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NEWS IN CHINA

• China Unveils Measures to Protect Rights of Post-Retirement Workers: China has unveiled its first draft regulation, aimed at protecting the working rights of people past retirement age, signaling a major shift in policy as the country grapples with an aging population and a shrinking workforce. Jointly issued by five central agencies, including the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the regulation encourages employers to re-hire older individuals based on their skills, while mandating written agreements to ensure clear terms regarding job scope, compensation, social insurance and workplace protection. The draft proposes that older workers must earn at least the local minimum wage and be excluded from hazardous roles. Job-related injury and occupational disease insurance coverage will be extended to this demographic, along with mandatory safety training. Currently, China’s labor laws do not fully account for the growing number of senior citizens who are seeking to return to work, driven by improved health, longer life expectancy, and financial needs. This regulation comes alongside China’s phased plan to raise the statutory retirement age starting January 1, 2025, and extending it from 60 to 63 for men and from 50 and 55 to 55 and 58 respectively for women.

• Zhao Leji Calls for Parliamentary Cooperation to Strengthen Multilateralism: At the Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, in Geneva, China’s top legislator Zhao Leji, emphasized the role of legislatures in addressing global challenges and promoting multilateralism. Speaking as the Chairman of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, Zhao called on legislatures worldwide to promote peace, respect, sovereignty, and support development based on mutual benefit. He urged parliaments to safeguard global security through a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security, while respecting national sovereignty and the right of peoples to choose their development paths. He reaffirmed China’s commitment to fair global governance, civilizational dialogue, and a rules-based multilateral trading system with WTO at the core. Highlighting civilizational diversity, Zhao encouraged deeper intercultural exchange and dialogue to foster coexistence. He also expressed China’s readiness to collaborate through the Inter-Parliamentary Union and advance the Global Development, Security, and Civilization Initiatives to build a shared future for humanity.

• NDRC Plans to Further Boost Consumer Goods Trade-In Program: China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) announced that the government will allocate an additional 69 billion yuan (USD 9.65 billion) in October 2025 to support its ongoing consumer goods trade-in program. This marks the fourth and final tranche of the ultra-long special treasury bond funds earmarked for the initiative this year. In total, the Ministry of Finance and the NDRC have committed 300 billion yuan in 2025 toward the program, which is a part of broader efforts to stimulate domestic consumption and upgrade consumer goods. Officials emphasized that China’s economy demonstrated strong resilience in the first half of the year, with domestic demand contributing 68.8% to GDP growth. NDRC official Zhou Chen stated that to sustain momentum, the NDRC will introduce further policy measures aimed at stabilizing employment and boosting demand. These include enhanced economic monitoring, forecasting, and a more robust policy toolkit. The agency also plans to advance the development of a unified national market by formulating preventative measures against market fragmentation and unfair competition.

• China Expands Veteran and Martyr Support Under 14^th Five-Year Plan: China has made significant progress in enhancing veterans and martyrs support during the 14^th Five-Year period (2021-2025), according to Minister of Veterans Affairs Pei Jinjia at a recent press conference in Beijing. In 2022, China introduced its first national-level special plan dedicated to veterans' affairs, targeting employment support, training, and rights protection for retired military personnel. Since 2021, over 250,000 veterans and demobilized officers have been successfully placed in jobs, supported by more than 50,000 job fairs. Veterans are increasingly contributing to national development, with approximately 370,000 serving as village and community officials, over 14,800 working as school teachers, and more than 18,000 joining China’s national fire and rescue teams. The role of “veterans affairs coordinators” has been formally recognized as a new profession, emphasizing policy consultation, job support and rights advocacy. While honoring fallen heroes, the remains of 265 Chinese People’s Volunteers from the Korean War were repatriated and honored between 2021 and 2025. A national DNA database has aided in identifying 7,000 fallen soldiers.

• Xi Jinping Outlines Vision for Ecological Civilization in Qiushi Article: The 15^th issue of Qiushi magazine, published on August 1 features an article by General Secretary Xi Jinping titled, “Speech at the National Conference on Ecological and Environmental Protection”. The speech, originally delivered in July 2023, underscores the historic transformation of China’s ecological civilization efforts since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. Xi highlights that China has shifted from reactive environmental management to proactive, systematic governance and has become a global leader in ecological policy. As China enters a phase of high-quality, green and low-carbon development, the article outlines five key relationships to guide future work - aligning high-quality development with ecological protection; balancing targeted interventions with coordinated governance; combining natural and artificial restoration; stimulating motivation alongside regulatory enforcement; and supporting international carbon pledges with autonomous action. Xi stresses the need for continued efforts in pollution control, ecosystem restoration, green transition and carbon neutrality. He calls for strengthening legal, policy and technological support, maintaining the Party’s leadership, and reinforcing national security in ecological planning. Building a “Beautiful China”, he concludes, is essential to realizing socialist modernization. 

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER

• Wuhan University Harassment Case Sparks Online Debate: An incident at the Wuhan University Library has sparked a wave of online debate following disciplinary action taken by the university against a male student accused of sexual harassment. A Weibo post that gained widespread attention claimed that the university’s response was “excessive,” sparking discussion on the boundaries of acceptable behaviour in public spaces and the standards used to define harassment. As per the viral post, the incident involved no physical contact, exposure or any other inappropriate actions. It also suggested that while respect and decency are necessary, escalating minor or ambiguous interactions into disciplinary matters may do more harm than good. It emphasized the need for a more balanced tone in both public discussions and institutional actions. In contrast, online backlash highlighted concerns about downplaying or dismissing uncomfortable behaviour, which contributes to a culture of silence around harassment and boundaries. One Weibo commenter stressed that even in the absence of physical contact, persistent or unwanted attention could still cause distress to the victim. Wuhan University has yet to release a detailed public statement about the nature of the disciplinary measures, though it confirmed that action had been taken in accordance with internal codes of conduct.   

INDIA WATCH

• Chinese Media Speculates About India’s Decision to Refuse F-35s Purchase: Chinese media platform Guancha assessed India’s decision to hold off on purchase of F35 stealth fighters. It states that amid the escalating tensions with the U.S., India is carefully walking a tightrope and seeking to appease President Trump’s administration following his announcement of 25% tariffs on Indian goods starting August 1. However, the report also speculates that New Delhi has firmly ruled out purchasing U.S. F-35 fighter jets, a major ask from Washington. It argues that Indian officials are surprised by Trump’s sudden tariff decision, which comes after prolonged trade talks and Trump’s social media outburst accusing India of favoring Russia for energy and military purchases. It also states that India is considering increasing imports of telecom goods, natural gas and gold to narrow India’s trade surplus with the U.S., while highlighting that India may consider a retaliation at the WTO against US’ actions. As per the article, the decision to refuse purchase of F-35s has been India’s conscious decision to allow bolstering of domestic manufacturing and potentially engage in joint production with other countries. In light of Trump and Treasury Secretary Besant’s recent criticism of India, the article states that Indian analysts see this as US’ negotiation tactic to pressure India into a trade deal. With China and Russia signalling revival of trilateral partnership with India, the article argues that Trump’s tactics could inadvertently push India closer to Beijing and Moscow, and thereby undermine the QUAD alliance in the Indo-Pacific.

Prepared By

Shreya Parthiban

I am Shreya Parthiban, a 3rd year undergraduate student pursuing International Relations and Economics at Sai University, Chennai. I am currently working as a Research Intern at the Organisation for Research on China and Asia. I have previously interned at The Peninsula Foundation, The Prajnya Trust, and The Impact and Policy Research Institute (IMPRI), as Research Interns in the field of International Relations and Policy making. My interests mainly include Global Politics, Foreign Affairs, Policymaking, Sustainability, Climate Change, and International Relations in general. I look forward to working in the field of research in China and Asia and plan to pursue a career in policy research and international development in the future.