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Industrials

Industrials
News about the global industrials sector with a focus on developments in the heavy industries of mainland China.
The logo of the World Economic Forum is pictured outside the Dalian International Conference Centre during the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Dalian, Liaoning province, on Tuesday. Photo: AFP
China exports

What fuels global trade imbalances: China’s overcapacity or US failure to adapt?

Economists highlight the potential for China’s green manufacturing capacity to support the global energy transition, despite overcapacity fears.

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Energy

China’s energy bosses push for tighter rules as overcapacity bites

China trade

Not just oil: Iran war disrupts China’s imports of key industrial material

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China trade

US-Indonesia deal threatens China’s ‘entrenched position’ in nickel market: analysts

A new deal gives America unrestricted access to Indonesia’s nickel – and challenges China’s ‘preferential’ position in the market, analysts say.

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A worker conducts a tapping process at a nickel processing plant in Sorowako, Indonesia. A new US-Indonesia trade deal could complicate China’s position in the Indonesian nickel industry. Photo: EPA
China manufacturing

Stern rebuke: China shrugs off 2025 US threats to anchor shipbuilding dominance

Despite a market share dip, Chinese yards extend their commanding lead in key indicators, as high exports and lengthy backlogs signal resilience despite rivals’ gains.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s EV battery giants wade into shipbuilding to bolster Beijing’s dominance

CATL and Gotion add momentum to China’s efforts to build new-energy vessels amid an accelerated decarbonisation drive.

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Mainland China

Chinese shipyards shift focus to advanced vessels as rivals gain ground

Chinese shipbuilders accounted for 65 per cent of global orders in the first three quarters, down from nearly 75 per cent a year earlier.

A model of China’s polar research icebreaker Xuelong 2, or Snow Dragon 2, is displayed at the Marintec China exhibition at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre in Shanghai. Photo: Xinhua
Made in China 2025

China’s CSSC unveils plans for cruise, deep-sea and nuclear-powered vessels

CSSC’s plan to develop specialised vessels is in line with Beijing’s ambition to transform the country into a shipbuilding powerhouse.

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China manufacturing

Price wars and tariffs: China’s industrial profits snap winning streak

Beijing to crack down on ‘disorderly’ market practices amid rising financial costs, while analysts point to excess capacity eating into corporate margins.

US-China trade war

US ‘knocking on every country’s door’ as it races to secure rare earth supplies

Washington is determined to break China’s rare earths chokehold in case ties with Beijing fray once again, analysts say.

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China has increasingly used its dominance of global rare earth supplies as leverage in its negotiations with the United States amid the trade war. Photo: AFP
China manufacturing

China’s factory activity contracts for seventh month amid trade war uncertainty

China’s official purchasing managers’ index fell to 49 in October, missing estimates and staying in contractionary range another month.

People work at a factory making washing machines for export in China’s eastern Jiangsu province. Photo: Getty Images
Rare earths

State rare earth giant throws support behind China’s broad export controls

As US officials attempt to use Beijing’s rare earth curbs to win allies, China Rare Earth Group says it will ‘strictly enforce’ measures.

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China deflation

China’s latest steel industry plan signals tougher action to curb overproduction

The action plan, which imposes a strict ban on extra capacity, could be a blueprint for other sectors plagued by price wars, analysts say.

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China consumption

China’s economy strains in August as retail sales, industrial output miss forecasts

Weaker retail sales, investment and industry join slowing export growth, leaving analysts split on whether Beijing will step up policy support.

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A person walks at a market in Beijing on September 10. Photo: EPA
China manufacturing

China scrambles to fix price wars – by updating a law from 1998. Here’s why

As disorderly competition fuels a ‘race to the bottom’ across Chinese sectors, Beijing takes aim at pricing legislation that has gone untouched for 27 years.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Electric & new energy vehicles

China reveals past EV subsidies, from Tesla to state giants, showing funds shift

In the seven years from 2016 to 2022, subsidies steadily moved from state enterprises to leading carmakers and start-ups.

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China's economic recovery

China’s economy shows signs of strain as retail sales, output lose momentum

Retail sales, industrial output fell short of expectations in July as several headwinds appeared to reduce consumer and investor confidence.

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China-EU relations

As China, EU eye warm ties, Brussels aims to protect its manufacturing base

Experts say a key factor determining the dynamics between Brussels and Beijing is Europe’s underlying concern over China’s threat to the EU’s manufacturing prowess.

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A BMW worker stands between two mixing containers for battery paste during a factory tour. German firms are hoping that a rising manufacturing PMI reading will bode well for business. Photo: dpa/Getty Images
China manufacturing

China industrial profits sink 9% in May on ‘weak demand’, US trade dispute

‘Fairly clear deceleration’ in last month’s manufacturing profits suggests trade frictions with Washington are having an impact, analyst says.

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

New paper argues tariffs curb wasteful investment, but analysts warn findings may not apply to current China–US trade tensions.

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China and the United States reached a 90 day trade truce in May, but tensions remain high between the world’s two biggest economies. Photo: Shutterstock
Robotics

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

A coal mine in Inner Mongolia showcases Beijing’s determination to transform traditional industries with advanced technologies.

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The world’s largest fleet of unmanned electric coal trucks demonstrates China’s resolve to upgrade its traditional industries. Illustration: Henry Wong
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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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.

Employees work on the assembly line inside a Sany factory in Zhejiang province in April 2023. Photo: Getty Images
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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