•US charges California woman Wanying Zhang as unregistered China agent for surveilling Taiwan president’s son; she pleads not guilty
The US Justice Department said Wanying (Heather) Zhang, 34, of Irvine, California, was arrested on 4 October at Los Angeles International Airport and charged with acting as an unregistered agent of the PRC. Prosecutors allege that from June to September 2025, at the direction of PRC officials, she surveilled relatives of Taiwan’s president in the Seattle area (FBI and court papers identify the residence of Lai Ching-te’s elder son Ting-Yu Lai), sending video and license-plate details to a contact; the charge carries up to 10 years if convicted. A federal grand jury indictment was filed on 9 October; on 23 October she pleaded not guilty in Los Angeles federal court, with trial set for 30 November. China’s Foreign Ministry said on 5 October it was “not aware of the situation” and opposed hyping so-called “Chinese spies.” Mainland Chinese wire coverage has not developed the case; this item relies on DOJ and US/overseas court reporting (AP, CBS and others). Share · Copy
•Former Chinese vice-premier Liu Yandong dies in Beijing
Xinhua reported shortly after 18:00 on 28 October that Liu Yandong, a member of the Communist Party’s 17th and 18th Politburos, a former vice-chair of the 10th CPPCC National Committee, former state councillor and former vice-premier, died of illness in Beijing at 14:53 that day. Xinhua gave her age as 81; the South China Morning Post put it at 80. The official notice described her as an “outstanding leader” of the party’s united front work and of China’s education, science and technology, healthcare and women and children’s affairs. The SCMP noted she served as vice-premier from 2013 to 2018, the fourth woman to hold the post, and was one of China’s most prominent female leaders in recent decades. Share · Copy
•India border police say face-offs with Chinese troops continue in Arunachal; Beijing cites normal patrols
Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Director General Shatrujeet Kapur said Indian and Chinese troops have faced off at several locations in Arunachal Pradesh (called Zangnan by Beijing) and that the situation continues. The Hindu and other Indian outlets, citing sources, said a stand-off near Asaphila/Taksing in Upper Subansiri has persisted since late July, with Chinese forces returning in larger numbers and pitching tents about 6–7 km inside India’s perception of the Line of Actual Control. Indian MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said border areas are disturbed from time to time when Chinese forces diverge from established patrolling patterns, with both sides using diplomatic and military channels. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on 26 October that China strictly abides by relevant bilateral agreements, conducts normal border patrols to safeguard sovereignty and stability, and hopes India will work in the same direction. BBC (28 Oct) and Al Jazeera (27 Oct) carried major reports on the remarks and responses. Share · Copy
•China to send its Manila embassy defence attaché, not a minister, to 13th ADMM-Plus in Cebu
China’s Ministry of National Defense said on its website on 27 October that the defence attaché of the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines will represent China at the 13th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus in Cebu on 29 October, to exchange views on dialogue and mutual trust and to reaffirm support for ASEAN centrality. The statement gave no reason for Defence Minister Dong Jun’s absence. Reuters and The Straits Times reported that Dong attended the same meeting in Kuala Lumpur in 2025, calling this a clear downgrade in representation; they noted the meeting is hosted by the Philippines amid a continuing South China Sea dispute between Beijing and Manila, and that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will attend. Share · Copy
•Swiss President Parmelin to visit China 30 Oct–1 Nov, meet Xi and sign upgraded free trade agreement
China’s foreign ministry announced on 28 October that Swiss Federal President Guy Parmelin will pay a working visit to China from 30 October to 1 November. Spokesperson Guo Jiakun told the regular briefing that President Xi Jinping will meet him, noting this year marks the 10th anniversary of the two countries’ innovative strategic partnership and that Switzerland in August became the first European country to conclude talks on upgrading its free trade agreement with China. Switzerland’s Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research said on 26 October that Parmelin will meet Xi on 30 October, after which the two sides will sign the optimised bilateral free trade agreement (a protocol amending the deal in force since 2014); he is also due to meet Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and other ministers and open the 10th Swiss-Chinese Economic Forum, accompanied by a business and science delegation. Share · Copy
Wednesday 28 Oct close; STAR50 +2.45% to 1,282.93; Shanghai and Shenzhen turnover about 1.63 trillion yuan. CNH quoted 6.6652 at 15:12 HKT (Sina Finance FX); CNY is the 28 October fixing of 6.7165 (up 6 basis points, CFETS). Data: Tencent, Sina Finance.
•CDB completes 365 billion yuan policy financial tool deployment, all as project equity
China Development Bank said via its WeChat account at 20:48 on 27 October that it had that day completed deploying 365 billion yuan under the new policy-based financial instrument, all as project equity capital, covering projects with total investment of about 5.5 trillion yuan. Of the total, 127.99 billion yuan (35.1%) went to projects with private investment or private capital; 277.86 billion yuan (76.1%) to 11 larger provincial economies including Anhui, Zhejiang and Sichuan; and 179.01 billion yuan (49%) to AI, the digital economy, green and low-carbon, biopharma and consumption. The release cited 38 AI projects, 260 digital-economy, 422 green, 93 consumption and 566 in rail, aviation, ports and other fields. Reuters reported in August that the broader roughly 800 billion yuan (about $119 billion) policy financing tool had begun taking project applications but faced a roll-out lag. Share · Copy
•EU plans early-2027 safeguard curbs on Chinese chemicals, furniture, machinery; Beijing responds
Bloomberg reported on 26 October, citing people familiar with the matter, that the EU plans safeguard measures—import caps or tariffs—to cut imports of Chinese chemicals, furniture and machinery, possibly as early as the first quarter of 2027, seeking to replicate a recent hybrid-vehicle import cap of about 350,000 a year and to reduce its trade deficit with China. The Business Times (Singapore) carried the report on 27 October. Asked about it at the regular briefing on 27 October, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said China–EU economic ties are mutually beneficial, that the second meeting of the bilateral trade and investment consultation mechanism had made positive progress, and that differences can be resolved through dialogue; he said Beijing hopes the EU will respect market principles and fair competition and avoid abusing trade remedies. The European Commission declined to comment to Bloomberg. Share · Copy
•Japan to impose five-year anti-dumping duties on nickel cold-rolled stainless steel from mainland China and Taiwan from 31 October
Japan’s Ministry of Finance said the Cabinet on 27 October enacted an order imposing definitive anti-dumping duties on nickel-added cold-rolled stainless steel coil, sheet and strip from mainland China (excluding Hong Kong and Macao) and Taiwan; the order is to be published on 30 October and the duties apply from 31 October 2026 to 30 October 2031. The Sankei Shimbun and Kyodo reported rates of 27.7% or 42.1% for mainland Chinese products and 3.6% or 20.1% for Taiwanese products. The ministry said the investigation confirmed dumped imports and material injury to Japanese industry; the definitive rates match provisional duties in place since 9 July. The case was brought by Nippon Steel and others; the finance and trade ministries opened the probe on 22 July 2025 and issued a preliminary dumping finding on 19 June this year. No specific response from China’s Commerce Ministry to the final ruling had been seen at the time of publication. Share · Copy
