The 8th China Grain Trade Conference concluded in Changsha, Hunan province, on May 7, with total transactions and intended contracts for 29.2 million tonnes of grain and oil products and 2,111 units of grain machinery, valued at RMB 87.871 billion. The event also saw the signing of 49 strategic cooperation agreements across provincial, government-enterprise, enterprise, consumption assistance, and talent cooperation categories.
Microsoft is developing a new battery monitoring feature for Windows 11, as indicated by code in the latest test build. The upcoming battery widget will appear on the lock screen and in the native widgets panel, showing power levels for the PC and connected Bluetooth peripherals such as mice, keyboards, styluses, and earbuds. It follows Fluent design, supports dark and light modes, and offers multiple card sizes.
On September 7, China Mobile Cloud unveiled AutoLab for Quantum, an AI agent offering one-stop research services for universities and research teams. Users describe experiments in natural language, and the agent autonomously handles quantum circuit construction, noisy simulation, variational algorithms like VQE and QAOA, Grover search, quantum neural network training, pulse-level simulation, and paper retrieval with experiment reproduction.
China Northern Rare Earth (Group) High-Tech Co. , Ltd. and Tsinghua University have jointly established a research center for new rare earth technologies. The center will focus on developing new rare earth materials, bio-separation of high-purity rare earths, and efficient comprehensive utilization of rare earth resources.
China has released a draft revision of the Insurance Law for public comment, the first major overhaul in 11 years. The draft strengthens penetrating supervision of shareholders, enhances prudential regulation, improves risk disposal mechanisms, and broadens insurer investment categories to include equities, asset management products, and commodities. It also raises maximum fines to ten times illegal gains. Data show insurers' investment balances reached RMB 40.82 trillion in Q2 2026, with top five listed insurers posting a 74.57% year-on-year rise in investment income.
In the second quarter of 2026, Samsung Electronics captured 39.4% of the global DRAM market by revenue, up from 38.5% in the prior quarter, with revenue rising 63.4% quarter-on-quarter to $60.98 billion. SK Hynix followed with a 24.9% share, down from 28.8%, while Micron held 23.3%, up from 22.4%. Total global DRAM revenue reached $154.73 billion, a 59.5% sequential increase.
Zhangyuan Tungsten has released its long-term purchase prices for the first half of September 2026. The company priced 55% black tungsten concentrate at RMB 413,000 per metric tonne unit, 55% white tungsten concentrate at RMB 412,000 per metric tonne unit, and ammonium paratungstate (national standard grade zero) at RMB 600,000 per tonne. All prices include 13% value-added tax.
Hainan Rubber is the largest natural rubber producer in China by domestic output, according to the company's profile. The state-backed firm operates extensive plantations on Hainan Island and plays a central role in the country's natural rubber supply chain. Its production scale underscores its strategic importance in an industry where China relies heavily on imports to meet domestic demand.
A short hands-on video circulating online appears to reveal new color options for Apple's upcoming iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. The video shows a deep cherry finish on the Pro Max and a dark blue on the Pro, both differing from previous models. Apple has not confirmed the colors or announced a launch date.
China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the 15th Five-Year Plan for the information and communications industry, aiming to enhance low-orbit satellite internet capabilities. The plan targets global satellite broadband coverage, with single-satellite capacity exceeding 100 Gbps, and supports inter-satellite links and on-board processing for high-speed services.
China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has issued the 15th Five-Year Plan for the information and communication industry, outlining steps to scale up innovative technologies. The plan calls for orderly promotion of eSIM and offline communications applications, new business filings, domestic networking rules for satellite internet devices, field trials for next-generation mobile terminals, and enhanced regulatory capabilities for terminal-based intelligent agents.
China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has issued the 15th Five-Year Plan for the information and communication technology industry, aiming to accelerate the construction of a national integrated computing network. The plan outlines a multi-tier computing infrastructure, the deployment of 10,000-card and larger AI computing clusters, and efforts to boost domestic computing chip adoption.
China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has issued the 15th Five-Year Plan for the information and communication industry, proposing to launch 6G commercial services at an appropriate time and to actively pilot 10-gigabit optical networks, gradually expanding coverage.
The Securities Association of China is surveying brokerages on commission practices, including pricing, complaints, and fee disclosure, to inform potential policy changes. The review covers issues such as new-client discounts versus higher rates for existing clients, opaque disclosure on trading terminals, and mixed use of gross and net commission metrics. The association is also soliciting opinions on setting a floor for commission rates, publishing average industry fees, and strengthening enforcement against predatory pricing.
A Chinese poultry company reported a small loss of about RMB 100 million in its chicken farming segment, hit by sluggish prices for Chinese yellow-feather broilers. Since August, prices have recovered quickly on stronger seasonal demand, recently reaching about RMB 6.9 per jin.
A new 3D Mario game is reportedly planned for release in 2027, making it the first 3D Mario title for the Switch 2 generation and the first since Super Mario Odyssey in 2017. Nintendo has not confirmed the report, and details such as the game's name, developer, and release date remain undisclosed.
At the Lujiazui Financial Salon on September 5, Ye Zhengxiang, general manager of the corporate banking department at Bank of Shanghai, said that banks themselves are also carbon emitters and must pursue carbon neutrality in their own operations. His remarks highlight the sector's dual role in financing the green transition while managing its own environmental footprint.
As 2026 interim reporting concludes, nonferrous metals companies have posted strong profit growth and announced sharply higher interim dividends. Zijin Mining declared an RMB 11.1 billion interim payout, exceeding its full-year 2025 dividend. Chalco, Xiamen Tungsten, and Yunnan Aluminium each more than doubled their interim distributions year on year.
China has tightened regulations on solar product manufacturing to address overcapacity and stabilize prices. New standards cover energy consumption, module efficiency, labeling, safety, and quality traceability. Inspections across the value chain are scheduled for the second half of 2026, with a unified cost accounting guideline planned to strengthen price oversight.
China's integrated circuit exports totaled $216 billion in the first seven months of 2026, up 99.5% year-on-year and surpassing the full-year 2025 total of $201.9 billion. July production reached 53 billion units, or about 1.7 billion chips per day. The global artificial intelligence boom has lifted storage chip demand and prices, making storage the primary export growth driver. China's mature process capacity of 28 nanometers and above accounts for nearly 30% of global supply, while 70% of global chip demand lies in mature processes. High-end chips remain constrained by foreign technology restrictions.
In the first half of 2026, major listed Chinese banks reported broadly stable asset quality. ICBC's NPL ratio fell to 1.29%, while Postal Savings Bank of China held at 1% but saw its watch-list loan ratio rise to 1.73%. Agricultural Bank of China, Bank of China, and China Construction Bank all posted slight declines in NPL ratios, with provision coverage ratios remaining robust.
Chinese consumers have complained about arbitrary food delivery packaging fees, with cases such as 7 yuan charged for seven steamed buns and 4.7 yuan for a single plastic bag. As no unified standard exists, merchants set prices independently, sometimes shifting operating costs to customers. Platforms have been urged to refine their rules.
Puyi Standard released its Q2 2026 ranking of commercial banks' wealth management distribution capabilities. Chongqing Rural Commercial Bank led rural commercial banks with nearly RMB 100 billion in distributed wealth management products, followed by Shanghai Rural Commercial Bank and Hangzhou United Rural Commercial Bank. The report also highlighted strong risk control in product selection among rural commercial banks.
In August 2026, BYD sold over 440,000 vehicles, a record high, with overseas sales surpassing 180,000 units. Leapmotor delivered 103,129 vehicles globally, up 80.7% year on year; Harmony Intelligent Mobility delivered 42,101 units, with cumulative deliveries up 10.8% year on year; Zeekr delivered 36,981 vehicles, up 109.8%. The monthly passenger vehicle sales ranking has not yet been released.
Haida Group said overseas feed sales volume growth will exceed 25% in the first half of 2026, even as record-high fishmeal prices raise cost pressure on feed makers in key aquaculture regions such as Southeast Asia and Latin America. The company cited sharply higher raw material costs as a short-term burden for overseas feed producers.
Haid Group said Peru, the world's largest fishmeal supplier, has sharply reduced its 2026 fishing quota due to El Niño and a high proportion of juvenile fish, tightening supply and driving prices up significantly. The company noted that subsequent fishing progress will influence price trends.
The 2026 Taiyuan Energy Low-Carbon Development Forum released the Global New Energy Enterprise Competitiveness Research Report, showing the top 500 global new energy firms' total revenue surpassed RMB 10 trillion for the first time, reaching RMB 10.59 trillion, up 10.89% year-on-year. Chinese companies accounted for 260 of the 500, with total revenue of RMB 5.49 trillion, up 5.51%. Developed-country firms contributed 58.65% of the revenue increase, while diversified industry revenue share exceeded half for the first time at 50.61%.
Microsoft is shifting Windows 11 app development away from web-based frameworks toward native code, using AI-assisted tools to accelerate the process. The company reports that native apps rebuilt this way launch four to six times faster and cut runtime memory usage by over 60%. Teams, Outlook, and several preinstalled tools are slated for transition.
Chinese authorities are conducting a comprehensive review of existing and planned energy storage capacity amid rising oversupply risks, and have temporarily suspended approvals for new capacity projects. Projects still in the planning stage and not yet under construction will face delays, while those already registered and underway remain unaffected. Battery cells are a key focus of the review.
SEMI reported that global semiconductor equipment shipments reached $40.53 billion in the second quarter of 2026, up 23% year over year and 11% quarter over quarter. The figures, drawn from SEMI's Worldwide Semiconductor Equipment Market Report, reflect continued expansion in the sector amid robust demand for chipmaking tools.