China

China Daily | English | News | Nov. 21, 2025 | Supply Chain Issues

China-Europe freight trains operating through the China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Area (SCODA) in Qingdao, Shandong province, have reached record levels in 2025. In the first ten months, 1,042 trains operated, a 13.8 percent year-on-year increase that surpassed the total for the previous year. The SCODA hub expanded its multimodal transport links and overseas consolidation centers, launching 32 routes to 54 cities across 23 countries within the SCO and Belt and Road networks, connecting regions including Japan, South Korea, Eurasia, Mongolia, Russia, and ASEAN.

The zone supports specialized and tailored freight services for sectors such as home appliances, tires, finished vehicles, and grain, benefiting over 7,000 exporters and aligning with Shandong's industrial strengths. It has developed an international logistics corridor facilitating flows eastward, westward, southward, and northward, with a focus on enhancing cargo aggregation, overseas warehouses, and innovative transport models like "trains + cross-border e-commerce" and "trains + cold chain."

Recent shipments, such as an 86-container freight train from Kazakhstan, demonstrate the hub's efficient multimodal transfer and 20-day end-to-end delivery. SCODA has established overseas consolidation centers in key locations including Belgrade, Almaty, Moscow, and Vientiane to optimize costs and logistics. The Moscow center, for example, supports round-trip services linking Russian cities and Belarus, aiding production and reducing expenditures.

The Qingdao hub is part of a newly approved national China-Europe assembly center project, featuring six integrated platforms covering train operations, cross-border e-commerce, supply-chain finance, commodity futures delivery, grain supervision, and cold-chain logistics. This cluster is designed to enhance regional cooperation under the SCO, with local authorities emphasizing trade growth and quality improvements.

Entrepreneurs like Lu Junlin report significantly reduced transit times and streamlined customs procedures, facilitating quicker access to markets such as Russia. These developments reinforce Qingdao’s role as a critical logistics node in China’s broader strategy to deepen cooperation and expand trade via the Belt and Road Initiative.

Global Times | English | News | Nov. 21, 2025 | Geopolitical Conflict and Disputes

Two senior Philippine officials recently claimed that Chinese vessels jammed communications during a supply mission to the illegally grounded Philippine warship BRP Sierra Madre at Ren’ai Jiao in the South China Sea. They alleged the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) interfered to prevent possible drone surveillance during the transport of food, fuel, and personnel.

A Chinese military source rebutted these claims as entirely fabricated and intended to escalate tensions. China stated that on November 14, 2025, it allowed a Philippine civilian vessel to deliver supplies under Chinese supervision for humanitarian reasons, with the CCG monitoring the operation throughout. The Chinese source accused the Philippines of stirring trouble and fabricating accusations to generate negative publicity against China.

The article recalls the June 17, 2024 incident when the Philippines illegally sent vessels to resupply the BRP Sierra Madre near Ren’ai Jiao, resulting in collisions with Chinese ships and aggressive behavior from Philippine personnel. The CCG responded firmly yet lawfully, towing away the infringing vessels and conducting boarding inspections. Since then, China and the Philippines have tacitly agreed on resupply operations under strict conditions: prior notification, Chinese inspection, and no transport of sensitive materials.

Chinese experts argue that claims of communication jamming during the recent supply run are improbable, noting the mission involved a civilian merchant vessel, making electromagnetic interference unnecessary. They characterize the accusations as exaggerated attempts to amplify the "China threat" narrative, a tactic they say the Philippines and some foreign media frequently use.

新华视点丨《住房租赁条例》施行两月，如何更好推动新规落地？

Xinhua | Local Language | News | Nov. 21, 2025 | Regulation

China’s Housing Rental Regulations, implemented on September 15, 2025, aim to protect the rights of landlords and tenants by providing a legal framework for the rapidly growing rental market. Since the regulations took effect two months ago, improvements include enhanced legal clarity on deposit refunds, better contract enforcement, and more transparent rental services through housing rental management platforms that verify listings, enable online contract signing, and facilitate filing registrations. Larger rental companies are upgrading services, while the regulations bring more operators under supervision, fostering a more orderly market and sidelining noncompliant players.

Despite progress, challenges remain in fully enforcing the regulations. Issues such as unregistered "hand-in-hand" rentals without contracts, safety hazards, vague evidentiary responsibilities in disputes, and listings that evade regulation through labels like “affordable” or “short-term rentals” persist. Data sharing gaps between agencies and the rental management platform hinder authenticity verification and create regulatory blind spots. Some brokers continue to use misleading online photos, and coordination among enforcement bodies requires strengthening. Supporting systems and detailed implementation rules also need refinement.

To promote thorough enforcement, experts call for smoother rights defense channels, complaint mechanisms, and stronger law enforcement intensity and coverage. Various local governments have launched supporting policies, such as contract templates, whole-chain regulation, dual supervision of rental data and funds, and targeted measures against large-scale sublessors. Future plans include establishing credit penalties for violations, providing tax and financing incentives for compliant actors, fostering market-oriented rental enterprises, enhancing multi-department data sharing, and improving coordination across different governance levels. Expanding the functionality of rental management platforms is also recommended to increase efficiency and tenant security.