December 30, 2025 – China Headlines

Story gist: China’s Eastern Theater Command Army troops conducted long-range live-fire shooting in relevant sea areas north of Taiwan Island. The drills occurred on the first day of the ‘Justice Mission’ exercise.

Bias summary: Left-leaning outlets like Xinhua report factually with the official headline, emphasizing military action without added context. Center outlets like thepaper.cn frame it educationally via infographics on exercise highlights and advanced weapons. Right-leaning outlets like zhonghua.com use hawkish poster language (‘Hammer of Justice’) stressing port blockades, line cuts, and warnings to ‘Taiwan independence elements,’ amplifying nationalist warnings.

Story gist: Chinese state media reported on 2025 advancements in rural revitalization and modern agriculture. Coverage highlighted technological applications, brand development, and new industries in rural areas.

Bias summary: Left-leaning Xinhua framed the story as a positive ‘2025 Three Rural Issues report card,’ emphasizing technology’s role in building confidence and brands adding vibrancy. Right-leaning CCTV focused on ‘decoding the 15th Five-Year Plan’ to create new industries in vast farmlands, with a forward-looking tone. No center-leaning coverage appeared, omitting neutral or critical perspectives on implementation challenges.

Story gist: The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting to discuss Israel’s recognition of Somaliland. China’s Foreign Ministry stated firm opposition to the recognition.

Bias summary: Left-leaning outlets emphasize China’s firm opposition to Israel’s recognition, framing it as a strong diplomatic stance. Center outlets neutrally report the UN Security Council’s emergency meeting without added context. Right-leaning coverage is absent, omitting potential emphasis on Israel’s sovereignty decisions or Somaliland’s independence aspirations.

Story gist: Wu Xinbo published an article in Xinmin Evening News’ year-end special issue titled ‘China’s Characteristic Major Country Diplomacy Plays the Main Melody of Peace and Development.’ The piece was shared by Beijing Municipal Government and Fudan University.

Bias summary: Left-leaning Beijing Government frames it positively as ‘2025, Xi Jinping leads China diplomacy breaking waves forward,’ emphasizing leadership and momentum. Center Fudan University reprints the original title factually without alteration. Right-leaning outlets absent, providing no skeptical or critical perspective on China’s diplomatic claims.

Story gist: People’s Daily published an article titled ‘Self-Reliance and Strength: Science and Technology Take the Lead (General Secretary’s Concerns · Echoes of Implementation).’ It covers implementation of Xi Jinping’s directives on technological self-reliance in China.

Bias summary: Left-leaning People’s Daily frames the story affirmatively, portraying science and technology as vanguard of Xi Jinping’s self-reliance vision with terms like ‘leading the charge’ and ‘echoes of implementation.’ Center- and right-leaning outlets provide no coverage, omitting neutral assessments or critiques of China’s state-driven tech independence initiatives.