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
- SolGold Board Backs Jiangxi Copper’s Sweetened Takeover Bid — The Chinese miner’s revised offer values the U.K.-listed company at $1.13 billion.
- U.S. Forces Raid Ship, Seize Cargo Headed to Iran From China — Operation highlights the Trump administration’s use of aggressive tactics against adversaries at sea that were rarely used in the past.
- The Chinese Billionaires Having Dozens of U.S.-Born Babies Via Surrogate — Videogame executive Xu Bo, said to have more than 100 children, and other elites build mega-families, testing citizenship laws and drawing on nannies, IVF and legal firms set up to help them.
The Financial Times
- China investment decline deepens as Xi Jinping attacks ‘reckless’ spending — Weakest retail sales growth in three years underlines challenge for Beijing to cut waste and boost domestic demand.
- Hong Kong convicts Jimmy Lai in landmark national security trial — Billionaire media boss found guilty on charges of conspiring to commit sedition and foreign collusion.
- Roomba maker iRobot swept into bankruptcy — U.S.-listed group behind autonomous vacuum cleaner to be taken over by its Chinese supplier.
The New York Times
- China Nears First Investment Decline in 3 Decades After Sharp Monthly Drop — A broad measure of investment fell more than 10 percent in November, continuing a recent reversal and signaling the depth of China’s property crisis.
- Clean, Limitless Energy Exists. China Is Going Big in the Race to Harness It. — Beijing is pouring vast resources into fusion research, while the U.S. wants private industry to lead the way. The winner could reshape civilization.
Caixin
- Trading by Algorithm: Who is Responsible When AI Calls the Shots? — In the final weeks of 2025, a group of the world’s most powerful AI models were given $10,000 each and released into the real-world U.S. stock market.
- Senior Adviser Warns China Must Act Urgently to Halt Record Price Slump — Wang Yiming, a vice chairman of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, highlighted that the GDP deflator has been negative for 10 consecutive quarters.
- Surge in Model Token Use to Send China’s AI Market Value Soaring, Industry Expert Says — The number of large model tokens used this year may exceed two quadrillion.
South China Morning Post
- Efforts to choke China will fail, Xi Jinping vows at 2026 economic agenda meeting — China’s rise is unstoppable, president tells central economic work conference, hails ‘moral backbone’ in rare allusion to U.S. trade war.
- How China’s US$150,000 robotic start-up beat Tesla boss Elon Musk in 2 years — EngineAI robot delivers forceful Bruce Lee-style kicks, while Musk’s Optimus jogs a few steps and falls over while handing out water bottle.
- China’s fertility push: IVF grants grow, but high costs still deter couples — Local governments are subsidising a portion of expensive treatments, but experts warn that cash handouts will not fix the economic pressure of raising a family.
Nikkei Asia
- China Vanke shares fall after debt extension proposal rejected — Embattled property developer aims to negotiate deal during five-day grace period.
- China sanctions ex-Japan Self-Defense Forces chief serving as Taiwan adviser — Iwasaki colluded with Taiwan ‘separatist forces,’ says Chinese foreign ministry.
- China shipbuilding megadeal follows U.S. port fee truce — CSSC takes order for 87 ships from COSCO.
Bloomberg
- China Steps Up Price-War Scrutiny as Cars Keep Getting Cheaper — China’s new restrictions on car discounts signal the government is cranking up its scrutiny of excessive competition.
- China Confronts the Cost of Dismantling the World’s Biggest Coal Sector — From the days of Mao Zedong, the fuel has underpinned economic growth, millions of jobs and the Communist Party’s founding myths.
- China’s Consumer Frailty Leaves Economy Exposed to Trade Jitters — China’s investment slumped further and retail sales expanded at their weakest pace since the crash caused by Covid.
Reuters
- Meta tolerates rampant ad fraud from China to safeguard billions in revenue — A Reuters investigation reveals the owner of Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp decided to accept high levels of fraudulent advertisements from China. Internal company documents show Meta wanted to minimize “revenue impact” caused by cracking down on the scams.
- China urges Gulf nations to seal free trade agreement — China’s foreign minister has pressed the Gulf Cooperation Council to conclude long-running talks on a free trade agreement with China.
- China approves first two level-3 autonomous driving cars from state-owned automakers — The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology approved the two electric sedans from state-owned automakers Changan Auto and BAIC Motor.
Other Publications
- The Washington Post: Opinion: America cannot control China’s economic outcomes — Years into a broad trade war, evidence shows export controls would be more effective. By the Editorial Board.
- The AP: High-end car sales sink in China as its economy slows, taking a toll on European automakers — Chinese demand for foreign luxury cars is waning as customers opt for more affordable Chinese brand models, often sold at big discounts.
