U.S.-China Trade Retaliation: China announced export controls on 10 U.S. military-related entities and a government procurement ban on 46 U.S. firms, escalating a tit-for-tat after Washington expanded its “China military-industrial” list, with rare-earth and defense-linked names including MP Materials and USA Rare Earth. EV Boom, Charging Gap: Higher oil prices after the Iran war are pushing demand for Chinese electric vehicles across developing markets, but charging infrastructure is lagging, leaving a key bottleneck for faster adoption. AI Goes Mainstream in Culture: Beijing International Book Fair put AI front and center, with platforms like Tencent and ByteDance showcasing digital publishing and NetEase Youdao using AI tools to generate illustrations from classic texts. China–Bangladesh Tech/Trade Push: Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman’s China visit aims to expand trade, investment, infrastructure, energy security, and the digital economy, with talks planned with top Chinese leadership. Pakistan Copper JV Talks: Loads Limited is exploring a joint venture with Anhui New Material Technology to expand into Pakistan’s copper sector, including trading, processing, and technology transfer. Hong Kong Capital Access: Hong Kong’s Paul Chan said talks with Beijing could broaden cross-border investment channels and allow mainland retail investors to subscribe to Hong Kong IPOs, as regulators tighten offshore capital scrutiny. Taiwan Readiness Drills: Taiwan launched a five-day combat readiness exercise amid heightened concern over possible escalation in gray-zone activity. Markets: Chinese stocks rose on improving earnings hopes and risk appetite, while Hong Kong fell as investors braced for higher U.S. rates and lock-up share releases.