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
- China’s Alibaba Links Qwen AI App to Vast Consumer Ecosystem — The app has surpassed 100 million monthly active users within two months of its release.
- China’s Central Bank Lowers Rates on Structural Policy Tools — PBOC will also raise quotas for several relending tools to boost support for sectors including agriculture and tech.
The Financial Times
- China pushes coal-fired power projects alongside renewables — Vast majority of 104 electricity-generating units set to start operation worldwide this year are in China.
- White House sets tariffs to take 25% cut of Nvidia and AMD sales in China — Levies designed to enact deal Donald Trump cut with chipmakers to allow shipments of AI processors.
- Nexperia Europe managers devised state intervention to save their jobs, claims Chinese owner — Amsterdam court hears arguments over need for investigation over allegations of mismanagement at Dutch group.
The New York Times
- Chinese Universities Surge in Global Rankings as U.S. Schools Slip — Harvard still dominates, though it fell to No. 3 on a list measuring academic output. Other American universities are falling farther behind their global peers.
- Opinion: Forget Trump’s Tariffs. The Real Danger Lies in China’s Trade Surplus. — China’s economic model has certainly delivered growth but in an unbalanced way. By Eswar Prasad.
Caixin
- China Auto Sales Hit Record 34 Million in 2025 — Sales were driven by robust exports and government trade-in subsidies that spurred demand well beyond early industry estimates.
- Chinese Restaurant Chain Reels From Food Quality Row That Triggered $72 Million in Losses — Chinese restaurant chain Xibei will close more than 100 outlets in early 2026.
- Chinese Cruise Operators Look to Russia as Diplomatic Tensions Hurt Japan Business — Some Chinese cruise operators are in talks to launch routes to the Russian Far East, looking for a new lifeline.
South China Morning Post
- Trump sets 180-day deadline to counter China’s control of critical minerals — US government warns global suppliers to negotiate agreements to secure reliable, diversified supplies for the US or face new trade hurdles.
- Does Trump’s Nvidia chip flip reveal anxieties on both sides of China-US tech war? — Can Washington bind Chinese rivals to American technologies or will access to the AI chips hasten Beijing’s challenge to US dominance?
- Beijing launches antitrust investigation into Trip.com ahead of Lunar New Year break — The Trip.com case shows how China’s regulatory inquiries into various online platforms have become the norm.
Nikkei Asia
- Analysis: China’s tough stance backfires, boosting Japan PM’s popularity — Emboldened by high approval rating, Sanae Takaichi intends to call a snap election.
- US-China AI race extends to space-based data centers — Chinese, American tech companies vie to put solar-powered computing networks in orbit.
- Investors hunt for China’s next tech champions — Satellite chip, brain-computer interface stocks up on hopes of government boost.
Bloomberg
- China Looks for Assurances Over Billions in Loans to Venezuela — China is expected to insist on a seat at the table in any future debt restructuring involving Venezuela, to protect its legitimate rights and interests.
- Opinion: China’s New Growth Strategy Needs a Reality Check — China’s high-tech industries, such as electric vehicles and artificial intelligence, are not contributing significantly to economic activity. By Juliana Lu.
- Xi Welcomes Stream of Leaders Shaken by Trump’s New World Order — President Xi Jinping is welcoming a procession of leaders looking to mend fences with China, including South Korea’s Lee Jae Myung, Canada’s Mark Carney, and Britain’s Keir Starmer.
- China’s State Grid Plans 40% Surge in Investment Through 2030 — The State Grid Corp. of China plans to boost spending to 4 trillion yuan over the next five years to expand its power network.
Reuters
- TSMC smashes forecasts with record profit, flags more US factories — TSMC said its customers, and their customers, were “providing strong signals” and requesting capacity, forecasting 2026 revenue would rise nearly 30%.
- Canada’s Carney hails warmer ties with China, Xi’s leadership — The four-day visit to China was the first by a Canadian prime minister since 2017.
- Alibaba upgrades Qwen app to order food, book travel — The upgrade comes two months after Alibaba’s strategic pivot into consumer-facing AI, an area where it had previously lagged domestic rivals.
Other Publications
- The Atlantic: ‘Some Foreign Influence Will Be Hard to Reverse’ — China will remain a player in Latin America long after Maduro.
- Inside Higher Ed: China Aims for ‘Quality’ Overseas Students With Admissions Exam — Experts say the introduction of a compulsory test for all applicants seeking to take undergraduate courses shows the country’s shifting approach to internationalization.
- The Guardian: Trump is making China – not America – great again, global survey suggests — Exclusive: US is less feared by its traditional adversaries, while its allies feel ever more distant, results show.
