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China’s foreign ministry publicly rejected Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi’s suggestion that Tokyo and Washington could act together in the event of a Taiwan Strait crisis, saying Japan has "no right" to interfere. Beijing invoked post‑war treaties and historical grievances to frame Tokyo’s remarks as irresponsible and a threat to regional stability.

A passenger cargo ferry sank off southern Philippines on 26 January, with at least 317 rescued, 18 confirmed dead and dozens missing. The disaster highlights chronic maritime safety shortcomings—poor maintenance, severe weather, and weak enforcement—that regularly imperil travel between the country’s islands.

Two pandas from Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo, Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, returned to China on January 27 under existing agreements. Beijing used the occasion to invite Japanese visitors to see pandas in China, underscoring the animals’ role as instruments of cultural diplomacy amid broader bilateral tensions.

Personal voyage diaries kept by sailors aboard the PLAN destroyer Baotou provide a window into the Chinese navy’s operational learning, technical integration and morale-building during long deployments. The entries illuminate both the quotidian work of mastering new systems and the strategic aim of projecting steady, professional maritime presence.

The Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group has entered the U.S. Central Command area, signalling heightened U.S. military readiness near Iran while Tehran declares maximum alert and vows retaliation. Washington retains multiple strike options but faces significant strategic risks — including regional escalation, threats to Gulf bases and energy-market shocks — making calibrated action and diplomacy the likeliest near-term path.

Li Xiang told Li Auto staff that the firm will evolve from an electric‑vehicle maker into an "embodied intelligence" company, pursuing base models, inference chips, an OS and humanoid robots. The strategic shift reflects investor pressure for higher‑margin AI products, recruitment of robotics talent, and significant technical and regulatory hurdles ahead.

Azerbaijan has arrested three men accused of plotting an attack on a foreign embassy in Baku at the direction of IS‑K. The detainees, born in 2000 and 2005, face charges of preparing terrorist activities as investigations continue and the targeted embassy remains unnamed.

A government committee found systemic defects in Israel's military procurement processes after reviewing German submarine and corvette deals, renewing past bribery allegations linked to Thyssenkrupp and an associate of Prime Minister Netanyahu. The report also criticised Israel's chaotic handling of Germany's sale of submarines to Egypt and recommended formal procedures requiring expert input on arms decisions.

QCraft CEO Yu Qian says 2026 will mark the start of a decade‑long expansion in autonomous driving, with city NOA expected on mass‑market cars priced around ¥100,000. The company has passed one million vehicle deployments and argues that end‑to‑end learning, VLA and world models plus massive data loops will drive safety and scale, while pragmatic sensor choices and local adaptation will shape competition.

SK Hynix is exploring the creation of an AI investment arm in the United States to centralise group-level AI investments and speed strategic decisions. The plan would place the company closer to cloud customers, AI start‑ups and investors, and could shift SK Hynix toward higher‑value participation in the AI infrastructure ecosystem.

Yunnan province and CATL signed a strategic cooperation agreement to develop battery manufacturing, zero‑carbon industrial parks and transport electrification, with CATL promising to convert local mineral resources into higher‑value products. The deal advances provincial industrial upgrading and CATL’s upstream integration strategy, but its benefits depend on effective execution and environmental oversight.

A Xiaomi store employee’s attempt to demonstrate a phone’s drop resistance ended with the device’s screen cracking, and the clip sparked online mockery and questions about who should pay for repairs. The incident underscores how live retail demonstrations can backfire, creating reputational and liability headaches for manufacturers and retailers.

Over three years Tencent’s stance on AI has shifted from cautious integration to active, capital‑heavy deployment. Ma Huateng has reorganised AI teams, beefed up compute spending and launched a CNY 1bn promotional push to seed an AI assistant inside WeChat, betting the company’s social graph and ad franchise can translate into AI dominance.

China’s top New Year variety show has become a critical marketing stage for domestic robot start‑ups seeking valuation uplift and orders before IPOs. Three robot companies — Unitree, Magic Atom and Galaxy General — have secured gala roles, prompting industry debate over whether polished performances obscure the tougher work of scaling and commercialization.

China's stock market closed higher on Tuesday with ChiNext leading gains, powered by sharp rallies in chip‑supply and gold‑miner stocks. However, the advance was narrow and accompanied by falling turnover and broad stock declines, signalling cautious participation and sector rotation rather than broad buying.

Hong Kong markets rose on Tuesday with the Hang Seng up 1.35% and the Hang Seng TECH up 0.5%, driven by gains in semiconductor stocks. Gold miners showed wide divergence, with some names surging while others fell, reflecting company-specific factors amid a broader rally in bullion prices.

Shenzhen’s Nanshan district surpassed 1 trillion yuan in GDP in 2025, the first sub‑city district in China to do so. The milestone reflects heavy concentration in software, internet and advanced manufacturing clusters, but also highlights risks from industry concentration, limited land, and external tech‑trade pressures.

Spot silver surged above $113/oz and Shanghai silver futures jumped over 7% as investors priced a mix of rate‑cut hopes, geopolitical safe‑haven demand, and industrial appetite from renewables. That market heat sat alongside structural shifts — electricity‑market liberalization, a national livestreaming standard, and a 35.6‑tesla superconducting magnet — that collectively underscore China’s simultaneous push for market discipline and technological self‑reliance.

Guangdong maintained its position as China’s largest provincial economy in 2025, driven by strong foreign trade, rapid expansion of high‑tech manufacturing and sustained R&D investment. The province plans to target 4.5%–5% GDP growth in 2026 while pivoting into new sectors such as the low‑altitude economy, but faces headwinds from SME digitalisation gaps and modest fiscal revenue growth.

President Trump announced an increase in U.S. tariffs on South Korean autos, timber and pharmaceuticals from 15% to 25%, blaming Seoul for not ratifying a bilateral trade deal. U.S. markets closed higher as investors focused on upcoming tech earnings and Microsoft’s launch of a new AI chip, while Intel slumped on weak guidance.