Hainan border closure leads to collapse of real estate market, contrary to expectations. Following the implementation of the Hainan border closure policy, the real estate market did not see the anticipated “value reassessment.” On the contrary, according to a local real estate agent with over twenty years of experience in Hainan, on the fifth day of the border closure, prices in various regions of Hainan Island collapsed significantly – prices were halved. Even Haikou, the capital of Hainan and considered the “pioneer” of the free trade port, was not an exception. This indicates that the border closure not only failed to support housing prices but rather accelerated the downward trend of real estate prices.
IKEA China to close seven stores in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Tianjin, and other locations. On January 7, the “IKEA China Information Center” announced the closure of seven stores including those in Baoshan, Shanghai, Panyu, Guangzhou, and Zhongbei, Tianjin starting from February 2, 2026. This announcement was like a bombshell, sparking waves in the Chinese home market.
2026 is destined to be a legendary year. While the cold winter of the season has not yet passed, the spring of human history has already begun. Before the Earth’s audience could even take their seats, one blockbuster performance after another had already begun.
A self-media blogger revealed that a Beijing company exported aviation equipment to Venezuela during a US raid on January 3, resulting in the arrest of President Maduro and his wife. The Chinese-made air defense radar and defense systems, which Venezuela had long relied heavily on and invested large sums of money in from the CCP, failed to provide effective warning and defense capabilities during the operation, raising doubts about the combat effectiveness of CCP military equipment.
Chinese state media uses “Japanese syphilis” to bash Japan, but scholars say the effect is limited. Discussions related to “Japanese syphilis” have been dominating Chinese social media platforms in recent days. After the CCP’s Xinhua News Agency cited reports from Japanese media and official sources, multiple state-owned and local media accounts followed suit in reposting the content, quickly making it a hot topic on Weibo. However, experts believe that the effectiveness of recent public opinion mobilization is diminishing, and the public is becoming less easily manipulated.
A company in Zhejiang goes bankrupt, turning a 20-million loan into personal debt for 8 employees. Recently, Mr. Li, the former chief engineer of a company in Zhejiang, revealed that since 2016, at the company’s request, he had taken out loans from banks in his personal name several times, totaling several million RMB. After the company went bankrupt in 2024, these loans, which were actually controlled by the company, became his personal debt and have not been resolved to this day. Several mid- to high-level employees of the company are also facing similar situations, with the total loan amount exceeding 20 million RMB. The company’s leader admitted to the debt but claimed to be “unable to bear it”.
President Maduro’s arrest triggers discussion on how CCP abandons “old friends”. The capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife by US special forces led to widespread discussion in mainland China. Beijing subsequently issued condemnation and made principled statements but did not announce any follow-up measures. A Beijing scholar pointed out that this was a response prioritizing risk control, and public opinion believes that the CCP’s response has only remained at the level of expressing support in rhetoric and making political statements.
Zhou Xiaohui: Chinese state media dare not mention the background of the Cuban killed by the US military. On January 3, the US military launched a sudden raid, capturing Venezuelan President Maduro, which shocked the world and particularly astonished supporters behind Venezuela like the CCP, Russia, and Cuba. Apart from lamenting Maduro’s capture, on January 5, Chinese state media including Xinhua and CCTV successively published short messages, one quoting Cuban news saying “32 Cubans were killed in the US’s forcible control of the Venezuelan President process,” and another announcing that Cuba declared a two-day national mourning for these “comrades who sacrificed heroically”.
With Maduro’s arrest, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson fumbles during questions. The US special forces captured Venezuelan President Maduro on January 3, and when responding to related questions on the 5th, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lin Jian evaded the questions, triggering mockery from netizens after the related video was exposed.
Following a major internal conflict in the CCP army, the entire military is put on training, avoiding mentioning Xi. Over the past three years, a severe internal conflict has occurred within the CCP army, with a large number of Xi Jinping’s promoted generals, including Vice Chairman of the Military Commission He Weidong, being detained. The relationship between Xi and Vice Chairman of the Military Commission Zhang Youxia is delicate. The recent annual training of the entire CCP army did not mention Xi Jinping and his military slogans, once again sparking speculation. Da Ji Yuan found that the practice of Xi personally issuing training orders since 2018 was halted in 2023.
Four CCP coast guard ships harass Kinmen, forcefully driven away by Taiwan Coast Guard. On January 6, four CCP coast guard ships entered Kinmen waters from Lieyu and Lualuodong, with two pairs each, and Taiwan Coast Guard demanded through radio broadcasts that they immediately turn around. The CCP coast guard fleet turned out of Kinmen restricted waters at 5:12 pm that day.
The capture of Maduro by the US dealt a heavy blow to the CCP’s Latin American layout, experts say. In the early hours of January 3, the US military launched a military operation codenamed “Operation Absolute Resolve” in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, arresting Venezuelan President Maduro and his wife and taking them to New York for trial. This action has sent shockwaves throughout the international community. Analysts point out that this move will not only reshape the domestic political situation in Venezuela but will also have a profound impact on the long-term strategic layout of the CCP in Latin America.
Netizens hope for the US military to “arrest Xi Jinping”, analysts say the CCP is sitting on a volcano. The recent capturing of Venezuelan President Maduro and his wife by the US military has led Chinese netizens, under strict internet censorship, to hint at the desire for the US to capture Xi, while overseas Chinese netizens openly discuss this matter. Analysts believe that the CCP is now sitting on a volcano.
Three officials listed on “Taiwan independence” blacklist, Taiwan criticizes CCP’s transnational oppression. Following the inclusion of Taiwan’s Interior Minister Liu Shih-fang, Education Minister Zheng Yingyao, and Prosecutor Chen Shuyi from the High Prosecutors Office by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the CCP as “stubborn Taiwanese independence elements” and “Taiwanese independence accomplices,” the Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs sternly condemned this on January 7 and urged the international community to collectively stop the CCP’s heinous and illegal transnational oppression.
The number of municipal investment default cases increased last year, and analysis points to risks transferring to banks. At the end of 2025, the Zhengzhou Construction Investment Group Co., Ltd., in Dengfeng City, Henan Province, was listed as an untrustworthy executed person by the court for failing to fulfill its guarantee obligations. Records in the court enforcement system show that the company has been involved in a case of overdue-guaranteed loans amounting to 37.1187 million RMB, which is currently in the process of judicial enforcement. Looking at the situation from the enforcement list, the number of executed items under Dengfeng Jian Investment’s name adds up to nearly one hundred million RMB.