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NEWS IN CHINA

• Xi urges cadres to carry forward Hu Yaobang’s legacy:  Xi Jinping urged Party cadres to inherit Hu Yaobang’s legacy and spirit at Hu’s 110th Birthday symposium held by the CPC Central Committee.  President Xi Jinping made an important speech during the symposium, in which he called on Party members to “carry forward Hu Yaobang’s noble qualities” and uphold the Party’s original mission, highlighting Hu’s commitment to reform, his close ties with the masses, and his dedication to the Party’s development, stressing that studying Hu Yaobang’s legacy should translate into concrete action, strengthening political discipline, deepening reform, and advancing Chinese-style modernisation with confidence and determination. Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, presided over the symposium, and Li Xi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, attended the symposium. 
  
  
• Taiwan-based TSMC veteran accused of taking over 20 boxes of classified documents to Intel:  Luo Weiren, (a US citizen) former senior vice-president of TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) who retired in July and reportedly joined Intel Corporation in October, is alleged to have taken more than 20 boxes of classified technical documents involving TSMC's advanced processes such as 2-nanometer and A14 processes with him. Industry insiders described the case as “strange” and potentially involving external collusion. Taiwanese authorities and TSMC have yet to issue an official response. TSMC is the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturer, and a major driver of Taiwan’s growth. The incident raised significant concerns within Taiwan’s semiconductor community, due to the sensitivity of advanced chip manufacturing data. Reports stated that the boxes were transported out of TSMC facilities over multiple days without triggering alarms, prompting questions about internal oversight. Taiwanese prosecutors are reportedly assessing whether the act constitutes a violation of trade-secret protection laws. 
  
  
• Chinese Embassy Issues Security Reminder for Citizens in the Central African Republic: The Chinese Embassy reminded citizens engaged in the gold mining industry in the Central African Republic of the significant risks involved in the industry. This came due to frequent cases in recent years involving Chinese citizens who have encountered major security incidents or faced serious security threats due to their involvement in the gold mining in the region. They have faced severe risks, ranging from arrests for illegal mining and tax evasion, financial scams involving worthless mines, and killings by armed groups, to deaths from disease, shareholder disputes, kidnappings, and cases of forced labour after passports were seized. In line with Article 18 of China’s Consular Protection Regulations, the embassy urged citizens not to enter red-zone areas or engage in high-risk gold-mining activities, and advised those already there to leave immediately and contact the embassy for assistance.
  
  
• Hangzhou–Quzhou High-Speed Railway Begins Trial Running:  The newly constructed Hangzhou-Quzhou High Speed Railway entered its trial running phase on Thursday. The first test train (G55611) departed from Jiande (near Hangzhou) and headed towards Jiangshan, signalling that the project is now in its “open-for-operation countdown” period. The railway spans approximately 131 km, has a design speed of 350 km/h, and features six stations: Jiande, Jiande South, Longyou North, a reserved Qujiang station, Quzhou West, and Jiangshan. Once operational (expected by end-December), this line will create a more direct “straight-line” connection between Quzhou and Hangzhou, potentially reducing travel time between the two cities to around 40 minutes. According to Shang-Tie Group, the trial will last around a month and include timetable testing, fault simulation, emergency rescue drills and other operational simulation exercises.
  
  
•  China accuses US of undermining ties with Greece over Piraeus Port remarks: China accused the US of trying to undermine China’s relations with Greece after the US ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, urged Athens to sell the Chinese operated port of Piraeus, calling the presence of Chinese state owned company Cosco at the Greek port “unfortunate”.  She added that American infrastructure was needed in the area to “balance” against the Chinese influence at the Piraeus port. The Chinese Embassy in Greece strongly condemned her remarks, calling them, “ full of cold war mentality and hegemonic logic.” The embassy defended the COSCO-operated Piraeus port as a model of successful Sino-Greek commercial cooperation and a symbol of mutual benefit, rejecting any notion that it be used as a geopolitical pawn, stressing how Cosco was the only buyer when the Greek government was forced to sell the port under duress by their European creditors. Piraeus has now come to form a major part of China’s Road and Belt Initiative plans in Europe. 
  
  

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER

Huawei and GAC Launch “Qijing” EV Brand, Setting Weibo Ablaze: Huawei and the Guangzhou Automated Group (GAC) surprised Chinese social media users by announcing the launch of their new high end smart EV brand, Qijing. The Qijing vehicles are going to have features like advanced smart driving systems and intelligent cabins, and would mark Huawei’s greater participation in the Chinese EV market. This news spread like wildfire on Chinese social media platform Weibo, sparking excitement about what Huawei has in store for the EV market. Many praised Huawei’s bold step to redefine the EV landscape in China, others discussed the potential impact of Qijing on existing GAC EV brands like Aion and Haobo, with some suggesting the new brand could overshadow them. Some netizens expressed their interest in what the interiors of the vehicles would look like, hoping that they won't be the usual generic ones found in Chinese EVs.

INDIA WATCH

Sina News discusses India’s plans to ramp up exports to China: According to Sina News, a Chinese media company, India is eyeing the huge Chinese sea food market, amid rising Sino-Japanese tensions. Sina reported that the stock prices of Indian sea-food exporting companies surged by as much as 11% on Wednesday, fueled by hopes of increased exports to China. China has reportedly suspended imports of Japanese sea food amid rising tensions, leading to Japan losing 20% of its international sea food market. According to the article,  India’s total seafood exports reached US$7.4 billion last year, with shrimp accounting for roughly 40% of that. Adding that the United States has traditionally been India’s largest sea-food market, accounting for over one-third of India’s exports. However, in August, US President Donald Trump put 50% tariffs on Indian imports including sea food, hitting the Industry hard, which is now in search of alternate markets to sell its produce.

Prepared By

Kanav Aggarwal

Kanav Aggarwal is an undergraduate student majoring in International Relations and minoring in Literary and Cultural Studies at FLAME University. He is Passionate about geopolitics, defence strategy, and international security. Through his studies and research experience, he aims to deepen his understanding of global power dynamics and contribute analytical insights to the team’s ongoing projects.