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
- Chinese Autonomous-Driving Unicorn Targets $1 Billion Hong Kong IPO — Momenta is backed by General Motors, Toyota Motor and SAIC Motor.
The Financial Times
- EU delays trade confrontation with China — Leaders opt for dialogue with Beijing rather than immediate action over fears of retaliation.
- Xi Jinping wants China to boost demand. Why isn’t it working? — Activity is sputtering midway through 2026, undercutting efforts to galvanise the economy.
- Opinion: Trump is taking a page out of China’s sovereign AI playbook — Governments have long protected strategic industries — what is new is their willingness to become shareholders. By Winston Ma.
The New York Times
- Opinion: The World Is Full of Chokepoints, and Iran Just Showed How to Exploit Them — China’s export restrictions on rare-earth minerals last year offered another lesson in the power of chokepoints. By Edward Fishman.
Caixin
- Chipmaker YMTC Cedes Control of Foundry Unit Ahead of Mega IPO — Chinese memory chipmaker Yangtze Memory Technologies Co. (YMTC) will cede control of its foundry unit to a state-backed fund.
- Experts Push for More Fiscal Spending to Boost China’s Weak Domestic Demand — Two Chinese economists have called on the central government to provide greater policy support to boost consumer confidence and purchasing power.
- How AI Is Rewiring White-Collar Work in China — Over the past three years, rapid advances in large language models have turned AI from a theoretical threat into a daily worry for many workers.
- Analysis: China’s New Jobs Plan Zeros In on AI, Youth Employment — China’s cabinet has laid out its employment roadmap for the next five years, making job creation a top priority.
South China Morning Post
- Amid geopolitical uncertainty, China trims US Treasury holdings to 18-year low — Overall foreign holdings of US Treasuries climbed to US$9.353 trillion in April.
- No call with Taiwan, no new arms sales: how Trump is preparing to welcome Xi — There are no signs that the US president is about to phone Lai Ching-te and upset the fragile stability with Beijing, sources say.
- The Chinese scientists hoping to use a space solar plant to power the world — The team at Xidian University can zap power 100 metres through the air. But their dream is to send their hardware into orbit.
Nikkei Asia
- Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing under the gun after China applies pressure — Beijing wants president to deliver peace with ethnic groups to revive its investments.
- Kazakhstan enters rare earths, minerals race as China alternative — Central Asian country has deposits and mining expertise, but processing remains difficult.
- Chinese Nvidia supplier pours $700m into Vietnam plant — Zhongji Innolight expands in Bac Ninh as AI demand strains server supply chains.
Bloomberg
- US Tells ASML It’s Concerned China May Have Top Chip Tool — Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick expressed concerns to ASML’s senior leaders that one of its top-of-the-line machines may have made its way into China, in violation of US-led export restrictions.
- Australian Beef Exports Face 55% China Tariff as Quota Reached — The Chinese government in December imposed a quota of 205,000 tons on beef imports from Australia.
- Lithuania Expects Improvement in China Ties Within Six Months — Lithuania will allow China to establish a lower-level diplomatic representation in the Baltic country.
- Opinion: The Mystery of China’s Oil Demand Drop Is No Mystery — A close look at the reams of official data available suggests a more humdrum explanation. By David Fickling.
Reuters
- China’s Cai Qi cements spot as Xi confidant as head of Communist Party school — China officially appointed its fifth-ranked leader Cai Qi as head of the Communist Party’s central ideology school.
- ASML denies selling EUV chipmaking tool to China after report of US concern — Dutch ministry says semiconductor equipment exports require licences.
- China tightens indium export checks as AI demand increases — China is stepping up scrutiny over exports of indium, leading some buyers to fear the niche metal, sought after for next-generation data centers, may be added to the export control regime.
- EU prepares tariffs on Chinese plug-in hybrids, Handelsblatt reports — The European Commission plans to impose countervailing duties on Chinese hybrid cars, Handelsblatt reported on Friday.
Other Publications
- The Economist: News extortion is rife in China — The country’s censors may be making it worse.
- The Guardian: For women in China frustrated by sexism, female comics are offering a release — Standup comedy gives women a space to talk about certain topics that have become more sensitive, while performers remain wary of censorship limits.
- Semafor: Trade between Africa and China surged in 2025 — China’s recent decision to scrap tariffs on African imports led to an 18% jump in bilateral trade.
- Politico: EU leaders demand von der Leyen tools up against China — “It’s an urgent matter,” Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever tells POLITICO.
