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China Eases Grip on Automotive Chips; Robot Swarms Advance By Mark R. Long | WSJ Logistics Report

China will loosen its export restrictions on semiconductors made by Nexperia, its Commerce Ministry said, after the Chinese-owned, Netherlands-based automotive chip maker was caught in the crossfire of the U.S.-China trade war, leading to supply disruptions that hit car production.

The Wall Street Journal's Yoko Kubota and Ryan Felton write that Beijing will allow exports of Nexperia chips for eligible cases -without specifying the criteria. Nexperia had stopped shipping chips from China, where it processes most of its products, several weeks ago after the Dutch seized control of the company. The lack of Nexperia's diodes and transistors was starting to limit world-wide auto production , with Honda last week stopping production across North American facilities.

China's move came out of a framework agreement reached by President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. A fact sheet detailing the agreement

released by the White House also says the U.S. will suspend, starting Nov. 10, actions such as imposing fees on Chinese-owned and -operated ships

calling at U.S. ports, in exchange for Beijing scrapping retaliatory measures and sanctions imposed on various shipping entities.

Negotiations with China based on a U.S. probe of China's dominance of the maritime industry will continue, as will cooperation with South Korea

and Japan on reviving America's moribund shipbuilding capacity.

China's manufacturing PMI dropped to 49.0 in October

from 49.8 in September, indicating contraction for seven consecutive months. (WSJ) Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney apologized to Trump for an antitariff ad

that strained U.S.-Canada trade talks. (WSJ) India plans to nearly triple incentives for the manufacturing of rare-earth magnets

to more than $788 million. (Bloomberg) CONTENT FROM: PENSKE LOGISTICS Gain a Closer Look. Gain Ground with Penske Logistics.

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Quotable Robotics

A field called swarm robotics is taking inspiration from ants, bees and even slime molds-simple creatures that achieve remarkable feats through collective intelligence. Researchers say this approach could excel where traditional robots fail , Jackie Snow writes.

For example, a swarm of robots could make deliveries across wide areas more efficient by alerting each other to changing traffic conditions or redistributing packages among themselves if one breaks down. Robot swarms could also manage agricultural operations in places without reliable internet service.

Part of what has kept swarm robotics in research instead of real-world applications has been cost, but cheaper sensors, batteries and processors have made it possible for a much broader range of researchers to build and test robot swarms.

Number of the Day In Other News The annual rate of inflation in the eurozone slowed in October

to just above the European Central Bank's target of 2%. (WSJ) Canada's economy is on track to show tepid growth

in the third quarter, a recovery from the prior period as the country deals with tariffs and the uncertainties of U.S. trade policy. (WSJ) The Japanese economy is showing signs of improvement , a slew of data indicated. (WSJ) South Korea's exports grew for a fifth straight month

on brisk demand for semiconductors, though growth slowed as holidays cut the number of working days during the period. (WSJ) Overseas investment by businesses around the world is on track to fall

for a third straight year, the UN said. (WSJ) SpaceX is slated to receive $2 billion for developing satellites to track missiles

and aircraft under the Golden Dome project, according to people familiar with the matter. (WSJ) Nvidia struck deals

with some of South Korea's biggest companies that will see more than a quarter-million of its chips deployed across the country. (WSJ) Canadian National Railway reported a rise in third-quarter profit

and revenue due to higher freight volumes transported. (WSJ) Exxon Mobil and Chevron posted lower third-quarter earnings

but said they will continue to ratchet up production even as oil prices languish near $60 a barrel. (WSJ) Audi cut its full-year margin guidance

again as U.S. tariffs, restructuring costs and the postponement of an EV platform weigh on profitability at the German automaker. (WSJ) Colgate-Palmolive said inflation, trade uncertainty and consumer wariness continue to weigh on sales and profit

across the consumer-goods sector. (WSJ) China's Cosco Shipping plans to spend $1.75 billion

on the building of 29 new vessels, with deliveries between April 2027 and late 2028. (Breakbulk News) The average happiness level of seafarers

fell to 7.05 out of 10 in the third quarter, down from 7.54 in the previous quarter, according to an index by the Mission to Seafarers. (The Maritime Executive) U.S. Customs and Border Protection awarded a multimillion-dollar contract to supply-chain technology firm Exiger to use its AI platform to detect

illegal transshipment. (DC Velocity) Macy's will close an operating unit

at a Connecticut distribution center, affecting 106 employees. (SupplyChainDive) Taiwanese carrier Yang Ming signed contracts

for the purchase of three containerships and the building of three others with Japanese shipyards. (Seatrade Maritime News) About Us

Mark R. Long is editor of WSJ Logistics Report. Reach him at [mark.long@wsj.com]. Follow the WSJ Logistics Report team on LinkedIn: Mark R. Long , Liz Young and Paul Berger .

This article is a text version of a Wall Street Journal newsletter published earlier today.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 03, 2025 07:04 ET (12:04 GMT)

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