CiCM 27th January 2025

NEWS IN CHINA

China begins celebrations for the New Year and the Spring Festival: The People’s Republic of China begins celebrations for the Spring festival and welcomes the Chinese New Year. In tandem with these nation-wide celebrations, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council held the 2025 Spring Festival Party on the morning of 27th January. Xi Jinping, on behalf of the committee, wished all ethnic groups in China a happy new year. He further detailed in his speech about the achievements China has witnessed in the past year and encouraged the population with the spirit of no hurdles restricting China from pursuing a better life. Various state leaders extended their heartfelt wishes to Xi Jinping, with the Cambodian Prime Minister in his new year greetings stressed upon the cherished strong bond between the Chinese and Cambodian people. In addition, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has offered a multitude of benefits to Cambodia, providing most reliable resources for Cambodian development. The nation beams of joyous red and cultural celebrations specific to various parts of the country.
Premier Li Qiang held symposium with foreign experts in China: At the Great Hall of the People on Sunday, Premier Li Qiang held a symposium with foreign experts who have been awarded the 2024 Chinese Government Friendship Award and those contributing and working on China. Experts from countries like the United Kingdom, Poland, Mali, Germany and Pakistan delivered key notes on topics specific to advancements in scientific and technological innovation, economic and trade cooperation, people-to-people and cultural exchanges. He also stressed that the world needs communication and the process of globalization is irreversible. Li further stated that China consistently advocates strengthening international dialogue and will continue to uphold openness and inclusiveness while actively promoting international exchanges in various fields. He further reiterated that Beijing's doors will always remain open to talents from all countries. The Chinese government will further optimize relevant policies, enhance service guarantees, and build more international exchange and cooperation platforms, continuously creating favourable conditions for foreign talents to work in China, said the premier.
China invites national and international journalists to cover the two annual sessions: The annual sessions of national political advisory and national legislature will be held in March, according to official statements. The state is inviting local and international journalists to cover these two sessions, specifically urging on-site reporting. These statements were issued jointly by the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee. For the two sessions, a media centre will open 27th February onwards.
China’s top memory chip producer, YMTC, made design breakthrough despite US sanctions: Amidst China’s push for technological self-sufficiency and the US sanctions, theYangtze Memory Technologies Corporation (YMTC) has made a design breakthrough. It has integrated a new Xtacking4.0 memory chip design in its highest-density 3D NAND chip, discovered in the commercial Zhi Tai TiPro9000 solid-state storage device. The chip employs a hybrid bonding technique to join two wafers together, a dual deck structure – lower deck of 150 gates and upper deck with 144 gates – a total of 294 gates. YMTC was blacklisted by Washington, being enlisted in the entities list, two years ago. Such a move and the nature of the imposed sanctions restricted China from procuring essential semiconductor equipment from makers like Lam Research, compelling it to rely on domestic tool makers. With this new technology, YMTC might have found a way to break the deadlock it faced post the ban and consequently break through the ban as well.
Chinese Ambassador He Wei met Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh: Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam He Wei met the Vietnamese Prime Minister in the Vietnamese capital and laid emphasis on the traditional friendship shared by the two countries labelling it as time-honoured and unbreakable. Wei also stressed that China is willing to work with Vietnam to promote the steady and long-term development of China-Vietnam friendship and contribute to regional and world peace and prosperity. The Communist Party of Vietnam and the government have always placed Chinese relations at the top of their priority list. Further the Prime Minister urged both sides to fully leverage the advantages of land and sea connectivity between the two countries and step up substantive cooperation and the implementation of significant and symbolic projects. Further, willingness to promote the steady and long-term development of Sino-Vietnamese ties was agreed upon.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER IN CHINA

Online backlash received by Chinese company for ‘issuing own currency’: A Chinese company faced severe online backlash and has been placed under official investigation post giving consumer vouchers instead of money as salary to its employees. This action triggered a series of outrage among the Chinese netizens. A post by a person from the northeastern province of Jilin triggered a series of comments. The post detailed the fact that the shopping centre he worked for, Motian Vitality City, gave vouchers ranging from 10 to 500 yuan, each voucher having a unique number like that of a banknote. Other entities owned by the same parent company Dazhong Zhuoyue Holding Group, including real estate, property management and taxi companies, also gave the same vouchers to their employees. Sparking outrage on social media, questions were raised regarding the permissibility of companies issuing their own currencies. An instruction from the company indicated that the vouchers can be used to pay property management fees, buy certain properties and parking space owned by the group at a discount price, and goods at another Motian Vitality City mall in their city until the end of this year. Wyer Zhao Liangshan from Shaanxi Hengda Law Firm informed Chinese Business View that the company had broken the law, as the Labour Law confirms that salaries should be paid monthly to labourers themselves in the form of cash. Further, China’s Contract Law also states that any changes relating to salaries, working hours and other issues pertaining to workers’ interests should be thoroughly discussed and confirmed with employees themselves. Finally, citizens expressed their desire for the company to face severe punishment for the violation of such a degree.

INDIA WATCH

Wang Yi met Indian Foreign Secretary in Beijing: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in Beijing on Monday 27th January. Wang mentioned that both China and India must seize the opportunity to meet each other halfway and commit to mutual understanding, support rather than mutual suspicion and alienation. He further told Misri that the improvement of India-China relations work in tandem with the fundamental interests of the two countries – legitimising rights of Global South Countries, stability and prosperity in Asia and the world. Post the consensus achieved by the leaders of both the nations at Kazan, a series of productive and beneficial dialogues have been carried out by various leaders managing their differences and relaunching diplomatic cooperation. Issues relating to the resumption of direct flights between India and China, issuance of visas concerning businesspersons and journalists and ironing out trade issues, were discussed, according to The Hindu. Hu Zhiyong, a professor from the Zhejiang International Studies University and also a research fellow at the Institute of International Relations at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that the recent tendency of stabilization in China-India ties comes as the Indian government seeks to deal with the uncertainty brought about by the new US administration, and at the same time, New Delhi also recognizes the closeness and interdependence of the two's economies and trade, despite restrictions imposed on Chinese companies in India. The statements of the two diplomats show that they are following the strategic leadership of the leaders of the two countries, strengthening dialogues at the diplomatic level, and showing willingness to promote bilateral relations to return to the track of healthy development at an early date.

Prepared By

Riddhi Deokar

Riddhi Deokar is a Second-year bachelor’s student pursuing Global Affairs with a minor in Public Policy at OP Jindal Global University. She exudes a strong interest in learning and researching about Northeast Asian and Middle Eastern dynamics, specifically learning about China’s equation with the two regions. She endeavours to contribute to solutions addressing gender issues in the political realm. She pursues her linguistic aspirations, learning French and Mandarin. She is also a TEDx speaker, spreading her message about the theory of 'Relative Happiness'. Understanding varied perspectives and keeping an open mind while analysing and researching global issues is an effort she keeps making.