Geopolitics & Trade
Xi and Trump put AI and Taiwan on the table at White House talks
Xi Jinping and Donald Trump discussed AI and Taiwan at the White House on 24 September during a state visit. Per China's foreign ministry, Xi said the two sides should 'draw on each other's strengths', and backed continued dialogue on AI risks, joint efforts against misuse and keeping AI under human control.
The tone on AI is conciliatory, but Taiwan stays on the agenda. Keep tariff and sourcing contingencies live rather than pricing in a thaw.
Geopolitics & Trade
US House bill would widen the FCC Covered List beyond telecom gear
The Communications and Technology Transparency Act, unveiled by the House Energy and Commerce Committee on 23 September, would expand the FCC's Covered List beyond 'communications equipment or service' to a much broader range of products. Separately, Lenovo has been drawn into a patent dispute over memory devices.
If Chinese-made connected devices sit on your plant network or in your BOM, inventory them now. A wider Covered List could reach beyond telecom gear.
Supply Chains & Critical Minerals
BofA: neither the US nor China can win the AI race alone
Ahead of the summit, Bank of America's Matty Zhao said neither Beijing nor Washington can win AI dominance alone, citing entangled tech supply chains. China leads in areas like power grids and manufacturing equipment, but still relies on overseas suppliers for advanced chips, memory and some high-end materials.
Chinese manufacturing equipment is competitive in its own right; chips, memory and high-end materials remain the pressure points in any new controls.
Industrial Policy & Regulation
MERICS: Beijing treats control of industrial value chains as national security
A MERICS report published 23 September finds that China's government sees leadership and control across industries and value chains as a prerequisite for national security, and designs its industrial and innovation policy around that aim.
Treat Chinese pricing and capacity in strategic sectors as policy, not a cycle. Plan sourcing on the assumption that it persists.
OT, IIoT & Automation
Hygon launches 1000-series embedded CPUs for robots and factory controllers
Chinese chipmaker Hygon launched its Hygon 1000 series processors on 22 September, moving beyond data centres into CPUs for robotics and industrial edge devices. The chips are designed to be embedded in industrial automation systems such as robots and factory controllers, handling computing and graphics locally.
Chinese-built robots and controllers are moving onto domestic silicon. Ask suppliers which processors their hardware runs and how that affects support.
Robotics & Embodied AI
Dongfeng's Xiaodong humanoid to enter factory training by end of October
Dongfeng's humanoid robot Xiaodong is scheduled to enter a factory for training by the end of October, according to Zhang Zhenlin, the automaker's chief engineer for intelligent technology. Trial production is expected by year-end, with small-batch production planned for next year.
Another Chinese automaker is moving humanoids from demo to line trials. Watch whether the 2027 small-batch volumes materialise before budgeting your own.
