The morning brought reports of cyberattacks against DeepSeek, followed by OpenAI's accusations of data theft through "distillation" techniques. These developments mark an escalation from previous days' market impact narrative to direct confrontation between AI entities.
State media maintained Spring Festival coverage while incorporating technological achievements, particularly highlighting dancing robots at the CCTV gala. The narrative attempted to frame DeepSeek's emergence within broader national technology advancement.
A significant aviation disaster near Washington DC dominated international coverage, with 64 casualties after a passenger plane collided with a military helicopter. By afternoon, coverage shifted to regional security, with China and Thailand announcing joint action against Myanmar cyber scammers, connecting to ongoing border security concerns from previous days.
The Chinese military's reveal of long-range radar capabilities and US "unmanned hellscape" strategy discussions in the Taiwan Strait suggested underlying tension beneath festival coverage.