CiCM 14th December 2025

NEWS IN CHINA

Wang Yi Pledges Elevated China-Saudi Strategic Ties: Foreign Minister Wang Yi, co-chairing the Fifth Political Sub-committee Meeting in Riyadh with Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, affirmed Saudi Arabia as a Middle East priority and global strategy partner, ready to elevate bilateral relations under Xi Jinping and Saudi leaders' guidance toward a mutual benefit model. Marking the upcoming 10th anniversary of the comprehensive strategic partnership, China welcomes Saudi visits for the second China-Arab Summit, and encourages bilateral investment in the arena of renewable energy to mutually support a green transition. It also expressed support for Riyadh Expo 2030 and reaffirmed its commitment to greater coordination with Saudi Arabia on multilateral forums like the G20, in its quest to uphold multilateralism. Riyadh reaffirmed the one-China principle, rejected "Taiwan independence," praised China's development, and pledged to strengthen cooperation in trade and the circular economy. It further supported progress on the China-GCC FTA negotiations, offered preferential policies for Chinese firms, and emphasised a deep alignment on Palestine and other global issues in Afghanistan and the Middle East. Additionally, the two sides signed mutual visa exemptions for diplomatic and service passport holders.
Japan slammed Over Unit 731 Atrocities Amid New Archives: China’s Central Archives declassified Soviet interrogation records from Russia, detailing 1939-1950 probes of over 200 Unit 731 members, confirming organized bacteriological warfare via joint Soviet medical exams branding it mass human destruction research. Complementing China's preserved site records, the 2024 "Personal Declaration" and 2025 Japanese archives, as well as NHK documents and former member Hideo Shimizu's Harbin apology, the evidence connects high to mid-level officers to irrefutable and systematic state crimes. Xinhua condemns Japanese revisionism via textbooks, "scientific" excuses and victim-playing, the high volume of political visits to the Yasukuni shrine, its attempts to circumvent the Peace Constitution, and its efforts to challenge the post-WWII order by implementing defense hikes that signal the revival of militarism. In the context of the celebration of the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Day, Beijing vows to unearth the historical truth and reject whitewashed narratives.
Hong Kong Court Convicts Jimmy Lai on All National Security Charges: A Hong Kong High Court panel found media tycoon Jimmy Lai guilty of two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one count of conspiracy to publish seditious materials under the 2020 national security law, after a 156-day trial with 2,220 exhibits and 80,000+ pages of documents. The 78-year-old Apple Daily founder, in solitary confinement since 2020, faces life imprisonment for using his outlets and funding the lobbying group " Fight for Freedom, Stand with Hong Kong," which encouraged sanctions, hostility, and Western intervention against China and Hong Kong between 2019 and 2021. His support continued even after the national security law came into force, and he appeared on Fox News, calling for the US to intervene via a trade deal. Chief Executive John Lee hailed the verdict, while Police National Security Department head Steve Li stated that justice was served. China's foreign ministry further expressed support for this verdict and encouraged Hong Kong to "punish crimes that endanger national security."
Hainan Supercharges “Visa-Free + Duty-Free” Free Trade Port Push: Ahead of its December 18 island-wide “customs closure,” Hainan has expanded 30-day visa-free entry from 59 to 86 countries and ramped up to 85 international air routes, giving the island more nonstop links than any other mainland secondary hub while bundling 144-hour transit waivers and cruise-group visas into a single regional package to cut average clearance times to 15 minutes. Provincial data show 54.8 percent of this year’s 247 million cross-border movements used some form of visa waiver, as officials tout Hainan as the most open tourism and business gateway in China, pairing e-gates and digital arrival cards with aggressive duty-free incentives—tariff-free production inputs that stay on-island or are re-exported and annual shopping quotas rising to 150,000 yuan—spurring new logistics, MICE and holiday demand into 2026.
Central Economic Conference Signals 15th Plan Priorities: The Central Economic Work Conference concluded in Beijing, outlining 2026's eight key tasks in the 15th Five-Year Plan. This includes innovation-driven growth, new drivers expansion, domestic demand primacy, green transformation, and high-level opening-up measures. This comes in the context of optimistic global forecasts affirming China's resilience in modern industry, reform, and risk resolution. Overseas experts like Malaysia's Chen Jiaxing hail the policy synergy of fiscal support and reform for internal strength against external shocks, with Japan's JETRO's Ding Ke noting that China’s talent and tech industry integration has reshaped competitiveness. The article states that the green "dual carbon" push, education and science plans for Beijing, Shanghai, and GBA hubs, as well as the Hainan FTP island clearance, have drawn praise for sustainable, high-quality development. Emphasis on consumption boosts, service exports, FTZ optimization, and trade pacts signals expanded opportunities, while the renewable energy industry reduced global emissions by 4.1 billion tons.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER

Weibo Erupts Over Bondi Father-Son Mass Shooting Video: A 10-minute clip of the December 14 Bondi Beach attack that killed 16 people went viral on Weibo, with users dissecting footage of a 50-year-old licensed gun owner and his 24-year-old son firing repeatedly in one direction. The father was killed in the police shootout which left his son left critically injured. Commenters who were near the scene said it unfolded “right next to my dorm,” while others called Australia “in chaos,” denouncing the pair’s “terrifying hatred of society,” and questioned how they could legally hold guns, turning the thread into a broader argument over gun culture, mental health, and whether such violence could spread to other countries.

INDIA WATCH

Chinese media indicates that the US National Security Strategy Targets India's Economic Leverage: US Trade Rep Rick Switzer led talks in India on December 11-12, amid stalled negotiations over a phase-one bilateral deal. This occurs amid Trump's new National Security Strategy that frames "economic security as national security," undertaken to balance trade inequalities, where it has imposed 25% punitive tariffs on India since August, amid Russia-Ukraine frictions. Alongside this, comprehensive talks discussed investments in soybeans and dairy, with parallel political delegations being led by Allison Hooker, which signaled a reset in relations through deeper defense, energy, and tech ties. The article states that Prime Minister Modi had "softened his stance," with Jamison Greer describing it as the "best trade proposal the US had received." Foreign Minister Jaishankar’s son stated in Congress that the "China threat" is an "important ballast" for the US-India partnership. The article stated that a Trump-Modi call eased the tensions but did not lead to any concrete deadlines being announced. India is reportedly aiming to conclude a deal by March 2026, according to adviser Nagswara, buoyed by 8.2 percent GDP growth in the third quarter and export diversification that lifted overseas sales by 5-6 percent despite weaker US demand. The article concluded that overall, the talks point to prolonged negotiations, with the US seeking to maximize extraction without lifting tariffs. The article thus recommends that India "strengthen its current market diversification strategies."

Prepared By

Arav Neil Dey

Arav Neil Dey is a research intern at the Organisation for Research on China and Asia (ORCA). Currently in his second year at FLAME University, he is pursuing a degree in International Studies. Driven by a fascination for global dynamics, he is passionate about international relations, peace and conflict studies, and military history. Arav especially enjoys diving into the shifting strategic landscape of China and West Asia, always seeking out unconventional perspectives and a deeper understanding.