Chinese AI start-up DeepSeek, Lunar New Year travel hotspots: SCMP daily catch-up
From Chinese AI start-up DeepSeek to travel hotspots during Lunar New Year, here’s a round-up from today’s China and economy coverage
1. ‘Incomparably nice’: Chinese supermarket wins viral fame for stellar service
Pangdonglai has become an unexpected viral sensation in China over the past couple of years, making its stores go-to destinations ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, which begins on January 28. Pangdonglai has proved there is still life in bricks-and-mortar retail in China.
2. Trump calls China’s DeepSeek AI leap a ‘wake-up call’ for US tech
US President Donald Trump has called Chinese AI start-up DeepSeek’s strong showing a “wake-up call” and “positive” for America’s tech sector, and also warned that he would slap tariffs on foreign-made semiconductor chips, including those made by Taiwan’s TSMC, if they do not start producing them stateside.
3. China’s peace strategy in Horn of Africa is slow-going, but can it reap rewards?
Beijing is taking a slow but safe approach to promoting harmony in a region of Africa beset by war and insurgencies, experts say. Questions remain, though, over whether China’s strategy will ever actually bring any concrete peace to the area.