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 Chinese Spy Scandal That Is Rocking Britain’s Government — When a British parliamentary researcher was arrested for allegedly spying for China, security officials expected a slam-dunk case. Instead, the trial collapsed.
- The Auto Industry Is Panicking About Another Potential Chip Shortage — Chinese-owned chip maker Nexperia has told suppliers it won’t ship product after Dutch government took control of company.
- Chinese Tourists Are Spending Less. Hotel Giant H World Says That’s a Good Thing — H World’s wallet-friendly hotels position it to capture shifting consumer tastes in China, Chief Strategy Officer Jihong He said.
- BYD Recalls More Than 115,000 Cars in China Over Safety Concerns — The recall comes amid intense competition in China’s EV industry.
- Pony AI Partners With Stellantis to Deploy Robotaxis in Europe — The companies will gradually roll out services across European cities from 2026.
- Starbucks Evaluating Offers for China Business — The company estimates the value of the deal to be over $10 billion.
The Financial Times
- Cai Qi: Xi Jinping’s right-hand man drawn into UK’s China spy drama — Political veteran mentioned in collapsed prosecution of two British men over espionage allegations.
- China attacks UK efforts to ‘smear and defame’ it over spy case — MI5 says Chinese ‘state actors’ regularly present threats to UK national security.
- Testimony in China spy case ‘more than adequate’, says ex-CPS head — Ken Macdonald argues that witness statements drafted for prosecution of two men were enough to be put before a jury.
- China warns UK of ‘consequences’ after latest delay to new London embassy — Decision on planning application has been pushed back to December in latest blow to relations.
- West will sacrifice cheap power if it spurns Chinese tech, says turbine maker — Goldwind’s vice-president Kai Wu says the country’s cost advantage has become ‘huge.’
- Opinion: Europe is the biggest loser in U.S.-China rare earth wars — Its dual dependence on America’s digital services and Beijing’s critical mineral processing industry leaves it highly vulnerable. By Misha Glenny.
The New York Times
- Apple, Caught Between U.S. and China, Pledges Investment in Both — In Beijing this week, the company’s chief executive, Tim Cook, made promises similar to ones he’d made at the White House. He also got a custom Labubu.
Caixin
- Luxury U.S. Cruise Ship Skips Shanghai Over China’s New Port Charges — Norwegian Cruise Line’s Riviera becomes the first casualty of Beijing’s “special port fee” on U.S.-linked vessels, diverting to Busan to avoid charges exceeding 11 million yuan.
- Elusive Billionaire Draws Spotlight After Tragedy at Hong Kong Luxury Mansion — Zhang Songqiao rose from selling cheap watches to owning London skyscrapers and Hong Kong’s priciest homes. Now, a tragedy at his Victoria Peak estate has shattered decades of silence.
- China Unveils Ambitious Plan to Double EV Charging Capacity by 2027 — Beijing aims for 28 million charging units to power 80 million EVs as sales near half of all auto purchases.
- China Appoints Financial Veterans to Top Posts at ICBC, Exim Bank — Zhao Guide moves up at ICBC, Wang Xiao moves to Exim Bank from BOC, sources say.
- JD.com Expands Auto Ambitions With Carmaker and Battery Giant Alliances — The e-commerce giant teams up with Changan, GAC, and CATL to build a full-service car ecosystem.
South China Morning Post
- Nuclear fusion: could China be the first to harness the energy that powers the sun? — Coordinated strategy of aggressive funding, talent repatriation and rapid prototyping is a bid to challenge Western dominance in the field.
- Top biomedical scientist Hu Ye quits U.S. for China after cuts to $8 million in grants — Hu has been appointed founding dean at the new school of biomedical engineering at his alma mater, Tsinghua University.
- Brussels and Beijing lawmakers spar over Russia, Taiwan in first talks since 2018 — Chinese delegation defends Moscow and questions Nato as EU warns ties hinge on Beijing’s stance over Ukraine.
- China electric SUV conquers Yangtze with cutting-edge tech — Chery’s all-terrain Jetour G700 masters famous river in a showcase of global tech ambitions that redefine vehicle limits.
- China expels He Weidong, Miao Hua and 7 other generals from party and military — He is the third member of the powerful Central Military Commission to be removed from office.
Nikkei Asia
- Will world’s largest dam project be big enough for China’s economy? — Observers question whether Yarlung Tsangpo power plant can revive growth momentum.
- China set to boost science funding in pursuit of Nobel ambitions — Government aims to foster AI, space and new energy industries amid rivalry with U.S.
- China and U.S. step up war of words ahead of possible Trump-Xi face-off — Beijing says U.S. actions ‘mainly’ to blame for friction, decoupling ‘not realistic.’
Bloomberg
- Carmakers Push to Secure Chips as China Trade Spat Escalates — The Dutch move against Nexperia and China’s retaliations adds to a simmering conflict over dominance of next-generation technologies.
- Xi Is Never Giving Up His Newfound Leverage Over Trump — By weaponizing rare earths, Beijing is using the same tools Washington once deployed to cement its postwar supremacy.
Reuters
- Exclusive: Micron to exit server chips business in China after ban, sources say — Micron has missed out on the country’s data center expansion boom.
- In China, global companies struggle as home-grown brands steal thunder — China’s market is becoming a major drag for many businesses already pressured by higher U.S. tariffs.
Other Publications
- The Economist: The secret fuel powering China’s self-driving cars — Responsive regulation — and lots of experiments.
- WIRED: How ByteDance Made China’s Most Popular AI Chatbot — ByteDance’s Doubao app has overtaken DeepSeek, proving that user-friendly design often matters more than having the most advanced AI model.
- New Statesman: Chinese agents are hunting dissidents across Britain — Beijing is using its espionage network to track those who rebelled against it in Hong Kong.
- Foreign Policy: Timor-Leste Adds a New Wrinkle to U.S.-China Competition — Southeast Asia’s freest democracy is joining ASEAN and could shift the balance of power.
- CSIS: U.S. Policies Only Temporarily Shake China’s Shipbuilding Dominance — The underlying cost advantages and production capacity of Chinese shipyards continue to anchor China’s position at the center of the global shipbuilding market.
