CICM 8th May 2025

NEWS IN CHINA

Sino-Russian Comprehensive Strategic Partnership deepened via Joint Statement: A joint statement issued after President Xi Jinping's talks with President Vladimir Putin affirmed their collective interest in further deepening the existing China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era, lifting the relationship between the two neighbours to historically high levels. To enhance collaboration, they agreed to pursue stable bilateral trade expansion by increasing high-tech products and fostering e-commerce. Investment and overall energy cooperation would also be deepened. Furthermore, joint exploration in science and technology, including innovation and fundamental research, will be prioritized. The two countries also committed to comprehensively deepening practical cooperation across diverse sectors, aiming for enhanced bilateral collaboration by 2030. Following the bilateral talks, the leaders signed the joint statement and oversaw the exchange of over 20 cooperation agreements, tasking relevant departments to ensure effective implementation and achieve concrete outcomes.
China imposes anti-dumping duties on Indian Cypermethrin: The Chinese Ministry of Commerce has announced the imposition of anti-dumping duties, ranging from 48.4 percent to 166.2 percent, on Indian cypermethrin imports, effective for a period of five years starting from the 8th of May, 2025. The cypermethrin pesticide is used in pest control for cotton, fruit trees, vegetables, tobacco, corn and this decision follows an anti-dumping investigation initiated a year prior in response to an application from the domestic Chinese industry. The investigation, according to a ministry spokesperson, adhered to relevant laws, regulations, and World Trade Organization rules, soliciting opinions from various stakeholders. The ministry concluded that cypermethrin imported from India was being dumped at significant margins, causing material injury to the domestic Chinese cypermethrin industry.
NDRC Announces 3 Trillion Yuan Project Initiative to Engage Private Sector: As a step towards the implementation of Chinese new Private Sector Promotion Law, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has announced plans to roll out approximately 3 trillion yuan worth of high-quality projects across key sectors like transportation, energy, and new infrastructure to boost private sector participation. Zheng Bei, a deputy head of the NDRC, stated that this initiative aims to "strengthen development certainty through legal stability," acting as a "reassurance anchor" for private enterprises. The NDRC is accelerating mechanisms for private firms to engage in major project construction, with existing projects already seeing significant private capital involvement. Additionally, Cong Lin, a vice minister of National Financial Regulatory Administration (NFRA), stated that the NFRA is conducting equity investment pilot programs through financial asset investment companies to support technology innovation enterprises, having established 74 private equity investment funds thus far.
China and Cambodia to Conduct Joint Military Exercise: Chinese and Cambodian armed forces will conduct the "Golden Dragon-2025" joint exercise in Cambodia during mid-to-late May, according to Chinese defense spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang. The drill will concentrate on joint counter-terrorism and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operations, encompassing land, sea, and relevant air spaces. Additionally, the exercise will include cultural and sports exchanges, as well as vessel open day activities. This marks the seventh iteration of such joint military exercises between the two nations. Zhang stated that this exercise will "facilitate practical cooperation between the two sides and contribute to the building of an all-weather China-Cambodia community with a shared future in the new era.
China to Host Inaugural World Humanoid Robot Sports Games: China has announced that it will host the inaugural World Humanoid Robot Sports Games in Beijing from August 15th to 17th, 2025, building upon the world's first humanoid robot half-marathon held in April. Officials from the Beijing Municipal Government announced that the games will take place at the National Stadium and the National Speed Skating Oval, with competition events and rules finalised by the domestic sports associations and robotics experts. The games will feature eleven human sporting disciplines adapted for humanoid robots, encompassing track and field, gymnastics, and football, alongside performance and application-based competitions. Zhang Hua, an official from the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports, emphasized that the event aims to showcase the current advancements and future trajectory of robotics by emulating human athletic endeavors, thereby enhancing mechanical structure optimization and motion algorithms.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER

Bubble Tea Office Parties spark Compulsion vs Camaraderie Debate: According to netizens, a practice of colleagues taking turns to purchase bubble tea in order to promote fraternal sentiments has evolved into a forceful social obligation within many workplaces. Driven by a fear of social exclusion or being labeled uncooperative, participation in these tea rounds has become an unspoken expectation but considering the cumulative financial burden of regularly buying such expensive beverages can be substantial along with the frequent consumption of sugary drinks. This phenomenon of ‘Office Rotation for buying Bubble and Milk Tea’ has also caused various hashtags to trend over Chinese social media.

INDIA WATCH

Global Times, Guancha Reports Pakistani usage of China-made J-10C in recent Skirmish: An article in Global Times covered the Pakistani Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar’s statements on the usage of China-made J-10 C jets in the recent conflict with India in which he claims that Pakistani counter-measures included the Chinese made J-10 C, and downed 5 Indian Jets. The baseless allegations were also refuted by India, as Dar claimed that there were instructions to only target Indian jets that released payloads. He stated that had the directive been different, nearly 10-12 jets would have been struck. These claims also included the shooting down of a French Rafale amongst the five jets. Additionally, an article in Guancha discussed how the militaries of the world would be studying the battles between the China made J-10C and the French Rafale, along with the performance of China's PL-15E missile and the European Missile Group (MBDA)'s Meteor missile. The article quoted Douglas Barrie from the International Institute for Strategic Studies, who believed that this was a direct contest between China and the most powerful weapons in the West depending upon the conditional utility of the weapons themselves.

Prepared By

Iklavya Dev

Iklavya is currently a Second Year student pursuing undergraduate degrees in Multimedia Communication and Political Science from K.C. College, Mumbai and Indira Gandhi National Open University respectively. He is deeply interested in the realms of Public Policy, Governance and International Relations, and aspires to broaden his horizons in the same through interactive working experiences and research. His research work includes various subjects ranging from Indian Foreign Policy and Defence Studies to Social Issues and Constitutional Law.