Country
China
- Labubu maker Pop Mart says Q3 revenue fell 45-50%, with Americas sales down over 70%; shares drop more than 6%
Chinese toy company Pop Mart, maker of the Labubu dolls, said on Tuesday, Oct 27, that third-quarter revenue fell 45-50% year on year, a steeper drop than the 30% the market had expected. Overseas declines were especially sharp: revenue fell 70-75% in the Americas, 65-70% in Asia-Pacific and 50-55% in Europe and other regions, and 25-30% in mainland China. Its shares fell more than 6% in early trading on Wednesday and are down over 30% this year. Jefferies cut its 2027 and 2028 earnings forecasts for Pop Mart by 9-12%, and expects fourth-quarter revenue to rise 3% from the previous quarter but remain 34% below a year earlier.
Oct 28, 2026 Afternoon - China's old-age dependency ratio overtakes child dependency ratio for the first time; over 223 million aged 65+
The BBC reported that data published last week by China's National Bureau of Statistics showed the old-age dependency ratio, the ratio of people aged 65 and over to the working-age population, rose to 23% last year, overtaking the child dependency ratio of 22% for the first time. China now has more than 223 million people aged 65 and over, nearly 16% of the population, and about 213 million children aged 14 and under. The data were released without official comment. China has been preparing for an ageing population while encouraging young people to marry and have children; analysts said the demographic shift will affect families, pensions and healthcare spending.
Oct 28, 2026 Afternoon - China plans rules to sanction foreign entities that steal trade secrets, including bans on investment and entry
RFI reported that China plans special regulations to sanction foreign entities that infringe Chinese trade secrets and harm or actually threaten national security and development interests, with possible restrictions on their trade and investment in China and on entry by related personnel. The United States last week sanctioned five Chinese entities over trade secret theft, and Beijing said at the time it would take countermeasures. Analysts said the rules, besides countering Washington, would sharply raise the cost for foreign entities of using stolen information.
Oct 28, 2026 Morning - Follow-up: Ex-head of Communist Party's International Department Liu Jianchao reportedly demoted to section level during Fifth Plenum
The fifth plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China opened in Beijing on Oct 26 for four days, with Xi Jinping delivering a work report on behalf of the Politburo and explaining a draft decision on major issues in persistently advancing full and rigorous Party self-governance. Hong Kong's Ming Pao reported that about 45 people are expected to be expelled from the Central Committee at the session, including Liu Jianchao, former head of the party's International Department. According to the report, Liu was found to have seriously violated discipline and the law and was demoted from full ministerial rank to section level.
Oct 28, 2026 Morning - China's Unitree Robotics shares jump over 60% in under two weeks as company warns of humanoid robot risks
Shares of Chinese robot maker Unitree Robotics, listed in Shanghai, rose more than 60% in less than two weeks, closing at 672 yuan on Monday, Oct 26, up from 405.10 yuan on Oct 15. JPMorgan raised its rating on Unitree two notches from underweight to overweight and lifted its target price from 300 yuan to 995 yuan. Founder Wang Xingxing had said a major breakthrough in embodied AI could come as early as next year, against an earlier estimate of up to a decade. Unitree also reminded investors of risks to the commercial prospects of humanoid robots, which China has made a strategic priority.
Oct 28, 2026 Morning - China's September industrial profits rise 14.4% year-on-year, fastest growth since June
China's National Bureau of Statistics said on Tuesday, Oct 27, that profits at industrial firms above a designated size rose 14.4% year-on-year in September, the fastest pace since June, while profits for the first nine months grew 15.5%, slightly below the 15.7% for the previous period. CNBC reported that industrial profits fell for three straight years before a modest recovery in 2025, and turned to double-digit growth this year thanks to Beijing's curbs on price wars and soaring demand for AI-related equipment. Upstream miners, chipmakers and raw material suppliers have benefited, while downstream manufacturers face rising input costs and weak domestic demand.
Oct 27, 2026 Afternoon - Chinese brands Mengniu and Dongpeng drop Mbappé over alleged joke about Mao
Hong Kong Free Press reported that Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappé was dropped by two major Chinese brands on Tuesday, Oct 27, after a video circulated in which he said the funniest meme he had seen was his face edited onto 'someone, I think a Chinese dictator', seen as a joke about the late leader Mao Zedong. Dongpeng Beverage said it has zero tolerance for anything that hurts national feelings and ended all cooperation with him, and dairy giant Mengniu also ended its partnership with immediate effect.
Oct 27, 2026 Afternoon - Follow-up: China's foreign ministry says US Pentagon targeting of Confucius Institutes is 'smearing and stigmatisation'
The US Defense Secretary announced on Friday, Oct 23, that over the past two months 80-plus cooperation programmes at 30 university systems had been systematically shut down, describing them as Confucius Institutes operating under other names with the same mission and a threat to US national security. The US regards campus Confucius Institutes as propaganda tools of the Chinese Communist Party and has restricted their funding since 2025. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday, Oct 26, that Beijing opposes the 'targeted smearing and stigmatisation' of Confucius Institutes and that China-US educational exchanges help mutual understanding.
Oct 27, 2026 Morning - Chinese carmakers outsell Japanese rivals in Europe for a full quarter for the first time; China share hits 12.7% in September
Bloomberg reported that Chinese carmakers outsold their Japanese rivals in Europe over a full quarter for the first time, with brands such as BYD and Chery growing fast. The Japan Times, citing data, reported that registrations of Chinese-brand cars in Europe in September roughly doubled from a year earlier, accounting for 12.7% of all new car sales in the region.
Oct 27, 2026 Morning - Follow-up: Chinese Communist Party's Fifth Plenum opens in Beijing Oct 26-29, focused on party building and discipline
The Fifth Plenary Session of the Chinese Communist Party's 20th Central Committee opened in Beijing on Oct 26 and runs until Oct 29, attended by about 300 Central Committee members. Japanese media and several news agencies report that the meeting, held ahead of the 21st Party Congress, centres on party building, discipline and anti-corruption, and several provinces changed their party secretaries or governors beforehand. A communique is usually released after the meeting closes.
Oct 26, 2026 Afternoon - One year after Beijing created 'Taiwan Retrocession Day', former KMT chair attends Fuzhou event and talks of 'unification'
Oct 25 marked the 81st anniversary of the Republic of China government taking over Taiwan from Japanese colonial rule in 1945, and the first anniversary of mainland China officially designating it 'Taiwan Retrocession Day'. Mainland officials held a commemorative forum in Fuzhou, Fujian, where a former Kuomintang chair criticised the Democratic Progressive Party for pushing 'de-Sinicisation', remarks widely reported by mainland media. Taiwan's government and opposition differ on how to view the date, and the DPP authorities stress the sovereignty of the Republic of China.
Oct 26, 2026 Afternoon - Chinese Communist Party's Fifth Plenum of 20th Central Committee meets in Beijing Oct 26-29, focused on party building
The Fifth Plenary Session of the Chinese Communist Party's 20th Central Committee is being held in Beijing from Oct 26 to 29, attended by about 300 Central Committee members. Its agenda is reported to centre on party building, discipline and anti-corruption, ahead of the 21st Party Congress in autumn 2027. Before the meeting, six provinces saw leadership changes, including new party secretaries in two provinces and six new governors, and some analysts speculate the meeting could discuss creating a post of party chairman.
Oct 26, 2026 Morning - China proposes export controls on 23 AI technologies; DeepSeek and MiniMax complete overseas export registration
China's Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Science and Technology on Oct 16 issued a joint notice seeking comment on revising the catalogue of technologies prohibited or restricted from export, proposing to add 23 AI technologies, including large-model training methods, agent systems and computing clusters, with the rules applying to AI models containing restricted technologies deployed overseas. The CCTV-affiliated account Yuyuan Tantian said on Oct 22 that DeepSeek and MiniMax had completed registration for open-sourcing and overseas licensing. A brokerage analyst quoted by the STAR Market Daily said this clarifies the path abroad for general-purpose open-source models.
Oct 26, 2026 Morning - Follow-up: China Commerce Ministry urges US to halt proposed expansion of outbound investment curbs, reserves right to respond
The US Treasury on Thursday, Oct 22, published an updated outbound investment security proposal that adds biotechnology to restricted sectors and expands coverage of high-performance computing and hypersonic systems. China's Commerce Ministry said in a statement on Saturday, Oct 24, that it urged the United States to stop expanding investment restrictions on China, calling the proposal a discriminatory widening of China-related curbs that would harm bilateral economic ties and go against consensus reached by the two countries' leaders. The ministry said it firmly opposed the move and reserved the right to take countermeasures, without specifying what those would be.
Oct 25, 2026 Afternoon - Kim Jong-un crosses newly opened New Yalu River Bridge into Dandong, China, on first visit to China in a year
South Korea's Unification Ministry and Xinhua said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived in Dandong, Liaoning province, on Saturday, Oct 24, via the New Yalu River Bridge, which opened about a week earlier; it is his first visit to China in a year. Wang Huning, a member of the Chinese Communist Party's Politburo Standing Committee, met Kim, and the two toured a car factory and pledged to strengthen ties. The visit comes close to Oct 25, the anniversary of the Chinese People's Volunteers' first major victory after entering the Korean War in 1950, and Kyodo reported traffic controls around the bridge and the war memorial museum.
Oct 25, 2026 Morning - Follow-up: Tibet earthquake death toll rises to 16, with more than 12,000 displaced; two Japanese climbers found dead in Nepal
NHK, citing Xinhua, reported that the Oct 22 earthquake in China's Tibet Autonomous Region has killed 16 people and injured more than 70, and that more than 12,000 people have been forced to evacuate as the Chinese government steps up relief and resettlement. The Japan Times reported that two Japanese climbers attempting a first ascent of the 7,140-metre Gangapurna West peak in Nepal in alpine style, who lost contact after Oct 15, have been confirmed dead.
Oct 25, 2026 Morning - China's first fully AI-generated feature film, a Sanxingdui sci-fi story, opens with presales of just 65,000 yuan
CNA reported that China's first fully AI-generated science-fiction feature film, themed on Sanxingdui, opened on Friday, Oct 23, with more than 10,000 screenings on its first day according to Maoyan, but presales of only 65,000 yuan as of the evening of Oct 22 and a total box office expected below 100,000 yuan; nearly 100 people spent more than two years making it at a cost of over 10 million yuan. RFI, citing Le Monde, said about 90% of China's mobile micro-dramas are now made with AI, cutting costs to a tenth, while creators' incomes have plunged.
Oct 24, 2026 Afternoon - Follow-up: Injuries from Tibet's magnitude 7.0 Nagqu earthquake rise to 54, with 339 houses collapsed and over 12,000 evacuated
After the magnitude 7.0 earthquake in Nagqu, Tibet, on Oct 22, AP, citing state media, said at least 16 people had died, 54 were injured and at least 339 houses had collapsed as of Oct 23. Nagqu lies north of Lhasa at about 4,800 metres above sea level, and officials said they feared aftershocks could bring down more houses and trigger rockfalls, while terrain and low temperatures were hampering rescues. Nagqu's acting mayor said rescuers had completed three rounds of door-to-door, village-by-village searches by the afternoon of Oct 23; NHK reported more than 12,000 people evacuated and BBC Chinese said authorities deployed Wing Loong drones to survey the damage.
Oct 24, 2026 Morning - China's Communist Party to hold Fifth Plenum next week, with about 300 top members discussing stricter party discipline
RFI, citing Reuters, reported that the Chinese Communist Party will convene about 300 of its most senior members next week for its Fifth Plenum to discuss strengthening party discipline; analysts said it may be the last major party meeting before the 2027 leadership reshuffle. DW said observers are watching whether Xi Jinping will keep the top posts in the party, state and military, with analysts noting that ongoing purges have removed several senior officials and military leaders.
Oct 24, 2026 Morning - China's Commerce Ministry urges US to end 'discriminatory measures' against Chinese research institutions as Pentagon says 30 US universities cut ties
The US Defense Department said 30 American universities had reduced ties with institutions 'raising national security concerns', under research funding restrictions on dozens of Chinese universities known as the '1286 list'. China's Commerce Ministry said on Friday, Oct 23, that Washington should 'respect the facts' and immediately stop discriminatory measures against Chinese research institutions, saying US-China research cooperation serves both sides and that the US approach effectively coerces American institutions into taking sides. Reuters said a Republican lawmaker this month asked the Pentagon to add 58 more Chinese institutions and 62 Chinese technology laboratories to the list, some involved in semiconductors, AI and quantum computing.
Oct 24, 2026 Morning - Magnitude 7.0 earthquake strikes Nagqu, Tibet; Xinhua reports at least 16 dead, 32 injured and over 300 houses collapsed
The China Earthquake Networks Center said a magnitude 7.0 quake struck a county of Nagqu in the Tibet Autonomous Region at about 22:33 local time on Oct 22 at a depth of 10 km, in an area averaging about 4,864 metres above sea level. CBS, citing AFP relaying Xinhua, reported at least 16 dead, 32 injured and more than 300 houses collapsed; the USGS put the depth at about 18 km, 191 km east-northeast of Nagqu. CNA said it was China's strongest earthquake since January 2024, about 400 km from Lhasa, followed by several aftershocks of magnitude 3 to 4.
Oct 23, 2026 Morning - Chinese prosecutors seek to seize over 61,800 bitcoin tied to Qian Zhimin's 40-billion-yuan illegal fundraising case
CoinDesk, citing The Paper, reported that Chinese prosecutors applied to confiscate more than 61,800 bitcoin and other assets linked to a fundraising fraud of over 40 billion yuan (about $5.7 billion). Prosecutors said Qian Zhimin, the actual controller of Tianjin Lantian Gerui Electronic Technology, sold unlicensed wealth products nationwide from 2014 to 2017 promising guaranteed high returns, raising more than 40.378 billion yuan from over 102,000 investors, who lost nearly 20 billion yuan. A UK court recently ruled that victims' claims to bitcoin seized in Britain should be governed by Chinese law; a Chinese court has opened a six-month notice period for interested parties.
Oct 23, 2026 Morning - Starbucks China introduces 'no order, no seat' rule at about 8,000 stores
BBC reported that from Oct 22 Starbucks China requires customers to buy something before sitting in its roughly 8,000 stores nationwide, saying the aim is to improve the 'in-store experience'. Starbucks China faces fierce competition from local brands such as Luckin Coffee; Starbucks in North America earlier ended its long-standing policy of letting non-customers use seats and toilets, and Starbucks Korea has asked customers not to bring 'bulky items' after people occupied seats with printers and desktop computers.
Oct 23, 2026 Morning - China's CSI 300 index enters bear market, down 20% from June high after 10 straight weekly losses
CNBC, citing LSEG data, reported that the CSI 300 index of 300 large-cap Shanghai and Shenzhen stocks was down 20% from its June high on Oct 22, entering a bear market; it has fallen for 10 consecutive weeks, is down 2.6% so far this week and dropped more than 1% intraday on Thursday. CNBC said Chinese corporate profit growth has slowed under fierce competition, with September industrial profits growing at the weakest pace this year. Pella Funds chairman and CIO Jordan Cvetanovski told CNBC that Chinese stocks still face structural problems from overcapacity and overinvestment.
Oct 22, 2026 Afternoon - DeepSeek raises about 100 billion yuan ($15 billion) with CATL and Tencent among largest investors, Bloomberg reports
CNA, relaying a Bloomberg report of Oct 22, said Chinese AI start-up DeepSeek raised about 100 billion yuan (about $14.98 billion) in its latest funding round. People familiar with the matter said battery maker CATL and WeChat operator Tencent were among the largest investors; Reuters said it could not immediately verify the report.
Oct 22, 2026 Afternoon - Nature: ancient proteins identify Xujiayao fossils in northern China as Denisovan, sketching what Denisovans looked like
A paper in Nature reported palaeoproteomic analysis of fossils about 199,000 to 138,000 years old from the Xujiayao site in northern China: 18 endogenous proteins were identified in two specimens, and a Denisovan-specific COL1A2 mutation strongly supports their place in the Denisovan lineage. Morphological comparison showed that the Xujiayao and Harbin fossils share a set of traits with late Middle Pleistocene East Asian hominins from Jinniushan, Dali and Hualongdong, which the study assigns to the Denisovan lineage. Nature's news coverage said the features include a low, sloping forehead, heavy brow ridges, near-rectangular eye sockets and flat cheeks. Denisovans were first described in 2010 from the DNA of a finger bone found in Siberia.
Oct 22, 2026 Morning - Follow-up: US bans federal agencies from DeepSeek; China's commerce ministry 'firmly opposes' and warns of countermeasures
The US Department of Homeland Security on Oct 19 publicly directed federal civilian agencies to remove DeepSeek products and third-party products and services built with DeepSeek from their systems. RFI reported that China's Ministry of Commerce on the evening of Oct 20 said it 'firmly opposes' US sanctions on five Chinese entities and the ban on DeepSeek AI tools at federal civilian agencies, and urged Washington to correct course. CNA reported Beijing the same day warned of countermeasures, calling it a sign of a deep lack of strategic mutual trust between Beijing and Washington.
Oct 21, 2026 Afternoon - Reuters: ByteDance, Alibaba and Tencent order over 3 million Nvidia RTX PRO 5500 cards worth more than $35 billion
Reuters, citing two people familiar with the matter, reported that ByteDance, Alibaba and Tencent have ordered more than 3 million of Nvidia's new RTX PRO 5500 graphics cards, with a total list price above $35 billion. The workstation chip is less powerful than top data-centre AI chips but complies with US export controls, making it one of the most powerful Nvidia chips Chinese buyers can still purchase; the Blackwell B300 cannot be sold to Chinese buyers and H200 exports need case-by-case review. Nvidia told customers Chinese demand far exceeds planned output and delivery cannot be guaranteed, and one source said partners may receive only 5% to 10% of the quantities requested.
Oct 21, 2026 Morning - China Q3 GDP grows 4.5% year on year, beating forecasts as exports offset weak domestic demand
China's National Bureau of Statistics said on Oct 19 that third-quarter GDP rose 4.5% year on year, above the 4.4% Reuters economist poll and above the second quarter's three-year low of 4.3%; average growth for the first nine months was 4.6%, within the official 4.5%–5% full-year target. CNBC reported strong overseas demand for Chinese tech goods and a record monthly trade surplus of $133.5 billion offsetting property and consumption weakness; September retail sales rose 1.1%, above a 0.6% forecast. BBC reported property investment fell more than 20% year on year in the first nine months. Economist Intelligence Unit senior economist Xu Tianchen expects full-year growth of 4.7%.
Oct 19, 2026 Afternoon - Xinhua says China's nuclear submarines have reached a third generation; focus on Type 096 SSBN
Yonhap News TV reported that Xinhua on Oct 12 said China's nuclear submarines had developed to a third generation, and a video released on Oct 17 also highlighted third-generation R&D. By classification, first-generation Chinese boats are Types 091 and 092, second-generation Types 093 and 094, and third-generation include the Type 095 attack submarine and Type 096 ballistic-missile submarine. The PLA has not formally announced either type as complete or in service; China test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile in July without naming the boat. Janes said in September satellite images appeared to show pump-jet propulsion and an X-shaped stern on what may be a Type 095.
Oct 19, 2026 Afternoon