Chinese EVs geared up to dominate world’s biggest auto show


By AFP
April 23, 2026


Chinese car manufacturers like Xiaomi are at the forefront of integrating AI software and autonomous driving technology into their models - Copyright AFP GREG BAKER

The world’s biggest car show opens Friday in Beijing, with hundreds of thousands of auto fans expected to descend on the Chinese capital to size up the latest sleek, teched-out models on the market.

Legacy overseas brands such as Volkswagen, Toyota and BMW once dominated in China, but have lost market share in past years to domestic firms that beat them to the electric vehicle revolution and undercut them on price.

Chinese manufacturers including BYD, Xiaomi and Xpeng are now also at the forefront of integrating AI software and autonomous driving technology into their EVs.

The Auto China exhibition, hosted at two side-by-side venues in the capital, will span 380,000 square metres (four million square feet), according to organisers — sprawling more than 50 football pitches.

More than 1,400 vehicles from hundreds of foreign and domestic companies will be on show from Friday, when the show opens to industry professionals and the media, and later to the public from April 28 until May 3.

Domestic brands are expected to fight to out-wow competition with upgrades in autonomous driving, battery charging and futuristic transportation.

Xpeng — founded just over a decade ago — said it plans to showcase “the latest progress in robotics and flying cars”, as well as a new smart driving system.

Foreign automakers, meanwhile, are increasingly collaborating with local companies to keep pace with technological advances.

BMW has partnered with Chinese battery maker CATL, while Audi is using Huawei’s driving assistance systems and Volkswagen is developing EVs together with Guangzhou-based Xpeng.



– Fierce competition –



This year, companies will also jostle to sell space, analysts say, with roomy SUVs’ new growth area targeting customers prioritising seating and comfort.

China “has become a customer retention and replacement/upgrade-driven market, and these big SUVs address that need,” independent analyst Lei Xing wrote in a blog this week.

Firms have flooded the domestic market in recent years with trade-in schemes, offering huge discounts to customers to give up their old auto for a new one.

The fierce price war led Chinese officials last year to call for tighter price monitoring and improving long-term regulation of competition.

But newcomers appear unfazed, Lei wrote, naming at least eight EV brands from Chinese automakers that have cropped up over the last two years.

Electric cars, which China dominates, are also getting a boost as spiralling oil prices from the Middle East war nudge drivers away from fossil-fuel powered models.

Companies are vying to outlast the competition on range.

Xiaomi’s CEO Lei Jun recently completed a 1,300-kilometre (800-mile) road trip from Beijing to Shanghai in the new SU7 Pro electric sedan — stopping just once to charge during the 15-hour drive.

Electric vehicles supercharge EU car sales


By AFP
April 23, 2026


Nearly one in five cars sold in the EU in the first three months of this year was an electric vehicle - Copyright AFP/File Jonathan NACKSTRAND

Sales of new cars jumped last month in the European Union as consumers turned to electric vehicles as petrol prices soared due to the war in the Middle East, data showed Thursday.

Overall sales rose 12.5 percent in March from the same month last year to 1.16 million vehicles, according to registration data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA).

That jump helped the market attain a four percent rise for the first quarter overall following declines in January and February.

Sales of fully electric vehicles soared by 49 percent, with plug-in hybrids also jumping 20 percent.

Over the first quarter hybrids were the top choice of European consumers, accounting for 37 percent of overall sales.

Plug-in hybrids accounted for another 10 percent of market share.

The market share of simple petrol motor vehicles slumped to 23 percent in the quarter, down from 28 percent a year earlier.

Fully electric vehicles accounted for just over 19 percent of overall sales.

The ACEA noted the sales performance of electric vehicles varied strongly by country, with Italy, France and Germany posting strong gains.

Petrol prices spiked throughout Europe after the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, resulting in a near block on oil exports from the Gulf and leading Iran to retaliate by attacking energy facilities throughout the region.

Meanwhile, sales in Belgium and the Netherlands fell.

The Volkswagen group kept its top spot in the EU market in the first quarter, with its market share dipping to 26.4 percent despite its sales edging higher.

That was primarily due to Stellantis, whose Fiat, Citroen and Opel brands saw sales surge and boost the group’s market share.

Another major European car manufacturer, Renault, saw sales slide in the first due to transportation problems affecting its low-cost Dacia brand.

Sales of Teslas jumped nearly 60 percent from the first quarter of last year when Elon Musk’s involvement in the Trump administration turned off European consumers.

Chinese EVs look to sideline foreign brands at Beijing auto show


By AFP
April 22, 2026


Dozens of carmakers will display their latest models during the 10-day exhibition in the Chinese capital - Copyright AFP Adek BERRY

Sam DAVIES

The world’s biggest auto show opens in Beijing on Friday, as Chinese manufacturers solidify their status as industry innovators and foreign brands face ferocious competition in the country’s giant car market.

Brands such as Volkswagen, Toyota and BMW once dominated in China, but have steadily lost market share to domestic firms that beat them to the electric vehicle revolution and undercut them on price.

Electric cars are also getting a boost as oil prices sent spiking by the Mideast war nudge drivers away from fossil-fuel powered models.

Dozens of carmakers will display their latest models at the 10-day exhibition in the Chinese capital, with domestic manufacturers like BYD, Xiaomi and Xpeng now at the forefront of integrating AI software and autonomous driving technology into their EVs.

Foreign brands have been “too slow to localise decision-making and product development”, said Bill Russo, founder of Shanghai-based consultancy Automobility.

“The basis of competition in China has fundamentally shifted from hardware and brand to software, speed, and ecosystem integration,” Russo told AFP.

Mercedes-Benz’s China sales plunged 19 percent last year, while fellow German brand BMW saw sales hit their lowest level since 2017.

Volkswagen, long the largest seller in China, is battling to maintain a Chinese market share while also fending off competition at home.

The German car giant plans to cut 50,000 jobs domestically by 2030, after post-tax earnings fell 44 percent last year.

– ‘Centre of gravity’ –

“China is now the centre of gravity for automotive innovation, not just production,” Russo said.

Foreign automakers are increasingly collaborating with local companies to keep pace with technological advances.

BMW has partnered with battery maker CATL, while Audi is using Huawei’s driving assistance systems and Volkswagen is developing EVs together with Chinese brand Xpeng.

“The golden time for foreign brands has passed,” said Ernan Cui, an analyst at Gavekal Dragonomics in Beijing.

“Chinese brands… are upgrading much faster.”

Foreign manufacturers also face being outcompeted in other markets, as Chinese carmakers look abroad to boost profitability.

Chinese brands already control around a fifth of the auto market in Latin America, and plan to boost overseas production to 3.4 million vehicles by 2030 from 1.2 million in 2025, according to consulting firm AlixPartners.

Major players like BYD have high hopes for the Middle East and European markets, with sky-high tariffs keeping Chinese models out of the United States.

The European Union had imposed tariffs of up to 35.3 percent on EVs imported from China, but in January agreed that Chinese carmakers could accept minimum prices to sell into the bloc.

Still, BYD is building a factory in Hungary to manufacture cars for Europe, Leapmotor is due to start making EVs in Spain this year and Chery said Tuesday it wants to produce a small electric vehicle in Europe.

– Too many players –

But Chinese brands are also facing headwinds as a ferocious price war at home eats into profit margins.

“There are still too many players in the market with too much investment behind them,” according to Cui.

“The losers are not quitting the market as fast as they are supposed to because they have investors’ backing, local governments’ backing, who do not want their existing investments to be written off,” she said.

BYD logged a record 2.26 million EV sales in 2025, but net profit declined 19 percent.

Overall, Chinese passenger car sales fell 17.4 percent in the first quarter of this year, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), as the government scaled back incentives for EVs.

In that context, Chinese brands “are increasingly treating overseas markets as a strategic growth pillar rather than simply an outlet for excess capacity”, Russo said.

China exported more than 2.6 million new energy vehicles — which includes electric and hybrid autos — last year, more than double in 2024, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

Meanwhile, higher oil prices caused by the US-Israeli war on Iran are reinforcing the economic incentives for EVs, which is likely to further benefit Chinese brands, according to Russo.

Exports of Chinese electric vehicles more than doubled in March, compared to the same month last year across all manufacturers, according to the CPCA.

CU/MO

Chinalco bets $700M on Peru mine turnaround

Cecilia Jamasmie | April 17, 2026 | 

The Toromocho copper mine has been running for 36 years. (Image courtesy of Chinalco Peru.)

Aluminum Corp of China (Chinalco) is investing more than $700 million over the next three years to overhaul its Toromocho copper mine in Peru, adding molybdenum output to drive a long-awaited turnaround.

The plan, part of a $1.7 billion investment committed in 2018, includes updates to the mining scheme, new deposits and expanded stockpiling to improve efficiency and ensure operational continuity.

The total planned investment is being carried out in stages, with the core $1.35-billion expansion focused on lifting plant capacity and extending Toromocho’s development. That is being followed by additional technical modifications valued at about $350 million to optimize processing, recovery and supporting infrastructure.

Chinalco will expand a low-grade ore stockpile to the west and create a new stockpile within the existing pit, aiming to maximize existing infrastructure while staying within authorized limits. The company said the upgrade will improve processing performance and recoveries at the operation, where past technical challenges have weighed on output and costs. It also said the revamp will allow it to increase the plant’s capacity to 170,000 tonnes per day from the current 117,000-tonne-per-day capacity.

“This approval makes it possible to implement 28 projects, comprising 33 components over the next three years,” Chinalco executive Álvaro Barrenechea said in a statement.

Adding molybdenum

A key component of the overhaul is the introduction of molybdenum recovery, a metal previously not processed at Toromocho, supported by a new classification system that separates copper-only ore from copper-molybdenum material. The latter will be stockpiled for near-term processing, allowing more efficient resource use and diversified production. 

Chinalco said this approach will help secure early reserves and ensure continuous supply to the concentrator. The company also plans to stockpile ore in 2027 for processing in 2028, using existing pit roads and a new northern stockpile to maintain steady feed to the concentrator.

Peru’s Vice Minister of Mines Mayra Figueroa said copper and molybdenum are critical to the global economy, underscoring the project’s strategic importance as Peru remains the world’s second-largest copper producer and a key molybdenum supplier.

Toromocho, an open-pit mine in the Junín region, accounts for about 10% of Peru’s copper output and is expected to operate until 2042, highlighting the long-term significance of the upgrades. The operation sits 4,500 metres above sea level east of Lima and includes an open-pit mine and a processing plant. It produces about 250,000 tonnes of copper in concentrate annually and holds 1.53 million tonnes in reserves grading 0.48%, with a mine life of roughly 36 years since starting operations in 2013.

The company has also advanced its digital transformation at the site, launching an Integrated Operations Management Centre earlier this year and deploying an autonomous drilling and fleet management system developed with Huawei Peru to improve efficiency across the value chain.

Political landscape

Peru’s mining outlook now hinges on a June 7 presidential run-off between Keiko Fujimori and Rafael López Aliaga, with both candidates signalling policies that could reshape the sector.

Keiko, daughter of jailed former president Alberto Fujimori, has positioned herself as pro-US and investor-friendly, promising clearer rules to attract foreign capital while casting opponents as closer to Beijing. Her campaign has leaned on law-and-order messaging reminiscent of her father’s presidency. 

López Aliaga has struck a similar tone but warned unused mining permits could revert to the state, signalling a potential shake-up in one of Peru’s most important sectors.

The prospect of revoking unused mining concessions underscores rising political pressure on the country’s sector, raising the risk of disruption for major operators including Southern Copper (NYSE, LON: SCCO), MMG Ltd (HKG: 1208) and First Quantum Minerals (TSX: FM). 

The election outcome will shape billions in mining investment as Peru’s sector— which attracted about $6 billion last year and has driven roughly 3% annual economic growth since the pandemic—faces mounting political pressure and a surge in illegal mining.

Australia: Background And Relations With The United States – Analysis

Flags of Australia and United States. (DoD photo by D. Myles Cullen/Released)

April 11, 2026
The Congressional Research Service (CRS)
By Jared G. Tupuola


The Commonwealth of Australia is a close ally and partner of the United States, and the relationship is underpinned by the 1951 Australia-New Zealand-United States (ANZUS) Treaty. The two countries enjoy close trade, political, cultural, intelligence, and defense relations. As geopolitical competition in the Indo-Pacific has increased, the alliance has deepened over shared concerns about the military and economic rise of the People’s Republic of China (PRC or China). In September 2021, the governments of Australia, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States launched the “AUKUS” security partnership, which is intended to provide Australia with nuclear propulsion technology for its next generation submarines and to jointly develop advanced military capabilities. Australia and the United States also coordinate through the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (or “Quad,” with Japan and India).

Australia is the world’s sixth-largest country by surface area (2.96 million sq. miles). Originally inhabited by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the modern Australian state developed from a British penal colony established in 1788. In 1901, Australia was granted sovereignty over its domestic affairs; in 1942, it adopted the 1931 Statute of Westminster, claiming legal independence from the UK and full control over its foreign relations. Australia is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, an association of former British territories, and retains the King of the United Kingdom as its head of state.

Politics and Governance

Australia has a bicameral legislature and holds elections at least once every three years, with snap elections possible. The most recent general election was held in April 2025.The incumbent Labor Party Prime Minister Anthony Albanese won reelection while the Liberal Party opposition candidate lost his seat in parliament. The Labor Party and the Liberal-National Parties Coalition are the country’s two main political forces. The Green Party of Australia has been an influential political force at times.

Economics and Trade

The Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA) came into force in 2005. Under AUSFTA, the two countries provide reciprocal duty-free access to a broad range of exports. The United States is Australia’s second-largest trading partner in goods and services. The United States also is Australia’s largest source of foreign direct investment. Data from the U.S. Trade Representative reveals that total U.S. goods and services trade with Australia was $62.8 billion in 2025.

In April 2025, the Trump Administration announced that imports from Australia would face a baseline 10% tariff with some exceptions, under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). After the Supreme Court ruled against the use of IEEPA to impose tariffs in February 2026, President Trump imposed a 10% global tariff for 150 days under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. The Trump Administration also has imposed 50% global tariffs on steel and aluminum imports under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, but has not provided Australia with a tariff exemption as it did during the President’s first administration.

Strategic Outlook

The Australian government’s assessment of its security environment has shifted considerably in the past decade. In the mid-2010s, Australia’s security community perceived few imminent or proximate threats to its national security. In 2024, Australia’s inaugural National Defence Strategy (NDS) noted the commonwealth faced its most challenging strategic environment since World War II.

In part, this assessment is motivated by concerns related to U.S.-China competition, China’s military modernization, a lack of perceived transparency in China’s military build-up, and China’s activities in Australia’s near neighborhood (particularly the Pacific Islands). While Australian officials have not labeled China a military threat, the NDS states that China has employed coercive tactics in pursuit of its strategic objectives, including to alter the regional balance of power in its favor. The NDS asserted Australia “must work even more closely with the U.S., our closest ally and principal strategic partner.”

To adjust to this changed strategic environment, Australia is pursuing updates to its force structure and defense spending practices. The government has laid out plans to expand its military capabilities and increase defense spending, including by allocating an additional AU$50.3 billion to defense spending through 2034. Australia also is expanding its diplomatic and security partnerships with countries in the Indo-Pacific, especially the Pacific Island Countries.

Ties with the United States

The U.S. government describes U.S.-Australia defense ties as “exceptionally close.” U.S. armed forces have a rotational military presence in Australia, including at the northern port city of Darwin, and the United States has invested in defense infrastructure at northern Australian sites under the U.S. Force Posture Initiative. Australia partners with the United States through the “Five Eyes” intelligence-sharing arrangement, which also includes Canada, New Zealand, and the UK. The defense relationship has included bilateral and multilateral military exercises such as the Talisman Sabre, Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC), and Malabar exercises.

The annual Australia-U.S. Ministerial (AUSMIN) consultations are central to the bilateral relationship. The 2025 AUSMIN Joint Statement emphasized “shared challenges” and the need to “uphold an open and stable international order.” Observers have interpreted this language as referencing shared concerns about economic and military competition with China.

Critical Minerals. Australia has joined the United States on several initiatives aimed at securing critical mineral supply chains, while also investing in its own production and refining capabilities, which some analysts argue could become an alternative to PRC-dominated supply chains. In 2023, the allies committed to enhanced mineral cooperation under a Climate, Critical Minerals and Clean Energy Transformation Compact. As part of the compact, a Critical Minerals Taskforce pursues supply chain diversification and investment opportunities and addresses barriers to cooperation. At the Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting in July 2025, the grouping announced a new Quad Critical Minerals Partnership. During an October 2025 visit to the United States, Prime Minister Albanese and President Trump signed a Critical Minerals Framework Agreement that expects to see $3 billion worth of shared investments in critical mineral projects within six months of the signing as well as deepening defense and technological cooperation.


AUKUS. AUKUS Pillar 1 would allow Australia to purchase 3-5 U.S. Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs) in the 2030s as authorized in the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The three AUKUS partners also plan to develop a new class of SSNs based on the UK’s next-generation design that incorporates technology from all three countries, including cutting-edge U.S. submarine technologies. Pillar 2 focuses on joint development of advanced military capabilities in technological areas—including AI, cyber, hypersonic and counter-hypersonic, electronic warfare, and quantum technologies—and functional areas such as innovation and information sharing. In 2025, the U.S. Department of Defense conducted a review of AUKUS; President Trump stated the initiative is “full steam ahead.”

The Quad. Australia has bolstered relations with the United States, Japan, and India through the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue. During the 2025 Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, the partners welcomed recent and upcoming activities that advance a free and open Indo-Pacific, including initiatives regarding maritime security, digital infrastructure, emerging technology, and humanitarian assistance.

Australia-China Relations

China is Australia’s largest two-way trade partner, and the two countries signed a free trade agreement in 2015. China restricted some imports from Australia in 2020 following Canberra’s endorsement of an inquiry into the origins of the COVID-19 disease.

Australia’s government has taken several measures to guard against PRC influence in Australian politics and society following instances of PRC organizations attempting to co-opt domestic groups and individuals towards China’s strategic interests. In 2018, the Australian parliament passed laws on espionage, foreign interference, and foreign influence, and the government blocked China’s Huawei from participating in Australia’s development of its 5G mobile network. In July 2024, Australia joined the United States, Canada, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, and the UK in issuing a joint-advisory about a PRC-sponsored cyber group targeting government and private sector networks.

In 2025, Albanese pledged during his re-election campaign to bring the Darwin Port back under Australian ownership (it was leased to a PRC-based company for 99 years in 2015). Many Australians express concern that the arrangement carries national security risks for Australia. China’s ambassador to Australia has insinuated that a forced sale of the lease to an Australian company could result in investment and trade repercussions.
Considerations for Congress

U.S.-Australian bilateral relations continue to be a source of interest for some Members concerned with U.S.-Indo-Pacific defense and foreign policy goals. In the 119thCongress, Members may wish to consider several areas for Congressional oversight, legislation, or appropriations, such as progress towards AUKUS Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 objectives, the U.S.-Australia Critical Minerals Framework and supply chain resilience, and defense cooperation.

Congress also may weigh in on specific trade issues by setting trade priorities for the United States with Australia. For example, some Members of Congress have shared Trump Administration concerns over some trade barriers and reciprocity in trade relations, while others have sought to limit the President’s authority to impose tariffs on allies or free trade agreement partners.

About the author: Jared G. Tupuola, Analyst in Foreign Affairs

Source: This article was published by the Congressional Research Service (CRS)

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) works exclusively for the United States Congress, providing policy and legal analysis to committees and Members of both the House and Senate, regardless of party affiliation. As a legislative branch agency within the Library of Congress, CRS has been a valued and respected resource on Capitol Hill for nearly a century.

EV sales overtake petrol vehicles in EU for first time

The sale of EVs overtook petrol fuelled cars in the EU for the first time in 2025. / bne IntelliNews

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By bne IntelliNews March 30, 2026

Sales of EVs overtook standard petrol cars in the EU for the first time in December 2025, marking a milestone in the bloc’s transition to cleaner transport and reducing its reliance on oil imports, according to data published by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association.

Registrations of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) reached 217,898 in December, up 51% year-on-year, while petrol car sales fell 19% to 216,492, Carbon Brief reported on March 30, citing ACEA figures. The shifit to EVs is accelerating and will now only accelerate after the Gulf war is expected drive up petrol prices dramatically this year. Already sales of EV in Europe have increased significantly in just the last few weeks.

Across the full year, EVs accounted for 17.4% of EU car sales in 2025, up from 13.6% in 2024. A total of 1,880,370 BEVs cars were registered, with Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France together making up 62% of demand. ACEA described this as “still a level that leaves room for growth to stay on track with the transition”.

By contrast, registrations of petrol cars declined 18.7% over the year to 2,880,298 units, with France recording a 32% drop, followed by Germany, Italy and Spain. Petrol’s market share fell from 33.3% in December 2024 to 26.6% a year later.

Hybrid vehicles remained the largest segment of the EU market, with sales rising 5.8% year-on-year in December to 324,799 units. However, vehicles capable of drawing power from the grid — including BEVs and plug-in hybrids — expanded more rapidly, with plug-in hybrid sales increasing 36.7% during the month.

The figures come as the EU adjusts its regulatory framework for the automotive sector. A package released in December proposes shifting from a full ban on combustion-engine car sales by 2035 to a target of reducing tailpipe emissions by 90% from 2021 levels. The remaining 10% could be offset through low-carbon fuels and materials, allowing some combustion and hybrid technologies to remain in use.

Automakers have repeatedly pushed back against stricter emissions targets, citing competitive pressure from Chinese manufacturers and tariffs in the US. The head of Stellantis (STLAM.MI) in Europe recently claimed there was no “natural” demand for EVs.

Volkswagen (VOW.DE) retained the largest EU market share at 26.7% in December. Tesla (TSLA) saw its share fall to 2.2% from 3.5% a year earlier, while China’s BYD (1211.HK) increased its share to 1.9%.

China Pushes Electric Vehicles Toward the Five-Minute Charge Era

By Felicity Bradstock - Mar 29, 2026

• Chinese firms like BYD and CATL are developing chargers capable of delivering hundreds of miles of range in minutes.
• 
  
• New battery chemistries and vertically integrated manufacturing are enabling breakthroughs in charging speed and efficiency.
• 
  
• While promising, ultrafast charging still faces real-world testing challenges and infrastructure constraints.

Electric vehicle (EV) makers are racing to develop the fastest battery chargers to give them the competitive edge, with Chinese producers once again coming out on top. One of the biggest criticisms consumers have is the length of time it takes to charge EVs, compared to refuelling internal combustion engine (ICE) alternatives. This has led several EV-makers to invest heavily in research and development into charging technology over the last decade. Some EV producers now think they may have the solution - ultrafast chargers.

The race to develop the most effective ultrafast charger commenced in 2022, after the Chinese automaker XPeng launched its S4 ultrafast supercharging technology, which offered a five-minute charge that it said would provide 210 kms of range for its G9 SUV.

In March, China’s fastest-growing EV-maker, BYD, announced that its most recent Flash Chargers are capable of delivering up to 1.5 MW, or around four times the power being provided by the “hyper-fast” 350-kW systems available in the United States. Tests revealed that BYD batteries could charge from 10 percent to 70 percent in just five minutes, and from 10 percent to 97 percent in around nine minutes

This means that drivers may be able to gain up to 600 miles in not much longer than the time it takes to fill a petrol tank. BYD’s CEO, Wang Chuanfu, stated that limiting the charge to 97 percent is recommended, as the remaining 3 percent can be generated from regenerative braking.

BYD was able to achieve this feat by having a strong hold on the whole manufacturing process of its EVs, including vehicles, battery cells, and charging hardware. The firm switched from using lithium iron phosphate to lithium manganese iron phosphate technology, which increases energy density by around 5 percent while maintaining stability under heavy electrical loads. The firm needed to change every component of the batteries to achieve super-fast charging, including the electrodes, electrolytes, and separators, which are now capable of handling the intense current of a 1.5 MW charge without overheating or degrading.

The technology is expected to be launched in BYD’s Denza Z9GT in Paris in April. BYD plans to install over 16,000 of its new chargers across China by the end of the year and around 2,000 units in Europe. Each charging station will be fitted with stationary storage batteries to buffer grid demand and offset spikes that could otherwise overwhelm the infrastructure. While the technology had impressive results in the lab, it still needs to be used in a real-world environment to see whether the charger can hold up to BYD’s claims.

Other Chinese EV-makers are hot on the tail of BYD, having been developing their own super-fast charging technologies. Chinese automaker Zeekr showcased a fully liquid-cooled ultrafast charger, which it says is capable of providing up to 1.2MW per charging gun, in April last year. However, it is unclear whether the company has developed EVs that are compatible with the new charger.

China’s CATL has launched various battery technologies, including its second-generation Shenxing battery. The firm delivered the world’s first sodium-ion battery in 2021, which was promising, as sodium is both cheap and abundant. The new version is thought to deliver 1.3 MW of peak charging power, delivering around 2.5 km of range per second of charging.

Meanwhile, Huawei launched a 1.5 MW fast-charging system last April, which the company believes can charge a 300kWh battery in about 15 minutes, using two charging guns simultaneously. Huawei is expected to make its heavy-duty electric trucks compatible with the superfast chargers.

The United States is also racing to develop super-fast charging technology. While no U.S. company has yet achieved five-minute charging, several companies have driven down the price of batteries while making improvements to EV range. For example, GM launched a lithium manganese-rich (LMR) battery in 2025, which it produced in collaboration with LG Energy Solutions, to deploy in its vehicles starting in 2028. The low cost of some parts of the battery means that GM can reduce the price of its batteries without compromising performance or lifespan.

Meanwhile, other companies are exploring alternative charging methods to make them more competitive, such as wireless charging. The aim is to create a technology to charge a car when parked over a special pad. Studies have suggested that the technology is extremely attractive among consumers. Despite being in the nascent stage of development, wireless charging could become a reality in just a few years, given the necessary government backing and favourable regulatory frameworks.

As China races ahead in global EV manufacturing, several Chinese firms are rising to the challenge by continually breaking records for batteries and other EV technologies. All the while, companies like BYD are looking to drive down the cost of EVs, which is making them increasingly popular with consumers.

By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com

Huawei’s new AI chip finds favour with ByteDance, Alibaba which plan to place orders, Reuters sources say

ByReuters
March 27, 2026 

A customer carries his purchased Huawei product outside a Huawei store after he attended the Huawei new product launch conference in Beijing, on Sept. 25, 2023. 

(AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Customer testing of Huawei’s new AI chip, designed to challenge Nvidia in the China market, has gone well and big tech giants including ByteDance and Alibaba plan to place orders, two people familiar with the matter said.

The development marks a milestone for Huawei.

Despite a government campaign to encourage the use of domestic semiconductors, the Shenzhen-based firm struggled to persuade big tech firms in the private sector to adopt its current flagship chip, the Ascend 910C, in large quantities, industry sources have previously said.

This time around, tech firms intend to use the new 950PR more extensively, much happier now that the chip is more compatible with Nvidia’s CUDA software system and has better response speeds, said the two people and a third person with knowledge of those plans.

Huawei plans to ship around 750,000 950PRs this year, according to two of the people. They said samples were sent to customers in January, and that mass production should begin next month, setting the stage for fully fledged shipments to start in the second half of the year.


The sources were not authorized to speak to media and declined to be identified. Huawei, ByteDance, Alibaba 9988.HK did not reply to Reuters requests for comments.
Restrictions on Nvidia chips

A launch of the 950PR comes at a difficult time for Nvidia in China. Many of its artificial intelligence chips have been banned from sale in China by Washington on worries that the technology could boost the capabilities of the Chinese military.

The Trump administration last year greenlighted the sale of Nvidia’s H200 chips - more powerful than currently restricted products - albeit with a number of conditions that could limit amounts sold.

The H200 has also recently received approval from Chinese authorities, but it remains unclear when they will be allowed into the country.

Huawei mentioned its new chip last September when it outlined its long-term semiconductor plans for the first time and said it would be launching some of the world’s most powerful computing systems.

The 950PR, which uses traditional DDR memory, will be priced at around 50,000 yuan (US$6,900) per card, while a premium version with faster HBM memory will sell for around 70,000 yuan, the sources said.

Where previously Huawei had stuck to its proprietary CANN software system, the new chips will allow developers at Chinese tech firms, which have generally used Nvidia’s software system thus far, to migrate those models more easily.

The sources said that compared to the 910C, the chip only offers a small improvement in raw computing power, but it is designed to excel in handling inference workloads - the process of running trained AI models to answer queries or execute tasks.

Demand for AI inference computing in China is surging as the country’s tech sector shifts its focus from model development to real-world deployment, a trend turbocharged by the rapid adoption of open-source AI agent OpenClaw.

Reporting by Reuters staff; Editing by Miyoung Kim and Edwina Gibbs, Reuters

The China Constant: Western Media’s Pivot To Pragmatism – OpEd

March 15, 2026 0 Comments
By Jianlu Bi


As the 2026 “Two Sessions” in Beijing draw to a close, a subtle yet profound shift in the global information landscape has become undeniable. If 2025 was characterized by a “shock-and-awe” transition—where Western narratives moved from ideological dismissal to a grudging acceptance of economic reality—then 2026 marks the beginning of a “pragmatic era.” We have entered a phase where the West, led by its most influential media organs, is attempting to proactively manage China’s role as a “global stability constant.”

To understand the magnitude of this shift, we must reflect on the cognitive dissonance of the previous decade. In March 2025, my commentary in the South China Morning Post, titled “China’s economic successes are reshaping the Western media narrative,” captured a moment of seismic change. Through quantitative content analysis of ten major UK and US outlets, our research revealed that between 2019 and 2025, the proportion of negative coverage regarding China’s economy, technology, and environment plummeted from nearly 70% to approximately 40%.

At that time, Western newsrooms were reeling from a “failure of prediction.” The breakthrough of low-cost AI models like DeepSeek, Huawei’s resilience under extreme sanctions, and China’s 80% share of global solar capacity forced a reassessment. The “collapse narrative” that had been sold for decades became intellectually indefensible. By the spring of 2026, the narrative compass has shifted again, adopting a lexicon of systemic predictability, strategic re-calibration, and interdependent risk-hedging. This evolution is manifest across four critical dimensions.

First, it is the de-labeling of growth targets from stagnation to strategic calibration.

The 2026 Two Sessions set a GDP target of 4.5%–5.0% . Historically, this figure would have triggered alarmist headlines about a “slowing giant.” However, current discourse has pivoted toward “anti-involution” and structural quality. By setting a range rather than a fixed number, Beijing has signaled a tolerance for slower growth in exchange for ending wasteful price wars. Media coverage now highlights the productivity pivot in the 15th Five-Year Plan, analyzing the increase in R&D intensity, which is now mandated to grow by over 7% annually.

Bloomberg recently noted that China is focusing on “institutional dividends” and “new quality productive forces” to move past the era of scale. This sentiment is echoed by the South China Morning Post, which reported on President Xi’s call for provincial powerhouses to “lead on tech” during the sessions. The narrative has fundamentally shifted from “How much is China growing?” to “How is China’s growth being re-engineered?”

Second, it is the normalization of technological anxiety. In early 2025, the West was reeling from the “DeepSeek Shock.” By March 2026, Western media are no longer debating whether China can innovate; they are documenting its role as a global standard-setter. A seminal piece in the Diplomat titled “China’s 5-Year Plan Has Moved Beyond the Chip War” captures this perfectly, arguing that Beijing has successfully pivoted to “embodied AI” and quantum computing—priorities that the 15th Five-Year Plan projects will drive digital industries to 12.5% of GDP.

Recent features in Reuters and other media outlets have shifted their gaze toward China’s humanoid robotics cluster in the Yangtze River Delta. These reports acknowledge that China’s more than 150 robotics firms and substantial investment fund have made Chinese robotic architecture an inescapable reality for global industry. The central question in Western editorials has evolved from “Can they innovate?” to “Can we afford to be excluded from their technical ecosystem?”

Third, it is the cooling of diplomatic rhetoric. The aggressive “Counter and Punish” rhetoric of 2025 has been replaced by a vocabulary of “strategic risk management.” A key example is the media’s treatment of the high-level diplomatic signals emerging this spring. The Associated Press observed that China is positioning itself as a “force for global stability,” signaling a hope for 2026 to be a “landmark year” for its relationship with the US.

This new pragmatism is reflected in reports about high-level engagement. The Financial Times noted that Beijing is signaling openness to a “Trump visit”, while CNBC emphasizes that “thorough preparations” are being made for potential top-level meetings and that Beijing is framing itself as an “anchor of stability” in a world of electoral volatility. By framing China as an “indispensable interlocutor” in managing the global financial architecture and AI safety, Western outlets are preparing their audiences for a “grand re-alignment” rather than a “grand collision.”

Perhaps the most dramatic shift is the moral realignment of the green narrative. The West once decried Chinese “overcapacity” in EVs. By now, the tone shifted to “supply chain necessity.” Media outlets have acknowledged that Western net-zero targets are “mathematically impossible” without Chinese midstream processing.

The “overcapacity” argument has been replaced by an “energy security” narrative. China’s commitment in the 15th Five-Year Plan to stabilize oil output at 200 million tonnes while aggressively scaling “new-type energy systems” has positioned the country as an essential anchor in the global transition. The moral high ground is no longer held by those who block Chinese tech, but by those who can most effectively integrate it to prevent climate collapse.

The emotional baseline of 2026 reporting reflects a market-driven surrender to reality. Last year, I observed that China’s long-term strategic stability stood in contrast to Western volatility. This has been vindicated by the way Western media covered the launch of the 15th Five-Year Plan. While Western markets grappled with electoral uncertainty and fluctuating interest rates, the Two Sessions provided a “predictability premium” that even the most skeptical Western analysts had to acknowledge.

This is not a “pro-China” bias; it is “certainty-seeking” in an age of global chaos. The 2026 narrative tells us that China has moved beyond the need for Western validation. It is now rewriting the global definition of success by virtue of its sheer systemic weight. When China’s 5G base stations exceed 4.19 million, and its solid-state battery breakthroughs begin powering European transit fleets, the narrative must eventually follow the fact. Western media are in the final stages of a long psychological adjustment: they have stopped looking for the “next China” and are finally learning how to live with the actual China—a rival, an engine, and an inescapable global anchor.


Jianlu Bi

Jianlu Bi is a Beijing-based award-winning journalist and current affairs commentator.

His research interests include international politics and communications. He holds a doctoral degree in communication studies and a master's degree in international studies. He also writes for the SCMP, Foreign Policy In Focus, TRT World, IOL, the Citizen and others.

Aluminum price surge propels Chinese tycoon to $48 billion fortune

STATE CAPITALI$M IS STILL CAPITALI$M

Bloomberg News | March 10, 2026 | 

Credit: China Hongqiao | LinkedIn

When Zhang Bo took over his father’s industrial empire in 2019, it was already a sprawling industrial giant and one of the world’s biggest producers of aluminum.

Since then, the stock of his China Hongqiao Group has risen 585%, quietly turning Zhang into Asia’s richest metals tycoon with a fortune of about $48 billion.

Zhang, the world’s largest private producer of the metal, has a grip on low-cost output at a critical moment for global demand. He’s a supplier to China’s biggest tech firms like Huawei Technologies Co., Xiaomi Corp., and BYD Co. Aluminum has spiked more than 25% in the past year, fueled by demand from new energy vehicles to solar panels and wind turbines, while geopolitical shocks like the war in Iran have added to volatility. The metal rose to the highest in almost four years on Monday.

The widening Middle East conflict has disrupted local smelters, which account for 9% of global primary aluminum supply. An effective halt on shipments via the Strait of Hormuz, off Iran’s coast, has also choked shipments of the metal. That positions Chinese aluminum producers like Zhang’s to plug emerging supply gaps if global output slows.

“Their influence and personal wealth expanded because the industrial platform they built reached a scale where the market could no longer ignore it,” Harry Yu, senior partner at family office advisory Fung, Yu & Co said of the Zhang clan. “Families like this tend to stay low-profile because their power sits in production systems and supply chains, not in branding.”

Chinese aluminum smelters in the past years have grappled with access to bauxite, the ore used to produce aluminum, as political instability in Guinea and export restrictions in Indonesia disrupted shipments. Jakarta’s drive to keep more processing at home further tightened global supply. Zhang and his father, however, had moved ahead of peers to lock in upstream resources.

Hongqiao began developing bauxite mines in Guinea, the largest mining country for the raw material, around 2014. That’s given better access to bauxite than rivals, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Michelle Leung said. Securing upstream resources in the early days has contributed to earnings growth, she said.

The company is now one of the lowest-cost producers globally through power plants in China, bauxite mines in Guinea and alumina plants in Indonesia.

Since he controls a significant share of primary aluminum output – which totaled nearly 73 million tons globally in 2024 – Zhang Bo’s decisions affect global supply and price expectations. Hongqiao’s share placements and refinancing are also closely watched by investors, affecting sentiment for aluminum equities across the region.

In the last year alone, his family’s wealth has gained 110%, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, placing the clan among the wealthiest in Asia as of 2025. Zhang declined to comment.

Zhang Xuexin, the patriarch of rival firm Xinfa Group, is worth more than $35 billion.

Since taking over the helm from his father, Zhang Bo has helmed a major pivot by relocating a chunk of aluminum capacity to China’s mountainous Yunnan province to tap cheap green hydropower and align himself with China’s broader energy transition. He later expanded into high-end aluminum products used in electric vehicles as demand from traditional sectors such as property, construction waned.

Still the company is highly exposed to aluminum price volatility, while weaker-than-expected economic growth in major economies amid escalated trade and geopolitical tensions poses major downside risk to demand for the most widely used industrial metal.

Early days

The family’s history in aluminum goes back to 1994, when his father, Zhang Shiping, founded Weiqiao Textile Co. By the early 2000s, the elder Zhang began using excess energy from his textile plants to fuel a venture in aluminum.

The Chinese aluminum industry expanded rapidly in the late 1990s as the country moved toward a more market-oriented economy. While state-owned giants remained dominant, as they did in strategically important sectors such as oil and steel, aluminum’s economics hinged less on political control and more on access to cheap electricity. Hongqiao capitalized on that dynamic by building its own captive power plants, allowing it to scale rapidly and maintain some of the industry’s lowest production costs.

By 2017, the company had overtaken global titans like Russia’s Rusal and China’s state-owned Chalco to become the world’s largest producer. Chalco has since grown bigger in terms of aluminum production, closely followed by its privately-owned rival.

Microsoft urges Pentagon pause blacklisting Anthropic


By AFP
March 10, 2026


Microsoft argued in an amicus brief that blacklisting Anthropic was an unprecendented response to a contract dispute that portended ill for the technology sector as well as the US military - Copyright AFP/File RONNY HARTMANN

Microsoft on Tuesday warned a judge that the Pentagon blacklisting of Anthropic could hamper US warfighters and imperil the country’s drive to lead in artificial intelligence.

In a brief, Microsoft backed Anthropic’s request for an order stopping the Pentagon from implementing its ban on the use of Anthropic AI until the matter is settled in court.

Anthropic filed suit this week against the Trump administration, alleging the US government retaliated against the company for refusing to let its Claude AI model be used for autonomous lethal warfare and mass surveillance of Americans.

In the complaint, filed in federal court in San Francisco, Anthropic seeks to have its designation as a national security supply-chain risk declared unlawful and blocked.

Anthropic is the first US company ever to have been publicly punished with such a designation, a label typically reserved for organizations from foreign adversary countries, such as Chinese tech giant Huawei.

The label not only blocks use of the company’s technology by the Pentagon, but also requires all defense vendors and contractors to certify that they do not use Anthropic’s models in their work with the department.



– AI overhaul –



Microsoft argued in an amicus brief that blacklisting Anthropic was an unprecendented response to a contract dispute that portended ill for the technology sector as well as the US military.

“This is not the time to put at risk the very AI ecosystem that the administration has helped to champion,” Microsoft said in the brief.

A temporary restraining order would allow time to avoid disrupting the American military’s ongoing use of advanced AI, Microsoft argued.

“Otherwise, Microsoft and other technology companies must act immediately to alter existing product and contract configurations used by Department of War.”

“This could potentially hamper US warfighters at a critical point in time.”

The row erupted days before the US military strike on Iran.

Anthropic’s Claude is the Pentagon’s most widely-deployed frontier AI model and the only such model currently operating on its classified systems.

Anthropic had infuriated Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth by insisting the technology should not be used for mass surveillance or fully autonomous weapons systems.

President Donald Trump subsequently ordered every federal agency to cease all use of Anthropic’s technology.

“AI should not be used to conduct domestic mass surveillance or put the country in a position where autonomous machines could independently start a war,” Microsoft said in the filing.

More than three dozen AI industry insiders from OpenAI and Google, including Google chief scientist Jeff Dean, argued in support of Anthropic in an amicus brief filed with the court on Monday.

In its lawsuit, Anthropic said it was founded on the belief that its AI should be “used in a way that maximizes positive outcomes for humanity” and should “be the safest and the most responsible.”

“Anthropic brings this suit because the federal government has retaliated against it for expressing that principle,” the lawsuit says.

Trump's Claude ban: The first salvo battle over who controls AI

Issued on 09/03/2026 - FRANCE24

PLAY 06:43 min

A struggle to control artificial intelligence is playing out just as the United States increasingly deploys the technology in conflicts from Venezuela to Iran.

In its interventions in Venezuela and Iran, the United States military has reportedly used Anthropic's Claude chatbot to analyse battlefield data. At the same time, a monumental argument has broken out over the future capabilities of the game-changing technology.

Donald Trump's administration has ripped up its partnership with Anthropic and banned defence contractors from using Claude, after Anthropic insisted it should not be used for fully autonomous weapons or for mass surveillance of US citizens. These are not current uses, but the Pentagon notably sees ruling them out as an obstacle to keeping up with China.

For Samuel Hammond, Chief Economist at the Foundation for American Innovation, the ban is counterproductive.

"Designating Anthropic a supply chain risk is usually reserved for adversaries," he said, "for Chinese companies seeking to attack our systems".

It's the first time such a sanction has ever been applied to an American company. And now, the Trump administration has drafted strict rules for AI companies to obey in future government contracts, according to the Financial Times.

Hammond argues that Anthropic's market success contradicts the depiction of the company as radical "leftwing nut jobs" by President Trump.

"There's misinformation going on within the Department of Defense, within elements of the White House that believe Anthropic is a very left-wing company with extreme views," said Hammond, "When, in fact, they are currently the number one download on the App Store."

Anthropic has threatened to sue the Pentagon, while also trying to contain the fallout and defend its values.

When asked whether right-wing libertarian think tanks such as his had helped boost support for Trump, paving the way for him to wield power in this way, Hammond said, "This feels like a betrayal, both of their stated mission [in AI policy] and of broad libertarian values. It's not a libertarian value to seek to destroy a particular company."

"Who is the ultimate arbiter of how these tools are used? ... This is a longer-term process that we're going to have to work out through the democratic process."

Watch this week's Tech 24 for more on what happens when a power-hungry government is confronted with the possibility that someone else might want to call the shots on the most useful and promising technology of the age.

BY: Peter O'Brien

Anthropic takes Trump administration to court over Pentagon row

By AFP
March 9, 2026


The Pentagon took the unprcedented action of blacklisting Anthropic over its refusal to give unlimited control of its AI technology - Copyright AFP Brendan SMIALOWSKI

Anthropic filed suit Monday against the Trump administration, alleging the US government retaliated against the AI company for refusing to let its Claude AI model be used for autonomous lethal warfare and mass surveillance of Americans.

In the 48-page complaint, filed in federal court in San Francisco, Anthropic seeks to have its designation as a national security supply-chain risk declared unlawful and blocked.

In its lawsuit, Anthropic said it was founded on the belief that its AI should be “used in a way that maximizes positive outcomes for humanity” and should “be the safest and the most responsible.”

“Anthropic brings this suit because the federal government has retaliated against it for expressing that principle,” the lawsuit says.

Anthropic is the first US company ever to have been publicly punished with such a designation, a label typically reserved for organizations from foreign adversary countries, such as Chinese tech giant Huawei.

The label not only blocks use of the company’s technology by the Pentagon, but also requires all defense vendors and contractors to certify that they do not use Anthropic’s models in their work with the department.

“The consequences of this case are enormous,” the lawsuit states, with the government “seeking to destroy the economic value created by one of the world’s fastest-growing private companies.”

The suit names more than a dozen federal agencies and cabinet officials as defendants.

The dispute erupted after Anthropic infuriated Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth by insisting its technology should not be used for mass surveillance or fully autonomous weapons systems.

President Donald Trump subsequently ordered every federal agency to cease all use of Anthropic’s technology.

Hours later, Hegseth designated Anthropic a “Supply-Chain Risk to National Security” and ordered that no military contractor, supplier or partner “may conduct any commercial activity with Anthropic,” while allowing a six-month transition period for the Pentagon itself.

The row erupted days before the US military strike on Iran. Claude is the Pentagon’s most widely deployed frontier AI model and the only such model currently operating on the Defense Department’s classified systems.

In its lawsuit, Anthropic argues the actions taken against it violate the First Amendment by punishing the company for protected speech on AI safety policy, exceed the Pentagon’s statutory authority, and deprive it of due process under the Fifth Amendment.

“The Constitution does not allow the government to wield its enormous power to punish a company for its protected speech,” the complaint states.

Founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, both former staffers at ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, Anthropic has positioned itself as a safety-focused alternative in the AI race.

Trump admin sued as company claims 'extreme punishment' for defying president

Alexander Willis
March 9, 2026

RAW STORY

U.S. President Donald Trump, with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at his side, looks on as he speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One on a flight from Dover, Delaware, to Miami, Florida, U.S., March 7, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

The Trump administration was hit with a major lawsuit on Monday by AI developer Anthropic after it enacted an “extreme punishment” on the company over its refusal to allow its AI system to be used for mass surveillance and autonomous weapons, NBC News reported.

“This is a necessary step to protect our business, our customers, and our partners,” an Anthropic spokesperson told NBC News. “We will continue to pursue every path toward resolution, including dialogue with the government.”

Last month, Axios reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was getting “close” to cutting ties with Anthropic and classifying the company as a supply chain risk, a classification that would bar any business working with the federal government from maintaining ties with Anthropic.

The issue, Axios reported, was Anthropic's insistence that its AI technology wasn’t “used to spy on Americans en masse, or to develop weapons that fire with no human involvement.”

That insistence was apparently too much for the Trump administration, which ultimately cut ties with the company earlier this month and made good on its pledge to classify the company as a supply chain risk.

Now, Anthropic is hitting back with a lawsuit over what it described as the Trump administration’s “unlawful campaign of retaliation.”
The lawsuit, filed in California, accuses the Trump administration of violating its First Amendment rights, Politico reported, and of acting unlawfully in designating it as a supply chain risk.