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Industrials

Industrials
News about the global industrials sector with a focus on developments in the heavy industries of mainland China.
Nio workers inspect a vehicle chassis on an automated production line in Hefei, China, on January 17. Photo: Getty Images
China economy

Macroscope | How China’s overlooked financial system enabled its industrial success

China’s industrial policy could not have succeeded without a financial system harnessed in the service of balanced growth.

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US-China trade war

‘Trade shocks’ force China’s firms to invest more efficiently: researchers

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Robotics

Self-driving mining trucks offer a glimpse of China’s hi-tech future

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US-China trade war

China’s industrial profits grow in April despite US trade war

The positive trend aligns with Beijing’s recent data for industrial output and increased exports, but analysts warn uncertainties lie ahead.

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Laborers work on an assembly line in the AVATR EV factory in Chongqing, China. Photo: EPA-EFE
US-China trade war

Open Questions | As unswerving superpowers meet unsustainable tariffs, Yao Yang breaks down the paradox

From the US-China trade war to China’s economic outlook for the months ahead, the economist and academic – known for his hot takes – talks policy and strategy.

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IPO

Exclusive | Heavy equipment maker Sany to expand overseas after Hong Kong IPO

Aiming to raise up to US$1.5 billion in its proposed listing, company eyes lucrative overseas sales amid weak demand at home.

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United States

Opinion | What Trump should do instead to make US manufacturing great again

Instead of competing with China in shipping, rare earths or EVs, the president should target leading-edge industries like aerospace and quantum computing.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Northern Metropolis

Opinion | Why decision on a Northern Metropolis authority can’t be rushed

It all hinges on execution. Detailed public consultations will ensure any such authority serves both economic and society’s needs.

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Corruption in China

How did China’s top weapons brains become targets of its anti-corruption push?

Acceleration of defence sector’s anti-corruption drive may be linked to the downfall of former defence minister Li Shangfu, analysts say.

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China technology

From ‘robot school’ to DeepSeek, how China leads the charge for tech supremacy

DeepSeek, a half-marathon of running robots, and ‘sexbot’ advancements are just the tip of the iceberg as China goes all-in on innovation that will reshape local economies.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
United States

Opinion | How the US can challenge China’s dominance over critical minerals

To secure critical minerals, cut dependence on China and boost growth, Trump might cut red tape, spur investment and push collaborations.

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President Donald Trump watches the action during the second half of the Army-Navy game at Lincoln Financial Field on December 14, 2019, in Philadelphia. Photo: USA Today
China trade

Make Chinese cars in Russia, industry group urges manufacturers as costs mount

‘In a few years, imported cars will become a rarity’ in Russia, says chairman of Russia-Asia Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs.

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China education

Chinese universities alter course to meet country’s need for hi-tech workforce

President Xi Jinping leads the call for more trained-up professionals in AI, circuitry, quantum tech, cybersecurity and other hi-tech areas.

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Asean

The View | Chinese investment won’t cure the cancer plaguing Malaysia’s economy

Malaysia’s woes stem from corruption and weak governance, linked to race-based privileges. Outsiders are not in a position to remedy this.

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Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia as seen on July 3. Post-Covid, Malaysia’s planners see Chinese investments as key to spurring the economy. Photo: Bloomberg
US-China relations

Opinion | US needs a techno-industrial plan to beat China’s factories of the future

China’s shift towards advanced industries will give it such economic and strategic advantages that an equally powerful US response is necessary.

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US President Joe Biden speaks on Bidenomics at the Flex facility in West Columbia, South Carolina, US, on July 6, 2023. If the Chinese strategy succeeds, US companies in advanced industries will be wiped out, leaving the US increasingly dependent on China for critical goods. Photo: Bloomberg
China jobs

More than half of China’s top companies downsized last year. What now?

A Post review of 23 annual reports from leading Chinese firms found that more than half downsized last year, while others slashed staff-related expenses.

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China trade

China vows new-energy regulations to optimise industry, refutes ‘overcapacity’

Beijing will help guide the green sector that has come under increasing fire from the West, and the threshold for market entry will be raised with higher standards.

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China manufacturing

China’s EV overcapacity may set it on a political collision course with the US

Fresh US tariffs targeting China’s new-energy sector are imminent, threatening to thwart export efforts aimed at alleviating a market oversupply.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Business of climate change

Emissions reduction of 10% in reach for China steel sector next year

‘Modest adjustments’ to plans for use of electric arc furnaces versus coal-fired furnaces would accelerate emissions cuts, US think tank Global Energy Monitor says.

China economy

Opinion | China’s plan for ‘new productive forces’ should make the West sit up

It’s the successor to the grossly underestimated “Made in China 2025” strategy, which spawned China’s dominance in electric cars, green tech and other high-end industries.

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China manufacturing

China urged to be stern in shipbuilding efforts to leave S Korean rivals in wake

‘Core research and development capabilities’ are still subpar in China’s home-grown engines and high-value-added ships, warns NPC delegate and shipbuilding expert after South Korea retakes monthly lead in orders.

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Work is done on a container ship in China’s Jiangsu province on February 28. Photo: Getty Images
China's economic recovery

Hints suggest private-sector confidence high on China’s 2024 agenda

Premier Li Qiang is preparing to deliver his maiden annual government work report in March, and China’s No 2 official stepped up preparations this week by soliciting opinions during symposia.

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Premier Li Qiang received a 200-strong Japanese business delegation in Beijing on Thursday. Photo: Xinhua
China technology

Opinion | How China is making its dream of flying cars, drones and sky cities come true

Policy, financial and infrastructural support is creating a conducive ecosystem for China’s “low altitude economy”, integrating advanced aerial tech into everyday life and urban planning.

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China manufacturing

China’s ‘involuted’ new-energy industry awash with self-defeating overcapacity

Domestic demand is far from able to absorb all of the new EV batteries and solar panels, so Chinese manufacturers have little choice but to sell overseas – if they can.

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China manufacturing

China turns to robots to fill gaps from ageing population, labour shortfalls

Industrial robotics, already experiencing tremendous growth as firms in China adopt the technology for their production lines, could also be part of the solution to the country’s much talked about demographic crisis.

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As China looks for ways to cope with its shrinking labour force and ageing population, robotic manufacturing could serve as a potential answer to both problems. Illustration: Henry Wong
China's economic recovery

How US tech curbs could revive China’s industrial powerhouse near Russia

“Curbs [from the United States] have inevitably impacted our supply chain, but at the same time it has also offered opportunities to develop our local industrial chain

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Amid efforts by Washington to cut off China from the global hi-tech supply chain, the nation’s northeast rust-belt region could see a rise in opportunities. Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Business of climate change

China can ‘demonstrate ethical decarbonisation’ in construction sector: report

The buildings and construction sector must cut emissions massively, according to a new report by UNEP and the Yale Center for Ecosystems and Architecture.

US-China relations

Opinion | With China in its sights, US techno-nationalism will only burn brighter

Despite US tech companies’ concerns, Washington is prioritising China containment over its reputation as a defender of the free market. Curbs on China will only grow whoever enters the White House next year.

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