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
- Xiaomi’s Shares Fall After Fatal Car Accident Involving One of Its EVs — The sudden drop came after the company said that one of its SU7 models was involved in a lethal accident on an expressway in China’s Anhui province.
- U.S. Sanctions Chinese Officials, Citing Repression in Hong Kong and Tibet — The sanctions signal an appetite in the Trump administration for an approach to China that focusses on human rights concerns.
- China Says It Is Aiming to Coordinate Tariff Response With Japan, South Korea — China is seeking to coordinate its response to U.S. tariffs with Japan and South Korea, Chinese state media said.
The Financial Times
- China launches large-scale military exercises around Taiwan — Aircraft carrier Shandong makes closest pass as Taipei seeks to strengthen preparedness.
- How a $1.4tn Trump trade war could unfold — Econometric study models global fallout from tariff retaliation, including dramatic rise in US prices.
- US imposes sanctions on six senior Chinese and Hong Kong officials — State department says individuals used Beijing national security law ‘extraterritorially’ to pursue rights activists.
- Opinion: China’s AI race creates tension at home — Not every local tech group is keeping pace — and the market has started to notice. By Lex.
The New York Times
- U.S. Imposes Sanctions on Chinese and Hong Kong Officials for Pursuing Activists Abroad — China’s former top spy catcher is among six security enforcers targeted as the Trump administration turns its attention to human rights issues in the city.
- How Trump’s Tariffs Are Hitting One Chinese Factory Owner: ‘We Are Helpless’ — President Trump’s policies are straining trade ties and challenging a long-held truth in China about the centrality of the U.S. market.
- China’s Military Drills Around Taiwan Are a Warning to Its President — The drills came after Taiwan’s president, Lai Ching-te, announced measures to counter China’s influence and espionage. Beijing also wants to send a message to Washington, analysts said.
- Opinion: The Clock Is Ticking for Taiwan — Taiwan can no longer shelter under the delusion that the U.S. will defend it against China. By Yingtai Lung.
Caixin
- Embattled Developer R&F Sells Most of Its Overseas Assets — Guangzhou R&F Properties Co. Ltd. has offloaded nearly all of its overseas assets as the embattled Chinese real estate giant grapples with a worsening liquidity crunch.
- China Nominates New President of Asian Infrastructure Bank — If elected, Zou Jiayi would succeed founding president Jin Liqun, solidifying the country’s influence in the international development lender.
- Huawei’s Carmaking Partners Take a Stake in Parts Firm Backed by Tech Titan — Avatr and Seres chiefs join Yinwang board with each company holding a 10% stake.
South China Morning Post
- China’s complex social credit system evolves with 23 new guidelines from Beijing — Guidelines also establish ‘seriously discredited entities’ list for specific sectors – and those on the list could face restrictions or bans on issuing stocks and bonds.
- ‘Giving machines a heart’: China urged to dig deeper in AI development — Top Chinese scientist Zhu Songchun calls on Beijing to go beyond ‘surface-level’ achievements to advance theory and philosophy of AI.
- BlackRock, at centre of Hutchison’s Panama ports row, has about US$16 bn in Chinese stocks — World’s largest money manager has at least seven funds dedicated to Chinese stocks; five are passive ETFs and two are actively managed.
- Flying taxis prepare for lift-off in China as first companies gain key licence — Chinese regulators have for the first time granted companies approval to operate autonomous passenger drones.
- Opinion: In a broken world, China-Japan-Korea cooperation is Asia’s backbone — By blending economic might, technological prowess and cultural bonds, cooperation can be elevated into a transformative, inspiring force. By Wang Huiyao.
Nikkei Asia
- China ‘closes in’ on Taiwan with large-scale military drills — PLA says move sends ‘serious warning’; Taipei vows to ‘not elevate conflicts’.
- Taiwan envoy urges Australia to stand up against Chinese bullying — Member nations should ‘set aside politics’ for Taiwan’s CPTPP bid, Douglas Hsu says.
- China’s latest year of property pain threatens Trump-proofing efforts — Dismal 2024 results highlight struggle to shore up consumer confidence.
- U.S. bolsters ‘second island chain’ defense with eye on China — Investment on Pacific island reflects threat of Beijing’s growing missile capabilities.
- U.S. court suspends Florida ban on colleges hiring students from China — Judge determines state’s restriction conflicts with federal immigration law.
Bloomberg
- China Ready to Buy More Goods from India as US Tariffs Loom — China is willing to buy more Indian products to balance trade, Beijing’s Ambassador Xu Feihong said just ahead of a US tariff announcement expected to hit the south Asian neighbors.
- Why China Can’t Sort Out Its Property Market Mess — Once one of the country’s biggest growth drivers, China’s property market has been in a downward spiral for five years with no signs of abating.
- US Review of China Trade Deal to Add to Xi-Trump Tensions — Five years after Xi Jinping struck his first trade deal with Donald Trump, US officials are set to deliver their view of Beijing’s compliance with that bargain, in a high-stakes week likely to fan tensions.
Reuters
- ‘Friends forever, never enemies’, Chinese foreign minister tells Russia — Chinese President Xi Jinping has met Putin over 40 times in the past decade and the two leaders have since agreed to deepen ties and cooperate on issues such as Taiwan and Ukraine.
- Estee Lauder faces US legal challenge over China sales practices — Estee Lauder must face a lawsuit accusing the cosmetic giant of defrauding shareholders by concealing its overdependence on improper gray-market sales in China, a judge in Manhattan ruled.
- Taiwan coast guard warns of China using ‘pretext’ to launch war games this year — China, which views democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory, regularly holds exercises around the island, including one begun on Tuesday it said was to “serve as a stern warning and powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence”.
Other Publications
- CFR: Beijing’s Pro-Natalist Push Continues to Strengthen — Chinese authorities are steadily pivoting in the direction of actively promoting births. The 2025 government work report issued at the national legislative session in March witnessed a further evolution of Beijing’s pro-natalist policies.
- Foreign Policy: Asia Is Getting Dangerously Unbalanced — The Trump administration continues to create headlines, but the real story may be elsewhere.
- Foreign Affairs: What “the Global South” Really Means — A Modern Gloss for Old Divisions.
- Rest of World: This is how China skirts U.S. chip bans — Chinese tech companies use smugglers, loopholes, and innovation to work around U.S. chip restrictions.
- BBC: Top Australian universities close Chinese Confucius Institutes — China says its Confucius Institutes, which offer Chinese language and cultural classes overseas, are a “bridge reinforcing friendship” with the world.
