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
- Trump Says U.S. Will Allow Nvidia H200 Chip Sales to China, Get 25% Cut — President’s decision to allow exports of powerful chip comes after meeting with company’s chief executive.
- Trump Unveils $12 Billion Bailout for Farmers — The financial aid comes as the agriculture sector grapples with the fallout from the president’s tariffs.
The Financial Times
- China set to limit access to Nvidia’s H200 chips despite Trump export approval — Discussions among regulators come as Beijing seeks to achieve self-sufficiency in semiconductor production.
- Nvidia can sell H200 AI chips to China, Donald Trump says — President says other chipmakers can also resume exports and ‘25% will be paid’ to the U.S.
- Opinion: China’s open-source AI is a national advantage — The models are akin to studying together to ace a test instead of relying on individual knowledge. By Kai-Fu Lee.
The New York Times
- How Much Could China Gain From Access to Powerful Nvidia Chips? — President Trump said Nvidia can export some chips. But years of U.S. restrictions have propelled China to make everything it needs for advanced AI.
- How Japan Built a Rare-Earth Supply Chain Without China — The 15-year effort by Japan is a model for countries now scrambling to reduce their dependence on Beijing’s critical metals.
- Nepal Charges Chinese Construction Firm for Corruption Over Airport — Nepal’s anti-graft watchdog said the state-owned Chinese firm and Nepali officials colluded to inflate the costs of an international airport in Pokhara.
Caixin
- Shanghai Duty-Free Battle Pits State Giant Against Foreign Partner — A boardroom battle at Sunrise Duty Free Shanghai Co. Ltd., a pioneer of China’s airport retail sector, has left the company on the verge of losing its core business.
- Robotaxi Crash in Hunan Stokes Fears of Regulatory Backlash — A Dec. 6 accident involving a robotaxi in Zhuzhou, Hunan province, has rattled China’s autonomous vehicle industry.
South China Morning Post
- Former chief of China’s food and drug watchdog ousted from Communist Party — Bi Jingquan, who received an international award for promoting innovation, has also been removed from public office over corruption charges.
- Taiwan’s ban on mainland China app RedNote makes it a top download amid fierce pushback — Many users and opposition politicians accuse Taiwan’s ruling party of overreach and damaging island’s reputation for open internet access.
Nikkei Asia
- What Trump’s U-turn on Nvidia in China means for AI memory and more — Shipments of H200 chips can go ahead but massive market uncertainty remains.
- Japan says China didn’t answer hotline during radar incident — Failure of communication amid heightened tensions raises fears of accidental clash.
Bloomberg
- U.S. Detains Two Men Accused of Smuggling Nvidia AI Gear to China — The two men allegedly violated export control laws by attempting to smuggle at least $160 million worth of Nvidia Corp. AI chips to China.
- China Executes Second Ex-Huarong Executive Over Bribery Sentence — Bai Tianhui was sentenced to death after a bribery conviction for taking a “huge amount” of bribes totaling 1.1 billion yuan.
Reuters
- China urges trade partners against tariffs as record surplus stirs tensions — Beijing is now facing broadening tensions with major trading partners beyond the U.S., which are calling on China to do more to reform its $19 trillion economy.
- Ford to use Renault tech, plants to battle cheap Chinese EVs in Europe — Using Renault’s EV platforms with Ford designs should help the U.S. automaker to compete in Europe’s electric car market against traditional automakers as well as the Chinese.
Other Publications
- Foreign Affairs: Opinion: How China Wins the Future: Beijing’s Strategy to Seize the New Frontiers of Power — Beijing is building capabilities and influence in the underlying systems that will define the decades ahead. By Elizabeth Economy.
- Foreign Policy: What the 2025 National Security Strategy Means for Asia — The MAGA revolution in U.S. foreign policy brings good news and bad.
- CSIS: Opinion: Turning the AI Revolution into Dollar Dominance — President Trump’s Gulf chip deals enable billions in AI exports but miss what ensures dollar dominance. By Navin Girishankar.
- The Guardian: China’s record trade surplus reveals its biggest strength – and hidden weakness — Booming Chinese exports have driven trade surplus past $1tn but also reveal the extent of country’s reliance on foreign markets.
- The Economist: China knows how to punish countries that offend it — It is skilful in the dark arts of economic leverage.
