CiCM 5th December 2025

NEWS IN CHINA

China Urges Japan to Accelerate Cleanup of Abandoned Chemical Weapons: Defence Ministry spokesperson Jiang Bin has demanded Japan urgently destroy chemical weapons abandoned in China during its wartime aggression, condemning Tokyo’s "lack of proactive efforts" that have severely delayed the disposal process. Jiang emphasised that these weapons, which caused over 200,000 casualties and continue to poison civilians and contaminate soil, are a violation of international law. The remarks coincided with the release of the white paper "China's Arms Control, Disarmament, and Nonproliferation in the New Era," where Beijing urged Japan to conduct "serious soul-searching" on its historical crimes. Criticising Japan for missing previous destruction deadlines in 2012, 2016, and 2022, China insisted that Tokyo must now strictly adhere to the Chemical Weapons Convention and complete the destruction at major sites like Haerbaling by 2027, ensuring full information sharing and environmental remediation.
Nanjing Integrates Leadership of Jiangbei New Area and Pukou District: Nanjing Municipal Party Secretary Zhou Hongbo announced the integrated operations of the Nanjing Jiangbei New Area's Party Working Committee/Management Committee and the Pukou District's Party Committee. The key reform places both entities under unified leadership with a single team, implementing the spirit of the 20th CPC Fourth Plenum and central directives for high-quality development in Jiangsu. The goal is to leverage the advantages of the national new area and free trade zone through a "three zones one platform" positioning, fostering development synergy. This optimisation implements large-department and flat structures, process reengineering, and enhanced resource coordination across space, industry, and urban-rural integration for the 15th Five-Year Plan. Zhou stressed the need for political discipline, risk prevention, and momentum-building to establish the region as a new city growth pole, with Pukou's Lu Weidong pledging full execution to build a modern northern hub as Nanjing's development vanguard.
China Wins Bid to Host 2029 World Science Journalists Conference: For the first time, China will host the World Science Journalists Conference in 2029, following a successful bid by the China Association for Science and Technology Journalism in Pretoria. The World Federation of Science Journalists approved the application via a council vote, recognising China's long-standing engagement as a founding member of the UNESCO-backed federation. The event is seen as a pivotal step to amplify Chinese voices in global science communication and further integrate Chinese talent into international tech governance. The congress will unite global professionals to address key issues, share influential reporting cases, and drive career development in the sector. The successful bid was presented by Executive Director Yao Yujiang's delegation during the 13th edition of the conference, which ran from December 1-4 in South Africa. China will utilise the 2029 platform to showcase its domestic achievements in science and technology and promote international collaboration on shared global challenges.
Green Energy Shift Accelerates in 14th Five-Year Plan: China’s green and low-carbon energy transition has advanced at its fastest rate during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), with renewable sources like wind, solar, and biomass now accounting for one-third of total consumption. The nation has built the world's largest renewable system, with installed non-fossil capacity rising from 40% to 60%, driven by a surge in wind and solar power to 1.68 billion kW. Innovation has kept pace, with new energy patents topping 40% of the global total and energy storage capacity increasing 30-fold to 95 million kW. Looking toward the 15th Five-Year Plan, the focus will shift from rapid expansion to optimising utilisation rates and advancing non-electric applications like green hydrogen. Specifically, wind and solar capacity grew at an average annual rate of 28% throughout the period. Total hydrogen production during the 14th Plan exceeded 36 million tonnes, with more than half derived from renewable sources.
China-US Officials Call to Advance Busan Economic Consensus: Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng held a constructive video call with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to implement the Busan summit consensus and November's leaders' call, focusing on advancing practical cooperation while addressing concerns. Both sides affirmed progress made during the Kuala Lumpur consultations and pledged expanded cooperation under heads-of-state guidance to stabilise bilateral economic ties. This dialogue occurs amid lobbying efforts by US firms like AMD (seeking licenses for MI308 sales and offering 15% tax willingness) and Nvidia (pushing for easing export controls on H200/Blackwell chips). Separately, CCPIT's Ren Hongbin met with SIA and the US Soybean Council, stressing mutual benefits and supply chain resilience, particularly in green agrotech. Experts urge the US to adopt pragmatism, honoring leader pacts, as businesses continue to resist decoupling, with China reiterating the paramount importance of stable global supply chains.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER

Ren Zhengfei’s AI Pitch Trends on Weibo: A recent speech by Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei has sparked a viral discussion on Weibo after he warned that "computing power without a network is an information island." Ren argued that AI’s true value lies in practical industrial applications over the next 3-5 years, such as using large models to optimise blast furnace efficiency. Netizens largely praised his "far-sighted" and "national-level" vision, describing him as a responsible entrepreneur reshaping China’s industrial base. Many commented that "true AI blooms only in China’s full ecosystem," contrasting Huawei’s practical approach with competitors' marketing. However, some dissenters quipped that Huawei still lags in marketing flair, while others focused on national security, urging secrecy to protect China's edge in this "smokeless battlefield." The sentiment suggests a growing national pride in technological self-reliance, with many users urging younger generations to focus on fundamental research and engineering as the "future leaders" of the information base. This aligns with recent government pushes to merge high-tech services directly into traditional industry and agriculture sectors.

INDIA WATCH

India and Russia Expand Trade Ties to 2030: Guancha reported the talks in New Delhi between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to the article they agreed to expand bilateral trade through 2030, reinforcing their strategic partnership despite external pressures. Putin reaffirmed Russia’s role as a reliable energy supplier, essential for India’s development, while both leaders highlighted that local currency settlements now account for 96% of bilateral transactions. The two nations signed agreements spanning defence, aerospace, AI, and energy, including plans for a joint urea plant. While Modi reiterated India's support for peaceful conflict resolution in Ukraine, the visit underscored high mutual trust, with Russian banks seeking to expand operations in India to further facilitate commerce. The high level of mutual trust was evident in the advancement of numerous joint high-technology and military-technical collaborations, viewed by both sides as crucial for regional stability. Discussions also covered increased cooperation on key global fora, signaling a joint effort to shape a multipolar world order through coordinated geopolitical and financial strategies.

Prepared By

Arav Neil Dey

Arav Neil Dey is a research intern at the Organisation for Research on China and Asia (ORCA). Currently in his second year at FLAME University, he is pursuing a degree in International Studies. Driven by a fascination for global dynamics, he is passionate about international relations, peace and conflict studies, and military history. Arav especially enjoys diving into the shifting strategic landscape of China and West Asia, always seeking out unconventional perspectives and a deeper understanding.