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At MWC 2026 ZTE and ByteDance showcased a preview of the Nubia M153 Doubao AI phone, highlighting system-level voice and multimodal automation. The device is a China-only engineering sample already sold out, displayed abroad for technical exchange rather than immediate international sales. The demo arrives as global smartphone shipments slow and memory prices surge, prompting OEMs to seek higher‑value use cases to reignite demand.

Apple’s new M5 MacBooks deliver significant on‑device AI and GPU performance gains enabled by TSMC’s SoIC‑MH packaging, while the company has raised base storage and retail prices by cutting lower‑capacity SKUs. The strategy appears designed to absorb rising NAND and DRAM costs, protect margins and push more customers toward higher‑priced configurations.

A claimed closure of the Strait of Hormuz by an adviser to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard triggered a sharp rise in oil prices and broad volatility across Chinese markets, boosting oil and shipping stocks while dragging major indices lower. The shock coincides with Chinese policy moves—from Shenzhen consumer subsidies to tougher online protections for minors—and fresh tech sector disputes over open‑source licensing and AI commercialization, amplifying short‑term economic uncertainty and regulatory complexity.

Ahead of China’s Two Sessions, New Hope chairman Liu Yonghao urged the government to accelerate AI adoption in livestock farming through subsidies, tax incentives and coordinated R&D. He showcased company pilots — from AI-driven cold chains delivering same-day fresh milk to robotic meat processing — and warned that data fragmentation and talent shortages must be addressed for widescale uptake.

NPC deputy Tian Xuan has proposed extending A‑share trading hours in stages and creating a national, non‑profit independent‑directors association under CSRC oversight. The twin measures aim to boost liquidity, attract foreign capital and professionalise corporate governance, but would require significant technical, regulatory and institutional work to implement effectively.

China’s leading menswear retailer HLA was suspended from participating in all military procurement after refusing to sign a contract it had won. The sanction, which also penalises two company representatives, threatens the firm’s group‑purchase revenue stream, exacerbates existing margin pressure and signals stricter enforcement of procurement rules across China’s institutional supply chains.

Chinese A‑shares fell broadly on March 3, led by a more than 3% drop in the Shenzhen Component and steep losses across thousands of stocks, even as oil and gas names surged. Elevated turnover and weak breadth point to a liquidity‑driven unwind amid global risk‑off and sector concentration risks.

Meituan’s Tabbit AI browser was accused of reusing code from an open‑source translation plugin after its public beta; Meituan says it forked the project before a GPLv3 licence was added, has reached agreement with the original author, will remove the module from future releases and will open‑source the component. The episode exposes gaps in corporate open‑source governance at a moment when rapid AI productisation is common.

Douyin said it removed about 400,000 pieces of content and disciplined 1,030 accounts in a nearly two‑month campaign targeting material harmful to minors, and helped police arrest eight suspected perpetrators. The move reflects broader Chinese policies forcing platforms to take a larger role in policing youth‑targeted abuse, while raising questions about moderation scale, transparency and platform–state cooperation.

Douyin announced it has removed about 400,000 pieces of content harmful to minors and disciplined 1,030 accounts, while assisting police in arrests tied to alleged remote molestation cases. The disclosure highlights intensifying platform responsibilities in China to police youth‑targeted harms and the operational and reputational trade‑offs that follow.

President Trump publicly expressed displeasure with UK prime minister Keir Starmer over Britain's role in recent actions against Iran. Starmer defended his choice as driven by legal obligations and the national interest, while the row highlights tensions over basing rights and coalition warfare between close allies.

Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon told attendees at MWC that robotics could scale commercially within two years and represent a major growth opportunity for the company. Qualcomm has launched a purpose-built robot processor, aiming to replicate its smartphone-era ecosystem play for an emerging ‘‘physical AI’’ market powered by advances in AI models and embodied intelligence.

Chinese companies’ push to “All in AI” is shifting costs from employers to employees as firms treat AI as a personal productivity tool rather than a corporate capital expense. That shift raises labour‑market questions about inequality, performance metrics tied to compute use and who ultimately owns the new means of production.

A NetEase commentary argues that recent U.S. actions against AI firms have transformed generative models into instruments of state power. The piece links a U.S. move to restrict Anthropic, Anthropic’s resistance, and OpenAI’s swift compliance, using the episode to warn of a fragmented, securitized global AI landscape.

Ten people died outside the U.S. consulate in Karachi during mass anti-American protests sparked by a reported U.S.-Israeli strike that killed Iran’s supreme leader. Reuters cited anonymous U.S. officials saying Marines fired from inside the consulate; U.S. and Pakistani authorities have not provided a full, consistent account. The incident has forced consular closures and raises fraught questions about rules of engagement, accountability, and the stability of U.S.-Pakistan relations.

Senator Marco Rubio said the U.S. struck Iran after intelligence warned that American assets in the Middle East could be targeted in retaliation for Israeli attacks, prompting a forceful rebuttal from Iran’s foreign minister Araghchi who blamed ‘‘Israel‑first’’ actors for the bloodshed. The exchanges come amid reports of major strikes and counter‑strikes in the region—claims that require independent verification—and raise the risk of rapid escalation without clear diplomatic exits.

The IRGC says it destroyed a U.S. air‑base command building in a drone-and-missile strike during the 13th round of attacks in a widening Gulf confrontation. The campaign follows a U.S.–Israeli strike days earlier and has prompted threats to close the Strait of Hormuz, stoking regional tensions and market anxiety even as many damage and casualty claims remain unverified.

Iran has conducted a third day of missile and drone strikes focused on the Al Udeid U.S. air base in Qatar, prompting QatarEnergy to suspend LNG production after two energy facilities were hit. Doha has declared a national emergency posture, and the attacks risk both a regional security escalation and disruption to global gas markets.

Yin Qi has reconfigured his post‑Megvii career around a tightly integrated AI+automotive strategy, combining StepFun’s large models with Qianli/Geely’s hardware and distribution to create a commercial ‘‘closed loop.’’ Backed by state capital and big tech, StepFun has raised over RMB5 billion and aims for a near‑term listing, but its dependence on Geely creates strategic trade‑offs between fast deployment and independence.

Chinese citizens evacuated from Iran have credited the Chinese embassy with essential assistance, highlighting Beijing’s growing consular role abroad. The episode underscores operational and diplomatic challenges as China protects an expanding overseas population amid regional instability.