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NEWS IN CHINA 

• China and Thailand to Strengthen Strategic Alignment: China and Thailand agreed to strengthen strategic alignment and enhance cooperation in various fields during a meeting between Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi. Anutin emphasised that Thailand adheres to the One China policy and noted that China is a reliable and dependable strategic partner of Thailand. Anutin stated that Thailand is ready to work with China to combat online gambling and telecommunications fraud. He also extended gratitude to China for mediation efforts between Thailand and Cambodia to resolve the border conflict. Wang characterised China and Thailand as one family and noted that there is a strong social foundation and solid public opinion in China-Thailand ties. Additionally, he expressed willingness to expand regional cooperation in sectors such as areas of new energy, infrastructure construction, and agriculture, focused on regional stability and development. Wang also expressed hope that Thailand will intensify efforts to crack down on online gambling and telecommunications fraud to create a favourable environment for bilateral relations. Wang also emphasised that, as a common friend to both Thailand and Cambodia, China is willing to build a platform for both sides to engage in dialogue and rebuild mutual trust and improve relations.
  
  
• China Adds Seven EU Entities to Export Control List Over Arms Sale to Taiwan: The Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) announced that seven entities from the EU have been added to China's export control list. The spokesperson of the ministry emphasised that the legally mandated export control measures target only a small number of EU entities that have participated in arms sales to Taiwan or colluded with Taiwanese authorities. The spokesperson clarifies that these measures only target dual-use items and will not affect normal trade and economic exchanges between China and the EU. The spokesperson further emphasised that before the announcement of measures, China had already informed the EU of the relevant situation through the bilateral export control dialogue mechanism. The spokesperson stated that the decision was made to safeguard national security and interests, to fulfill international obligations such as non-proliferation and in accordance with relevant provisions of the Export Control Law and the regulations on export control of dual-use items. Among the seven entities added to the export control list, two are from Belgium, one is from Germany, and four are from the Czech Republic.
  
  
• CNSA Releases First Commercial Space Standard System: The China National Space Administration (CNSA) and the State Administration for Market Regulation released the first commercial space standard system. The system aims to promote high-quality development and commercial space activities. Further, the system focuses on carrier rockets, launch sites, application services, and industry governance. Additionally, the system consists of six categories: industry governance, R&D and manufacturing, launch and Telemetry, Tracking and Command, space application services, basic and common items, and facilities and equipment. It plans for over 1,000 standard items covering international and national standards at various levels. The CNSA said it will continue to optimise the top-level design of the commercial space standard system and accelerate the effective supply of commercial space standards, develop a commercial space standard service platform, and support the high-quality development of commercial space activities.
  
  
• China, US Launch New Round of Cooperation on Giant Panda Conservation: A new round of cooperation on giant panda conservation was launched between the United States and China. Under the agreement, two pandas from China will be sent to the Atlanta Zoo in the US for a 10-year programme. The new round of cooperation will focus on disease prevention, scientific research, and efforts to support the conservation of giant pandas in the wild. A male panda named Ping Ping and a female panda named Fu Shuang from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding will participate in the joint research and conservation efforts. The new programme follows earlier cooperation between the two sides on panda conservation. In 1999, pandas Yang Yang and Lun Lun from China were sent to Zoo Atlanta, where they produced seven surviving offspring from five births, making it one of the most successful panda breeding programs between China and Western institutions.
   
• Special Campaigns Launched to Prevent Financial Fraud: A new round of special campaigns to prevent financial fraud by listed companies was launched by the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC). The campaign emphasises the three objectives of early detection, strong prevention and optimized mechanisms.  The campaign also focuses on the four tasks of promoting the organic integration of detection, punishment, delisting, and investment protection. Additionally, it aims to strengthen information retrieval from the regulatory big data warehouse and enhance the application of AI models for financial fraud supervision. It will also accelerate the construction of a non-site monitoring and detection centre for financial fraud and a third-party-assisted fraud monitoring centre. Cases involving suspected fraudulent issuance, illegal disclosure, and breach of trust that harm the interests of listed companies will be transferred to the public security organs. The special campaign will further reinforce the responsibilities of board secretaries, independent directors, and the audit committee of listed companies.
  
  

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER

Workplace Sexual Harassment Case Sparks Debate on Weibo: Hashtags #Ciu Lili Says Her Purpose is to Speak Up for Her Sisters and #Ciu Lili Repeatedly Says "I'm Not Agreeing! #Ciu Lili Accuses Company of Ruining Her 17-Year Career# is trending on Weibo. The case is notable as China’s first case to recognise sexual assault as a work-related injury and involves Ciu, who alleges she was assaulted by her boss during a business trip and later developed post-traumatic stress disorder, which was acknowledged as a workplace injury by human resources authorities. The company disputed these claims and filed a lawsuit with a verdict expected at a later date. The case has divided public opinion online: some users have praised Ciu for her courage in speaking out, while others have questioned the legal basis for holding the company accountable, citing regulations that exclude criminal cases from work-related injury. Others argue that, as the incident occurs in a work-related context, the victim is entitled to compensation, including for economic losses, while some have warned against legal decisions being influenced by online sentiment; a smaller group has also questioned the motives behind the case, suggesting it may be driven by a desire for personal attention.

INDIA WATCH

Finance Sina Article Discusses Decline in Smartphone Shipments to India: An article in Finance Sina discussed a market research report that showed that smartphone shipments to India declined by 5% from last year in the first quarter. In terms of manufacturers, Vivo remained the top smartphone vendor in the Indian market in the first quarter with shipments of 6.3 million units, the same as last year, and its market share remained at 20%. The article noted that Samsung Electronics maintained its 16% market share, shipping 5.1 billion smartphones to India, and ranked second in shipments after Vivo, followed by Oppo and Xiaomi. The article stated that OPPO and its subsidiaries, Realme and OnePlus, had shipped 4.7 million smartphones in the Indian market in the first quarter, up from 3.9 million in the same period the previous year. It noted that this represented the largest year-on-year increase in shipments among the top five manufacturers, with market share rising from 12% to 15%. It further stated that Apple had ranked fifth in shipments, with 2.9 million iPhones shipped in India during the first quarter. Although this was lower than the 3.2 million units recorded in the same period the previous year, an 11% year-on-year decline, the article highlighted that this marked the first time Apple had entered the top five smartphone shipments in the Indian market in the first quarter. The article concluded that other manufacturers had shipped 8.2 million smartphones to India, compared to 9.9 million a year earlier, reflecting a 16% decline, with market share falling from 30% to 27%.

Prepared By

Rituja Ghosh

Rituja Ghosh is a Research and Administrative Intern at Organisation for Research on China and Asia (ORCA). She holds a master's in International Relations from South Asian University, New Delhi. She has presented her work in several prestigious conferences, such as the paper titled "Sinicization in the People's Republic of China: An Analysis of Language Policies" at the 16th All India Conference on China Studies. She has previously worked as a Security Analyst with a corporate firm and as an Academic Associate at the Kautilya School of Public Policy, Hyderabad. Her interests lie in studying the politics of South Asia, India-China relations and China’s social and cultural policies.