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China Factor In series
An analytical series on how China’s rise is reshaping competition across Korea’s key industries
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China Factor In series
An analytical series on how China’s rise is reshaping competition across Korea’s key industries
Would you like to subscribe?
US rules give Korean LFP makers rare opening against China
South Korean battery materials makers challenge China’s near-monopoly with a fresh push into lithium iron phosphate cathodes as US restrictions and energy storage demand create an opening for Korean suppliers. Posco Future M and L&F, long focused on nickel-rich cathodes for electric vehicles, are converting production lines, building dedicated LFP plants, and locking in multitrillion-won supply deals with Korea’s major battery makers. Behind the shift is a rapid expansion of energy storage syste
Oct. 12, 2026 - 15:27:22
China tightens humanoid patent grip with 60% share
China’s widening lead in humanoid robot patents is raising the stakes for South Korea’s push to compete in the fast-growing industry. Across the world’s five major intellectual property offices, known as IP5, China accounted for 60.8 percent of humanoid robot patents as of the first half of 2026, according to Intellectual Property Office data obtained by Rep. Lee Jeong-heon’s office. The US held 21.8 percent and Korea 4.6 percent. China’s share rose from 51.8 percent in 2024, while Korea’s fell
Sept. 28, 2026 - 14:48:37
China’s global ambitions, tech rivalry with US raise stakes for Korea
China’s rise is reshaping the global power structure, economic order and technological landscape as Beijing seeks a larger global role under President Xi Jinping, bringing it into deeper strategic competition with the US, according to experts. Kim Heung-kyu, president of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, made the assessment in a keynote speech titled “South Korea’s Choice in an Era of US-China Strategic Competition” at a seminar hosted by the China Capital Market Society at the Korea Financ
Sept. 26, 2026 - 16:00:00
CXMT advances DRAM with G5, eyes next move into NAND
China’s ChangXin Memory Technologies has begun mass production of its fifth-generation DRAM platform, strengthening its position in a market dominated by Samsung Electronics, SK hynix and Micron, while separately preparing a research line for a possible move into NAND flash. CXMT said Sunday that its G5 platform had entered mass production, along with two 24-gigabit LPDDR5X products for smartphones and other portable devices. DRAM is the working memory processors use to handle data in real time,
Sept. 22, 2026 - 12:47:16
Korean battery firms race to secure non-Chinese suppliers
South Korean battery material makers are accelerating efforts to build traceable, non-Chinese supply chains as tighter US rules threaten federal clean energy incentives for products linked to China. LS-L&F Battery Solution, a joint venture between LS Group and L&F, has begun qualification tests to make precursor materials — blends of metals used in cathodes —using metal sulfates produced by LS Group affiliate LS MnM, according to reports Thursday. If testing is completed as planned, LLBS could b
Sept. 17, 2026 - 14:57:05
China pivot: Hyundai looks to exports, Toyota goes all in on EVs
China’s rise as an electric vehicle powerhouse is forcing global automakers to rewrite their playbooks. With its speed, tightly integrated supply chains and advanced battery ecosystem, the country is no longer simply the world’s largest EV market — it is where the industry’s next competitive rules are being set. For Asia’s two leading automakers, Hyundai Motor Group and Toyota, staying competitive in next-generation mobility increasingly depends on how they use China. Yet the two are placing mar
Sept. 7, 2026 - 14:40:23
China’s CXMT begins small-scale HBM3E production: report
Chinese memory chipmaker CXMT has begun producing HBM3E in small quantities and testing it with domestic AI chip developers, according to The Information on Monday. The step could increase competitive pressure on Samsung Electronics and SK hynix even as the Korean memory leaders remain ahead in cutting-edge HBM technology and mass production. Alibaba Group’s chip unit T-Head and Beijing-based Cambricon Technologies are testing CXMT’s high-bandwidth memory with their processors, The Information r
Sept. 1, 2026 - 15:10:26
CXMT announces LPDDR6 mass production ahead of Samsung, SK hynix
China’s CXMT has announced mass production of LPDDR6 memory for Xiaomi’s upcoming 18 Fold, moving ahead of Samsung Electronics and SK hynix in publicly confirming both production and a commercial handset deployment for the next-generation mobile DRAM. CXMT said Saturday that its LPDDR6 had “officially entered mass production” and would debut in the 18 Fold in September. Xiaomi founder and CEO Lei Jun separately confirmed that the company’s new Xring O3 processor would support CXMT’s LPDDR6 and t
Aug. 31, 2026 - 14:57:44
YMTC to boost NAND output as Korean rivals hold back
China’s Yangtze Memory Technologies is forecast to increase NAND wafer output by nearly 25 percent next year, as it seeks to catch up with its Korean rivals, whose major expansions are not expected until 2028. Market tracker Omdia expects YMTC’s annual NAND output will rise by 486,000 wafers, from 2.01 million this year to 2.50 million in 2027, according to industry sources Sunday. The expansion will be driven largely by the company’s third plant in Wuhan, which is scheduled to begin initial ope
Aug. 30, 2026 - 14:18:05
Why YMTC’s NAND rise matters for Samsung, SK hynix
Yangtze Memory Technologies, China’s largest maker of NAND flash memory, has crossed a threshold where Samsung Electronics and SK hynix can no longer dismiss it as a low-end challenger. YMTC filed on Aug. 21 for a Shanghai initial public offering that could raise about $4.9 billion, less than two weeks after Counterpoint Research put it at 14 percent of global NAND shipments in the second quarter, level with Japan’s Kioxia and behind only Samsung and the combined SK hynix-Solidigm group. China’s
Aug. 27, 2026 - 15:35:34
China's CXMT joins SK hynix in race to supply LPDDR6 to Xiaomi
China’s largest memory maker CXMT has emerged as a prospective LPDDR6 supplier for Xiaomi’s new Xring O3 processor, less than a month after SK hynix was reported as Xiaomi’s expected first supplier of the same next-generation mobile memory. The Beijing News reported Tuesday, citing supply-chain sources, that CXMT’s LPDDR6 “will be the first domestically produced memory to be paired with the Xring O3” and enter commercial use. LPDDR6 is the latest low-power DRAM standard for smartphones and other
Aug. 26, 2026 - 14:53:32
BYD’s humanoid push challenges Hyundai’s early lead
The world’s largest electric vehicle giant has officially entered the global humanoid robotics race, expected to leverage its fully integrated battery-to-software supply chain to drive down production costs. The move escalates pressure on early movers such as Hyundai Motor Group, which would need to slash manufacturing costs after commercialization to hold onto its lead. BYD’s robotics playbook is straightforward: establish a foothold with retail and service humanoid robots, then scale rapidly i
Aug. 9, 2026 - 15:03:43
China’s homegrown DUV jolts chip industry, but yield test looms
Recent reports that China has developed its own immersion deep-ultraviolet lithography system have jolted the global semiconductor industry, suggesting that Beijing may be closing one of the most formidable technology gaps maintained by US export controls. Korean experts caution, however, that building the machine is only the first step. China could still need years to prove that the equipment can operate reliably, process wafers at competitive speeds and deliver commercially viable chip yields.
Aug. 6, 2026 - 14:52:03
CXMT nears LPDDR6 validation days after record IPO
Chinese memory maker ChangXin Memory Technologies has reached a key stage in developing next-generation mobile memory, industry sources said, less than a week after its Shanghai debut made it the most valuable company listed on a mainland Chinese exchange. Chinese business outlet Yicai reported Saturday, citing unnamed industry sources, that a core CXMT affiliate had brought its first LPDDR6 chip to what the outlet described as the "tail end" of research-and-development validation, an important
Aug. 3, 2026 - 14:49:48
Where CXMT’s IPO money is going: The DRAM gap Korea left
ChangXin Memory Technologies surged 472 percent at the opening of its Shanghai debut on Monday, briefly becoming China’s most valuable domestically listed company with a market capitalization of about 3.3 trillion yuan ($487 billion). But the line that matters most to Korea’s memory industry has been hiding in plain sight for months. In its listing prospectus, CXMT said it would deploy 29.5 billion yuan. Nearly 70 percent, or 20.5 billion yuan, goes to wafer lines and upgrading DRAM processes it
July 27, 2026 - 14:41:30
