Core Insights - The 2025 World Intelligent Manufacturing Conference opened in Nanjing, focusing on "Digital Intelligence Driving New Quality Leadership" [1] - The conference announced the first batch of 15 leading intelligent factories in China, including XCMG and Nanjing Steel, as part of a national initiative to promote digital transformation and intelligent manufacturing [1][2] - The event featured a market exhibition covering 55,000 square meters, showcasing innovations from 456 companies across 21 countries, emphasizing international collaboration in intelligent manufacturing [2][3] Group 1: Intelligent Factories - The 15 leading intelligent factories span key industries such as equipment manufacturing, raw materials, electronic information, and consumer goods, demonstrating the breadth and depth of China's intelligent manufacturing [2] - XCMG has improved global customization capabilities through AI-driven R&D and manufacturing, reducing order delivery cycles by 55% [2] - Nanjing Steel achieved a 98.5% on-time delivery rate for customized special steel production using digital twin technology and AI, with a 50% reduction in new product development cycles compared to traditional methods [2] Group 2: Conference Highlights - The conference included the appointment ceremony for the new National Intelligent Manufacturing Committee and the release of several key documents, including the 2025 Intelligent Manufacturing Blue Book and the top ten technological advancements in global intelligent manufacturing [2][3] - The event aims to support the development of a modern industrial system and strengthen the real economy, aligning with national strategies for high-end, intelligent, and green manufacturing [3] - The conference has been held annually since 2016, establishing itself as a high-end platform for global cooperation and showcasing the achievements of Jiangsu's manufacturing sector [3]

Summary of Key Points from the Conference Call Industry Overview - **Monetary Policy in China**: The People's Bank of China (PBOC) maintained its monetary policy stance during the Q3 Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting, indicating no significant changes from Q2. The economy is no longer described as "showing positive momentum" due to recent softening data. Expectations for policy rate and reserve requirement ratio (RRR) cuts in Q4 remain, contingent on further economic weakening [1][4][10]. Core Insights - **Government Bond Yields**: Long-term yields on Chinese Government Bonds (CGB) are rising, driven by a bond-to-equity rotation and market expectations of increased taxes on CGB investments. The 30-year and 10-year CGB yields are projected to continue climbing [2][10]. - **Industrial Profit Growth**: Industrial profits in China increased by 8.0% sequentially in August, following a 3.7% rise in July. This growth is particularly notable in raw material sectors like steel, suggesting the effectiveness of government "anti-involution" policies. However, industrial revenue has remained largely unchanged, indicating challenges in combating deflation [4][9][10]. Additional Considerations - **Investor Sentiment**: Investors express a generally positive outlook on China's technology and innovation in the medium term, but they remain concerned about deflation, corporate profitability, and household consumption in the short term. There is mixed sentiment regarding the direction of the Renminbi (RMB) and long-end CGB yields [10][11]. - **Deflationary Pressures**: The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) highlighted that lower costs contributed to improved profits in August, emphasizing ongoing difficulties in addressing deflation within the Chinese economy [4][10]. Conclusion The conference call provided insights into the current state of the Chinese economy, highlighting the PBOC's cautious approach to monetary policy, rising government bond yields, and the mixed performance of industrial profits. Investors are advised to consider these factors when making investment decisions in the context of China's evolving economic landscape [5][10].

Group 1 - POSCO Holdings has established the Australia Critical Minerals R&D Lab in Perth to enhance technological competitiveness in steel, battery materials, raw materials, and rare earth industries [1][8] - The lab aims to integrate Australia's resources with POSCO's materials technology, adding value to core businesses and serving as a strategic hub for raw material processing and critical mineral acquisition [2][4] - The necessity of localization methods in the steel and battery materials industries has been recognized, focusing on cost-effective raw material procurement and technological competitiveness in carbon reduction [3][4] Group 2 - The R&D lab will focus on critical mineral research and development, including partnerships with local raw material companies and research institutions to advance low-carbon steel raw material utilization and cost-cutting technologies in lithium and nickel sectors [4][8] - Research will also include rare earth supply chains and high-efficiency separation and refining technologies to explore next-generation mineral business opportunities and promote investment in global mines through local knowledge exchange [4][8] Group 3 - Over the past year, shares of POSCO Holdings (PKX) have decreased by 27.7%, slightly underperforming the industry average decline of 27.3% [6]