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’s ByteDance Gets Access to Top Nvidia AI Chips — TikTok parent, pushing global expansion, plans to tap Blackwell processors that are barred for export to China.
- Apple Cuts App Store Fees in China as Regulatory Scrutiny Intensifies — The cut takes effect on Sunday.
- The 24-Hour Train Between Beijing and Pyongyang Is Back on Track — The resumption of railway travel restores some normalcy to a rocky relationship between North Korea and China.
The Financial Times
- Hong Kong plans to ‘name and shame’ lawyers and auditors for sloppy IPO work — Proposal comes as regulators grapple with influx of Chinese companies looking to raise funds in the city.
- The illicit Iranian oil hiding in plain sight — Shipments provide a vital source of income for Iran and allow China to stock up large reserves.
- Iran war tests Xi’s plan to build China’s stockpiles — Beijing has driven major increase in reserves of oil and other strategic commodities but their scale remains secret.
- China’s job worries cloud vision of tech supremacy — Shortage of jobs a focus at rubber-stamp parliament even as government doubles down on high-tech sectors.
- Opinion: Trump’s choices are only pushing China and Russia closer together — Beijing and Moscow look to one another for energy and economic security amid geopolitical turbulence. By Alexander Gabuev.
- Opinion: Why China’s renminbi push matters even if it never rivals the dollar — If renminbi settlement becomes cheaper and more trade migrates, firms will have less need to generate or hold U.S. currency. By Diana Choyleva.
The New York Times
- How the War in Iran Could Help China and Change Asia — American officials have said for years that they would prioritize the Indo-Pacific. Now they’re moving warships, missiles and air defenses out for a war in the Middle East.
- Opinion: China’s Plan to Spur Consumer Spending Is a Mirage — China may never be able to realize its longtime promise to shift away from an overreliance on exports. By Anne Stevenson-Yang.
Caixin
- Secretive Hedge Fund at Center of Hong Kong Insider-Trading Probe — Raids targeting brokerages and hedge fund Infini Capital have drawn attention to founder Tony Chin and the firm’s rapid rise in Hong Kong’s equity market.
- China’s Apartment Middlemen Lose High-Stakes Bet That Rents Will Only Go Up — An extraordinary drop in rent prices left China’s centralized rental companies caught in costly boom-time leases, forcing them to scale back operations and search for a new business model.
- Former Head of China’s Mega-Firm Steps Down Amid Default Scandal — Beijing Yingke Law Firm distances itself from Mei Xiangrong after rumors of a massive financing guarantee crisis tied to his family’s businesses.
South China Morning Post
- Sanctioned Rubio to take part in Trump’s China trip despite previous missed opportunities — The formerly hawkish U.S. secretary of state has been sanctioned by Beijing and sources say he has previously appeared reluctant to visit.
- ‘I can’t get a job and AI is to blame’: a young person’s lament — The plight of young people worried about their future as firms use the tech for lower-level jobs and experts warn of a ‘broken talent chain.’
- Japan taps oil reserves as Iran war spreads. Could it give China leverage? — With Tokyo and Beijing still at loggerheads over Taiwan, analysts warn Japan’s decision exposes its economic vulnerability.
Nikkei Asia
- Kaga Electronics to open Singapore plant as China firms move offshore — Japanese contract manufacturer sees rising demand from businesses fleeing U.S.-China tensions.
- COSCO’s Hong Kong shipping arm wary of Mideast after stormy year of tariffs — 2025 net profit drops over 40%; trade war respite short-lived as Iran conflict fogs forecasts.
- China says U.S. has no right to define overcapacity — Pushback comes ahead of bilateral talks in France and planned Trump-Xi meeting in Beijing.
Bloomberg
- Stellantis Weighs Deals With China Rivals to Shore Up Europe — The discussions underline the divergent trajectories of Stellantis’ businesses in Europe and the U.S.
- China Becomes Agentic AI’s Biggest Lab With OpenClaw Stampede — The wave of excitement may catapult the country to the forefront of the technology as U.S. companies struggle to gain traction among users.
- China Approves First Brain Implant for Commercial Use — Investment in the space is heating up globally.
Reuters
- Exclusive: New U.S. weapons for Taiwan could be approved after Trump’s China trip, sources say — With a price tag of about $14 billion, the arms deal would be the largest ever for the democratically governed island.
- Chinese banks boost loans to tech sector as Beijing ramps up AI push — The credit-allocation shift toward tech is well underway and is set to accelerate further.
- Chinese new loans slump more than expected as weak demand persists — Weak credit appetite continues to drag on borrowing.
Other Publications
- The Economist: China’s hereditary elite is taking shape — The Communist Party is afraid to tax inherited wealth.
- The Washington Post: Why China could emerge a winner from Trump’s global energy shock — China’s evolution into an “electrostate” may help insulate it from spiking oil prices.
- CSIS: China’s Solar Industry Is in Upheaval — The Effects Will Be Global — The market is facing industry consolidation and exits not seen in over a decade.
- Brookings: Does Chinese investment in U.S. clean energy sectors help or hurt America? — Policymakers face a growing tradeoff between speed and security.
