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 Five-Minute EV Charging. America Is Trying to Catch Up. — China’s BYD touts EVs that can ‘refuel’ as quickly as gas cars, but the U.S. is showing progress too.
- In Delaying China Summit, Trump Faces a Familiar Mideast Distraction — The war in Iran is the latest example of why multiple presidents have found it so hard to focus on the U.S.’s most formidable rival.
The Financial Times
- The AI craze that has its claws into China — OpenClaw takes China by storm as local governments encourage creation of AI agents for productivity gains.
- Suspicions grow that China is exploiting FOI laws to gather UK security data — Government figures believe Beijing may be behind a significant proportion of recent requests.
- Opinion: China is not going to bail Trump out — The US president has a better chance of cajoling help from Nato partners. By Edward Luce.
- Nvidia restarts manufacturing of AI chips for China — Chief executive Jensen Huang says company received flood of orders and American licences over past two weeks.
The New York Times
- China Ramps Up Scrutiny of a Meta A.I. Deal — The country appears to be cracking down on people linked to the acquisition of Manus, a Singapore company with Chinese roots, as President Trump prepares to visit Beijing.
- China Is Embracing OpenClaw, a New A.I. Agent, and the Government Is Wary — Excitement about A.I. assistant tools is running into growing concerns about the security risks of software that operates autonomously on user’s devices.
- As Carney Travels the Globe for New Alliances, He Looks Away on Human Rights — Canada’s prime minister chooses pragmatism in a turbulent world, which means doing business with countries that do not share Canada’s democratic values. Some critics see this as weakness.
Caixin
- Analysis: China’s Plan to Tackle Weak Demand, Low Inflation — As China embarks on its 15th Five-Year Plan in 2026, its leadership is grappling with a complex economic landscape marked by growing uncertainty abroad and domestic demand that has not kept up with supply.
- Shenzhen Home Sales Revive in Early March as Market Seeks Bottom — Home sales in the southern Chinese metropolis of Shenzhen revived in the first two weeks of March following the Lunar New Year holiday.
- Chinese Sellers Shift Cross-Border E-Commerce Playbook, Ant International Unit CEO Says — Chinese cross-border e-commerce companies are shifting from simply exporting goods to building fully localized multinational operations.
South China Morning Post
- China, Russia discuss boosting transport links as Middle East conflict disrupts shipping — Increased use of Arctic shipping route among topics covered at inaugural China-Russia Logistics Business Forum.
- Why Japan thinks China’s growing cultural clout is something it needs to counter — The global success of Chinese video games and animation – as well as the appeal of traditional culture – has triggered a reaction in Tokyo.
- Controversy haunts likely death of China’s hypersonic weapons expert Fang Daining — The distinguished academic continued working after he was disgraced by a kissing scandal but rarely appeared in public.
- Can China still maintain good relations with Gulf states and Iran as fighting escalates? — Iranian strikes on neighbouring states in response to US and Israeli attacks highlight how difficult Beijing’s balancing act has become.
Nikkei Asia
- China makes energy security ‘reunification’ offer to Taiwan amid Iran war — Taipei says it has a multi-source import strategy, with supplies assured in near future.
- China’s EV battery makers widen lead to over 70% global share — South Korean players lose ground after betting on US market.
- EV hopeful Foxconn closes in on latest in string of Mitsubishi group deals — Taiwanese contract manufacturer aims to be one-stop shop for electric cars.
Bloomberg
- Tencent Seizes Momentum in China’s AI Race Against Alibaba — Tencent has introduced several signature products aimed at tapping a national enthusiasm for AI agents, and is working to integrate its own AI agent into WeChat.
- China Close to Tapping Commercial Oil Stockpiles, FGE Says — After more than a year of aggressive stockpiling, Beijing has built up an estimated 1.4 billion barrels of reserves that could be tapped if the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively shut.
- Aluminum Piles Up in China as Iran War Shrinks Global Supply — Aluminum is struggling to attract buyers in China after prices surged to a four-year high, with demand being disappointing and inventories piling up.
- Opinion: Why Firms Are Pivoting From China Shedding to China Maxxing — China’s biggest global companies have been masking their origins to avoid Western scrutiny, but this approach has run its course for larger players. By Juliana Liu.
Reuters
- Alibaba’s AI strategy shift comes into focus with big bets on agents — Alibaba is sharpening its artificial intelligence strategy by focusing on agents that connect the many businesses under its sprawling corporate umbrella.
- A mystery AI model has developers buzzing: Is this DeepSeek’s latest blockbuster? — A powerful artificial intelligence model that appeared anonymously on a developer platform last week has sparked speculation that Chinese startup DeepSeek may be quietly testing its next-generation system ahead of an official launch.
- Nvidia gets Beijing’s nod for H200 chip sales, adapts Groq chip for China, sources say — The long-awaited regulatory approval paves the way for the U.S. chipmaker to resume sales of the H200 chips.
Other Publications
- The Economist: China cannot escape the energy shock — Despite renewables and reserves, it will suffer.
- The Washington Post: Opinion: A prolonged war in Iran could hand China the commodity it prizes most — But a short, decisive campaign could cause Beijing to think twice about taking Taiwan. By Craig Singleton.
- Rest of World: China is mobilizing thousands of one-person AI startups — Under a national AI push, local governments are turning coworking space and data centers into AI incubators.
