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
- Japan Is Fortifying This String of Islands Close to China — Tokyo’s fortifications to protect its southwestern islands have an added advantage: They complicate China’s freedom of maneuver.
- The U.S. and China Are in a Strategic Stalemate. What Comes Next. — Each side is effectively building a survival kit for a future where they don’t need the other as much.
- China PMIs Signal Resilience as Mideast War Raises Uncertainty — A gauge of activity in China’s sprawling manufacturing sector returned to expansion in March.
- Opinion: Operation Epic Fury Should Make China Very Afraid — Like Desert Storm in 1991, a stunning air campaign is demonstrating America’s power of deterrence. By William J. Luti.
The Financial Times
- ‘C-Reit’ gives global investors a route out of Chinese property — CapitaLand of Singapore was the first international sponsor of a Chinese real estate investment trust.
- Opinion: In trade’s ‘law of the jungle’, the winners are clear — It is China and the US that prosper when power sets the terms for global commerce. By Peter Foster.
- Opinion: A blueprint for Chinese global leadership — With the US destroying its own credibility, the opportunity is Beijing’s for the taking. By Adam Tooze.
The New York Times
- U.S. Senators Press Taiwan to Raise Military Spending, as China Protests — Four visiting senators urged Taiwan to break an impasse over a $40 billion budget proposal, highlighting concerns in Washington about the threat from China.
Caixin
- Ant Group Completes Takeover of Hong Kong Broker — The Chinese fintech giant buys 50.55% stake following regulatory delays, resulting in board overhaul.
- Chinese Satellite Startup GalaxySpace Kicks Off IPO — Beijing-based company registered for the pre-listing phase following a Series C funding round in February, joining a growing pipeline of private space startups tapping public markets.
- World Championship Win Marks Breakthrough for China’s Motorcycle-Makers — ZXMOTO’s victory at the Superbike World Championship underscores a broader push by Chinese motorcycle companies to shed their image as manufacturers of low-cost commuter bikes and challenge established international players.
South China Morning Post
- Born in the USA? China targeted in Trump’s birthright citizenship fight — As Supreme Court decision looms, Chinese nationals find themselves at the centre of disputed core constitutional issue: who is an American?
- China and Kenya partner to finish ‘most consequential’ rail project — New financing breathes life into long-stalled Standard Gauge Railway extension across African country at estimated cost of US$5.4 billion.
- Names and games: Taipei hits back over ‘China’ label, but will it pay off? — Taiwan retaliates against countries that have changed its name in official systems, but analysts and lawmakers warn measures could backfire.
Nikkei Asia
- BYD hails windfall as Iran oil crisis supercharges Chinese EV outlook — Wang Chuanfu predicts ‘another level’ of overseas sales, lifting goal by 15%.
- Chinese telecom capex to dip to 15-year low, hitting ZTE — 5G investment swiftly dwindles; dividend payments grow despite weak performance.
- China looks to restart US energy imports as Iran tensions rattle markets — China-bound tankers prepare to load 600,000 barrels of American oil per day, research firm says.
Bloomberg
- China’s Pivot to Vietnam Blows Hole in Trump’s Made-in-USA Plan — A year on from “Liberation Day,” Trump’s tariffs have fueled a change in global supply chains — just not in the way he envisioned.
- Chinese Cars Can’t Cross From Canada to US, Trump’s Envoy Says — The U.S. won’t allow Chinese EVs from Canada to enter, President Trump’s ambassador in Ottawa said, after a deal in which Prime Minister Carney lowered tariffs on those vehicles.
- China Targets Offshore Trusts in Tax Crackdown on Ultra-Rich — Chinese officials are intensifying efforts to tax offshore trusts that hold shares in some Hong Kong-listed companies, clamping down on a structure used to invest billions of dollars overseas.
Reuters
- China welcomes EU lawmakers’ first visit in 8 years as chance to steady strained ties — They will address challenges in the digital and e-commerce sector as well as foster fair competition between China and the bloc as they travel to Beijing and Shanghai.
- Chinese securities regulators targeted for graft as China woos global capital — As global capital trickles back to China this year, authorities are working on bolstering the long-term appeal of Chinese markets by cracking down on corruption.
- From Belt and Road to belt tightening: China’s neighbours get cold shoulder on energy — For many countries in Asia including Bangladesh, the Philippines and even Australia, Chinese imports are a major source of supply, now cut off by its export bans.
Other Publications
- CFR: Tracking Chinese Investments in Overseas Industrial Parks — Chinese firms naturally gravitate toward places with easy access to markets, strong local demand, and infrastructure, such as ports and airports, in which entities have already invested.
- The Economist: For China’s officials, the goal was once growth. Now it’s loyalty — An obsession with GDP is replaced by an obsession with Xi Jinping.
- Rest of World: The world’s largest humanoid robot maker is going public — China’s Unitree is profitable, scaling fast, and cutting prices even as most humanoid robots remain far from mass adoption.
- The Guardian: The ‘Third Front’: China resurrects Mao’s military capabilities — As ties with Washington sour, China is reviving a cold war strategy to defend against a U.S. attack.
