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 Agrees to Lower Tariffs by Half on U.K. Whisky — The U.K. government expects whisky exports to China to be worth roughly $345.2 million to the economy over the next five years.
- Apple Posts Blowout iPhone Sales on Surging China Demand — Company races past its already strong forecast, but investors are concerned about how it will contend with higher costs.
- Panama High Court Gives Trump a Win Over Canal by Ousting Hong Kong Port Operator — In blow to China, Supreme Court says CK Hutchison’s contract breaches the constitution.
- AstraZeneca Strikes Multibillion-Dollar Obesity Deal With China’s CSPC Pharmaceuticals — The collaboration will initially focus on four drugs, with one nearing early trials.
- I Test Drove a Chinese EV. Now I Don’t Want to Buy American Cars Anymore. — Amazing battery range, customizable interiors and sleek software — a columnist fell in love with a Xiaomi SU7 Max after driving it for a few weeks.
- Opinion: The New Bipolar World of AI — Only the U.S. and China are ‘sovereign’ in that they can produce and maintain control of frontier systems. By Tom Tugendhat and Christopher Ahlberg.
The Financial Times
- China rolls out the red carpet for Keir Starmer — PM holds three hours of ‘warm and constructive’ talks with Xi Jinping in bid to revitalise London-Beijing relationship.
- UK services sector holds out hopes for China boost after Starmer visit — Finance, banking and professional services seek to grow footprint in mainland market despite past challenges.
- Trump warns Starmer against closer business ties with China — UK prime minister travels to Shanghai seeking to drum up deals after meeting Xi Jinping.
- China lifts travel ban on British MPs — Parliamentarians were placed under sanctions in 2021 after criticising Beijing’s human rights record.
- AstraZeneca strikes $4.7bn China deal to boost weight-loss drugs pipeline — Drugmaker expands push into fast-growing market.
- Panama court kicks Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison out of canal ports — Ruling comes after Donald Trump’s vow to ‘take back control’ of shipping lane and reassert US influence in region.
- HSBC targets Hong Kong IPOs after missing out on listings boom — Lender ‘maniacally focused’ on rebuilding its investment bank in one of its home markets.
- Opinion: The meaning of Xi’s military purge — Relations between Chinese Communist leaders and the army have always been fraught. By Dennis Wilder.
The New York Times
- Born of a Factory Mistake, This Sad Toy Horse Captures China’s Mood — A manufacturing error turned a Lunar New Year toy into an unlikely emblem of workplace fatigue.
- Trump Tells U.K. and Canada That Boosting Trade With China Is ‘Dangerous’ — The leaders of both countries have recently visited Beijing seeking to strengthen economic ties, as tensions with the United States rise.
- Xi’s Military Purge May Set Back His Taiwan Ambitions — By ousting his top generals, Xi Jinping has secured absolute control but also hollowed out the command structure preparing for possible war over Taiwan.
Caixin
- China’s Luxury Slump Eases in 2025 as Shoppers Shift to Domestic Market — Bain report shows contraction slowed to 3%-5% in 2025 with growth returning in the fourth quarter, while spending shifted back to domestic channels.
- Tianqi Lithium Loses Final Appeal Against Chile’s SQM State Takeover — The Chilean Supreme Court dismissed the Chinese firm’s request to force a shareholder vote on the Codelco-SQM partnership, cementing state control over the Atacama salt flat.
- Chinese Liquor Stocks Surge as Moutai Rebounds on Holiday Demand — Kweichow Moutai’s price rebound and robust New Year demand help reverse months-long slump in China’s liquor market.
South China Morning Post
- Chipmaking expert Xu Zhenpeng leaves OpenAI-funded start-up for Shanghai role — The rising talent in micron-precision 3D printing revealed the move from California to an academic position in China on social media.
- It is ‘flourishing’: China’s man-made forest in Gobi produces good rubber for military use — Experimental cultivation of Chinese medicinal plant pays off as crops thrive in unfamiliar location, boosting national rubber supply.
- Alibaba AI chip push hits 100,000 mark, beating local rival Cambricon: sources — The milestone underscores Alibaba’s growing footprint in AI hardware, as Chinese firms accelerate efforts to build home-grown processors.
Nikkei Asia
- China forecasts record travel for Lunar New Year holiday at 9.5bn trips — South Korea and Thailand among popular international destinations.
- Carlsberg unloads Tibet venture to Chinese partner after struggle — Following write-offs, lawsuits, Danish brewer agrees to sell 50% stake.
Bloomberg
- China’s Middle East Moment Is Stalling Out — Beijing’s rise as a regional power broker at the U.S.’s expense has lost momentum amid its reluctance to take on a sustained political or security role.
- One in 10 Cars Sold in Europe Is Now Made by a Chinese Brand — China’s growing foothold spotlights the immense strains facing Europe’s carmaking sector, a bedrock industry that provides more than 13 million jobs and underpins economic stability.
- Chinese Chip Designer Montage Seeks Up to $902 Million in Hong Kong Listing — Montage would be adding to what has been a record January for listings in Hong Kong, largely fueled by Chinese firms tied to AI.
- China Plans $29 Billion Capital Injection Into Biggest Insurers — The proposal marks an expansion in China’s use of special government debt to strengthen the largest insurers.
- U.S. Urges China to Let ‘Substantially Undervalued’ Yuan Rise — The Treasury declined to name any major trading partner as a manipulator of its exchange rate.
Reuters
- Tokyo hopes voters will hand PM Takaichi new clout to counter China — A big win will help send a message to Beijing that its attacks have not damaged her domestically, a senior Japanese government official said.
- Exclusive: China conditionally approves DeepSeek to buy Nvidia’s H200 chips — Regulatory conditions are still being finalized, sources said.
Other Publications
- The Economist: Europe is at China’s mercy to get crucial raw materials — And it is losing out to America in the race for alternatives.
- Rest of World: AI health care is taking off in China, led by Jack Ma’s Ant Group — Ant’s health chatbot has become a top downloaded app in China as users seek personalized care they can’t get from the overburdened hospitals.
- The Washington Post: Opinion: China’s latest military purge is part of a long communist tradition — Those closest to dictators are simultaneously the most indispensable and the most dangerous. By Miles Yu.
- CSIS: Understanding China’s Quest for Quantum Advancement — China stands out for its government-led approach to quantum development, marked by substantial public investment and long-term strategic planning.
