CiCM 5th February 2025

NEWS IN CHINA

China Assumes UN Security Council Presidency: Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, stated that China will focus on reaffirming member states commitment towards multilateralism and strengthening global governance. His statement was made in the context of China assuming the United Nations (UN) Security Council rotating presidency for February. Regarding global and regional matters, Fu pointed out that the 15-member body will especially focus on issues in the Middle East and actively work towards finding long-lasting solutions. Additionally, he also mentioned that on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the United Nations, China would be hosting a high-level Security Council Debate with the objective of inspiring nations to reflect on the founding principles of the United Nations, reaffirming their commitment towards multilateralism and discuss possible reforms to improve global governance. On the subject of the ceasefire in Gaza, Fu mentioned that the Security Council should ensure that the ceasefire is effectively implemented and humanitarian assistance is provided without any hindrance. Regarding the volatile political and security situation in some African countries, Fu emphasized that the international community and the Security Council should focus on providing increased support for Africa.
Li Qiang Discusses Work Report at the Seventh Plenary Session of the State Council: Premier Li Qiang presided over the seventh plenary meeting of the State Council to discuss the government work report which is to be submitted at the third session of the 14th National People's Congress for deliberation and mobilization work for the start of the year. He stated that reporting to the National People’s Congress is a statutory responsibility and serves as an opportunity for government work to be evaluated by the people of the whole country. He emphasized that it is important to thoroughly implement the important instructions and suggestions of General Secretary, Xi Jinping and the decisions of the Party Central Committee. Li Qiang highlighted that the Party Central Committee has been very clear about its major policies and their strategic deployments in the new year and they should be implemented clearly and systematically. He pointed out that there should be greater attention to coordinating the relationship between domestic and foreign, current and long-term, macro and micro, development and security goals and strengthening the coordination between various aspects of work. Li Qiang also emphasised promoting high-quality development with greater responsibility and considering changes in the external situation with objectivity, highlighting that it is essential to create solutions to counter domestic economic problems and external challenges. He noted that it is pivotal to promote scientific and technological innovations and industrial upgradation with a focus on creating new opportunities for the country’s development in the long run.
China Issues New Guidelines for Short Dramas: Chinese authorities have established a management system for short dramas, making it mandatory for all dramas on online platforms to acquire a distribution license. The Chinese National Radio and Television Administration published a notice on its website that emphasized coordinating development and safety to promote the healthy development of the online micro short drama industry. It called for the implementation of a “classification and tiered review” system. The notice further stated that according to the principles of graded supervision, the micro-short dramas will be divided into three categories namely, key micro-dramas with an investment of 1 million Yuan, ordinary micro-short dramas with an investment between 300,000 yuan and 1 million Yuan and other micro-short dramas with an investment of less than 300,000 Yuan. Dramas covering sensitive themes such as politics, military, diplomacy, national and public security, religion, ethnicity, and justice will have to adhere to the relevant co-review mechanism. All short dramas that are broadcasted, directed, or pushed by online platforms and streaming providers are required to hold an “Online Drama Distribution Permit” or otherwise complete the online registration procedures.
Academics Recommend Comprehensive Reforms in Real Estate Market: Several analysts and economists are suggesting that China needs to fine-tune its real estate policy in 2025 so that it can effectively address the debt risk issues of developers. Possible measures may include the launch of a systematic policy plan with details of a roadmap for risk disposal, supporting debt restructuring of qualified real estate enterprises, and optimizing housing delivery efforts. Zhang Ming, deputy director of the Institute of Finance and Banking at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, stated that the transition from simply safeguarding housing project deliveries to fully supporting qualified enterprises is necessary to address the risks in the real estate market. He also suggested extending debt maturities and reducing repayment burdens for responsible developers and bankruptcy liquidation with legal regulations for small illegal developers. Last year, China introduced a real estate financing coordination mechanism and through the mechanism, Chinese banks approved 5.6 trillion Yuan worth of loans to property projects, thereby financing the delivery of 14 million homes. However, in 2024, the total financing of 65 typical Chinese real estate enterprises was 462.9 billion yuan which marked a 31% decline in growth from 2023.
Provinces Facilitate Return of Migrants and Conduct Job Fairs Following New Year: Following the Spring Festival celebrations in China, various provinces across the country are undertaking operations to facilitate the return of migrant workers by organising special trains and busses. Provinces are also launching employment initiatives and conducting job fairs to assist migrant workers in finding new jobs, as the New Year period is when migrant workers most commonly change jobs. Guangdong, with more than 43 million migrant workers, has launched employment initiatives until March to raise employment and facilitate the return of migrant workers to their workplaces. The province has organised 20 special high-speed trains to help migrant workers return to their workplaces. In Jiangsu, Nanjing city organised a gig economy employment fair with more than 120 companies offering more than 6,000 positions for electrical engineers, sales engineers, administrative personnel, technicians, quality inspectors and warehouse managers. The fair is set to last until March and will mainly attract rural workers as well as employers and enterpreneurs. Similar initiatives have been launched across China; in Shanxi's Taiyuan, a large-scale job fair was held with more than 300 companies offering 8,000 jobs.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER

Netizens Use DeepSeek to Generate Emotional Tribute Following Barbie Hsu’s Death: Chinese netizens are using the Artificial Intelligence chatbot Deepseek to replicate Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu’s style in farewell letters to mourn her passing. Barbie Hsu was a famous Taiwanese actress and singer. She debuted in 1994 with her sister Deep Hsu, when they formed the pop group S.O.S. and rose to fame when she got the leading role in the romantic Taiwanese soap drama “Meteor Garden.” On 3rd February, her family confirmed her death from Pneumonia after contracting the flu in Japan. Chinese netizens were shocked by her passing, with discussions of the shocking events dominating trending topics across various platforms across Asia and with posts and reports related to her death garnering over 3 billion views on Chinese social media. To mourn her death, many netizens started using the Chinese AI, Deepseek, to create farewell letters with her distinctive writing style. DeepSeek described Hsu as a sentimental yet humorous person, and her language style was sharp yet gentle. The AI Bot also used her signature phrase, “Live beautifully,” and suggested that she would have likely focussed on Gratitude and Love rather than indulging in sorrow. Many netizens posted AI-generated farewell letters and memorial poems in her honor.

INDIA WATCH

Chinese Newspaper Scrutinises Meeting between Indian Minister and OpenAI CEO: An article in “The Paper” by reporter Zhang Jing scrutinised the meeting between the Indian Information Technology Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, and Open AI CEO, Sam Altman. The article states that the meeting comes just after Vaishnaw praised the Chinese AI startup DeepSeek for creating a powerful model with its affordable and cost-efficient strategy, which is aligned with the Indian government’s initiative to develop a localized AI model. It also points out the duplicity in Altman’s statements as he claimed in the meeting that India is now Open AI’s second largest market and India will soon become one of the leaders of the Artificial intelligence revolution, despite earlier having doubts about India’s ability to develop a substantial AI model at a low cost. The article also questions the timing of the meeting which coincided with DeepSeek's launch of a lower-cost and open-source chatbot. It also highlights Altman’s claim that OpenAI models are capable of solving India’s problems in the development of artificial intelligence and in sectors like healthcare, education, agriculture, weather forecasting, disaster management, and transportation.

Prepared By

Ruchir Ketkar

Ruchir Ketkar is a First year student pursuing Masters in Diplomacy, Law and Business at OP Jindal Global University. After completing graduation in Political science, he found his interest in International Relations and Global Affairs. With a keen inclination towards security and conflict studies, he has also authored several articles and research papers. He also tries to keep himself updated with the happenings around the world and tries to analyse them using his perspective and understanding.