Wu Xiaoying, consulting services lead partner at Ernst & Young Greater China, says new contract wins and backlog at CROs have both shown clear improvement. Some preclinical CROs posted high YoY growth in H1 new orders; clinical CROs are seeing a recovery in new project volumes and new‑win pricing, indicating a demand rebound. She said if innovative drug R&D spending remains as active as now, this year could see the CRO industry move from order repair toward profitability repair, though recovery

CPCA secretary-general Cui Dongshu says in 1H the Chinese auto industry is in deep transformation and intense competition for existing demand as NEV penetration rises. The sector shows revenue growth without profit and widening divergence: domestic OEMs still growing top line but at a slower pace and remain smaller than global peers; profits have concentrated with upstream battery leaders while downstream dealers face a severe survival crisis. Price wars and high inventories are intensifying cash-flow stress and supply-chain payment pressures, raising systemic risk. Cui notes a multi-dimensional deterioration across revenue, gross margin, expenses, net profit, inventory and cash flow, and highlights that overseas sales—where volumes and margins are higher—are the most important route to relief for most automakers.

俄罗斯国防部：俄罗斯军队在乌克兰的切尔诺莫尔斯克港击中另一艘货船。