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
- Alibaba Readies $7 Billion Boost for Commerce Unit, Plans New Data Centers — The tech giant has been ramping up efforts to boost business growth in a bid to defend its place in China’s tech and commerce industries, as well as grow abroad.
- China Is Quickly Eroding America’s Lead in the Global AI Race — Chinese AI models are becoming more popular worldwide, testing American superiority.
- The Dalai Lama Is Turning 90 and Has a Birthday Message for Beijing — Tibet’s spiritual leader laid out plans for his succession, a process that is expected to face interference from China.
The Financial Times
- Dalai Lama defies China by asserting ‘sole authority’ over succession — Tibetan Buddhist leader claims control over reincarnation process contested by Beijing.
The New York Times
- How Republican E.V. Cuts Could Put U.S. Carmakers Behind China — China’s lead in electric vehicle technology, which is already huge, could become insurmountable if incentive programs are slashed, auto experts and environmentalists say.
- Solar Industry Says Republican Policy Bill Would Cede Production to China — A revival of U.S. solar panel manufacturing that began during the first Trump administration could end with the phasing out of tax incentives for clean energy.
- Dalai Lama Tightens Grip on Reins of Succession in the Face of Chinese Pressure — The aging Tibetan spiritual leader is looking to prevent Beijing from taking advantage of a power vacuum that might arise after his death.
- Two Chinese Citizens Accused of Trying to Gather Information About U.S. Navy — The charges come as the Trump administration tries to aggressively confront China on a host of issues, including national security, trade and immigration.
Caixin
- China’s STAR Market Clears First Unprofitable IPO Since Fifth Standard Revival — Heyuan Biotech, recognized as a high-tech enterprise, aims to raise $488 million from IPO.
- China Cuts New Path for Commercial Insurance Holders to Get Pricey Drugs — New framework aims to boost patient access to innovative medicines by creating a separate reimbursement list, easing pressure on the state’s massive health care budget.
- China Unveils Tax Breaks to Encourage Foreign Companies to Reinvest — New incentive may offset 10% of the reinvested sum from foreign investor’s tax bill.
- Thailand Falls out of Favor With Chinese Tourists — Visitors from China made 1.95 million trips to the Southeast Asian country in the first five months of 2025, down 33% from the same period last year.
- Zijin to Float Its Overseas Arm to Fund Global Expansion as Gold Prices Soar — Move comes as Zijin accelerates overseas expansion, buying up mines from South America to Central Asia.
South China Morning Post
- The EU-China reset that never was: summits begin but divisions remain — After much talk of patching things up, a grand rapprochement has failed to materialise, with Beijing seen to be playing a ‘waiting game’.
- The world is going all-in on stablecoins. Is China’s digital yuan any different? — While the two appear similar, China’s digital currency is quite different from the cryptocurrencies many economies are rushing to regulate.
- Is this the copper century? China moves to shore up supplies from Africa for new energy push — African copper is crucial for China as the West restricts supplies, notably from Canada, analyst says.
- Opinion: Why China’s consumption problem is also a supply issue — Households with money to spend need access to diversified, high-quality services they actually want – a problem Beijing is well equipped to handle. By Lizzi C. Lee.
- Opinion: Labubu’s rise reflects hitmaker ability of China’s digital ecosystem — An ecosystem that combines e-commerce with social media, it turns users into marketers, breeds viral hits – and projects cultural power. By Gerui Wang.
Nikkei Asia
- Philippine Coast Guard commodore on mission to ‘expose’ China — Jay Tarriela says publicizing South China Sea coercion is Manila’s best hope.
- EU envoy in Taiwan emphasizes cooperation against hybrid threats — Lutz Guellner draws parallels on disinformation, subsea cable risks.
- Opinion: China is quietly building a tech-driven welfare state — As Beijing resists calls for Western-style cash handouts, it is turning to AI and data integration. By David Tingxuan Zhang.
Bloomberg
- Beijing Braces for US Trade Deals That Seek to Shut Out China — The trade truce between Washington and Beijing may be holding for now, but China is increasingly wary about what’s happening elsewhere.
- Israel Urges China to Pressure Iran to Rein In Nuclear Ambitions — Israel urged China to use its economic and political sway to rein in Iran’s military and nuclear ambitions.
- Foxconn Pulls Chinese Staff From India in Hurdle for Apple — The change comes at a bad time for Apple, as it is preparing to ramp up production of the new iPhone 17.
Reuters
- China Communist Party magazine calls for crackdown on price wars — A Qiushi article said price wars cause “enormous waste of social resources,” and unsustainable debt that could endanger long-term growth.
- They tried Made in the USA — it was too expensive for their customers — The retail price might go higher, but they thought a “made-in-the-USA” label might be a selling point and help ease some U.S. retailers’ concerns about the impact of China tariffs.
- Fiji says China military base not welcome as Pacific islands steer between superpowers — Strategically placed between the United States and Asia, the Pacific Islands are a focus of rivalry between Washington and Beijing for security ties.
Other Publications
- Foreign Policy: How Rare Earths Became China’s Top Trade Weapon — Washington wasn’t always so vulnerable to Beijing’s chokehold.
- Foreign Policy: Time and Beijing Are Working Against Myanmar’s Resistance — As fighting drags on, sieges and Chinese pressure may allow Myanmar’s military junta to consolidate its power.
- POLITICO: Opinion: War With Iran Exposes the Emptiness of the ‘Axis of Autocracy’ — The U.S. and Israeli battering of Iran — without any allies coming to its aid — undercuts a key piece of conventional wisdom from the foreign policy establishment. By Daniel R. DePetris.
- AP: US judge says China’s Huawei Technologies must face criminal case for racketeering and other charges — A U.S. judge has ruled that China’s Huawei Technologies, a leading telecoms equipment company, must face criminal charges in a wide reaching case alleging it stole technology and engaged in racketeering, wire and bank fraud and other crimes.
- The Economist: China’s giant new gamble with digital IDs — They could change its internet for good and turbocharge AI efforts.
