• CATL opens Middle East's first NING SERVICE Experience Center in Riyadh —currently the largest new energy aftermarket facility outside China.
• The facility offers comprehensive full-lifecycle after-sales support, cultivates local technical talent and accelerates the deployment of advanced electrification and energy storage solutions.
• It also functions as a regional ecosystem hub linking diverse stakeholders and resources to drive industrial synergy and sustainable growth.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- On January 10, 2026, CATL opened the Middle East's first and currently the largest new energy aftermarket facility outside China—the NING SERVICE Experience Center in Riyadh—strengthening its after-sales presence in the Middle East and supporting the region's shift toward cleaner energy systems.

The opening comes as Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East advance ambitious electrification and decarbonization goals under Vision 2030 and similar national initiatives. Taking Saudi Arabia as an example, The Kingdom has set a goal to transition 30% of all vehicles in Riyadh to electric by 2030, as part of a larger strategy to reduce emissions in the capital city by 50%. Sustainability policies are also driving the shift to electric equipment, such as promoting the use of electric forklifts, while encouraging the use of green energy on farms under the Saudi Green Initiative. However, progress is tempered by persistent challenges, including longstanding oil dependency, surging electricity demand, extreme climatic conditions, and limited charging and service infrastructure.

Strategically designed to overcome these obstacles, the Riyadh facility offers comprehensive full-lifecycle after-sales support, cultivates local technical talent and accelerates the deployment of advanced electrification and energy storage solutions. 

Covering more than 7,000 square meters, the Riyadh center combines exhibition areas, diagnostics and maintenance zones, refurbishment facilities, training spaces, and a customer lounge. It is designed to serve not only as a localized service hub for the region and a showcase of CATL's system-level capabilities across electric mobility, energy storage, and intelligent electrification, but also as a platform that links diverse resources, fostering industrial synergy across the ecosystem.

A full-lifecycle approach to new energy services

Relying on CATL's deep R&D and extreme manufacturing capabilities, NING SERVICE Experience Center provides customers with full-lifecycle services that encompass battery diagnostics, repair, maintenance, rework, training, recycling, aftermarket logistics and warehousing. Its services span over seven major product categories—from passenger and commercial vehicles to energy storage systems—along with diverse repair scenarios, setting a new benchmark for new energy service delivery in the region.

Leveraging CATL's advanced diagnostics and repair expertise, along with established service processes, the center's comprehensive after-sales services

helps enterprise customers reduce downtime, lower maintenance costs, and extend asset life, providing greater certainty around long-term performance and residual value while reducing long-term ownership costs and delivering more cost-effective and reliable services for end users.

Advancing localized operations and capability building

The Riyadh center serves as a key platform for CATL's localized operations in the Middle East, supporting talent development and long-term local value creation. Through dedicated training facilities, CATL builds after-sales and technical expertise in the new energy sector, contributing to skilled employment and knowledge transfer across the Middle East. Globally, NING SERVICE operates 10 training centers, totalling 2,300 square meters, and has certified more than 9,700 new energy after-sales professionals through partnerships with vocational institutions.

Beyond talent development, CATL is deepening its localization strategy by reinforcing local infrastructure and building ecosystem partnerships. CATL is in discussion with top-tier local industry players—including fuel network operators to rapidly provide green electricity to gas stations and major infrastructure companies to electrify their truck fleets, as well as energy companies to deploy solar-plus-storage solutions.

These initiatives not only bolster CATL's local service capabilities and market confidence, but also by enabling key partners, jointly drive the scaled adoption of comprehensive new energy solutions across the Middle East.

"As a leading energy company in Saudi Arabia, we see tremendous opportunities in energy transformation. For instance, we plan to deploy solar-plus-storage solutions at our gas stations and electrify forklifts to reduce reliance on oil. We look forward to collaborating with top players like CATL to drive this transition forward," said Ahmed Ibrahim，Assistant General Manager For Procurement of Al Drees, a leading provider of petroleum and logistics services in Saudi Arabia.

"The launch of CATL's Riyadh aftermarket flagship underscores our shared commitment to driving the global energy transition. This milestone not only reflects the growing demand for sustainable solutions in Saudi Arabia but also embodies our collective vision for a cleaner, electrified future. As the investor behind the experience centre, we are confident that this partnership will accelerate electrification and strengthen the region's role in advancing the energy transition." said Lin Chaofan, CEO of F4S. 

Part of a global network

The Saudi Arabia opening builds on CATL's global service footprint, which includes more than 1,200 professional service stations across 76 countries and 73 spare-parts warehouses worldwide. CATL ranks No. 1 globally in spare parts inventory stocked with 100% genuine parts, with a total warehouse area of more than 370,000 square meters. To date, NING SERVICE has supported more than six million electric vehicles, providing professional after-sales services for passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, and energy storage customers.

A long-term commitment to the Middle East

Bruce Li, President of Quality System, Aftermarket Business, Battery Management System Department at CATL, said the Riyadh center reflects a strategic, long-term view of the region.

"Our decision to establish this center in Riyadh is not only a commercial choice, but a long-term commitment," Li said. "As the first NING SERVICE Experience Center in the Middle East, it is more than a service facility. It is a new energy aftermarket ecosystem hub that brings together advanced technology, professional training, and industry collaboration—effectively connecting diverse stakeholders and resources to foster deeper synergy and sustainable growth across the region. Starting from here, CATL will continue to expand its after-sales service network across the Middle East, align closely with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, and support the region's energy transition through a reliable, end-to-end service system."

As the Middle East accelerates its shift toward electrification and energy storage adoption, CATL's expanded NING SERVICE presence is poised to deliver the technical reliability and sustained partnerships essential for this transformation.

The boom in AI data center construction has prompted a reduction in the supply of memory chips, and potentially a rise in prices of consumer products such as smartphones and personal computers this year, Financial Times reported.

Several semiconductor giants, including Arm (ARM.US), Qualcomm (QCOM.US), and Samsung, warned this week that the global race to build large AI infrastructure is squeezing the supply of components needed for mobile devices and other home electronics, report said.

Over the past year, companies like Alphabet (GOOG.US), Amazon (AMZN.US), Meta (META.US), and OpenAI have pledged billions of US dollars to build data centers to support advanced AI models and products, believing that the technology will transform various industries.
~



AASTOCKS Financial News
Website: www.aastocks.com

According to Sensor Tower, ChatGPT's mobile MAUs surpassed 870 million in November 2025, capturing a market share as high as 63%, CICC wrote in its research report.

Gemini, meanwhile, was leveraging Google's vast ecosystem to catch up with the pace of ChatGPT. In China, ByteDance's Doubao emerged as a winner with hundreds of millions of daily active users. CICC suggested investors should pay attention to the competitive landscape among Chinese and international players, as well as trends in agentization and commercialization.

The report also highlighted chatbots' position as the "Killer App" in the AI era. While the core transformation of the internet stemmed from changes in production relations, which gave rise to "Killer Apps" such as social networks and UGC content platforms as ordinary users could easily become creators, the core transformation of large AI models lies in productivity, enabling them to efficiently understand user needs and generate content, which eventually leads to the emergence of chatbots.

Currently, chatbots' average monthly active days per user, daily usage time, and retention rates are gradually approaching those of social platforms. Their penetration in work, learning, and entertainment scenarios also continues to deepen.

CICC's investment ratings and target prices for chatbot-related stocks:

Stock | Investment Rating | Target Price
TENCENT (00700.HK) | Outperform | HKD700
BABA-W (09988.HK) | Outperform | HKD197
BIDU-SW (09888.HK) | Outperform | HKD196
Meta (META.US) | Outperform | USD773
Alphabet (GOOGL.US) | Outperform | USD303
~



AAStocks Financial News
Web Site: www.aastocks.com

A report by Microsoft (MSFT.US) suggested that the Chinese startup DeepSeek is making progress in many developing countries, potentially narrowing the gap in AI adoption between these countries and advanced economies, ABC News reported.

As of the quarter ending last December, the global adoption rate of generative AI tools was 16.3% of the world's population, up 1.2 ppts QoQ, the report said. The gap in AI adoption between developed and developing countries is widening, with the former adopting at nearly twice the rate of the latter.

Countries that have made early and sustained investments in digital infrastructure and AI, such as the UAE, Singapore, France, and Spain, led in user share. However, DeepSeek is promoting broader AI adoption in the developing world through its free and open-source models.
~



AASTOCKS Financial News
Website: www.aastocks.com

US stocks jumbled on Thursday, as the market kept tabs on international developments. The DJIA opened lower but trended up. At close, it jumped up 270 points or 0.6%, at 49,266, recovering some of Wednesday's losses. The Nasdaq finished down 104 points or 0.4%, at 23,480. The S&P 500 inched up less than 1 point, closing at 6,921.

Alphabet (GOOG.US) defied the market trend, peaking at US$330.54 and closing up 1.1% at US$326.01, notching a record closing high. Its market cap approached US$4 trillion, toppling Apple to become the second highest in the US stock market.

Major tech stocks descended broadly, with Nvidia (NVDA.US) down 2.2%, Intel (INTC.US) down 3.6%, and Apple (AAPL.US) and Meta (META.US) down less than 1%.
~



AASTOCKS Financial News
Website: www.aastocks.com

The 2026 XPENG Global Product Launch Event was held, after which XPENG-W (09868.HK) Chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng spoke with the media, stating that Tesla (TSLA.US) is an excellent company, and both parties can encourage each other and grow together to create better products.

Speaking of Robotaxi, the Chairman mentioned that it still needs a steering wheel and brakes, yet it will become increasingly safe and user-friendly, while also requiring regulation.

During the launch, He revealed that XPeng will commence Robotaxi operations in 2026.
~


AASTOCKS Financial News
Website: www.aastocks.com

China intends to give the greenlight to the import of some NVIDIA (NVDA.US) H200 chips as early as the first quarter, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. This indicated that NVIDIA may regain access to the Chinese market.

China is reportedly poised to allow domestic companies to procure H200 chips for specific commercial purposes, sources divulged. However, the H200 chips will be barred from use in military, sensitive government agencies, critical infrastructure, and state-owned enterprises. If these institutions and enterprises still need to purchase the H200 chips, their applications will be reviewed individually.
~



AASTOCKS Financial News
Website: www.aastocks.com

Elon Musk recently said in an interview with Moonshots that the current approach to constructing clean rooms in the chip manufacturing industry is incorrect. He promised that Tesla will build its own 2-nanometer process fab.

Tesla will have a 2nm fab where he can eat burgers and smoke a cigar, he noted. Regarding the challenge of preventing hamburger grease and smoke particles from contaminating wafers, Musk proposed his solution, wafer isolation.

He advocated shifting the focus of protection from the entire room to the wafer itself, ensuring that wafers remain in a sealed, isolated state throughout all processing stages.
~

AASTOCKS Financial News
Website: www.aastocks.com

香港2026年1月8日 /美通社/ -- KLN Logistics Group Limited（「KLN」；股份代號0636.HK）欣然宣佈，在香港董事學會主辦的「香港董事學會董事嘉獎 2025」（「該獎項」）中，集團執行董事及行政總裁張炳銓榮獲上市公司執行董事類別之傑出董事獎殊榮。獲獎足證KLN在企業管治、董事會專業素養及可持續發展方面的卓越表現。

KLN執行董事及行政總裁張炳銓表示：「我們深感榮幸能獲得香港董事學會的肯定，表彰我們在企業管治及董事職責方面的執行與承諾。該獎項亦提醒我們肩負推動可持續發展的責任，需要為業界樹立良好榜樣。KLN在努力拓展全球業務覆蓋的同時，亦致力打造一個公平、共融且開放的工作文化。透過董事會及各業務部門之間的緊密溝通，我們成功加強與合作夥伴及客戶間的協同效益，進一步拓展全球影響力。在前瞻策略及迅速反應的互相結合下，我們致力在提升盈利表現、服務質素，以及肩負企業責任之間取得平衡，推動全球供應鏈的可持續發展。」

該獎項由香港董事學會主辦，旨在表彰董事會在多方面均有卓越表現的企業。獎項候選人由公眾提名，其資料經過嚴謹的程序處理，以及獨立顧問的盡職調查，最終由獨立評審團選出。因此，該獎項被業界視為企業管治水平的最高標杆之一。

關於KLN Logistics Group Limited（股份代號0636.HK）
KLN是以亞洲為基地，擁有高度多元化業務及強大亞洲網絡覆蓋的國際第三方物流服務供應商，業務涵蓋一系列供應鏈解決方案，包括綜合物流、國際貨運（海陸空、鐵路及多式聯運）及電子商貿，以及工業項目物流和基建投資等。

KLN的辦事處遍佈全球59個國家及地區，於全球一半新興市場設立據點，其多元基建設施、廣泛國際樞紐覆蓋和本地專業知識遍及中國內地、印度、東南亞、獨聯體、中東、拉美及其他地區。

KLN於2024 年全年收入*近600億港元，於香港聯合交易所上市，並是恒生可持續發展企業基準指數成份股。

關於香港董事學會
香港董事學會致力於多元文化環境中培育卓越董事常規，透過教育、資訊，評鑒、增值服務、社群融合工作，以及分享累積的實際經驗，擔當本地及國際公認的權威倡導者、具影響力推廣者、富動力促進者等角色。透過倡導及釐定企業管治及董事專業行為的相關標準，香港董事學會致力促進企業可持續發展，從而為企業、其擁有者、持份者、人類以至地球創造長遠價值。

HONG KONG, Jan. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- KLN Logistics Group Limited ('KLN'; Stock Code 0636.HK) is pleased to announce that Vic Cheung, Executive Director and CEO of KLN has been honoured with the Directors of the Year Awards (the 'Awards') in the Listed Companies Executive Directors category at The Hong Kong Institute of Directors (the 'HKIoD') Awards for Director Excellence 2025. It recognises KLN's outstanding performance in corporate governance, director professionalism and sustainable development.

Vic Cheung, Executive Director and CEO of KLN, said, "We are deeply honoured to be recognised by the HKIoD for our commitment to corporate governance and directorship. This recognition serves as a humbling reminder for us to continuously pursue sustainable growth and lead by example. KLN strives to deepen our global coverage while cultivating a fair, inclusive and open workplace culture. Transparent communication across our board and business verticals enables us to build synergy with partners and customers alike, amplifying our international presence. By harmonising responsive action with forward-looking strategies, we strive to balance profitability service excellence and corporate accountability in driving a more sustainable global supply chain."

The Awards are organised by the HKIoD to honour companies demonstrating excellence across multiple aspects of directorship. Candidates are open to public nomination, with data processed in well-defined and stringent procedures, followed by interviews with independent consultants in utmost due diligence, and finally selected by independent judges with high standards and fair judgment. This makes the Awards one of the highest benchmarks for corporate governance in the industry.

About KLN Logistics Group Limited (Stock Code 0636.HK)
KLN is an Asia-based, global 3PL with a highly diversified business portfolio and extensive coverage in Asia. It offers a broad range of supply chain solutions from integrated logistics, international freight forwarding (air, ocean, road, rail and multimodal) and e-commerce to industrial project logistics and infrastructure investment.

With a global presence across 59 countries and territories, KLN has established a solid foothold in half of the world's emerging markets. Its diverse infrastructure, extensive coverage in international gateways and local expertise span across the Chinese Mainland, India, Southeast Asia, the CIS, Middle East, LATAM and other locations.

KLN generated a revenue* of close to HK$60 billion in 2024. It is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the Hang Seng Corporate Sustainability Benchmark Index.

* For continuing operations only

About The Hong Kong Institute of Directors 
The Hong Kong Institute of Directors aspires to be recognised locally and internationally as an authoritative advocate, influential promoter and dynamic facilitator of excellence in director practices in a multi-cultural environment through education, information, accreditation, value-added service, community integration and communicating cumulative practical experiences. The Hong Kong Institute of Directors aims to advance corporate sustainability to create long-term value for companies, owners, stakeholders, humankind, and Planet Earth, through advocacy and standards-setting in corporate governance and director professionalism.