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Real-time News
August 17 - According to a report released by Indonesias Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, a 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the northeast coast of East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, at 7:46 a.m. local time on August 17, with a depth of 10 kilometers. No tsunami risk is expected.On August 17th, Reuters claimed on the 15th to have obtained an "exclusive report," stating that according to a draft letter from the U.S. State Department and anonymous U.S. officials, the U.S. government plans to send letters to more than 30 countries that signed the Joint Statement on Partnership for Artificial Intelligence Opportunities in June, demanding that they "choose" sides in the U.S.-China artificial intelligence (AI) race. The U.S. also threatened that if these countries participate in the China-led AI framework, they will be excluded from the U.S.-led "AI alliance." Chinese experts stated that the U.S., by using the "Silicon Peace" initiative to woo more than 20 economies, is now forcing countries to choose sides, which smacks of technological bullying.On August 17, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, together with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Water Resources, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Supreme Peoples Court, and the Supreme Peoples Procuratorate, issued a "Notice on Further Strengthening the Prevention and Control of Wastewater Pollution Risks from Industry and Other Industries and Ensuring the Safety of Agricultural Irrigation Water." The notice requires the upgrading and transformation of centralized wastewater treatment facilities in industrial parks surrounding farmland, the investigation and rectification of water-related problems in industry and livestock farming, and the formulation and revision of local water pollutant emission standards for industrial enterprises whose characteristic pollutants may affect the safety of downstream agricultural irrigation water, strengthening emission control requirements.August 17th - Data released on Monday showed that Japans second-quarter real GDP grew by 0.3% quarter-on-quarter and 1.1% annualized quarter-on-quarter, compared to expectations of 0.5% and 2%, respectively. The lower-than-expected GDP growth complicates the process of further interest rate hikes by the Bank of Japan. Flat private consumption and a sharp contraction in capital spending in the second quarter indicate that the private sector remains cautious about spending, which could lead the Bank of Japan to adopt a more prudent stance at its next meeting, despite persistently high PPI and CPI continuing to pressure policymakers to take action. The yen may face renewed pressure due to the weak economic growth outlook, especially if the market lowers the probability of a September rate hike; meanwhile, government bond yields may decline as short-term tightening expectations weaken. While external demand partially offset this impact, it alone is unlikely to change the overall moderate economic trend.On August 17th, Futures News reported that the 7.7 magnitude earthquake on Flores Island, Indonesia, had a relatively small impact on the aluminum industry chain. In terms of production capacity distribution, bauxite, alumina, and the vast majority of electrolytic aluminum production capacity are concentrated in western Indonesia, generally more than 1400 kilometers from the epicenter. Even the nearest electrolytic aluminum plant—Huaqing Aluminum in Morowali, Sulawesi—is about 624 kilometers away, still outside the 300-kilometer damage radius. Coupled with the tsunami wave height of less than 0.4 meters, the actual supply impact was almost zero. In terms of prices, at most, there will be a short-term sentiment pulse of 0-1%, which is expected to be reversed within 1-3 days, without changing the medium-term trend.
