MAKING CHINA FAMILIAR

Beijing’s Influencer Strategy in South Asia

Foreign social media creators are emerging as a significant component of Beijing’s efforts to shape perceptions of China internationally. By engaging influencers from South Asia through sponsored trips, curated access and emerging regional networks, Chinese institutions can present narratives of their domestic development, technology, governance and everyday life through seemingly independent voices. Their regional and cultural proximity can make such perceptions more authentic and relatable to audiences than official Chinese messaging, while subsequent amplification by state-linked media can extend their reach. The growing institutionalisation of these engagements suggests a shift from isolated influencer campaigns towards sustained networks of digital intermediaries. For India, this raises the need to examine not only individual content but also the institutions facilitating these interactions, their amplification mechanisms and their potential to gradually normalise favourable perceptions of China.

CiCM 28th August 2026

President Xi Chairs Meeting on Rescue and Relief Efforts after Devastating Mudslide, APEC China 2026 Third Senior Officials Meeting Held in Dalian, China and Zimbabwe Reaffirm Commitment to Stronger Economic and Trade Ties, China Advances Reforms to Commercial Housing Sales System, China Issues Guidance to Diversify Investment in Ecological Technology Innovation, Weibo Users React to Teachers Being Publicly Shamed Over Low Student Scores, Guancha Discusses Animal Symbols in India’s Politics and Economy

THE NEW FACES OF CHINA'S SOFT POWER

Foreign Influencers and Digital Diplomacy

China’s growing engagement with foreign influencers reflects a broader transformation in the CPC’s approach to international communication. Rather than relying solely on traditional state media and official messaging, Beijing is developing a more networked, state-facilitated model that combines digital platforms, provincial institutions and third-party voices to expand the reach of Chinese narratives. By facilitating creators’ access to China’s cities, technology, cultural spaces and politically sensitive regions, state institutions can translate policy and development narratives into first-hand experiences that carry the accessibility and perceived independence of creator-led content. This approach assumes greater significance in politically sensitive contexts such as India, Xinjiang and Taiwan, where third-party voices can extend the reach of Beijing’s narratives beyond the audiences typically accessible to official Chinese communication.

CiCM 28th August 2026

FROM PROJECTS TO POLITICS

What Min Aung Hlaing's China Visit Reveals

This article examines the significance of Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing's first state visit to China following the formation of the new government and assesses what it reveals about the evolving trajectory of China–Myanmar relations. It argues that the most notable outcome of the visit was the absence of any renewed commitment to major Chinese investments, indicating that Beijing's immediate priority is to establish the political and security conditions necessary to protect and advance existing projects. Equally significant was the omission of any public reference to defence cooperation, reflecting either China's effort to avoid the international political costs of overt military alignment with the Tatmadaw. At the same time, Beijing sought to deepen its influence through its four Global Initiatives and expanded cooperation in areas such as media, governance, and party-to-party exchanges mechanism. The article contends that China–Myanmar relations are increasingly characterised by a pragmatic and transactional partnership in which political alignment, institutional cooperation, and strategic interests are becoming as significant as traditional economic and security ties.

CiCM 28th August 2026

CHINESE DEMOCRACY IN THEORY AND PRACTICE: CPC's Domestic & Foreign Election Narratives

CiCM 28th August 2026

DECODING TEN YEARS OF ANTI-CORRUPTION DATA IN CHINA: Patterns of Investigations & Punishments

CiCM 28th August 2026

CHINA’S NEW MIRACLE MODEL

Xiong’an New Area

China’s Xiong’an New Area (未来之城) is more than an urban development project, it is a test of Beijing’s evolving model of governance and economic modernisation. Conceived as a “city of the future” Xiong’an embodies China’s shift from growth-driven expansion to innovation-led high-quality development through smart planning, green infrastructure, and institutional reforms. While the project has achieved significant progress in relocating Beijing’s non-capital functions and attracting investment, its long-term success depends on creating a self-sustaining innovation ecosystem rather than relying on state support. Ultimately, it serves as a litmus test for whether China’s top-down development model can deliver sustainable urban and economic transformation.

CiCM 28th August 2026

PROJECT 596

Origins Of China’s Nuclear Weapons Programme

China’s pursuit of nuclear weapons emerged from its leaders’ concerns over U.S. nuclear threats and the vulnerability of the newly established PRC during the Korean War and Taiwan Strait crises. Initially dependent on Soviet assistance, China received significant support in nuclear technology, infrastructure and expertise, culminating in the 1957 Sino-Soviet agreement on nuclear cooperation. However, the deterioration of Sino-Soviet relations and Moscow’s withdrawal of promised assistance in 1959 compelled Beijing to pursue an indigenous programme, codenamed Project 596. Despite the economic pressures of the Great Leap Forward and the loss of Soviet support, Chinese scientists developed the technical capacity to produce highly enriched uranium and successfully assembled an implosion-type device. The successful nuclear test on October 16, 1964, demonstrated China’s ability to overcome technological and material constraints and established it as the fifth nuclear-armed state, while underscoring the strategic importance Beijing attached to nuclear weapons as a means of deterring external coercion and nuclear blackmail.

CiCM 28th August 2026

ZERO DAY ATTACK- A WARNING SHOT FOR TAIWAN

Part 5: False Promises

This is the fifth of a six-part series analyzing the Taiwanese TV series ‘Zero Day Attack’ for the Organisation for Research on China and Asia’s (ORCA) ‘Reviewing Chinese Culture’ segment.

CiCM 28th August 2026

राजनीति के व्यापक पैटर्न का व्यवहार

पीसीए के फैसले को गैर-कानूनी, शून्य और अमान्य मानता आया है चीन

बड़ी ताकतें अक्सर ऐसे अंतरराष्ट्रीय कानूनी फैसलों का विरोध करती हैं जो उनके मुख्य राष्ट्रीय हितों के खिलाफ हों। अंतरराष्ट्रीय कानून देशों के व्यवहार पर असर तो डालता है, लेकिन रणनीतिक हिसाब-किताब पर शायद ही कभी हावी हो पाता है। पीसीए के फैसले का प्रतीकात्मक और कूटनीतिक महत्व है, भले ही उसे लागू करना सीमित ही क्यों न हो।

CiCM 28th August 2026

INDIA'S SOFT PUSH FOR POWER IN SOUTH ASIA

Shaping a Favourable Tomorrow

The Special Issue “India’s Soft Push for Power in South Asia: Shaping A Favourable Tomorrow” was ideated keeping in mind the increasing need for Indian policymakers to mitigate challenges emerging against New Delhi’s South Asian policy. Through each chapter, contributed by emerging Indian scholars specializing in India’s neighborhood policy, the publications envisions new and existing strategies to effectively leverage India’s soft power appeal in South Asia.

CiCM 28th August 2026

TURNING THE BLADE INWARD: THE 2026 PLA PURGES

CiCM 28th August 2026

Huānyíng to ORCA!

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