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NEWS IN CHINA

• Foreign Minister Wang Yi Meets Russian Maritime Board Chairman: Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Aung Kyaw Hoe, Myanmar’s Minister of the Ministry of National Planning, Investment and Foreign Economic Relations. During the meeting, Wang Yi reaffirmed China’s support for Myanmar’s efforts to achieve stability, economic growth and social development. He stressed that China remains committed to deepening relations with Myanmar and advancing the vision of a China-Myanmar community with a shared future. He also reiteratedChina’s support for Myanmar in stabilising the country, in the development of the economy and people’s livelihoods. He emphasised that Beijing is prepared to continue working closely with Myanmar and described China as a long-term and reliable partner in the country’s development process. The talk highlighted the importance of addressing cross-border security challenges, including telecom fraud and online gambling networks. Aung Hyaw Hoe showed willingness to work and cooperate with China, benefiting both countries. He welcomed greater involvement of Chinese businesses in the country’s development. He also invited more Chinese enterprises to invest and expand operations in Myanmar, highlighting the importance of economic cooperation between the two countries.
  
  
• China and Russia Reaffirm Commitment to Expand Military Cooperation: China and Russia have reaffirmed their commitment to deepening military cooperation following a meeting in Beijing between Zhang Shemin, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and Andrei Belousov, Russian Defence Minister. The discussion highlighted the continued growth of defence ties between the two countries, which Chinese officials described as an important component of the broader China-Russia Strategic Partnership. Chang also expressed China's willingness to further strengthen strategic communications, enhance mutual trust between the armed forces, improve cooperation mechanisms and explore new areas of defence cooperation. During the meeting, Zhang Shengmin noted that 2026 marks the 30th anniversary of the China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination and the 25th anniversary of the Treaty of Good Neighbourliness and Friendly Cooperation. Andrei Belousov described current China-Russia relations as being at an unprecedented level. He also emphasised the importance of strategic coordination, particularly amid the complex international security environment, and expressed Russia’s interest in cooperation between the countries in the areas of military education, scientific and technological innovation. 
  
  
• China Issues New Rules to Standardise Market Regulation Penalties: The State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) has issued new regulations to standardise the exercise of administrative penalty discretion in market supervision and strengthen the rule of law. The new rules upgrade existing discretionary guidelines into departmental regulations, enhancing their legal authority and clarifying the procedures, responsibilities and requirements for formulating and applying penalty benchmarks. The regulations establish five levels of administrative penalty discretion, including no penalty, reduced penalty, lighter penalty, general penalty and heavier penalty. They identify circumstances warranting leniency, including minor violations and limited harmful consequences, while providing for harsher penalties in cases involving violence or threats against law enforcement personnel and refusal to rectify illegal conduct. The rules also standardise criteria for identifying first-time and minor violations, helping improve consistency, transparency and predictability in enforcement nationwide. Additionally, they require officials to comprehensively assess multiple mitigating and aggravating circumstances when determining appropriate penalties, preventing arbitrary decisions and mechanical enforcement. According to the officials, the regulations will promote strict, fair, standardised and evidence-based enforcement, strengthen the credibility of market supervision authorities, support the development of a unified national market and contribute to a fair, transparent and internationally competitive business environment.
  
  
• China’s Patent and Trademark Examination Plan for 2030: China’s National Intellectual Property Administration has released the 15th Five-Year Plan for Patent and Trademark Examinations. It outlines China’s strategy for strengthening its intellectual property review system through 2030. The Plan aims to establish an institution with world-class patent and trademark examination that will have Chinese characteristics and can improve examination quality, deepen international cooperation, and enhance support for innovation-driven development. The plan has four major key focuses. First is to strengthen the patent examination with improvement in rules and enhancement in examination quality. Second is to improve trademark examination to increase the quality and efficiency of trademark reviews. This is to expand international cooperation and participate more actively in global governance to help Chinese firms strengthen overseas intellectual property. The last one is to enhance the examination system. In addition to the plan, it has also proposed seven special initiatives, including reforms targeting the enhancement of patent examination rules, measures to improve trademark examination in emerging technology sectors, and an AI examination project. 
  
  
• China Advances Low Earth Orbit Satellite Internet Constellation: China’s commercial space sector successfully launched the privately developed Kinectic-2 (Lijian-2) liquid-propellant carrier rocket on 3rd of November. Developed by CAS Space, the mission was launched from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Experimental Zone in northwest China. The mission carried the 21st batch of satellites for China’s Qianfan low -Earth orbit satellite internet constellation. The rocket is designed to provide high-frequency, reliable, and cost-effective launch services. Kinetica-2 is capable of carrying up to 8 tonnes to a 500 km sun-synchronous orbit and 12 tonnes to a 200 km low Earth orbit, making it well suited for mass satellite deployment. According to the article, 256 broadband satellites had already been placed in orbit by the end of October 2026. China plans to add 68 additional satellites and reach the number of satellites in the constellation to 624 satellites by the end of the year. CAS also plans to further enhance rocket production through improved production capacity, increased launch frequency, and the development of reusable booster technologies to lower costs.
  
  

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER

Weibo Users React to China’s Latest Achievements in Internet Development: A post by People’s Daily highlighting the latest achievements in China’s internet development is going viral on Weibo. According to the post, the 2026 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit was held in Wuzhen, Zhejiang Province, from 2 to 5 November. The post reported that China’s internet user population has reached 1.125 billion, with internet penetration exceeding 80%, while the scale of the country’s core artificial intelligence industry is expected to surpass 1.2 trillion yuan. Many users viewed the development of China’s emerging technology capacity and its progress in technological transformation and innovation as a positive sign of the country's technological advancements. One user commented that “China’s internet technology continues to develop further”, while another user noted that “Technology saves lives”, acknowledging the change technology brings in daily lives. Some users noted that “from network infrastructure to the AI ​​industry, digital power is permeating all sectors, and the internet continues to create new opportunities.” Several users commented on the data figures, noting “the speed of the digital development is visible to the naked eye”, while others commented, “technology is becoming more advanced.” However, a few users also noted that “technology has not brought them any benefit; instead, it has made running a traditional business more difficult.”

INDIA WATCH

Guancha Discusses India's Relaxation of FDI Restrictions: An article in Guancha discussed the relaxation of foreign direct investment restrictions by India for its neighbouring countries, which is widely interpreted as an effort to facilitate the gradual return of Chinese investment after six years of restrictions since 2020. According to the article, the Indian government said that this will attract foreign investment, strengthen India’s role in global supply chains, and support its goal of becoming a major manufacturing hub. The article highlighted that under the new rules, investment proposals in sectors such as electronics, solar cells, polysilicon, and silicon wafers will be processed more quickly, with approval expected within 60 days. The article noted that Indian Companies or individuals must continue to retain controlling stakes in recipient firms, indicating that New Delhi remains cautious even as it opens selected sectors to foreign capital. It further highlighted that India’s easing of investment restrictions could strengthen the economic pillar of improving India-China relations and renewed investment could benefit India through technology transfer, capital flows, and industrial development, while China gain access to a large and attractive market.  However, it noted that Chinese investors may remain cautious in the short term due to continuing uncertainty in bilateral relations. 

Prepared By

Farhat Naz

Farhat Naz holds a postgraduate degree in International Relations and Political Science from the Central University of Kerala and a bachelor's degree in Mass Communication from Patna University. Her research interests include international security, great-power politics, geopolitical competition, South and West Asian affairs, conflict and peace studies, and the evolving international order.