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NEWS IN CHINA

• China and Russia Call for Ceasefire in Middle East: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a phone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at Lavrov’s request, focusing on the rapidly deteriorating situation involving Iran. Wang Yi stated that, at the joint initiative of China and Russia, the UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on 28 February. He emphasized that China consistently upholds the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter and firmly opposes the use of force in international relations. Describing the recent US and Israeli military strikes on Iran during ongoing negotiations as unacceptable, Wang Yi condemned the killing of a sovereign leader and the calls for regime change as violations of international law. He warned that the escalation across the Persian Gulf could push the Middle East toward a dangerous abyss. Wang Yi also outlined China’s three-point stance which involves an immediate ceasefire, a swift return to dialogue, and collective opposition to unilateral military actions. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov echoed these concerns, noting that the strikes had seriously undermined regional stability. He reiterated that Moscow shares China’s position and is prepared to strengthen coordination with Beijing through multilateral platforms, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), to call for an end to hostilities.
  
  
• CPPCC Standing Committee Meeting Opens in Beijing: The 15th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference opened in Beijing. This marked a key step in preparations for the upcoming annual political session. Wang Huning, chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, attended the opening ceremony. The meeting reviewed and approved a decision to convene the Fourth Session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee. It also heard a report from the Chairman’s Meeting on CPPCC work in 2025, as well as explanations on the drafting of the Standing Committee’s annual work report and a report on the handling of proposals submitted since the Third Session. In addition, reports were presented on the 2025 work plans of multiple specialized committees, including those covering economic affairs, agriculture and rural development, population and environment, education and health, social and legal affairs, ethnic and religious affairs, overseas Chinese affairs, foreign affairs, and culture and history. The opening ceremony was presided over by Shi Taifeng, vice chairman of the CPPCC National Committee.
  
  
• Foreign Direct Investment in China Surges in High‑Tech Sectors: According to the Ministry of Commerce, January saw notable growth in both the number of new foreign‑funded enterprises and the share of investment flowing into high‑tech industries. A total of 5,306 new foreign‑invested firms were established nationwide, marking a 25.5 percent year‑on‑year increase, and actual foreign capital utilized reached 92.01 billion yuan. Foreign direct investment in the high‑tech industries sector rose to 33.75 billion yuan, up 0.6 percent year‑on‑year, and accounted for 36.7 percent of total FDI, which marks an increase of 2.3 percentage points from last year. FDI in R&D and design services surged 175.1 percent, computer and office equipment manufacturing grew 82.4 percent, and electronic and communication equipment manufacturing rose 3.7 percent. Investment from key partners also increased, with actual inflows from Germany up 86.6 percent, Switzerland up 57.4 percent, and Singapore up 10.9 percent. According to Yuan Qian, a researcher at the Institute of Foreign Economics of the Macroeconomic Research Institute of the National Development and Reform Commission the data shows renewed vitality in China’s investment environment in January. She noted that rising high‑tech investment, increased visits by global executives, and strong interest from European investors signal growing confidence in China’s stable economic outlook.
  
  
• China Issues First National Standards for Humanoid Robots: China has taken a major step toward regulating its fast-growing humanoid robotics sector with the release of its first national standard system. This “standard system” covers the full industrial chain of humanoid robots and embodies artificial intelligence. The framework was announced at the annual meeting on Humanoid Robots and Embodied Intelligence Standardization held in Beijing and consists of six major components, which include basic commonality, brain-like and intelligent computing, limbs and core components, complete machines and systems, application, and safety and ethics. It was jointly developed by more than 120 research institutes, enterprises, and industry users under the guidance of a technical committee organized by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. According to the committee, standards for brain-like and intelligent computing define key requirements for data governance, model training, and deployment. Application standards regulate humanoid robot use across diverse scenarios, and safety and ethics requirements span the entire lifecycle. This initiative comes amid the rapid growth of China’s humanoid robot sector in 2025, with data indicating that over 140 domestic companies launched more than 330 models throughout the year. The newly introduced standards aim to promote orderly development, enhance interoperability, and support the industry’s high-quality and sustainable expansion.
  
  
• China Highlights Data Security Responsibilities in Outsourced Services: China’s Ministry of State Security released a notice emphasizing the importance of careful management when outsourcing data storage and related services, following a reported cyber incident. It noted that insufficient oversight and inadequate review of service providers can create security gaps and threaten the country’s national security. In one case, a technology firm without proper credentials mishandled sensitive financial customer information, leading to privacy breaches. Another example involved an employee of a data hosting provider who exploited weak supervision to access and remove experimental data after the outsourcing entity failed to establish effective access controls. The Ministry also pointed out that overseas cybercrime groups have increasingly targeted data hosting platforms, using technical means to infiltrate databases and steal large volumes of user data. The notice stressed that data security is an essential part of national security, referencing China’s Data Security Law. Finally, the notice called on the organizations outsourcing data services to strengthen internal supervision, carefully assess contractors’ qualifications, clearly define confidentiality obligations, and conduct regular risk assessments.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER

Weibo Buzzes Over 2026 Postgraduate Exam Cutoff Scores: A post with the hashtag #2026NationalPostgraduateEntranceExaminationCutoffScoresReleased# has gained significant traction on Weibo. The post explained why cutoff scores for certain majors increased this year, despite a decrease in the number of test takers. It clarified that the rise or fall of cutoff scores mainly depends on the difficulty of the exam and the overall performance of candidates, rather than the number of examinees. Netizens shared their concerns, with a highly liked comment noting that “postgraduate degrees are losing value and employment prospects are declining, reducing the appeal of pursuing further studies.” Another user highlighted the “high cutoff scores for comprehensive management exams,” observing that “even scores above 260 may not guarantee an interview.” Some users also attributed changes to the expansion of recommendation-based admissions and the inclusion of mathematics in certain liberal arts majors. A few other users critiqued that the “general level of cultural and educational attainment is low”, while others pointed out the imbalance between educational input and output in the country. 

INDIA WATCH

Finance Sina Discusses Revised GDP Data that Delays India’s Overtaking of Japan: An article published in Finance Sina discussed India’s revision of its 2025–2026 fiscal year. Citing official data, the article noted that India’s nominal GDP was revised to 345.47 trillion rupees from the previous estimate of 357.14 trillion rupees. It stated that at the average exchange rate for the period, India’s economy was valued at approximately $4 trillion, compared with Japan’s $4.4 trillion in 2025, indicating that India is unlikely to overtake Japan as the world’s fourth-largest economy as soon as previously expected. The article emphasized that the revised data is based on a new measurement framework incorporating key adjustments to better reflect structural economic changes. It noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior officials have frequently described India as the world’s fourth-largest economy, and the previous forecast by the International Monetary Fund also showed that by 2026, India’s GDP would reach $4.51 trillion, exceeding Japan’s projected $4.46 trillion. However, the article stated that this scenario is now highly unlikely, citing the nearly 5% depreciation of the Indian rupee against the US dollar last year, which reduced India’s dollar-denominated GDP, while the Japanese yen appreciated. The article further foregrounded comments made by Sahi Gupta, an economist at HDFC Bank, who believes the revised figures show that India’s nominal GDP is lower than expected and that surpassing Japan this year or next appears unlikely.

Prepared By

Neha Maurya

Neha Maurya is a fourth-year undergraduate student at FLAME University, pursuing a major in International Studies with a minor in Public Policy. Her research interests lie in strategic studies, governance, and education policy. She aspires to engage in work that links research insights to policy outcomes.