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Friday, January 9, 2026
TopicChina

Topic: China

China’s AI Push has scale. But substance?

Beijing still fails to answer the more important question: Is AI spurring an economic revolution or simply a chatbot craze? On this front, data is more opaque.

Women are missing from Chinese politics. CCP is a boys’ club

Under Xi, the CCP’s political structure has become even more centralised and male-dominated. Power increasingly revolves around a tight inner circle of male loyalists.

In a move to counter US tariffs, China and ASEAN sign upgraded free trade pact

The upgraded agreement 'fully reflects the solemn commitment of the two sides to jointly support multilateralism and free trade', China's Ministry of Commerce said in a statement.

While China builds its mega dam on Brahmaputra, India’s long-delayed Subansiri marks key milestone

Commissioning of units of the Subansiri hydropower project begins as work on China's mega dam proceeds. The project was originally slated for completion in 2014.

How China trains robot dogs

Quadruped robots are fast evolving from backflipping tech demos to serious testbeds for computer systems navigating the real world — the same functions humanoids need to unlock to truly become commercially viable.

For rare earth trade, German firms are handing over secrets that China could leverage

German companies are handing Beijing sensitive supply chain information, which is demanded by Chinese officials before they approve exports of rare earth elements, used in an array of modern products.

Xi’s anti-corruption purge of the PLA: The 9 top military officers who’ve got the boot so far

Anti-corruption probes into PLA officials accelerated since 2023. From purging rocket force officials earlier, now Central Military Commission vice-chairman general Weidong has been fired.

Why rare earths are China’s Trump card in trade war

At 44 million tonnes, China is home to almost half the world’s reserves of rare earths, which are more than double those found in second-place Brazil.

In China, Ashley Tellis’ arrest is proof that US-India trust was always fragile

From Weibo posts to policy journals, Chinese voices interpret Ashley Tellis’s downfall as America’s self-inflicted wound, and a sign that India’s “special” status was never unconditional.

India isn’t toeing Trump’s line any longer & how bankruptcy code to end ‘defaulter’s paradise’ fared

Global media also discusses Trump's assertion that India will not buy oil from Russia & his strange tariff strategy that strengthens China.

On Camera

Global economic growth to slow in 2026 as Trump’s tariffs bite, UN says

The global economy is forecast to expand 2.7% this year, down from an estimated 2.8% in 2025. Growth is expected to go back up to 2.9% by 2027.

2025: Pakistan’s deadliest year in over a decade

Islamabad-based think-tank PICSS's new report says Pakistan saw 'pronounced escalation' in violence last year, with 3,413 conflict-related deaths compared to 1,950 in previous year.

A year-end Mea Culpa in National Interest—The Army-Islam combo doesn’t kill democracy

Many of you might think I got something so wrong in National Interest pieces written this year. I might disagree! But some deserve a Mea Culpa. I’d deal with the most recent this week.