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
- U.S. to Hit Chinese Ships With Hefty Port Fees — The proposal would hit shipping giants Cosco and Maersk with millions in new fees to enter U.S. ports.
- China’s Leading Private Rocket Company Has Eye on Listing in 2028 — The Jiangsu-based company’s CEO said that while it intends to go public in the future, the timing will depend on the company’s product development and China’s capital-market conditions.
- Trump’s Ukraine Shift Unsettles U.S. Allies in Asia — The administration’s rush toward peace talks with Russia on the war in Ukraine has raised concerns over the U.S. commitment to the region’s security.
- A Test for Apple’s New iPhone: Beating Chinese Rivals With Home-Field Edge — Apple hopes the new device will allow it to become more competitive in China after the iPhone lost its spot as China’s bestselling smartphone.
- See How Xi and Putin Are Ramping Up Joint Military Drills — China and Russia, America’s top two global adversaries, are working together as never before, probing the defenses of the U.S. and its allies.
- Washington’s Embrace of Putin Aims to Drive Wedge Between Moscow and Beijing — Unlike Nixon and Kissinger’s gambit in the 1970s, the strategy threatens to divide the West.
- Chinese Navy Drills Near Australia Draw Complaints, Cause Flight Diversions — China’s military is gaining in size and strength, and seeking to increase its ability to project power far from home.
The Financial Times
- Spain calls for EU to forge China policy without US — ‘Europe must take its own decisions’, says foreign minister José Manuel Albares.
- China government spending on citizens lags economic peers — Relatively low expenditure that directly supports individual consumption could undermine growth efforts.
- China taps tech talent to boost AI data centre boom — Beijing is pooling resources from the private and state sectors to accelerate adoption of the fast-developing technology.
- Trump considers tariffs to counter digital services taxes on Big Tech — President orders probes into levies imposed by EU, UK and Turkey on US companies.
- Opinion: China’s private sector needs more than warm words — Reviving the nation’s animal spirits will require consistent efforts to win investors’ trust. By The Editorial Board.
- Opinion: Is China investable again? — It always was — at the right price and for those with eyes wide open to the economic downside. By Ruchir Sharma.
The New York Times
- North Koreans on Chinese Tuna Boats Boost Revenue for Kim Jong-un — Thousands of miles from home, North Koreans work on Chinese tuna longliners in the Indian Ocean for pay that goes to their leader, a new study says.
- Is Xi’s Sudden Embrace of Business for Real? China Is Left Guessing. — The uncertain reaction to Xi Jinping’s display of warmth made sense: Executives are eager for a reset after years in the cold but ever wary of meddling.
- How Trump’s Tariffs Could Reorder Asia Trade and Exclude the U.S. — Asian countries are among the most vulnerable to President Trump’s economic grievances. But they are also best placed to make deals to minimize their exposure.
- OpenAI Uncovers Evidence of A.I.-Powered Chinese Surveillance Tool — The company said a Chinese operation had built the tool to identify anti-Chinese posts on social media services in Western countries.
Caixin
- Is China’s Commercial Space Sector Ready to Blast Off? — China’s commercial sector has great plans for space but will investors let them get off the ground?
- Shenzhen Metro Offers Vanke a $578 Million Lifeline to Repay Debts — Three-year loan from largest shareholder offers Vanke breathing space amid mounting debts.
- Holiday Spending Gives Chinese Consumption a Needed Boost — The Chinese government estimates indicated a 26% rise in tourist trips with a modest 15.2% increase in spending compared to 2019.
South China Morning Post
- What does Trump’s ‘America First Investment Policy’ mean for China? — New US investment policy, deemed critical to its national and economic security, has heightened already heated tensions with China.
- China’s blockbuster hit Ne Zha 2 gets push from domestic businesses and Beijing — Chinese companies rally behind film by booking entire cinemas while state media outlets herald box office success as a sign of soft power.
- China hits brakes on rural land reform in major policy release — Urbanites are now explicitly banned from buying up rural homes, as the government prioritises social stability.
- America’s loss, China’s gain: top Chinese universities welcome PhD refugees from the US — As the US cuts funding and suspends graduate admissions, China’s leading educational institutions are offering new academic pathways.
- Why China may face ‘scrutiny’ over using police diplomacy to help developing world — From freeing scam centre victims to sharing police techniques, China is looking to expand its influence and protect citizens overseas.
Nikkei Asia
- China penny-pinchers produce new stock market winners as deflation woes persist — Blockbuster film fuels hope in consumption stocks; shares related to luxury spending fall.
- Trump pharma tariff seen as needle prick for China, disruptive for U.S. — Threat to add 25% levy on global imports raises concerns over prices and shortages.
- Jimmy Lai testifies on Hong Kong security law fears: ‘All has come to pass’ — Judge warns media mogul against making ‘political’ statements in marathon trial.
- DeepSeek’s embrace in China, shunning by West highlights tech divide — China’s public, private sectors rush to adopt AI tool that spread faster than ChatGPT.
- G7 set to urge China to cease support for Russia — Leaders’ statement due on Monday, marking third anniversary of Ukraine invasion.
Bloomberg
- Alibaba Plans to Spend $53 Billion on AI in a Major Pivot — Alibaba pledged to invest more than 380 billion yuan ($53 billion) on AI infrastructure such as data centers over the next three years, a major commitment that underscores the e-commerce pioneer’s ambitions of becoming a leader in artificial intelligence.
- Trump Targets China With Biggest Salvo So Far in Second Term — The Trump administration took aim at China with a series of moves involving investment, trade and other issues that raises the risk ties may soon worsen between the US and its top economic rival.
- Trump’s Main Target in Metals Tariffs Is China, Ex-Trade Adviser Says — The tariffs on aluminum and steel are motivated mostly by concerns that China is flooding the global market and harming US manufacturing, said a former trade adviser to the White House.
- Trump Team Pushes Mexico Toward Tariffs on Chinese Imports — The Trump administration told Mexican officials that they should put their own duties on Chinese imports as part of efforts to avoid tariffs threatened by Trump, according to sources.
- Opinion: How China Is Rewriting the Law of the Sea — Other nations should join the Philippines’ cause against Beijing. By Karishma Vaswani.
Reuters
- China’s Xi affirms ‘no limits’ partnership with Putin in call on Ukraine war anniversary — The leaders held the talks as U.S. President Donald Trump has pushed for a quick deal to end the Ukraine war, raising the prospect that Washington could draw a wedge between Xi and Putin.
- Chinese rivals to Musk’s Starlink accelerate race to dominate satellite internet — Shanghai-based SpaceSail in November signed an agreement to enter Brazil and announced it was in talks with over 30 countries.
- Trump orders use of CFIUS to restrict Chinese investments in strategic areas — The order says that China is “exploiting our capital and ingenuity to fund and modernize their military, intelligence, and security operations, posing direct threats to United States security,” the official said.
Other Publications
- CFR: The iPhone, the IMF and China’s Balance of Payments — The iPhone is priced correctly in China’s customs trade data. A seemingly banal observation that leads to big questions about China’s post 2022 balance of payments methodology.
- The Information: In Its Last Days, the Biden Administration Blacklisted China’s Largest Battery Anode Maker — In letters to Ford, General Motors, Tesla and other carmakers, the DOE said the administration had blacklisted China’s BTR New Material Group.
- The Guardian: ‘Extremely capable’ weapons on Chinese warships off Australia’s east coast, NZ government says — New Zealand defence minister Judith Collins says department has ‘never seen a task group of this capability undertaking this sort of work’.
