China Executive Insights
Positive trends in EV sales outside China support bullish outlook Australian miner PLS is looking to expand lithium output as demand rises. (Screenshot from the PLS website) CANBERRA -- Lithium producer PLS said on Thursday it aims to increase production by about 20% in fiscal 2027 as Australian miners of the key battery metal set their sights on expansion.
Japanese companies face supply chain disruptions after magnitude-7 natural disaster Hiroshima City Waterworks Bureau staff fill a Japan Self-Defense Forces water supply truck in Uki, Kumamoto prefecture, on July 30. A major earthquake that struck the prefecture on July 28 continues to affect business operations. (Photo by Akitoshi Sugiura) TOKYO -- The impact of the magnitude-7 earthquake that struck southwestern Japan's Kumamoto prefecture on the island of Kyushu this week is continuing to affect businesses of Japanese companies, including automobile manufacturers, with major operations in the region.
The inside story on the Asia tech trends that matter, from Nikkei Asia and the Financial Times Hi everyone! This is Cheng Ting-Fang, your #techAsia host for this week, saying hello from Taipei! In the two weeks since Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. announced plans to increase its total U.S. investment to $265 billion, one destination has regularly come up in industry conversations: Arizona. Friends are flying there to explore business opportunities, while Taiwanese families who have settled in the southwestern state are returning home for the summer with stories of how quickly the region is changing. "How many times have you been to Arizona this year?" one industry executive asked me, almost as a greeting. The transformation extends far beyond the semiconductor industry. What began with chip factories is now reshaping the local economy, fueling investment in shopping centers, restaurants, hotels, housing and other essential infrastructure. Taiwan's iconic dim sum chain Din Tai Fung, a favorite of TSMC Chairman C.C. Wei, opened its first restaurant in the Greater Phoenix area earlier this year, drawing long lines of customers.
New envoy faces tensions over China, defense costs, Coupang and investment pledges Michelle Steel testifies during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing on her nomination to be U.S. ambassador to South Korea, on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 20. © Reuters SEOUL -- An ally of President Donald Trump arrived in South Korea on Thursday to take up the long-vacant post of U.S. ambassador, a key role in a decades-long alliance now facing tensions over China, defense policy and trade.
Subsidy uncertainty, few charging stations fuel shift from full EVs Jetour, a sub-brand of EV maker Chery, is among the Chinese brands rolling out plug-in hybrid models at the Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show near Jakarta from July 30 to Aug. 9. (Photo by Tomoyoshi Oshikiri) TANGERANG, Indonesia -- Chinese electric car makers including BYD, Chery and DFSK introduced their first plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models in Indonesia at an auto show near Jakarta that opened to the public Thursday.
Chinese optical parts maker's Hong Kong debut overshadowed by tech buildout worries Zhongji Innolight's Chairman and President Liu Sheng, center, attends a listing ceremony with other executives in Hong Kong on July 30. (Photo by Gloria Li) HONG KONG -- Shares in China's Zhongji Innolight fell in their Hong Kong debut on Thursday, after the supplier of key AI-related equipment raised HK$53.4 billion ($6.8 billion) in Asia's second-biggest listing so far this year.
America's tech ecosystem needs open-weight models to drive growth as AI bubble fears grow The Trump administration and tech companies are taking different views of how to respond to the rise of Chinese AI models. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters and Getty Images) PALO ALTO, California/HONG KONG -- As the Trump administration floated the idea of banning Chinese open-weight artificial intelligence models, Silicon Valley protested -- even before China's tech companies and government did.
Politburo calls for accelerated infrastructure spending to meet growth target as global headwinds mount Beijing has turned more cautious on its growth outlook for second half of 2026, betting on bond funding and infrastructure spending to keep the economy ticking. © Reuters SHANGHAI -- China's top decision-making body on Thursday vowed to expand trade ties, while striking a more cautious tone on the domestic economy in the face of crisis in the Middle East and trade tensions with major trading partners.
Manila offering up to 40% co-funding for battery models to bolster local supply chains A taxi operated by Green Smart Mobility (GSM), a VinFast affiliate, travels on a street in Manila on Dec. 10, 2025. The Philippines is seeking to attract electric-vehicle manufacturing investments through a new incentive program. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi) MANILA -- The Philippines has unveiled a $1 billion subsidy scheme to jumpstart its domestic automotive sector and attract foreign investment as it joins Southeast Asia's intensifying electric vehicle race.
PM presses ahead with $30bn cut to 1% rate despite concerns over funding A customer shops for food at a Tokyo supermarket in 2025. (Photo by Nanami Sato) TOKYO -- Japan is preparing to cut its consumption tax on food for the first time, as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi seeks to ease the pressure of rising prices on households despite concerns over the country's strained public finances.
AI chief says firm is weighing trusted alternative to DeepSeek and others Mustafa Suleyman leads development of Microsoft's in-house MAI family of artificial intelligence models. (Photo by Ryotaro Yamada) PALO ALTO, California -- Microsoft is considering offering some of its internally developed AI models with open weights as Chinese artificial intelligence models gain popularity among U.S. users, Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman told Nikkei.
Japanese chipmaker Kioxia is shipping samples of next-generation flash memory chips. (Photo by Nikkei) TOKYO -- Kioxia has begun shipping samples of next-generation NAND flash memory chips, the Japanese chipmaker said Thursday, with the products expected to be used in smartphones and personal computers.