China successfully launched its Kinetica-1 rocket this week, sending two Zhongke satellites and Pakistan's PRSC-HS1 remote-sensing satellite into orbit — the third Pakistani satellite China has helped deploy since 2025. The mission underscores Beijing's deepening cooperation with Islamabad in space and its growing ambitions in the global commercial launch market.

Coretronic Intelligent Robotics Corp. (CIRC), a subsidiary of Taiwan's Coretronic Group, said it is ramping up drone production to meet growing government and defense demand. The company is currently fulfilling a 3,037-unit order from Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense and plans to increase production capacity fivefold by the end of 2026.

China has once again expanded export controls on rare earth minerals, injecting fresh uncertainty into global defense manufacturing. The move poses a direct risk to Taiwan's massive drone procurement program.

In a major escalation of its tech resource policy, China's Ministry of Commerce announced new export restrictions on rare earth materials, sharply tightening approval processes for exports linked to advanced semiconductors and artificial intelligence (AI). The move adds a critical new layer of scrutiny to the global supply chain for high-tech industries.