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NEWS IN CHINA

• CPPCC Standing Committee Meeting Concludes: The 15th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) concluded in Beijing on March 2. Wang Huning, chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, presided over the closing meeting and delivered a speech. Wang stated that over the past year, the CPPCC has strengthened the integration of Party leadership, the united front and consultative democracy. He emphasized institutionalized study of the Party’s innovative theories, improved internal mechanisms, enhanced work style and more proactive alignment with central policy priorities. Looking ahead to 2026, he stressed adherence to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, focusing on the central Party and national tasks. The meeting adopted draft agendas, work reports and proposal-related reports for the upcoming Two Sessions, approved personnel adjustments and confirmed multiple removals from the CPPCC. Senior CPPCC vice chairpersons, including Shi Taifeng and others, attended the session. After the closing ceremony, Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao delivered a lecture on innovative trade development and building a strong trading nation.

• Wang Yi Holds Telephonic Conversation With Iran’s Foreign Minister: Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a telephonic conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Araghchi outlined the latest developments, noting that the United States had launched renewed military actions against Iran while negotiations between Washington and Tehran were still underway. He stated that the US strikes violated international law and crossed Iran’s red lines, leaving Tehran compelled to respond in self-defense. He welcomed China’s consistent and balanced position and expressed hope that Beijing would continue to play a constructive role in de-escalating tensions. Araghchi assured China of Iran’s commitment to safeguarding Chinese citizens and interests. Wang Yi reiterated China’s principled stance, emphasizing the long-standing friendship between China and Iran. He noted that China supports Iran in safeguarding its sovereignty, security, territorial integrity and national dignity, as well as its legitimate rights and interests. Wang urged the United States and Israel to immediately cease military operations to prevent further escalation and avoid the conflict spreading across the region.

• China’s Digital Consumption Surges Under the 14th Five-Year Plan: According to data released by the Ministry of Commerce, China’s digital consumption has expanded in both scale and quality since the start of the 14th Five-Year Plan. The overall value of digital consumption has surpassed 23.8 trillion yuan, positioning China as the world’s largest online retail market for 13 consecutive years. In 2025 alone, online retail sales reached 15.97 trillion yuan, up 8.6 percent year-on-year. Online sales of physical goods totaled 13.09 trillion yuan. New business models such as live-streaming e-commerce and instant retail continued to expand, with live-streaming transaction volumes rising by 11.3 percent. Online retail sales of digital products such as smartphones and smart robots grew by more than 18 percent. In 2025, online sales of rural agricultural products rose by 6.7–9.9 percent, while textile and pharmaceutical e-commerce grew by 6.6 percent and 3.8 percent, respectively. Growth in digital consumption also accelerated logistics, express delivery, communication software and AI development. The Silk Road E-commerce network expanded to 36 partner countries and Shanghai’s pilot cooperation zone has introduced institutional innovations to facilitate cross-border trade.

• China Unveils Measures to Boost Science and Technology Insurance: The Ministry of Science and Technology, together with the State Financial Regulatory Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the State Intellectual Property Office, jointly released the “Opinions on Accelerating the High-Quality Development of Science and Technology Insurance to Strongly Support High-Level Scientific and Technological Self-Reliance and Self-Strengthening”. The document outlines 20 policy measures across six key areas designed to underwrite innovation-related risks and support technological self-reliance. These include strengthening insurance protection for major national science and technology tasks, technology-based small and medium-sized enterprises, and key strategic fields. It also focuses on improving science and technology insurance products and services, enhancing the role of insurance fund investment, and reinforcing regulatory oversight and risk prevention. The measures are expected to address existing gaps between insurance development and innovation demands, and to comprehensively improve the capacity of science and technology insurance to support high-level scientific and technological self-reliance. In 2025, China’s sci-tech insurance system already played a stabilizing role by providing roughly 8 trillion Yuan in risk coverage, with premiums growing nearly 44 percent year-on-year.

• China Enhances Tax Compliance to Build a Unified National Market: China’s push to build a unified national market is gaining momentum, according to new data released by the State Taxation Administration (STA). Using data from value-added tax invoices, the STA found that inter-provincial trade continued to expand steadily in 2025, supporting smoother domestic circulation. Nationwide, inter-provincial sales volume rose 4.5 percent year on year, outpacing overall sales revenue growth and accounting for 41 percent of total sales, up 0.8 percentage points from the previous year. More than 80 percent of provinces recorded positive growth. Key economic regions showed strong spillover effects as sales revenue outside major hubs such as the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta regions grew faster than within those regions themselves. Cross-provincial business participation expanded rapidly, with the number of entities engaged in inter-provincial sales rising 8 percent year-on-year. These efforts aim to curb regional “involution” driven by preferential tax policies. The new tax reporting rules for online platforms, now followed by over 8,000 firms, have also reduced information gaps and fraudulent practices, helping ensure fair competition.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER

Weibo Erupts Over Satellite Images of Strike on US Fifth Fleet Headquarters: Posts on the ongoing crisis in West Asia with the hashtag #SatelliteImagesShowBeforeAndAfterTheAttackOnUSFifthFleetHeadquarters# were trending on Weibo at the top for nearly 15 hours. The surge came after Reuters published satellite images on March 2 that reportedly showed the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain before and after an Iranian missile strike. The viral post stated that between February 28 and March 1, Iran launched multiple attacks on US military facilities in Bahrain, with smoke reportedly rising over the capital Manama. Bahraini authorities confirmed that the Fifth Fleet headquarters had been targeted, though no official details were provided regarding the scale of damage or casualties. The comment section reflected scepticism as well as support for Iran’s actions. Some users questioned earlier claims that "all incoming missiles had been intercepted", with one suggesting that this might be what US media meant by “successful interception”. Others asked rhetorically whether the Fifth Fleet’s defenses had indeed failed. Several users supported Iran’s response, with some appreciating Iran’s response with smart tactics. A number of netizens framed the strike as a legitimate act of self-defence, noting that Iran had been compelled to retaliate and therefore had little reason to hold back.

INDIA WATCH

Guancha Discusses Canada’s Uranium Supply Agreement with India: An article published in Guancha discussed Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s four-day visit to India and the resulting agreements between the two countries. The article notes that Canada will supply approximately 10,000 tons of uranium ore to India between 2027 and 2035 for nuclear power generation, valued at around USD 2 billion, supporting India’s long-term energy security. It states that both countries have formally launched negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), aiming to increase bilateral trade to over  USD 70 billion by 2030. The article emphasises that India’s recent reforms, including ending the state monopoly on nuclear power generation and easing liability rules, aim to attract private capital into the nuclear sector as India seeks to increase its nuclear capacity to 100 gigawatts by 2047. It further highlights that both countries have agreed to expand cooperation in areas such as liquefied natural gas, critical minerals, solar energy and hydrogen energy.  The article argues that these advancements signal a “thaw” in bilateral relations. Yet, it also claims that the “warming up” of relations at the high-level has still not resonated with common people in Canada as merely 30 percent expressed positive views on India in a recent survey.

Prepared By

Neha Maurya

Neha Maurya is a fourth-year undergraduate student at FLAME University, pursuing a major in International Studies with a minor in Public Policy. Her research interests lie in strategic studies, governance, and education policy. She aspires to engage in work that links research insights to policy outcomes.