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NEWS IN CHINA 

• Wang Huning Addresses the Opening Ceremony of the 7th Taiwan Compatriots Associations Forum: Wang Huning, Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, attended the opening ceremony of the 7th Taiwan Compatriots Association Forum held in Beijing. The forum was themed “Serving Fellow Countrymen and Connecting Across the Straits—Continuously Deepening Cross-Strait Integrated Development and Firmly Advancing the Great Cause of National Reunification.” During his speech, Wang emphasized the recent propositions put forward by Xi Jinping on the development of cross-strait relations. These propositions highlight upholding exchanges and integration to improve people’s well-being, as well as upholding unity and struggle to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Wang underlined that these propositions will surely inspire compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to work together towards national reunification and rejuvenation. He stated that compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to the Chinese nation and all yearn for peace and tranquility in the Taiwan Strait. Additionally, he welcomed compatriots from Taiwan, especially the youth, to share the achievements and opportunities of China's modernization. Wang stressed the need to firmly support patriotic forces for reunification on the island and resolutely oppose “Taiwan Independence separatism and external interference." 
  
  

• Wang Yi Holds Talks with Namibian Foreign Minister: Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with Namibia's Foreign Minister Mousavii. Wang stated that China-Namibia relations are a manifestation of Global South solidarity and self-reliance. He reiterated that China is willing to work with Namibia to implement the consensus between China and Namibia on development strategies, beneficial use of China's zero-tariff policy, and advancement of projects in key areas such as agriculture, people's livelihood, and youth affairs. Mousavii highlighted that Namibia and China are traditional partners and friends. Mousavii further added that Namibia looks forward to maintaining high-level exchanges with China while expanding exchanges and cooperation in various fields, thereby strengthening the bilateral relations between the two nations. He also reiterated that Namibia supports the four global initiatives outlined by President Xi Jinping. 
  
  

• Foreign Ministry Issues Statement Against New Zealand Military Aircraft Activity: Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun addressed the issue of New Zealand air force military aircraft near China’s peripheral airspace, which has led to the disruption of several civil aviation flights. Guo stated that a P-8 anti-submarine patrol aircraft of the New Zealand air force conducted continuous “close-in reconnaissance and harassment” in the airspace and waters of the Yellow Sea and East China Sea. Guo added that such actions undermine China's security interests, heighten the risk of misunderstanding and miscalculation, and disrupt the civil aviation operations in the relevant space. HeGuo further added that China has taken a firm and forceful response and lodged stern representations to the New Zealand side. He also added that China urges New Zealand to strictly abide by international law and basic norms governing international relations, to respect China's sovereignty and security concerns, and to safeguard the safety and order of civil aviation. A spokesperson of the Ministry of National Defense, Zhang Xiaogang, also addressed the issue in a press conference. Zhang stated that the military has taken professional and forceful measures to respond to and deal with the situation and lodged representations emphasising that such acts severely disrupt flight order in airspace and trigger maritime and aerial incidents.
  
  

• CNEA Blue Book Records China as Leader in Global Nuclear Capacity: A blue book released by the China Nuclear Energy Association (CNEA) states that China's total installed nuclear capacity has reached 125 million kilowatts, ranking first globally. The report shows that currently 60 commercial nuclear reactors operate in China and another 36 are under construction, representing, in total, half of global nuclear construction. An additional 16 units have been approved and await construction. The Blue Book also notes that China's domestically developed third-generation nuclear power plant, Hualong One, has entered a new stage of mass construction. The latest data showed that there are over 40 Hualong One units in operation or under construction, both domestically and internationally, making it the third-generation nuclear power model with the most commercial deployments globally. The chairman of the CNEA, Yang Changli, remarked that the installed nuclear power capacity will reach 200 million KW by 2040. The blue book also observes that during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, China will continuously strive to improve the efficiency of the innovation system, advance key technology breakthroughs, strengthen basic research efforts, and accelerate the realization of high-level self-reliance in nuclear science and technology.
  
  

• Cyberspace Department Issues Regulations on Application of Electronic Documents: The Cyberspace Administration Department, along with nine other departments, jointly issued the “Regulations on Promoting and Regulating the Application of Electronic Documents.” The regulations aim to promote and regulate the application of electronic documents, enhance the digitalization of goods trade and transportation, and serve the high-quality development of the digital economy. The regulations clarify the principles and departmental responsibilities for promoting and regulating the application of electronic documents. Further, the regulations lay emphasis on managing electronic document systems in a categorized and tier-like manner for improving the digitalization and facilitation of goods trade and transportation. The regulations also clarify that relevant departments should strengthen policy coordination and promote and regulate the application of electronic documents according to their respective responsibilities in the field of electronic documents. Institutions and enterprises in the fields of goods trade, logistics, and finance have been encouraged to recognize and use electronic documents in their business operations. Additionally, the regulations stipulate that operators of electronic document systems and other relevant entities must comply with the Cybersecurity Law, the Data Security Law, the Personal Information Protection Law, and other relevant laws, regulations, and national provisions.
  
  

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER

Netizens Call for Stricter Regulation of Anime Content: The hashtags #WhoGavetheGreenLighttoDarkAnimeBanned10YearsAgo?# #PlatformsShouldNotRelaxSupervisionofInfluenceonYouth# has been trending on the social media platform Weibo. The post describes a "dark anime" originating from Japan, depicting violence, horror, and death reappearing on online platforms such as Douyin and Xiaohongshu. The anime was flagged in the rectification campaign as early as 2015 for its graphic depictions and seems to have reappeared now. A majority of netizens have called for stricter regulation of online content, especially for youth, with comments ranging from a severe crackdown needed to resist harmful anime. Other users have also pointed out that not only this type of anime but also similar anime may also be circulating online, calling for attention to such harmful anime and the need for strict investigation and control, especially in content accessed by the youth. 

INDIA WATCH

Finance Sina Article Discusses Reliance Industries Rejecting Shipment of Iranian Crude Oil: An article in Finance Sina discusses Reliance Industries rejecting two shipments of Iranian crude oil due to the shipments not meeting the company's compliance requirements. The article notes that this decision comes a few days after the US waivers for Iranian oil exports expired. In March, the US issued a 30-day sanctions waiver allowing the purchase of Russian and Iranian oil shipped by sea to ease the rising oil prices due to the ongoing Iran war. However, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant stated that the US will not extend the waivers, and the waiver for Iranian oil would expire on 16 April. Reliance Industries had previously been allowed to purchase Iranian oil on five tankers, such as the Aframax, Kaviz, Lenore, Felicity, and Hedy tankers, all of which were on the US sanctions list. Ship tracking data indicates that Reliance had negotiated with the Iranian-flagged tanker Derya, carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil, anchored near the port of Sikka on India's western coast. Reliance stated that it had not purchased any cargo from the tanker Derya but did not disclose any further details regarding compliance requirements. The company stated it would not purchase any cargo from Lenore. The article notes that earlier this month, Indian Oil Corporation, India's largest refiner, purchased a 2 million barrel cargo of Iranian crude oil via the large crude oil carrier Jaya, making it the first purchase of Iranian oil in seven years. Further, the article notes that the mode of payment for these rare purchases of Iranian crude oil by Indian refiners is being settled through the ICICI Bank in Mumbai in yuan. The article highlights that arranging payments for such cargoes has been difficult for Iran, which has been subject to sanctions for a long time, deterring potential buyers. Indian Oil Corporation has paid approximately 95% of the payment based on the supplier's loading notice. The company does not plan to purchase further Iranian oil. 

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.