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NEWS IN CHINA

• German President Begins His Five-Day State Visit to China: German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier began his five-day state visit to China on Tuesday, starting in Anhui province. According to Shi Shiwei, director of the Research Centre for Sino-German Economic Relations at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, Steinmeier’s diverse itinerary and delegation reflected the breadth of bilateral ties spanning politics, business, culture, science and civil society. Shi noted that the visit demonstrated Germany’s support for companies, particularly automakers, continuing to expand their presence in China. He added that China’s emergence as a major innovation hub could help German companies maintain their global competitiveness. Steinmeier began his visit in Hefei, Anhui province, touring the former residence of Qing Dynasty official Li Hongzhang, Luogang Park and Volkswagen’s research and development centre. Shi also highlighted that Volkswagen’s significant investment in Hefei marked a new phase in long-standing economic ties, with research and innovation gaining importance. He stressed that the significance of the presidential visit extended beyond commercial agreements, offering an opportunity to reaffirm the long-term relationship and signal that Germany did not seek to decouple from China. 
  
  
• China and Indonesia Begin Joint Counter-Terrorism Training: China and Indonesia began their Sharp Knife 2026 joint army counter-terrorism training in Guangdong Province, southern China, on Tuesday. The exercise is a planned military exchange for this year, aimed at improving the combat-oriented training capabilities of both militaries. Following the opening ceremony, troops from the two countries are scheduled to begin specialised training in reconnaissance, communications, unmanned systems, sniping and counter-terrorism. The programme also includes thematic seminars, weapon and equipment displays, sports competitions and cultural exchanges. According to an earlier statement by China’s Ministry of National Defence, the exercise focuses on joint counter-terrorism rescue operations in mountainous regions. Training activities include mountain climbing, special vehicle driving, helicopter rappelling, close-range assaults and coordinated operations between manned and unmanned systems. As the third edition of the Sharp Knife training series, the exercise is intended to deepen practical exchanges and cooperation between the two militaries and enhance their joint operational capabilities. The ministry stated that the training is scheduled to continue until early November.
  
  
• China Introduces Rules for Long-Term Energy Supply Contracts: The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has issued the Administrative Measures for Medium- and Long-Term Energy Supply Contracts (Trial), which will take effect on December 1. The measures aim to strengthen the energy production, supply, storage and sales system and improve the role of long-term contracts in ensuring energy security. The measures bring coal, electricity and natural gas supply contracts under a unified regulatory framework, promoting the institutionalisation, legalisation and standardisation of the country’s energy supply system. They emphasise prioritising people's livelihoods, ensuring basic energy supplies through effective markets and government intervention, and coordinating development with security to prevent supply risks. The measures clarify the rights and obligations of all parties and define the scope of application, supply guarantee responsibilities, contract signing and performance, and supervision and management. Their implementation is expected to improve resource allocation and strengthen the resilience and security of the energy supply chain. The NDRC will work with relevant parties to implement the measures, regulate the signing and performance of medium- and long-term contracts, protect the legitimate rights and interests of supply and demand parties and safeguard the public interest. The measures aim to ensure safe, stable, reliable and effective energy supplies.
  
  
• China Issues First National Standard for Smart Freight Hubs: China has released its first national standard for smart freight hubs to accelerate logistics digitalisation, improve transport efficiency and reduce logistics costs. The State Administration for Market Regulation released the national standard “Basic Requirements for Smart Freight Hubs” and announced that the standard will take effect on April 1, 2027. The standard establishes requirements for hub site selection and layout, facilities and equipment, advanced technology applications, and network security. It also sets differentiated functional requirements for different types of freight hubs. For information platforms, the standard specifies requirements covering hardware, network transmission, data storage and computing resources. It also encourages platforms to offer artificial intelligence services, including intelligent agent orchestration, model training and inference, and performance evaluation. The standard further defines functional requirements for intelligent gates, warehouses, storage yards, loading and unloading equipment, and security inspection systems. In smart operations and management, it covers production scheduling, vehicle management, sorting, warehousing, office administration, security, equipment maintenance, environmental management, energy use, and emergency response. The standard is expected to provide technical guidance for upgrading freight hubs, address bottlenecks in multimodal transport, lower overall social logistics costs and support high-quality economic development.
  
  
• China’s Bank Supports 500 Investment Projects: The Export-Import Bank of China has completed its 2026 deployment of new policy-based financial instruments, supporting more than 500 projects with a total investment of 120 billion yuan as of October 27. The funds are expected to drive more than 1.7 trillion yuan in total investment, highlighting the instruments’ role in leveraging additional capital. The 2026 government work report called for the issuance of 800 billion yuan in new policy-based financial instruments to attract greater participation from social capital. In August, the National Development and Reform Commission and other departments urged faster deployment of the funds to accelerate investment. The Export-Import Bank said the latest instruments focused on three areas. More than 210 projects involving private investment were supported, accounting for nearly 40% of the total loan amount. More than 220 projects in emerging industries, including the digital economy and artificial intelligence, accounted for nearly 50%. In addition, more than 330 projects across 11 economically significant provinces received preferential support, representing over 70% of the total loan amount. The bank stated that it will strengthen post-investment management, provide supporting loans and accelerate project implementation to sustain high-quality development.
  
  

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER 

Weibo Users Discuss Mbappé’s Remarks on China: A post discussing Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun’s response to French footballer Kylian Mbappé’s alleged inappropriate remarks about China is going viral on Weibo. According to the post, spokesperson Guo stated that words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people would naturally face resistance from Chinese society. Many users supported the Foreign Ministry’s response and called for stronger measures against Mbappé. Some argued that Chinese companies should stop working with him and that he should be prevented from entering China, calling for a “permanent ban on entry”. Others urged “CCTV Sports to stop broadcasting matches involving Mbappé to reduce his commercial value in China”. Several users commented that the incident showed that “football fans would prioritise national sentiment over support for individual players”. One user remarked that “first and foremost, they are Chinese, then they are football fans”. Others called for a “joint boycott” and suggested that “domestic companies should be more cautious when selecting foreign football stars as brand ambassadors”. Overall, the discussion reflected strong nationalist sentiment and demands for lasting commercial consequences, with users questioning “why his account had not been removed”, while others emphasised that “Chinese companies should avoid future business partnerships with him”.

INDIA WATCH 

Guancha Discusses Jio’s Historic IPO and India’s Telecom Market: An article in Guancha reported that Jio, India’s largest telecommunications operator, is set to launch its initial public offering (IPO) and list on October 28. Valued at $3.2 billion, the offering is expected to be the largest in Indian history and has attracted interest from global fund managers, domestic institutional investors and retail investors despite recent weakness in the Indian stock market. The article noted that Jio, controlled by Mukesh Ambani, has approximately 553 million mobile subscribers and holds over 50% of India’s wireless broadband market and more than 40% of its fixed broadband market. It emphasised that Jio’s entry into the telecom sector in 2016, with extremely low data prices, accelerated internet adoption but also triggered a price war that contributed to market consolidation. The article also discussed tensions between Ambani and Elon Musk over Starlink’s proposed entry into India, although Reliance Industries has denied allegations that it sought to block the service. According to the article, Jio’s IPO could mark a turning point in its pricing strategy, as greater accountability to minority shareholders may reduce its incentive to maintain low tariffs. It added that future growth is expected to depend increasingly on 5G adoption, tariff adjustments and fixed wireless broadband expansion. The article concluded that higher prices could prompt price-sensitive consumers to switch operators and “trigger another wave of customer churn”.

Prepared By

Neha Maurya

Neha Maurya is a Project Assistant at Organisation for Research on China and Asia (ORCA). A recent graduate of FLAME University with a major in International Studies and a minor in Public Policy, her research interests include strategic studies, governance, and education policy. She is interested in contributing to research that informs effective policy design and implementation.