This year’s CES, the world’s biggest consumer electronics event, welcomed its largest Hong Kong pavilion, with optical tech very much its focus.

In an action aimed primarily at Chinese Mainland drone makers, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission banned effective 22 December 2025 the importation for use or sale of new foreign-made drones. This decision does not impact drones that have already received FCC authorisation but will apply to all new drone models of foreign origin moving forward, including Chinese Mainland drones.

The European Commission has published long-awaited proposals on boiler efficiency standards, but the final draft represents a significant retreat from earlier ambitions to phase out fossil fuel heating systems. After years of deliberation and intense lobbying, the new rules will allow gas and oil boilers to remain on the market indefinitely, marking a notable shift in the EU's approach to decarbonising home heating.

USTR has determined that Chinese Mainland’s acts, policies and practices related to “targeting of the semiconductor industry for dominance” are actionable under Section 301. However, while the agency concluded that taking tariff action against Chinese Mainland semiconductors is appropriate, it set an additional Section 301 tariff on Chinese Mainland semiconductors at zero effective 23 December, rising on June 23, 2027, to a rate to be determined in the future.

The European Commission has drafted an implementing Regulation to establish harmonised specifications for battery labelling requirements under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, the comprehensive EU framework concerning batteries and waste batteries. The new rules, once adopted, will apply to various battery categories, including electric vehicle batteries, rechargeable industrial batteries with capacity greater than 2 kWh, LMT batteries, and all portable batteries, with implementation dates set at 18 months after the regulation enters force.

USTR has determined that Chinese Mainland’s acts, policies and practices related to “targeting of the semiconductor industry for dominance” are actionable under Section 301. However, while the agency concluded that taking tariff action against Chinese Mainland semiconductors is appropriate, it set an additional Section 301 tariff on Chinese Mainland semiconductors at zero effective 23 December, rising on June 23, 2027, to a rate to be determined in the future.

Innovation and government backing have seen Chinese Mainland robo-vac manufacturers poised to increase their share of many international markets.

The growth momentum of the global electronics sector is widely expected to be sustained into 2026, according to the majority of participants in the Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Autumn 2025) survey. This optimistic outlook is regardless of the tariffs imposed by the US government on products of China-origin (as well as those sourced from many other parts of the world), a development that coincided with the opening of the Fair and the period over which the survey was conducted (13-16 October 2025).

The State Administration for Market Regulation and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology jointly announced, on 20 November, a plan to adjust standards for conformity assessment and testing methods in restricting the use of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. From the date of the announcement until 31 July 2027, enterprises must carry out conformity assessment activities in accordance with GB/T 26572-2011 and its Amendment No.1, or GB 26572-2025.

Over recent years, robot vacuums have proven a hit on the Chinese Mainland, with smart homes increasingly seen as aspirational assets.