Industrial Policy & Regulation
MERICS: Beijing trims overcapacity at the edges, steers clear of structural causes
The latest MERICS Overcapacity Monitor finds that despite Beijing's efforts to ease intense domestic competition, Chinese industry keeps generating excess capacity across various sectors, putting pressure on global markets. The measures, MERICS says, avoid the structural issues.
Don't plan pricing around a Beijing-led capacity correction — Chinese price pressure on exported goods looks set to persist.
Geopolitics & Trade
Nvidia's Huang and AMD's Su join Tsinghua advisory board amid US–China chip tensions
Jensen Huang and Lisa Su were appointed to the advisory board of Tsinghua University's School of Economics and Management, a forum known for connecting global executives with senior Chinese officials. The appointments come as US–China chip tensions persist.
The two leading US AI-chip makers are keeping a line to Beijing open — don't treat chip-access policy as fixed when planning AI hardware buys.
Geopolitics & Trade
Op-ed: after the Trump–Xi summit, human control is the real US–China AI fault line
SCMP commentary argues neither the US nor China has an incentive to slow AI, yet human control matters more as AI grows more autonomous. It says last week's Trump–Xi summit exposed the tension: Trump wants to leave AI "exactly where it is" rather than add new guardrails.
Don't wait for a US–China accord on AI guardrails — set your own human-oversight rules for any autonomous system on your floor.
Geopolitics & Trade
Shein hits record low after Q2 profit drops 67%, citing tariffs and logistics costs
Shein shares fell as much as 14% in Hong Kong after its first earnings report since listing showed a 67% drop in second-quarter profit. The company warned that tariff headwinds and logistics cost volatility would persist for the rest of the year.
A China-based exporter at scale expects tariff and freight volatility through year-end — budget your own landed costs on the same assumption.
Robotics & Embodied AI
IDC: China shipped 77.9% of the world's humanoid robots in H1 2026; AgiBot led
China shipped more than 19,000 of nearly 25,000 humanoid robots worldwide in H1 2026, per IDC figures, with global shipments up 432.1% year on year. AgiBot ranked first with more than 8,600 units, about 35%. IDC raised its 2030 forecast to more than 750,000 units.
The humanoid supply base is forming in China — a North-American humanoid pilot will likely be buying Chinese hardware or competing with it.
Robotics & Embodied AI
AgiBot delivers its 20,000th robot, six months after its 10,000th
AgiBot delivered its 20,000th robot, an Expedition A3 Ultra, to Chimelong on September 24, about six months after its 10,000th. More than 300 of its robots have begun daily work at Chimelong's park in Zhuhai.
Doubling cumulative deliveries in six months is production scale, not demo scale — track AgiBot as a supplier, not a curiosity.
Robotics & Embodied AI
Shenzhen's Astribot shows its T1 humanoid in North America for the first time
Shenzhen-based physical AI company Astribot showcased its T1 humanoid robot in North America for the first time at IROS 2026 in Pittsburgh (September 27 – October 1), presenting an integrated approach to physical AI built on continuously improving AI models.
Chinese humanoid makers are now selling directly into North America — expect them on your shortlist alongside US entrants.
