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
- Even China’s Property Stalwart Isn’t Immune From the Crisis — Troubles at one of China’s largest developers raise questions about the continued spread of the real-estate crisis.
- How China’s DeepSeek Outsmarted America — AI startup developed a top system by relying on inexperienced engineers and a loophole in U.S. export controls.
- SAP Could Use Chinese AI Models if They Pass Tests, CFO Says — The software group raised its profit guidance and expects strong growth at its core cloud business to accelerate, aided by AI.
- DeepSeek Chief’s Journey From Math Geek to Global Disruptor — The Chinese engineer built the AI company after founding a successful hedge-fund.
- The Guy Behind DeepSeek Blurbed My Book in China — How I learned that Liang Wenfeng, whom I’ve never met, and I share more than I knew.
- DeepSeek Undercuts Belief That Chip-Hungry U.S. Players Will Win AI Race
- — More AI competition will make it hard for Big Tech to generate the oligopoly-like profit margins that investors hope for.
- DeepSeek Won’t Sink U.S. AI Titans — Panic fueling the selloff of Nvidia, Broadcom and other tech giants is overblown.
- What to Know About China’s DeepSeek AI — The Chinese upstart says it has trained high-performing AI models cheaply, without using the most advanced chips.
The Financial Times
- DeepSeek changes rules of AI’s great game — Chinese start-up’s breakthrough may be bad news for U.S. tech giants, but could be a windfall for everyone else.
- China’s emboldened AI industry releases flurry of model updates — Success of DeepSeek inspires confidence as latest products are pushed out ahead of lunar new year holiday.
- Global hotel chains bet on cheaper end of market as Chinese economy slows — Hyatt, IHG and Radisson are expanding in China but shifting focus to more cost-conscious travellers.
- Middle East becomes fastest-growing renewables market outside China — UAE’s Masdar and Saudi Arabia’s Acwa Power lead build out of huge solar farms.
- Vanke’s woes reignite fears for China’s property sector — Real estate developer says it expects $6.2bn annual loss and announces sudden resignation of chair and chief executive.
The New York Times
- What is DeepSeek? And How Is It Upending A.I.? — How did a little-known Chinese start-up cause the markets and U.S. tech giants to quake? Here’s what to know.
- Why DeepSeek Could Change What Silicon Valley Believes About A.I. — A new A.I. model, released by a scrappy Chinese upstart, has rocked Silicon Valley and upended several fundamental assumptions about A.I. progress.
- Trump’s Colombia Tariff Threat Targeted a Vibrant Alternative to China — By declaring he’d put tariffs on goods from the South American country, the president imperiled a growing influx of foreign investment there.
- Nvidia Reels After China’s A.I. Breakthrough — The tech industry has had an insatiable appetite for Nvidia’s chips over the last two years. But the feast may be over sooner than many had expected.
- First Impressions of DeepSeek’s A.I. Chatbot — The chatbot from China appears to perform a number of tasks as well as its American competitors do, but it censors topics such as Tiananmen Square.
- India, China to Resume Direct Flights After Nearly Five Years — It was the latest thaw in relations between the two countries, whose troops were involved in deadly skirmishes high in the Himalayas in 2020.
- Opinion: Trump Is Going Woke — The president’s energy policies may not make America great again, but they will definitely help make China great again. By Thomas L. Friedman.

Caixin
- Vanke Chairman Yu Liang Resigns Amid Mounting Debt Concerns — Leadership changes at Vanke as 2024 losses are put at $6.2 billion.
- Chinese Auto Industry’s Mexico Odyssey Turns Gloomy as Trump Tariffs Loom — The U.S. president’s announcement of 25% duties on all Mexican imports from Feb. 1 casts doubt over the country’s attraction as an investment destination.
South China Morning Post
- Chinese AI start-up DeepSeek breaks for Lunar New Year as its success rattles Wall Street — The Hangzhou office of China’s hottest start-up has recently seen several uninvited guests trying to see the team responsible for shaking up AI.
- Chinese tourists, wary of Thailand, plan other stops for Lunar New Year travel — Worried for their safety, China’s outbound tourists have pulled back on Thailand travel plans, opting for Japan and Malaysia as alternatives.
- ‘Incomparably nice’: why China’s shoppers are obsessed with an obscure local supermarket — Pangdonglai has proved there is still life in bricks-and-mortar retail in China, with customers queuing for hours outside its stores ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday.
Nikkei Asia
- Chinese state airlines mired in losses while airport earnings climb — Air China’s stake in recovering Cathay softens blow; Hong Kong’s GBA scraps over 100 flights.
- China discount snack chain draws crowds of frugal shoppers — Busy for You inspired by Japanese company’s success during nation’s ‘lost decades.’
- China’s desperate developers dangle quirky deals, from flights to iPhones — Lunar New Year period poses test as players compete for shrinking market.
Bloomberg
- Rare China Support Shows Vanke May Be Too Big to Fail — Local government to put cash into builder’s state shareholder.
- Abu Dhabi’s M42 Is ‘Agnostic’ About Adopting U.S. or Chinese Tech — Comments follow a rout in global markets fueled by DeepSeek’s new AI model.
Reuters
- Exclusive: Images show China building huge fusion research facility, analysts say — The development could aid nuclear weapons design and work exploring power generation.
- Trump says Microsoft is in talks to acquire TikTok — Trump also said he would like to see a bidding war over the app.
Other Publications
- The Atlantic: Trump’s Colombia Spat Is a Gift to China — Latin American leaders don’t like submitting to the United States in imperial mode. They also have an alternative.
- WIRED: DeepSeek’s Popular AI App Is Explicitly Sending U.S. Data to China — Amid ongoing fears over TikTok, Chinese generative AI platform DeepSeek says it’s sending heaps of U.S. user data straight to its home country, potentially setting the stage for greater scrutiny.