China 5: Retired leaders signal support for Xi, humanoid robots steal the show, Wang Yi in Munich
THIS WEEK: Retired leaders signal support for Xi, humanoid robots impress at Spring Festival Gala, Beijing courts Europe, and more.
1. Elite Signaling and Political Undercurrents During the Chinese New Year
What Happened: Ahead of the Chinese New Year, Xi Jinping and other senior state leaders either personally visited or dispatched representatives to visit nearly 130 retired high-ranking officials, including former President Hu Jintao. According to official reports, these retired leaders expressed firm support for Xi’s position as the “core” leader. At the New Year reception in Beijing, Xi noted that 2026 will mark the 105th anniversary of the founding of the CCP and the launch of the 15th Five-Year Plan. He emphasized that Beijing will step up efforts to promote high-quality development, safeguard social harmony and stability, and continue strengthening Party discipline.
Why It Matters: Amid mounting domestic and external pressures, the public show of support from retired senior leaders suggests at least surface-level elite unity behind Xi. However, attention is increasingly focused on the political influence these elders may wield in 2026 and in particular at the 21st Party Congress in late 2027. August 17, 2026, will also mark the 100th anniversary of late President Jiang Zemin’s birth. The scale, tone, and messaging of the various commemorative events are likely to send important political signals, potentially reflecting subtle maneuvering between Xi’s supporters and other factions within the Party.
By Lobsang Tsering, Senior Research Associate on Chinese Politics, Center for China Analysis
Learn More: Read “What Will Xi Jinping’s Priorities Be in 2026?” by CCA Fellow Neil Thomas and Lobsang in China 2026: What to Watch.
2. Humanoid Robots Steal the Spring Festival Spotlight
What happened: China’s Spring Festival Gala’s biggest sensation was humanoid robotics. Unitree, MagicLab Atom, Galaxia General, and Songyan Dynamics all put robots on the national stage. Unitree’s “Martial Arts BOT” stole the spotlight with synchronized kung fu routines alongside professionally trained young martial artists, featuring flips, staff sparring, and high-dynamic formation control that founder Wang Xingxing called a global first. The split-screen contrast between 2026 and last year showcased stunning progress in fluidity, flexibility, and speed. Other humanoids appeared in comedy skits, marking their most prominent mainstream cultural debut to date.
Why It Matters: The show captured the Chinese humanoid robotics sector’s breakneck advances in just one year. Unitree’s robots’ ability to run at 4m/s while holding tight formations reflects major progress in 3D lidar for panoramic sensing and precise localization. More natural object handling is enabled by new advances in dexterous hand technology. Behind the scenes were large-scale reinforcement learning simulations, multi-sensor fusion, and millisecond-level swarm coordination. After Unitree’s breakout moment last year sparked surging orders, billion-yuan fundraising, and IPO expectations, the Gala stage has become a super roadshow for robotics firms racing toward 2026 IPOs and commercialization. In the near term, the practical uses of humanoid robots remain debated, and their performances largely reflect progress in advanced sensorimotor control and learned locomotion rather than frontier breakthroughs in general-purpose cognitive reasoning. But the Gala offered a powerful symbol: robotics and the broader technological advances they signal are becoming central to China’s national pride and imagination.
By Lizzi C. Lee, Fellow on Chinese Economy, Center for China Analysis (@wstv_lizzi)
Learn More: Read “Why China Has So Many Robot IPOs,” by Lizzi.
3. China Urges Europe to Step Up on Talks over Ukraine
What Happened: At the Munich Security Conference, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi argued that Europe has both the right and responsibility to play a leading role in Ukraine peace efforts and urged Europeans to ramp up participation in negotiations, hold direct dialogue with Russia, and build a more balanced and durable European security framework. Wang took part in a trilateral meeting between China, France, and Germany, held separate talks with Germany’s leadership, and met with diplomats from France, Germany, Canada, the United States, and others. Wang also appeared to take implicit aim at the United States, referring to a “certain country” that is sowing division, and called on China and Europe to “oppose unilateral bullying” and “resist bloc confrontation” together.
Why It Matters: Wang addressed Munich at a time when many in the EU are questioning the durability of their security alliances with the United States and used this as an opportunity to promote China as a reliable partner. Beijing’s decision to hold a trilateral meeting between core European powers signals its interest in engaging Europe on a more granular level instead of solely via Brussels-level channels. Still, China’s backing of Russia in its war on Ukraine leaves many in Europe feeling weary. While China rhetorically supports a stronger European role in the war in Ukraine, it has offered few commitments to pressure Moscow on altering its course in the war.
By Jie Gao, Research Associate on Foreign Policy and National Security, Center for China Analysis
Learn More: Read “China-Russia Relations Since the Start of the War in Ukraine,” by Pierre Andrieu, CCA Senior Fellow on China-Russia Relations.
4. China Deepens Antitrust Push Against Platform “Involution”
What Happened: China’s regulators have expanded scrutiny of the platform economy, summoning seven major firms — including Alibaba, Tencent, JD.com, Meituan, Douyin, and Baidu — and issuing the new Anti-Monopoly Compliance Guidelines for Internet Platforms. The guidelines identify eight areas of heightened monopoly risk, including algorithmic collusion, below-cost sales, forced exclusivity (“choose one from two”), “lowest price across the internet” clauses, and discriminatory treatment. The move follows investigations into food delivery and travel platforms, where subsidy wars and price competition have squeezed small merchants and triggered consumer complaints. Regulators have framed these actions as part of a broader effort to curb “involution-style” competition and restore fair market order, expanding oversight beyond food delivery into e-commerce, mobility, and online finance.
Why It Matters: The campaign signals that Beijing’s “anti-involution” push is increasingly extending into services. Official commentary links concentrated platform power to predatory price wars, weakened innovation, and deteriorating service quality. By clarifying compliance “red lines” around algorithmic pricing and exclusivity arrangements, authorities are attempting to rebalance relationships between dominant platforms, small merchants, and consumers. At stake is not only competition policy but also social dissatisfaction and public sentiment, as regulators respond to grievances over price discrimination and exclusionary promotions. Whether this evolves into sustained rule-setting or remains a cyclical regulatory crackdown will shape the trajectory of China’s platform economy in the long run.
By Jennifer Choo, Director of Research and Strategy, Center for China Analysis
Learn More: Watch “ Why China’s Rebalancing Is So Hard: Tensions, Tradeoffs, and Policy Choices ,” in CCA’s The Year of Rebalancing webinar series moderated by Lizzi C. Lee.
5. Spring Festival Attracts Foreign National Travel Surge
What Happened: China has seen a surge of international travelers coming to China during the Spring Festival to partake in festivities to celebrate the Year of the Horse. During the last two weeks of January, international flight bookings to China jumped more than 400% compared to the same period last year, led by tourists from Thailand, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Singapore. A contributing factor to the rise in international inbound tourists is China’s expansion of unilateral visa-free entry to include citizens from 48 countries and reciprocal visa exemptions to 29. Notably, on February 16, Canada and the United Kingdom were added to the unilateral visa-free list, joining countries like Australia, New Zealand, Norway, and Denmark.
Why It Matters: With visa free entries up by almost 50% year-on-year, China’s visa-free and reciprocal visa exemption programs are not only attracting international travelers to visit China but are also acting as tools to facilitate greater people-to-people exchanges. Amid ongoing geopolitical tensions, people-to-people exchanges remain an important channel to strengthen deeper understanding and connections.
By Taylah Bland, Fellow on Climate and the Environment, Center for China Analysis (@Taylahbland)
Learn More: View “China’s Mass Migration Home for Lunar New Year in Pictures” from Bette Ha, former Asia Blog contributor.