China

Peoples Daily | English | News | Jan. 9, 2026 | UndeterminedBizdev-Partnering

China is enhancing its investment and business environment by improving infrastructure, fostering innovation enterprises, and attracting high-end talent, creating significant opportunities for deeper cooperation with South Korea, according to Kim Jong-moon, chief representative of the Korea Innovation Center (KIC China). A recent South Korean delegation, led by Deputy Prime Minister Bae Kyung-hoon, visited major tech centers and companies in Shanghai, gaining insight into China’s rapid technological development and robust infrastructure.

Kim highlighted China's advanced infrastructure, from highway networks to intelligent traffic management and power engineering, as critical to sustainable technological progress and industrial upgrading. He also emphasized China’s thriving high-tech ecosystem, driven by leading domestic enterprises and a strong talent pool that supports ongoing innovation and long-term industry growth.

The longstanding diplomatic and economic relationship between China and South Korea has fostered a collaborative high-tech sector where complementarity surpasses competition. The two countries have developed specialized and efficient industrial chains in areas such as semiconductors, new-energy vehicles, and display panels. Kim suggested that further cooperation through joint R&D, shared laboratories, and technological exchanges could help mitigate risks like technological blockades and supply chain disruptions, while accelerating innovation commercialization.

China and South Korea also offer strategic advantages for each other’s global expansion. South Korea can act as a gateway for Chinese technologies into developed markets, while China provides a large market and strong manufacturing base for South Korean companies, especially in Asia. The Korea Innovation Center in China plays a key role in facilitating cooperation among innovation enterprises, research institutions, and investors, aiming to build a sustainable and future-oriented innovation landscape between the two nations.

China Daily | English | News | Jan. 9, 2026 | Geopolitical Conflict and Disputes

A new judicial guideline was introduced to enhance collaboration between courts and maritime authorities nationwide, aiming to improve the resolution of maritime disputes through multiple approaches. Issued jointly by the Supreme People's Court and the Ministry of Transport, the guideline targets key dispute areas including maritime traffic, seafarer employment, personal injury compensation, vessel pollution, and administrative disagreements.

The guideline emphasizes mediation as the primary method for dispute resolution, due to the necessity of timely decisions, the complexity of determining accident liability, and the frequent cross-border nature of maritime cases. To boost professionalism and efficiency, it calls for regular training of mediators and increased information sharing between judicial and maritime bodies.

The development of maritime one-stop dispute resolution centers is a central element of the guideline, with a focus on accessibility and convenience for the public. By December, more than 60 such centers had been established across coastal regions, the Yangtze River basin, and major inland waterways, operating under joint leadership of maritime courts and authorities and strategically located at ports and maritime bureaus.

China-US Focus | English | AcademicThink | Jan. 9, 2026 | Geopolitical Conflict and Disputes

The United States’ intervention in Venezuela highlights evolving dynamics in the liberal international order rather than signaling its collapse. While the core pillars of this order remain intact and alternatives are weak, the intervention exemplifies a shift toward more frequent discretionary US actions without clear thresholds for when coercion supersedes restraint. This ambiguity challenges established norms about state behavior and the interpretation of power within the international system.

Historically, US global leadership relied on military and economic dominance, buttressed by alliances and institutional structures that created interdependencies. However, recent moves under the Trump administration, such as the intervention in Venezuela based on broad concerns like migration and Chinese influence rather than a clear “red line,” have blurred traditional boundaries. The administration’s actions—from prosecuting a sitting foreign leader to sidelining Congress and opposition groups—have replaced visible thresholds with discretionary judgments, creating uncertainty for other states.

This new approach undermines expectations of US prudence and restraint, potentially prompting other nations to hedge, seek legal protections, diversify institutions, and reduce exposure to US influence without necessarily defecting outright. Although the existing international order is not on the verge of collapse due to the lack of credible alternatives, maintaining US leadership is becoming more costly and transactional. The intervention in Venezuela thus intensifies a longstanding tension between unilateral enforcement and cooperative leadership, risking a future where the US is perceived more as a rogue power, thereby raising the costs and diminishing the returns of its global authority.