1. Chinese battery giant CATL reported strong financial results for the first half of 2026, with net profit rising 42% year-over-year to 43.3 billion yuan and revenue climbing 54.8% to 276.9 billion yuan [para. 1][para. 2]. Existing production capacity stood at 525 GWh with a 94.9% utilization rate, while an additional 764 GWh is under construction [para. 2]. The company also announced a record share buyback plan of up to 40 billion yuan ($5.9 billion), the largest in A-share history, surpassing a 15 billion yuan buyback by Gree Electric Appliances in 2021 [para. 3][para. 4].
2. In a tit-for-tat trade measure, China imposed export controls on 14 European Union entities, including German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall AG, French drone maker Cavok UAS, Polish semiconductor company Vigo Photonics S.A., and Italian electric motor maker Lafert SpA [para. 5][para. 6]. The move, announced by the Ministry of Commerce, retaliates against Brussels' earlier sanctions on 14 Chinese firms accused of supporting Russia's war in Ukraine [para. 6].
3. Japan announced results from deep-sea rare-earth trial mining, extracting about 50 tons of seabed mud from its exclusive economic zone near Minamitorishima island [para. 7][para. 8]. Medium and heavy rare earths, such as yttrium and dysprosium, accounted for 54% of the total collected [para. 8]. This project sets the stage for large-scale extraction tests in February 2027, marking Japan's first attempt to develop domestic rare-earth production and reduce its reliance on China [para. 8].
4. Li Auto started its first overseas manufacturing project by partnering with Kazakh automotive group Allur to assemble vehicles at its Kostanay plant [para. 9][para. 10]. Separately, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology conducted on-site product safety inspections of electric vehicle makers GAC Aion and XPeng, focusing on evaluating intelligent connected vehicle safety and production consistency through random testing of vehicles and batteries [para. 17][para. 18].
5. In the energy sector, Singapore-based clean-energy firm PCG Global raised pre-Series A funding led by Temasek-owned decarbonization platform GenZero, aiming to expand its 1.8 GW renewable-energy project pipeline across solar, storage, and energy management in Southeast Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East [para. 11][para. 12]. China launched its first national green electricity certificate price index to enhance market transparency and provide a unified pricing reference for green power consumption and carbon market integration [para. 13][para. 14]. State Grid Corp. completed over 310 billion yuan in fixed-asset investment in the first half of 2026, up 12.6% year over year, with grid-connected wind and solar capacity reaching 1.55 billion kilowatts in its operating area [para. 15][para. 16].
6. Former China National Nuclear Corp. deputy chief Gu Jun was expelled from the Communist Party over severe disciplinary and legal violations [para. 19][para. 20]. China's top anti-graft watchdog found Gu engaged in superstitious activities, traded power for sex, and accepted massive bribes by abusing his power in project contracting, equipment procurement, and fund allocation [para. 20].
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