CiCM 24th February

NEWS IN CHINA

President Xi and Putin Affirm Mutual Support for Bilateral Cooperation: President Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin affirmed their commitment to establishing long-term strategic ties between the two countries. In a telephonic conversation, Xi expressed support for the dialogue between Moscow and Washington as well as assistance for the peaceful settlement of the Russia-Ukraine war. Xi refers to the China-Russia relationship as “True Friends”, who have supported and developed together despite challenges. Xi further added that China-Russia relations will move forward despite international challenges and will contribute to each other’s development and revitalization. He recounted Beijing’s past efforts for a peaceful and political resolution of the Russia-Ukraine war, including their proposal to mediate peace between Russia and Ukraine at the United Nations General Assembly in 2024. Jin Lian, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that China will always stand firmly on the side of peace, and is willing to work with the international community to promote a political solution to the crisis.
Chinese Delegation to Focus on Automotive Industry Cooperation During Germany Trip: The China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) stated that a Chinese business delegation has departed for Germany on a three-day business trip. This trip aims to focus mainly on automotive industry cooperation and enhancing communication and exchanges to deepen practical cooperation with the German Business community. The Chinese delegation will meet corporate leaders from major German automobile companies and suppliers like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Bosch. According to Yuyuantantian, a Chinese Media Group, the visit of the Chinese delegation also comes amidst the recent US tariff threats on European automakers, as President Trump’s statement to impose 25 percent tariffs on automobile imports, semiconductors, and pharmaceuticals. The delegation of about 30 major enterprises and industry associations will be led by Ren Hongbin, chairman of CCPIT. The delegation will also engage in high-level discussions with officials from various state governments, including Bavaria and Baden-Wurttemberg. During the delegation visit, both sides will explore development potential in trade, automobile, machinery, and digital technology.
Beijing’s Plan to Stabilize Foreign Investment Will Attract Global Interest: Following the release of an action plan to stabilize foreign investment in 2025, industry analysts are predicting that foreign equity investments in China may recover this year, with Chinese assets attracting global interest and the country opening up for foreign investments. The plan includes several measures, including encouraging foreign investors' strategic shareholding in Chinese listed companies, facilitating their participation in mergers and acquisitions, and accommodating the establishment of foreign investment companies. Pan Yuanyuan, deputy director at the Institute of World Economics and Politics, added that the measures of the foreign investment plan are comprehensive, well-timed, and directly address the challenges that foreign investors are facing. Nancy Li, international tax and transaction services partner at EY China, stated that this policy is a major boost for foreign investment firms in China because it will expand the financing channels and reduce costs. The plan also encourages multinational corporations to establish investment companies in China, by providing convenience in foreign exchange management, and cross-border data transfer.
Judicial Authorities to Focus on Protection of Elderly and Vulnerable Citizens: The top procuratorial court stated that judicial authorities are working to intensify the protection of vulnerable people,elderly people, and people with disabilities in public interest litigation (PIL). The Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP) highlighted that procuratorial agencies around the country had handled more than 3,318 cases regarding the protection of the elderly, people with disabilities, females, and migrant workers. The SPP also noted that prosecutors have targeted some prominent social problems like employment discrimination against women, unlicensed elderly care institutions, and issues regarding employment security funds for the disabled. According to the SPP, protection of the rights and interests of vulnerable groups has been a major focus of PIL in China and more than 140,000 cases were handled between January and November 2024. Moreover, SPP pointed out that while handling public interest cases, procuratorial authorities have also focused on problems related to ecological protection, drug and food safety, telecommunications fraud, and personal information protection.
Marine Economy Creates New Records: According to the latest data released by the Ministry of Natural Resources, China's marine economy achieved a major milestone in 2024 with its gross ocean product (GOP) reaching 10.54 trillion yuan, which marked an increase of 5.9 percent in comparison with 2023, demonstrating development growth across multiple sectors. The Service sector emerged as the biggest contributor to the marine economy in 2024, contributing around 59.6% of the total GOP. Offshore wind power entered a new phase of scaled development, as annual power generation grew by nearly 30 percent year on year. Offshore oil and gas also saw an increase of 6.9 percent and 12.3 percent respectively. Other sectors like Tourism and Cruise Control also gained significant popularity. The report also highlighted significant growth in marine development projects, with the authorities approving more than 4,123 new sea and island utilization projects across 263,000 hectares amounting a total investment of 1.7 trillion yuan.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER

Chinese Actor’s Comments Spark Heated Discussions Online: Chinese actor Hu Ge’s comments in an interview have sparked heated discussions online. The 42 year-old actor, who has starred in multiple hits, has expressed his attitude towards death for the first time in an interview with a fashion magazine. The actor said he thought he could embrace death after his mother’s death, but after the birth of his daughter, he suddenly felt that he did not have a lot of time. He stated that he wants to live longer to see his daughter grow up, but has been frightened of death since his childhood. Hu was also involved in a car accident in 2006 and suffered serious injuries to his face leading to post-traumatic amnesia. In 2012, as he was circling on the stage while working on a play, he felt that his life was reincarnating. Many netizens have mixed opinions towards Hu’s statements. While some users highlighted that he was being overly dramatic and negative, others said he was honest and wise. One user commented that forty is still a young age, and if someone is negatively looking at life, then they have probably been counting down life from the moment they were born. Another user commented that he is brave enough to admit his fear of death, and smart enough to live with a ‘seize the day’ or a carpe diem mindset.

INDIA WATCH

Article in Chinese Media Focuses on Whether India Can Surpass China to Become the World’s Factory: An article in Chinese Media focuses on whether India can surpass China as the “World’s Factory” by establishing new global supply chains. The article points out that due to the recent US-China trade frictions, several American companies like Google and Apple have shifted their supply chains from China to India. Dixon, which is responsible for assembling smartphones for brands like Oppo, Xiaomi, and Google Pixel, is boosting component manufacturing to support the Indian Government’s Production Linked Incentive Scheme to attract global tech companies and set up supply chains in India. The article notes that despite the recent developments, India still faces challenges from international trade policies including the US’s threat to impose reciprocal tariffs on imports which could pose a risk to India in the export industry. Moreover, such a move would cost India about $7 billion in exports annually. The article highlights that despite having potential, India still faces significant challenges in replacing China in the manufacturing industry. Major infrastructural projects such as industrial parks, and other components like logistics, transportation, and supply chain integration in India are not as good as China and require more investment and construction. Additionally, India also faces other issues like the local supply capacity for high-end components like semiconductors and display panels, which are still relatively weak.

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.