According to foreign media reports, as the ongoing escalation of geopolitical conflict in the Middle East disrupted navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, shipments of aluminum products in the region had “stalled.” Mercuria Energy Group, the world’s largest independent integrated energy and commodities trading house, was expected to urgently withdraw nearly 100,000 mt of aluminum from London Metal Exchange (LME) warehousing facilities to ease the supply gap in European and US markets. Three sources familiar with the matter revealed that Switzerland-based Mercuria had on Monday canceled warrants for, or earmarked for delivery, nearly 100,000 mt of aluminum stored in LME-approved warehouses at Port Klang. Mercuria has so far declined to comment on the move.

SHANGHAI, Apr 7 (SMM) - Switzerland announced that it will reduce incentives for small PV systems in favor of larger projects that use all available roof surface.

He Lifeng to Visit Switzerland and France, Hold High-Level Sino-US Economic and Trade Talks, and the 10th China-France High-Level Economic and Financial Dialogue SHFE Tin Prices Fluctuate Rangebound [SMM Tin Morning News] Futures Market: The most-traded SHFE tin contract (SN2506) exhibited a rangebound fluctuation trend. It closed at 262,000 yuan/mt during the night session, up 0.73% from the previous trading day, with total open interest reaching 29,000 lots. Market trading was relatively cautious. Macro: (1) He Lifeng will visit Switzerland and France, and hold high-level Sino-US economic and trade talks, as well as the 10th China-France High-Level Economic and Financial Dialogue. During his visit to Switzerland, as the Chinese lead negotiator for Sino-US economic and trade affairs, Vice Premier He Lifeng will hold talks with the US lead negotiator, US Treasury Secretary Bessent. (Bullish ★) (2) The State Council Information Office held a press conference at 9 a.m. today. Departments such as the People's Bank of China and the China Securities Regulatory Commission will make statements and introduce the relevant situation of "a package of financial policies to support market stability and expectation stability." (Bullish ★) (3) Tariffs - ① It is reported that if negotiations fail, the EU will impose tariffs on US goods worth 100 billion euros. ② The UK and India have reached a free trade agreement. ③ UK media: The UK and the US are expected to reach a trade agreement this week, proposing to reduce tariffs on automobiles and steel. ④ Trump: The US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) may be renegotiated.

Dongfeng Motor's MHERO luxury new energy off-roader brand took a crucial step in its global strategy on April 12, as its first product, the MHERO 917, was officially launched in Zurich, Switzerland, w...

On the morning of the 10th local time, high-level economic and trade talks between China and the US began in Geneva, Switzerland. He Lifeng, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, as the Chinese lead negotiator for economic and trade issues with the US, held talks with his US counterpart, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, on the same day.

United Bank of Switzerland raised its growth forecast for China in 2023.

A pioneering autonomous driving pilot project in Switzerland has officially commenced, co-funded by the Canton of Zurich and Schweizerische Bundesbahnen (SBB) and managed by the Swiss Transit Lab (STL...

The recent flooding in Switzerland has sent shockwaves across the global automotive industry, with Jaguar Land Rover at the epicentre of the disruptions.

A reporter from the Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily exclusively learned from informed sources that Baidu's autonomous driving ride-hailing service, "Apollo Go," intends to expand into the Japanese market. In addition, Switzerland and Turkey are also included in its overseas plans. In the Middle Eastern market, Baidu's Apollo Go has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) to conduct large-scale autonomous driving tests and services in downtown Dubai, with plans to deploy over 1,000 fully autonomous vehicles. This marks Apollo Go's first large-scale autonomous driving test and service deployment outside of China. Furthermore, Apollo Go has also obtained the first batch of autonomous driving test licenses for right-hand drive, left-hand traffic regions in Hong Kong, China, and has commenced trials on highway areas outside the airport. The Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily reporter learned that Baidu is actively discussing with the Hong Kong SAR government to expand the scope of tests this year. Currently, the Hong Kong team consists of several dozen members, with expectations to further expand the team size. At Baidu's earnings call in February this year, founder Li Yanhong stated that 2025 will be a crucial year of expansion for Apollo Go, which will actively seek collaborations with mobile service operators, taxi companies, third-party fleet operators, and others. In addition to Baidu, several other autonomous driving companies, including Pony.ai and WeRide, are also expanding into overseas markets. An industry insider told the Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily that this is because overseas autonomous driving taxis (Robotaxis) have already begun to receive large-scale commercial approvals, while domestic companies are still awaiting policy support. Geographically, companies are mainly focusing on Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. For example, WeRide has already achieved actual deployments in France, Switzerland, and Spain, and has obtained licenses for fully autonomous driving public road tests and operations in France through its partnership with French autonomous driving ride-hailing network operator beti. In the Middle East, WeRide has launched Robotaxi public operation services in Abu Dhabi and Dubai through its strategic partnership with Uber, and plans to add 15 new international cities in the next five years, deploying autonomous driving Robotaxi services in regions such as Europe and the Middle East. In Singapore, WeRide has partnered with renowned local environmental sanitation company Chye Thiam Maintenance to deploy L4 autonomous driving environmental sanitation vehicles. Pony.ai also has product and business deployments in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, and recently reached a global strategic cooperation agreement with Uber to integrate into Uber's platform in H2 2025. The cooperation between the two parties will first commence in the Middle Eastern market this year, with plans to gradually expand to more international markets in the future. Pony.ai has also established an R&D center in Luxembourg and recently obtained the first batch of Robotaxi test licenses issued by the Luxembourg Ministry of Mobility and Public Works, becoming one of the first companies approved to conduct road tests locally. However, the commercialization of autonomous driving technology still faces numerous challenges, with the development prospects of Robotaxi constrained by both technological bottlenecks and market uncertainties. In December 2024, General Motors announced that it would cease providing R&D funding support for Robotaxi to its autonomous driving subsidiary, Cruise, primarily due to the excessive time and cost required to scale up the business, as well as intensifying competition. Cruise's technical team will merge with General Motors' team and shift its focus to developing assisted driving systems for personal vehicles. Google's Robotaxi subsidiary, Waymo, has been operating at a loss. According to the first-quarter report of Google's parent company this year, revenue from the "Other Bets" segment (which includes Waymo and life sciences business Verily) declined by 9% YoY to $450 million, while losses widened from $1.02 billion in the same period last year to $1.23 billion. "Beyond the existing landscape of passenger vehicle manufacturers, it remains questionable whether Robotaxi can establish an independent ecological niche, " an expert in the field of vehicle-road coordination told the *Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily*. "Currently, the industry's gross margins are insufficient to cover the high R&D costs, and the sector is still in the technology validation phase. It is expected that it will take another 2-3 years of cultivation before true commercialization can be achieved."

Switzerland-based Glencore said last week it would not renew a deal to buy $16 billion of aluminum from Rusal after it expires next year.