China has proposed export controls on 12 technologies used to make ​solar equipment, citing national security concerns, as part of ‌a broader revision that also covers AI and ​biotechnology.

The Ministry of Commerce proposed adding ⁠the photovoltaic technologies to China’s export-control list, it said in a statement on Friday (October 16, 2026), adding that greater oversight is ‌needed because solar technologies are increasingly being used in sensitive areas like aerospace and national ‌defence.

Chinese officials held initial talks with manufacturers about ‌potential ⁠curbs on advanced solar-panel manufacturing technologies, Reuters ⁠reported in April, a move that could threaten plans by U.S. firms such as Tesla to expand production in the U.S.

Beijing ​has also curbed exports ‌of solar-manufacturing technology to India, Reuters has reported. Analysts say China is seeking to preserve its dominance as India tries to build up domestic manufacturing ‌and shake off reliance on China.

Export restrictions ​aim to “guard against the risks of technologies from running out of control or being ⁠improperly disseminated, while safeguarding normal international exchanges and cooperation in science and technology,” the Ministry said.

Exporters must ‌now register certain overseas technology transfers until the export-control catalogue is formally updated. Public consultation on the proposal will close on November 15.

China would ban technologies including those used to make some thin wafers, perovskite and tandem solar cells, as well as large-scale ‌fluidized-bed polysilicon production technologies.

Perovskite is an emerging technology that ​offers the potential of increased conversion efficiency. Tandem cells combine perovskite and silicon layers to ⁠capture more of the sunlight spectrum.

Fluidized-bed technology for producing ⁠polysilicon — a key building block for solar panels — is less expensive and more energy-efficient than the ‌dominant Siemens process.

China would also restrict, but not prohibit, exports of advanced solar cell manufacturing ​technologies, including TOPCon, HJT and XBC.

Funskool India is targeting turnover of over ₹400 crore in FY27, banking on international partnerships and manufacturing expansion, even as India’s toy industry grapples with dependence on China for specialised tooling and electronic components.

The company expects to close FY27 with revenue of ₹380-400 crore, against its budget of ₹350 crore, said K. A. Shabir, chief executive officer of Funskool India. It recorded around ₹250 crore in the first half. New projects awarded in September could help it cross ₹400 crore, provided production begins in January, he said.

Funskool is expanding its international portfolio through partnerships with Simba Toys of Germany, Moltó of Spain, Buffalo Games of the US, Sanrio of Japan, Spin Master of Canada and Asmodee of France. The arrangements cover licensed manufacturing and distribution of international toy brands in India, alongside production for overseas partners and expansion of its own portfolio.

Exports account for around 70% of Funskool’s business, with products shipped to more than 63 countries. The Americas contribute about 44% of exports and Europe around 40%, with the remainder coming from other regions. Geopolitical developments have pushed up input and logistics costs, Mr. Shabir said.

Capacity expansion

To support the perceived growth, the company is adding around 90,000 sq ft of factory space at Ranipet through construction and leasing, while expanding its Goa facility by about 80,000 sq ft. It currently operates three factories, one in Goa and two in Ranipet.

The expansion comes as India seeks to increase its share of the global toy market from around 1% to 5% by 2032. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal announced the target in July and said a task force would identify measures to boost domestic manufacturing and exports.

China dependence

Despite the growth ambitions, the absence of a domestic ecosystem for specialised manufacturing tools remains a key constraint. Indian toy makers continue to depend on China for such equipment, as well as low-cost and high-end electronic components.

High capital expenditure compounds the problem. Toys typically have product life cycles of around a year, making it difficult to recover investments in specialised tools. Automation is viable only when machinery can be deployed across multiple products, Mr. Shabir said.

India is seeing smaller electronics manufacturers emerge, and Funskool is exploring ways to develop them. However, rising silicon prices and supply delays remain challenges.

Labour availability and attrition are other concerns. While Ranipet in Tamil Nadu traditionally offered an accessible workforce, labour is no longer as readily available, he said. Attrition among engineering and managerial staff was around 10% last year, while factory-worker attrition was considerably higher.

Funskool is exploring automation in digital printing and packing to manage workforce requirements as operations expand.

India has initiated an anti-dumping investigation into imports of Penicillin G and its salts from China after domestic manufacturer Lyfius Pharma alleged the imports were causing material retardation to the industry.

The company has sought imposition of anti-dumping duties, the Directorate General of Trade Remedies, under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, said in a notification initiating the investigation.

The Aurobindo Pharma subsidiary began manufacturing Penicillin G more than two years ago under the government’s production linked (PLI) scheme and with it revived production of the beta-lactam antibiotic in the country after about three decades.

Stating that it is the sole eligible producer of the product under consideration (PUC) in India and there are no other domestic manufacturers, Lyfius Pharma, in the application, said India used to previously manufacture Penicillin G before sustained influx of imports ceased domestic production.

The PUC, under the investigation, covers Penicillin G in all forms, grades, strengths and concentrations, along with its salt forms, whether or not conforming to pharmacopoeial standards, and in both solid and liquid forms. The product is used as a key starting material (KSM) and active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) in the manufacture of various medicines used to treat bacterial infections, including pneumonia, dental infections, diphtheria and meningitis, the DGTR said.

The DGTR, which agreed to the company’s suggestion for 2025-26 as the period of investigation, said there is sufficient prima facie evidence that the PUC is being dumped into the domestic market by exporters from China.

Lyfius Pharma said it has not been able to achieve production and sales as expected and forced to reduce its prices to match the landed price of imports.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Lyfius Pharma’s 15,000 tonnes Pen G facility in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh in October 2024. Aurobindo Pharma had said the facility represented a strategic ₹2,500 crore investment under the Centre’s PLI scheme for pharmaceutical sector.

India manufactured Penicillin G until the late 1980s. However, following globalisation, imports led to closure of all plants producing the antibiotic in the country. In March 2024, then Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers and Health and Family Welfare Mansukh Mandaviya said the government was working on bringing back production of Penicillin G in India after three decades.

Earlier this year, Aurobindo Pharma said it expected to produce more than 10,000 metric tonnes on annualised basis over the following 12 months.

In Coimbatore, one of the main MSME clusters in the country, price of copper has shot up by almost 75% in the past one year. One kg of copper now costs ₹1,450 as against ₹800-₹900 a kg last year.

The prices had touched ₹1,500 a kg earlier in the year and softened only recently.

With MSMEs in Coimbatore manufacturing automobile components, electric vehicles, pumps, renewable energy components, electronic parts, and so on, the high price of copper is eroding the competitiveness of the engineering industries.

The U.S. and China are the major consumers of copper globally, and India imports almost all its requirements. In the recent months, use of recycled copper is on the rise because of the prices, said industry sources here.

V. Rangaswamy, president of the Coimbatore District Small Industries Association, said if the price hike was less than 10%, the units would have absorbed it fully. With over 60% increase, however, the MSMEs were able to pass on [to the customers] just 10%-15% of the rise in copper prices. Along with it, prices of steel and zinc have also gone up.

“MSMEs fix the pries once in a year or once in two years. Hence, they are unable to pass on the hike fully to the customers. Further, it is not just the price of copper. Cost of all petroleum-based products have also seen a hike. These have eroded the competitiveness of the MSMEs,” he said.

Schemes such as raw material banks were not helpful in these situations as copper was precious and could not be stored in bulk, he added. “Copper is like gold now. Even if a small quantity is lost, the MSMEs will stand to lose,” he said.

Jayakumar Ramadas of Mahendra Pumps said use of copper coated wires is becoming common in many pumpsets manufacturing units. “We tell our customers whether the wires used are copper or copper coated and have priced the pumps accordingly,” he said. According to him technology will evolve gradually around use of copper-coated products for industrial use.

In Coimbatore, one of the main MSME clusters in the country, price of copper has shot up by almost 75% in the past one year. One kg of copper now costs ₹1,450 as against ₹800-₹900 a kg last year.

The prices had touched ₹1,500 a kg earlier in the year and softened only recently.

With MSMEs in Coimbatore manufacturing automobile components, electric vehicles, pumps, renewable energy components, electronic parts, and so on, the high price of copper is eroding the competitiveness of the engineering industries.

The U.S. and China are the major consumers of copper globally, and India imports almost all its requirements. In the recent months, use of recycled copper is on the rise because of the prices, said industry sources here.

V. Rangaswamy, president of the Coimbatore District Small Industries Association, said if the price hike was less than 10%, the units would have absorbed it fully. With over 60% increase, however, the MSMEs were able to pass on [to the customers] just 10%-15% of the rise in copper prices. Along with it, prices of steel and zinc have also gone up.

“MSMEs fix the pries once in a year or once in two years. Hence, they are unable to pass on the hike fully to the customers. Further, it is not just the price of copper. Cost of all petroleum-based products have also seen a hike. These have eroded the competitiveness of the MSMEs,” he said.

Schemes such as raw material banks were not helpful in these situations as copper was precious and could not be stored in bulk, he added. “Copper is like gold now. Even if a small quantity is lost, the MSMEs will stand to lose,” he said.

Jayakumar Ramadas of Mahendra Pumps said use of copper coated wires is becoming common in many pumpsets manufacturing units. “We tell our customers whether the wires used are copper or copper coated and have priced the pumps accordingly,” he said. According to him technology will evolve gradually around use of copper-coated products for industrial use.

China’s factory floors have turned out to be sought after destinations during summer vacation this year. There has been a visible rise in tours to hi-tech manufacturing facilities like electric vehicles, electronics, and high-speed trains, with shipyards and breweries also in the mix. According to a popular Chinese online travel booking platform, Tongcheng, bookings for factory tours rose more than 36 per cent year-on-year during this summer season, with families accounting for 68 per cent of bookings.

A growing phenomenon

These factory-technology tours are part of the growing phenomenon of industrial tourism (gongye luyou) – a policy initiative actively promoted by the ruling Communist Party-state. Rather than make these tours from a sightseeing perspective, The state seeks to make them niche tourism an instrument for showcasing industrial capability, strengthening industrial brands, and educating young people about technology. According to Beijing city’s municipal bureau, in 2024, the city had 15 million industrial tourists and generated 1.7 billion yuan ($248 million) in revenue.

The origins of China’s industrial tourism dates back to the 1990s when industrial enterprises like breweries, dairy farms and petrochemicals sought to use tourism for building better consumer relationships. The central government built on the local experiments to standardise locations, and in 2004, officially designated 306 sites across China under the national industrial and agricultural tourism rubric. It marked the formalisation of the phenomenon of industrial tourism. In addition, the Communist Party of China has also emphasised on preserving industrial heritage sites, especially in the revolutionary base areas during their conflict with Japanese forces as well as the Kuomintang in the civil war before the establishment of the People’s Republic in 1949. This convergence of revolutionary and industrial heritage provides the foundation for the promotion of industrial tourism in advanced technology sectors over the last decade. Presently, China has 264 designated national industrial heritage sites.

In May this year, a joint document issued by seven departments including the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and Ministry of Education, explicitly called for expanding the supply of industrial tourism products, promoting more factory tours, activating industrial museums, and turning more manufacturing facilities into tourist destinations. This cross-departmental policy makes promotion of industrial tourism systematic and widens the scope into areas such as aerospace, robotics, e-commerce, and logistics, where China has been expanding its capabilities. The policy integrates industrial heritage, cultural tourism, innovation, education and consumption. Local governments too have joined in, crafting policies suited to their jurisdictions. For instance, the city of Beijing has made plans to integrate its tech hubs into tourism routes to open up robotics factories and autonomous vehicle labs for public viewing.

An eye on the future

While the main intention of these tours is to showcase innovation and manufacturing prowess to instil national pride, attention has also been given to the future. The tours are platforms to spark interest in STEM as a sustainable career option among the youth and facilitate the creation of a future generations of engineers and technology professionals. The growing participation of urban middle-class families in these tours attests to this point. Universities across China have been expanding the number of programmes and enrolments in Artificial Intelligence, robotics, semiconductors and other related engineering fields, which has also been underlined in the 15th Five-Year Plan.

By combining tours with research and consumption, companies are able to promote their brands while creating new revenue streams. For example, the tours of Xiaomi’s facilities are in high demand, with slots highly priced and allotted through lottery. In an intensively competitive domestic market, the factory tours help companies connect better with consumers. From testing new products to visiting a showroom, and having meals in company’s cafeteria, the immersive experience builds stronger emotional connection with the brands. Apart from the domestic footfalls, foreign investors, executives and technology professionals are participating in such tours, to observe China’s economic and industrial transformation.

A lesson for India

India may not be at the same scale as China in terms of industrial manufacturing and advanced facilities. However, there is space to experiment and diversify the country’s tourism experience to include firms in both public and private sectors. While industrial visits and internships for students are part of technical, engineering curricula, it would be worthwhile to make large-scale factories and production facilities open to public visits.

While the Indian government prioritises the ‘Make in India’ initiative to boost the country’s manufacturing ambitions, it could select some industrial hubs for tourism and promote them under ‘Learn in India’. Building industrial tourism circuits in States with higher number of manufacturing zones – like Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Gujarat – is another idea worth experimenting. All of this require Inter-ministerial coordination and joint initiatives.

The major takeaway from the Chinese experience is the need for holistic integration of state, industry, and higher education to achieve development objectives.

(Anand P. Krishnan is a Fellow at the Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies, Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence, Delhi NCR)

The head of China’s spy agency has warned that artificial intelligence endangers the country’s national security, with foreign powers potentially using the technology to threaten social order.

“Hostile forces” were abusing generative AI technologies to “fabricate political rumours and spread harmful information”, Minister of State Security Chen Yixin wrote in an article published online on Sunday (September 13, 2026).

“They launch public opinion wars and cognitive warfare against China, directly threatening our political security, institutional security and ideological security,” he said.

The warning comes as Chinese leader Xi Jinping is due to meet U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington this month, with AI governance and safety set to be part of their discussions as calls mount for greater oversight of the technology.

U.S. tech leaders have also called for slowing AI advances.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei warned on Saturday of the “reckless” speed of AI technology development, as worries mount over the risks of superintelligent computer systems.

OpenAI boss Sam Altman said he agreed with Mr. Amodei’s assessment.

But Mr. Chen warned that AI was now “the main battleground for global technological competition and a new track for major power strategic rivalry”.

Risks to China’s critical information infrastructure

He did not mention existential risks or putting the brakes on technological advances, but singled out Anthropic’s Claude Mythos and OpenAI’s ChatGPT-5.5-Cyber for their advanced hacking capabilities that potentially “pose serious risks to China’s critical information infrastructure”.

“Foreign intelligence agencies are deeply using technologies such as intelligent web crawlers, intelligent data mining, and intelligent profiling analysis to extensively collect and acquire sensitive information such as key national data, trade secrets, and citizens’ personal privacy,” Mr. Chen said.

The U.S.-Iran war has also demonstrated AI’s key role in the military, with better technology offering battlefield advantages, he said.

China must “ensure independent control of key core technologies” – including the advanced computer chips vital to training AI models – to secure its technology sovereignty, Mr. Chen wrote.

A fire erupted Thursday (September 10, 2026) on a foreign-flagged cargo ship docked in an eastern Chinese port, causing “heavy casualties”, state media said, with some people feared missing or trapped on board.

State news agency Xinhua said that the fire broke out at around 11:15 am (0315 GMT). It was not clear whether it had already been extinguished.

“A foreign cargo ship of Beihai Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. in Qingdao, Shandong Province, caught fire during its port call for maintenance, causing heavy casualties,” Xinhua said.

The report did not specify the number of casualties or the cause of the fire.

President Xi Jinping called for urgent search and rescue operations.

Xinhua said he “stressed the need to urgently search for missing persons and strictly hold those responsible to account”.

Premier Li Qiang called for the search and rescue of “trapped” people, and for those injured to receive medical treatment.

He also urged authorities to “strictly prevent secondary disasters”.

Xinhua shared a photo of the scene showing a large ship called the Ocean Melody docked at a yard, with several fire trucks stationed in front of it.

Ocean Melody is a 190-metre (632-feet) long bulk carrier sailing under the Liberian flag, according to vessel tracking website MarineTraffic, which located the ship as moored in Qingdao.

Qingdao is the hometown and namesake of Tsingtao beer and a major international maritime hub, connected to more than 700 ports in over 180 countries and regions, according to state media.

The Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding yard operates as a subsidiary of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation.

Mr. Xi said that “all regions and relevant departments must draw profound lessons from this incident, thoroughly investigate and rectify all types of fire hazards”.

There have been several major industrial accidents in China over the last year, where safety regulations are often lax.

In August, an explosion and ensuing fire at a shipyard in Fujian province killed one fire and rescue worker, and injured 12 others, according to state media.

China launched a campaign against fire hazards in high-rise buildings last November, after a huge blaze engulfed several tower blocks in Hong Kong, killing 168 people.

In May, a blast at a fireworks factory in central China killed 37 people, marking one of the nation’s deadliest industrial accidents in years.

And a fire in a shoe factory in eastern Fujian province in July killed at least 28 people.

E

With cotton and yarn prices continuing to fluctuate, textile mills and garment units in Tamil Nadu are seeking measures to improve cotton productivity and availability.

Spurt in demand for cotton yarn globally is among the main reasons for volatility in its prices, said Ashwin Chandran, chairman of the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry.

International demand for yarn is better than the last couple of years. Demand for cotton yarn was muted since 2023-24. Demand for textile products across the value chain started picking up last December. Most of the textile units maintained hand-to-mouth stocks for the last years because of the low demand.

Demand for yarn from China and Bangladesh saw an increase and domestic demand for garments is also seeing growth. This has led to better market for yarn. Further, hosiery yarn exports are mainly by the mills in Gujarat and not much from those in Tamil Nadu.

However, the cotton futures market went up to 92 cents for a pound and has corrected now to about 86 cents. Thus, the prices of cotton, the basic raw material, saw prices fluctuating. While the landed prices of clean cotton has seen ₹70 increase, yarn prices have increased by about ₹95 a kg in the last one year, he said.

The focus of the entire industry should be on improving cotton productivity in the country for raw material security, he added.

Meanwhile, the Tiruppur Exporters and Manufacturers Association has urged the Central and State governments to ban cotton exports. It said the State, especially the western districts, design and manufactures a wide range of textile products and supply to both, domestic and international markets.

This industry, predominantly driven by small and medium-sized enterprises, provides employment and livelihoods to thousands of people. However, since January this year, certain large spinning mills and traders “have been artificially restricting the supply of cotton, causing yarn prices to skyrocket and creating an unprecedented crisis for local manufacturing units—particularly the small and medium-sized ones,” alleged the Association.

Last year, cotton requirement was 350 lakh bales, whereas current domestic production stands at 290 lakh bales. With the existing cotton shortage, the government removed the import duty (11%) on cotton and 62 lakh bales of cotton were imported. Yet, cotton prices continue to rise.

This is due to artificial market manipulation, the Association claimed. The continuous rise in cotton prices have increased raw material costs, causing garment orders to be diverted to other States and countries, it said.

Drugmaker Cipla, through subsidiary Invagen Pharmaceuticals, has entered into a partnership with China’s Qilu Pharmaceutical for the exclusive licensing and supply of QL2107, a biosimilar to Keytruda (pembrolizumab) in the U.S.

Qilu will be responsible for development, regulatory registration and supply of the product while Cipla USA Inc. will be responsible for the commercialisation of the asset by leveraging its strong commercial presence in the defined territory, the company said on Thursday (September 3).

The partnership reflects Cipla’s confidence in the long-term potential of biosimilars and supports its strategy to build a strong oncology-focused portfolio, said Achin Gupta, MD and and Global CEO of Cipla.

“With our established commercial capabilities, we are well-positioned to successfully launch QL2107, subject to regulatory approval, and help ensure it reaches patients in need while lowering the cost of treatment,” Cipla North America CEO Marc Falkin said.

Qilu Pharmaceutical General Manager Hanchang Zhang said “by combining our R&D and manufacturing strengths with Cipla’s U.S. commercial expertise, we aim to bring a high-quality, affordable pembrolizumab biosimilar to U.S. patients.”