Toyota and Nissan See Sales Growth in China, While Honda Continues to Decline Amid EV Launch Delays

According to the Arctic Star Power Transmission and Distribution Network, in 2026, Zhejiang plans to invest 51.23 billion yuan in power grid fixed assets, a 6.2% increase from the previous year. Among them, the investment in the first quarter exceeded 10 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of more than 40%. It is reported that as of the end of 2025, the installed capacity of wind and solar power had reached 71 million kilowatts, and it is expected to exceed 100 million kilowatts before 2030. Meanwhile, it is expected that in the summer of 2026, the maximum electricity load in Zhejiang will reach 142 million kilowatts, a year-on-year increase of 8.3%.

Energy and commodities trader Mercuria recently announced the completion of its first copper and cobalt transaction with the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) state-owned cobalt company, EGC, marking a significant step forward in their cooperation in the field of critical metals. The deal was reached against the backdrop of the DRC government's introduction of a cobalt export quota system last year, while also requiring the implementation of EGC's mineral supply chain management and responsible sourcing standards in the artisanal and small-scale mining sector. Under the arrangement, the copper cathodes involved in the transaction will be shipped to markets such as the US, the UAE, or Saudi Arabia.

The Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) state-owned cobalt company, EGC, and the commodity trader Trafigura recently completed the first shipment of copper and cobalt products to the international market via the Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR), marking a significant advancement in the logistics system for DRC's ore exports. The Lobito Railway, approximately 1,300 kilometers long, connects the deep-water port of Lobito on Angola's Atlantic coast to the DRC border city of Luau and further extends to Kolwezi, the core area of DRC's copper-cobalt resources. This reduces the land transport time from the mining area to African ports to approximately seven days, making it the shortest and most efficient route connecting DRC's mineral resources to the global market.