Materials
Texas cold snap forces Toray to stop shipments of air bag material
Concerns spike over length of disruption and impact on auto industry
Materials
Automobiles
Toyota partially halts 4 North American plants amid plastics shortage
Texas blackouts disrupt supply chain, forcing stoppage till early April
Environment
Top Chinese steelmaking city to punish polluting companies
Tangshan directs industries to comply with its environmental protection plan
Indo-Pacific
Quad tightens rare-earth cooperation to counter China
Japan, India, Australia and US to collaborate in tech, funding and rule-making
Materials
Rio and Mongolia agree to replace $7bn plan to expand copper mine
New leaders to work out deal to better share rising project costs
Materials
China tells steelmakers to cut output again to stem price fall
Beijing takes lead in capacity reduction through corporate consolidation
Materials
Cement maker promises to speed up EV battery charge times
Japan's Taiheiyo Cement would eliminate pricey, controversial cobalt
Environment
China aims to go as big in bioplastics as it did in solar panels
One supplier's 700,000 ton capacity buildup dwarfs global demand
Materials
The future is antiviral for Japan's material makers
Manufacturers scramble to capture surging demand brought on by pandemic
Materials
The paper queen's gambit: China's Nine Dragons bets on Southeast Asia
Leading manufacturer builds $4.6bn plant to overcome supply restrictions
Business deals
Apollo to buy Showa Denko's aluminum assets for $480m
US asset manager's first acquisition in Japan expands materials portfolio
Materials
Shin-Etsu to boost US plastic production on back of Biden stimulus
Japanese chemical maker plans $1.25bn investment, anticipating infrastructure push
Climate Change
Japan's Teijin to disclose emissions from making auto parts
Chemicals company tries to meet standards expected by European carmakers
China debt crunch
Tianqi Lithium cancels $2.5bn share sale after exchange objects
Shenzhen bourse questioned how purchase by chairman's company would be financed
Business deals
Thailand's SCG Packaging acquires UK peer for up to $182m
Company has cash to grow after gaining access to Europe and US
Materials
Mitsubishi Chemical leads charge against China's EV battery giants
Company to boost electrolyte production by 50% to compete for surging demand
Interview
Nippon Steel sizes up hurdles in quest for net-zero CO2 emissions
Company to invest in hydrogen tech as it chases 2050 goal, president says
China debt crunch
China's struggling Tianqi Lithium seals deal to extend loans
Chairman pledges $620m in shares to win breathing space from creditors
Climate Change
Mitsubishi Heavy to build biggest zero-carbon steel plant
Austrian test facility to run on hydrogen when it goes online next year
Science
World's first wooden satellite to be launched by Japan in 2023
Sumitomo Forestry studies potential for wood materials in extreme environments
