Xinhua: “China Speed” Lights Up the Global AI Development Map
Xinhua News Agency publishes an article, claiming China’s rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have captured widespread attention, showcasing a fast-paced innovation drive across the economy. In China’s draft 15th Five-Year Plan, the term “intelligent” appears 16 times, underscoring AI’s central role in industrial development, cultural advancement, public services, and social governance. AI is increasingly positioned as a key engine of China’s competitiveness on the global technological frontier.
On the technology front, China is racing to secure strategic advantages. Domestic AI and semiconductor companies have moved swiftly into capital markets, with large-model developers such as Zhipu and MiniMax listing in Hong Kong, alongside GPU manufacturers including Moore Threads and Biren Technology. These firms emphasize self-reliant innovation, strong performance, and cost efficiency, seeking to build a complete domestic ecosystem spanning foundation models and high-end chips.
More significantly, China’s AI development is shifting from research toward large-scale application. The country is entering the “second half” of AI growth, focusing on real-world deployment rather than model training alone. The government’s “Guiding Opinions on Deepening the Implementation of the “AI+” Action Plan” further clarifies this roadmap: by 2030, AI is expected to comprehensively empower high-quality development, with adoption rates of next-generation intelligent terminals, AI agents, and related applications exceeding 90 percent.
AI is already transforming healthcare, scientific research, manufacturing, and daily life in China. Examples include Alibaba’s AI-based cancer screening tools; the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Panshi AI-assisted research platform; and the world’s first “island-style” lean intelligent manufacturing factory by Huawei and SAIC-GM-Wuling. By the end of 2025, China had established more than 35,000 basic-level smart factories, over 7,000 advanced-level facilities, and more than 230 excellence-level factories. Humanoid robots have also achieved a critical breakthrough, moving from laboratory research to production lines. AI agents are capable of handling real-world tasks—such as ordering food or booking travel—are bringing AI from conversation into practical action.
Source: Xinhua, January 20, 2026
https://www.news.cn/tech/20260120/f059fd8d33ba4800bfac9b345bae4505/c.html
China Reports Record 1 Million Corruption Cases in 2025, Nearly 1 Million Punished
According to information released on January 17 on the website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and the National Supervisory Commission, China’s disciplinary inspection and supervision authorities opened 1.012 million cases in 2025, while 983,000 individuals were disciplined — both figures reaching record highs.
Among those investigated were 115 officials at the provincial–ministerial level or above, with 69 such senior officials receiving disciplinary punishment. In addition, authorities opened cases against 33,000 individuals for bribery-related offenses, and 4,306 cases were transferred to procuratorial authorities for prosecution.
Since Xi Jinping took office in late 2012, official data show that more than 7.2 million people have been punished in China’s anti-corruption campaign. While the campaign is presented as an effort to curb widespread corruption, critics argue it has failed to eradicate the problem but instead served to further consolidate Xi’s position as China’s most powerful leader in decades.
Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), January 18, 2026
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202601180027.aspx
People’s Daily: Drone Operators Become a “Standard Position” in Combat Squads
People’s Daily reported that the People’s Liberation Army’s 72nd Group Army has made drone flight control operators a standard billet within combat squads.
“Recent regional conflicts have clearly demonstrated the growing role of drones in modern warfare. Drone operators have become indispensable personnel for militaries around the world,” a senior officer from the group army told reporters. In recent years, the unit has adopted a training model in which the group army prepares instructors, while each brigade leverage those instructors to train their drone operators.
Instructors include both in-house specialists and expert faculty from military academies. The group army has implemented a system of platform-based classification and tiered personnel training, with instruction tailored to different drone types—such as FPV racing drones and aerial photography drones. Operators are divided into three levels—basic, intermediate, and advanced—with training groups adjusted weekly to enable differentiated instruction and a progressive talent-development pipeline. The unit has also established joint talent-development mechanisms with military academies and research institutes, regularly conducting technical exchanges and professional collaboration activities.
Source: People’s Daily, January 19, 2026
https://military.people.com.cn/n1/2026/0119/c1011-40647853.html
CNA: Taiwanese Exports to U.S. Exceed Exports to China for First Time in 26 Years
Primary Taiwanese news agency Central News Agency (CNA) recently reported that Taiwan’s exports to the United States reached US$198.27 billion in 2025, exceeding the approximately US$170.68 billion in exports to China and Hong Kong for the first time in 26 years.
According to statistics from the Taiwanese Ministry of Finance, Taiwan’s exports to its five major markets in 2025 all increased simultaneously. Exports to the United States reached US$198.27 billion, setting a new historical record. In the meantime, the proportion of exports to the United States increased to 30.9 percent, higher than the 26.6 percent for exports to China and Hong Kong combined.
The newly released data was based on Taiwan’s latest customs import and export trade statistics. Last year, Taiwan’s exports reached US$640.75 billion and imports reached US$483.61 billion, both setting new historical records. The year-over-year growth rates were 34.9 percent and 22.6 percent respectively. And the trade surplus of US$157.14 billion also set a new record.
Overall, the main export categories are information/communication and audio-visual products, as well as electronic components. Furthermore, exports of information/communication and audio-visual products increased by 89.5 percent year-over-year, and exports to the United States increased by 78 percent year-over-year, both setting unprecedented growth records.
The shift in Taiwan’s foreign trade landscape is related to global supply chain restructuring. It’s worth noting that, as ASEAN gradually becomes a new core of the global supply chain, its share of Taiwan’s total exports has risen to 18.6 percent, the highest in nearly 11 years.
Source: CNA, January 9, 2026
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/afe/202601090257.aspx
Beijing Unveils 2026–2028 Action Plan to “Accelerate Industrial Internet Platform Development”
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has released an Action Plan for Promoting High-Quality Development of Industrial Internet Platforms (2026–2028), outlining 13 measures to “strengthen industrial internet platforms as critical infrastructure for advancing new industrialization and modern productive forces. China currently has more than 340 influential industrial internet platforms and over 100 million connected industrial devices.” Below are some key excerpts from a People’s Daily article on the topic.
The plan centers on four strategic priorities. First, it calls for cultivating and strengthening platforms through differentiated development, establishing a tiered ecosystem of foundational, growth-oriented, leading, and ecosystem platforms. Second, it emphasizes deeper data integration and intelligent applications by improving data collection, aggregation, and utilization, while reinforcing intellectual property protection. Third, it seeks to scale platform applications by expanding use in high-value industrial scenarios and encouraging new business models and service formats. Fourth, it aims to build a stronger support ecosystem through open-source collaboration, expanded international engagement, and closer cooperation between platform providers and manufacturing enterprises.
The ministry also stresses the need for stronger policy coordination, localized implementation, and enhanced support mechanisms. Particular emphasis is placed on ensuring fair participation by private companies and small and medium-sized enterprises, with the goal of accelerating the real-economy impact of industrial internet technologies.
Source: People’s Daily, January 14, 2026
https://paper.people.com.cn/rmrbhwb/pc/content/202601/14/content_30132247.html
China Launches Global Center for Young Sinologists to Promote China’s Image and Chinese Culture
Chinese Communist Party media outlet People’s Daily recently ran an article on a new “Global Center for Young Sinologists” launched at the recent International Conference on Young Sinologists and Cross-Civilizational Dialogue held in Beijing; below are translated excerpts from the article.
Recently, the International Conference on Young Sinologists and Cross-Civilizational Dialogue was held in Beijing, jointly organized by the Center for Language Exchange and Cooperation of China’s Ministry of Education and Renmin University of China. At the conference, young Sinology researchers from 25 countries and regions exchanged insights on research methodologies, approaches, and practical applications, sharing their experiences of “walking with Sinology and journeying alongside China.”
During the event, the first Global Center for Young Sinologists was officially inaugurated. Simultaneously, a set of internationally collaborative open projects titled “World Sinology and China Studies” was launched, covering ten cutting-edge areas, including China’s poverty reduction practices, Silk Road cultural exchanges, the construction of a community with a shared future for humanity, and digital Sinology development.
Over the past decade, China has implemented the “New Sinology Program”, establishing cross-civilizational research centers in multiple countries, supporting leading Chinese and foreign universities in recruiting and training 1,165 graduate students in China Studies, and organizing visits, study programs, and translation training for over 3,200 young scholars.
Source: People’s Daily, January 13, 2026
https://paper.people.com.cn/rmrbhwb/pc/content/202601/13/content_30131815.html
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te Announces “National Security Action Plan to Safeguard the Democratic Taiwan”
{Editor’s Note: Beijing has continued to pressure, infiltrate, and coerce Taiwan, asserting that the island is part of China under Chinese Communist Party rule. Continue reading
Former U.S. Defense Official Analyzes U.S. Indo-Pacific Military Deployment
Hu Zhendong, a former U.S. Department of Defense official, spoke at a forum hosted by Taiwan’s Institute for National Policy Research on January 15, offering an analysis of the current posture and future direction of U.S. military deployment in the Indo-Pacific region.
Hu said U.S. national security strategy prioritizes maintaining military overmatch in the Western Pacific as a cornerstone for deterring conflict in the Taiwan Strait and preserving regional stability. He noted that President Trump’s approach continues to emphasize “peace through strength,” with substantial U.S. forces deployed across key locations including South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Guam, Hawaii, and Alaska. Alaska, in particular, hosts robust fifth-generation air power capable of supporting operations across the Pacific theater.
To sustain naval operations, major U.S. bases on the West Coast house submarine forces and an active aircraft carrier strike group, while additional carrier strike capabilities and expeditionary sea bases are deployed throughout the Pacific. The U.S. military presence also extends to Singapore, Saipan, Palau, Midway Island, Wake Island, and Australia—locations relatively close to Taiwan—forming a first-island-chain security network supported by logistics hubs and mutual defense arrangements.
Hu noted that joint military exercises with partner nations have expanded significantly in both scale and frequency. He cited the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, which in 2024 involved 29 countries, approximately 25,000 personnel, 40 ships, and more than 150 aircraft, and is expected to grow further in 2026.
He also outlined several key U.S. military modernization efforts, including:
- Upgrading Pacific submarine forces with Virginia-class submarines;
- Deploying advanced F-35 fighter aircraft while retiring older platforms at bases in Japan and South Korea;
- Expanding amphibious and expeditionary sea base capabilities to support helicopters and unmanned systems.
In addition, Hu said the United States is refining arrangements to increase the flexibility of forces stationed on the Korean Peninsula, enabling them to respond rapidly across the broader Indo-Pacific rather than being confined to a narrow regional role.
Overall, Hu argued, these developments demonstrate that the United States is reinforcing its strategic military posture throughout the Indo-Pacific to deter aggression and strengthen collective security partnerships, continuing to rely on military strength as the foundation for regional peace and stability.
Source: Epoch Times, January 15, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/1/15/n14676384.htm/amp