China
Asia’s EV race speeds up as China’s champions challenge Tesla
As of mid-2026, China remains the centre of gravity in the EV world.
Malaysia enforces under-16 social media ban
Moving to curb digital harms, the federal government, on June 1, officially began enforcing a blanket prohibition barring children under the age of 16 from creating or operating independent social media accounts.
Battery bottleneck threatens India’s renewable energy ambitions
In part in order to reduce its heavy reliance on imported energy, India has an ambitious plan in place - a renewable energy capacity of 500GW by 2030.
Philippine rooftop solar boom makes country China’s second-largest export market in 2026
The Philippines has emerged as China’s second-largest export market for solar panels so far in 2026, driven by a rapid expansion of rooftop installations as households and businesses seek relief from some of the highest electricity prices in Asia.
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COMMENT: A new world of asymmetrical diplomacy
The world has changed in a very fundamental way. For most of the last century the world has been run on the lines of Great Power Geopolitics: them and us; the enlightened and the barbaric; the rich and the poor.
The magnet wars and how China still holds the keys to electric mobility
While Western carmakers rush to roll out new electric models, their production lines remain tethered to an extraction and refining network dominated by a single superpower - China.
Hegseth praises US-China stability but warns over Beijing’s military build-up
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said relations between Washington and Beijing are “better than they have been in many years” under President Donald Trump, but warned of China’s rapid military expansion.
China pledges base commodity support to Cambodia amid supply pressures
China has pledged supplies of oil, gas and agricultural fertiliser to Cambodia as the country faces rising energy and input costs that are weighing on farmers, rural households and small businesses.
BERTRAND: Thucydides trap is not real, but threat of WWIII is
I actually suspect that no-one seriously believes in the existence of the "Thucydides trap": not the Chinese, not the West, and probably not even Graham Allison, the author of the concept (he's too smart for this).
China’s economic growth leaves Japan in the dust.
Thirty years ago in its heyday Japan’s economy was bigger than the whole of Asia combined. Today it is the size of just three Chinese coastal regions.
India's depreciating currency a symptom of structural problems for New Delhi
The Indian rupee lost nearly 11% of its value against the US dollar y/y between May 2025 and May 2026, a slide that makes it the worst performing currency in the world against the greenback.
Asia’s coal comeback complicates energy transition across region
Taiwan has struggled to secure LNG supplies through May and finalised contracts covering roughly half of June demand, but additional procurement costs are expected to reach into the billions of US dollars to complete.
Toyota Middle East exports nosedive
Toyota Motor (TYO: 7203) said on May 28 that exports from Japan to the Middle East plunged 91.7% in April from a year earlier to 2,418 vehicles, as conflict in the region disrupted demand.
Serbia secures nearly €1bn in new Chinese investments
Deals signed with Chinese automotive and industrial firms including Minth Group, Shanghai Automotive Chassis, BMTS Technology and Xingyu Automotive Lighting Systems.
Serbia pitches itself as European hub for Chinese investment
President Aleksandar Vucic met executives from major Chinese companies, seeking to promote Serbia as a European hub for Chinese investment in energy and advanced manufacturing.
US suspends Taiwan’s $14bn weapons deal as Trump buckles under Beijing pressure
The Trump administration has paused US arms sales to Taiwan after China’s president Xi Jinping threatened to go to war over the issue at a meeting in Beijing a week ago.
India as a rising pharmaceutical power
India’s ace in the hole is mainly generic drug manufacturing, a sub-sector of pharmaceutical manufacturing where it holds over 20% of the market by volume. This translates into manufacturing for over 60,000 brands in 60 distinct categories.
Xi awards Serbia’s Vucic top honour during Beijing visit
Chinese President Xi Jinping says visit by Aleksandar Vucic will “open a new chapter” in relations with Serbia.
Tau Scaling Law: China on course for 1.4nm microchip breakthrough
China’s tech holding Huawei is rewriting the rules of chip design. A new scaling law unveiled in Shanghai this week proposes replacing half a century of semiconductor orthodoxy with a fundamentally different approach.
Over 80 killed in China coal mine gas explosion
More than 80 people have been killed and two remain missing after a gas explosion at a coal mine in central China, officials said, in the country’s deadliest mining disaster since 2009.