China's annual consumer price inflation accelerated to a 34-month high in December, but the full-year rate slumped to the lowest in 16 years while producer deflation persisted, backing market expectations for more stimulus to shore up soft demand.

The developments mark a rapid change in fortunes for Beijing, which had a senior delegation of officials visiting Caracas and who met with Maduro only hours before he was seized in a strike by U.S. special forces.

Also part of the equation this week: China's visible pivot to another regional neighbor, South Korea, whose president spent four days in Beijing. Seoul has a bumpy history of its own with Japanese aggression and also sporadic — though generally less intense — friction with Beijing, a longtime supporter and ally of its rival North Korea.

Beijing insists its claims on Taiwan are nothing like Donald Trump’s move to seize power and oil in Caracas, even as experts note the two superpowers use remarkably similar language

China launched an investigation into a chemical gas used in making semiconductors, a day after it imposed curbs on the export of so-called dual-use goods that could be used by Japan’s military.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is urging Prime Minister Mark Carney to stand firm when he travels to China later this month and keep the steep tariffs on its electric vehicles in place.

China's commerce ministry says it plans to investigate Meta's acquisition of AI startup Manus. Meta, the tech giant behind Facebook and Instagram, announced last week that it was buying Manus, a Singapore-based company with Chinese roots,

Chinese officials are reportedly reviewing whether the Meta deal violates technology export controls, potentially giving Beijing leverage it wasn't initially perceived as having.

Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA) is tightening its terms for selling H200 artificial intelligence chips to China as it tries to reopen a key market while navigating shifting regulatory signals in both Washington and Beijing.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Monday that he wants to open a "new phase" for relations with China, after meeting with President Xi Jinping during Lee's first trip to Beijing since taking office in June.

Regulators said they would look at whether the deal for Manus, a Singapore start-up with Chinese roots, complied with China’s export and investment rules.

Beijing officials plan to approve some Nvidia imports as soon as this quarter after they forced Chinese firms to pause their orders for the Silicon Valley firm’s H200 chips, according to reports.