India's scrutiny of Chinese investments poses a dilemma for its own development, with political and economic considerations intertwined. It is imperative for India to strike a delicate balance between protecting national security and promoting economic development. Without enhancing mutual trust, India will struggle to boost Chinese investments that are vital for the advancement of its manufacturing sector.

Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said at the ET World Leaders Forum on Saturday that it's "common sense" to scrutinize Chinese investments, noting that many countries do the same for security reasons, Indian media reported. 

His remarks, to a certain extent, reflect India's attitude toward China on geopolitical and security issues, an important reason why India remains distrustful of Chinese investments. 

Such an attitude is influenced by some Western countries, particularly the US, which view China as a "security threat" and has pushed for "decoupling" from China. 

The result of India following the West in overstretching the security concept in economic issues is that India's investment policy toward China has fallen deeply into a security dilemma. On the one hand, India needs Chinese investments to promote the development of its domestic manufacturing, but on the other hand, it is wary of Chinese investments due to fears over potential "security risks." 

These dual concerns not only fail to effectively promote India's manufacturing development but also exacerbate its domestic divisions. Some Indian media reports said that Indian electronics manufacturers have suffered losses due to restrictions on Chinese businesses.

It is understandable that every country has its own legitimate and reasonable system for reviewing foreign investments. But since the Indian government in 2020 implemented restrictions on foreign direct investment (FDI) from countries sharing land borders with India, its scrutiny of Chinese investments has been particularly strict. 

The fundamental reason why India conducts strict scrutiny of Chinese investment is actually a trust issue. The deep-rooted hostility toward China among some Indian elites, interest groups and Western lobbyists continues to take advantage of the lack of mutual trust between China and India to influence decision-making in New Delhi. However, restricting Chinese investment cannot promote the development of Indian manufacturing, but instead affects India's investment appeal.

In the fiscal year 2023-24, India's actual FDI decreased by 37 percent year-on-year to $26.6 billion, according to Indian media reports - the lowest level since 2006-07. The development of the manufacturing sector relies on industrial clusters composed of small and medium-sized enterprises, and India's restrictions on Chinese investments are not conducive to the formation of the Indian manufacturing ecosystem.

Indeed, anyone who knows something about bilateral trade and investment understands that at present cooperation with China is essential for India's manufacturing development.

Despite India's imposition of economic and trade restrictions on China, trade between India and China has actually increased. In the fiscal year 2023-24, China once again became India's largest trading partner. According to India's official data, bilateral trade reached $118.4 billion. Data from the India-based Global Trade Research Initiative showed that 98.5 percent of the goods that India imported from China are industrial products, accounting for about 30 percent of India's total industrial imports, Indian media reported.

The trade figures demonstrate the complementarity of the industrial chains between China and India, which provides huge potential for cooperation. India needs to recognize that if it wants to achieve rapid development of its manufacturing sector, easing restrictions on Chinese investments and improvements in its business environment are necessary measures. 

China and India need to improve their mutual trust, especially India needs to trust Chinese investment, and enhanced economic and trade exchanges are conducive to this process. This is what really makes sense both economically and politically.

China on Sunday announced the release of the standard sheet music and official recording of the Chinese national anthem - "March of the Volunteers," with this year marking the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the 75th anniversary of the Chinese national anthem.

The standard sheet music for the national anthem includes orchestral, wind ensemble, and piano accompaniment scores. The official recording versions of the national anthem include orchestral version, orchestral choral version, wind ensemble version, and wind ensemble choral version, according to the State Council Information Office at a press conference on Sunday.

The released standard musical score for the national anthem has not made any changes to the melody, but focused on four areas of improvement, including standardized cover, title page, and publishing notation, unified tempo markings, as well as standardized expression terms.

The national anthem "March of the Volunteers," has lyrics by poet Tian Han and music by Nie Er. The original song greatly encouraged Chinese soldiers and civilians during the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1931-1945). It was chosen as the national anthem in 1949.

Wu Zeng, an official from the Commission for Legislative Affairs of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, stated at the press conference that the release of the standard sheet music and official recording of the national anthem will enhance the seriousness and standardization of its performance, broadcasting, and usage, uphold the image and dignity of the country, strengthen national consciousness and patriotism, and further promote the national spirit centered on patriotism.

China's National Anthem Law came into force in 2017 to ensure appropriate performance of the song, the Xinhua News Agency reported. 

Now, National Anthem Law, National Flag Law and National Emblem Law together constitute a relatively complete legal system of national symbols in China, Wu said.

The anthem shall be sung at formal political gatherings, including the opening and closing of National People's Congress sessions, constitutional oath ceremonies, flag raising ceremonies, major celebrations, awards ceremonies, commemorations, national memorial events, important diplomatic occasions, major sport events and other suitable occasions, according to the National Anthem Law.

The Ministry of Public Security of China released details of four cases of combating and rectifying illegal activities related to toxic fan culture in sports on Thursday. Since the Paris Olympics, the cybersecurity departments of the Public Security Bureau have been paying close attention to this issue and have been combating related illegal activities.

Among these cases, a suspect, He, was found to have posted defamatory content about table tennis players and coaches on social media, causing significant social harm. The Beijing Public Security Bureau took criminal compulsory measures against her on August 6. 

Another suspect, Wang, was found to have repeatedly posted abusive and defamatory content about table tennis players and coaches on social media, causing significant social harm. The Guangzhou Public Security Bureau took criminal compulsory measures against her on Tuesday. 

Suspects Gai and Xu were found to have created and widely spread an article questioning a Paris Olympic champion on social media. This article caused negative social impact. The public security bureaus in Shandong and Hebei respectively have imposed administrative penalties on them. 

Another suspect, Yang, was found to have publicly abused a gymnastics athlete on social media, causing a negative social impact. The Henan Public Security Bureau has imposed administrative penalties on her.

These posts are malicious and false, posing significant risks. Recent actions have led social media platforms to clean up thousands of posts related to controversial discussions and malicious attacks.

“Most of these so-called fans do not understand or appreciate the professional skills or talents of famous athletes. Instead, they tend to focus solely on the athlete's image and appearance,” Wang Dazhao, a Beijing sports commentator, told the Global Times.

To support their idols, fans in this toxic culture see no teammates, only enemies. Anyone who hinders their idol's pursuit of victory becomes a target for attack, Wang noted.

Recently, some toxic fans have been aggressively leading discussions and attacks on various social media platforms, organizing and spreading derogatory comments, even fabricating scandals and spreading conspiracy theories.

“Those who invade others’ privacy should be punished, while those who do not violate criminal laws should be guided and warned through positive and healthy education,” Wang said.

Previously, some irrational fans were detained by the police for posting inflammatory and defamatory comments against Chinese athletes and coaches after the women's singles table tennis final at the Paris Olympics. The General Administration of Sport of China and the Chinese Olympic Committee condemned these comments, and the impact was limited.

The intrusion of toxic fan culture into the sports arena is not new and is not limited to summer sports; winter sports also face similar issues.

“In the past two years, there has been a phenomenon of sports becoming fan-centric, which has caused significant distress to some athletes,” Yang Yang, China's first Winter Olympic gold medalist, noted in a recent interview.

Table tennis player Fan Zhendong has also faced harm from toxic fans, including illegal intrusion into hotel rooms, exposure of personal information such as ID cards and phone numbers, and harassment at the airport.

Not only athletes but many sports enthusiasts and even viewers are harassed by these toxic fans for merely mentioning or commenting on their favored individuals.

“I faced cyberbullying because I mentioned an athlete’s poor performance online,” a person who was once targeted by extreme sports fans told the Global Times on condition of anonymity.

The anonymous victim expressed concern that such online behavior could lead to real-world violence. “I was worried that I might be ambushed when going out one day and was also concerned that my family might be harassed,” he noted.

Chinese swimming champion Pan Zhanle, who recently broke a world record at the Paris Olympics, disbanded his only fan group on Monday. 

He previously mentioned in a CCTV interview that many people were waiting downstairs at the hotel to get his autograph. 

The 20-year-old swimming prodigy is using his own way to say “no” to toxic fan culture.

“Be more low-key and keep things quiet,” Pan advised his fans.

Big Fish & Begonia, Nezha: Birth of the Demon Child, New Gods: Yang Jian... Chinese animated works inspired by China's folk myths have introduced Chinese imagination and aesthetics to international audiences one after another. The rising box-office revenue and hot discussions prove that audiences love to watch Chinese animation. Behind these vivid depictions of Chinese aesthetics and amazing details is China's rapidly developing cloud rendering technology. 

"We have to race against time to ensure that the movie White Snake: Afloat could be released in time for the summer movie season while maintaining a high standard for the visuals," Bian Jinwei, operations and maintenance director of Light Chaser Animation, told the Global Times. "With the cloud rendering from China's tech companies, we can accelerate the post-production process."  

Rendering is the last step of CG imaging. It is also a very important step in animated films. Most film and television special effects and animation works presented in cinemas or on streaming platforms require post-synthesis CG. In those cool and explosive visual blockbusters, virtual characters, props, scenes, and special effects are all inseparable from this process.

According to Bian, film and animation studios used to complete this process with their own computers, which required a lot of waiting. In some cases, wait times for rendering could be one fourth of a whole production.  

China's CG workshop MORE VFX, which is responsible for the special effects of Chinese blockbuster The Wandering Earth 2, revealed that they once worked for six months on a 50-second-long scene. Each time the director proposed revisions, the rendering alone took at least one month to finish. 

In the case of White Snake: Afloat, the time was even longer, said Zhang Liang, a technician from Tencent Cloud. 

After watching the movie, audiences were amazed by the detailed visuals, as they could "distinguish the texture of the clothes on the big screen as being silk or cotton." 

Such special effects come from the powerful processing and computation brought by cloud rendering as "the total rendering time of the film reached 252 million core hours, 80 percent of which were used on rendering the lighting," said Zhang.

The introduction of cloud rendering technology has not only improved efficiency, but also breaks through many limitations of traditional animation production. 

Through the processing of high-performance computing resources and cloud servers, the rendering cycle of the film was reduced by 43 percent.

China's General Administration of Sport held a meeting on Wednesday to address the growing issue of toxic fandom culture, or "fan circle" behavior, within the sports industry, reported the China Sports Daily.

Director of the administration Gao Zhidan stressed that the crackdown on toxic fandom should be integrated into the broader ideological work of the sports system. He called for a strong stance against the escalating "fan circle" behaviors and urged the removal of the conditions that allow such a culture to thrive in the sports domain.

Gao said the increasing influence of fandom culture has disrupted the sports sector and posed significant risks to its healthy development. He also urged to be highly vigilant against the tendency toward the excessive commercialization of sports.

The meeting follows recent statements from the Chinese Table Tennis Association and the Chinese Gymnastics Association on August 17, both of which expressed support for law enforcement actions against illegal activities related to toxic fandom.

On August 15, the Ministry of Public Security disclosed details about four cases in sports.

Olympic women's 3m springboard champion Chen Yiwen revealed on Instagram on Wednesday that she had been the target of malicious rumors spread by two sports journalists. According to the chat screenshots she released, the other party even threatened to add stimulants to Chen's food to get her banned for life.

During an interview aired on August 18, table tennis star Fan Zhendong expressed concerns about the pressure caused by fandom culture, saying it has negatively impacted both his performance and the team's unity.

Pan Zhanle, a 20-year-old swimming prodigy who broke a world record at the Paris Olympics, disbanded his fan group. Pan previously mentioned in a CCTV interview that some fans waited for autographs outside his hotel and he said he just "hoped to be low-key and quiet."

During the women's singles final at the Paris Olympics on August 3, which featured Chinese players Sun Yingsha and Chen Meng, some fans displayed favoritism toward Sun while booing Chen when Chen defeated Sun to become the women's singles champion.

During an interview on August 7, Chen urged fans to appreciate the athletes' determination and approach competition outcomes with a balanced perspective, rather than focusing solely on the results.

"Most of these so-called fans do not understand or appreciate the professional skills or talents of famous athletes. Instead, they tend to focus solely on the athlete's image and appearance," Wang Dazhao, a Beijing based sports commentator, told the Global Times. "To support their idols, fans in this toxic culture see no teammates, only enemies and anyone who hinders their idol's pursuit of victory becomes a target for attack."

"Those who invade others' privacy should be punished, while those who do not violate the Criminal Law should be educated and warned," Wang said.

Last month, several social media platforms, including Sina Weibo and Douyin, announced measures to combat toxic fandom, such as removing harmful content and suspending or banning related accounts.

China's housing authority said on Friday that it will accelerate the construction of the new model for real estate development as a major reform task for the sector's upcoming work. The focus of the acceleration work will be on six aspects, including the urban real estate financing coordination mechanism, and a white list of developers for financing. 

Observers noted that the implementation of the real estate financing coordination mechanism has been progressing, while the foundation for developing the new model has been further consolidated as some issues in the real estate sector are cleared up.  

Financial support will be granted for qualified projects, aiming to promote a change in financing for developers from relying on company credit to being based on the project's situation itself, Dong Jianguo, vice minister of housing and urban-rural development, told the press conference on Friday. 

Dong also stressed the importance of giving full play to the urban real estate financing coordination mechanism, to include as many eligible projects in the white list as possible, as an important means to ensure the delivery of commercial housing projects. 

Currently, domestic commercial banks have approved more than 5,300 projects under the white list mechanism with approved loans amounting to nearly 1.4 trillion yuan ($196.15 billion), which are being disbursed in accordance with the projects' progress, and have strongly supported the delivery of project construction, Dong said. 

The urban real estate financing coordination mechanism has been promoted effectively, and is also a systematic effort to promote housing delivery and mitigate risks, Yan Yuejin, deputy director of the E-house China R&D Institute in Shanghai, told the Global Times on Friday. 

The mechanism will ensure more home buyers actually move into their properties next year, and will be conducive to boosting consumer demand for home property services, Yan said. 

In addition, China is also advancing reforms in its real estate sector by promoting the sale of properties upon their completion, signaling a shift from the traditional pre-sale model, which is another of the above-mentioned six points of focus. 

Commenting on developing the new model for the real estate sector, Ni Hong, minister of housing and urban-rural development, said that the government should be the mainstay in meeting fixed housing needs, while the market should be the mainstay in meeting diversified and improved housing needs from a systematic perspective. 

Ni also vowed to reform and improve the mechanism for the development, trade, and use of the real estate sector.

Yan noted that the reform and improvement in the mechanism is an important institutional safeguard, and expected major pragmatic changes to take place. 

China and Russia will boost all-round cooperation with exploration in emerging fields and bilateral ties will not be weakened by the sanctions and containment imposed by the US and its allies, Chinese analysts said on Thursday after the two countries signed a joint communique of the 29th regular meeting between the Chinese and Russian heads of government and a new version of the outline of the China-Russia investment cooperation plan.

Visiting Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Wednesday voiced China's readiness to work with Russia to strengthen all-round cooperation to lift the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era to a new level, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Li made the remarks when co-chairing the 29th regular meeting between the Chinese and Russian heads of government with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. In the joint communique issued Wednesday, the two sides agreed that joint efforts will be made to optimize trade structure, create new growth points for the two countries' economies and trade, and promote the development of e-commerce, Xinhua reported.

With 2024 and 2025 designated as the China-Russia Years of Culture, the two sides also agreed to take it as an opportunity to deepen people-to-people exchanges, consolidate popular support for friendship, constantly strengthen the internal driving force of bilateral cooperation, and improve the quality of cooperation.

According to the text of the joint communique released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the two countries will boost all-round cooperation in many fields, and in addition to traditional areas like trade, investment, finance and energy, it also includes pragmatic cooperation on artificial intelligence (AI) technology, cybersecurity, and aerospace cooperation.

Yang Jin, an associate research fellow with the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that the joint statement shows that China and Russia will keep deepening and expanding their pragmatic cooperation regardless of the impact and pressure from the US and its allies, and it's a certainty that China-Russia relations will keep developing to reach new heights in the future. 

Cui Heng, a scholar from the Shanghai-based China National Institute for SCO International Exchange and Judicial Cooperation, said that apart from planning for pragmatic cooperation, the two countries are also looking forward to solving the problem caused by the blockade, isolation, long-arm jurisdiction and sanctions imposed by the US and some of its allies, which are attempting to contain the rightful development of China and Russia.

"China and Russia will explore new trade routes and improve the interconnectivity on trade ports; the two sides also agree to jointly develop AI and boost cooperation among BRICS members to strengthen connections between industries among the emerging economies," Cui noted.

The Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) unveiled the official medal ceremony uniform for the Chinese delegation at the Paris Olympic Games on Tuesday in Beijing, with elements of the Chinese zodiac dragon used in the decoration.

The new podium ceremony outfit, officially named the "Champions Dragon Outfit," draws deeply from traditional Chinese aesthetics, featuring classic Chinese tailoring and a primary color palette of white. The design integrates elements such as dragon scales using embossing, patchwork, and embroidery techniques. This combination not only conveys China's rich cultural heritage but also embodies the energetic and determined spirit of modern Chinese athletes.

Li Qian, a two-time Olympic medalist in women's middleweight boxing, emphasized the outfit's cultural resonance. "The Year of the Dragon is very auspicious for Chinese people. The dragon-themed outfit is unique, and I hope to wear it on the Paris Olympic podium," Li told reporters. Now 34, she won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics following a bronze in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Many fans anticipate her ascent to the boxing podium.

"We are following a systematic training plan and maximizing our preparations in the final weeks before heading to Paris," Li said of the boxing team's Olympic preparation. "This will mark my third Olympic appearance, and my goal is to stand atop the podium."

"The medal ceremony outfit symbolizes honor and achievement unlike regular training wear. Wearing it signifies earning a medal, perhaps even gold. This outfit holds special significance for every athlete, and I am thrilled at the prospect of wearing it at the Paris Olympics."

Luo Zongshi, a taekwondo athlete who clinched a world championships title in the women's 57 kg category, shared her thoughts on the new outfit. "The design is striking. The dragon scales on the arms provide a sense of armor, and the embroidery is particularly appealing. Overall, it feels well-suited and comfortable. It's breathable and soft, making it ideal for us."

When asked about the emotional significance of the dragon elements, Luo expressed a deep sense of pride. "The name 'Dragon Outfit' and its elements instantly identify us as Chinese athletes to the world. I am eagerly preparing for the Paris Olympics and hope to stand on the highest podium in this outfit, showcasing China's culture."

China’s Hong Kong athlete Jiang Minhui won the gold medal in the women's individual fencing (epee) event at the Paris Olympics on Sunday, securing Hong Kong's first gold medal of these Games. This achievement highlights the significant progress of fencing in Hong Kong.

Jiang experimented with various sports from a young age before ultimately choosing fencing. After making her Olympic debut in 2016, she achieved decent results for Hong Kong in the fencing event at the Tokyo Olympics.

Despite being eliminated in the quarterfinals at Tokyo, Jiang's performance in the Paris Olympics was remarkable. In the final, she staged a dramatic comeback from a 1:7 deficit to win 12:11, demonstrating exceptional sportsmanship.

While preparing for the Tokyo Olympics, she also completed her Master’s thesis in Law at Renmin University of China. In September 2021, she began pursuing a Ph.D. in Law at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Jiang ranked number one in the world before the Paris Olympics, drawing considerable attention from all sectors in Hong Kong. 

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee congratulated Jiang in a phone call following her victory, praising her accomplishment as a source of pride for all Hong Kong citizens.

Jiang's gold medal has further advanced the maturity of fencing in Hong Kong and inspired greater interest in the sport among young people.

At the pre-match media conference earlier that day, Head Coach Cheng Siu-hong emphasized the importance of maintaining athletes' physical health and mental balance. He urged athletes and coaches to set aside their burdens, enjoy the competition, and aim for excellent results. Now his wish has been fulfilled.

China's renowned table tennis athlete Fan Zhendong clinched the men's singles gold medal with a 4-1 victory over Sweden's Truls Möregårdh at the Paris Games. Following his triumph, the well-known Taylor Swift fan shared the track "The Alchemy" from Swift's album The Tortured Poets Department on his personal Sina Weibo account, captioning it with, "Finally touch down."

Fan's post quickly gained a following, and by Tuesday, "The Alchemy" had soared to the top of China's popular streaming platform QQ Music's peak surge chart. Many comments under the song noted that Fan's endorsement had drawn them in, while others extended their congratulations and support to the athlete.

Apart from his outstanding table tennis skills, Fan is also widely recognized as a devoted Taylor Swift fan. He frequently shares Swift's lyrics or songs on Weibo.

Ahead of the finals, a hashtag created by fans, "I'm Taylor Swift; I cheer for Fan Zhendong," had garnered over 100 million views as of Tuesday on Weibo. Some netizens created montages of his past matches set to Swift's music, and some even designed posters of Fan's various matches styled like Swift's "The Eras Tour" to support him.
In March, a viral video on social media showed him singing along to "Cruel Summer" at Swift's Singaporean concert, just days before competing at the World Table Tennis Singapore Smash. In the competition, he suffered a 1-3 upset by 18-year-old compatriot Lin Shidong. Some questioned whether attending the concert impacted his training.

Following the match, Fan posted on Weibo to defend himself, "Music knows no borders. Great musicians like Taylor Swift bring healing and confidence. I hope more people can open their hearts to this charm."

"On the court, I am an athlete trained by the country, striving for national glory for over a decade. Off the court, in my limited personal time, I am just an ordinary young man with normal hobbies and relationships… I was screaming 'long live all the magic we made, and bring on all the pretenders, one day we will be remembered,'" he wrote, quoting the lyrics of Swift's song "Long Live."

Accompanying this post was a nearly five-minute vlog in which Fan is seen wearing a cap with the word "Reputation," which is also the sixth album from Swift, carrying a Swift tote bag, and wearing "friendship bracelets."

In Swift's hit song "You're On Your Own, Kid" on the 2022 album Midnights, Swift wrote "make the friendship bracelets, take a moment and taste it." The lyrics have inspired a trend among Swifties, the nickname of Swift's fans, to trade bracelets with each other at her concerts.