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
- Tencent’s Revenue Growth Accelerates on Robust Gaming Business — Tencent nearly doubled its profit as the Chinese technology giant continued to build on its gaming momentum.
- China’s Xi Is Angered by Panama Port Deal That Trump Touted as a Win — Chinese leader Xi Jinping is angry about a Hong Kong company’s plan to sell Panama Canal ports to a U.S.-led group, in part because the company didn’t seek Beijing’s approval in advance.
- Taiwan’s Military Says It Needs the U.S. to Deter China — The island’s latest security blueprint sends message that Taipei depends on a stable partnership at time of uncertainty about the U.S. president’s stance.
- Opinion: Defunding Voice of America Is a Win for China and Iran — Trump sees the power of media, but he has a blind spot about international affairs. By William A. Galston.
- Opinion: Nobody Wants the Covid Truth — Why Western intel agencies help Putin and Xi keep their darkest secrets. By Holman W. Jenkins, Jr.
The Financial Times
- China’s Hesai denies short-seller claims on revenues and military ties — Car-sensor maker’s shares slide after allegations by Blue Orca Capital.
- How Picasso became the ultimate prize for China’s new collectors — In recent years, major works have gone to private buyers in Asia — a new exhibition puts the artist’s relationship with the region in the spotlight.
- China delays approval of BYD’s Mexico plant amid fears tech could leak to US — Beijing is concerned proximity to the US could lead to sharing of smart car technology developed by Tesla’s main rival.
- Opinion: Why China is suddenly flooding the market with powerful AI models — The pace of Beijing’s open source push has been relentless. By June Yoon.
- Opinion: Hong Kong’s cargo sector faces a tariff test — City’s strategic position makes it increasingly vulnerable to escalating geopolitical tensions between US and China. By Lex.
The New York Times
- Trump Has Hinted at a Xi Visit. China Is Still Wondering What He Wants. — Chinese experts say Beijing is open to talks but is being stonewalled by the State Department and other official channels.
- Adams’s Associates Under Federal Investigation Over Ties to China — The Justice Department is pushing to drop corruption charges against Eric Adams in Manhattan while federal authorities in Brooklyn have been investigating his top fund-raisers.
- Oracle’s Role in TikTok’s Future Gets Capitol Hill Scrutiny — Top congressional aides met with Oracle on Tuesday to talk about TikTok, which faces a ban in the United States unless it is sold to a non-Chinese owner by early April.
Caixin
- Foreign Investor Enthusiasm for Chinese Stocks Is on the Up — Long-term players are particularly interested, driven by AI disruption and signs of improving economic fundamentals.
- China’s Economy Requires More Effort to Sustain Recovery — Official data indicate that the Chinese economy had a good start to the year. However, a sustainable recovery will require further efforts.
- Chinese Banks Relax Loan Terms to Fuel Tech Sector M&A Deals — Pilot programs ease access to M&A loans to accelerate integration in tech industry.
South China Morning Post
- China unveils rule to counter ‘discriminatory’ measures in international IP disputes — The regulation, aimed at striking back against external ‘containment and suppression’, appears to target the US and EU – without naming them.
- Chinese engineer gets death penalty for selling state secrets to foreign spy agencies — Former assistant engineer had copied classified documents when he was working at a research institute, Ministry of State Security says.
- Distinguished Chinese-Americans condemn visa veto aimed at students from China — The Committee of 100, whose founding members include Yo-Yo Ma and I.M. Pei, warns that Republican-sponsored bill ‘betrays’ US values.
- Chinese tech hub Shenzhen sees exports slump over 16% as trade war fears rise — Analysts are divided over the causes of the sharp slowdown in Shenzhen, one of China’s most important trade hubs.
- Opinion: What was unsaid at China’s ‘two sessions’ and why it matters — Having recognised the limits of its economic model, Beijing is attempting a recalibration that will be highly consequential for its competition with the US. By Lizzi C. Lee.
Nikkei Asia
- Is it too late for Australia to shake China’s grip on vanadium batteries? — Li-ion alternative discovered Down Under is finally coming into its own.
- China’s CATL, BYD targeted under U.S. battery decoupling bill — 6 companies would be excluded from Homeland Security procurement.
- Opinion: The U.S. and China must avert a nuclear standoff — Both sides should agree to an annual three-day bilateral summit to defuse tensions. By Lyle Goldstein.
Bloomberg
- How Billionaire Li Ka-Shing’s Panama Deal Raised the Ire of China — Billionaire Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing has found himself in the middle of the China-US geopolitical tussle after announcing a deal to sell his Panama Canal port assets.
- Trump Says US Doesn’t Want Russia, China Moving Closer Together — President Donald Trump expressed caution over closer ties between China and Russia, outlining plans to improve relations with two countries that have united in opposing the US on the world stage.
- Opinion: America Will Lose If the EU and China Become Energy Buddies — Fossil exporters’ status will dwindle from the shift to clean power. By David Fickling.
Reuters
- Beijing woos global executives as FDI slides, trade tensions build — Chinese trade officials are stepping up a charm offensive as Beijing seeks to assure global business leaders of the economy’s long-term prospects despite a consumer slump and renewed trade tensions.
- Formula One fan growth continues, boosted by China — Nielsen put Formula One’s global fandom at 826.5 million, 12% more than in 2023, with a 39% increase in fans following in China over the last 12 months.
- Foreign investors jilt India as growth falters and China beckons — Foreigners have pulled nearly $29 billion out of Indian stocks since October, the most in any six-month period, as they turn their backs on a market most investors had embraced for a couple of years. That money has fled to China.
Other Publications
- Foreign Policy: Trump Closes an Important Window Into China — Funding cuts and layoffs at Voice of America and Radio Free Asia will reduce reporting on Xinjiang and Tibet.
- Foreign Affairs: Does America Face a “Ship Gap” With China? — The Real Threat Posed by Beijing’s Fast-Growing Navy.
- Rest of World: How Tesla blew its lead — BYD took the global EV crown. Now Chinese rivals and local startups are taking over emerging markets.
- The Guardian: Fear grows among US’s 390,000 undocumented Chinese immigrants: ‘So many policies have changed’ — Those newly arrived and those who have lived in the US for decades worry as Trump vows to deport Chinese nationals.
