At 8:00, here are the latest news: Xiaomi refutes the rumor that the zoom ring of the 17 Ultra Leica edition is fake; BMW China responds to price cuts of over 30 models, with a maximum reduction of 300,000 yuan; Netflix plans to shorten the release period to 17 days after acquiring Warner Bros.
Today's Hotspot Guide
- Xiaomi Debunks Rumors of "Fake Zoom Ring on 17 Ultra Leica Edition"
- BMW China Responds to Price Cuts of Over 30 Models
- The Wholesale Price of 25 - year - old Flying Fairy Moutai Single Bottles Drops to 1495 Yuan per Bottle
- France Launches Investigation into Chatbot under Musk's Company for Alleged Generation of Pornographic Content
- Netflix Plans to Shorten the Release Period to 17 Days after Acquiring Warner
Top 3 Big News
Trump Reveals Details of Maduro's Arrest, Says US Will "Manage" Venezuela
US President Donald Trump held a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on the morning of the 3rd, saying that the US military raided Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, the previous night and arrested Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. He claimed that the United States will "manage" Venezuela until a "safe" transition is implemented.
Trump said that from the night of the 2nd to the early morning of the 3rd, the US military mobilized military forces including the "Army, Navy, and Air Force", dispatched helicopters and planes, and raided a "heavily fortified military fortress" in Caracas, arresting Maduro and his wife. During the operation, no US military personnel were killed, and no military equipment was lost.
Mark Milley, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US military, introduced at the news conference that the operation lasted about 2 hours and 20 minutes and involved more than 150 aircraft. One of the aircraft was hit but could still fly. Earlier, Trump posted on social media a photo of Maduro with handcuffs and his eyes blindfolded, saying that he is now on the USS Iwo Jima. Trump said at the news conference that Maduro and his wife will be sent to New York to face US judicial trials. The US accuses them of "launching a deadly drug terrorism campaign" against the United States.
Trump said that if necessary, the United States will launch a "larger-scale" "second wave" of strikes against Venezuela, but it may not be needed at present. (Xinhua News Agency)
BMW China Responds to Price Cuts of Over 30 Models: It's Not a Price War
Since January 1, 2026, BMW China has adjusted the suggested retail prices of 31 of its main models. Among them, 24 models have seen price cuts of over 10%, 5 models have cuts of over 20%, and some models have official price cuts of over 300,000 yuan at most. The BMW i7 M70L has the highest price cut, reaching 301,000 yuan. Among these 31 BMW models, only 3 had a suggested retail price below 300,000 yuan before the price adjustment, and this number increased to 10 after the adjustment. The BMW 225L M Sport Package, which has the lowest price, dropped from 259,900 yuan to 208,000 yuan, which is not much different from many domestic SUVs.
Specifically, BMW's price adjustment this time covers a wide range, including flagship and entry - level models, and the price cuts are generally over 10%. In response, on January 3, BMW China stated that this price adjustment is that BMW has adjusted the official guide prices of some products, and the terminal prices are still determined by dealers themselves. Therefore, it is not that BMW has entered a price war. (Yicai Global, Jiemian News)
Zhang Shuihua, the "Fastest Female Nurse," Resigns, and She Responds That She Has Let Go of the Burden
On January 2nd, Zhang Shuihua announced her resignation through a video posted on her social media account. She said, "Along the way, thanks to everyone's support and encouragement, I'd like to share a well - considered decision with you. I've resigned from the job that I've been with for many years. I'm especially grateful for the hospital's cultivation, the trust of the leaders, and the tolerance and support of my colleagues..."
On the evening of the 2nd, The Paper confirmed from Zhang Shuihua's husband that she had indeed resigned. The reason for her resignation is based on the content posted on Douyin. According to The Beijing News, Zhang Shuihua herself responded that she had let go of the burden. She said that she had to go through this stage. She is reluctant to leave the hospital work and doesn't know if she will be a nurse again. A staff member from the General Medicine Department of the Affiliated First Hospital of Fujian Province said that they were not aware of the situation. A hospital staff member said that Zhang Shuihua's information could still be found in the hospital's DingTalk system and explained that the information available on DingTalk "has nothing to do with whether one has left the hospital. Information of former employees can also be found." (Yicai Global, The Paper, The Beijing News)
Big Companies/Big Events
Zong Fuli Reassumes the Position of Legal Representative of Hongsheng Group
It is reported that Zong Fuli has recently reassumed the position of legal representative of Hongsheng Group. According to the national industrial and commercial information, on December 26, 2025, the legal representative of Hongsheng Group was changed from Zheng Qundi to Zong Fuli. In addition, the record of senior management personnel has also changed accordingly. Before the change, Zheng Qundi served as the manager of Hongsheng Group, while after the change, her name no longer appears among the senior management personnel. After the change, Zong Fuli serves as both the director and the manager of Hongsheng Group. Previously, on November 5, 2025, the legal representative of the group was just changed from Zhu Lidan to Zheng Qundi. (Daily Economic News)
Liang Wenfeng Participates in Writing, DeepSeek Publishes New Paper
DeepSeek recently published a paper elaborating on a more efficient method for artificial intelligence development. The paper was co - written by founder Liang Wenfeng and proposed a framework called "Manifold - Constrained Hyper - Connection" (mHC). The authors claim that the framework aims to improve scalability while reducing the computing power and energy requirements for training advanced artificial intelligence systems. DeepSeek's next - generation flagship system, R2, is expected to be launched around the Spring Festival in February. (Cailian Press)
It is estimated that the cross - regional movement of people across the society during the New Year's Day holiday will reach 590 million person - times, a year - on - year increase of 19.5%.
It is learned from the Ministry of Transport that from January 1st to January 3rd, the cross - regional movement of people across the society is estimated to reach 590 million person - times (with an average of 198 million person - times per day), a year - on - year increase of 19.5% (compared with the period from January 1st to 3rd, 2025, a one - day holiday, the same below). Among them, the railway passenger volume is expected to be 48.223 million person - times, with an average of 16.075 million person - times per day, a year - on - year increase of 53.1%. (Cailian Press)
Xiaomi Refutes Rumors of "Faked Zoom Ring on Xiaomi 17 Ultra Leica Edition": Dissecting Video Taken Out of Context and Seriously Deviating from Facts
The official Weibo account of Xiaomi's spokesperson posted a statement explaining the structural principle of the zoom ring on the Xiaomi 17 Ultra Leica Edition. Xiaomi stated that recently, a large number of social media accounts have posted videos that take out of context and distort the content of a teardown blogger's disassembly of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra Leica Edition, claiming that "the zoom ring is fake and is controlled by software." This statement seriously deviates from the facts. In response to the relevant malicious distortion and misleading dissemination, the original teardown blogger has issued a clarification. (Wall Street News)
NIO's Li Bin's New Year Letter to All Employees: Three New Cars Will Be Launched in the Market in 2026, Continuously Increasing the Market Share in the High - end Large - Car Segment
36Kr learned that on the evening of January 1st, Li Bin, the founder, chairman, and CEO of NIO, issued a letter to all employees. Earlier, NIO announced its sales figures for December and the whole year of last year. In December of last year, NIO delivered 48,135 new cars, a record high. Throughout the year, it delivered a total of 326,028 new cars, also a record high, with a year - on - year increase of 46.9%. Li Bin revealed in the letter that NIO will launch three new cars in the market in 2026. He expects that the new products will continue to increase NIO's market share in the high - end large - car segment. According to previous media reports, these three new cars might be the NIO ES9, ES7, and the LeDao L80.
The wholesale reference price of single bottles of 25-year-old Feitian Moutai has dropped to 1,495 yuan per bottle
The latest wholesale reference price disclosed by "Today's Liquor Prices" shows that on January 3rd, the price of a full case of 25-year-old Feitian Moutai was reported at 1,505 yuan per bottle, a decrease of 20 yuan from the previous day; the price of single bottles of 25-year-old Feitian Moutai was reported at 1,495 yuan per bottle, a decrease of 15 yuan from the previous day. (Gelonghui)
Lei Jun Live-Streams the Disassembly of the YU7
On the evening of January 3rd, Lei Jun, the founder, chairman, and CEO of Xiaomi, launched the first live stream of 2026, during which he live-streamed the disassembly of a new Xiaomi YU7. When asked why he decided to do a live stream of car disassembly, a blogger said, "As the SU7 is the first car, it uses high-quality materials, but the second one may not." Lei Jun responded, "The YU7 is the second car," and decided to invite engineers to disassemble it on-site for everyone to see and have a better understanding.
Lei Jun said that he estimated that more bloggers would disassemble Xiaomi cars after this live stream, and he welcomes them all. He particularly hopes that everyone can speak fairly and not deliberately exaggerate or pick faults for the sake of traffic. "Of course, if you think our design or the materials used are not good, you're welcome to point it out at any time." Lei Jun also said that the Xiaomi YU7 has been quite popular since its release, and they are quite confident as they use high-quality materials. (IT Home)
Tesla's annual electric vehicle sales were surpassed by BYD for the first time
On January 2nd local time, data released by Tesla, an American electric vehicle manufacturer, showed that the company delivered 1.636 million vehicles globally in 2025, a year-on-year decrease of approximately 8.6%. This is the first time in history that Tesla has been surpassed by Chinese automaker BYD in annual electric vehicle sales. (Daily Economic News)
The box office of the 2026 New Year's Day holiday exceeded 700 million yuan
According to data from online platforms, as of 15:56 on January 3, the box office of the 2026 New Year's Day holiday (from January 1 to January 3) has exceeded 700 million yuan. The movies "Zootopia 2", "Avatar 3", and "Shadow Kill" are currently ranked among the top three in the holiday box office. (Securities Times)
The first "Embodied Intelligence Dataset" in the country was listed and successfully traded on the Jiangsu Data Exchange.
According to Nanjing Release, in the data collection room of Jiangsu Zhujing Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., the staff gently bends the elbow, raises the arm, and grabs forward. Each basic movement is synchronously transmitted to the nearby robot in real - time and converted into structured data. These data include video, joint angles, and torque parameters, as if injecting "muscle memory" into the machine. Recently, the "Embodied Intelligence Dataset" formed by these data was listed and successfully traded on the Jiangsu Data Exchange, achieving a "zero breakthrough" in the trading of embodied intelligence datasets on data exchanges across the country. (Cailian Press)
In 2025, China Approved 76 Innovative Drugs, and Overseas Licensing Exceeded $100 Billion
According to CCTV News, reporters learned from the National Medical Products Administration on January 3rd that in 2025, the number of innovative drugs approved for marketing in China reached 76, significantly exceeding the 48 in the whole year of 2024 and hitting a record high. In addition, the total amount of overseas licensing transactions of Chinese innovative drugs in 2025 exceeded $130 billion, and the number of licensing transactions exceeded 150, also reaching a record high. It is understood that among the 76 innovative drugs approved for marketing by the National Medical Products Administration in 2025, there were 47 chemical drugs, 23 biological products, and 6 traditional Chinese medicines. Among the 47 chemical drugs, 38 were domestically - developed innovative drugs and 9 were imported innovative drugs, with domestically - developed innovative drugs accounting for 80.85%. Among the 23 biological products, 21 were domestically - developed innovative drugs and 2 were imported innovative drugs, with domestically - developed innovative drugs accounting for 91.30%. In 2025, the total amount of overseas licensing transactions of Chinese innovative drugs exceeded $130 billion, and the number of licensing transactions exceeded 150, far exceeding the $51.9 billion and 94 transactions in the whole year of 2024, also hitting a record high. The pipeline of new drugs under research in China accounts for about 30% of the global total, ranking second in the world. (CCTV News)
France Plans to Ban Social Media Use Among Those Under 15
To address the negative impacts of social media on children and adolescents, France intends to ban those under 15 from using social media starting in September 2026. According to French sources, the French government will submit a draft bill to the legislative body for review in early January. (CCTV News)
Report: Single Apple A20 Chip Costs Up to $280, 2nm Chips May Become the Most Expensive in History
On January 2nd, chip giants such as TSMC and Samsung are advancing their advanced process nodes to 2nm. Among them, TSMC has firmly secured orders from Apple, Qualcomm, and MediaTek, becoming the “winner” in the market. Meanwhile, Samsung is also leveraging 2nm technology to develop the Exynos 2600 chip, which will be installed in the Galaxy S26 series of mobile phones. According to reports, due to the more advanced 2nm process, lower power consumption, and simultaneous enhancement of energy efficiency and AI capabilities, the selling price will also rise accordingly. Industry insiders predict that 2nm mobile phone processors will become the “most expensive mobile phone chips in history.” The cost of Apple's A20 chip is as high as $280 (approximately 1,959 Chinese yuan at the current exchange rate), 80% more expensive than the A19. (Economic Daily)
The Release of Trump's Golden Phone Keeps Being Delayed, Failing to Hit the Market in 2025
Trump Mobile, a mobile phone company under the Trump Organization, has postponed its plan to ship the golden phone by the end of 2025. This is another setback for the project. Initially, the project promised to launch a US - made smartphone priced at $499 this year to compete with products from mainstream brands such as Apple and Samsung. However, its product vision has since been greatly scaled back. The customer service team of Trump Mobile stated that the recent US government shutdown has forced the postponement of the phone's delivery. (Sina Finance)
France Launches Probe into Alleged Generation of Pornographic Content by Chatbot Under Musk's Flagship
Prosecutors in Paris, France, confirmed to the media on the 2nd that they will launch an investigation into the alleged generation of illegal pornographic content by "Grok," a chatbot developed by xAI, an artificial intelligence company under the American entrepreneur Elon Musk. "Grok" was developed by xAI and integrated into X, the social media platform owned by Musk, allowing X users to directly access the chatbot. Recently, there have been instances on the X platform where some users used "Grok" to edit pictures and videos, and some of the generated content was so realistic that it could deceive people. Some users took advantage of this to generate false pornographic content featuring real people and spread it on the X platform. The victims include hundreds of women and minors. (Xinhua News Agency)
Netflix Plans to Shorten Release Window to 17 Days After Acquiring Warner Bros.
On January 2nd, it was reported that streaming giant Netflix hopes to shorten the exclusive theatrical release window for Warner Bros. movies to 17 days after completing its acquisition of Warner Bros. This move has raised concerns among traditional theaters and Hollywood filmmakers. Media reported that when discussing the theatrical performance of the fifth - season finale of "Stranger Things," the Hollywood industry expressed doubts about what Netflix calls the "industry - standard release window." Sources said that Netflix has always advocated for a 17 - day theatrical window, while theater chains, including AMC, insist that it should remain around the current common 45 days. Although Netflix has not finalized this policy and may negotiate a compromise between 17 and 45 days with theaters in the future, the industry generally expects that the negotiations around the window period will be tense, and Netflix's core focus is undoubtedly to consolidate its streaming business. (Gelonghui)
Analyst: Samsung SDI May Continue to Incur Losses Until the End of 2026
Analysts led by Ju Min-woo at NH Investment & Securities said that after Samsung SDI recorded a larger-than-expected loss in the fourth fiscal quarter of 2025 due to weak demand for electric vehicles in the United States, it may continue to incur losses until the end of 2026. These analysts said that due to the continuous decline in its market share in the electric vehicle battery market in Europe, this South Korean battery manufacturer may be more severely impacted than its competitors. NH Investment & Securities expects the company to record an operating loss of 338.7 billion won in the fourth fiscal quarter, while the market average expectation is a loss of 269 billion won, and it expects the company's annual loss in 2025 to be 1.765 trillion won. NH Investment & Securities predicts that the company's operating loss in 2026 may narrow to 967 billion won. (Sina Finance)
Going Public
Baidu: Plans to Spin off Kunlun Chip and List it Independently on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange
36Kr learned that Baidu announced in the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that it has submitted a proposal regarding the planned spin - off of Kunlun Chip to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in accordance with Listing Rule PN15, and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange has confirmed that the Company may proceed with the proposed spin - off. On January 1st, Kunlun Chip submitted its Application Form for Listing (Form A1) in a confidential manner through its joint sponsors to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange to apply for the approval of the listing and trading of Kunlun Chip shares on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The current plan for the proposed spin - off is to be carried out through a global offering of Kunlun Chip shares, including: a public offering of Kunlun Chip shares in Hong Kong for subscription by the general public in Hong Kong; and a placement of Kunlun Chip shares to institutional and professional investors. As at the date of this announcement, Kunlun Chip is a non - wholly - owned subsidiary of the Company. After the completion of the proposed spin - off, Kunlun Chip is expected to remain a subsidiary of the Company.
The Cutting - Edge of AI
OpenAI's Integration Team Develops Audio AI Model to Pave the Way for the Release of AI-Powered Personal Devices
According to people familiar with the matter, OpenAI is taking steps to optimize its audio AI model in preparation for the future release of AI-powered personal devices. Three people familiar with the matter said that the device is expected to rely mainly on audio interaction. (Sina Finance)
Compiled | Baby Chinese Cabbage