04/22
2026 Wed.
Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited has established a new subsidiary focused on upstream resources, in a move that underscores its push to secure raw materials for battery production. According to corporate registry platform Tianyancha, Time Resources Group (Xiamen) Co. was registered on April 22 with a registered capital of 30 billion yuan (US$4.1 billion). The company is wholly owned by CATL, with SHU Zhiming listed as legal representative. Its business scope includes mineral exploration, non-coal mining, geological prospecting, manufacturing of non-metallic mineral products, as well as sales of metals, chemicals and equipment. It also covers investment activities and corporate headquarters management. The broad mandate points to a potential expansion into upstream resource development and investment, as CATL seeks to strengthen control over key materials such as lithium and other battery metals.
A new in-car AI voice service developed by Tesla has completed regulatory filing in Shanghai. The service, described as a "vehicle-mounted large-model voice system,"was included among newly registered generative AI applications on April 21, marking compliance with China's regulatory requirements for such technologies. Under current rules, generative AI services that go live must disclose model details and filing numbers in a prominent location, and label AI-generated content in accordance with national guidelines. A Tesla representative told Yicai on April 22: "Please stay tuned,"without providing further details on timing or features. The filing suggests Tesla is preparing to roll out an upgraded in-car voice assistant in China, as automakers increasingly integrate large language models into vehicle systems to enhance user interaction and smart cockpit capabilities.
04/21
2026 Tue.
Starbucks China said on Tuesday that reports claiming it has begun opening franchise opportunities nationwide are false, in response to a query from Jiemian News. Posts circulating on social media had said the company would roll out franchising in phases from April, with per-store investment estimated at 1.1 million to 1.3 million yuan ($161,000–$190,000).
04/20
2026 Mon.
China's total electricity consumption rose 3.5% year on year in March to 859.5 billion kilowatt-hours, data from the National Energy Administration showed. Power use in the primary sector grew 6.7%, while secondary industry consumption rose 2.0%, including a 2.3% increase in industrial usage. Electricity demand from high-tech and equipment manufacturing expanded 5.6%. Consumption in the services sector climbed 7.7%, with charging and battery-swapping services and internet data services posting growth of 51.3% and 40.1%, respectively. Residential electricity use rose 5.2%. In the first quarter, total power consumption reached 2.51 trillion kWh, up 5.2% from a year earlier, the data showed.
Beijing's economy grew 5.9% year on year in the first quarter of 2026, official data showed. The data were released at a briefing by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Statistics and the National Bureau of Statistics'Beijing Survey Office, which said the capital's economy got off to a "good start."
Tesla has no specific plan to begin humanoid robot production at its Shanghai plant, according to information obtained by Jiemian News from Tesla China. The clarification follows remarks by vice-president Wang Hao at a recent media event, where he said the Shanghai facility has strong large-scale manufacturing capabilities and could play a significant role in future robot production. Tesla is expected to release its third-generation humanoid robot by the end of 2026. The company is also converting part of its Fremont Factory—currently used for Model S and Model X vehicles—into a humanoid robot production line, with a long-term goal of reaching annual output of up to one million units.
04/17
2026 Fri.
China's installed nuclear power capacity has reached 125 gigawatts (GW), the highest globally, an industry report showed. The China Nuclear Energy Association said China has 60 nuclear units in commercial operation and 36 under construction, accounting for more than half of the global total under construction. Another 16 units have been approved. Two new reactors have started construction this year and seven are set to come online, keeping China at the forefront of global nuclear expansion, according to CCTV.
UBTECH said on April 17 it has signed an agreement with European robotics integrator Terra Robotics, which will become its exclusive distributor and strategic partner in the German-speaking region of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Terra Robotics has purchased an initial batch of UBTECH's full-size embodied AI humanoid robots for deployment in logistics centers operated by German drugstore chain ROSSMANN and other industrial settings.
04/16
2026 Thu.
China still has ample room for investment growth, a senior official said on Thursday, citing structural imbalances in the economy. Speaking at a press briefing, MAO Shengyong, deputy director of the National Bureau of Statistics, said fixed-asset investment rose 1.7% year-on-year in the first quarter, compared with a 3.8% decline in 2025. Infrastructure investment grew 8.9%, accelerating by 8.3 percentage points from last year, while manufacturing investment showed a steady recovery. MAO said China's per capita capital stock still lags that of developed economies, reflecting persistent structural imbalances and leaving ample room for further investment. He added that emerging sectors, including aerospace and information services, were becoming new growth drivers, with high-tech manufacturing investment rising 5.2% in the first quarter.
China's factory-gate prices turned positive in March, driven mainly by improving domestic supply and demand conditions, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Thursday. Speaking at a press briefing, MAO Shengyong, deputy director of the National Bureau of Statistics, said the producer price index (PPI) rose 0.5% year-on-year, ending a 41-month decline, while extending month-on-month gains to a sixth straight month. He said stronger domestic demand and improving market conditions were the main drivers, with improving market competition and orderly capacity adjustments also contributing. Rising global energy and metals prices also lent support. Prices in oil and gas extraction rose 5.2% year-on-year in March, while non-ferrous mining surged 36.4%, and price declines in some downstream sectors continued to narrow.
