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A sudden spike in orders for the decade‑old iPhone 4S on Chinese e‑commerce platforms — exceeding 100,000 in about 30 days and including listings priced as low as ¥55 — highlights robust demand for ultra‑cheap smartphones in lower‑tier markets. The surge underscores growth in the refurbished and grey‑market ecosystem, raises questions over authenticity and consumer protection, and presents mixed consequences for Apple’s premium strategy.

UBI Research forecasts OLED monitor shipments rising to 3.2 million units in 2025, a 64% increase from 2024, with growth expected to stay above 50% this year. Improvements in yields and rising demand from gaming and creative markets are driving the expansion, signalling a shift toward premium OLED adoption in the monitor sector.

Xiaomi will add its SU7 Ultra to Gran Turismo 7 on January 29, the first Chinese-brand car to appear in the GT series. The move is a strategic play to build international brand recognition, leverage gaming audiences, and position Xiaomi’s EVs as serious contenders in performance and design.

Amazon has announced nearly 16,000 job cuts as it seeks to curb costs and redeploy resources toward cloud, advertising and artificial-intelligence initiatives. The move reflects a broader industry shift from pandemic-era expansion to a focus on profitability and automation, with implications for employees, customers and competitors.

Lantu has unveiled four new models for 2026—covering SUV, FUV and MPV segments—with each vehicle fitted with Level‑3 autonomous driving hardware. The Taishan Ultra will lead the rollout with deliveries slated for March, and a luxury MPV priced around RMB 500,000 is planned for later in the year. The announcement signals a hardware‑led push into autonomous driving, but commercial success depends on software, regulation and consumer acceptance.

Sichuan authorities have detained Xiong Haitao, the ultimate controller of three listed A‑share companies, prompting stock selloffs and reviving controversy over a disputed 2005 privatisation of Dongcai Technology's predecessor. The probe, led by the provincial supervision commission rather than the securities regulator, raises broader governance and contagion risks for Chinese markets and firms with opaque controlling‑shareholder structures.

Hong Kong stocks rallied on Wednesday, led by gold miners, property developers and electric-vehicle makers, pushing the Hang Seng up 2.58%. Spot gold hitting new highs drove a miners' rally even as investors cheered signs of regulatory easing for some developers and continued strength in domestic EV and semiconductor names.

Zhenghe Ecology corrected a typographical error in its earnings preview after initially misstating the forecast year, but the corrected guidance revealed a projected Rmb120–140 million net loss for 2025. The company, which has recorded losses since 2022, cited delayed revenue from Beijing projects, project settlement cuts and poor second-half collections; it also withdrew a Rmb129 million payment lawsuit earlier in December 2025.

Tencent’s recent billion‑yuan promotional blitz to kickstart an AI assistant exposes a strategic dilemma: the company admits its AI stack needs rebuilding even as it uses cash incentives to buy users. ByteDance’s speed and efficiency, and Alibaba’s open‑source enterprise strategy, frame a three‑way race whose outcomes will determine the next decade of Chinese tech leadership.

A high-profile Guangzhou investor, Xiong Haitao, who controls three A-share listed companies, has been detained and is under investigation, prompting simultaneous company disclosures and raising corporate-governance concerns. The arrest leaves ownership unsettled because a planned share transfer to a state-owned buyer is not yet registered, creating material uncertainty for the firms and their investors.

Gold hit a record above $5,240 per ounce and silver spiked above $115 amid a weaker dollar, US political uncertainty and rising retail demand in China. Fund managers and exchanges have moved to curb flows and leverage — suspending subscriptions and raising futures margins — raising the risk of a volatile unwind.

India’s Republic Day parade introduced an official “animal platoon” featuring camels, horses, birds of prey and military dogs. The contingent blends ceremonial heritage with nods to practical frontier and security roles, while also raising questions about symbolism, resource allocation and animal welfare.

Beijing’s intensified maritime enforcement around the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands and renewed East China Sea development have led Tokyo to privately advise its fishing fleet to withdraw from contested waters. The stumble of conservative politician Sanae Takaichi, whose hawkish comments have eroded domestic support, highlights how external pressure is feeding internal political strain in Japan and complicating the U.S.-Japan-China triangular relationship.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israel would respond with unprecedented force if Iran attacked, a statement made as U.S. officials reportedly briefed Israel on military options that could be ready within weeks. Tehran’s military echoed a readiness to respond, raising the risk that public threats and contingency planning could speed an escalation beyond the long-running shadow war between the two states.

Families in Tel Aviv ceremonially switched off a high-profile clock in front of the Defense Ministry on January 27 after the Israeli military announced the return of the last person taken to Gaza. The shutdown marks a symbolic end to a public campaign demanding a ceasefire and the return of hostages, even as tough questions about accountability, the war’s conduct and Gaza’s future remain.

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said ticket concessions for Taiwan’s retired military personnel are determined by local scenic spots and authorities rather than by a blanket cross‑Strait policy. The response reflects Beijing’s preference for low‑profile, locally implemented incentives rather than sweeping, centrally declared benefits — a stance with symbolic implications for cross‑Strait influence and Taiwan domestic politics.

A Shenzhen jewellery firm that expanded into online, high‑leverage “pre‑sale” gold and silver products has frozen withdrawals and capped daily payouts after a run on its mini‑program platforms. Investors nationwide report unresolved balances in the hundreds of millions to billions of yuan; regulators in Shenzhen have opened an inquiry and the company has proposed steeply discounted settlements. The episode exposes risks from lightly supervised retail leverage, social‑media distribution and opaque hedging practices in China’s precious‑metals market.

Yu Liang retired from Vanke on January 8 but has been conspicuously absent since, fuelling internal rumours he may be under scrutiny. Vanke has just cleared a crucial debt extension, but heavy leverage and opaque off‑balance financing leave the company and its former boss vulnerable to further regulatory and financial shocks.

Alibaba has taken a stake in a large nuclear power project as part of a broader push by Chinese tech firms to secure the baseload electricity needed for large AI deployments. China’s industrial capacity in power equipment and fast delivery gives its companies an edge in the global struggle for compute, reframing energy as a core element of AI competitiveness.

Top-tier capital is increasingly targeting China’s restaurant industry, shifting the investment focus from rapid outlet expansion to small, high-quality stores, resilient supply chains and digital brand-building. The move is professionalising operations and will likely prompt clearer regulation and greater transparency, but success will hinge on balancing freshness, cost and platform economics.