At a May 28 briefing, China's Ministry of National Defense spokesman said Japan has stepped up militarization of space, citing the JAPAN DEFENCE MINISTRY's release of measures to bolster space defenses and its claim to have activated a low‑Earth‑orbit military reconnaissance satellite constellation. Beijing said Tokyo has increased defense spending, coordinated foreign partners for joint space exercises, built a space military-intelligence architecture and is seeking to develop and deploy space

CITIC Securities research says as newly arrived supply is largely absorbed by demand, previously hidden older inventory is gradually surfacing. SMM (Shanghai Metals Market) has adjusted its inventory structure to raise sample coverage of traders and cell makers, rendering traders' hidden stock and cell makers' customer-supplied reserves visible. The new-sample latest weekly inventory stood at 137,000 t, down 0.8% WoW; the old-sample weekly inventory was 101,000 t, down 1.2% WoW. During the week, as prices fell further, purchase intent strengthened, restocking willingness rose and buying activity became active. Lithium carbonate output edged lower this week, mainly due to spodumene-line maintenance; due to tight feedstock, output is expected to remain on a downward trend in May–June. Downstream energy-storage production scheduling remains at a high level and a rebound in demand momentum provides base support, leaving lithium prices in a short-term consolidation phase.

XPeng Inc (XPEV.N) reported Q1 2026 revenue of 13.0 billion yuan, down from 15.81 billion yuan a year earlier.