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NEWS IN CHINA

• The Fourth Plenum Communique Sets the Agenda for 15th Five-Year Plan: The 20th Central Committee concluded its fourth plenary session in Beijing on Thursday, adopting recommendations for formulating the country’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030). The session reviewed the 14th Plan’s achievements and charted a roadmap towards realizing socialist modernization by 2035. The communique outlined guiding principles including upholding Party leadership, prioritizing people-centered development, promoting reform and innovation and ensuring national security. The upcoming plan emphasizes high-quality growth, technological self-reliance, industrial modernization, green transition, rural revitalization and a stronger national defense as key goals for the 15th 5-year plan. Highlighting the complex global environment, the CPC called for unity to navigate opportunities and challenges. The session reaffirmed Xi’s core leadership and the central role of Xi Jinping Thought as the ideological foundation for governance. The plenum also approved personnel changes across the Party and PLA, including appointment of Zhang Shengmin as vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, replacing He Weidong. It also confirmed expulsions of several senior officials for grave disciplinary violations and replaced them with alternate members in the Central Committee. The session underscored that implementing the new plan is a major political task, urging the entire Party and nation to unite under Xi’s leadership to advance China’s modernization and rejuvenation.

• Beijing Condemns EU for Including Chinese Firms in 19th Anti-Russia Sanctions Round: The Chinese Ministry of Commerce expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition after the European Union included several Chinese companies in its 19th round of sanctions against Russia. For the first time, the EU targeted major Chinese refineries and oil traders, accusing them of indirectly supporting Russia’s energy trade amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. A spokesperson from the Ministry of Commerce said that Beijing had repeatedly urged the EU to refrain from taking such actions, warning that unilateral sanctions lacking UN authorization violate international norms. The ministry criticized the move as a direct breach of the consensus reached between Chinese and EU leaders, adding that it could severely damage China-EU economic and trade relations and disrupt global energy security. China called on the EU to immediately revoke the sanctions and “stop moving further down the wrong path”, stressing that Beijing will take all necessary measures to protect the legitimate rights of its enterprises and to safeguard national energy interests.

• China Rare Earth Group Pledges Strict Compliance with New Export Control Rules: The China Rare Earth Group Co., in a WeChat post, has pledged to strictly adhere to the country’s newly reinforced rare earth export control regulations, emphasizing stability and compliance in its fourth-quarter operations. During a recent operations meeting, the state-owned enterprise underscored its commitment to aligning with China’s laws and regulatory framework while enhancing production efficiency and ensuring a steady supply chain. According to the post, it will intensify reforms to strengthen governance, drive scientific innovation, accelerate key project implementation and fortify risk prevention mechanisms to ensure sustainable growth. China Rare Earth Group, a major player in global rare earth exploration, refining and export, operates extensively across Jiangxi, Guangxi and Sichuan provinces, as well as in Southeast Asia. The announcement follows new export control measures introduced by China’s Ministry of Commerce and the General Administration of Customs, which are aimed at safeguarding national security and protecting strategic resources.

• Vice Premier He Lifeng to Hold Key Trade Talks with U.S. Delegation in Malaysia: China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng will lead a high-level delegation to Malaysia from October 24 to 27 for a new round of economic and trade consultations with the United States, the Ministry of Commerce confirmed on Thursday. The discussions will be guided by the “important consensus” reached between Chinese and US Presidents during their phone exchange earlier this year. The agenda reportedly includes topics such as trade balance, supply chain stability, investment environment, tariff-related matters and other key concerns. Chinese experts described the upcoming talks as crucial for translating broad agreements into concrete measures amid renewed U.S. restrictions targeting China’s logistics and shipbuilding industries. The consultations also come alongside a series of high-level meetings between Chinese officials and major U.S. business leaders who emphasized the importance of stable, mutually beneficial U.S.-China economic ties.

• China Unveils Plan to Build Birth-Friendly Society and Strengthen Elderly Care: China’s Health Minister Lei Haichao announced that it has outlined a comprehensive plan to create a birth-friendly society and enhance elderly care during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. Acknowledging the challenges of declining birthrates and an aging population, Lei emphasized promoting positive attitudes toward marriage and childbirth while expanding fertility incentives, childcare subsidies and tax deductions. The government will deepen pilot programs for subsidized nursery care and develop affordable childcare services to ease family burdens. China will also strengthen maternity insurance, extend maternity leave systems and improve healthcare for women and children. To address aging concerns, the country plans to optimize basic elderly care services, promote long-term care insurance and expand rehabilitation, nursing care along with integrated medical and elderly care services. Additionally, Beijing will gradually delay the legal retirement age, promote elderly employment and expand the “silver economy”.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER

Rescue Operation During Elevator Mishap in Hohhot Sparks Online Discussions: A large-scale elevator malfunction incident in the Xiangrui Jiayuan residential complex of Hohhot’s Saihan District has gone viral on Chinese social media, sparking widespread discussion about safety and property management. According to reports, cables in 23 elevators were deliberately cut, though quick detection prevented any casualties. Police have detained two suspects linked to the sabotage, and investigations are ongoing. Local authorities swiftly mobilized over 50 elevator repair workers to the site to restore operations, with officials confirming that residents will not bear any repair costs. The local Party Secretary Zhang Jinzhi stated that multiple departments coordinated the emergency response, emphasizing public safety and transparency. On Weibo, the hashtags #Over50RepairWorkersRushedToFixElevators and #ResidentsNotRequiredToPay trended widely, drawing millions of views. Many users praised the rapid government action and expressed relief that no injuries occurred, while others condemned the suspects’ reckless behavior as “an attack on public safety”. Some netizens, however, questioned how such damage went unnoticed initially, calling for stronger community surveillance and accountability from property managers.

INDIA WATCH

Global Times Frames Trump’s Claims on India’s Oil Imports as Strategic Pressure on Russia: Chinese media platform Global Times has assessed US President Donald Trump’s assertion that India will reduce its imports of Russian crude by “about 40 percent” by end of the year. Global Times frames this claim as part of Washington’s broader strategy to exert pressure on Moscow amid the stalled Russia-Ukraine ceasefire efforts. Trump had recently announced cancellation of his meeting with President Putin in Budapest. The report quotes Qian Feng of Tsinghua University’s National Strategy Institute, who noted that Trump’s timing coinciding with new sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil suggests a coordinated attempt to put pressure on Russia. The article argues that India’s silence on Trump’s remarks reveals its “strategic ambiguity” as an outright denial could strain relations with Washington, particularly as both nations are reportedly finalizing a trade deal. On the other hand, the article assesses, a confirmation of these claims would risk diplomatic fallout with Moscow. Qian describes this approach by India as “playing tai chi”, emphasizing on balancing its partnerships with both countries without taking any decisive action. He further argues that India may cut Russian oil to a moderate level due to the US pressure as a complete ban on imports is unlikely from India’s perspective.

Prepared By

Lipun Kumar Sanbad

Lipun Kumar Sanbad, a postgraduate student of Politics and International Relations from Pondicherry University and a History and Political science graduate from University of Delhi. From the past three years working as a freelance researcher in the domain of global peace, conflict and security studies, and defence studies.