China-Serbia Deal Flow: Serbia’s President Vucic’s Beijing visit is tied to fresh Chinese investment pacts worth over €940m and 1,650 jobs, spanning auto parts, EV components and automation, with Minth positioning Serbia as its European hub. Industrial Profit Pulse: China’s major industrial firms posted profits up 18.2% in Jan–Apr 2026, with April rising 24.7%, pointing to strength in high-tech and chip-linked sectors. AI Infrastructure Race: TeraWulf’s 750MW Lake Mariner AI datacentre in Canada is moving fast, with “Chinese levels” of build intensity and a focus on electrical headroom for massive GPU workloads. Labour Market Pressure: A viral shepherd job ad in Inner Mongolia drew 700+ applicants for two roles, highlighting strain as higher pay still doesn’t solve long winter work risks. EU Trade Tension: Brussels leaders are preparing tougher China stance, including supplier-diversification rules and broader use of foreign subsidies and safeguard tools amid “China shock 2.0” fears. EV Brand Push: NIO is leaning on global celebrity power—Yao Ming—to market its ES9 as it targets overseas expansion while admitting China’s domestic “golden era” is over. Oil Supply Relief: China’s crude import slowdown is easing feedstock tightness across Asia, helping refiners in India and others amid Gulf disruption worries. Hong Kong MICE Boost: HKTB and Informa Markets signed a three-year deal to bring premium exhibition IPs to Hong Kong under a “city-as-your-showroom” concept. Japan-SoftBank AI Bet: Three Japanese firms are considering investing in a SoftBank-led domestic foundation-model venture aimed at “physical AI” for manufacturing robotics.