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NEWS IN CHINA

• China and US Hold Political Dialogue in Beijing: Chinese and US representatives held the 2026 US-China Political Dialogue in Beijing, under the theme “US-China Relations in the Changing Asia-Pacific and International Environment”. Liu Haixing, head of the International Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said both sides exchanged views on bilateral relations and international issues constructively. He stated that stable and sustainable relations between China and the United States serve the interests of both countries and contribute to peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. Liu called for both sides to follow the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation in managing their relationship. The US representatives also emphasised the importance of strengthening communication, expanding mutually beneficial cooperation and maintaining the long-term stability of bilateral relations. The dialogue brought together representatives from US political parties, strategic and business communities, as well as Chinese government departments, local governments, think tanks, universities and civil society organisations.
  
  
• China Launches Global South Climate Leadership Programme: China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment and Tsinghua University launched the Global South Climate Action Leadership Programme, known as SCALE, at the China Pavilion during COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye. The UNFCCC Secretariat serves as the lead partner of the initiative. Minister Huang Runqiu, Tsinghua’s Yang Bin and a representative of the UNFCCC executive secretary signed a letter of intent at the launch. Vice Minister Li Gao, who heads China’s COP31 delegation, said China has run South-South climate cooperation since 2011, with over 300 capacity-building projects that have trained more than 10,000 officials and technical staff from over 120 developing countries. Li said turning national climate plans into real policies and projects requires local experts who understand multilateral rules and their own national conditions. He described SCALE as a practical programme to train a new generation of local leaders through online sessions, in-person training and field visits. It will also build a permanent alumni network and recommend top participants for study in China. 
  
  
• President Xi Calls for Upholding Sun Yat-sen’s Legacy: President Xi Jinping urged the country to carry forward the legacy of Sun Yat-sen, speaking at a Beijing gathering for the 160th anniversary of Sun’s birth. About 3,000 people attended at the Great Hall of the People, including the Standing Committee members Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi. Wang presided over the event, and Xi met Sun’s relatives and overseas guests beforehand. Xi praised Sun as a great patriot and a pioneer of China’s democratic revolution, saying Chinese communists are his most loyal successors. He urged people to learn from Sun’s devotion to the country, his service to the people, his pursuit of truth and his determination in the face of risks. Xi also highlighted Sun’s commitment to unity and his global outlook, calling for a community with a shared future for humanity. On Taiwan, Xi said reunification is a historic mission and a requirement of national rejuvenation. He said Beijing is open to dialogue based on the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, but will leave no room for “Taiwan independence” separatism.
  
  
• Li Qiang Chairs State Council Study Session on Social Security: Chinese Premier Li Qiang presided over the State Council’s 22nd special study session, which focused on building a stronger multi-layered social security system and making the safety net more reliable. Professor Zheng Gongcheng of Renmin University delivered the briefing, while Vice Premiers He Lifeng and Liu Guozhong and State Councillor Shen Yiqin shared their views. Li said China has built the world’s largest and most complete social security system, but population changes, technological progress and more diverse forms of employment are creating new demands. He called for reforms that cover all citizens, treat urban and rural residents fairly, and remain sustainable, so that the fruits of modernisation benefit more people more equally. Li proposed three guiding principles: do what is possible within means, combine government leadership with social participation, and guarantee basic needs while offering more choices. He urged broader enterprise pension coverage, more attractive personal pensions, stronger support for commercial health insurance, and steady progress on long-term care insurance. Li also called for better protection of gig and flexible workers, higher pensions for rural and urban residents, a stronger role for unemployment insurance, and improved social assistance and welfare.
  
  
• China Promotes Young Talent and Digital Technologies to Modernise Rural Agriculture: China is seeking to accelerate agricultural modernisation by strengthening rural talent development and integrating digital technologies into farming. Discussions during the latest China Economic Roundtable, hosted by Xinhua News Agency, highlighted efforts to encourage returning migrant workers and tech-savvy youth to participate in rural industrial development. In Hubei Province’s Dongjiao Village, local authorities are training returning migrant workers in technical skills and business management to develop a new generation of professional farmers. Young farmers are increasingly adopting smart machinery and sensor networks, while cooperatives are cultivating organic rapeseed for premium markets. Digital infrastructure is also supporting this transition. According to officials, over 95 per cent of China's administrative villages have 5G coverage, while rural internet penetration has reached 69.5 per cent. The share of agricultural production guided by digital information is increasing by approximately two percentage points annually. Policy initiatives are further reinforcing this shift. China's 2026 No. 1 Central Document prioritises AI integration in agriculture, while a September action plan identifies smart farms, intelligent breeding and AI applications as key priorities for the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030).
  
  

SOCIAL  MEDIA CHATTER

Weibo Users React to 2026 Graduates Struggling for Jobs: A Post about the job struggle in 2026 is going viral on Weibo. The post argued that it is normal for the class of 2026 to struggle to find jobs, blaming the environment rather than individual graduates. The post pointed out that AI and the economic downturn have pushed companies to cut costs, shrinking jobs at firms of every size while laid-off workers return to the market. It highlighted that employers now hire only a handful of fresh graduates with outstanding experience, skills and education, while small firms mostly take people mid-sized companies passed over. Since employed people rarely dare to resign, few openings circulate. Many commenters agreed that the market is difficult, with some pointing to stable public-sector routes as the safer path, suggesting that “fresh graduates should directly prepare for civil service exams, and military enlistment exams.” Others stressed that the pressure reaches beyond new graduates, “not to mention fresh graduates, even previous graduates didn’t have any.” Another user wrote, “social recruitment is also hard to find; nowadays, you need vertical experience, so there’s no other way.” One user described a more personal sense of isolation, writing that “it just feels like I’m the only one who can’t find a job. People say it’s hard to get into the teacher recruitment exam, but eight students in my class got in, and this is only a second-tier normal college.” The discussion showed how widely young people feel the pressure of a tight job market, with many seeing the problem as a wider economic challenge rather than a personal failure.

INDIA WATCH

Guancha Discusses Procurement Exemptions for India’s Digital Forensics Tools: An article in Guancha discussed that an investigation in India has raised public concern over how the government bought phone data extraction and monitoring technology. According to the article, the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF), a digital rights organisation, found that Home Minister Amit Shah approved exemptions from procurement rules. It noted that this cleared the way for government forensic agencies to buy at least 422 foreign technology products, including those from Israeli company Cellebrite. The article described Cellebrite as a mobile forensics firm whose Universal Forensic Device (UFED) tool is widely used by law enforcement and intelligence agencies to unlock devices and access data. It mentioned that the IFF’s review of documents shows India’s surveillance capabilities go beyond phone cloning and password extraction, extending to cloud data from platforms such as Instagram, X and Tinder, as well as connected devices like Amazon Alexa and Google Home. The article further added that police tenders asked for software to bypass passwords on macOS, Windows and Linux, recover browsing history and deleted files, identify VPN traces, bypass lock screens, perform full file system extraction, decrypt backups and extract data from messaging apps. The article highlighted that experts believe current Indian law does not restrict such surveillance, leaving data extraction in a legal grey area. 

Prepared By

Farhat Naz

Farhat Naz holds a postgraduate degree in International Relations and Political Science from the Central University of Kerala and a bachelor's degree in Mass Communication from Patna University. Her research interests include international security, great-power politics, geopolitical competition, South and West Asian affairs, conflict and peace studies, and the evolving international order.