The Spring Festival Gala ignites trending topics as numerous robots take the stage. In the financial markets, gold and silver prices plummet while the renminbi surges. Gu Ailing secures another silver medal, and a major national subsidy of 62.5 billion yuan is initiated. The U.S. military also increases its deployment of aircraft to the Middle East.
International Precious Metals Update: Precious metal futures experienced a general decline, with COMEX gold futures dropping by 0.66% to $5013.1 per ounce, and COMEX silver futures falling by 1.81% to $76.555 per ounce. Meanwhile, U.S. oil main contracts rose by 1.34% to $63.73 per barrel, and Brent oil main contracts increased by 1.24% to $68.59 per barrel. The three major European stock indices displayed mixed results: Germany’s DAX index fell by 0.46% to 24800.91 points, France’s CAC40 index rose by 0.06% to 8316.5 points, and the UK’s FTSE 100 index increased by 0.26% to 10473.69 points. The offshore renminbi exchange rate briefly surpassed 6.89, closing with an increase of 176 points against the U.S. dollar at 6.8835. As of the latest update, the offshore renminbi rate stood at 6.8856.
On the afternoon of February 16, the Central Radio and Television Station officially released the program list for the 2026 Spring Festival Gala. The lineup includes several robotics companies such as Songyan Power, Yushu Technology, and Magic Atom. The gala commenced with Magic Atom being the first robotics company to appear, featuring its humanoid robot, MagicBot Gen1, which waved to the audience. MagicBot Z1 showcased its “Thomas 360°” stunt performance. Yushu Technology returned with an upgraded version of its “Cyber Kung Fu” after last year’s “Ying Bot” dance. Additionally, Cai Ming collaborated with robots once again after many years. Various robots engaged the audience with jokes while performing stunts like flips and head extensions, leading to enthusiastic applause and trending discussions.
February 15 marked the first day of the Spring Festival holiday, during which the Ministry of Commerce, along with nine other departments, launched a special event called “Shop New Spring”. The first batch of national subsidies amounting to 62.5 billion yuan has been allocated, with local consumer red envelopes and corporate discounts being actively distributed. This year, the consumption upgrade policy specifically supports the purchase of digital and smart products. Consumers can receive a subsidy of 15% on the purchase of items such as mobile phones, tablets, smartwatches, and smart glasses, with a maximum subsidy of 500 yuan per item for purchases under 6000 yuan. This new policy has made smart equipment a top trend, transforming tech gifts from niche items to essential consumer goods.
The Central Meteorological Observatory lifted the blue alert for cold waves on February 16 at 6 PM, indicating that the impact of the strong cold air is nearing its end. However, areas such as southern Jiangnan and northern South China could still experience temperature drops of 4 to 6°C from 8 PM on February 16 to 8 AM on February 17.
The State Council’s Safety Committee is closely monitoring the fireworks explosion accident in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province. On the morning of February 16, the Ministry of Emergency Management convened a video conference to emphasize the importance of safety measures in the fireworks sector as transportation, sales, storage, and use peak during the holiday. Every aspect must be handled with utmost caution to prevent any safety risks. The investigation into the Lianyungang incident has been escalated, with the State Council Safety Committee overseeing the inquiry and ensuring accountability.
International News: On February 16, the U.S. military sent 18 F-35A Lightning II fighter jets stationed at the Royal Air Force Lakenheath base to the Middle East, supported by a team of refueling aircraft. This deployment, involving coordinated flight formations, is one of the largest single deployments of F-35s in recent months, reflecting the U.S. military’s strategic response to heightened tensions with Iran.
According to Iranian state media, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is conducting a “composite and targeted” military drill in the Strait of Hormuz, supervised by the commander of the Revolutionary Guard. The exercise aims to assess naval readiness, review safety control plans for the Strait, and test military response strategies.
The Russian delegation, led by presidential assistant Mezhinsky, is heading to Geneva to participate in trilateral talks involving Russia, the U.S., and Ukraine, with the possibility of bilateral discussions between Russia and Ukraine.
Technological Updates: On February 16, Alibaba’s Qwen officially launched its next-generation model Qwen3.5, showcasing a hybrid architecture that combines linear attention with sparse mixture of experts. This model boasts a total parameter count of 397 billion, activating only 17 billion parameters in each forward pass to optimize both speed and cost efficiency. This breakthrough positions Alibaba as a benchmark in large model technology, advancing domestic AI development and cost optimization.
Elon Musk announced on February 16 that Starlink will soon provide services beyond Earth, highlighting its potential for global internet connectivity.
Doubao, an app, has temporarily suspended its video call feature due to high user volume during the Spring Festival, likely due to computational strain.
Demand for GLM-5 has surged globally, leading to service slowdowns and delays. In response, the company has initiated a recruitment plan for “computational partners” to enhance performance and alleviate supply shortages.
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