CiCM 1st December 2025

NEWS IN CHINA

China Plans Nationwide "Eco-Police" Mechanism by 2027: China will roll out an “eco-police” system by 2027 to integrate crackdown, prevention and governance of environmental and resource-related crimes, under a guideline jointly issued by 10 central bodies including the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment. Public security organs will lead, with a fully standardized, efficient framework targeted for 2035. Priority tasks include tougher action against pollution, wildlife crimes, illegal mining and fishing, sand dredging and unauthorized occupation of farmland, with a focus on professional, gang-based and cross-regional networks through improved case supervision, joint operations and clue-sharing. Localities are encouraged to create river, lake, forest and ecological police chiefs, and set up joint eco-police duty centers in high-risk areas to fuse policing with grassroots governance. The guideline links criminal enforcement to ecological restoration and “value transformation”, pushing offenders to fund rehabilitation and tying crackdowns to green industrial upgrading and ecological product value.
China-Japan Travel Plunge Hits Airlines, Retail Amid Diplomatic Tensions: China-Japan air travel has plummeted following Beijing's travel advisory against visiting Japan after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's unretracted remarks on Taiwan. December sees over 900 (16 percent) of 5,548 scheduled flights canceled, with Chinese carriers slashing 72 routes and 156,000 seats, tripling prior cuts. New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido expects 30,000-40,000 fewer Chinese visitors through March. Bookings for December onward lag sharply, with no rebound for New Year's trips. Imperial Hotel Tokyo reports Chinese banquet postponements; fashion brand Human Made Inc pivots strategy amid tensions. From Nov 24 to Dec 31, cancellations rose 56% since the prior month. Reports suggest that Chinese tourists have redirected their travel plans to Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia and other countries in Southeast Asia.
China Registers Improved Manufacturing PMI in November: China's manufacturing PMI rose to 49.2 in November, up 0.2 points from October, reflecting improved market sentiment ahead of the 15th Five-Year Plan, according to National Bureau of Statistics data. Production hit the expansion threshold at 50.0 (+0.3 points), while new orders improved to 49.2 (+0.4 points). Small enterprises saw the sharpest rebound at 49.1, a six-month high and +2 points, while high-tech manufacturing remained in expansion territory at 50.1 for 10 straight months. Sectors such as agricultural processing and non-ferrous metals exhibited active demand. Market expectations climbed to 53.1 (+0.3 points). Non-manufacturing PMI dipped to 49.5 (-0.6 points) due to post-holiday seasonality, but year-end festival demand is expected to spur recovery. Experts predict further stabilization as industries sprint to year-end with policy support driving manufacturing growth.
Xi Jinping Outlines Five Key Steps to Advance Party Self-Revolution: Xi Jinping's recent article in Qiushi journal, excerpted from a June 2025 CPC Political Bureau study session, stresses thorough implementation of Party self-revolution amid modernization challenges. He identifies that clear ideas require resolute action, rejecting misconceptions like "self-revolution is asking for trouble" or "it hampers economic development". Xi outlines "five further improvements": deeper ideological grasp, stronger Party spirit via "real cultivation", standardized power operations caged by systems, strict supervision/discipline and fulfilled governance duties. He warns that corruption undermines Party and economy, vowing unrelenting crackdowns. Addressing the rising corruption among young cadres, Xi urges urgent Party spirit training for continuity. Leading cadres, the "critical minority", must exemplify loyalty and set the tone. He also reiterated that "Party building is a duty; neglect is dereliction, poor execution, incompetence".
Beijing Bolsters Pediatric Care Amid Flu Peak: Beijing has entered influenza peak season, dominated by the H3N2 strain, with outbreak intensity below historical highs. Beijing’s Municipal Health Commission reports rising pediatric respiratory cases since November, but volumes at Beijing Children's Hospital remain under last year's levels, stabilizing after a third-week surge. Authorities activated contingency plans that include fever clinics, pediatrics and respiratory departments running at full capacity with added staff, consultation rooms, infusion/follow-up clinics and night pediatric services lists. A joint monitoring mechanism tracks visits, insurance, drugs, ensuring anti-Mycoplasma, flu and COVID antivirals supply. Innovations at Beijing Children's Hospital include real-time parking, no on-site registration, smart triage, online admissions/discharges, and shared preparations across affiliates to cut waits.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER

10,000m Gold Medal Revocation in National Games Sparks Online Debates: Weibo users are divided over the 15th National Games men's 10,000m disqualification, where Yunnan's Jiang Fakun lost gold due to teammate Yang Shaohui's illegal acceleration during lapping, handing victory to Shandong's Tang Haoran. Many netizens expressed sympathy for Jiang, calling it painful and unfair, with some wondering if it was deliberate sabotage. Others praised organisers for strict rule enforcement, insisting lapped runners must yield without aiding leaders to preserve fair competition. Debate centers on video evidence, provincial team bias and past unresolved scandals like Jilin's match-fixing allegations. Pity for the medal loss prevails amid calls for consistent arbitration. Some lament the final sprint's legitimacy, while rule advocates stress clear prohibitions on such assistance.

INDIA WATCH

Chinese Media Speculates About India’s Mandatory Cybersecurity App on All New Phones: Chinese media platform Sina reports that India’s Department of Telecommunications has ordered major smartphone makers to pre-install its Sanchar Saathi cybersecurity app on every new device sold in the country, and users will reportedly not be allowed to uninstall or disable it. As per the article, the directive, dated November 28, gives companies 90 days to comply and requires pushing the app via software updates to phones already in the supply chain. The report claims that Sanchar Saathi lets users verify IMEIs, report suspicious calls and messages and remotely block stolen phones through a central registry; government data credits it with helping recover over 700,000 lost phones, blocking more than 3.7 million stolen or lost devices and terminating over 30 million fraudulent connections. The report notes that India frames the mandate as essential to tackling telecom fraud and cloned IMEIs. On the other hand, the report suggests that privacy advocates warn about a non-removable state app risks becoming a de facto tracker, especially given the lack of public consultation and the order’s confidential nature.

Prepared By

Arav Neil Dey

Arav Neil Dey is a research intern at the Organisation for Research on China and Asia (ORCA). Currently in his second year at FLAME University, he is pursuing a degree in International Studies. Driven by a fascination for global dynamics, he is passionate about international relations, peace and conflict studies, and military history. Arav especially enjoys diving into the shifting strategic landscape of China and West Asia, always seeking out unconventional perspectives and a deeper understanding.