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
- Chinese Technology Firms Aim to Raise Over $1 Billion via IPOs — Hong Kong’s initial-public-offering market is set to start the new year with a bang, as three Chinese companies line up to list in the city early January.
- China’s Push to Master the Arctic Opens an Alarming Shortcut to U.S. — National-security officials say Chinese submarines and icebreakers pose a new military threat from the High North.
- If U.S.-China AI Rivalry Were Football, the Score Would Be 24-18 — If the U.S.-China artificial-intelligence rivalry were a football game, America would be leading at halftime—but it just made a risky trade.
- Opinion: Maybe Arms Control Does Have a Future — A chance for the U.S. to nudge China and Russia toward a deal on nuclear weapons. By Thomas Grant and Henry Sokolski.
The Financial Times
- China steps up Taiwan military drills with live-fire exercises — Trump dismisses concerns about PLA activity simulating maritime blockade.
- Pop Mart pushes global expansion amid concerns of ‘peak Labubu’ — Chinese toymaker plans store on New York’s Fifth Avenue as it faces pressure to continue momentum of its popular dolls.
The New York Times
- With Artillery and Warships, China Practices Blockading Taiwan — China flew bombers and fired long-range artillery during a second day of exercises designed to show its ability to claim the island-democracy by force.
- Yonaguni, the Japanese Island on the Front Lines of China’s Feud with Japan — Yonaguni, a tiny Japanese island near Taiwan, is getting soldiers, radar and missiles. As China’s dispute with Tokyo escalates, some residents are worried.
Caixin
- Former ICBC Regional Chief Ousted in China’s Graft Probe — Xu Hai is facing multiple accusations, including illegally holding shares in unlisted companies.
- China Revises Foreign Trade Law to Include National Security — The revised law, set to take effect in March 2026, also stiffens penalties for trade violations.
- CATL to Roll Out Sodium-Ion Batteries in 2026 to Cut Lithium Reliance — Chinese battery leader aims to deploy the alternative tech in EVs and storage as conflict over lithium benchmarks sparks production halts among suppliers.
South China Morning Post
- As Trump brings back coal to power AI, China moves on to clothe the world with it — A once-struggling Chinese coal city turns the traditional fossil fuel into nylon, manufacturing popular fashion from sportswear to lingerie.
- Washington lines up slew of health deals as US and China vie for influence across Africa — Signatories must guarantee that genetic sequence data and samples from potential outbreaks are shared with the US within 5 days of detection.
- Opinion: Rise of China’s open source platforms will burst AI bubble — Even if open source models aren’t as good as their proprietary rivals, they will still win in the marketplace as long as they can do the job. By Andy Xie.
Nikkei Asia
- Meta to acquire AI startup Manus for at least $2bn — US tech giant says Singapore-based company to cut ties with China after acquisition.
- China aircraft carriers set to outnumber US in Pacific by 2035 — Pentagon’s new estimate sees Beijing building a carrier every 20 months.
- Japan rare earth-related stock surges as China stages war games — Toyo Engineering hits 17-year high with extraction tech tapped for test mining.
Bloomberg
- Inside China’s Shadow LNG Fleet Offering a Lifeline to Putin — A clandestine operation involving shell companies and high-seas maneuvers is keeping the Sino-Russian energy trade afloat.
- How the US Under Trump Fits Into China-Taiwan Tensions — Wealthy, democratic and strategically located off the Chinese coast, Taiwan has long been the most volatile issue between the US and China.
- China’s Reawakening Puts Asia M&A on Confident Course for 2026 — China transactions have reached $385 billion, a 19% increase from 2024, with multinationals reassessing their China footprint.
Reuters
- China mandates 50% domestic equipment rule for chipmakers, sources say — Chipmakers seeking state approval to build or expand their plants have been told by authorities that they must prove that at least half their equipment will be Chinese-made.
Other Publications
- Foreign Affairs: America Needs Economic Warriors — A New Era of Statecraft Demands a New Kind of Strategist.
- The Economist: China’s museum boom, take two — Once-empty halls now heave with visitors—and treasures.
- The Washington Post: Opinion: China is using American AI against the U.S. Here’s how to stop it. — The Chinese Communist Party promotes its authoritarian agenda via U.S. technology. By Jack Crovitz.
