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Friday 9 January 2026
China tightens export controls on rare earths, alarming Japan and South Korea
China has stepped up export controls affecting military and civilian sectors, with potential restrictions on rare earth products to Japan causing significant unease. Japanese industries, particularly automotive and electronics, are evaluating the possible consequences amid uncertainties about the scope of the new Chinese measures
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Sunday 11 January 2026
Realme and OnePlus return to Oppo: Three-brand integration to counter supply chain and market pressure
China's smartphone industry opened 2026 with a major consolidation move, as Realme formally returned to the Oppo group as a sub-brand and integrated with fellow sub-brand OnePlus. The restructuring is intended to strengthen competitiveness through shared resources and coordinated brand strategy amid mounting supply chain pressure and intensifying market competition
Sunday 11 January 2026
CATL teams up with Nio to tackle the next phase of China's EV boom

China's largest battery maker, CATL, said it had signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Nio, deepening ties between two of the country's most influential players in the EV ecosystem

Sunday 11 January 2026
Seeking independence from Starlink, Japan backs homegrown satellites

Japan has formally committed to building its own low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite constellation, marking a significant shift in how the country approaches communications infrastructure and national security

Sunday 11 January 2026
China's humanoid robots outsell US rivals in 2025 shipments
Chinese humanoid robots made a high-profile debut at CES 2026, demonstrating capabilities ranging from table-tennis play to kung fu routines. For many exhibitors, the Las Vegas show was less about spectacle and more about securing overseas customers and accelerating commercial orders
Saturday 10 January 2026
China semiconductor leaders urge caution on Nvidia H200 deals
Following the US government's decision to ease restrictions on Nvidia H200 chip exports to China, Wei Shaojun, vice chairman of the China Semiconductor Industry Association (CSIA), warned domestic firms to exercise caution when placing orders, saying Washington's true strategic intent remains unclear
Saturday 10 January 2026
LG Display sets transparent OLED as next growth pillar for automotive, XR
LG Display president Jeong Chul-dong has pledged to make transparent OLED a core growth priority in 2026, aiming to lift panel transparency from 45% to 70% as the company targets XR devices and next-generation automotive displays
Friday 9 January 2026
Iluvatar CoreX IPO highlights China's race to scale general-purpose GPUs

Shanghai Iluvatar CoreX Semiconductor, a Chinese general-purpose GPU developer, listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange's Main Board on January 8, 2025. Shares were priced at HKD144.6 (US$18.5), raising about HKD3.7 billion (US$474 million). The stock jumped 31.5% at the open to HKD190.2, lifting its debut valuation above HKD47.5 billion, signalling investor demand for China's domestic compute hardware

Friday 9 January 2026
AMIES Technology acquires SMEE affiliate in US$32m deal, clarifying China's lithography split
China's domestic lithography sector is entering another phase of internal restructuring, with AMIES Technology consolidating industrial assets originally spun out from Shanghai Micro Electronics Equipment (Group) Co., Ltd. (SMEE). Corporate filings and Shanghai Securities News show that AMIES has acquired 100% of Shanghai Weiyao Industrial Co. for CNY228.5 million (US$32.5 million), replacing SMEE as the sole shareholder. The transaction completes SMEE's exit from Weiyao while keeping the asset within the SMEE-origin corporate structure
Friday 9 January 2026
China turns to rare earths in escalating Japan dispute
China said on January 6, 2026, that it would tighten export controls on so-called "dual-use" goods bound for Japan, a move that state media suggested could extend to rare earth materials, intensifying concerns about supply disruptions across Asia's industrial supply chains
Friday 9 January 2026
Commentary: China's DCS probe against Japan shows where substitution is viable
China's Ministry of Commerce said on January 7, 2026, that it has launched an anti-dumping investigation into Japanese-origin dichlorosilane (DCS). While framed as a routine trade-remedy case under existing rules, the decision reflects a more specific reality in the semiconductor materials supply chain: China now has domestic fallback capacity in this critical process material, allowing policymakers to act selectively at a sensitive juncture
Friday 9 January 2026
Carmakers circumvent Beijing's pricing ban with creative discounts
Barely a month after China's top market regulator moved to clamp down on price wars, the policy's resolve is already showing signs of strain
Friday 9 January 2026
Limited H200 access signals Beijing's calibrated approach to foreign AI technology due to security concerns
China is preparing to approve limited imports of Nvidia's H200 AI chips as early as this quarter, potentially reopening a key market for the US chipmaker while maintaining strict national security safeguards, according to Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter
Friday 9 January 2026
How China's carmakers are pushing imported cars to the margins
China's market for imported passenger cars continues to shrink, underscoring a profound shift in consumer preferences and industrial power. According to the latest data from the China Automobile Dealers Association, cumulative passenger car imports totaled about 440,000 vehicles through November 2025. This represents a decline of 29.7% from a year earlier
Friday 9 January 2026
Samsung Foundry eyes auto chips for growth beyond data centers

Samsung Electronics is positioning its contract chipmaking business to win automotive orders, a move industry analysts view as a practical entry point into the emerging "Physical AI" market. While TSMC remains the leader in AI processors for data centers, Samsung is focusing on the specific demands of vehicles and robotics

Friday 9 January 2026
China targets 2027 self-sufficiency in core AI technologies
Amid escalating US–China technology competition, China at the start of 2026 formally unveiled new objectives for its AI industrial policy. Eight government bodies, including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), jointly released an implementation plan for "AI + Manufacturing." The plan sets a clear target: by 2027, China aims to secure a fully "safe and reliable" domestic supply of core AI technologies and integrate three to five general-purpose large language models (LLMs) deeply into manufacturing and other industrial sectors