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
- Flying-Taxi Maker Archer Sues Joby, Accusing Rival of Playing Down Reliance on China — Lawsuit filed in California federal court escalates battle between companies seeking to market new aircraft.
- China’s OpenClaw Craze Buoys Tech Stocks, Fuels AI Pivot — The term “raising a lobster” has been trending on Chinese social media, a nod to OpenClaw’s lobster logo.
- Investigators Say Chinese Cobalt Plant Sickened Congo Town — Emissions surged after the processing facility opened to produce critical mineral for electric-car batteries, an environmental group says.
- CATL Reports Earnings Beat Despite Cooling EV Demand, Higher Metal Prices — The Chinese company is the largest manufacturer of EV batteries globally.
- China’s Exports Surge in First Two Months of Year — Trade surplus stood at $213.62 billion for the period.
The Financial Times
- China’s exports surge 21.8% in first 2 months of this year — Trade surplus hits record ahead of crucial summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.
- China’s petitioners battle to be heard — With little other recourse, a centuries-old system offers the downtrodden a chance to make their case.
- StanChart to double number of Singapore bankers serving wealthy Chinese — Expansion comes despite increased scrutiny of flows from China after high-profile money-laundering scandals.
- Trump family-linked financial group probed by congressional committee over Chinese stock scams — Republican-led House committee on China demands information from Dominari Securities and two other firms.
The New York Times
- China Stockpiled More Oil Before War Broke Out in Iran — China’s oil imports rose nearly 16 percent in the first two months of 2026, adding to its growing energy stockpile.
- Opinion: Latin Americans Already Have a Serious Partner — and It’s Not Trump — President Trump’s efforts to force the Western Hemisphere into alignment will keep falling short. By Oliver Stuenkel.
Caixin
- Chinese Robotics Startups Push Into Europe as Industry Seeks Scale — Firms including Unitree, Agibot and Magiclab are building distribution networks and partnerships as embodied AI moves from laboratories to real‑world testing.
- China Markets Yet to See Safe-Haven Rush Amid Escalating Middle East Conflict — U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran disrupt the Strait of Hormuz, sending oil prices higher and rattling Asian equities as investors look for signs of safe-haven flows into Chinese assets.
- China’s Top Court Draws Red Line on AI in Courtrooms — The Supreme People’s Court emphasizes a cautious approach to AI-assisted trials, reaffirming that algorithms cannot replace human judges as the ultimate arbiters of justice.
South China Morning Post
- Trump’s China visit limited to Beijing due to tight schedule and security needs: sources — ‘Given the situation [in the Middle East], the visit’s security arrangements must be extremely careful.’
- Why China’s officials now have to study rare earths and supply chains — Beijing’s decision to instruct promising cadres on logistics and resources reflects a sober outlook on trade relations, observers say.
- $17 billion question: why China and South Africa are so far apart on trade data — Statistical discrepancy reflects different reporting practices and ‘opaque’ global commodity chains, according to observers.
Nikkei Asia
- China’s Maxwell to churn out machines for making perovskite solar panels — New $500m plant will handle equipment for next-gen tandem cells.
- Samsung, LG display units take on China rivals with high-end OLED push — South Korean giants grow market share for first time in 8 years.
- Japan’s Proterial eyes making magnets without heavy rare earths in North America — Former Hitachi unit targets businesses aiming to lower reliance on China: president.
Bloomberg
- China’s Gen Z Day Traders Trust in Chatbots and Move Markets — This cohort has become an increasingly important driver of investment growth in the world’s second-largest economy.
- Xi’s Export Juggernaut Is Leaving China’s Factory Workers Behind — Workers who powered a tariff-defying boom tell a grim story of falling wages and vanishing jobs.
- Apple Now Makes About 25% of iPhones in India After China Pivot — Apple has accelerated its expansion in the world’s most populous country in recent years.
Reuters
- China’s property reset comes with a heavy price — The slump is eroding household wealth, prompting more precautionary saving and less consumer spending.
- China pins hopes on society-wide AI push to add jobs, rejuvenate economy — Plans unveiled at the opening of parliament’s annual session last week go all-in on AI.
- European freight truck makers brace for wave of low-cost Chinese rivals — Fleet owners are also cost-conscious, raising fears among legacy truck makers that the influx of lower-priced Chinese rivals could quickly build electric-truck market share.
Other Publications
- The Economist: There are 56 ethnicities in China — and 55 are getting squashed — China wants its minorities decorative, but not distinct.
- The Washington Post: Democrats argue Trump’s China policy risks ‘strategic failure’ — A new report, issued ahead of the president’s summit with Xi Jinping, takes aim at the administration’s record on trade, diplomacy and other aspects of American power.
- Brookings: China is running multiple AI races — China’s approach is a fundamentally different bet on how AI will shape the future.
