In recent weeks, China approved the world's first commercial brain-computer interface medical device and unveiled a five-ton class electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft that has already completed a public flight.
Nexchip Semiconductor is seeking a dual listing alongside its existing Shanghai shares, a move designed to tap international capital for what amounts to an industrial expansion of extraordinary scale.
Richard Yu promises that Huawei will expand satellite connectivity to lower-priced devices, ensuring that it won't be confined to high-end models only. This initiative marks a new chapter in the company's journey, addressing the connectivity struggles that persist due to insufficient mobile network coverage.
The meeting made clear, based on the requirements set out in the 2021 joint notice issued by ten government agencies, that stablecoins are considered a form of virtual currency. At present, they cannot adequately meet requirements for customer identification, anti-money-laundering compliance, or related regulatory standards. They also carry significant risks of being used for money laundering, fraudulent fundraising, and illegal cross-border capital transfers.
NEO, the implant developed by Neuracle Medical Technology, translates the thoughts of a person with paralysis into movements of an assistive robotic hand, allowing users to perform basic tasks.
Guangdong's complete industrial ecosystem and first-class business environment have made Shein's fast growth possible. He boasted that Shein currently supports over 600,000 jobs in the Chinese province, and pledged to invest over 10 billion yuan ($1.5 billion) to fortify its local supply chain.
China's approach to AI is architecturally different. Where Western tech companies have largely pursued AI as a product category - chatbots, copilots, and standalone tools that can be sold to enterprises - China has treated AI as infrastructure: a utility layer woven into the fabric of commerce, logistics, government services, and daily life.
ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, is working with a Southeast Asian company on plans to use Nvidia's Blackwell chips in Malaysia for AI research and development. The partner is a Tier 1 Nvidia cloud partner, meaning it gets priority access to Nvidia's latest chips directly from Nvidia. ByteDance plugs in through that relationship to access hardware it cannot legally obtain at home.
Premier Li Qiang emphasized 'the need to accelerate self-reliance in high-level science and technology' against a background of 'unilateralism and protectionism escalating abruptly,' referencing Trump administration trade policy, while highlighting China's recent advances in independent chip research and development and noting integrated circuit output rose 10.9 percent last year.
In an unprecedented Chinese New Year marketing blitz, Alibaba Group Holding, Baidu, ByteDance and Tencent Holdings spent an estimated 8 billion yuan (US$1.1 billion) to turn their artificial intelligence assistants into household names, according to Morgan Stanley.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE:TSM) sits at the center of this fund, representing 22.3% of the portfolio - a concentration that reflects TSMC's irreplaceable role in global chip supply chains. It manufactures chips for Apple, Nvidia, AMD, and virtually every other major technology company, and that dominance shows up in its financials: 45% profit margin and 35% return on equity that few industrial companies anywhere in the world can match.
Xu credited the "world-class business environment" that local officials have built and the region's "complete industrial ecosystem" as a reason that companies like his have thrived. For Shein, local support has helped the firm grow to support more than 600,000 jobs in the area, Xu said.
Chinese authorities have signalled they'll likely probe Meta's planned acquisition of made-in-China AI platform Manus. Meta announced the acquisition on December 29, 2025, and said Manus will become part of its consumer and business products. On Thursday, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce said Beijing intends to investigate the acquisition to ensure it won't infringe China's export controls or foreign investment laws.
At Meituan, China's platform for local services, especially known for food delivery, I worked on two AI projects. One was a consumer-facing AI assistant that helps users complete various tasks, including ordering food. The other was a merchant-facing AI agent designed to help businesses manage their daily operations, including handling reservations, managing orders, and supporting routine operational tasks. The main difference between how products are built in China and in the US comes down to the market.
A decade ago, China's political leaders laid out an ambitious industrial plan: By 2025, they pledged, their country would be a world capital, with the goal of moving from "Chinese speed to Chinese quality, the transformation of Chinese products to Chinese brands." This is the difference, they wrote, between "Made in China" and "Created in China." At WIRED, we never take what the government (ours or anybody else's) says at face value.
Chinese officials are looking into whether Meta Platforms Inc.'s acquisition of artificial intelligence startup Manus violated regulations, an initial review that could hinder the deal down the road if officials determine wrongdoing. Regulators have begun a review of the transaction unveiled in December, including possible national security implications, people familiar with the matter said. Worth more than $2 billion, the deal will be assessed for its consistency with relevant laws and regulations, Ministry of Commerce spokesman He Yadong said at a regular briefing.
EPS: $0.89 vs. $0.86 estimate (3.5% beat) Revenue: $4.23 billion vs. $4.34 billion estimate (in line), up 6% year-over-year Adjusted Operating Margin: 14.4%, up 290 basis points from prior year Guidance Raised: FY2026 adjusted EPS now $2.05-$2.25 (36-49% growth) Stock Reaction: Shares dropped 18.7% over the past week despite raised guidance Estée Lauder delivered a mixed quarter, beating earnings expectations while revenue met estimates.
Last week, news broke that Meta is buying Chinese AI startup Manus for around $2 billion. The company is known for its AI agent that can handle everything from job interviews to stock analysis. Meta plans to integrate Manus' AI agent into its own products. Now, the Financial Times reports that China's Ministry of Commerce has decided to review the purchase to determine whether the deal violates the country's export control rules for technology.
The Invesco RAFI Emerging Markets ETF ( NYSEARCA:PXH) has delivered exceptional returns, surging 42% over the past year to reach $28.10 as of January 27, 2026. This performance significantly outpaced the S&P 500's 16% gain and slightly edged out the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF ( NYSEARCA:EEM) with its 46% return. The rally reflects renewed appetite for emerging markets exposure as investors position for a potential shift away from US equities after years of domestic market dominance.
Oil built the 20th century. Rare earths and critical minerals is building the 21st. Every electric vehicle, wind turbine, solar panel, and guided missile depends on materials one country controls. China dominates the majority of rare earth processing and lithium refining. That's not a supply chain. That's a geopolitical weapon. The energy transition isn't optional. Neither is national security. The companies extracting lithium, neodymium, nickel, and copper are infrastructure for everything that comes next. Here are five stocks positioned to capture that demand.
Baidu has reportedly invested 20 billion RMB ($2.9 billion) in research and development in recent years, with the majority of this money going to AI. Last year alone, Baidu allocated $200 million to AI and AR development through its Baidu Research arm, which includes dedicated research divisions the Big Data Lab, Silicon Valley Lab, Institute of Deep Learning, and the Augmented Reality Lab, which it launched in February.
