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
- The Audacious Reboot of America’s Nuclear Energy Program — AI and competition with China are pushing startups to reinvent atomic energy, backed by unprecedented private capital and enthusiasm from the Trump administration.
- Chinese Auto Stocks Rise After Vow to Pay Suppliers on Time — A brutal price war has gripped China’s EV market for more than a year.
- U.S. and China Agree to Get Geneva Pact Back on Track — Move marks the latest twist in countries’ winding trade war.
The Financial Times
- Chinese automakers pledge faster supplier payments as price wars intensify — Beijing crackdown comes amid fears cut-throat competition is hurting sector.
- Starbucks garners ‘a lot of interest’ in China business stake, chief says — US coffee chain explores partnership with outside investor to restore growth amid intense pricing competition.
The New York Times
- China Walks a Line in U.S. Trade Talks, Trying Not to Overplay Its Hand — China has leverage it can use by limiting access to its rare earth supplies, but it does not want to sacrifice its reputation as a reliable supplier.
- Rubio Is Pressing to Open Sanctions Investigation Into Harvard — Experts and former officials said it was unusual for a cabinet secretary to try to influence the Treasury Department’s sanctions process to target a domestic entity.
- U.S. and China Agree to Resume Trade Truce After Tensions Escalated — Two days of talks resulted in a “framework” meant to solidify terms of a deal that the superpowers reached in Geneva last month.
- China Sends Two Aircraft Carriers Into the Pacific for the First Time — By sending warships beyond Japan, the Chinese Navy is demonstrating its ability to project sea and air power far past its home waters.
Caixin
- China’s New Listing Policy Aims to Deepen Mainland-Hong Kong Financial Ties — Guidelines build on earlier reforms to encourage companies already listed in Hong Kong to raise funds on the mainland, but IPOs will be restricted to Shenzhen.
- Under Fire, Chinese Carmakers Promise Prompter Payment for Suppliers — More than a dozen companies made the promise amid an official backlash about fallout from the ongoing price war.
- E-Commerce Giants Extend Midyear Sale as China’s Consumption Slump Drags On — Established players like Alibaba and JD.com are also facing fresh competition from Meituan, which entered the ‘618’ fray with its instant retail business.
- Guangzhou Slams Brakes on Apartment ‘Space Wars’ Amid Safety Concerns — City cracks down on housing loopholes after “usable area” promotions spark market chaos.
- Chinese Dealerships Pass Off New Cars as Used Amid Auto Glut — Selling a new vehicle as pre-owned can allow dealers to evade minimum prices and start clearing their swollen inventories.
South China Morning Post
- How US military power depends on China’s rare earths — The US defence sector is dependent on critical minerals for its advanced weapon systems, but it has relied on China for the majority of those inputs.
- From AI to chips: China courts private tech firms to help drive next 5-year plan — Businesses in emerging sectors tapped to help shape innovation-led 2026-2030 strategy, analysts say.
- iFlytek says using local chips in AI models extends development time by 3 months — Liu’s comments show how some Chinese tech companies are determined to improve their AI capabilities without access to Nvidia chips.
- Why red tape is a bigger risk than US for China’s military-civilian fusion plan — The private sector is finally becoming a real force in defence procurement, but issues such as US sanctions, red tape and corruption remain.
- Race is on to supplant China’s rare earth dominance, reap critical metals in Brazil, US — ‘If China imposes export restrictions on rare earth components, the US will just find alternative sources,’ former AmCham China chair says, pointing to challenges.
Nikkei Asia
- Depleted German rare-earth and magnet importers await China moves — Beijing flags plan to loosen curbs, but European tech export rules stand in way.
- China’s critical mineral curbs shake AI data center suppliers — Vital bismuth inventories running low, warn suppliers to Nvidia and others.
- China is ‘different kettle of fish’ from ‘rash’ Russia: Finland president — Taiwan issue represents ‘litmus test’ for Trump administration.
- Chinese city weighs 2.5-day weekends to spur consumer spending — Beijing sees shorter work hours as key to reversing economic slowdown.
- China’s Pop Mart soars past Sanrio in market cap on Labubu blind box boom — Shares triple as social media fandom plus appeal of luck of the draw buoy sales.
Bloomberg
- China Found World’s Pain Point on Trade — and Will Use It Again — For months Donald Trump pushed tariffs and trade restrictions on China to unprecedented levels, part of a strategy to force Xi into talks the US president expected would help cut the trade deficit.
- Chinese Stocks Advance as Preliminary Trade Deal Eases Tensions — Chinese stocks rose on Wednesday, after the world’s two largest economies agreed on a plan to reduce trade tensions following a two-day meeting in London.
- Canada’s Ex-Minister Urges Better China Ties to Hedge US Risks — Canada should bolster ties with China to hedge against uncertainty from US President Donald Trump’s approach to bilateral relations, according to a former top Canadian official.
- Opinion: China’s Mega-Embassy Faces Its MAGA Nemesis — US intervention in China’s plans for a diplomatic compound in London is boxing Britain into a tight spot. By Matthew Brooker.
- Opinion: Can Apple Salvage the AI iPhone in China? — The window of opportunity for Tim Cook to turn this around is rapidly closing. By Catherine Thorbecke.
Reuters
- Analysts react to US-China trade agreement — U.S. and Chinese officials said they had agreed on a framework to put their trade truce back on track and remove China’s export restrictions on rare earths.
- As US trade truce gets back on track, some Chinese exporters are ‘slowly dying’ — The growing pressure on companies to sell at a loss or to cut wages and jobs to stay afloat gives Washington a pain point to press Beijing in coming weeks and months.
- Peru, USA’s top blueberry supplier, looks to China as tariffs hit — China has insatiable demand and has built a huge new port near Lima that cuts shipping time across the Pacific in half.
Other Publications
- Foreign Policy: Can the U.S. Be a Great Power Without Harvard? — Trump’s attacks on American universities come as China seeks to dominate higher education.
- Foreign Affairs: How Global Governance Can Survive — BRICS, which includes founding members Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, as well as five newer members, seeks to diminish international institutions historically dominated by the West.
