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.
Paid subscribers automatically have this list emailed directly to their inboxes every day by 10 a.m. EST. Subscribe here.
The Wall Street Journal
- U.S. Approves $11 Billion in Arms Sales to Taiwan, Angering Beijing — Trump administration signs off on weapons aimed at helping island defend itself.
- All That Cheap Chinese Stuff Is Now Europe’s Problem — Trump’s tariffs have redirected the flow of low-valued packages away from the U.S. into backyard warehouses on the Continent; the ‘new Silk Road.’
The Financial Times
- U.S. approves $11bn arms sale to Taiwan — Largest weapons package of its kind threatens to undo thaw following Trump’s trade truce with Beijing.
- Opinion: Jimmy Lai’s conviction is ominous for Hong Kong — Verdict leaves no doubt about the consequences of standing up to Beijing. By the Editorial Board.
The New York Times
- China Is Feeling Strong and Senses an American Retreat — Beijing is using its messaging tools to show off its prowess at building infrastructure and project power, taking advantage of what it says is “deep anxiety” in U.S. policies.
- Opinion: Trump Is Doubling Down on His Disastrous A.I. Chip Policy — U.S. national security and technological dominance shouldn’t ever have a price — let alone such a low one. By BEN BUCHANAN and MATT POTTINGER.
- Flying Taxis? China Has Them. And Drone Lunch Deliveries, Too. — China’s experiments in clean energy can feel like living in the future. Even when things don’t quite work.
Caixin
- China Jails Critical Mineral Smugglers for Up to 12 years — Authorities step up a crackdown on evasion of state controls governing metals vital to the defense industry.
- Shanghai Airport To Form JVs with New Duty-Free Operators — The China unit of Avolta AG and state-owned China Duty Free Group Co. Ltd. will replace Sunrise Duty Free Shanghai after a dramatic bidding battle.
- Robbers Steal 1 Billion Yen in Hong Kong Daylight Heist — The theft marks the latest in a series of high-value crimes targeting the city’s currency exchanges.
South China Morning Post
- Chinese city sues Missouri for US$50 billion in tit-for-tat Covid-19 litigation — Wuhan’s government is one of three parties accusing the U.S. state of using the virus to stigmatise China.
- Wealthy Chinese appear to shun Trump’s ‘gold card’ immigration programme — Initial excitement fizzles amid limited benefits and security concerns, immigration agents say.
- BYD plans giant Brazil factory to scale electric bus and truck production — The new plant would dwarf BYD’s current Brazil operation, lifting output from about 600 units over a decade to up to 7,000 a year.
Nikkei Asia
- U.S. Senate passes defense bill targeting China in biotech, investment — Congress takes more hawkish approach than Trump’s national security strategy.
- Roomba hit by four-year innovation gap amid China rivalry: CEO — iRobot did not take competition ‘seriously enough,’ says Gary Cohen.
- China carmaker GAC reworks dealer strategy to fend off newcomers — Legacy auto group to add 600 dealerships that will prioritize customer experience.
Bloomberg
- China Has Bought More Than Half the Soybeans It Promised From U.S. — China has secured at least 7 million tons of US soybeans after heavy buying in the past two weeks.
- Chip Shortage Lingers as Honda to Halt Output in Japan, China — Carmakers around the world have had their production plans thrown into disarray in recent months after China blocked Nexperia BV from exporting products made at its local plants.
- China’s Growing Pile of Long-Term Debt to Deepen Pricing Stress — China is issuing a greater proportion of longer-maturity sovereign debt to secure financing.
Reuters
- How China built its ‘Manhattan Project’ to rival the West in AI chips — In a high-security Shenzhen laboratory, Chinese scientists have built a prototype of a machine capable of producing cutting-edge semiconductor chips.
- China launches $113 billion free-trade experiment on Hainan island — The decision is part of a bid to join a major trans-Pacific trade deal and establish a new Hong Kong-style commercial hub.
- Despite tariffs, China consumer giants push into the U.S. as domestic market stalls — Lured by the promise of richer margins, a wave of Chinese consumer brands is making deeper inroads into American retail.
Other Publications
- The AP: China exploits U.S.-funded research on nuclear technology, a congressional report says — The authors of the report say the U.S. must do more to protect high-tech research and ensure that the results of taxpayer-funded work don’t end up benefiting Beijing.
- Business Insider: China’s economic slump isn’t stopping a billionaire boom in AI chips — Surging investor interest in domestic AI and semiconductor stocks is driving rapid wealth gains.
