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Shanghai markets closed January with a 3.76 percent gain, stabilising above 4,100 after mid‑month highs and narrow consolidation. Precious metals, AI application names and commercial space stocks were the standout performers amid sustained high trading volumes.
The Pentagon told President Trump it is prepared to implement any decision on Iran as U.S. forces concentrate in the Middle East. Trump is reportedly considering a range of military options while Iran warns it is ready to respond, leaving the region at heightened risk of escalation.
A comment by Japanese cabinet minister Sanae Takaichi — that Japan should consider force if U.S. troops were attacked in a Taiwan contingency — provoked a sharp rebuke from China at the UN Security Council. Beijing used the forum to frame Tokyo’s rhetoric as dangerous and tied to domestic political manoeuvring, intensifying regional strategic tensions and complicating U.S.-Japan alliance management.
China has delivered the domestically designed 175,000 m³ LNG carrier Haihan from CSSC Dalian to China Merchants, featuring low boil‑off and a dual‑fuel engine that meets strict IMO emissions rules. The handover underscores China’s growing competence in high‑end shipbuilding and carries implications for energy logistics, industrial policy and international competition in the LNG‑carrier market.
An explosion at an Iranian nuclear facility on January 27 has heightened regional tensions amid a visible U.S. military buildup. With IAEA inspectors reportedly absent and competing claims about responsibility, the incident increases the risk of miscalculation and wider escalation in the Middle East.
Donald Trump has sued the U.S. Treasury and IRS in Miami federal court, seeking at least $10 billion for allegedly illegal disclosure of his tax returns from his first presidential term. The suit revives long-standing disputes over presidential tax transparency, raises questions about agency handling of confidential data, and carries significant political symbolism even if large damages are unlikely.
Russian media report that Iran has received Russian-made attack helicopters but has not yet put them into operational service. While the delivery signals closer Russia–Iran military ties, operational challenges and sanctions mean the immediate threat is limited, though the transfer could have significant medium-term implications for regional balance and sanctions enforcement.
China’s Coast Guard reports 550,000 vessel sorties and 6,000 air missions since the 2021 Coast Guard Law, with patrols around the Diaoyu Islands reaching 357 days in 2025. The data signal a sustained, law‑framed push to normalize Chinese control in contested maritime zones, complicating ties with Japan, the United States and Southeast Asian claimants.
Ziguang Guowei, a Chinese semiconductor firm, told investors it has no plans to acquire Nvidia. The response highlights practical, regulatory and geopolitical obstacles to cross‑border purchases of cutting‑edge chipmakers and points to China’s continued focus on building domestic capabilities.
At the Jan. 30 midday break China’s main indices diverged: the Shanghai Composite and Shenzhen Component fell while the ChiNext index staged a V-shaped rebound, rising 0.8%. Compute-hardware and AI-related small caps drove the upside even as non-ferrous metals and lithium names plunged, leaving the market narrow and turnover subdued.
China is effectively easing its "three red lines" deleveraging rules for property firms, with some developers no longer required to file monthly metrics. The move reflects a sector-wide shift from aggressive deleveraging to stabilisation, but analysts remain split on the timing and strength of any sustained recovery.
Seven of China’s ten largest provincial economies grew faster than the national 5.0% pace in 2025, led by Henan at 5.6%. The data point to a structural shift toward services, high‑tech manufacturing and clean energy, with regional convergence narrowing output gaps but leaving risks from investment, debt and external demand.
A Shenzhen‑based private gold platform, Jieworui, has frozen withdrawals and offered investors steep haircuts, leaving potential claims exceeding 100 billion yuan and tens of thousands affected. The product was a high‑leverage, social‑media‑distributed ‘lock‑price’ scheme that failed when rising gold prices overwhelmed the operator’s liquidity, prompting regulatory scrutiny and potential criminal probes.
President Trump declared a national emergency and threatened tariffs on countries supplying oil to Cuba while also escalating a trade dispute with Canada by threatening to suspend aircraft certifications and impose a 50% duty on Canadian-made planes. The moves mix emergency powers and trade coercion, risking legal challenges, strained allied relations and disruption to aerospace supply chains, while pushing investors toward safe-haven assets.
Spot gold and silver plunged on January 30, with spot gold down as much as nearly 5% and silver nearly 7% intraday, prompting a broad sell‑off in Chinese precious‑metals and nonferrous equities. Major mining and metals stocks hit daily down limits while leading jewellery brands sharply cut retail gold prices, transmitting market stress to consumers and corporates.
A Reuters report that the U.S. has stepped back from a planned price-floor support for domestic rare-earth projects exposed deep institutional limits to rapid decoupling from China. Rare earths’ long lead times, technical hurdles and China’s decades-long industrial advantage mean durable change requires sustained, politically costly investment rather than short-term guarantees.
An American patient and several expatriates are increasingly flying to China for faster, cheaper medical care, helped by hospital internationalisation and concierge "escorts" who manage logistics and translation. Chinese hospitals and private firms are actively courting overseas patients, but scaling the trend raises questions about capacity, regulation and quality assurance.
Sunny & Sandy, a low‑price blind‑box maker, has filed to list in Hong Kong after rapid revenue and volume growth driven by a nationwide low‑price, high‑turn retail strategy. The firm has converted short‑term momentum into profit, but rising licensing costs, lack of proprietary IP and thin per‑unit margins create questions about the sustainability of its model.
A sharp one‑day rally in Chinese liquor stocks on January 29 masks deeper distress: most baijiu producers reported steep 2025 profit declines, and Yanghe’s decision to abandon a RMB 7bn minimum dividend exposed the fragility of dividend‑backed valuations. The sector faces a rebalancing driven by saturated distribution channels, weaker cashflows and tighter profitability, with 2026 likely to bring consolidation and more conservative payout policies.
Two entrepreneurs from modest backgrounds built MingMing Busy into China's largest snack retail chain by combining ultra‑low prices, direct sourcing and rapid expansion into lower‑tier markets. The group's HK IPO valued it at about HK$86.2bn, rewarding scale but leaving open questions about single‑store profitability, brand trust and the sustainability of its low‑margin model.
