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 Vanke Wins Reprieve on Overdue Bond Payments — The developer’s bondholders had previously rejected proposals to restructure payment on the bond.
- Chinese EVs Blow Past Tesla and Tariffs En Route to Global Reign — The U.S., the European Union and Mexico are trying to quash accelerating demand for China’s hottest electric vehicles.
The Financial Times
- Russia, Ukraine and the race for Chinese drone components — As both sides scramble to source vital parts, some experts are convinced Russian buyers are being favoured by Beijing.
The New York Times
- Taiwan’s $40 Billion Military Spending Plan Stalled by Political Impasse — Taiwan’s domestic gridlock is revealing a deep-seated fracture over how the island should defend itself and how much it can depend on the United States.
- Islamic State Claims Deadly Attack on Chinese Restaurant in Afghanistan — A bombing that killed seven people and injured a dozen more at a noodle restaurant in a busy area of Kabul is likely to heighten China’s growing security concerns in Afghanistan.
- Ex-N.Y.P.D. Officer Cleared of Spying for China Sues Over Firing — Federal prosecutors quietly dropped their case against the officer, but a Police Department investigation based on the charges led to his firing, the suit says.
Caixin
- China Launches $72 Billion Loan Guarantee Plan to Boost Private Sector Lending — New program shifts up to 80% of credit risk to the state, doubling loan caps and expanding support to midsize businesses.
- Deadly Explosion in North China Puts Steel Safety Back in Spotlight — Blast kills at least nine, revives scrutiny of Baogang Group’s safety record and triggers sweeping inspections in Inner Mongolia.
- TCL Doubles Down on Home Entertainment With Sony Deal — A joint venture will combine the Chinese firm’s display technology, integrated supply chain and cost efficiency with the Japanese electronics giant’s audio-visual expertise, brand value and operational management.
- Local Labels Dominate China’s $141 Billion Cosmetics Market — Domestic brands captured nearly 60% of China’s cosmetics market in 2025, outpacing global giants through faster production and superior digital strategy.
- Beijing Slaps Record Fine on Illegal Tutoring Firm — Regulators say a private education consultancy ran offline classes without a permit, took 15.83 million yuan in fees and ignored orders to stop — triggering a maximum five-fold penalty.
South China Morning Post
- China’s coal-fired export ban was cheered by the West. Then came the massive blackouts — Did Beijing’s decision to stop financing overseas coal plants after pressure from U.S. and Europe lead to mass — yet avoidable — power cuts?
- Chinese goods pour into Africa, widening trade gap to record U.S. $102 billion amid U.S. pressure — Data points to growing African trade deficit as Trump imposes tariffs, and African demand for manufactured goods and commodity price spikes.
- EU moves to force Huawei out of networks, opening door to wider Chinese tech bans — European Commission plan would make vendor removals mandatory within three years and allow broader curbs if China is deemed a cyber risk.
Nikkei Asia
- China seeks to take AI edge over U.S. with expanded power generation — Beijing added seven times more new capacity in 2025, with 80% renewable.
- Asia at diplomatic crossroads as Trump pushes ‘Board of Peace’ — From China and India to Central Asia, president courts partners while sidelining UN.
- Opinion: Hainan breaks apart the Hong Kong-Singapore two-hub model — Boards are redesigning corporate structures around jurisdiction, not geography. By Robin Hu.
Bloomberg
- Nvidia’s Huang Plans to Visit China as He Works to Reopen Market — The U.S. is loosening export restrictions on AI processors, allowing Nvidia to sell its H200 model in China, but Beijing will bar the chip from certain uses due to security concerns.
- What China’s Falling Population Means for Its Future — China’s population is shrinking at a pace not seen in decades — a stark reversal for a country long defined by its sheer demographic scale.
- China Defends Growth Model at Davos, Aims to Be ‘World’s Market’ — Vice Premier He Lifeng stepped up a defense of his country’s economic track record, dangling the prospect of greater access to its domestic market to reduce imbalances in trade.
Reuters
- China can’t make consumers buy goods, so it leans on services to drive economy — Chinese households are channelling more spending into services — from elderly care to travel and entertainment — as demand for big-ticket goods plateaus.
- China distances itself from Greenland issue but warns against U.S. dependence — China rejected speculation that it would compete for influence in the West as a U.S. bid to take control of Greenland threatens to reshape the power dynamics of NATO.
- Britain, China to revive ‘Golden Era’ business dialogue during Starmer visit, sources say — Negotiations have been under way, but with Starmer’s visit contingent on approval for China to build its largest embassy in London talks have only just begun in earnest.
Other Publications
- Foreign Affairs: South Korea Can Stand Up to China — With Its Allies, Seoul Has Enough Leverage to Push Back.
- The Economist: America’s adventurism is unsettling China — Pushing back could threaten a trade deal and progress on Taiwan.
- The Guardian: China sees an opportunity in Greenland, but not in the way that Trump thinks — Beijing has struggled to gain a foothold in Greenland, in part because of U.S. and Danish unity. Trump’s fraying of that alliance could create the opening it needs.
- WIRED: 23 Ways You’re Already Living in the Chinese Century — The robotics explosion. The energy revolution. The cultural takeover. It’s everything you wanted for the United States — but done better in China.
