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China’s AI labs race to debut latest models before Lunar New Year

South China Morning PostCenter-RightEN 1 min read 100% complete by Ben JiangFebruary 2, 2026 at 07:00 AM
China’s AI labs race to debut latest models before Lunar New Year
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AI Summary

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Chinese AI labs, including Zhipu AI and MiniMax, are accelerating the release of new AI models before the Lunar New Year. Zhipu AI, based in Beijing, plans to launch GLM-5, the fifth iteration of its GLM model series, within the next two weeks. This new model is expected to have significant improvements in creative writing, coding, reasoning, and agentic capabilities. Shanghai-based MiniMax is also preparing to release M2.2, a minor update to its M2.1 model, with a focus on coding enhancements. These releases highlight the competitive landscape of AI development in China as companies strive to innovate and improve their flagship AI systems. The timing of these releases coincides with the upcoming Lunar New Year celebrations.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context
Hong Kong 40% M2.2 40% Shanghai 50% Beijing 60% GLM-5 ×260% China 70% MiniMax ×485% Zhipu AI (Z.ai) ×490%

Keywords

artificial intelligence 100% ai models 90% china 80% minimax 70% lunar new year 70% zhipu ai 70% glm-5 60% coding 50% model update 50%

Sentiment Analysis

Positive
Score: 0.30

Source Transparency

Source
South China Morning Post
Political Lean
Center-Right (0.50)
Far LeftCenterFar Right
Classification Confidence
90%
Geographic Perspective
China

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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artificial intelligenceai modelschinaminimaxlunar new yearzhipu aiglm-5codingmodel update
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