Daily Conversations Daily Conversations

NEWS IN CHINA

• Xi Jinping Sends Congratulatory Message to AU Summit:  On 15th February, President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to Angolan President Joao Lourenco, the rotating chairperson of the African Union, and to AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf. He extended warm greetings to African countries and peoples on the occasion of the 39th AU Summit. He noted that the African Union has upheld unity, advanced regional integration, safeguarded Africa’s legitimate rights and interests, and steadily enhanced its international standing. He stressed that amid global turbulence, China remains firmly committed to safeguarding world peace, promoting development, and building a community with a shared future for humanity. Xi announced that China will grant zero-tariff treatment to 53 African countries with diplomatic ties starting May 1, 2026. Additionally, China will also accelerate negotiations on economic partnership agreements and further expand African exports to the Chinese market through upgraded “green channel” measures. He highlighted that the new steps will create fresh opportunities for Africa’s development and deepen China-Africa cooperation. He reaffirmed China’s readiness to work with Africa to carry forward their long-standing friendship and jointly build an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era.
  
  
• Wang Yi Urges Norway to Support China-Europe Ties: Wang Yi expressed hope that Norway will play a constructive role in promoting the steady development of China-Europe relations. He made the remarks while meeting Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany. Wany Yi noted that China views its relationship with Norway from a strategic and long-term perspective and is willing to maintain close exchanges at all levels. He highlighted that multilateralism emerged as a broad consensus at this year’s conference, stressing that it does not mean acting arbitrarily, nor does multipolarity imply dominance by a few major powers. Quoting Xi Jinping, Wang Yi stated that China advocates an equal and orderly multipolar world, where countries of all sizes participate on an equal footing and jointly uphold international law. He added that China and Norway share support for multilateralism and free trade, calling for closer coordination. Eide highlighted that Wang’s remarks on global governance aligned closely with Norway’s views. He reaffirmed Norway’s commitment to strengthening dialogue with China and enhancing cooperation within multilateral frameworks, as well as upholding multilateralism and free trade.
  
  
• China Grants Visa-Free Entry to UK, Canada: The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Sunday that China will extend its visa-free entry policy to ordinary passport holders from the United Kingdom and Canada. The visa-free entry policy will take effect starting February 17. Under the policy, citizens of both countries may enter China without a visa and stay for up to 30 days. The exemption applies to travel for business, tourism, visiting family or friends, exchanges, and transit. The move is aimed at further facilitating cross-border travel and people-to-people exchanges. The spokesperson noted that the visa-free arrangement will remain in effect until December 31, 2026. 
  
  
• China Issues Plan to Upgrade Brewing Industry by 2030: China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, together with two other departments, has jointly released the Guiding Opinions on Upgrading and Improving the Quality of the Brewing Industry (2026–2030). The document outlined a roadmap to modernize the sector and enhance quality and efficiency. According to the plan, by 2028, China will further optimize the industrial layout and strengthen the role of major production areas and industrial parks. The country aims to cultivate more than three traditional wine-producing regions, each worth over 100 billion yuan, and over ten specialized brewing industrial parks valued at more than 10 billion yuan. This will help form a development pattern featuring “10-billion-yuan parks, 100-billion-yuan clusters, and a trillion-yuan industry.” The guidelines also call for closer integration across raw material planting, brewing, distribution, and consumption. Under this document, new production models and consumption scenarios will be encouraged. By 2030, digitalization, green development, and internationalization are expected to advance further. The plan set 21 key tasks in seven areas, including raw material security, technological innovation, industrial restructuring, talent training, and brand development. 
  
  
• China Regulator Warns Platforms to Curb Unfair Competition: China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) held talks with major platform companies, including Alibaba, Douyin, Baidu, Tencent, JD.com, Meituan, and Taobao Flash Sale. The regulator urged the companies to strictly follow China’s Anti-Unfair Competition Law, Price Law, Consumer Rights Protection Law, and E-commerce Law. It required platforms to take primary responsibility for compliance and better regulate promotional activities. Companies were told to avoid misleading marketing, unfair pricing, and other illegal practices. SAMR also called on platforms to eliminate “involutionary” competition. It urged them to work together to maintain a fair and orderly market. The regulator stressed that fair competition is essential for innovation and the sustainable growth of the platform economy.
  
  

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER

Weibo Debates Overtime Rule During Spring Festival: A post with the hashtags #WorkingOvertimeDuringThese4DaysOfSpringFestivalWillEarnYou4TimesTheSalary# is going viral on Weibo. According to China News Service, Yang Baoquan, senior partner at Beijing Zhongyin Law Firm, explained that during the new year holiday (February 15th to February 23rd), under the Labor Law, employees working on those days should receive overtime pay of no less than 300% of their daily wage. He emphasized that statutory holiday overtime could not be substituted for compensatory leave. The reaction online was overwhelmingly skeptical and critical. Many questioned the enforcement rather than the calculation. Many doubted whether employers would actually comply. One user commented that “It wouldn’t matter if the boss didn’t send it,” while another commented, “Not all bosses follow this rule.” Some shared personal experiences of working through the holiday, regardless, noting “I have to work during the Chinese New Year”. Another user noted that hospitals are lawless places, as hospitals offer little holiday protection, with employees frequently required to work even during public holidays. Some users insisted they had “only ever heard of triple, never quadruple,” noting that even triple pay depended on management discretion. A few others called for stricter implementation of this law, particularly in the catering sector.

INDIA WATCH

Finance Sina Highlighted US License for Reliance to Purchase Venezuelan Oil: An article in Sina Finance discussed the US government’s decision to grant Reliance Industries a general license to purchase, export and sell Venezuelan oil, including refining activities. The report noted that the license enabled Indian refiners to directly buy Venezuelan crude without violating US sanctions. According to the article, this arrangement would help Reliance replace Russian oil more cost-effectively, as Venezuelan heavy crude was being offered at discounted prices. The report stated that earlier that month, Reliance had purchased 2 million barrels of Venezuelan oil from trading firm Vitol. Following Washington’s actions against Venezuelan President Maduro, Vitol and Trafigura reportedly received US authorization to sell millions of barrels of Venezuelan crude. According to the article, US officials had indicated that sanctions relief was linked to a $2 billion oil supply arrangement and a broader $100 billion plan to rebuild Venezuela’s oil sector. Sina Finance further connected the development to ongoing US-India trade negotiations. It noted that Reliance, which operated two refineries with a combined capacity of about 1.4 million barrels per day, had previously imported up to 500,000 barrels per day of Russian crude under a long-term agreement with Rosneft. However, it noted that recent indications suggest Indian refiners were avoiding new Russian cargoes for April delivery. 

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.