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NEWS IN CHINA

• Xi Jinping stresses high standards for Hainan Free Trade Port: On 6th November, Chinese president Xi Jinping, stressed adopting  high standards for Hainan Free Trade Port, while hearing a report on its construction in Sanya, the capital of the island province of Hainan. He stressed the need to implement the Free Trade Port Law, expand trade and investment liberalisation, promote the cross-border flow of factors of production, deepen regional linkages (such as with the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area) and ensure the opening-up process is scientific and orderly, with risks properly identified and managed. Notably, the Hainan  Free Trade Port is set to begin island wide special customs operations on December 18 of this year.

• China slams Japan’s move to honour former Taiwanese ambassador: During the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s regular press conference, the Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning, was asked about China’s comments on the Japanese government’s decision to award Mr. Hsieh Chang-ting, former Taiwanese ambassador to Japan, with the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun, the highest Japanese decoration. The spokesperson responded by slamming Japan for awarding medals to people who advocate ‘Taiwan’s independence’, asking what signal was Japan trying to send to the Taiwanese ‘separatists’. She further stressed China’s core interest regarding the Taiwan issue, along with China-Japan relations, as well as Japan’s credibility, shedding light on Japan’s historic responsibilities, asking them to exercise caution on the Taiwan issue.
• Ministry of Justice issues new law-enforcement code to curb abuse of power: China’s Ministry of Justice issued a new 10 point code of conduct for administrative law enforcement officers, to tighten oversight and curb improper enforcement practices such as excessive fines and inspections. It clarifies limits of law official’s powers and sets out clear prohibitions to prevent misconduct, in order to address long standing complaints from companies and the people about improper conduct of officials. The ministry said that the code is part of a bigger campaign launched in March to standardize government enforcement actions involving businesses, under which, the Ministry added, more than 50,000 cases of improper or excessive enforcement have been corrected. The code prohibits law enforcement officers from using an arbitrary or “one size fits all” approach for law enforcement. 
• China to work with Brazil to strengthen political trust: Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, during his state visit to Brazil expressed China’s willingness to work with Brazil to strengthen mutual political trust and support “each other's core interests and major concerns, and jointly oppose unilateralism, protectionism and hegemonism,”during talks with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. He stated that the China-Brazil cooperation has become a model for collaboration amongst major developing nations. He further expressed China’s commitment to promoting high-quality development and greater openness, which would open up new avenues for cooperation between China and Brazil. He also noted that China supports Brazil’s role in Latin America and the Caribbean and expressed readiness to work together on global governance, development initiatives and multilateral forums.
• China records an increase in marriages as new policies kick in: China recorded a year on year rise of 8.5 percent in marriage registrations in the first three quarters of 2025 as opposed to 2024, a rare positive demographic news from a country usually making headlines for its shrinking population. Although experts still caution that marriages would continue to fall as the number of people reaching that age continues to diminish, the current increase has been attributed to the recently introduced pro-marriage policies. A total of 5.15 million couples registered for marriage in the first nine months of this year, up from last year’s 4.75 million during the same period, noted the country’s Ministry of Civil Affairs, which also noted an increase in divorces at 2.08 million from last year’s 1.97 million. Marriages in China have been continuously reducing due to a multitude of factors, with 2024 recording the lowest number of marriage registrations since 1980, which saw a 20.5 percent drop from 2023. However, this year, China is on track to record a 17.3 percent year on year rise in marriage registrations.
  
  

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER

Pop Mart livestream mishap sparks online debate leading to fall in stock price: Discussions erupted on Weibo after a Pop Mart incident where during a broadcast, a female staffer held up a product priced at 79 yuan stating that “selling this for 79 yuan is a bit much.” A colleague responded saying “It’s okay, someone will buy it.” The incident had immediate market ramifications. Pop Mart shares fell more than 5.5 %, sliding to their lowest level since May. The drop highlighted how reputational and cost-transparency issues can cut straight through to investor confidence in consumer-facing brands reliant on culture-premium pricing. Meanwhile, the candid exchange also triggered widespread sympathy among netizens who praised the employee as honest and down-to-earth, noting that even if she was not a professional salesperson, her takeaway resonated with many. 

INDIA WATCH

Chinese media analyses India’s High Speed Rail ambitions:  Chinese media outlet The Paper, published an article titled “India’s 8,000 km High-Speed Rail Plans: Ambitious on Paper, Slow in Practice” The article reviews India’s stated target of building 8,000km of High speed rail networks, but further noted that it is yet to come into operation. It attributes delays to financing constraints, land-acquisition hurdles, and dependence on imported technology. The piece contrasted India’s progress with China’s extensive rail network, now the world’s largest, to argue that policy coordination and implementation remain major hurdles for the Indian government. It also noted that although Japan’s involvement signaled international confidence in New Delhi’s ability to achieve its high speed rail network goals, actual on ground progress has been much slower than expected. According to the article, the then Abe government had tried to win over India with a low-interest loan of 1 trillion yen (equivalent to about US$14 billion at the exchange rate at the time), but ten years later, India’s first high speed rail is still in the works and Japan faces losing everything it put into the project. The article concluded by referring to India being jokingly called the “king of empty talk” when it comes to setting goals, while also noting that “its scientific research capabilities have never been underestimated”.

Prepared By

Kanav Aggarwal

Kanav Aggarwal is an undergraduate student majoring in International Relations and minoring in Literary and Cultural Studies at FLAME University. He is Passionate about geopolitics, defence strategy, and international security. Through his studies and research experience, he aims to deepen his understanding of global power dynamics and contribute analytical insights to the team’s ongoing projects.