CiCM 7th March 2025

NEWS IN CHINA

Wang Yi Outlines China’s Foreign Policy Focuses for 2025: On the sidelines of the annual Two Sessions, Foreign Minister Wang Yi reflected on China’s foreign policy actions in 2024 which according to Wang, concreted China’s progress by bringing peace and stability in a tumultuous international environment. Wang highlighted the importance of Head-of-State diplomacy carried out by President Xi which has been instrumental in fostering better relations with other countries. He highlighted that the events like 70th anniversary of Five principles of peaceful coexistence, the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Summit and China-Arab countries forum have brought China closer to the Global South. In relation to China’s relations with Russia, he stated that both countries hold a historic friendship that remains resilient and stable, also setting examples on how to coexist as two strong neighbours. Coming to the South China Sea issue, Wang Yi remarked that the friction between Manila and Beijing is scripted by external actors and the country is always set to safeguard its sovereignty and resolve any issue through China-ASEAN dialogue. Pertaining to its relation with the US, Wang stated that China calls for peaceful existence between both countries, however the USA’s accusations on issues such as fentanyl and tariffs does not reflect well on the relations. He also added that “one should not fantasise that it can suppress China and maintain good relations with China at the same time”. Wang Yi also highlighted that India and China should work together for prosperity and success. “Coming together of the dragon and the elephant is the rightful choice that shall be made to achieve success”, he added.

PBoC Governor Announces Sci-tech Board in Bond Market: China is set to launch a Sci-tech Board in the bond market to promote the issuance of sci-tech innovation bonds by financial institutions, tech firms and private equity investors, according to People's Bank of China Governor Pan Gongsheng. Announced at a press conference during the third session of the 14th National People's Congress, the initiative aims to channel bond funds into sci-tech innovation more efficiently and at lower costs. Additionally, Pan mentioned that China will optimize re-lending policies for sci-tech innovation and technological transformation, expanding the scale of re-lending from 500 billion yuan ($70 billion) to up to 1 trillion yuan. This move is intended to better meet corporate financing needs while maintaining fiscal interest subsidies to lower financing costs. Pan also emphasized the development of new structural monetary policy tools focused on investment and financing in the sci-tech sector. Wu Qing, chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, highlighted plans to enhance support mechanisms for sci-tech enterprises and facilitate the listing of high-quality tech firms.

Xi Lauds Completion of the Five-Year Plan of the Military Development: As the 14th Five-year plan for military development (2021-2025) comes to an end, President Xi Jinping praised the successful efforts done by the military. Xi gave these remarks during his meeting with the delegation of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and the People’s Armed Police at Two Sessions. Xi encouraged the delegation to strengthen their confidence, use high-quality developmental requirements to achieve larger goals and face the challenges. He noted that the military development should lead a path of high efficiency, high quality, cost-effectiveness and sustainability to ensure combat readiness. Xi stressed on the significance of using modern methods and concepts of management systems that help in improvising strategic mechanisms in a systematic and coordinated manner. The focus has also been laid upon joint civil-military initiatives to source efficient and quality ventures from the civil sector to contribute to the amplification of military development. Xi also suggested that the usage of advanced technologies and highly-combat efficient mechanisms are also to be incorporated in the development of the military. On corruption, he called for an integrated supervision system along with joint audits to investigate such cases in the PLA.

Special Action Plan Unveiled to Support Farmers in Digital Technology: The Cyberspace Administration of China has launched a special action plan to enhance rural development through digital technology, along with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Commerce, and the People's Bank of China. The initiative, titled "Strengthen Agriculture, Benefit Farmers and Enrich Farmers with Digital Villages," will be implemented in eight key provinces and cities, including Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, Shandong, Henan, Chongqing, Sichuan and Shaanxi. The plan aims to achieve significant progress in digital rural construction within two years. Key goals include improving agricultural production informatization, expanding rural industries, boosting rural online retail sales, bridging the urban-rural digital divide, enhancing public services and increasing governance efficiency. The initiative also seeks to achieve a ‘double income increase’ for rural collectives and farmers. Provinces will determine participation levels based on their economic conditions and resource availability. The notice outlines six key tasks: promoting smart agriculture, expanding new rural industries, strengthening digital infrastructure, enhancing digital services for farmers, creating a smart rural governance system, and increasing income opportunities for farmers.

China Expands Judicial Services to Strengthen Global Legal Cooperation: China has enhanced its judicial services to support high-level opening-up, resolving more foreign-related disputes and improving legal assistance, according to reports from the Supreme People's Court (SPC) and the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP). These reports were submitted for review at the ongoing third session of the 14^th National People's Congress. In 2024, Chinese courts concluded 26,000 foreign-related civil and commercial cases, a 6.1 percent increase from the previous year. Additionally, 5,644 international judicial assistance cases were handled, marking a 15.4 percent rise. Maritime legal services also saw significant growth, with Chinese courts hearing 34,000 maritime cases in 2024, compared to just 18 in 1984. Over the past 40 years, more than 80,000 foreign-related maritime disputes from over 100 countries and regions have been settled in China’s maritime courts. The SPP, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice, implemented regulations for enforcing the Law on International Criminal Judicial Assistance. It also participated in negotiations on treaties, including the UN Convention against Cybercrime. In 2024, Chinese courts prosecuted 498,000 individuals for foreign-related crimes and handled 293 cases of criminal judicial assistance.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER

Daniel Wu’s English Course Gains Popularity on Chinese Social Media: A famous US-born Hong Kong actor and filmmaker Daniel Wu has gained widespread attention in China after launching an online English-speaking course. On February 26, Wu introduced the course via his newly created social media account, “Daniel Wu Teaches English,” which quickly attracted over 200,000 followers. His strong 7 million followers base on his personal Douyin account has also helped him popularize this course. Developed in partnership with Gaotu, a Chinese education company, the course is available through Gaotu’s app. Wu is known for his roles in over 60 films, including New Police Story alongside Jackie Chan. The course covers travel phrases, slang, idioms and tongue twisters, consisting of 84 lessons priced at 398 yuan ($55). It promises to help students master 35 conversational scenarios in 30 days. A key highlight of this course is an AI-powered voice chat tool using Wu’s synthesized voice for interactive learning. Many students praised this course for being “highly engaging and interactive” along with some improvements suggested in in AI-voice chat. Another user humorously noted that having Wu as an English teacher would have made learning much easier.

INDIA WATCH

A Chinese Media Article Advocates for Pragmatic Attitude in India-China Ties: An article in Global Times discusses the need for a pragmatic attitude between India and China. It highlights that several senior officials have demonstrated their aspiration in ensuring the stability of the relations between India and China. It states that in order for India and China to improve their bilateral relations, mutual trust along with the enhancement of contacts at all levels will be required. The article notes that the positive direction in the bilateral ties started since the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan. The article mentions S. Jaishankar’s statements from a recent discussion at Chatham House on how India and China are progressing towards stability in the relationship despite cross-border tensions. The article also mentions Jaishankar’s comment on the need to respect and recognize India’s interests and sensitivities by China. According to Qian Feng from the National Strategy Institute of Tsinghua University, the recent engagements towards building trust played a prime role in easing tensions between India and China. The article also states that both countries have agreed to facilitate journalists as well as promote the pilgrimage of Indians to the sacred places in Tibet. It further talks about the role of people-to-people exchanges and the restart of direct flights. Qian argues that the relationship is steadily returning to a healthy and stable development path.

Prepared By

Lakshmi Priya Vijayan

Lakshmi Priya Vijayan holds a master’s degree in Geopolitics and International Relations from the Department of Geopolitics and International Relations, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Manipal, Karnataka, India. Her areas of interest include geopolitics of Southeast Asia, biosecurity, political economy, transnational organised crimes and public diplomacy. She has previously interned at Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses. Her writings have been published in reputed institutions such as MP-IDSA, CENJOWS, EJSS and more.