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Jieyue Xingchen has raised over RMB5 billion in a B+ round and named Yin Qi, founder of Megvii and current chair of Qianli Technology, as chairman to accelerate commercialization of its large models. The start‑up aims to marry its foundation models with device partners — phones and cars — to create a full productisation chain, betting that terminal deployment will prove its commercial value.

OpenAI has started selling ads in ChatGPT at premium rates comparable to high‑value broadcast inventory, offering only basic impressions and click totals to early advertisers. The company plans to develop more advanced measurement tools over time, but the current lack of granular attribution and conversion reporting limits appeal to performance‑driven buyers and poses a hurdle for competing with established ad platforms.

China inaugurated a direct high-speed rail service between Yan'an and Zunyi, cutting travel time between the two revolutionary sites from over 16 hours to just over eight. The route connects major inland hubs and is intended to spur red tourism, regional economic integration and rural revitalisation in former revolutionary base areas.

Alibaba has launched Qwen3‑Max‑Thinking, a flagship inference model its team says matches top Western 'thinking' models on key benchmarks. The model emphasizes reasoning, instruction following and agent capabilities and is aimed at commercial integration across Alibaba's cloud and services. The announcement underscores China’s accelerating push to develop indigenous, production‑ready large language models, though benchmark claims require independent validation.

Apple’s refreshed AirTag, launched in China at 249 yuan, improves precision locating with a second‑generation UWB chip, extends Bluetooth range, and makes the speaker louder. The update emphasises recycled materials, deeper Apple Watch integration, and a secure item‑sharing feature for partners such as airlines, while reiterating existing anti‑stalking and privacy protections.

Alibaba has launched Qwen3‑Max‑Thinking, an inference model that combines adaptive tool calling and test‑time scaling to improve reasoning, factual accuracy and alignment. Alibaba claims benchmark parity with leading models such as GPT‑5.2‑Thinking, and has deployed the capability in Qwen Chat, signalling rapid commercialisation within its cloud and consumer ecosystem.

Alibaba has released Qwen3‑Max‑Thinking, a trillion‑parameter inference model it says surpasses leading Western models on multiple benchmarks, with stronger agent tool‑calling and reduced hallucinations. The company is opening trials on PC and web, positioning the model for broad commercial use while leaving independent verification of its claims outstanding.

France is fast-tracking armed surface unmanned vessels through competition-style trials and shifting procurement toward rapid, trial-driven experimentation. The DGA and navy expect to field one or two armed boat designs by 2027 while also expanding shipborne drones, long-range loitering munitions and targeting pods to respond to new littoral threats.

Buhetumuer, a deputy staff officer in an Inner Mongolia People’s Armed Police detachment, exemplifies a model Beijing promotes: a hard‑trained special‑operations leader who also runs social assistance programs in pastoral communities. He has developed new tactical methods including drone‑assisted assault techniques while sponsoring education and village development, earning national recognition for fostering ethnic unity.

China has invited Uruguay’s President Orsi for a state visit during which Xi Jinping will discuss strengthening a comprehensive strategic partnership and advancing Belt and Road cooperation. The trip is a diplomatic milestone that could yield trade and infrastructure deals, while also reflecting Beijing’s broader push to deepen ties in Latin America amid great‑power competition.

Federal agents in Minneapolis fatally shot a 37-year-old man; the Department of Homeland Security presented the shooting as justified because the man allegedly held a gun near officers. Bystander video and local authorities have cast doubt on that account, prompting criticism from major gun-rights groups that say lawful carriers should not be presumed culpable and that full investigations should precede public judgment.

A passenger boat capsized off Davao in the Philippines on January 26, killing 15 and leaving 43 missing while more than 300 people were rescued. China’s embassy is coordinating with its Davao consulate but has not confirmed the nationalities of those involved as Philippine authorities continue search-and-rescue operations.

Taiwan’s first domestically built submarine, Haikun, completed its initial submerged test on 26 January 2026 after a series of delays tied to systems-integration problems. The programme missed its original November 2025 delivery date and now faces additional staged trials with a new handover target around June 2026, leaving questions about the timeline for boosting Taiwan’s undersea deterrent.

In October 1948 the Northeast Field Army halted and reversed a major Nationalist thrust at Heishan by combining concentrated artillery fires, rapid reserve counterattacks and tenacious small-unit defence on the 101 Heights. The victory played a critical role in the Liaoshen campaign, accelerating the collapse of the Nationalist Ninth Corps and the liberation of Northeast China. The fight at 101 Heights remains a celebrated example in PLA historiography of how tactical resilience and combined-arms action can overcome superior numbers.

China launched its first direct high‑speed rail service between Yan’an and Zunyi on 26 January, cutting travel time from over 16 hours to just over eight. The new link strengthens a north‑south corridor through Xi’an, Chengdu and Chongqing, boosting red‑tourism, regional connectivity and development prospects for interior revolutionary districts.

Gunmen opened fire at a football pitch in Salamanca, Guanajuato on 25 January, killing 11 and wounding 12. The attack highlights escalating violence in a state known for cartel turf wars and fuel-theft crimes and raises questions about the effectiveness of local and federal security measures.

Guangdong posted RMB14.58 trillion in GDP for 2025, holding the title of China’s largest provincial economy for the 37th year. The province couples deep manufacturing capacity with leading-edge innovation, aims to double its economy by 2035, and plays an outsized role in national fiscal transfers and global trade.

Chinese regulators and major tech platforms have moved to punish and deplatform influential stock‑picking social media accounts after a high‑profile ¥83 million penalty exposed systematic manipulation. The coordinated action targets a wider problem: monetised investment communities and celebrity traders whose recommendations materially sway prices and leave retail investors exposed.

Japan’s struggle between a collapsing yen and fragile government bond market prompted an unusually visible New York Fed ‘rate check’ at the U.S. Treasury’s direction, a signal markets read as readiness for coordinated U.S.-Japan intervention. The episode highlights Tokyo’s dilemma and could reshape dollar dynamics, Treasury demand and regional risk sentiment if followed by real onshore action.

Tencent will give away 10 billion yuan in Spring Festival red envelopes via its new AI app Yuanbao, aiming to reproduce the viral growth that WeChat achieved in 2015. The campaign underscores Tencent’s strategy of using cultural moments and heavy subsidies to drive rapid user adoption of new services, even as it faces competitive and regulatory pressures.