Chinese cars have established a significant presence in Southeast Asia and started to make inroads into Europe, thanks to their attractive price-performance ratios and smart cockpit features. The fast rise of China's home-grown car vendors has come as a threat to their European competitors in the Chinese market. Japanese automakers, who have dominated the Southeast Asian car market for decades, are also coming under pressure

US President Donald Trump has eased his previously tough stance on China, announcing for the first time that US tariffs on Chinese imports will be "substantially lowered"—but not eliminated. With Trump's position shifting, analysts say the key focus now is how far the tariffs will be cut—and how this could reshape global trade dynamics and geopolitical relations

The US has imposed retaliatory tariffs on imports from China and Vietnam at rates of 125% and 46%, respectively. This has disrupted the supply chain strategies of major electronics manufacturers like Samsung Electronics, which has substantial production facilities in both countries. As a result, Samsung is reportedly considering shifting some of its smartphone manufacturing from Vietnam to India, following similar moves by other tech giants like Alphabet

KPMG's recent seminar highlighted that US tariffs primarily target Chinese products. Even Chinese-funded factories in Southeast Asia are under US scrutiny, suggesting a long-term trend of heightened trade restrictions. Experts advised Taiwanese manufacturers to avoid establishing plants in countries aligned with China

Sharp announced on April 23, 2025 that it plans to sell its subsidiary, Sharp Fukuyama Laser (SFL), to Hon Hai Technology's (Foxconn's) investment arm. The deal is valued at JPY15.5 billion (US$109.62 million)

Tesla is actively exploring entering the burgeoning Indian automotive market, but significant hurdles remain, primarily due to the country's steep tariff structure. During a recent earnings call, Tesla CFO Vaibhav Taneja addressed a question regarding geographic expansion, specifically mentioning India as a key target for a potential launch in the coming years

Amid mounting US sanctions and export curbs, China's semiconductor sector is ramping up research and development efforts to fortify domestic supply chains, accelerate progress in advanced equipment, and reduce reliance on foreign technologies

Fueled by the AI boom and China's tech self-sufficiency agenda, the country's humanoid robot industry is scaling rapidly. A growing wave of returnees from firms like Tesla and OpenAI are launching robotics startups in China, intensifying market competition

At its April 21 Tech Day in Shanghai, CATL unveiled two major innovations poised to accelerate the EV transition past internal combustion engines. Highlights included the debut of CATL's second-generation Shenxing ultra-fast charging battery, outperforming BYD's Super e-Platform, and a strategic push to mass-produce sodium-ion batteries. These two technologies extend CATL's lead over BYD while positioning sodium-ion batteries as a safer, more affordable challenger to lithium's dominance in the EV supply chain

Chinese EV maker BYD plans to enter Japan's insular kei (mini) car market by developing a vehicle specifically designed to meet the country's unique light vehicle standards, with a launch expected in 2026

According to Economic Times, XPeng vice chairman and president Brian Gu has acknowledged India's promising potential in the EV sector while cautioning that the market remains complex and challenging, adding that the company is closely monitoring India but has yet to set a timeline for entry

India's INR170 billion (approx. US$2 billion) Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for IT hardware appears to be gathering pace as global notebook brands increasingly partner with Indian contract manufacturers to localize production as companies like Asus, MSI, HP, Lenovo, and Acer are now tapping into India's growing electronics ecosystem to scale operations and meet localization norms

China has expanded its export controls on rare earth minerals and magnets, intensifying its trade retaliation against the United States and threatening to disrupt key industries. The new restrictions affect seven rare earth elements and specialized magnets used in electric vehicles, wind turbines, and military aircraft—resources on which the US remains heavily dependent

Ericsson Antenna System (EAS) is expanding its manufacturing operations in India, aiming to localize 100% of its passive antenna production for the Indian market by June 2025. The initiative is part of the company's broader supply chain strategy and aligns with India's ongoing 5G rollout