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NEWS IN CHINA

• China, Cambodia Hold Inaugural  2+2 Strategic Dialogue: China and Cambodia held the first meeting of 2+2 strategic dialogue in Phnom Penh. The meeting was chaired by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Prak Sokhonn, and Minister of National Defense of Cambodia Tea Sihanouk. The two sides discussed bilateral relations, political and security cooperation, as well as regional and global developments. Wang Yi described the international situation as turbulent and noted its impact on regional stability. On the Thailand–Cambodia issue, he reaffirmed China’s support for both countries in implementing the consensus reached at the Fuxian trilateral summit, and called for enhanced dialogue, trust-building, and improved relations. He also confirmed China’s continued humanitarian assistance, including support for poverty reduction and the resettlement of Cambodian border communities. Prak Sokhonn described China–Cambodia relations as “ironclad” and said the new dialogue mechanism would deepen strategic trust and cooperation. He also expressed Cambodia’s readiness to advance practical cooperation under the “Diamond Hexagon” framework. Both sides agreed on the importance of maintaining strategic clarity amid current global uncertainties. They also committed to strengthening cooperation against online gambling, telecom fraud, and cybercrime, while reaffirming support for multilateralism and free trade.
  
  
• State Council Guidelines to Advance Energy Conservation and Carbon Reduction: The General Office of the State Council and the General Office of the CPCCC released a document titled "Opinions on Doing a Higher-Level and Higher-Quality Job in Energy Conservation and Carbon Reduction." The document outlines 15 key tasks aimed at systematically advancing energy conservation, carbon reduction, and green transformation across priority sectors. It is guided by China’s carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals and emphasizes closer coordination between energy-saving efforts and emissions reduction to support the green transition of traditional industries. A key focus is improving energy efficiency in infrastructure such as computing systems, communication base stations, and data centers. The guidelines call for upgrading cooling systems, increasing cabinet power density, and enhancing efficiency per unit of computing power and data transmission. The document also stresses greater use of fiscal and financial tools. It encourages leveraging government investment, optimising existing funding channels, and applying supportive tax policies to enable energy-saving and low-carbon projects. Financial institutions are urged to develop tailored products and services for green transition needs.
  
  
• Communist Youth League Issues Document for Construction of Youth-Oriented Cities: The Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China (CYLC), along with 15 other departments, including the Ministry of Education and the Cyberspace Administration, issued a document outlining plans to deepen the construction of youth-oriented cities. The guidelines propose 18 measures aimed at building modern, people-centred urban environments that foster youth creativity, participation, and green development. The document frames youth-oriented city building as a practical application of the people-centered urban development philosophy, calling for youth development priorities to be integrated across all aspects of urban governance. It emphasizes creating conditions that allow young people to “come in, stay, live comfortably, and succeed in their careers,” while better addressing their needs in employment, daily life, and ecological well-being. It also highlights the role of young people in driving urban reform, development, and social stability, encouraging their greater participation in urban transformation processes.
  
  
• Head of United Front Work Department Emphasises Significance of Socialist Principles to Guide Tibetan Buddhism: Li Ganjie, Head of the United Front Work Department and a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, emphasised during his research trip to Gansu and Sichuan that socialist principles must guide Tibetan Buddhism. He also called for steadily and systematically advancing the Sinicisation of religion. Li stressed that it is essential to adhere to the guidance of “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese characteristics for a New Era” to fully implement the party's theories, principles and policies in religious work. He also emphasised strengthening the rule of law in the governance of religious affairs to promote religious, ethnic, and social harmony and long-term national stability. Li visited Tibetan Buddhist temples to understand their legal and standardised management in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Gansu Province, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province and Chengdu city. Additionally, he visited the Gansu Buddhist Academy and the China Tibetology Research Institute of Sichuan University to investigate the construction of the scripture study system, training of monks, and Tibetan studies research. Li emphasised the need to improve temple management and strengthen the education, training, and oversight of representatives of Tibetan Buddhism. He stated that these efforts should guide religious figures to carry forward traditions of patriotism and help safeguard national unity and ethnic solidarity. Furthermore, he stressed the importance of running religious colleges, strengthening the training of "dual track" talents and utilising Tibetan studies research institutions to effectively promote Tibetan Buddhist research. 
  
  
• Shaanxi Province to Launch 2,200 Cultural and Tourism Activities During May Day Holiday: The Shaanxi Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism announced the launch of a total of 2,200 themed cultural and tourism activities during the upcoming May Day holiday period. These events aim to create a cultural holiday and tourism experience that promotes cultural enrichment, fosters business innovation, benefits the people and improves service quality. Various regions within Shaanxi will launch high-quality events, including Han opera performances, puppet shows, Qinqiang opera performances, music carnivals, and live-action performances. Additionally, more than 100 displays of intangible cultural heritage experiences and activities will be carried out, including shadow puppetry, paper cutting, and Bashan folk customs. Shaanxi will launch 95 boutique routes, including red tourism, Yellow River sightseeing, Bashan ecology, Hanjiang scenery, ancient town culture, tea garden leisure, Qinling family trips, and rural vacations. These boutique routes will cater to the personalised, diversified, and high-quality travel needs of tourists. These routes include the Xi'an "Cycling Encounters with the Forest of Stele" cycling route, the "Tongchuan in Four Seasons" flower viewing route, the "Shangluo 22° Natural Oxygen Bar" health and wellness route, and the Hanzhong "Han Dynasty Charm" cultural route. The May Day holiday activities will also be closely integrated with the "Hanfu Tour of Shaanxi: Exquisite Silk Road Journey" launched on April 28, with a series of activities for the "May 19th China Tourism Day" forming a cultural and tourism consumption boom that begins in late spring and continues till early summer.
  
  

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER

Foreign Astronaut Entering Chinese Space Station Sparks Buzz on Weibo: The hashtag #First Foreign Astronaut to Enter Chinese Space Station# is trending on the social media platform Weibo. The hashtag refers to the Pakistani astronauts selected to participate in the upcoming Shenzhou-24 space mission. The Pakistani astronauts will work with Chinese astronauts on the space station for a week before returning to the Dongfeng Landing Site with the Shenzhou-23 astronauts. The post noted that although the mission is for a short duration, it is a significant step towards the larger goal of internationalisation of China's space station. The announcement has created buzz among social media users on Weibo. Some users have commented that Pakistani astronauts are improving and are showing progress. A majority of the users have praised the space mission, noting that space launches have become frequent, while others have praised the collaboration with Pakistani astronauts for the space mission, with comments lauding the collaboration and expressing hope for scientific breakthroughs to be achieved through the space mission.


INDIA WATCH

Guancha Examines China and India’s Investments in Hydrogen Energy Sector: An article in Guancha discussed strategic investments in the clean energy sector by India and China. The article noted that India has ambitious plans for green hydrogen, aiming to produce 5 million tons of green hydrogen by 2030, supported by subsidies worth approximately 2.1 billion dollars. The article stressed that if this target is achieved, India will reach five times its current global market size and roughly twice the production capacity of China. Additionally, the article stated that China has been investing in hydrogen energy to ensure its dominance in the clean energy sector as industries transition to cleaner energy. It stressed that, unlike China, India's motivation for large-scale investment in hydrogen energy is to ensure energy security. In India, hydrogen is primarily produced and sourced from imported natural gas, and this supply of natural gas has been impacted by a series of disruptions caused by tensions in the Middle East, the Ukraine war, and the pandemic. The article also noted that in 2023, the Indian government launched the National Green Hydrogen Mission, which reduced the production cost of green hydrogen from approximately 5 dollars per kilogram to about 3 dollars per kilogram. The article further cited a report by the Institute of Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, which outlined that India is predicted to gain a significant share of the export market in the future due to the lowest renewable energy generation costs in the world.

Prepared By

Rituja Ghosh

Rituja Ghosh is a Research and Administrative Intern at Organisation for Research on China and Asia (ORCA). She holds a master's in International Relations from South Asian University, New Delhi. She has presented her work in several prestigious conferences, such as the paper titled "Sinicization in the People's Republic of China: An Analysis of Language Policies" at the 16th All India Conference on China Studies. She has previously worked as a Security Analyst with a corporate firm and as an Academic Associate at the Kautilya School of Public Policy, Hyderabad. Her interests lie in studying the politics of South Asia, India-China relations and China’s social and cultural policies.