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The AP Herald

THE AP HERALD

From the Asia-Pacific to the world.
Section update. Profiles is where the Herald steps back from the news cycle to examine the people and institutions actually shaping outcomes in the Asia-Pacific — multilateral agencies, central banks, regional blocs, and now the region's largest corporations. Eight profiles published so far, including a seven-part series on the companies steering Asia's AI, EV and e-commerce economies.

Published — Corporations

Corporation · South Korea

The Two Stocks Holding Up Korea's Market: Inside Samsung's AI Reckoning

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix now make up more than half the weight of Korea's entire stock index — a company whose fortunes have become inseparable from its country's.

July 2, 2026 · Corporations: Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix · Country: South Korea

Corporation · China

Two-Fifths of the World's EV Batteries: Inside CATL's Global Build-Out — and Washington's Pushback

CATL raised $5 billion in Hong Kong to fund plants in Hungary and Spain, days after unveiling a sodium-ion battery it says could unseat lithium — while the Pentagon disputes its independence from Beijing.

July 2, 2026 · Corporations: CATL, BYD · Country: China

Corporation · China

BYD Started a Price War to Win China. Its Steepest Drop in Six Years Shows the War Is Winning Back.

BYD's first-quarter profit fell 55 percent as the discounting battle it launched against domestic rivals cut into its own margins — while labor controversies follow its overseas expansion into Brazil and Hungary.

July 2, 2026 · Corporations: BYD, Volkswagen · Country: China

Corporation · China

Rehabilitated at Home, Blacklisted Abroad: Alibaba's Split-Screen Year

Beijing spent five years bringing Alibaba to heel, then welcomed Jack Ma back into the fold. The Pentagon's June listing shows the company's hardest audience now sits in Washington.

July 2, 2026 · Corporations: Alibaba, Ant Group · Country: China

Corporation · Japan

Toyota Bet Against the EV Rush. In 2026, the Market Caught Up to Its Bet.

Record revenue, a sixth straight year as the world's largest automaker, and a hybrid strategy that looks prescient now that US EV demand has cooled sharply.

July 2, 2026 · Corporations: Toyota, Honda · Country: Japan

Corporation · India

One Soul, Three Heirs: Inside Reliance's AI Push and Its Long-Awaited Jio IPO

Mukesh Ambani announced Jio would finally file for an IPO, unveiled an Nvidia-powered AI buildout, and said the handover to his three children was nearly complete — all in one afternoon.

July 2, 2026 · Corporations: Reliance Industries, Jio Platforms · Country: India

Corporation · Singapore

Record Revenue, Deliberate Losses: Sea Limited's Bet Against TikTok Shop

Sea Limited posted its best quarter ever, then told investors it plans to spend more, not less, to keep TikTok Shop from taking Southeast Asia's e-commerce market.

July 2, 2026 · Corporations: Sea Limited, ByteDance · Country: Singapore

Published — Individuals & Institutions

Individual · Multilateral

The Ambassador Who Won't Read From the Script: Michelle Yeoh's Decade at the UN

Nine years after a Kathmandu earthquake redirected her off-camera life, the actress has become one of the UN's longest-serving Goodwill Ambassadors — and one of the few who keeps showing up after the cameras leave.

July 2, 2026 · Organizations: UNDP · Region: Asia-Pacific

In the Pipeline

Profiles planned for coming weeks: the presidents of the Asian Development Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank; ASEAN's Secretary-General; the central bank governors navigating the region's currency pressures; and founders behind Asia's most consequential AI and semiconductor firms. Organizations on the list include ASEAN, APEC, the Asian Development Bank, AIIB, and UNESCAP.