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
- Trump Says He Spoke With China’s Xi About Iran — Chinese leader had talked earlier with Putin about rising tensions surrounding the Middle Eastern country.
- U.S. Enlists Mexico, EU and Japan in Its Minerals Race With China — Pacts seek to establish a ‘preferential trade zone’ that would counter China’s dominance in the sector.
- Soybeans Surge as Trump Stokes Hope of More China Purchases — President Trump suggests China may purchase an additional 8 million tons of soybeans from the U.S.
- The American and Chinese Economies Are Hurtling Toward a Messy Divorce — The breakup is focused on sensitive matters now considered national-security issues, including semiconductors, food and energy.
The Financial Times
- Leapmotor: China’s no-frills EV maker aiming to become the next BYD — Low-cost carmaker harbours ambitions to go global and rank among world’s top 10 auto groups.
- Opinion: China has seized Sony’s television halo — The company’s planned joint venture with TCL marks a historic global shift. By John Gapper.
- White House seeks critical minerals trade zone to curb China’s dominance — Effort marks rare instance of Trump administration aiming to collaborate with global allies on trade.
- Chinese provinces set lower growth targets for 2026 — Economists say Beijing likely to trim national goal for GDP increase to 4.5-5% this year.
The New York Times
- China’s Xi Presses Trump on Taiwan in Phone Call — Both leaders gave versions of what they discussed, but the Chinese president’s take made clear the issue of the island was front and center.
Caixin
- China Ousts Three Senior Defense Industry Figures From Legislature — China has removed three senior figures in its defense and nuclear sectors, signaling a widening dragnet in the country’s ongoing anticorruption campaign of its military-industrial complex.
- Satellite-Maker Spacety Kicks Off IPO as China’s Commercial Space Race Heats Up — Tianyi Space Technology Research Institute Co. Ltd., better known as Spacety, joins a growing list of Chinese space startups aiming to go public.
- China Draws More Foreign Patients — but Medical Tourism Is Still a Niche — Industry experts say China’s medical-tourism business remains small and faces hurdles that keep it far behind regional rivals.
South China Morning Post
- Epstein files reveal proposal for Tsinghua University campus in Boston — Prominent figures affiliated with the top Chinese university and Harvard discuss the plans in newly released emails.
- China’s CATL tests EVs – and lithium’s dominance – with pioneering sodium-ion battery — The Naxtra battery, more price-stable and cold-resistant than the lithium-ion units now powering most EVs, will undergo its first tests this week.
- Brazil scraps EV tariff break for Chinese carmaker BYD amid pressure from rivals — US, European and Japanese manufacturers combined to lobby for an end to favourable rules for Chinese kit imports.
Nikkei Asia
- Yum China aims to capture ‘early signs’ of improved consumer appetite — KFC operator’s Q4 profit jumps 24% as other brands voice cautious optimism.
- HP, Dell, Acer and Asus mull using Chinese memory chips amid supply crunch — Shortage a golden opportunity for China’s memory chipmakers and electronics manufacturers.
- Chinese luxury goods spending lifted by rising stock market — But survey shows wealthy favoring experiences over products.
Bloomberg
- China Solar Lobby Sees Huge Drop in Installations This Year — The China Photovoltaic Industry Association expects 180 gigawatts to 240 gigawatts of additions in 2026, after the country added a record 315 gigawatts last year.
- China Is Said to Pause Panama Deals After Ports Operation Nulled — China is asking state firms to halt talks over new projects in Panama as part of Beijing’s retaliation after Panama voided CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd.’s contract to operate two ports.
- China Trader Who Made $3 Billion on Gold Bets Big Against Silver — Bian Ximing has built the largest net short position in silver on the Shanghai Futures Exchange, with a bet on the metal’s collapse now worth almost $300 million.
Reuters
- China removes three lawmakers with defence-sector ties after top general probed — The announcement on Wednesday evening by the Xinhua news agency did not give a reason for the dismissals or say that the lawmakers, who are from the defence, aerospace and nuclear industries, were under investigation.
- BYD shifts to local parts in Brazil factory in bid for market leadership — Chinese automaker BYD is aiming to produce and source 50% of its vehicle components locally at its new Brazilian factory by the end of 2026.
- China criticises US plan for critical minerals trade bloc — China opposes any country undermining the international economic and trade order through rules imposed by small groups, the Chinese foreign ministry said.
Other Publications
- Rest of World: China prioritizes investments outside the U.S. — In 2025, China invested in manufacturing hubs and data centers in Asia, mining in Latin America, and energy projects in Africa and the Middle East.
- NPR: As Trump reshapes foreign policy, China moves to limit risks, reap gains — China, which the U.S. until recently saw as its “pacing threat,” may feel relieved that neither of President Trump’s targets were in its neighborhood.
- Wired: How iPhones Made a Surprising Comeback in China — Huawei’s and Xiaomi’s flagship devices are packed with impressive features, but Apple is dominating the Chinese smartphone market again—for now.
- The Guardian: Green energy sector drove more than 90% of China’s investment growth last year, analysis finds — Industry bigger than all but seven world economies, and accounts for more than third of China’s economic growth.
- CFR: Leapfrogging China’s Critical Minerals Dominance — How Innovation Can Secure U.S. Supply Chains.
- The World of Chinese: In Transition: Is Radio in China Tuning Out or Just Reinventing Itself? — Once a constant companion of commuters and late-night listeners, radio stations in China are shuttering amid declining listenership and shrinking advertising revenue. But the medium’s core elements are reemerging elsewhere in new forms of listening.
