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 Has Spent Years Preparing for the Iran Oil Crisis — Massive oil stockpiles and a shift to electric vehicles help insulate the economy from supply disruptions in the Mideast.
- Opinion: The Pentagon-Anthropic Spat Is Good for China — A precedent from early-20th-century Britain augurs ill for the heavy-handed U.S. approach. By Katherine C. Epstein.
The Financial Times
- China warns Maersk and MSC over high freight rates from Iran war — Transport ministry summons executives to express concerns about supply chain disruptions.
- India relaxes rules on Chinese investment — Surging energy prices are putting Indian economy under pressure.
The New York Times
- China’s Military Has Quietly Cut Flying Near Taiwan. But Why? — For years, China has flown military jets near Taiwan almost daily. Then they suddenly stopped, leaving analysts to wonder why.
- A Trump-Xi Summit Nears, but China Doesn’t Know What Trump Wants — Trump’s agenda for the high-stakes meeting remains unclear to Beijing, Chinese analysts say, while American executives say they haven’t been invited along.
- Ukraine Can Now Manufacture ‘China-Free’ Drones — The country has prioritized self-sufficiency in producing a crucial battlefield weapon, though weaning itself fully off cheaper Chinese components is difficult.
Caixin
- Global ‘HALO’ Trade Drives Shift in Chinese Stocks Away From Tech — Investors rotate into energy and utilities as demand grows for assets less vulnerable to AI disruption.
- China Weighs Tighter Curbs After Banks Game Deposit Rate Rules — Some lenders dilute averages to stay within 1.4% cap on nonbank demand deposits.
- China’s SpaceSail Seeks Fresh Funding to Build Rival to Starlink — Shanghai government-backed startup has disclosed plans to raise new funding as it builds a massive satellite internet network and expands abroad.
South China Morning Post
- Award-winning memory chip expert Shi Guojun leaves U.S. for job at top Chinese semiconductor firm — Scientist will lead planning and development in emerging industries at DK Electronic Materials, focusing on the semiconductor memory business.
- Demand for AI talent in China outpaces job postings in other ‘new-economy’ sectors — AI-related positions accounted for more than a quarter of new-economy job listings in the first two months of the year, report says.
Nikkei Asia
- China-North Korea passenger rail to resume after 6-year hiatus — Tourism serves as big source of foreign cash for Pyongyang.
- China firms launch OpenClaw rivals as Beijing warns against viral AI agent — Tencent, Zhipu, Kimi among those looking to cash in on appetite for Western tool.
Bloomberg
- The Tycoon Who Had a Secret Life as an Alleged Scam Kingpin — Chen Zhi developed a sprawling network of politicians and banks while he built a global fortune and alleged “pig butchering” scam hubs.
- China’s Cosco Halts Panama Port Operations as Tensions Rise — The state-owned shipping giant announced its decision to halt all of its departures and arrivals at the port.
Reuters
- China is rebuilding its grip on North Korea. Is Kim Jong Un ready to oblige? — Growing trade ties and new border infrastructure show Beijing is drawing Pyongyang back into its orbit.
- U.S. tariff reprieve sparks scramble, and scepticism, in China’s export hubs — The divergent reactions underscore how deeply the U.S.–China trade clashes have unsettled businesses and how fragile the longer-term relationship remains.
Other Publications
- The Information: Tencent Joins China’s AI Agent Race With ‘Top-Secret’ WeChat Project — It hopes to leapfrog rivals like Alibaba.
- Foreign Policy: China’s Middle East Ties Go Far Beyond Iran — Beijing is as concerned about Gulf partners as Tehran.
