Good Morning. Welcome to The Wire’s daily news roundup. Each day, our staff gathers the top China business, finance, and economics headlines from a selection of the world’s leading news organizations.
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The Wall Street Journal
- How a Tariff Rule Aimed at China Could Affect U.S. Ad Spending — Ending a trade provision might undermine U.S. ad spending by China-founded retailers like Temu, but some say a pullback is unlikely while the battle for market share continues.
- Lithium Gets a Charge, but Oversupply Still Looms — Rebound in lithium prices and miner shares might not last.
- The Missing Girls: How China’s One-Child Policy Tore Families Apart — A now-ended adoption program created the perception that Chinese girls weren’t valued. Once hidden in a grocery bag, an adoptee found there was more to her own story.
The Financial Times
- How China’s ‘Shein village’ grabbed the fast fashion supply chain — Thousands of factories depend on the retailer but rivals are putting pressure on a model based on speed and thin margins.
- British Steel reveals losses deepened eightfold — Concerns mount about future of Chinese-owned company that employs thousands in UK.
- South Korea emerges as a top US investor as China tensions escalate — US project commitments from South Korean companies totalled $21.5bn last year, more than any other country.
- Chinese solar panel boom threatens Pakistan’s debt-ridden grid — Industry rushes to switch to clean energy as cost of state power network becomes crippling.
The New York Times
- Child, 10, Stabbed Near Japanese School in China — The child was wounded and a 44-year-old man was in custody, the police said. Other Japanese schools in China warned parents and students to be cautious.
Caixin
- China’s Property Price Slide Continues as Number of Unsold Homes Hits New High — Downturn in China’s property sector shows little sign of abating despite a slew of policy initiatives to support it.
- China Underscores Commitment to Controlling Vast Government Debt — In its first annual report about government debt to the country’s top legislature, the State Council also pledges to deepen reform of treasury debt management.
- China’s Long-Awaited Draft Energy Law Updated With New Rules for Renewables — The much-anticipated legislation, nearly two decades in the making, has been updated with plans to develop and use various forms of renewable energy.
- China’s Commerce Minister Grumbles About EU’s Attitude in EV Tariff Talks — Wang Wentao tells Italy’s foreign minister that the European Commission has shown ‘no political will’ to resolve their trade dispute.
- Ex-Education Vice Minister Targeted in Corruption Probe — Du Yubo is the most senior official in the sphere to be investigated by China’s graft busters since 2012.
South China Morning Post
- China accuses US of shielding Israel, blocking Gaza ceasefire efforts — At the United Nations, Chinese diplomats question why the Security Council has been ‘unable to stop this human tragedy’.
- Chinese on-demand services giant Meituan’s delivery workers earn US$11 billion in 2023: CEO — CEO Wang Xing’s internal announcement reflects Meituan’s efforts to address mainland policymakers’ concerns over the welfare of gig workers.
- China relations ‘a top priority’, Vietnamese leader To Lam tells new Beijing envoy — Chinese envoy to Hanoi He Wei promises to ‘reinforce political trust’ and work to better resolve disagreements in the South China Sea.
- China’s EV makers feel crunch as high R&D costs collide with price-war margin pressure — More than 50 new models could hit the market this year, but relentless discounting is devouring profit margins, spelling doom for some firms.
- China trade tased from all sides, backing Beijing into an economic bind: analysts — ‘The risk of intensifying trade wars is very real’.
Nikkei Asia
- Alternative investors prefer India, infrastructure to China, real estate — Deal activity expected to be slow through 2026 amid higher rates, Preqin says.
- Chinese aircraft carrier enters southern Japan contiguous zone — Ministry confirms Liaoning and two destroyers pass remote Okinawa islands.
- China crypto trading thrives in ‘OTC’ market despite restrictions — Chinese authorities have left little room for the cryptocurrency industry, but data shows growing demand for such assets in the country.
- Opinion: China’s raising of the retirement age is no crisis response — The economically and politically pragmatic changes offer lessons to policymakers globally. By Lauren Johnston.
Bloomberg
- To Succeed in Europe’s EV Market, BYD Will Have to Win Over Wary Drivers — China’s EV giant is pursuing a rapid expansion in Europe and the UK, but it will have to overcome tariffs, political backlash and consumer skepticism.
- Germany’s Habeck Says Trade Conflict With China Must Be Averted — German Economy Minister Robert Habeck urged the European Union and China to find a political solution in a dispute over Chinese-made electric vehicles and said a trade conflict should be avoided “at all costs.”
- China’s Zijin Vows to Keep Investing in Canadian Mining Despite Crackdown — Zijin Mining Group Co., China’s most valuable mining company, says it won’t be deterred by the Canadian government’s measures to limit foreign involvement in its mining sector.
- PBOC Delays One-Year Loan Operation Again as Policy Gets Revamp — China’s central bank announced it will inject one-year liquidity to domestic lenders on Sept. 25, marking another delay amid a broad overhaul of its policy toolkit.
- Opinion: Fed Noise Shouldn’t Drown Out the Signal From China — Japanification is looming ever larger. Meanwhile, it’s time to retire ‘emerging markets’. By John Authers.
Reuters
- Ultra-weak home prices in northern China arrive in southern powerhouses — Average prices of new homes in 70 major cities including Beijing slumped for the 14th month in August despite dramatic reversals in China’s once-restrictive purchase policies.
- China chip stocks surge on government equipment list — The surge follows a Sept. 9 release by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) of a guide promoting the use of major domestic technical equipment.
- Malaysia’s king to visit China, eyes infrastructure support — The last time a Malaysian king visited China was in 2014. Ibrahim will also meet China’s second-ranking official, Premier Li Qiang, Malaysia’s foreign ministry said.
Other Publications
- Foreign Affairs: America and the Philippines Should Call China’s Bluff — Short-Term Deals Won’t Force Beijing to Back Down in the South China Sea.
- The Washington Post: China’s divorce rate soars. Cue the high-powered wedding photo shredder. — As China’s divorce rate has skyrocketed, many are left with expensive, and unwanted, wedding photos. Enter the industrial strength shredding businesses.
- The Economist: Chinese overcapacity is crushing the global steel industry — Fixing the problem is not easy.
- The Economist: Anger abounds as China raises its strikingly low retirement age — Old people will have to toil a little longer, assuming they can keep their jobs.
- Rest of World: New data reveals exactly when the Chinese government blocked ChatGPT and other AI sites — Rest of World received exclusive access to a platform that tracks patterns and timing of Chinese online censorship.
- The Guardian: Video of Chinese jet’s apparent intercept with Australian defence plane ‘deeply troubling’ propaganda, Coalition says — Shadow defence minister calls on Australian prime minister to raise matter with Chinese president, saying it is ‘not the actions of a friend’.
