-quality productive forces. He stressed that development must remain people-centered, with efforts to boost employment, education, and healthcare, while enhancing regional coordination and rural revitalization. Representatives praised China’s achievements under the 14th Plan and proposed suggestions on industrial upgrading, innovation, and cross-strait integration. Xi reiterated the CPC’s tradition of promoting democracy through broad consultation and urged continued contributions from non-Party experts to shape China’s high-quality and resilient development trajectory.
Record 3.51 Million Applicants Compete for 38,000 Posts in 2026 China Civil Service Exam: The 2026 National Civil Service Examination (NCSE) has set a new record with 3.51 million applicants, marking an increase of nearly 260,000 from last year, according to data from Office Education. Despite a reduced recruitment scale of 38,119 positions 1,602 fewer than 2025 the enthusiasm among candidates has surged, resulting in an average competition ratio of 92:1. Experts attribute this record turnout to relaxed eligibility rules. The upper age limit has been raised to 38 for most candidates and 43 for recent master’s and doctoral graduates, broadening access and attracting more experienced applicants. The most competitive post First Sergeant and Below at the Ruili Repatriation Center received 7,591 applications for a single vacancy, yielding a staggering 7,591:1 ratio. Regionally, Guangdong topped with over 329,000 applicants, while Beijing ranked first in competition intensity with 165:1. Interestingly, seven of the top ten most competitive regions are in China’s western provinces, such as Ningxia, Tibet, and Guizhou, reflecting growing interest in government service across less-developed areas.
Chinese FM Wang Yi to Address Lanting Forum on Global Governance in Beijing: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will attend and deliver the keynote speech at the Lanting Forum on “Improving Global Governance to Build a Community with a Shared Future for Humanity” on October 27 in Beijing, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Friday. The event, hosted at the Foreign Ministry, will bring together high-level representatives, diplomats, scholars, and experts from China and abroad. The forum aims to facilitate in-depth exchanges on advancing the Global Governance Initiative, a framework proposed by China to make international cooperation more equitable and inclusive. Participants are expected to discuss reforms in global institutions, development cooperation, and emerging challenges such as climate change, technology governance, and regional security. Wang Yi’s address will likely highlight China’s role in promoting multilateralism and sustainable global development amid increasing geopolitical tensions. The forum reflects Beijing’s growing push to position itself as a key contributor to reshaping international governance structures.
China’s Foreign Ministry Reacts to Japan’s New Prime Minister’s China-Related Remarks: In response to comments made by Japan’s new prime minister Sanae Takaichi in her policy address, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun reaffirmed that China “has the best track record among major countries” on matters of peace and security. He contrasted this with what he described as Japan’s recent security policy shifts, including increased defence spending, relaxed weapons-export controls and pursuit of enhanced military capabilities. Guo said these developments raise “serious doubts” among Asian neighbours and the international community about Japan’s commitment to an “exclusively defence-oriented policy” and peaceful development.
China Tops Global Ranking for Fastest Energy Transformation: At the 2025 International Energy Transformation Forum held in Suzhou, China was recognized as the country with the fastest energy transformation in the world, according to the newly released “Energy Transformation Index Blue Book 2025.” The index evaluated global progress across five key dimensions: energy consumption, supply, technology, policy, and environmental impact. China ranked third overall in the global Energy Transformation Index and was the only developing nation among the top ten. Notably, in the newly added category assessing energy transformation speed, China took the top global position, highlighting its rapid shift toward cleaner energy systems. Data presented at the forum showed that by September 2025, China’s new energy storage capacity exceeded 100 gigawatts, making up over 40% of the world’s total. The country’s renewable products and technologies are now exported to more than 200 countries and regions, helping to cut global carbon emissions by 2.65 billion tons last year alone underscoring China’s growing leadership in global green energy transition.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER

Chengdu Woman Discovers 10g of Real Gold in Laundry Detergent Package, Sparks Buzz Online: A woman from Chengdu, Sichuan, has become an overnight sensation on Chinese social media after discovering ten one-gram gold notes hidden in a laundry detergent package she purchased during the Spring Festival. Identified as Ms. He, she had entered a livestream lucky draw and received an unexpected parcel a month later from an unknown sender. Initially skeptical, she took the gold-like notes to a local shop to verify their authenticity and was astonished to learn they were real gold. After China’s National Day holiday, as gold prices surged, Ms. He sold the 10 grams at 950 yuan per gram, earning nearly 10,000 yuan in net profit after deducting her purchase cost. The story quickly trended on Weibo under hashtags like “#BuyingLaundryDetergentandFinding10GramsofGold#,” amassing millions of views. Many users joked about checking their own detergent boxes, while others praised Ms. He’s honesty and luck, calling her “the luckiest shopper of the year.” The incident also reignited discussions about creative marketing and livestream giveaways in China’s booming e-commerce sector.

INDIA WATCH

The Paper Debunks Viral Claim on Japan Bringing 500,000 Indian Immigrants to Boost Birth Rate: Chinese news media The Paper has debunked the viral social media claim that Japan plans to introduce 500,000 Indian immigrants to solve its declining birth rate. It clarified that the claim misrepresents the India-Japan Human Resources Exchange and Cooperation Action Plan, signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Tokyo visit on August 29. The plan envisions two-way exchanges of 500,000 professionals over five years, including 50,000 skilled Indians participating in temporary exchange programs not mass immigration. The Paper highlighted that Japan’s talent acceptance remains under its strict immigration system. It also contextualized the rumor within Japan’s growing anti-immigration sentiment, noting recent protests in Osaka and Hokkaido opposing foreign labor and immigration policies. These protests, it said, were partly linked to Japan’s African aid initiatives and the controversial “JICA Africa Hometowns” project, which was later withdrawn after backlash. Indian media like The Economic Times portrayed the agreement as a mutually beneficial partnership promoting skill exchange and bilateral cooperation rather than population replacement. Analysts in India view The Paper’s coverage as a significant clarification amid rising misinformation, reaffirming the initiative’s intent to foster human capital cooperation, not demographic engineering.

Prepared By

Lipun Kumar Sanbad

Lipun Kumar Sanbad, a postgraduate student of Politics and International Relations from Pondicherry University and a History and Political science graduate from University of Delhi. From the past three years working as a freelance researcher in the domain of global peace, conflict and security studies, and defence studies.