EU plans to adjust rules on Chinese EV imports; shifts from tariffs to minimum import prices

The EU said this week that it is considering setting minimum import prices for Chinese-made electric vehicles (EVs), a move that would replace the steep anti-subsidy tariffs currently in place. The proposal is widely seen as a signal of easing trade tensions between Europe and China, aiming to protect European automakers while allowing Chinese manufacturers to preserve reasonable profit margins. China’s Ministry of Commerce has welcomed the idea.

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Topco Scientific posts record 2025 revenue on strong advanced process material demand

Continued capacity expansion for advanced semiconductor manufacturing processes is driving strong demand for key materials such as photoresist and quartz. Topco Scientific (TSC), a leading semiconductor materials distributor, reported December 2025 revenue of NT$6.48 billion (approx. US$205.35 million), setting a new single-month record, representing a 12.9% month-over-month and 18.9% year-over-year increase.

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Taiwan’s EMS/ODM sector ends 2025 with AI servers driving record months and reshaping the rankings

Taiwan’s electronics manufacturing services (EMS) and original design manufacturing (ODM) sector closed December 2025 with a sharply bifurcated performance: AI server and cloud data-center supply chains continued to post standout growth and fresh revenue records, while PC-focused ODMs were steady, and many traditional consumer-electronics and peripherals manufacturers remained subdued. Automotive, industrial, and IoT-related businesses showed signs of recovery, but results varied widely by project timing and customer qualification cycles.

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Taiwan OSAT sector posts broad 2025 revenue gains as AI testing offsets weak consumer recovery

Taiwan’s outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) industry closed December 2025 with a pattern that investors have increasingly come to expect: revenue growth was widespread on a year-on-year basis, but performance gaps between end markets widened. Demand tied to AI servers and high-performance computing (HPC) continued to concentrate the strongest momentum in advanced testing and select advanced packaging programs, while more mature consumer-facing segments remained choppy.

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LG debuts CLOiD home robot at CES 2026

At CES 2026, LG unveiled several innovative products, but the spotlight was on its global debut of the household robot CLOiD. This home robot is an evolution of LG’s 2018 CLOi series, featuring upgraded robotics technology and aligning with CES 2026’s “Zero Labor” vision to tackle the last mile of automated household chores—such as placing food in the oven or removing and folding laundry.

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CES 2026: Chinese humanoid robots dominate the spotlight

Humanoid robots emerged as a centerpiece of CES 2026 this week as the world’s largest technology trade show pivoted from traditional consumer electronics toward the commercialization of embodied artificial intelligence. Leading hardware developers and a surge of Chinese manufacturers used the event to signal that robotic assistants are moving from experimental prototypes toward viable industrial and domestic tools.

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