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
- Baidu Wants Driverless Robotaxis in Dubai by First Quarter 2026 — The Chinese company’s robotaxi arm operates over 1,000 robotaxis globally.
- Chinese Premier Signals Desire for Stable U.S. Relations in New York Visit — Li Qiang urged U.S. executives to help maintain a fragile detente between Beijing and Washington.
The Financial Times
- Russia is helping train China’s paratroopers, leaked files show — Documents point to deepening Sino-Russian military ties across complex operations.
- US magnet start-up targets China’s grip on rare earths — Niron Magnetics is backed by $150mn from automakers to develop technology based on abundant iron and nitrogen.
- China launches sweeping probe into Mexican tariffs as trade war widens — Beijing has warned third countries against bowing to Donald Trump’s pressure to curb Chinese exports.
- Inside China’s mega iPhone factory: long hours, discrimination and delayed pay — Undercover investigation at Foxconn’s Zhengzhou plant shows tough conditions for seasonal staff building new Apple device.
- Opinion: China’s industrial policy is destroying its economy — Subsidies distort. Massive subsidies distort massively. By George Magnus.
The New York Times
- As Trump’s H-1B Visa Fee Targets Foreign Workers, China Woos Them — A new visa for science and engineering graduates is part of China’s effort to establish itself as the world leader in science and technology.
- Trump Clears Way for American-Owned TikTok Valued at $14 Billion — The administration has been working for months to find non-Chinese investors for a U.S. version of the app.
- Soybeans Were America’s Biggest Export to China. Now, Sales Are Down to Zero. — China stopped buying soybeans from America in May, placing a retaliatory tariff on the bumper crop after President Trump increased levies on goods from China.
- There Are More Robots Working in China Than the Rest of the World Combined — China has embarked on a campaign to use more robots in its factories, transforming its manufacturing industries and becoming the dominant maker.
- Opinion: China Is Promising a Lot More Clean Energy While America Is Lost — While the West is distracted and divided, China is focused and surging ahead. By Li Shuo.
Caixin
- China’s State Banks Roll Out Pay Cuts, Salary Caps in Sweeping Reform — Finance Ministry pushes new compensation rules aimed at fixing long-standing pay distortions, capping executive pay at top lenders.
- Geely Brand Rolls Out Updated Models at Cut Prices in Customer Grab — The tactic has become increasingly common in China’s crowded car market, but it has caused backlash among owners whose models appear out of date soon after they’re purchased.
- China’s Pop Culture Push Hits the Stage With Singapore Music Festival Launch — The Bubbling & Boiling Music & Arts Festival drew 10,000 fans to Singapore in its global debut, as organizer positions Chinese music IP for international growth.
- Chinese Embezzler Faked Illness to Dodge Prison Term — The inmate bribed guards and doctors to get four years of medical parole, a case China’s top prosecutor is using to highlight a crackdown on ‘on-paper sentences’.
- Guizhou City Escalates Probe into Alleged Government Seizure of Private Wastewater Plant — A Chongqing company says it was forced out of an 820 million yuan wastewater treatment facility it built, raising concerns about the business environment.
South China Morning Post
- China’s unrivalled supply chains still have weak links – why 5 years could fix them — While China’s manufacturing resilience remains formidable, vulnerabilities in high-end technologies, geopolitical tensions suggest that there are still chokepoints.
- China’s Li Qiang urges US business leaders to help ease troubled trade relations — Chinese Premier asks US business and academic leaders to use their influence to foster stronger economic ties between Beijing and Washington.
- In case of trade emergency, break glass: inside China’s policy toolbox — Beijing, in response to actions it views as violations of the rights of its firms, has a number of measures it can employ.
- Opinion: Critics are missing the big picture on China’s economic transition — Thanks to green infrastructure, digital connectivity and world-class research, China’s economy is no longer reliant on one source of growth. By Wang Huiyao.
Nikkei Asia
- Xi climate speech highlights China’s push for global leadership — Beijing sees opening as US under Trump shuns international cooperation.
- Chinese startups race for global growth with low-cost hardware — Domestic price pressures dent valuations but help launch products quickly, cheaply.
- China to impose export controls on passenger EVs in 2026 — Government to launch licensing regime to ‘promote healthy development’.
Bloomberg
- Chinese AI Circuit Maker Moore Threads Greenlit for Shanghai IPO — Moore Threads Technology Co., which makes equipment used in areas like artificial intelligence and machine learning, received approval from the SSE for its IPO on the Star Market.
- Chinese Lessors in Talks With Beijing to Ease US Port-Fee Stress — The leasing subsidiaries of at least two large Chinese banks are in talks with the financial regulator about converting shipping leases into mortgages as a safeguard against US levies.
- Opinion: What a ‘Win-Win’ TikTok Deal Means to China — The time is right for Xi to give up the shortform video app. But the burning question is what does Beijing get in return? By Catherine Thorbecke.
- Opinion: Xi’s Timidity Is Coal’s Last and Best Hope — China can build out clean power faster than any other nation. But it’s wedded to energy-intensive growth and that means more pollution. By David Fickling.
Reuters
- More US tariffs? China’s ‘Furniture Kingdom’ says it’s already moved on — The latest tariffs come after Trump promised in August to help “bring the Furniture Business back” to North Carolina, South Carolina and Michigan.
- China shipyard orders strong despite US port fees on China vessels, report says — Starting October 14, ships built in China, or operated or owned by Chinese entities, will need to pay a fee at their first port of call in the United States.
- Thailand to step up China cooperation, lines up economic stimulus — China is the largest import market for Thailand, which shipped in Chinese goods worth $80 billion last year, amounting to 26.3% of the total.
Other Publications
- Foreign Affairs: The Pentagon’s Missing China Strategy — Washington Still Lacks a Credible Military Plan for Deterring Beijing.
- The Economist: China is turning up its nose at American soyabeans — Midwestern farmers want their $12bn market back.
- Rest of World: China won the EV race. Up next: freight trucks — Nine Chinese giants dominate a market Tesla and Volvo can barely crack.
