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NEWS IN CHINA

• China Says Japan Unfit for Permanent UNSC Seat: A Chinese envoy has said that Japan is not qualified to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, citing unresolved historical issues and recent political trends. Speaking at a UN General Assembly meeting on Security Council reform, Sun Lei, charge d’affaires of China’s Permanent Mission to the UN, said Japanese militarism has never been fully confronted and that right-wing forces in Japan are actively pushing remilitarization, challenging the outcomes of World War II and the post-war international order. He said Japan’s denial and whitewashing of wartime aggression, including the Nanjing Massacre, forced labor and sexual slavery, along with actions such as visits by officials to Yasukuni Shrine and attempts to revise history textbooks, have undermined international trust. Sun also pointed to recent remarks and actions by Japanese leaders on issues including Taiwan, nuclear weapons and security policy revisions as evidence of dangerous intentions that threaten regional and global peace. Stressing that the UN Security Council bears special responsibility for safeguarding international peace, Sun said a country that shows no remorse for historical crimes cannot shoulder such duties. He added that China supports reasonable Security Council reform focused on increasing the representation and voice of developing countries, with priority given to addressing Africa’s historical injustice, while reaffirming China’s commitment to defending the post-war international order and global peace.
  
  

• China Channels 93.6 Billion Yuan in Special Bonds to Accelerate Equipment Upgrades: China will allocate 93.6 billion yuan from ultra-long special treasury bond funds in 2026 to support large-scale equipment upgrading across key sectors, the National Development and Reform Commission said, with funding covering around 4,500 projects in areas including industry, energy equipment, education, healthcare, grain and oil processing, customs inspection, replacement of aging residential elevators, energy efficiency, carbon reduction, recycling and the circular economy. The investment is expected to leverage more than 460 billion yuan in total funding. In parallel, funds have also been directly transferred to local governments to continue targeted programs such as scrapping old trucks, upgrading bus fleets with new energy vehicles, and phasing out outdated agricultural machinery. Officials said the initiative, part of the expanded “two new” policy, is aimed at accelerating technological transformation, boosting research and development, and promoting green and high-quality growth, while ensuring strict oversight and efficient use of funds as projects move forward nationwide.
  
  

• Former Hechi Vice Mayor Huang Xianchang Expelled from Party: Huang Xianchang, former member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Hechi Municipal Committee and former vice mayor of the Hechi Municipal Government in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, has been expelled from the Communist Party of China and dismissed from public office following an investigation into serious violations of discipline and law, according to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission. The probe found that Huang had lost his ideals and beliefs, engaged in political opportunism, violated the Central Eight-Point Regulation by illegally accepting gifts, money and travel arrangements, failed to properly perform his duties by condoning illegal mining activities, and abused public power for personal gain through large-scale power-for-money transactions, including seeking benefits for others in project contracting and fund payments in exchange for bribes. Authorities concluded that his actions constituted serious violations of political, integrity and work discipline, as well as suspected bribery crimes, with serious consequences and negative impact. As a result, his Party membership and public positions were revoked, his qualifications as a representative to the Fifth Party Congress of Hechi City were terminated, his illegal gains were confiscated, and his suspected criminal case and related assets were transferred to procuratorial organs for prosecution in accordance with the law.
  
  

• Xi Promulgates New Regulations on Military Theory Work: Xi Jinping, chairman of the Central Military Commission, has signed an order to promulgate new regulations on work related to military theory, which will take effect on March 1. The regulations focus on accelerating the modernization of military theory, optimizing top-level design for innovation in military theoretical research, and improving research models. They also standardize the management system for military theory work, define the main contents as well as the compilation and release procedures for military theory development strategies, plans and annual programs, and clarify requirements for the registration and sharing, evaluation and recognition, promotion and application, and retrospective assessment of military theoretical achievements. The regulations consist of seven chapters and 52 articles.
  
  

• China Launches Nationwide Subsidy Program to Support Elderly Care Services: China has introduced a nationwide subsidy program to support elderly people with disabilities who purchase care services, as part of efforts to reduce family burdens and promote a more senior-friendly society. The program, jointly launched by the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Ministry of Finance and provides eligible seniors with monthly electronic vouchers for one year. The vouchers, worth up to 800 yuan per person each month, can be used for a wide range of services including meal assistance, bathing, housekeeping, mobility support, emergency aid, medical care, rehabilitation nursing and daytime care, covering home-based, community-based and institutional settings. During last year’s pilot phase in several cities and provinces, more than 365,000 vouchers were issued and used over 240,000 times, with a total value exceeding 180 million yuan. The initiative comes as China faces growing elderly care challenges, with 35 million seniors already experiencing difficulty caring for themselves by the end of 2024, a figure projected to rise significantly by 2035. Experts from Renmin University of China noted that the subsidies will ease financial pressure on families, improve seniors’ quality of life and support the development of higher-quality elderly care services as China responds to rapid population aging.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER

Pre-Sale Ticket Price for First Commercial Spaceflight Sparks Online Buzz: #3 million yuan for a Chinese spacecraft pre-sale ticket trended# trended on Weibo after actor Huang Jingyu officially announced he will become a space tourist, joining China’s first batch of commercial manned spaceflight passengers, with a reported presale ticket price of 3 million yuan per seat. Huang said he feels honored to board a Chinese-developed spacecraft and personally journey into space, as the commercial manned spacecraft CYZ1 is expected to conduct its first crewed flight in 2028 and has already signed more than a dozen paying passengers from fields including academia, business, aerospace, art and entertainment. The announcement quickly fueled online chatter, with netizens joking “I’ll wait until the ticket price drops to 15 yuan,” while others admired the courage required, saying “his physical and psychological fitness must be incredible.” Some sighed humorously, “I don’t have time to go, overtime at work is calling,” while many expressed pride and envy, posting “My country is amazing,” and “I’m so envious but my wallet won’t allow it.” Others teased about waiting for “off season discounts,” wondered when ordinary people might get a chance to buy tickets, or praised the moment as “joining hands with the stars and the sea to build China’s space dream”.

INDIA WATCH

Guancha Article on India’s Cut Back of Russian Oil Purchases: A Guancha article reported that India’s purchases of Russian crude oil have declined significantly, contributing to a sharp drop in the price of Russia’s Urals crude shipped to Asia. Citing Bloomberg, the report said weaker demand from Indian refiners and reduced competition among buyers pushed Urals crude to trade about 10 dollars per barrel below Brent this week, while India’s overall crude oil imports in December 2025 fell to their lowest level in more than three years. The article noted that following continued US sanctions on Russian producers and pressure from the Trump administration, India’s willingness to buy Russian oil cooled, leading Russian exports to face delivery difficulties to one of their main markets. Ship-tracking data showed Russian crude deliveries to Indian ports fell to about 1.2 million barrels per day last month, the lowest since November 2022, and India’s ranking among buyers of Russian fossil fuels slipped to third place by December 2025, with Turkey overtaking it. The report also cited international media saying the drop appears to be a short-term fluctuation rather than a complete withdrawal, as several major Indian refineries still rely heavily on Russian crude and some large buyers continue to make purchases, indicating that imports could recover once compliance and supply chain issues are addressed.

Prepared By

Mohit Singh Mehra

Mohit Singh Mehra is a Master’s student of International Relations at South Asian University, New Delhi. His academic and research interests focus on China, Himalayan geopolitics, and border dynamics, with a particular emphasis on strategic, security, and political developments in the region. He is interested in understanding how geography, power, and policy interact in shaping regional order in Asia.