China

Global Times | English | News | Jan. 22, 2026 | Shifting Geopolitical Alliances

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated on January 20, 2026, that the relationship between Russia and China is unprecedented in both level and depth. He emphasized the alignment of the two countries' positions regarding developments in Eurasia and on the global stage. Russian President Vladimir Putin also described Russia-China relations as a key factor in global stability and affirmed that Russia intends to continue developing these ties in both the near and long term.

Lavrov made these remarks during an annual press conference reviewing Russian diplomacy in 2025, held amid escalating tensions between the US and Europe over Greenland. The US has pushed for using other countries to seize the island, but Lavrov dismissed any suggestion of a Russian or Chinese threat to Greenland, stating that even Western sources deny such evidence.

Lavrov also characterized the Greenland dispute as an example of crisis trends within Western society and expressed surprise that discussions about Greenland could challenge NATO’s unity.

Xinhua | English | News | Jan. 22, 2026 | UndeterminedEconomic Growth

Deloitte China CEO Dora Liu highlighted China's technological advancements and commitment to opening up as key factors positioning the country as a driver of global growth and a stabilizing force for the world economy. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Liu noted the global economic environment in 2026 is challenged by slowing growth, geopolitical tensions, rising protectionism, and trade policy uncertainties, particularly citing U.S. tariff actions.

China's 5 percent economic growth in 2025 was achieved despite global sluggishness, supported by strong domestic fundamentals such as a vast market, comprehensive industrial system, and rich human capital. With the start of China's 15th Five-Year Plan in 2026, focus will intensify on modernizing the industrial system, fostering innovation-led growth, and enhancing consumption as a pillar for sustainable development. Proactive macroeconomic policies are expected to further sustain economic rebound.

China's innovation-driven development is translating into significant commercial value, especially in fields like artificial intelligence, biomanufacturing, commercial space, and the low-altitude economy. The World Intellectual Property Organization's 2025 Global Innovation Index ranks China in the global top 10 and recognizes it as a leader in science and technology innovation clusters. Multinational companies increasingly integrate China into their core global R&D networks, signaling growing international acknowledgment of China’s innovation ecosystem.

Regarding openness, Liu emphasized China's steady expansion of institutional opening as a stabilizing factor for global business, fostering the global diffusion of innovation and supporting Chinese companies in contributing to the global green transition. Throughout the 15th Five-Year Plan period, China aims to offer experience and public goods for global innovation and sustainable development through initiatives such as the Digital Silk Road and the Green Silk Road.

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STCN | Local Language | News | Jan. 22, 2026 | UndeterminedBudgets-Budgeting

On January 20, China’s Ministry of Finance, People’s Bank of China, and National Administration of Financial Regulation issued a notice optimizing the fiscal interest subsidy policy for personal consumption loans. Key changes include extending the policy implementation period from September 1, 2025, to December 31, 2026, expanding the subsidy scope to include credit card bill installment services with an annual subsidy rate of 1 percentage point, removing restrictions on consumption fields, and increasing subsidy standards by eliminating previous caps on subsidy amounts per consumption and per borrower, while maintaining a cumulative annual subsidy cap of 3,000 yuan per borrower at a single implementing institution.

The policy also broadens the range of implementing institutions to include provincial-level finance departments’ localized policies, 3A-rated city commercial banks, rural cooperative financial institutions, foreign-funded banks, consumer finance companies, and auto finance companies. Funding for subsidies will be shared with 90% borne by central finance and 10% by provincial finance, aiming to reduce local fiscal pressure and directly stimulate local consumption. Local subsidy efforts have been ongoing in regions like Sichuan, Chongqing, and Yunnan, forming a pattern of combined national and local subsidies.

Experts highlighted that including credit card installments and removing consumption field restrictions will significantly boost consumer demand and consumption willingness, particularly benefiting customers of city commercial banks, rural commercial banks, and non-bank financial institutions. Policies aim to stimulate consumption in third- and fourth-tier cities and county areas, supporting domestic demand expansion and healthy credit card business development. The emphasis is on precise, efficient, and coordinated policy implementation, simplifying procedures to ensure "zero-application, direct subsidy" processes for borrowers.

Further suggestions include enhancing policy precision and effectiveness through dynamic adjustments aligned with local consumption trends, and improving data integration among government, banking, and merchants to enable automatic verification and faster subsidy disbursement. Tailored local subsidy models are encouraged, linking subsidies to regional industrial characteristics and consumption cycles, such as varying subsidy intensity for tourism seasons. Overall, the measures aim to create a virtuous cycle of supply and demand, propelling sustainable growth in China’s domestic consumer market through improved fiscal interest subsidy policies.