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
- How China’s Xi Purged His ‘Big Brother’ to Achieve Absolute Power — How China’s Xi Purged His ‘Big Brother’ to Achieve Absolute Power.
- Opinion: Hong Kong and Jimmy Lai’s Prison Sentence — China’s Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong and supporters of the newspaperman comment on his trial and 20-year sentence. Letters by Huang Jingrui, Mark Clifford, Gordon Krovitz, and Sebastien Lai.
The Financial Times
- Chinese green energy tycoon warns AI boom will strain global power — Envision founder Zhang Lei says renewables are essential to stop the technology driving up household bills.
The New York Times
- How Did Draco Malfoy Get Mixed Up With Lunar New Year? — It all comes down to a love of wordplay.
- How China Is Stoking Fear About Travel to Japan — From earthquake warnings to bear attack alerts, Beijing is deploying a campaign of exaggeration and disinformation to punish Tokyo’s support for Taiwan.
- China’s ‘King of Banned Films’ Wants to Change the Subject — Acclaimed overseas for defying censors, Lou Ye is more interested in reaching Chinese audiences, as he holds up a cinematic mirror to their lives in modern China.
Caixin
- China Moves Powerful Think Tank Under State Academy Amid Reform Push — The China Center for International Economic Exchanges, long overseen by the country’s top economic planner and staffed by retired senior officials, is now under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences amid scrutiny of its funding model.
South China Morning Post
- In China’s tight economy, a fake exam-takers scheme has touched a nerve — A bizarre case of inflating applicant numbers to deter potential job candidates has become a national talking point.
- Could medical care help cure China’s services trade deficit? — The speed, efficiency and affordability of treatment in China is attracting foreign patients, but some bottlenecks need to be cleared.
- China helps Zimbabwe grow $1.2 billion tobacco crop amid debt, health concerns — As Zimbabwe’s largest agricultural export and a primary foreign currency earner, tobacco dominates its trade with Beijing.
Nikkei Asia
- Roomba maker iRobot readies mini model for Japan to fend off Chinese rivals — Company looks to speed up development and releases under new Chinese owner.
- Hong Kong’s stablecoin drive nears quiet climax — Chinese companies fall back as Beijing denies loosening anti-crypto stance.
Bloomberg
- China AI Startups Surge After Holiday in Rotation From Big Tech — The selloff in traditional Chinese tech stocks reflects growing caution in the market and a recognition that AI may not translate into material earnings gains anytime soon.
- U.S. Plans Peace Corps Revamp to Gain Edge in AI Over China — The program that would send thousands of U.S. science and math graduates abroad to boost foreign countries’ reliance on American technology and reduce global adoption of competing products from China.
- How Private Equity Debt Left a Leading VPN Open to Chinese Hackers — Layoffs at Pulse Secure accelerated as financial pressure mounted.
- U.S. Funded $1 Billion in Research With Chinese Labs, Report Says — The study concludes that security policies around such partnerships have failed.
- China’s Drone Exports to Russia Use a New Route Through Thailand — The rise in shipments via Thailand shows just how hard it has been for western authorities to curb Russia’s access to both arms and dual-use technology.
Reuters
- Brazil beef companies could each ship at least 8,000 metric tons annually to China, document shows — In January Beijing imposed an extra 55% tariff on beef exports that exceeded quota levels from key suppliers like Brazil.
Other Publications
- The Economist: China now fills the world’s luxury hampers — It is a leading producer of caviar, foie gras and truffles.
- WIRED: ‘Pew Pew’: The Chinese Companies Marketing Anti-Drone Weapons on TikTok — On TikTok, Chinese manufacturers are advertising signal-blocking weapons with the breezy cadence of consumer lifestyle advertising.
- POLITICO: Trump’s ultimatum for Latin America: It’s me or Xi — Administration insiders and analysts argue that Trump unites the Republican foreign policy coalition by balancing protection of the homeland with countering China.
- Foreign Affairs: China’s Private Sector Pivot — How Beijing Is Encouraging Entrepreneurs Without Giving Up Control.
- Foreign Policy: How Chinese Espionage Eroded U.S. Power — A conversation with the authors of “The Great Heist” on Beijing’s spycraft — and what can be done about it.
