[Beijing: Increase NEV Promotion Efforts to Cultivate New Growth Points in Automobile Consumption]

According to South Korean media reports, ASML, the world's largest semiconductor equipment manufacturer, will uniformly raise the prices of replacement parts supplied in South Korea by 10%. The new prices will take effect from January next year, and the price increase covers all parts for EUV and DUV lithography machines. Industry insiders revealed that early last month, ASML headquarters had already notified Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix of the price increase intention through its South Korean subsidiary. The price hike was finalized after negotiations with the procurement departments of the two companies.

A senior official from the European Affairs Department of the Ministry of Commerce elaborated on the outcomes of the second meeting of the China-EU trade and investment consultation mechanism: The two sides reviewed the general guidance document on price commitments in the anti-subsidy case concerning EVs reached earlier, and the EU side will actively advance the procedures related to enterprise price commitments and reviews in the EV case. The two sides looked ahead positively to future cooperation, believing that China and the EU have enormous potential for cooperation in areas such as new energy, artificial intelligence, trade in services, the digital economy, and green and low-carbon development, and can further explore new opportunities and expand new space. The two sides agreed to explore two-way investment cooperation. China, as always, welcomes EU enterprises to invest and do business in China and will continue to improve the business environment, while also expecting the EU side to create a fair, transparent, and predictable business environment for Chinese enterprises, effectively safeguard their legitimate rights and interests, and boost their confidence and expectations for investing and operating in Europe.

The Beijing Municipal People's Government has issued the Plan for Deepening the Construction of an International Consumption Center City during the 15th Five-Year Plan Period. The plan points out that Beijing will further advance "AI + consumption." It will expand consumption of digital products and increase the effective supply of new-generation intelligent end-use products such as AI phones and computers, smart wearables, and smart robots. It will innovate consumption of digital content, encourage the use of AI technologies to assist in the creation of theater, music, dance, fine arts, and immersive experiences, launch more high-quality digital cultural heritage products, and increase the supply of ultra-high-definition content in radio, television, and online audio-visual services. It will create new digital consumption scenarios, accelerate the integration of digital and intelligent technologies with consumption scenarios, promote the integrated application of AI, virtual reality, and ultra-high-definition technologies in commerce, education, healthcare, culture, tourism, sports, and other fields, and build smart business districts and smart stores. It will expand digital consumption channels, support the digital marketing of brick-and-mortar commercial enterprises, and guide the regulated and healthy development of instant retail and livestream e-commerce.