Chinese firms prepare to take a piece of the weight-loss drug market Christine_Krüger Mon, 09/30/2024 - 16:56 picture alliance / CFOTO | CFOTO Comment Sep 26, 2024 2 min read Chinese firms prepare to take a piece of the weight-loss drug market The weight-loss drug market is a golden opportunity for China to become a dominant player in global pharma. Aided by state support and domestic procurement, Chinese weight-loss products will first take over the domestic market (estimated at USD 10 billion by 2033), so that by the 2030s, they will compete in a global market expected to exceed USD 1 ..read more

Large language model development in China thrives, but geopolitics may spell trouble Christine_Krüger Mon, 09/30/2024 - 16:54 picture alliance / CFOTO | CFOTO Comment Sep 26, 2024 2 min read Large language model development in China thrives, but geopolitics may spell trouble China’s large language models (LLMs) for generative artificial intelligence were off to a late start catching up to US-based Open AI’s ChatGPT, due to heavy state-imposed regulatory requirements. The first batch of eight approved LLMs were only released to the public in August 2023, led by Baidu’s Ernie Bot. Since t ..read more

Growing asymmetry: Mapping the import dependencies in EU and US trade with China Linda_Heyer Wed, 09/11/2024 - 11:08 picture alliance / CFOTO Download (pdf - 1.32 MB) Report Oct 01, 2024 21 min read Growing asymmetry: Mapping the import dependencies in EU and US trade with China Key findings The dependence of the EU and the US on goods they mainly source in China has increased significantly over the last 20 years, while China has reduced its reliance on manufactured goods sourced mainly on US and EU suppliers. This is the result of analysis based on our new database providing informat ..read more

Profile: Huawei Christine_Krüger Thu, 09/05/2024 - 11:07 picture alliance / NurPhoto | Jaap Arriens Sep 26, 2024 2 min read Profile: Huawei From telecommunications provider to technology manufacturing leader Huawei has emerged as the leader for semiconductors  in China.  It designed the first domestically-produced 5G-capable smartphone chip, the Kirin 9000S and is invested in 97 companies through its Hubble Investment arm. In the global technology competition between China and the US, Huawei thus now plays a key role in two of the most critical technologies, mobile internet and ..read more

R&D support + Financing innovative SMEs + Government procurement H.Seidl Tue, 09/03/2024 - 12:38 picture alliance / CFOTO Download (pdf - 408.18 KB) MERICS Briefs MERICS China Industries Sep 04, 2024 14 min read R&D support + Financing innovative SMEs + Government procurement 1. MIIT strengthens support for R&D in core industrial technologies At a glance: The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) announced new research funding rounds, paid for by the central government through the National Key Research & Development Projects (NKP) program. The notice ..read more

Stimulus package + Northvolt + Pension system Linda_Heyer Thu, 09/26/2024 - 13:32 picture alliance / REUTERS | Jason Lee Download (pdf - 345.62 KB) MERICS Briefs MERICS China Essentials Sep 26, 2024 9 min read Stimulus package + Northvolt + Pension system Top story China’s central bank unveils wide-ranging stimulus package, but not reversing the path China's central bank on Tuesday unveiled a wide-ranging stimulus package, with a strong focus on mobilizing capital for the industrial upgrading and expansion touted by Xi Jinping. Apart from cutting key interest rates, the People's Ban ..read more

The German navy wades into the waters of the Taiwan Strait H.Seidl Tue, 09/24/2024 - 11:23 picture alliance / Geisler-Fotopress | Oliver Wunder/Geisler-Fotopress Comment Sep 25, 2024 6 min read The German navy wades into the waters of the Taiwan Strait For the first time in over 20 years, two German navy ships passed the Taiwan Strait in September, amid Chinese protests. For Berlin, this is the right way to go. “International waters are international waters. We are sailing through.” With these words, Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced that the two German navy vessels c ..read more

MERICS studies China's technology development with the support of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research Christine_Krüger Wed, 09/11/2024 - 16:08 Press release Sep 26, 2024 3 min read MERICS studies China's technology development with the support of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research Berlin, September 26, 2024. The Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS) has launched a new project: The China Tech Observatory (CTO) is conducting a long-term study of China’s development in selected critical technologies, including artificial intelligence, semiconductors, biotechnolo ..read more

Chinese LLMs + Weight-loss drugs + Chinese telcos build AI models Christine_Krüger Tue, 09/10/2024 - 17:25 picture alliance/dpa | Oliver Berg Sep 26, 2024 14 min read Chinese LLMs + Weight-loss drugs + Chinese telcos build AI models MERICS China Tech Observatory Newsletter Global tech rivalry: The view from Beijing Third Plenum: With self-reliance as a mainstay, China is becoming a fortress economy Science and technology as the linchpin of Xi Jinping’s vision for China featured squarely in July at the Third Plenum of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), a major ..read more

“Little Giants” program + Corporate sustainability standards + Fair competition reviews H.Seidl Wed, 07/03/2024 - 11:58 picture alliance / Xinhua News Agency | Xu Yu Download (pdf - 373.26 KB) MERICS Briefs MERICS China Industries Jul 03, 2024 14 min read “Little Giants” program + Corporate sustainability standards + Fair competition reviews MERICS Top 5 1. Tighter conditions for the next batch of China’s “Little Giants” At a glance: China’s treasury issued a notice that a key program supporting high-tech small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) should, during 2024-2026, focus on ke ..read more