Daily Conversations Daily Conversations

NEWS IN CHINA 

• Xi Urges Strong Start to 15th Five-Year Plan: Xi Jinping urged senior Communist Party officials to secure a strong and effective start to China’s 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026–2030). The call came after Xi reviewed annual work reports submitted by members of the Political Bureau and Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, as well as leading Party members groups of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the State Council, the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the Supreme People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate. Xi stressed that senior officials must remain fully aligned with the central Party leadership in their thinking, political stance and actions, and ensure that all major decisions and policy plans are implemented without deviation. He also called for strict adherence to the central leadership’s eight-point decision on improving conduct. Officials were urged to take responsibility within their roles, uphold a correct view of governance performance, focus on delivering tangible benefits to the people, and work to cultivate a clean, disciplined and upright political environment.
  
  

• Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Trade Up 25.7% in 12 Years: Foreign trade in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region has grown 25.7 percent since the launch of its coordinated development strategy 12 years ago, according to customs data released Thursday. Total trade rose from 3.74 trillion yuan (about $540.2 billion) in 2014 to 4.7 trillion yuan in 2025, reflecting steady momentum driven by deeper regional integration. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021–2025), annual imports and exports consistently surpassed 4 trillion yuan. Exports reached a record 1.45 trillion yuan in 2025, marking a 56.9 percent increase from 2014. Notably, auto exports surged sixfold over the period to 90.97 billion yuan. Private enterprises emerged as a key driver, with their import and export value soaring 167.8 percent compared with 2014 levels. Trade ties with the European Union and ASEAN expanded significantly, while trade with Belt and Road Initiative partner countries climbed 29 percent. Spanning 216,000 square kilometers and home to over 100 million permanent residents, the region remains a major engine of northern China’s economic growth and external trade.
  
  

• DJI Challenges the United States FCC Ban on Drone Imports: Chinese drone giant DJI has filed a petition with the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, contesting the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) December decision to block imports of its new drone models and key components. The FCC placed DJI on its “covered list,” citing national security concerns, which restricts sales and authorizations of its equipment. DJI emphasized that the ruling is procedurally flawed and lacks substantive evidence, claiming it unfairly restricts its US business and denies consumers access to advanced technology. With a substantive global market share in civilian drones and an estimated 70-90 percent share in the US, DJI equipment is widely used by consumers, businesses, and more than 80 percent of US state and local law enforcement agencies. The ban has already triggered market disruption, with retailers reporting stockpiling and used DJI drone prices surging up to 200 percent.
  
  

• China Issues New Rules to Curb “Ghost Delivery” and False Food Ads: China has introduced two new regulations to strengthen the food‑safety responsibilities of online catering platforms and food‑sales operators. Issued by the State Administration for Market Regulation, the rules aim to close compliance gaps as online food delivery and e‑commerce continue to expand. The first regulation, focused on online catering services, mandates that merchants offering only takeaway must clearly display a “No Dine‑in” notice on their homepage. Delivery platforms must also verify food‑business licenses and other qualifications of all listed merchants by cross‑checking them with provincial market‑supervision databases. Platforms are prohibited from providing services to businesses that fail this verification. The second regulation targets online food‑sales operators, requiring platforms to conduct real‑name registration of sellers, perform substantive checks of their business qualifications, and update verification every six months. Sellers are required to ensure the safety of all food products they offer and are barred from selling items prohibited by law, making false or misleading claims, or promoting food with disease‑prevention or treatment functions. 
  
  

• China Issues New Measures on Protection of Minors: China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People's Republic of China announced the release of the newly formulated “Interim Measures for the Management of Institutions for the Assistance and Protection of Minors”, set to take effect on April 1, 2026. The measures comprise six chapters and 50 articles, establishing clearer standards for the operation and supervision of child protection institutions nationwide. Juvenile assistance and protection institutions refer to facilities established by local people’s governments at or above the county level and their civil affairs departments. These institutions primarily admit and care for minors placed under the temporary guardianship of civil affairs authorities in accordance with the law. They include registered public welfare juvenile protection centers and specialized departments within related institutions. Under the new rules, such institutions must provide comprehensive services, including health examinations, family tracing, daily care, basic medical services, education support, safety protection and mental health care. The measures also require institutions to deliver crisis intervention and guardianship assessments for minors outside their facilities.
  
  

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER 

Weibo Buzzes Over Kling AI as it Tops the Global Ranking: A post with the hashtag #Kling AISurpassesOverseasModelsToReachGlobalNumberOne# has sparked widespread discussion on Weibo after Artificial Analysis released its latest global video generation model rankings. The domestically developed Kling 3.0 Pro was ranked first worldwide, surpassing overseas competitors including Google’s Veo 3.1 and models from Runway. According to the ranking, Kling models occupied seven of the top 15 spots globally. Industry observers noted that compared with Seedace 2.0, Kling 3.0 Pro delivers more realistic visuals, more stable character performance and finer control, signaling AI’s entry into film- and television-grade production.  In the comments section, many users expressed pride, describing it as a major breakthrough for China’s AI industry. One user noted that domestic AI video technology is “no longer catching up, but leading the world,” calling it a reflection of the country’s technological strength. A few others commented that the era of AI-generated video has moved beyond entertainment demos into real industrial production. Several commenters highlighted Kling 3.0 Pro’s more realistic visuals, stable characters and precise control, saying it has entered the realm of film and television-grade production. Some users also pointed to its commercial potential, describing it as one of the most profitable AI applications in China and praising its repeated dominance in global rankings as “truly impressive.”

INDIA WATCH

Finance Sina Discusses Reliance’s AI Push and India’s Hardware Ambitions: An article published in Finance Sina examined how Reliance Industries is positioning itself to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom through its subsidiary Jio Platforms. The report highlighted Jio’s appearance at the 2026 India AI Impact Summit, where it unveiled JioFrames smart glasses, described as a domestic alternative to Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses developed by Meta. It noted that the device runs on HelloJio AI, supporting multiple Indian languages and regional accents, underscoring its localization strategy. The article noted that two versions are planned, which include a high-end model equipped with a 12-megapixel Sony camera, 64GB storage and a Snapdragon AR chipset, and a basic audio-only version. It stated that both models will offer AI assistant functions such as solving math problems step by step and summarizing books. On pricing, the article noted that Jio intends to draw lessons from Meta’s pricing strategy in the US, aiming to keep the product affordable while commercially viable. Beyond wearables, the article noted that Jio also showcased humanoid robots developed by Addverb Technologies for warehouse automation and elderly care. Drawing comparisons with Optimus by Tesla, it concluded that while commercialization may take four to five years, the initiative shows India’s ambitions in AI-driven manufacturing and robotics.

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.