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
- China Reports Robust 2024 Growth After Wobbles Prompt Stimulus — China said that its economy expanded by 5% last year, but a variety of weak signals have raised skepticism among some outside economists.
- China Sees a Fresh Decline in Population, Despite a Rise in Births — Year of the Dragon produces a baby rebound, but demographers say it is temporary.
- China’s Xi Offers Olive Branch to Trump by Sending Top Deputy to Inauguration — Han Zheng is set to be highest-level Chinese official ever to attend a presidential swearing-in.
- Opinion: Mike Pence’s Truth Bomb in Hong Kong — On a visit to the territory, he calls for China to release imprisoned publisher Jimmy Lai. By The Editorial Board.
The Financial Times
- Trump’s ‘energy tsar’ says U.S. will lose ‘AI arms race’ without fossil fuels — Doug Burgum claims American reliance on renewable energy will hinder national security and boost China.
- China benefits from ‘dragon year’ birth boost but population falls again — Policymakers respond with tax breaks and other measures as figures reveal third consecutive year of decline.
- China’s GDP growth hits 5% target for 2024 — Analysts and officials warn of threat from tariffs and weak consumer demand.
- Europe’s carmakers risk hefty bill for carbon credits from Chinese rivals — Groups failing to meet EU climate targets face a choice of paying fines, discounting EVs or buying credits.
- Is TikTok pushing Taiwan’s young people closer to China? — A growing number of researchers fear that the controversial app is promoting pro-China content and softening attitudes towards the People’s Republic.
The New York Times
- China Says Economy Grew 5% Last Year, Driven by Exports — Analysts say they see signs of malaise in China’s domestic economy, but those problems were offset mainly by robust exports and a $1 trillion trade surplus.
- Facing a Flurry of U.S. Sanctions, China Prepares to Hit Back — With days until Donald Trump is sworn in, China is bracing for a trade war, aiming at industries as diverse as semiconductors, apparel and industrial plastic.
- China’s Population Declines for 3rd Straight Year — The fall came despite a slight rise in births last year, the first increase since 2016. State efforts to cajole women to have children have met resistance.
Caixin
- How Chinese Chipmakers Could React to Tighter U.S. Export Controls on Mid-Tier Nodes — TSMC seeks exemptions for customers as U.S. tightens rules for advanced chip exports.
- Why China’s Banks Are Stock Market Darlings — for Now — Despite long-standing concerns about asset quality and sluggish profit growth, banks’ shares have been snapped up by yield-hungry investors.
- Vanke CEO’s Unclear Whereabouts Sparks Questions Over Indebted Developer’s Future — Report that Zhu Jiusheng had been taken away by police casts a shadow over the company as he was considered a key figure in its financial dealings before 2020.
South China Morning Post
- Unplug ‘Great Firewall’ to help China compete, Shanghai lawmaker says — Legislator Mao Xiangdong calls for lifting of internet restrictions in free-trade zones, financial districts and universities..
- China’s electronic war gadget turns small drone into flying stadium on radar — Researchers say the effect on detector screens would be similar to an object the size of a sports stadium materialising out of thin air.
Nikkei Asia
- China shipbuilders boost capacity, cementing grip on industry — From state giant to newcomer, players tap growing demand for cleaner-fuel vessels.
- BYD enters South Korean passenger EV market — Chinese automaker looks to spur sluggish demand with low prices.
- China and Sri Lanka eye new phase of BRI with $3.7bn investment — Sinopec to build refinery, help island nation’s struggling economy earn dollars.
- U.S.-China trade tension benefits supply chain information providers — New data platforms help companies manage risks arising from export controls.
- Taiwan’s top China minister says Beijing must stop shunning Lai — Chiu Chui-cheng warns of growing safety risks for Taiwanese traveling to China.
Bloomberg
- As China Spending Falters, Luxury Brands Set Their Sights on Thailand — Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton and Porsche are betting on Bangkok as wealthy Thais and tourists boost spending.
- China Faces Gloomy Earnings Season Amid Doubts Over Stimulus — Forecasts suggest a troubling answer to one of the key questions facing investors in China’s stock market: When will Beijing’s stimulus measures give a boost to corporate profits?
- EU Debates Dropping China Trade Case, Frustrating Trump Advisers — The manner in which the EU handles the dispute will present an early test of how the world approaches trade under the Trump administration.
- China Moves to Stall Apple, BYD Production Shifts in Asia — Officials in Beijing have verbally encouraged regulatory agencies and local governments to curb technology transfers and equipment exports.
Reuters
- Dutch government excludes most ASML sales to China from ‘dual use’ export data — ASML does not specify the type of machinery it sells by region, even though the type of lithography tool that its customers buy determines the sophistication of the chips they can make.
- Chinese buyers switch to cheaper Brazilian soybeans ahead of Trump return — Chinese processors have secured nearly all of their cargoes from Brazil for first quarter shipment, according to three trade sources.
- Markets are betting China will let yuan fall as Trump takes power, but not much — Indications are that China is already permitting a slow depreciation of the yuan.
- China’s vast refining sector faces shakeout as fuel demand peaks — Tighter U.S. sanctions enforcement under the incoming Trump administration could send more plants into the red.
Other Publications
- The Economist: An initiative so feared that China has stopped saying its name — “Made in China 2025” has been a success, but at what cost?
- The Economist: Why foreign law firms are leaving China — A number of them are in motion to vacate.
- The Information: TikTok Users’ Move to Chinese App RedNote Alarms Beijing’s Censors — RedNote employees have been scrambling to hide U.S. users’ posts from Chinese users.
- The Guardian: Chinese activist Teacher Li’s memecoin launch divides dissident community — ‘Teacher Li’ is among the most prolific sources of unfiltered information from behind China’s Great Firewall. But an attempt to monetise it has proven controversial.
- ChinaFile: Science Could Be a Bright Spot in U.S.-China Relations — The renewal of the two countries’ long-standing science and technology agreement was an important step toward stabilizing the bilateral scientific relationship.
- CFR: Tracking China’s Investment in Overseas Airports — All airports have dual-use potential, but researchers did not find any evidence suggesting Chinese entities explicitly intend to prepare overseas airfields for military use.
