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
- Trump’s Inauguration Won’t Have Xi Jinping Among the Guests — The president-elect invited Xi in a departure from protocol; China’s leader isn’t planning to accept.
- China’s New Loans Lower Than Expected Despite Beijing’s Call to Stimulate Growth — New loans issued by Chinese banks came in lower than expected despite Beijing ordering banks to step up lending to encourage domestic demand.
- The Solar Power Enthusiasts Importing Their Own Equipment From China — Fed up with cost estimates from residential solar installers, DIYers are taking matters into their own hands.
- China Moves to Trump-Proof Its Economy — Leaders promised more government support for China’s struggling economy next year as they brace for another big showdown over trade.
The Financial Times
- TikTok-owner ByteDance takes lead in race to capitalise on AI in China — Beijing-based company has lured top AI talent from local rivals while becoming China’s biggest buyer of Nvidia chips.
- US nuclear build-up would not help deter China from using atomic weapons in Taiwan, war game finds — Unclassified exercise by CSIS and MIT suggests Washington should not go beyond current modernisation plans.
- Xi prioritises consumers over chips as concerns over growth mount — Readout from key policy meeting indicates government’s realisation of economic challenge.
- The new Chinese pottery museum that’s a feat of clay — With a facade constructed of 3,600 tiles, the dragon-shaped UCCA Clay puts Yixing firmly on the tourist map.
- China bond yields hit record low after Beijing vows ‘vigorous’ effort to boost consumption — Xi Jinping and other top Communist party figures signal increased borrowing to boost economy.
- Alleged Chinese spy linked to Prince Andrew excluded from the UK — Immigration hearing rules businessman had ties to prominent Britons that could be ‘leveraged for political interference’.
- Trump has invited China’s President Xi Jinping to his inauguration — Outreach comes as Beijing seeks clarity on how relations with Washington will fare under incoming administration.
- Opinion: China’s Trump cards in the coming trade war escalation — US policymakers should think more about retaliatory responses to probable tariff increases. By Stephen Roach.
The New York Times
- Prince Andrew’s Links to Chinese Spy Suspect Revealed by U.K. Court — A London immigration court upheld a ban on a Chinese citizen described as a “close confidant” of the prince’s, on the grounds of national security.
- Chinese-Flagged Ship Suspected of Cutting Cables Remains Halted Weeks Later — After fiber-optic cables under the Baltic Sea were cut last month, European officials hurried to stop the Yi Peng 3. It’s still at anchor there, with no update on three nations’ investigation.
- How U.S. Firms Battled a Government Crackdown to Keep Tech Sales to China — An intense struggle has unfolded in Washington between companies and officials over where to draw the line on selling technology to China.
- China Pledges More Stimulus to Shore Up Flagging Economy — At a meeting to set the party’s economic policy agenda, China’s leadership said it would borrow more and cut interest rates in a bid to bolster growth.
Caixin
- Chinese Fugitives Forfeit Luxury London Homes Amid Fraud Probe — Businessman Tian Wenjun and his wife, who are wanted by police in China, offered the homes as part of a 12 million pound settlement with the U.K. agency responsible for fighting organized crime.
- Slovenia Touts Itself as Investment Destination for China’s Auto, Green Tech Firms — Country is one of several positioning itself as gateway to the European market as trade tensions ratchet up.
- How Livestreaming Snake-Oil Sellers Exploit Advertising Loopholes — If Wang Meng hadn’t gotten sick last December, she might not have realized the sway health livestreamers have over her mother.
South China Morning Post
- Seminal US-China science pact renewed for 5 years with ‘guardrails’ for researchers, data — Substantial revisions include enhanced inter-agency review within the American government of current and future cooperation.
- China urges efforts to curb Syria’s descent into division and a refugee crisis — Foreign Minister Wang Yi says Palestinian issue must not be ignored and ‘Middle East should not remain a victim of great power rivalries’.
- Ice, snow economy eyed to heat up northeastern Chinese province with tourist influx — Jilin province plans to attract 230 million tourists and generate 420 billion yuan (US$57.7 billion) in revenue by 2027-28.
- Bold and bountiful: China’s newest investment buzzword encourages risky capital plays — Concept of ‘bold capital’ has emerged amid national efforts to improve policy environment for investors that both encourages and forgives their attempts.
- China’s video gaming revenue hits new high in 2024 on back of blockbuster releases — Industry revenue grew 7.53 per cent to US$44.8 billion in what has been a big year for Chinese games overseas, including Black Myth: Wukong.
Nikkei Asia
- China and India could lead Asia’s geothermal market, IEA says — New technology opens up opportunities for renewable energy source.
- China’s Zara rival pushes overseas expansion with big Bangkok store — Fashion Momentum Group looks to launch 200 stores outside China in 5 years.
- Chinese stocks fall after key economic conference disappoints — Benchmark falls nearly 2% while long-term bond yields hit new low.
Bloomberg
- What China’s Persistent Deflation Means for the World — Policymakers have pledged to do more to shore up growth and ease price declines, using some of their most direct language in years.
- Educated Young Chinese Turn to Tour Guiding as Job Market Wavers — A growing number of young Chinese are getting certified to become tour guides, driven by unstable job prospects in white-collar work and hopeful that a domestic vacation boom will provide steady pay.
- Opinion: Can Crypto Bros Save Luxury in 2025? — With asset prices including Bitcoin rising, high-end groups are looking to the US to offset China weakness. By Andrea Felsted.
Reuters
- China eyes negotiations as Trump threatens new tariffs — Armed with the lessons of the last trade war during Trump’s first term, China is seeking to amass bargaining chips to kick off talks with a new U.S. administration on contentious aspects of bilateral ties.
- China’s new tactic against Taiwan: drills ‘that dare not speak their name’ — “Just as water retains no constant shape, so in warfare there are no constant conditions,” the defence ministry said, a cryptic statement that neither confirmed nor denied that Beijing had been holding military exercises.
- China’s bond market sees more economic pain ahead — Investors in Chinese bonds head for 2025 betting there will be no miraculous recovery in the economy, putting them at odds with an equities market that has wagered on a revival in consumption.
Other Publications
- CFR: Where the China-Russia Partnership Is Headed in Seven Charts and Maps — Beijing’s and Moscow’s relationship has strengthened militarily, economically, and diplomatically in the past two decades, demonstrating their commitment to a “no limits” partnership.
- The Washington Post: China’s emissions are peaking. Bringing them down will be the hard part. — Will Beijing be able to dramatically slash carbon emissions, or will it just let them plateau? The answer has huge implications for the climate.
- The Economist: Why China is losing interest in English — Learning the world’s lingua franca is no longer a priority for students or businessmen.
