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NEWS IN CHINA

• Politburo Holds Democratic Life Meeting: The CCP Politburo convened a two-day Democratic Life Meeting in Beijing, chaired by General Secretary Xi Jinping. The session focused on advancing the Central Eight-Point Decision to improve conduct and sustain anti-formalism reforms, aligning with Xi Jinping Thought and the directives of the Fourth Plenum. ​Politburo members conducted self-assessments and mutual criticism around five themes: political loyalty, strengthened Party spirit, respect for discipline and the people, active responsibility in governance, and strict Party oversight. Xi praised the meeting’s effectiveness in reinforcing unity and capacity for Party leadership.​ He described 2025 as an “extraordinary year” marked by domestic and external pressures, but credited Party leadership for maintaining steady economic progress and stability as the 14th Five-Year Plan concludes. Emphasizing Marxist conviction, truth-seeking, and responsibility, Xi urged top officials to reject formalism and privilege, enhance study and field engagement, and maintain personal integrity. The Politburo was directed to lead by example in discipline, governance, and clean administration, setting the tone for the launch of the“15th Five-Year Plan” in 2026.
  
  
• China Revises Rules to Curb Administrative Monopolies: China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) has issued revised regulations to prevent the abuse of administrative power restricting competition, effective February 1, 2026. The new rules prohibit local governments and public institutions from coercing businesses into using specified suppliers, discriminating against non-local firms, or impeding the free flow of goods across regions. Authorities can no longer set region-based bidding barriers, discriminatory licensing conditions, or “local-first” procurement mandates. SAMR and provincial regulators are empowered to investigate, impose corrective actions, and recommend sanctions against officials found promoting protectionism. The updated framework replaces earlier guidelines and mandates fair competition reviews for new policies to ensure that they are aligned with the Anti-Monopoly Law. This move strengthens Beijing’s push toward a unified national market and underscores its efforts to curb local protectionism, enhance transparency, and promote fair market access for private and foreign enterprises alike.
  
  
• China Sanctions U.S. Firms over Taiwan Arms Sales: China announced sanctions against 20 U.S. military-related companies and 10 senior executives in response to Washington’s latest large-scale arms sales to Taiwan. Targets include entities such as Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation, Boeing in St. Louis, L3Harris Maritime Services, drone makers like Teal Drones, and defense-tech firms including Epirus, Dedrone, and Rhombus Power. Their movable and immovable assets in China will be frozen, and Chinese entities are banned from any transactions or cooperation with them. Additionally, the named executives face visa and entry bans for China, Hong Kong, and Macao.​ The Foreign Ministry accused the U.S. of seriously violating the one-China principle and the three joint communiqués, undermining China’s sovereignty and Taiwan Strait stability. Beijing reiterated that Taiwan lies  at the “very core” of its  interests and warned that all companies and individuals involved in arming Taiwan “will pay the price.”
  
  
• Xinjiang’s Urumqi-Wuwei Expressway Opens: China’s G0711 Urumqi-Wuwei Expressway (Wuwei Highway) has opened, slashing drive time from Urumqi to Korla in China’s northwestern Xinjiang province from 7 hours to 3.5 hours across 324.7 km.​The route pierces the Tianshan Mountains via the world’s longest highway tunnel (22.13 km Victory Tunnel) and deepest vertical shaft, linking Junggar and Tarim basins while connecting G7 Jingxin, G30 Lianho, and other arteries to boost Xinjiang’s “east-west out, west-east in” hub role.​ Local herders hail faster livestock transhumance and logistics. People in the region have started homestays, anticipating a tourism surge.​ Part of a Tianshan-crossing network, including Jingyi Highway (2026) and Duku Expressway, this expressway activates the growth of “three mountains, two basins”  by easing north-south divides.
  
  
• China Issues Internet Influencer Behavior Blacklist: China's Cyberspace Administration (CAC) released a "Notice on Regulating Internet Influencer Behavior Management," mandating platforms to enforce a 13-item negative behavior blacklist for high-follower "wanhong" accounts. The rules target influencers' strong public sway, requiring sites to update community guidelines and user agreements to curb "negative" content. Prohibited acts include spreading vulgarity via slang, promoting "lying flat" nihilism, fabricating personas, disseminating fake news or pseudoscience, misinterpreting policies to erode government credibility and more. Platforms and local officers have also been instructed to encourage compliance with positive online norms.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER

• Taxpayers Rush to Confirm 2026 Deductions Before Year-End Deadline, creating buzz on Weibo: Weibo users are amplifying state media reminders to confirm 2026 special additional deductions on the Individual Income Tax App before the December 31 deadline.  Comment threads under such posts reveal confusion and cynicism. Some users complained that the income threshold is too low to bother; others swapped tips by stating that“if you fill it out correctly, you get a refund; if not, you owe more,” and at least one user questioned companies demanding employees hand over their tax rebates. Alongside jokes about record-low income or unemployment, a few users tagged local tax bureaus seeking clarification, while others urged friends to check their app. Overall, the comment sections were filled with users encouraging others to comply with the policy, and others expressing frustration over low wages, complex procedures, and workplace exploitation of refunds.

INDIA WATCH

• Chinese Media Claims US Tariffs Crushing India’s Toy Export Ambitions: Global Times reports that the 50% U.S. tariffs on Indian goods, imposed in retaliation to India’s Russian oil purchases, have triggered a sharp plunge in toy exports to America. The report states that this has derailed New Delhi’s “toy superpower” push. According to the report, ​Micro Plastics, India’s largest toy factory, sits idle with $20M in unsent goods and $15M in canceled orders after clients like Hasbro and Mattel halted shipments post-August. Additionally, they stated that exporters face 15% sales drops despite prior 40% growth forecasts, and that US holiday orders have halved according to the Indian Toy Association.​  Previously, India’s “Make in India” tariffs had hiked toy import duties to 70%, slashing China’s 70% market share and boosting exports by 42% to $570M. The article states that Indian firms’ dependence on Chinese components, coupled with domestic plastic costs that are 10% higher, highlights   structural gaps in India amid Vietnam’s rise. Chinese media frames this as proof of India’s supply-chain fragility and an overreliance on protectionist measures.

Prepared By

Kanav Aggarwal

Kanav Aggarwal is an undergraduate student majoring in International Relations and minoring in Literary and Cultural Studies at FLAME University. He is Passionate about geopolitics, defence strategy, and international security. Through his studies and research experience, he aims to deepen his understanding of global power dynamics and contribute analytical insights to the team’s ongoing projects.