The monitor features developments related to China during the month and is compiled by our research team of Amb. Biren Nanda, Senior Fellow, and Sanket Joshi, Research Associate, from open-source reports and publications.
India and China continued their diplomatic engagement, with the 33rd meeting of the “Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC)” being held in Beijing on March 25, 2025. The two sides reviewed the situation along the LAC and exchanged views on the resumption of cross-border cooperation and exchanges.
In a podcast released on March 16, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi underscored the importance of cooperation between India and China for global stability and prosperity, advocating a paradigm of “healthy competition over conflict”. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed appreciation for these positive remarks, calling for a “cooperative pas de deux of the dragon and the elephant” as the only right choice for the two countries.
On March 3, 2025, President Trump announced an additional 10 percent tariff on goods imported from China, citing Beijing's failure to prevent Fentanyl from entering the US through Mexico and Canada. China responded by imposing a 15 percent duty on the imports of US poultry and agricultural products. A 10 percent tariff was also imposed on the imports of soybeans, pork, beef, fruits, vegetables, and dairy products.
Addressing a press conference on China’s foreign policy on March 7, 2025, Wang Yi, the Director of China’s Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, described China as a source of global stability in turbulent times, and emphasised that Beijing would promote peace and development while staunchly defending its national interests. He lauded the mature, resilient, and stable nature of China's relations with Russia, while warning the US that China would respond to any attempts to impede its development.
On March 5, 2025, Premier Li Qiang delivered a ‘Report on the Work of the Government’ to the third session of the 14th NPC. China set a GDP growth target of around 5 percent for 2025, which Premier Li described as “very challenging” given an “increasingly complex” external environment. China announced a defence budget of CNY 1.78 trillion (USD 249 billion), marking an increase of 7.2 percent from the previous year.
To read this China Monitor, Vol. VIII, Issue 3, please see the PDF attached.
India and China continued their diplomatic engagement, with the 33rd meeting of the “Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC)” being held in Beijing on March 25, 2025. The two sides reviewed the situation along the LAC and exchanged views on the resumption of cross-border cooperation and exchanges.
In a podcast released on March 16, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi underscored the importance of cooperation between India and China for global stability and prosperity, advocating a paradigm of “healthy competition over conflict”. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed appreciation for these positive remarks, calling for a “cooperative pas de deux of the dragon and the elephant” as the only right choice for the two countries.
On March 3, 2025, President Trump announced an additional 10 percent tariff on goods imported from China, citing Beijing's failure to prevent Fentanyl from entering the US through Mexico and Canada. China responded by imposing a 15 percent duty on the imports of US poultry and agricultural products. A 10 percent tariff was also imposed on the imports of soybeans, pork, beef, fruits, vegetables, and dairy products.
Addressing a press conference on China’s foreign policy on March 7, 2025, Wang Yi, the Director of China’s Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, described China as a source of global stability in turbulent times, and emphasised that Beijing would promote peace and development while staunchly defending its national interests. He lauded the mature, resilient, and stable nature of China's relations with Russia, while warning the US that China would respond to any attempts to impede its development.
On March 5, 2025, Premier Li Qiang delivered a ‘Report on the Work of the Government’ to the third session of the 14th NPC. China set a GDP growth target of around 5 percent for 2025, which Premier Li described as “very challenging” given an “increasingly complex” external environment. China announced a defence budget of CNY 1.78 trillion (USD 249 billion), marking an increase of 7.2 percent from the previous year.
To read this China Monitor, Vol. VIII, Issue 3, please see the PDF attached.
