China

China returns to global oil market as Hormuz crisis squeezes supply

China, the world's largest crude oil importer, is stepping back into the global market after months of drawing down domestic stockpiles, adding fresh demand pressure to a supply picture already strained by the ongoing disruption of the Strait of Hormuz.…

Goldman Sachs cuts China 2026 GDP forecast to 4.5%

Goldman Sachs The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has cut its 2026 full-year GDP growth forecast for China from 4.6 percent to 4.5 percent, citing weaker-than-expected economic activity and a widening gap between resilient factory output and faltering domestic demand. The…

Toyota partners weigh tie-up as China JV model unravels

A potential tie-up between Toyota's two main Chinese partners is the latest sign that the foreign joint-venture model that shaped China's auto industry for decades is entering a new phase, as a shrinking market and fierce competition force automakers to…

China unveils 5-year AI and chip plan as it narrows gap with US

China is rapidly closing the artificial intelligence capability gap with the United States, emerging as a near-peer AI superpower despite years of American chip export restrictions, according to a convergence of expert assessments and new government reports from both countries.

China home prices fall again in August as property slump persists

China's new home prices declined for another month in August, extending a streak of weakness that has kept the world's second-largest economy under pressure as policymakers struggle to arrest a yearslong property downturn.

  • 3 mins

China calls for UN-led AI governance after dismissing US slowdown push

Beijing mounted a two-pronged response this week to Silicon Valley's calls for slowing frontier AI development, dismissing the push as a competitive ploy while positioning China as a champion of multilateral AI governance ahead of a planned meeting between Presidents…

China, India LNG imports to rebound post-war, executives say

China and India expect their liquefied natural gas imports to recover from multi-year lows once the Middle East supply crisis caused by the U.S.-Iran war subsides and prices retreat, senior energy executives said at the Gastech conference in Bangkok on…

China’s factory output beats forecasts as retail sales weaken

China's industrial output accelerated in August while retail sales and investment continued to weaken, underscoring a deepening imbalance in the world's second-largest economy that is raising pressure on Beijing to deliver fresh stimulus.

China releases AI Safety Framework 3.0 amid clash with U.S. over regulation

China on Monday unveiled its AI Safety Governance Framework 3.0, the latest iteration of the country's effort to regulate increasingly powerful artificial intelligence systems, as a widening dispute between Washington and Beijing over the pace of AI development spilled into…

  • 3 mins

China’s spy chief names U.S. AI models as threats to national security

China's top intelligence official has warned that artificial intelligence poses a direct threat to the Chinese Communist Party's authority, in what amounts to Beijing's most sweeping high-level statement on the security risks it associates with the technology.

China’s August bank loans miss forecasts by wide margin

China's new bank loans returned to positive territory in August but fell far short of expectations, underscoring the persistent weakness in household and corporate borrowing that continues to weigh on the world's second-largest economy.

Companies bring manufacturing back to China as offshoring proves harder than expected

A year after President Donald Trump's tariffs triggered a global rush to diversify supply chains away from China, some companies are finding that the country's factory ecosystem is too difficult to replicate — and are bringing production back, according to…

Chinese automakers cross 62% of global EV sales

Six Chinese automakers accounted for 62.3% of worldwide electrified vehicle sales in the first half of 2026, crossing the 60% threshold for the first time, according to a report released on September 14 by the Korea Automobile & Mobility Association…

China enters critical phase for year-end stimulus

China's economy is moving into what may be the most consequential stretch of 2026 for fiscal policy, as Beijing weighs how aggressively to intervene in the face of persistently weak consumer spending. Official data due Tuesday is expected to show…

China builds regulatory framework for AI escaping human control

As the United States and China prepare for their first bilateral AI safety talks later this month, Beijing has been quietly assembling one of the most detailed regulatory frameworks in the world for a scenario many once dismissed as science…

German firms boost China investment as U.S. spending plunges

German companies sharply increased investment in China while slashing spending in the United States during the first half of 2026, according to a study by the German Economic Institute (IW) based on Bundesbank data, underscoring how trade tensions and tariff…

China’s record trade surplus spurs calls for Plaza Accord-style deal

China and the United States held the third Track 1.5 Dialogue in Beijing on August 25, with roughly 40 representatives from government, think tanks, and business communities discussing ways to strengthen political trust, expand trade cooperation, and explore joint efforts…

China’s AI industry shifts from models to agents, state report says

China's AI sector is undergoing a structural shift away from building ever-larger foundation models and toward deploying AI agents at scale, according to a report from the China Telecom Research Institute carried by state broadcaster CCTV on Saturday. The report…

Chinese AI firms refused to meet US delegation over sanctions fears

China's artificial intelligence sector is moving away from the race to build ever-larger language models and toward the deployment and commercialization of AI agents, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing a new industry report. The shift reflects a broader trend that…

  • 3 mins

U.S. links Chinese satellite imagery to Iran strike that killed 3 troops

Iran obtained high-definition satellite photographs of a U.S. military installation in Jordan from Chinese sources before a July attack that killed three American soldiers, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal News Corp citing U.S. officials familiar with…

China approves Wegovy as first GLP-1 drug for liver disease

Novo Nordisk announced on Thursday that China's National Medical Products Administration approved Wegovy as the first GLP-1 receptor agonist indicated for the treatment of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, or MASH, in adult patients with moderate-to-severe liver fibrosis, opening a new front…

China targets 70% EV sales by 2030 in new plan

China has set a target for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles to account for 70% of all new passenger car sales by 2030, the centerpiece of a sweeping five-year automotive development plan released Friday by nine government agencies. The plan…

Louis Vuitton China sales plunge after trademark win sparks patriotic backlash

Louis Vuitton won a trademark lawsuit against a small Chinese tea brand — and lost millions in sales as a result. A patriotic backlash on Chinese social media over the legal fight has deepened an already painful slump for LVMH's…

China’s car exports in 8 months already top full 2025 total

China's passenger car exports in the first eight months of 2026 have already exceeded the entire 2025 total, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers reported Thursday, underscoring how the world's largest car exporter continues to flood global markets even as…

Industries brace as China’s rare earth controls near Nov. 10 return

With two months until a November 10 deadline, companies across the electronics, automotive, defense, and energy sectors are bracing for the possible return of sweeping Chinese rare earth export controls that were suspended nearly a year ago. The measures, if…

Mubadala invests $1B in Luckin Coffee alongside Centurium

Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Investment Company announced Thursday that it has agreed to acquire a minority stake in Luckin Coffee, China's largest coffee chain, in a transaction valued at approximately $1 billion alongside controlling shareholder Centurium Capital.

China’s oil stockpiles helped avert energy crisis, S&P Global economist says

China's years of strategic crude oil stockpiling have helped shield the global economy from a deeper energy crisis as the U.S.-Iran conflict continues to disrupt supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, but that cushion may be wearing thin as Beijing…

Global clean tech investment fell 17% in H1 as China pulled back

Global investment in clean technologies dropped 17% to $770 billion in the first half of 2026, as a slowdown in China more than offset gains elsewhere, according to a new report from the Rhodium Group published on Wednesday.

Mars samples may hold signs of life, but NASA has no plan to retrieve them

NASA's Perseverance rover has collected what scientists describe as the most compelling evidence to date that ancient microbial life may have once existed on Mars — but the rock samples sit millions of miles from any laboratory capable of confirming…

Huawei orchestrates China’s push for homegrown chipmaking tools

Huawei is serving as the coordinator and chief investor behind China's most ambitious effort to develop homegrown lithography equipment, acting as what one analyst called a "project manager" for the country's push to break its dependence on ASML and Western…