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
- Move Over, Super Bowl: AI Giants Turn China’s Lunar New Year Into a Giveaway Blitz — AI developers are offering free tea, free use of cars and even robots in promotions aimed at locking in users.
- U.S. Plans to Deploy More Missile Systems in the Philippines, Challenging China — Commitment to key Asian ally coincides with increased pressure on other defense partners.
- U.K. Regulator Weighs Rule Change to Attract Chinese Listings — It is looking at allowing Chinese-registered companies to follow Chinese accounting rules when listing global depository receipts in London.
- TikTok’s Chinese Parent Has an App to Replace Hollywood — ByteDance’s AI-video creator draws buzz for its realistic scenes and a backlash over privacy and copyright.
- China Watchers Are Trying to Spot the Next Target of Xi’s Purges — “Pekingologists” are hunting for clues in seating arrangements and funeral wreaths to determine which officials are in trouble.
- China Deploys a ‘National Team’ of Investors to Keep AI Stock Boom in Check — A group of state-linked funds has stepped in and unloaded holdings to cool things down when investors get too rosy.
- The Hidden Government Funding of China’s American-Born Olympic Star — After details of payments from Beijing’s sports bureau to freestyle skiing champion Eileen Gu were accidentally revealed last year, her name was quickly scrubbed from the budget.
- Opinion: America Needs AI That Can Do Math — Language skills won’t be enough to stay ahead of China in the economic sectors that matter. By Jack D. Hidary.
The Financial Times
- Former prince Andrew agreed to help strike $8bn cash-for-oil deal between UAE and China — Files show Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor exchanged messages about secret plan with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
- China’s high-speed rail network accelerates world’s largest human migration — Lunar new year travel is taking place faster than ever.
- Brussels to tie EV subsidies to 70% local content rule — Draft ‘Made in Europe’ rule seeks to protect bloc’s carmakers from Chinese competition.
- UK proposes audit changes to attract Chinese listings — Regulator’s move comes amid pressure from government to revive stock market.
- U.S. carmakers spooked by Chinese rivals gaining foothold in America — Executives on edge about possible policy shift in Washington ahead of Trump’s planned visit to China in April.
- H World aims to be ‘Marriott of China’ with 20,000 hotels — One of the world’s biggest hotel groups plans to consolidate country’s vast and fragmented hospitality market.
- US concludes Alibaba and BYD have links to Chinese military — The companies are among a number the Pentagon believes could pose a threat to American national security.
- Opinion: Lunar New Year brings nonstop nagging for childless Chinese — Young people are sharing tips on how to deflect parental inquisitions during the holidays. By Eleanor Olcott.
- Opinion: How China could win the geopolitical game by default — Mercurial shifts in US foreign policy under Trump have left leaders of other countries baffled. By Eswar Prasad.
The New York Times
- In Xi Jinping’s Purge of the Military, a Search for Absolute Loyalty — By reaching back to Maoist tactics of “rectification,” the Chinese leader is signaling that control over the gun requires a state of perpetual cleansing.
- Diplomatic Feud With China Weighs on Japan’s Economy — A standoff over the security of Taiwan has led to a steep decline in the number of Chinese visitors to Japan, which is heavily dependent on the tourists.
- Deep in China’s Mountains, a Nuclear Revival Takes Shape — Satellite imagery of secretive nuclear facilities reveals Beijing’s efforts to expand its arsenal, just as the last global guardrails on nuclear weapons vanish.
- Japan Releases Chinese Boat Captain After Detaining Him for 30 Hours — The captain’s arrest had raised fears of a broader diplomatic confrontation between Japan and China, which have been at odds for months.
- How China Built a Chip Industry, and Why It’s Still Not Enough — More than a decade into Beijing’s push for self sufficiency, Chinese firms are producing fewer, lower-performing chips than their foreign competitors.
Caixin
- China Regulators Summon Trip.com, Alibaba Units Over Lending Practices — Financial regulators order six major travel platforms to curb misleading loan marketing and strengthen consumer protections ahead of tighter 2026 rules.
- How a $15 Million Chinese Pork Deal Turned Into a Cautionary Tale for Foreign Investors — After investing in a Dalian meat company, a consortium of investors discovered their money had vanished, only to face obstacles from local authorities.
- Beijing to Add 80,000 NEV Quotas to Revive Lagging Car Sales — Capital boosts 2026 vehicle quota to 180,000 as officials balance congestion controls with pressure to spur consumption.
South China Morning Post
- Why Chinese navy still trails the US in high-stakes game of underwater aircraft recovery — PLA Navy risks exposing sensitive technology as factors including more open-sea operations heighten crash risks, military magazine warns.
- China’s green energy leader Inner Mongolia starts work on new ‘flexible’ power plants — The two plants will use coal as a backup to renewable sources such as wind and solar power in a major strategic shift.
- How a ‘military vacuum’ in West and Central Africa opened new markets for China — Beijing has increased engagement with countries in the Sahel following the French military exit, and with Russian weapons in short supply.
Nikkei Asia
- China cracks down on influencer marketing amid stock frenzy — Regulators tighten oversight as millions of new investors join AI rally.
- Trump to decide on Taiwan arms sales ‘soon’ as China trip looms — Xi Jinping issued warning to US president in recent phone call.
- Opinion: Xi’s anti-corruption drive has removed the PLA’s safety valve — Chinese leader has replaced ‘rational pacifists’ with ‘terrified novices’ who dare not say no. By Youlun Nie.
Bloomberg
- China Expanding Aid for Russia’s War, Western Officials Say — The officials described Beijing as the key facilitator of the war, saying Russia’s war in Ukraine wouldn’t be able to continue without ongoing Chinese support.
- Opinion: Musk Is Beating China’s 203,000 Paper Satellites — China has submitted plans to the International Telecommunications Union to deploy a fleet of 203,000 satellites by the mid-2030s, which would dwarf the ambitions of Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos. By David Fickling.
- Opinion: Stop Fighting Yesterday’s Battle on China’s Belt and Road — Africa has emerged as a top destination for Belt and Road investment, with China pairing investment with expanded trade access, including zero-tariff treatment for imports from 53 African countries. By Karishma Vaswani.
Reuters
- China’s Russian oil imports to hit new record in February as India cuts back — China has replaced India as Moscow’s top client as sanctions over the Ukraine war and pressure to land a U.S. trade deal forced New Delhi to scale back Russian oil imports
Other Publications
- Foreign Affairs: China’s Fragile Future — How Secure Is the CCP?
- The Economist: Why American allies are flocking to see Xi Jinping in Beijing — China isn’t using its considerable leverage over them—yet.
- Rest of World: Polymarket courts Chinese users despite strict online gambling ban — The crypto-based prediction platform is hiring Mandarin-speaking staff and adding Lunar New Year bets, even as it remains blocked in China.
