New Guidelines Strengthen Party Control & Xi Thought Across Judiciary - India-China Talks - Foreign Trade Resilience - Xi's Thought & Social Sciences - Lai an ‘Impurity That Must Be Eliminated'
Here are the key reports and articles that I found noteworthy from the People’s Daily’s edition on Tuesday, July 15, 2025.
Page 1: At the top of the page today the full new guidelines on judicial work are published. These were approved on February 8, 2025. Now, read through these and think about all the rumours that have been circulating around Xi Jinping’s authority.
The first section of the document says:
“Adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, thoroughly implement the guiding principles of the 20th Party Congress and the Second and Third Plenary Sessions of the 20th Central Committee, fully implement Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law, deeply comprehend the decisive significance of the ‘two establishments’, strengthen the four consciousnesses, enhance the four self-confidences, and achieve the ‘two safeguards’. Adhere to the Party’s leadership, adhere to the people-centered approach, adhere to the path of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics, adhere to the independent and impartial exercise of judicial power in accordance with the law, take promoting social fairness and justice and improving people’s well-being as the starting point and ultimate goal, strictly and impartially administer justice, deepen judicial system reform, forge a strong and competent team, promote the improvement of the socialist rule of law system with Chinese characteristics, and provide strong judicial services and safeguards for advancing the building of a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-style modernisation.” 坚持以习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想为指导，深入贯彻党的二十大和二十届二中、三中全会精神，全面贯彻习近平法治思想，深刻领悟“两个确立”的决定性意义，增强“四个意识”、坚定“四个自信”、做到“两个维护”，坚持党的领导，坚持以人民为中心，坚持走中国特色社会主义法治道路，坚持依法独立公正行使审判权，以促进社会公平正义、增进人民福祉为出发点和落脚点，严格公正司法，深化司法体制改革，锻造过硬队伍，促进完善中国特色社会主义法治体系，为以中国式现代化全面推进强国建设、民族复兴伟业提供有力司法服务和保障.
Section two calls to adhere to and strengthen the Party’s leadership over judicial work. It makes three points:
Resolutely implement the Party Central Committee’s principles, policies, decisions and arrangements on judicial work. Resolutely uphold the authority and centralised and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, improve the mechanism for implementing the Party Central Committee’s major decisions and arrangements in judicial organs, strictly implement the system for requesting instructions and reporting on major matters, and ensure that the Party’s theories, lines, principles, and policies, as well as national laws, are correctly and effectively implemented in judicial work. Party committees at all levels should strengthen their leadership over judicial work, regularly listen to work reports, study and solve major problems, and ensure the implementation of the Party Central Committee’s principles, policies, decisions and arrangements on judicial work. The Political and Legal Affairs Commissions of Party committees at all levels should guide, support and urge the people’s courts to carry out their work within the scope of their duties prescribed by the Constitution and laws. 坚决贯彻党中央关于审判工作的方针政策和决策部署。坚决维护党中央权威和集中统一领导，完善党中央重大决策部署在审判机关落实机制，严格落实重大事项请示报告制度，确保党的理论和路线方针政策、国家法律在审判工作中得到正确、有效执行。各级党委要加强对审判工作的领导，定期听取工作汇报，研究解决重大问题，保证党中央关于审判工作的方针政策和决策部署贯彻落实。各级党委政法委要指导、支持、督促人民法院在宪法法律规定的职责范围内开展工作.
Strengthen the ideological and political construction of judicial organs. Consolidate and expand the results of the thematic education campaign of learning and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, consolidate and deepen the results of Party discipline study and education, comprehensively strengthen the ideological and theoretical armament of the people’s courts, and make Xi Jinping's Thought on the Rule of Law a regular compulsory course for for theoretical education and political training in the people’s courts. Enhance confidence, morale, and resolve in the socialist judicial system with Chinese characteristics. Adhere to the principle that the Party manages cadres, taking political standards as the primary criterion for selecting and appointing leading cadres, and selecting and strengthening the leadership teams of people’s courts at all levels. In accordance with relevant regulations, do a good job in the coordination and management by the Party committees of higher people’s courts over the leadership teams of lower people’s courts. Strengthen the construction of grassroots Party organisations at all levels of people’s courts and fully leverage the role of grassroots Party organizations as the vanguard. Strengthen job rotation and appointment of court leaders, and the cultivation and use of outstanding young cadres. 加强审判机关思想政治建设。巩固拓展学习贯彻习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想主题教育成果，巩固深化党纪学习教育成果，全面加强人民法院思想理论武装，将习近平法治思想作为人民法院理论教育、政治轮训的常态化必修课程。增强对中国特色社会主义司法制度的自信、底气和定力。坚持党管干部原则，把政治标准作为选配领导干部的第一标准，选优配强各级人民法院领导班子。按照有关规定，做好上级人民法院党组对下级人民法院领导班子的协管工作。加强各级人民法院基层党组织建设，充分发挥基层党组织战斗堡垒作用。加强人民法院领导干部交流任职和优秀年轻干部培养使用。
Support the people’s courts in independently and impartially exercising judicial power in accordance with the law. Party committees at all levels must support people’s courts in independently and impartially exercising judicial power in accordance with the law, and strictly implement the system of recording, reporting, and accountability for interference in judicial activities or intervention in the handling of specific cases. Administrative organs at all levels must enhance their awareness and capacity for law-based governance and respect judicial authority. People’s courts at all levels must consciously accept supervision and exercise judicial power fairly in accordance with the law. Leading cadres at all levels must firmly establish a rule-of-law mindset, take the lead in respecting and upholding judicial authority, and be adept at using rule-of-law thinking and methods in their work. 支持人民法院依法独立公正行使审判权。各级党委要支持人民法院依法独立公正行使审判权，严格落实干预司法活动、插手具体案件处理的记录、通报和责任追究制度。各级行政机关要增强依法行政观念和能力，尊重司法权威。各级人民法院要自觉接受监督，依法公正行使审判权。各级领导干部要牢固树立法治观念，带头尊重和维护司法权威，善于运用法治思维和法治方式开展工作.
The next section calls to ensure high-quality development and high-level security via a strict and impartial judiciary. This section contains 8 points.
First, resolutely safeguard national security and social stability. Implement the overall national security concept; implement the national security responsibility system of the Party Committee (Party Group) and the responsibility system for maintaining social stability; severely punish major crimes such as endangering national security and public security, violent terrorism, cult crimes, gang-related crimes, gun-related crimes, intentional homicide, drug manufacturing and trafficking, individual extremism, and other serious and vicious crimes; and severely punish crimes such as telecommunications network fraud and cyber violence that the masses are strongly concerned about in accordance with the law. Perfect the mechanisms for the discovery, transfer, handling, and feedback of leads related to duty-related crimes, ‘protective umbrellas’ of criminal gangs/black and evil forces, and other illegal and criminal conduct in various types of cases, and promote the organic linkage between discipline enforcement, law enforcement, and criminal justice. 坚决维护国家安全和社会稳定。贯彻总体国家安全观，落实党委（党组）国家安全责任制和维护社会稳定责任制，依法严惩危害国家安全和公共安全、暴力恐怖、邪教犯罪、涉黑涉恶、涉枪涉爆、故意杀人、制毒贩毒、个人极端等重大恶性犯罪，依法严惩电信网络诈骗、网络暴力等群众反映强烈的犯罪。完善各类案件中涉职务犯罪、黑恶势力“保护伞”和其他违法犯罪线索的发现、移送、办理和反馈机制，推进执纪执法和刑事司法有机衔接。
Second, improve the law-based business environment. Severely punish all kinds of economic crimes in accordance with the law, and severely punish corruption crimes, embezzlement, misappropriation of office funds, bribery, and accepting bribes, to effectively maintain the order of the socialist market economy. Improve the judicial protection mechanism for property rights, implement same responsibility, same crime, same punishment for behaviors that infringe upon property rights and legitimate interests of various types of ownership, prevent and correct the use of administrative and criminal means to interfere with economic disputes, apply property preservation and judicial coercive measures according to law, avoid adverse impacts on legitimate production and business operations. Improve the punitive compensation system in the fields of food and drug safety, intellectual property rights, product defects, environmental pollution, etc. Improve the mechanism for effectively preventing and legally identifying and correcting wrongful cases involving enterprises. Strengthen the regulation of monopoly and unfair competition behaviors and maintain fair competition order. Strengthen bankruptcy trials, promote the improvement of the exit system of market entities, and promote the optimal allocation of resources. Lawfully hear disputes regarding data property rights attribution determination, market transactions, rights and interests distribution, benefit protection, etc., and promote efficient circulation and trading of data elements. 完善法治化营商环境。依法严惩各类经济犯罪，依法严惩贪污、职务侵占、行贿、受贿等腐败犯罪，有力维护社会主义市场经济秩序。完善产权司法保护机制，对侵犯各种所有制经济产权和合法利益的行为实行同责同罪同罚，防止和纠正利用行政、刑事手段干预经济纠纷，依法适用财产保全和司法强制措施，避免对合法生产经营的不利影响。完善在食品药品安全、知识产权、产品缺陷、环境污染等领域的惩罚性赔偿制度。健全有效防范、依法甄别纠正涉企冤错案件机制。强化对垄断和不正当竞争行为的规制，维护公平竞争秩序。加强破产审判工作，推动完善市场主体退出制度，促进资源优化配置。依法审理数据产权归属认定、市场交易、权益分配、利益保护等纠纷，推动数据要素高效流通和交易.
Third, strengthen financial trials. Severely punish market manipulation, insider trading, illegal fundraising, loan fraud, money laundering and other crimes in the financial field in accordance with the law; strengthen the coordinated governance of illegal intermediaries in the financial field; and promote the healthy development of the financial market. Improve the rules for the trial of financial disputes in emerging fields such as digital currency, mobile payment, Internet finance, and cross-border financial asset transactions. Improve the coordination mechanism between administrative law enforcement and judicial trials in the financial field. 加强金融审判工作。依法严惩操纵市场、内幕交易、非法集资、贷款诈骗、洗钱等金融领域违法犯罪，加强金融领域非法中介乱象协同治理，促进金融市场健康发展。完善数字货币、移动支付、互联网金融、跨境金融资产交易等新兴领域金融纠纷审理规则。健全金融领域行政执法和司法审判衔接机制.
Fourth, strengthen intellectual property judicial work. Increase judicial protection of technological innovation and trade secrets in key frontier fields. Fully leverage the function of intellectual property adjudication, and improve the appeals mechanism for intellectual property cases. Improve the coordination mechanism between administrative law enforcement and judicial trials in the field of intellectual property rights and promote comprehensive governance in the field of intellectual property rights. 加强知识产权审判工作。加大对关键前沿领域科技创新和商业秘密的司法保护力度。充分发挥知识产权审判职能作用，完善知识产权案件上诉审理机制。健全知识产权领域行政执法和司法审判衔接机制，推动知识产权领域综合治理.
Fifth, strengthen adjudication work related to ecological environment and resources. Severely punish illegal and criminal acts that pollute the environment and destroy the ecology in accordance with the law, and comprehensively strengthen judicial protection of the ecological environment. Improve the judicial responsibility-bearing method oriented towards ecological environment restoration, strictly implement the ecological environment damage compensation system, and promote comprehensive ecological compensation. Strengthen the construction of a professional trial mechanism for environmental resources. Improve the trial procedures and rules for public interest litigation on the ecological environment. Promote cross-departmental coordination and linkage, and strengthen the integrated protection of the ecological environment. 加强生态环境资源审判工作。依法严惩污染环境、破坏生态的违法犯罪行为，全面加强生态环境司法保护。健全以生态环境修复为导向的司法责任承担方式，严格落实生态环境损害赔偿制度，推进生态综合补偿。加强环境资源专业化审判机制建设。完善生态环境公益诉讼审理程序和规则。推动跨部门协调联动，加强生态环境一体化保护.
Sixth, strengthen judicial protection of people’s livelihood. Strengthen judicial protection in the fields of family affairs, medical care, elderly care, employment, consumption and other areas of people’s livelihood, and improve people’s well-being. Improve methods related to family judicial work, such as family investigation, psychological counseling, and post-judgment follow-up assistance, and improve the personal safety protection order system. Properly adjudicate medical damage compensation disputes and promote equal, harmonious, and mutually trusting doctor-patient relationships. Explore and promote the early warning, investigation and mediation with regard to conflicts and disputes involving the elderly. Protect equal employment and labour rights in accordance with the law, severely punish malicious wage arrears, promptly honour the rights and interests of migrant workers who win lawsuits, and improve the judicial adjudication rules for labour disputes in new employment forms. Lawfully protect the legitimate land rights and interests of rural residents who have settled in cities. 加强民生司法保障。加强家事、医疗、养老、就业、消费等民生领域司法保护，增进民生福祉。健全家事调查、心理疏导、判后回访帮扶等家事审判方式，完善人身安全保护令制度。妥善审理医疗损害赔偿纠纷案件，促进形成平等、和谐、互信的医患关系。探索推进涉老矛盾纠纷的预警、排查、调解工作。依法维护平等就业和劳动权利，严惩恶意欠薪，及时兑现农民工胜诉权益，完善新就业形态劳动争议司法裁判规则。依法保障进城落户农民合法土地权益.
Seventh, strengthen judicial protection of the rights and interests of minors.
Eighth, strengthen foreign-related and Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan-related judicial work. Strengthen the international commercial trial work of the Supreme People’s Court and key regions, improve the connection mechanism with international commercial mediation and arbitration, promote the creation of an optimal place for international commercial dispute resolution, and advance high-quality joint construction of BRI. Improve the judicial trial system in which parties in foreign-related civil legal relationships to lawfully agree on jurisdiction and choose to apply foreign law, etc. Strengthen accurate application work of international treaties and international practices, establish a high-level, specialized foreign law ascertainment work system. Improve maritime trial work, reasonably layout maritime court dispatch tribunals, strengthen judicial protection of our country's maritime rights and interests. Perfect anti-sanctions, anti-interference, anti-’long-arm jurisdiction’ judicial measures. Strengthen judicial protection of overseas Chinese interests. Strengthen international exchanges and cooperation in the judicial field. Actively participate in the formulation of international rules in the fields of international trade, intellectual property rights, environmental protection, cyberspace, etc. Improve the inter-regional judicial assistance system with Chinese characteristics. Deepen judicial exchanges and cooperation in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and strengthen the connection of rules and mechanisms. Strengthen judicial work related to Taiwan and deepen cross-strait integration and development. 加强涉外和涉港澳台审判工作。加强最高人民法院和重点地区国际商事审判工作，完善与国际商事调解、仲裁的衔接机制，促进打造国际商事争端解决优选地，推动高质量共建“一带一路”。完善涉外民事法律关系中当事人依法约定管辖、选择适用域外法等司法审判制度。加强国际条约和国际惯例准确适用工作，建立高水平、专业化的外国法律查明工作体系。完善海事审判工作，合理布局海事法院派出法庭，加强我国海洋权益司法保护。完善反制裁、反干涉、反“长臂管辖”司法措施。完善海外利益司法保护机制。加强侨益司法保护工作。加强司法领域国际交流合作。积极参与国际贸易、知识产权、环境保护、网络空间等领域国际规则制定。健全中国特色区际司法协助体系。深化粤港澳大湾区司法交流合作，强化规则衔接、机制对接。加强涉台司法工作，深化两岸融合发展。
The next section discusses the importance of strengthening the prevention and resolution of conflicts and disputes. There are four points:
First promote the integration of dispute resolution forces and resources. Under this, the document calls to implement the Fengqiao Experience in the new era. “Under the leadership of Party committees at all levels, strengthen the coordination and linkage between people’s courts, government departments, and social forces; implement responsibilities for the prevention and resolution of conflicts and disputes; jointly promote the standardized construction of comprehensive social security governance centers; improve the connection mechanism between litigation and non-litigation methods; and establish a working pattern of coordinated linkage among people’s mediation, administrative mediation, judicial mediation, and industry-specific and professional mediation.” 坚持和发展新时代“枫桥经验”，在各级党委领导下，加强人民法院与政府部门、社会力量的协调联动，落实矛盾纠纷预防化解工作责任，协同推进社会治安综合治理中心规范化建设，完善诉讼与非诉讼衔接机制，健全人民调解、行政调解、司法调解、行业性专业性调解衔接联动的工作格局.
Second, strengthen substantive resolution of administrative disputes. This basically calls on courts to develop different formats for managing disputes between citizens/businesses/entities and the government.
Third, the document calls to build an efficient, convenient, intelligent and accurate litigation service system. This includes improving online hearings, circuit court working mechanisms, etc.
Fourth, the document calls for strengthening the resolution of litigation-related complaints and petitions. Under this, it calls to “adhere to the combination of petition and mediation, with mediation taking precedence, and promote coordination and linkage between mediation work and petition work.”
The next section discusses the importance of deepening judicial system reform. The final section talks about building digital courts and policies related to judicial workers.
The other main report on the page is a feature article telling us that Xi’s concept of a people’s city is guiding urban development in China. Some of the key points under this concept are:
Ensuring housing and infrastructure but also “ecological liveability.” In other words, one needs to “coordinate the three major layouts of production, life and ecology”.
Improving the “balance and quality of public services”. “The allocation of public resources is unbalanced among large, medium and small cities, and there are large gaps in employment, education, medical care, etc. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out, ‘we should strengthen the interconnection between megacities and small and medium-sized cities, improve the level of equalization of basic public services in small and medium-sized cities, especially develop education and medical care, and enhance the attractiveness of small and medium-sized cities to the population’.” 大中小城市公共资源配置不均衡，就业、教育、医疗等存在较大差距。习近平总书记指出，“加强特大城市和中小城市互联互通，提高中小城市基本公共服务均等化水平，特别是发展好教育和医疗，增强中小城市对人口的吸引力”.
Some useful data: By the end of 2023, China had 694 cities, including 29 cities with a permanent population of more than 5 million and 11 cities with a population of more than 10 million.
Finally, the concept entails improving urban governance and management, with the goal of making them more “scientific, refined, and intelligent.”
Today, in Beijing, the Central Urban Work Conference was held. Xi Jinping has delivered a speech there. So expect this to be the headline for tomorrow’s edition.
Third, there’s a report on Ding Xuexiang co-chairing the sixth China-EU High-Level Environment and Climate Dialogue jointly with Teresa Ribera, Executive Vice President of the European Commission. Xinhua reports:
Ding “urged both sides, under the strategic guidance of their leaders, to strengthen practical cooperation on the environment and climate and make greater contributions to sustainable development in China, the EU and the world. He said that China attaches great importance to ecological and environmental protection and responding to climate change, has formulated and implemented a series of practical measures, and has achieved remarkable results in the comprehensive green transformation of its economic and social development. China will firmly promote green and low-carbon development and take effective measures to participate in global environmental and climate governance, Ding said, adding that China is willing to work with the EU to maintain high-level dialogue and exchanges, build greater consensus and deepen the green partnership. He said China stands ready to work with the EU to uphold mutual benefit and win-win outcomes, continuously expand cooperation in key areas such as energy and the circular economy, and jointly support the green and low-carbon development of other developing countries. China is also willing to work with the EU to promote the establishment of a fair, reasonable, cooperative and win-win global environmental and climate governance system, he added.”
Fourth, there’s a report on VP Han Zheng meeting with Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar. Xinhua says:
“Han said, last October, Chinese President Xi Jinping had a successful meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kazan, leading China-India relations to a new starting point. Noting that China and India are both major developing countries and important members of the Global South. Being partners that help each other succeed and realising ‘the dragon and the elephant dancing together’ is the right choice for both sides. Han called on both sides to further implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, adhere to the high-level guidance, steadily advance pragmatic cooperation, respect each other’s concerns, and promote the sustained, healthy, and stable development of China-India relations.” 中印都是发展中大国、全球南方重要成员，做相互成就的伙伴，实现“龙象共舞”，是双方正确选择。双方要进一步落实两国领导人达成的重要共识，坚持高层引领、稳步推进务实合作、尊重彼此关切，推动中印关系持续健康稳定发展.
While on this subject, let’s look at the Chinese readout of Wang Yi’s meeting with Jaishankar.
“Wang Yi said that the current international situation has undergone profound changes, and unilateral protectionism and hegemonic bullying actions are bringing severe challenges to the world. As two major Eastern civilisations and major emerging economies that are neighbours, the essence of China-India relations is how to get along harmoniously and achieve mutual success. Last year, President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Modi’s meeting in Kazan reached an important consensus, pointing the direction for the improvement and development of China-India relations. Both sides should aim high, plan for the long term, adhere to the direction of good-neighbourliness and friendship, and realise the ‘Dragon-Elephant Tango’, and find a way for the two countries to get along through mutual respect and mutual trust, peaceful coexistence, joint pursuit of development, and win-win cooperation.” 王毅说，当前国际格局深刻演变，单边保护主义、强权霸凌行径给世界带来严峻挑战。作为毗邻而居的两大东方文明和主要新兴经济体，中印关系的本质是如何和睦相处、相互成就。去年习近平主席和莫迪总理喀山会晤达成重要共识，为中印关系改善和发展指明方向。双方应择高处立，谋长远计，坚持睦邻友好方向，实现“龙象共舞”，找到两国互尊互信、和平共处、共谋发展、合作共赢的相处之道。
Wang Yi said that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and India. China-India relations have maintained an improving momentum of development, which is hard-won and worth cherishing. The relationship between the two countries has its own historical logic and endogenous driving force. It is not targeted at any third party and should not be interfered with by any third party. Both sides should trust each other rather than suspect each other, cooperate with each other rather than compete with each other, achieve each other rather than consume each other. China is willing to work with India to jointly implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, demonstrate the strategic vision of emerging and developing major countries, continuously enhance political mutual trust, move toward each other to expand exchanges and cooperation, properly handle contradictions and differences from an overall perspective, strengthen coordination and cooperation on multilateral platforms such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and promote the sustained, healthy, and stable development of China-India relations. 王毅表示，今年是中印建交75周年，中印关系保持改善发展势头，来之不易，值得珍惜。两国关系有自身历史逻辑和内生动力，不针对第三方，也不应受第三方干扰。双方应相互信任而不是相互猜疑，相互合作而不是相互竞争，相互成就而不是相互消耗。中方愿同印方共同努力，落实好两国领导人重要共识，体现新兴发展中大国战略远见，一以贯之增进政治互信，相向而行扩大交流合作，从大局出发妥处矛盾分歧，在上海合作组织等多边舞台加强协作配合，推动中印关系持续健康稳定发展.
Wang Yi said that President Xi Jinping has proposed promoting the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind, and Prime Minister Modi has advocated ‘the world is one family’. These concepts are mutually connected. Both China and India support multilateralism and hope that the international order develops in a more just and reasonable direction. China is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with India, jointly maintain the multilateral trading system, the stability of the global production and supply chain, and the international environment of open cooperation, promote an equal and orderly world multipolarization and inclusive economic globalization, work together to safeguard the common interests of the ‘Global South’, and promote regional peace, stability, development and prosperity. 王毅说，习近平主席提出推动构建人类命运共同体，莫迪总理主张“天下一家”，这些理念彼此相通。中印都支持多边主义，希望国际秩序朝着更加公正合理方向发展。中方愿同印方加强沟通协调，共同维护多边贸易体制、全球产供链稳定和开放合作的国际环境，推动平等有序的世界多极化和普惠包容的经济全球化，携手维护“全球南方”共同利益，促进地区和平稳定和发展繁荣.
As per the Chinese readout, this is what Jaishankar said:
“Jaishankar said that the Kazan meeting between the leaders of the two countries provided important guidance for India-China relations, and exchanges and cooperation in various fields between the two sides are returning to normal. He was very grateful to the Chinese side for providing convenience for the resumption of Indian pilgrims’ pilgrimage to the sacred mountains and holy lakes in Tibet, China. India and China are development partners rather than competitors. India is willing to view relations with China from a long-term perspective, take the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries as an opportunity to focus on common interests, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, enhance cultural exchanges, and jointly maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas. Both sides should strive to accumulate positive factors in bilateral relations, avoid disagreements becoming disputes, and prevent competition from turning into conflict. As important neighbouring countries, populous nations, and major world economies, India-China relations have regional and global significance. India adheres to strategic autonomy, pursues an independent foreign policy, and is willing to strengthen coordination and cooperation with the Chinese side in multilateral domains, promoting the establishment of a multipolar world. The Indian side fully supports the Chinese side as the rotating chair of the SCO to successfully host the summit.” 苏杰生表示，两国领导人喀山会晤为印中关系提供了重要指引，双方各领域交流合作走向正常化，十分感谢中方为恢复印度香客赴中国西藏神山圣湖朝圣提供便利。印中是发展伙伴而非竞争对手，印方愿从长远角度看待对华关系，以两国建交75周年为契机，聚焦利益共同点，深化互利合作，增进人文交流，共同维护边境地区和平与安宁。双方应努力积累双边关系中的积极因素，避免分歧成为争端，防止竞争变成冲突。作为重要邻国、人口大国和世界主要经济体，印中关系具有地区和全球意义。印方坚持战略自主，奉行独立的外交政策，愿同中方加强在多边领域协调配合，推动建立多极世界。印方全力支持中方作为上合组织轮值主席国办好峰会.
The MEA’s readout of the meeting says:
“During the meeting, the Ministers reviewed the state of India-China bilateral relationship. They took note of the recent progress made by the two sides to stabilize and rebuild ties, with priority on people-centric engagements, including activities to commemorate the 75th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations this year. EAM appreciated the Chinese side’s cooperation for resumption of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra. The two sides agreed to take additional practical steps, including travel to each other’s country and direct flight connectivity, for facilitating people-to-people exchanges. EAM highlighted the positive impact of peace and tranquility in the border for the smooth development in bilateral relations and supported continued efforts towards de-escalation and border management. He underlined the need for cooperation on trans-border rivers, including resumption of provision of hydrological data by the Chinese side. He also took up restrictive trade measures and roadblocks to economic cooperation. The two Ministers discussed regional and global issues of common interest. EAM expressed India’s support to the Chinese side for a successful SCO Presidency. The discussions were constructive and forward-looking. The Ministers agreed to remain in touch, including through bilateral visits and meetings.”
Jaishankar also met with ILD chief Liu Jianchao, and it is significant that he met with President Xi Jinping too.
Xi also also met foreign ministers and heads of standing bodies of the SCO who are in China. He separately met with Russia’s Sergei Lavrov too.
Anyway, back to the front page, there’s a report on China’s H1 trade data. Trade appears to be remaining rather resilient from Beijing’s perspective. Key data in dollar terms; and here’s data in RMB terms.
China’s total foreign trade in H1 2025 was $3.03 trillion (up 1.8%); export was $1.81 (up 5.9%) trillion; import was $1.22 trillion (down 3.9%.)
Trade with the EU was up 2.3%; Exports were up 6.6%; imports fell by 5.9%
Trade with the US fell 10.4%, with both exports and imports falling 10.9% and 8.7%, respectively.
Trade with ASEAN expanded 8.3%; exports rose 13.0%, while imports grew 1.1%.
Trade with Russia fell 9.1%, with exports falling 8.4% and imports declining by 9.65.
With India, trade grew 10.2%, with exports expanding by 14.1% and imports falling 11.5%.
Trade with BRI countries expanded 3.5%; exports grew 9.6%, while imports fell 3.9%.
On Page 2, there’s a detailed report, which covers RMB-denominated trade data. It says:
In the first half of the year, China’s goods trade was at 21.79 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 2.9%. Among them, exports were 13 trillion yuan, an increase of 7.2%; imports were 8.79 trillion yuan, a decrease of 2.7%.
Trade with BRI countries was 11.29 trillion yuan, up 4.7%, accounting for 51.8% of the total value of imports and exports, up 0.9 percentage points from the same period last year. Among them, imports and exports to ASEAN amounted to 3.67 trillion yuan, up 9.6%. China’s exports of engineering machinery, wind turbines, instruments and meters to BRI countries maintained double-digit growth; at the same time, China actively expanded imports from BRI countries, and signed 32 agricultural and food product access documents with them in the first half of the year.
Trade with EU was 2.82 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 3.5%, with an average daily import and export of more than 15 billion yuan. In the first half of the year, China’s exports of auto parts to the EU increased by 9.7%, and imports of large passenger car gearboxes and automotive diesel engines increased by 40.8% and 65.2%, respectively. In H1, China’s imports of medical care products, luggage, jewelry, etc. from the EU accounted for more than 60% of the imports of similar products.
Total trade with the US in H1 was 2.08 trillion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 9.3%. Among them, exports were 1.55 trillion yuan, a decrease of 9.9%; imports were 530.35 billion yuan, a decrease of 7.7%. Affected by the so-called ‘reciprocal tariffs’ of the United States, China-US trade turned from year-on-year growth in the first quarter to a year-on-year decline in the second quarter, with a decline of 20.8%. Recently, the economic and trade talks in Geneva and London have made positive progress, and China-US trade has rebounded. The import and export value has rebounded from less than 300 billion yuan in May to more than 350 billion yuan in June, and the year-on-year decline has narrowed significantly.
In H1, exports of mechanical and electrical products reached 7.8 trillion yuan, up 9.5%, accounting for 60% of the total export value, up 1.2 percentage points from the same period last year. Among them, high-end equipment closely related to new quality productive forces increased by more than 20%.
In H1, China’s export of high-tech products grew by 9.2%, maintaining growth for nine consecutive months. Among them, the export growth rates of high-end machine tools, ships, and marine engineering equipment all exceeded 20%, and the export of instruments and meters increased by 14.7%. In high-tech product exports, the share of domestic brands reached 32.4%, an increase of 1.2 percentage points over the same period last year. Taking the robotics industry as an example, last year China’s industrial robot export market share rose to second in the world; in the first half of this year, exports grew by 61.5%.
In H1, foreign-invested enterprises’ imports and exports totaled 6.32 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 2.4%
While on the subject, NBS has reported that China’s GDP grew 5.3% year on year in the first half of 2025. In the second quarter, China’s GDP expanded 5.2% year on year.
Finally, on the front page, is a report informing that foreign journalists wanting to cover the commemorative events marking the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War in Beijing can register at http://kzjn80reg.zgjx.cn from July 15 to July 29, 2025.
Page 2: There’s a report on a review meeting related to the work of the National Social Science Fund. The report says:
“The meeting pointed out that General Secretary Xi Jinping has made a series of important statements on philosophy and social science work, which have pointed out the direction and provided the fundamental guidelines for the flourishing and development of philosophy and social sciences in the new era, and constitute an important part of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture. The philosophy and social sciences community should study and understand them in depth, and fully implement them in the construction of various disciplines, research in various fields, and all aspects of work. We must deeply grasp the major strategic task of building an independent knowledge system of Chinese philosophy and social sciences, adhere to the ‘two integrations’, and effectively promote the high-quality development of philosophy and social sciences. 会议指出，习近平总书记对哲学社会科学工作作出一系列重要论述，为新时代哲学社会科学繁荣发展指明了方向、提供了根本遵循，构成习近平文化思想的重要内容。哲学社会科学界要深入学习领会，全面贯彻落实到各学科建设、各领域研究、各方面工作之中。要深刻把握构建中国哲学社会科学自主知识体系的重大战略任务，坚持“两个结合”，切实推进哲学社会科学高质量发展.
The meeting emphasised that efforts should be focused on academic foundations, practical orientation, international perspective, and historical dimensions, to continuously deepen the theoretical, systematic, and academic explanation of the Party’s innovative theory, and to systematically and thoroughly apply it to the construction of the independent knowledge system of Chinese philosophy and social sciences. It is necessary to remain rooted in China’s reality and achieve Chinese scholarship, study real problems, conduct real research on problems, actively respond to the opportunities and challenges brought by scientific and technological transformation, and promote academic innovation through integrating Chinese and foreign knowledge and linking ancient and modern times. We must always focus on people and base ourselves on people, focus on strengthening talent training, especially the discovery and support of young talents, systematically promote the reform of the National Social Science Fund, continuously improve the system and mechanism, cultivate a good academic ecology, and better stimulate the innovation and creativity of the majority of philosophy and social science workers. 会议强调，要从学术基础、实践导向、国际视野、历史维度等方面着力，持续深化党的创新理论体系化学理化研究阐释，并系统深入地运用于中国哲学社会科学自主知识体系构建。要坚持面向中国田野、成就中国学问，研究真问题、真研究问题，积极应对科技变革带来的机遇和挑战，在融汇中外、贯通古今中推动学术创新。要始终着眼于人、立足于人，着力加强人才培养特别是对青年人才的发现、扶持，系统推进国家社科基金资助改革，不断完善体制机制、涵养良好学术生态，更好激发广大哲学社会科学工作者的创新创造活力.
Page 4: There’s a report informing that Xu Qifang has been appointed as the executive deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, overseeing the office's daily operations. Here’s SCMP’s report on this earlier this month.
Another report informs that the sixth round of inspections of the 20th Central Committee will focus on 16 provinces, including Beijing, Tianjin, Liaoning Province, Heilongjiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Fujian, Shandong, Guangdong, Guangxi, Chongqing, Guizhou, Tibet, Shaanxi, Qinghai, and Xinjiang.
Joint inspections will also be carried out in coordination with the relevant provincial Party committee inspection institutions for 10 sub-provincial-level cities, including Shenyang, Dalian, Harbin, Nanjing, Xiamen, Jinan, Qingdao, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Xi’an.
Finally, there’s a commentary bylined Zhong Yiping. The headline says:
“Lai Ching-te is the ‘Impurity’ that must be eliminated” 赖清德才是应被打掉的“杂质”. The article basically attacks Lai for his 10 lectures tour. I am not detailing the historical contentions that the piece talks about, but it says this:
“Lai Ching-te has painstakingly stitched together so-called ‘history’ to serve ‘Taiwan independence’, but it is no more than flowers in a mirror, moon in the water; it bursts with a poke, is shattered at a touch.” 赖清德费尽心机为“台独”东拼西凑的所谓“历史”，不过是镜中花、水中月，一戳就破、一碰即碎.
The article accuses Lai of being autocratic, dictatorial, and treating those who disagree with him as “impurities”. It ends with this:
In his chaotic logic, there is one thing that has not changed, i.e., faced with political difficulties, incompetent governance, and internal divisions, Lai Ching-te is attempting to transfer internal contradictions, consolidate his own power, and market 'green terror' by stirring up cross-strait confrontation; in this process, he is not hesitating to place Taiwan in greater risk and uncertainty. This is despicable behaviour of gambling with Taiwan’s future and destiny as political chips. Lai Ching-te and the extremely few ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist elements are precisely the root cause and source of trouble, democratic chaos, and developmental disorder on the island. Whether for the Taiwan region or the entire Chinese nation, Lai Ching-te is the real ‘impurity’, and without eliminating such ‘impurities’, Taiwan will not have a beautiful future.” 在其混乱的逻辑中，有一条倒是没有变过的，那就是面对政局困境、治理无能、内部分裂，赖清德企图通过挑起两岸对立来转嫁内部矛盾、巩固自身权力、行销“绿色恐怖”，不惜将台湾置于更大风险和不确定性当中——这是把台湾前途命运作为政治筹码进行豪赌的卑劣行径。赖清德等极少数“台独”分裂分子正是岛内祸乱、民主混乱、发展错乱的病根病灶。无论对台湾一域还是整个中华民族来说，赖清德才是真正的“杂质”，不打掉这样的“杂质”，台湾就不会有美好的未来.
Page 11: Finally, there’s a report informing that Zhang Tianfeng, former deputy chief of China's State Tobacco Monopoly Administration, has been expelled from the Party due to serious discipline and law violations. Zhang violated the Party's political discipline, organizational discipline, integrity discipline and life discipline.