📰 Latest News

A NetEase headline reports a strategic integration between Cainiao’s unmanned-vehicle arm and Jiushi Intelligent. Though the original post lacked detail, the move would fit a broader pattern of Chinese logistics platforms vertically integrating autonomy technology to cut costs, capture data and accelerate last-mile automation.

Japan and the Philippines signed an Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement that will let their forces exchange supplies duty-free during joint operations, accompanied by Japanese security aid and coastal radar deliveries. Tokyo presents the pact as disaster-response and interoperability cooperation, but it also deepens military ties that could strengthen deterrence against China and raise regional tensions.

China’s MIIT convened PV industry leaders on 28 January to curb destructive “involution” in the solar sector, proposing coordinated market and legal measures — from capacity control to price enforcement — and urging the industry association to boost self‑discipline. The initiative aims to stabilise margins, improve quality and reduce trade frictions, but could cause short‑term supply tightness and higher module prices.

Beingmate, once a leading domestic infant-formula brand in China, is battling repeated product-quality complaints, labour disputes and a severe liquidity crunch that is mirrored at its controlling shareholder. Coupled with regulatory warnings over accounting and opaque ESG disclosure, the company faces urgent operational and financial fixes to avoid restructuring, takeover, or deeper reputational damage.

A bomb at Kabul’s only Chinese restaurant killed seven and wounded 13, including Chinese nationals, exposing the security vulnerabilities facing Chinese traders in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. The attack highlights fragile counterterrorism capacity, difficult logistics for trade, and the tension between continued Chinese humanitarian and infrastructure engagement and the growing risks for private business activity.

Baolide, once East China’s largest private luxury‑car dealer and a Mercedes‑Benz flagship franchise in Hangzhou, has been largely vacated and is in formal bankruptcy proceedings. Courts accepted its insolvency filing in 2025 and appointed administrators; showrooms are locked and vehicles bear enforcement notices, raising questions about dealer financing, customer protection and channel stability for foreign automakers in China.

A reinforced US naval and air posture near Iran has prompted emergency domestic measures in Tehran and public refusals by Saudi Arabia and the UAE to allow their territories to be used for attacks. The deployments increase the risk of miscalculation in a region where maritime chokepoints and proxy networks could rapidly widen any confrontation.

A‑share markets opened mixed on January 29 with the Shanghai Composite up modestly while Shenzhen and ChiNext edged lower. Non‑ferrous metals and oil & gas led sector gains as commodity strength and resource ETF inflows drove selective buying, leaving the broader market in a cautious stance.

A Chinese submarine base is systematizing training, maintenance and daily discipline to turn individual expertise into collective, repeatable capability. Through structured qualification paths, hands‑on ‘‘checkpoint’’ training and strict housekeeping rules, junior crew members are being rapidly professionalized, improving operational readiness and reducing human error risks.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced plans to open a diplomatic facility in Venezuela to obtain "real‑time information" and engage directly with Caracas following a U.S. operation that removed President Nicolás Maduro. The step formalizes Washington's on‑the‑ground role and raises questions about sovereignty, regional reactions, and future access to Venezuelan oil resources.

Soldiers at three remote posts in the Daxing'anling forest have transformed dormitory walls into visual records of endurance and craft—photographs, grain mosaics and birch‑bark bookmarks that memorialize repairs, promotions and family ties. These grassroots practices sustain morale, preserve tacit knowledge and underscore how routine, low‑tech labor keeps strategic communications links alive in extreme winter conditions.

A widely shared photograph of heavily armed immigration agents in Minneapolis has reignited concerns over the militarization of U.S. law enforcement. The image, showing battlefield-style equipment in a domestic raid that a federal judge later found constitutionally flawed, spotlights tensions between aggressive federal immigration operations and civil liberties.

China’s 2025 provincial GDP results reveal a polarized regional economy: Tibet topped growth through heavy investment and a low base, a set of provinces consolidated high growth and scale, while several established and resource-heavy regions lagged. The figures highlight rising concentration among top provinces, persistent dependence on investment in parts of the interior, and continuing structural challenges in the northeast and energy provinces.

The Federal Reserve kept its policy rate at 3.50%–3.75% and signaled a cautious, data‑dependent approach after three rate cuts in late 2025. A 10–2 vote to hold, with two officials favoring an immediate 25‑basis‑point cut, exposed internal disagreement over how quickly to ease further amid still‑elevated inflation.

At a Jan. 28 press conference, Fed Chair Jerome Powell urged his successor to distance the Federal Reserve from partisan politics as the bank held rates steady. Powell defended the Fed’s independence amid public hostility from President Trump and a Justice Department probe into a Fed headquarters renovation that has added legal uncertainty to the leadership transition.

China will bar registration renewals for patent Chinese medicines that still list safety information as “unclear” after July 1, 2026. Roughly 40,000 of 57,000 licensed products currently carry such wording and must revise labels or face delisting, a move framed as patient‑safety enforcement but contested by some practitioners and consumers.

Bright Dairy launched a broad 2026 strategy in Shanghai that combines product science, cultural branding, upgraded subscription services and experiential tourism. The company is betting that premium, functional dairy products and city‑specific storytelling will deepen consumer loyalty and lift margins as it expands its industry chain control.

Bigge Pizza, a northern Chinese self‑service pizza buffet, has become a youth cultural phenomenon and is preparing for a Hong Kong IPO after rapid revenue growth. Its model — crowdsourced menu innovation, aggressive student pricing and a social media‑fuelled fan base — drives strong weekday traffic, but national expansion faces heavy costs, financial leverage and entrenched southern competitors.

Affluent Chinese shoppers are increasingly choosing mid‑market, well‑specified down jackets sold through membership stores and discount platforms, cutting into the premium previously paid for luxury logos. The change reflects the erosion of information asymmetry and a broader shift toward buying measurable value rather than symbolic goods.

Spot gold surpassed $5,500 per ounce on January 29, driven by safe‑haven flows amid fiscal, currency and geopolitical concerns. Analysts warn that resilient global growth and rising yields could blunt further gains even as speculative momentum supports the rally.