China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) has tightened export controls on dual-use items to Japan, underscoring the growing strategic role of rare earth elements amid complex geopolitical and resource considerations. Concurrently, two leading Chinese rare earth producers, China Northern Rare Earth High-Tech Group and Inner Mongolia Baotou Steel Union, announced a 2.4% price increase for rare earth concentrates in the first quarter of 2026, marking the sixth consecutive quarterly hike since the third quarter of 2024
On January 19, 2026. China's Premier Li Qiang hosted a forum including MiniMax founder Yan Junjie, marking increased recognition of AI large model enterprises in national policy. This reflects AI's evolving role from a tech topic to a core factor in China's economic and competitive strategy during the 15th Five-Year Plan
On January 12, 2026, Japan's scientific drilling vessel Chikyu slowly departed port, heading toward the waters near Minamitorishima Island, about 1,900km southeast of Honshu. This mission is not merely a scientific expedition but a critical test tied to Japan's national economic security and the restructuring of global critical mineral supply chains
Vietnam has officially begun construction of its first homegrown semiconductor chip manufacturing facility, marking a significant step in the country's plans to develop a domestic semiconductor ecosystem
Thailand's Board of Investment (BOI) recently approved a major investment plan led by Zhen Ding Tech (ZDT), the world's largest printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturer, in partnership with local firm Saha Pathana Inter-Holding (SPI). The project involves approximately THB65 billion (US$2.1 billion) to establish advanced PCB production capacity, aiming to position Thailand as a key PCB manufacturing center in Southeast Asia
Chinese authorities have increased scrutiny on rare earth exports bound for Japan, as export volumes declined in December 2025 compared to the previous month. The move reflects Beijing's intent to exert greater control over essential materials amid escalating tensions with Tokyo
US export restrictions on advanced semiconductor equipment to China have become the biggest obstacle to China's domestic production of high-bandwidth memory (HBM). It has been reported that Chinese companies have begun investing heavily in equipment localization. For example, ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) is moving towards mass production of more advanced HBM in 2026, and other related equipment vendors are making all-out efforts to build an HBM equipment ecosystem
As geopolitical tensions escalate, China's AI industry development is shifting from the application layer to underlying computing power and core chip technologies, with GPU- and AI chip-related companies becoming key focal points for both capital and policy resources. The Hurun Research Institute recently released the Hurun Global Unicorns Index 2025
South Korea said it will seek negotiations with the US after Washington imposed a 25% tariff on selected semiconductor products, a move that has placed the country's leading chipmakers, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, on heightened alert over potential knock-on effects
China's semiconductor supply chain is accelerating plans to bring sixth-generation low-power DRAM, known as LPDDR6, into commercial use in 2026, seeking to close a long-standing technology gap with global memory leaders as edge AI raises demand for higher bandwidth and lower power consumption
Samsung Electronics' foundry business is showing signs of a gradual recovery, with fab utilization expected to average in the low-60% range in the first half of 2026, up from the 50% range in the second half of 2025, according to a report by ZDNet Korea
The World Economic Forum (WEF) has named Foxconn Industrial Internet's (FII) Bac Ninh Province facility in Vietnam as the country's first Sustainable Lighthouse Factory, recognizing its use of generative AI (GenAI) to deliver measurable carbon reductions and set a new benchmark for green manufacturing
Amid escalating geopolitical tensions between China and Japan, China has recently imposed stricter review measures on rare earth exports to Japan. Chinese authorities now reportedly require exporters to submit more detailed declarations, including the actual use of rare earths, the products they are applied to, and whether these products are re-exported to the US or other third countries
At CES 2026 in the US, Nvidia unveiled its open-source vision-language-action (VLA) model series, Alpamayo, signaling a new phase in the development of autonomous driving technologies. The launch has intensified competition among global automakers, which are now ramping up investment and racing to secure computing power centered on VLA architectures
Alibaba is repositioning its Qwen artificial intelligence app as more than a chatbot, turning it into a gateway to the company's vast consumer ecosystem. The app now connects directly with core Alibaba services, including Taobao, Alipay, and Fliggy, enabling users to shop, make payments, and book travel all within one app
China's major smartphone manufacturers are revising their 2026 shipment forecasts downward amid tightening memory supply and surging prices, according to Jiemian News. Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, and Transsion have reportedly reduced their full-year smartphone shipment forecasts amid escalating upstream material costs that are increasingly pressuring mid- to low-end device segments, particularly those targeting overseas markets
