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
- Why Germany Wants a Divorce With China — Some German manufacturers think once-symbiotic partnership has turned into abusive relationship and they want out.
- China’s Economy Is Deteriorating on Several Fronts — Broad-based weakening spans consumer spending, investment, real estate.
The Financial Times
- Global brands seek private equity partners to save their China businesses — Companies weigh selling stakes to local groups to compete against fast-moving domestic rivals.
- Opinion: China’s escalation dominance over Trump — The US president has handed the initiative to Beijing in tech, energy and security. By EDWARD LUCE.
- Why China’s robotaxi industry is stuck in the slow lane — Shares in Pony.ai and WeRide have fallen since their November debuts.
The New York Times
- He Recorded China’s Detention of Uyghurs. The U.S. Wants to Deport Him to Uganda. — Heng Guan fled to the United States and released rare video evidence of China’s clampdown. His supporters say that sending him to Uganda puts him at risk.
Caixin
- China’s AI Talent Supply Outpaces Demand, Survey Shows — China’s hiring market showed signs of recovery in the second half of 2025, led by a surge in artificial-intelligence (AI) jobs.
- China’s Secondhand Home Prices Drop at Fastest Pace in Over a Year — The slide stems from a deep structural shift in the market, where supply has begun to overwhelm demand.
- China’s Crackdown on High-Cost Lending Draws In U.S.-Listed Chinese Firms — The move underscores Beijing’s effort to contain household debt risks without undermining consumer spending.
South China Morning Post
- China offers more support to returning overseas students as influx grows — As the number of students coming back to China soars, a new national service platform will help them find work and start businesses.
- China seizes 430kg cocaine aided by U.S. intel, in sign anti-drug pact may be working — Chinese authorities uncovered the drug in an international container at the Yantian port in Shenzhen, according to CCTV.
- ‘Resilient balance’: China-U.S. ties tipped to remain steady under Trump — U.S. world view on outside ties undergoing ‘fundamental, even transformative’ paradigm shift, American affairs expert tells forum in China.
Nikkei Asia
- Chinese drone parts prices for Russia soar since Ukraine invasion — Exporters hike radar prices more than sixfold as sanctions leave Moscow with few alternatives.
- China-Japan spat morphs into info war as both sides woo Europe, U.S. — Beijing warns of Tokyo’s return to ‘militarism’ while Southeast Asia media back Japan.
- Are Vietnam and Thailand helping China dodge U.S. tariffs? — Trade and investment patterns reflect strategic supply chain shifts.
Bloomberg
- Opinion: Give Up On ‘Winning’ Against China — America’s biggest rival is getting only more powerful. By CHRISTOPHER BEAM.
- Opinion: How Asia’s Gen-Z Is Losing Out to China’s $1 Trillion Surplus — It’s frustrating a generation already struggling because of stagnant wages and soaring living costs. By KARISHMA VASWANI.
- Xi Faces Calls for Stronger Yuan in Rare Public Currency Debate — The yuan’s persistent weakness is increasingly being seen as an obstacle to the country’s growth..
Reuters
- China AI chip firm Biren to launch Hong Kong IPO in coming weeks, sources say — Biren valued at about $2 billion before mid-2025 funding round.
- Nvidia unveils new open-source AI models amid boom in Chinese offerings — Nvidia on Monday revealed the third generation of its “Nemotron” large-language models aimed at writing, coding and other tasks.
- Global coal exports post rare decline in 2025 on China cuts — A 7% drop in imports by countries in Asia – the top coal consuming region – was the main driver of the decline.
Other Publications
- The Washington Post: Jimmy Lai case shows how China is rewriting Hong Kong’s history — The judges convicted Lai of colluding with foreigners to boost the pro-democracy movement. Donald Trump’s name is mentioned 195 times in their verdict.
- The Guardian: Trump urges Xi Jinping to free HK pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai — U.S. president says he feels ‘so badly’ about Lai’s conviction and has spoken to the Chinese leader about it.
- Semafor: China to cover all out-of-pocket childbirth expenses — The financial assistance could also help address Beijing’s larger problem of lackluster consumption, which has contributed to its economic slowdown.
- Brookings: Opinion: If China Stops Buying our Debt, Will Calamity Follow? — China does not appear to have been a crucial buyer of Treasury securities for the past year or so. By GARY BURTLESS.
- The Diplomat: Honduras’ Electoral Breakdown Has Deep Implications for China and Taiwan — The failure to declare a winner – when both top contenders had advocated for dropping relations with Beijing – is reopening the geopolitical map of Central America.
- CEIAS: Partners in need, partners indeed? Tracking Europe-Taiwan relations amidst global disruption — Data collected by the EU-Taiwan Tracker database shows a fivefold increase in interactions between the EU and Taiwan from 2019 to 2024.
