Day: August 7, 2025

Advertisement US President Donald Trump announced the duties on semiconductors and chips on Wednesday, saying that only companies that were “building in the United States” were exempt. It is unclear just how much of a US manufacturing presence companies would need to have to qualify for tariff exemptions or reductions, or whether the policy will differentiate between the more advanced AI chips and legacy semiconductors. Advertisement With the region already struggling to absorb other tariffs imposed as part of Trump’s “America first” policy, the latest US duties – as well…

Chinese carmakers have refrained from offering steep discounts to align with Beijing’s efforts to protect a vital industry, but an end to the prolonged price war remains elusive, as the sector grapples with overcapacity and weak consumer demand for high-ticket items. Advertisement The average discount offered by mainland Chinese electric vehicle (EV) and petrol car manufacturers fell to 16.7 per cent last month from an unprecedented 17.4 per cent in June, according to a recent JPMorgan report. “This is encouraging, as intense competition – especially after the Shanghai Auto Show…

Advertisement According to a research note published by CLSA, the potential impact of the proposed US tariffs on imported chips – the details of which are expected as soon as next week – would be small for SMIC and Hua Hong Semiconductor. The two Shanghai-based firms could also benefit from possible countermeasures that China and other countries could pursue, according to CLSA, without elaborating. SMIC’s Hong Kong-listed shares closed up nearly 1 per cent on Thursday to HK$53, while Hua Hong’s stock rose 2.52 per cent to HK$44.78. On Wednesday…

Rare earths are needed for everything from consumer electronics to electric vehicles, wind turbines and fighter jets – and China controls the supply chain. In the last of a four-part series, we look at how countries are looking for alternatives that could help reduce their reliance on China. Advertisement Seventy years ago, the US was the world’s leading producer of rare earth magnets. But by the start of this century, the country’s last producers of the most powerful commercial magnets were being sold off, locking in Beijing’s dominance over this…

China has completed a critical landing and take-off test of its crewed lunar lander, moving a step closer to putting astronauts on the moon before 2030. Advertisement A prototype of the four-legged Lanyue (“embrace the moon”) lander – designed to ferry two astronauts between lunar orbit and the surface – underwent a comprehensive trial on Wednesday in Huailai County, in north China’s Hebei province, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced on Thursday. Using giant tether towers to mimic lunar gravity and a cratered field to simulate the moon’s rugged…