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
- Tesla Rolls out Update to Driver-Assistance Tech in China — The automaker pushed out an update to its driving-assistance software for some users in China, a move that could signal final regulatory approval is forthcoming.
- Chinese Manufacturers Speed Up Efforts to Dodge Trump Tariffs — For many Chinese manufacturers, Trump’s return has added urgency to continuing plans to open factories or find partners in other countries.
- Putin, Xi Reaffirm Ties on Anniversary of Ukraine War — The leaders of Russia and China sought to project a unified front on the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The Financial Times
- China struggles to master high-end machine tools — Beijing’s push for self-reliance on strategically vital technology falls victim to incumbent competition and shifting priorities.
- How the state is propping up China’s housing market — As the government struggles to ease a real estate crisis, state-owned developers have been buying up land.
- Chinese investment surge into Vietnam raises risk of Trump retaliation — Shifts to avoid trade war have increased Hanoi’s vulnerability as surplus with US has grown.
- Huawei improves AI chip production in boost for China’s tech goals — Chinese company improves ‘yield’ of latest semiconductor, despite US efforts to prevent manufacturing advances.
- Opinion: Trump trade overhaul clouds China’s shipping forecast — US president’s proposed new fees risk higher costs for companies, consumers and a struggling global trade system. By Lex.
The New York Times
- Taiwan Detains a Chinese-Crewed Ship After Undersea Cable Severed — The Coast Guard said it was investigating how the cable was severed and said it could not rule out the possibility of sabotage.
- Tesla Moves One Step Closer to Self-Driving Cars in China — The development marked a breakthrough for Tesla’s chief executive, Elon Musk, in a country where his company has faced increasingly tough competition.
- Taiwan Watches Trump Undercut Ukraine, Hoping It Won’t Be Next — As President Trump turns toward Russia, Taiwan grapples with its reliance on U.S. support in the face of conflict with China.
- Putin Dangles Deals for Rare Earth Metals for U.S. — In an interview broadcast on Monday, President Vladimir Putin said U.S. companies stood to profit in Russia, but suggested a Ukraine peace deal was still far off.
- As Trump Courts Putin, China’s Leader Xi Emphasizes Close Ties With Russia — The Chinese and Russian leaders reaffirmed their relationship in a video call on Monday, an apparent rebuff to the idea that the Trump administration could drive a wedge between them.
Caixin
- Twists and Turns Abound for Chinese-Built Railways in Southeast Asia — While the economic benefits are clear, getting projects from the drawing board to reality isn’t straightforward.
- Opinion: How Will DeepSeek Change China? — The surprising achievement of the homegrown rival to ChatGPT could accelerate the development of the domestic AI industry. By Vincent Chan.
- Opinion: NPC Meeting Likely to Prioritize Stabilizing Growth — The meeting is likely to emphasize boosting domestic demand with more supportive macro policies, with reviving household consumption listed as a top task. By Wang Tao.
South China Morning Post
- How China’s challenge to Trump’s Gaza plan could boost Beijing’s Mideast influence — Beijing’s bid to balance Arab and Israeli engagement while opposing a US post-war plan could make China a more influential regional player, experts say.
- China arms combat robots with controversial thermobaric weapon in urban warfare drill — PLA scientists have proposed equipping robotic combatants with contentious weapons that are one step away from nuclear arms.
- DeepSeek’s AI models drive surging orders for Nvidia H20 chips in China, sources say — Tencent, Alibaba and ByteDance are said to have significantly increased orders of the H20 since DeepSeek gained global attention.
- Trump science policy nominee calls China most formidable technology, science competitor — ‘Chinese progress in nuclear fusion, quantum technologies and autonomous systems’ highlight urgency of work ahead, said Michael Kratsios.
- Opinion: China gets taste of victory in US tech war thanks to talent, supply chains, organisation — DeepSeek, Huawei and Unitree represent booming tech industries benefiting from China’s unique advantages in overcoming US sanctions. By Zhou Xin.
Nikkei Asia
- China markets’ bright mood tested as Trump targets tech, shipping — Investors given ‘wake-up call’ on superpower confrontation, economist says.
- China logistics firms bolster U.S. warehouse ops amid trade uncertainty — Booming e-commerce and murky future for de minimis exception drive rush for storage.
- Opinion: China and South Korea need each other more than ever — Trump’s return and North Korea’s new bond with Russia show necessity of closer ties. By Cao Xin.
Bloomberg
- Trump Team Seeks to Toughen Biden’s Chip Controls Over China — Trump’s administration is sketching out tougher versions of US semiconductor curbs and pressuring key allies to escalate their restrictions on China’s chip industry.
- China Learned to Embrace What the US Forgot: The Virtues of Creative Destruction — In Beijing, competition is in. In Washington, not so much.
- China Raises Scrutiny of Outflows Via Hong Kong Listings, Foreign Deals — China is increasing scrutiny of outbound investments by domestic companies as well as their use of proceeds from Hong Kong share sales, people familiar with the matter said, after record capital outflows put pressure on the yuan.
- China Cobalt Stocks Jump as Congo Exports Ban Sparks “Chaos” — Cobalt stocks rose in China on Tuesday as a surprise export ban in the Democratic Republic of Congo lifted the near-term outlook for the material used in alloys and batteries.
- Opinion: China Is Rewiring the Global South With Clean Power — Faced with energy poverty, costly fossil fuels, and cheap solar, developing economies are voting with their feet. By David Fickling.
Reuters
- Former US security officials say funding for federal science research critical to race with China — The appeal comes a week after the National Science Foundation (NSF), which funds science research, fired 170 people in response to President Donald Trump’s order to reduce the federal workforce.
- KKR, Fountainvest and PAG among those eyeing Starbucks China stake, sources say — Starbucks’ executive vice president and chief financial officer, Rachel Ruggeri, is expected to be among senior company executives visiting China in the coming weeks to hold sale talks, sources said.
- DeepSeek rushes to launch new AI model as China goes all in — Now, the Hangzhou-based firm is accelerating the launch of the successor to January’s R1 model, according to three people familiar with the company.
- China adviser pushes to lower legal marriage age to 18 to boost birthrate — China’s population fell for a third consecutive year in 2024, as marriages plummeted by a fifth, the biggest drop on record, despite efforts by authorities to encourage young couples to wed and have children.
- Why China may struggle to unlock the power of AI — Just as the U.S. supplanted the industrial dominance of the British empire in the 20th century, AI offers a similar opportunity for China to shift the balance of power in its own favour.
Other Publications
- Foreign Policy: It Has Become Asia’s War, Too — Nine thinkers on what’s next for Europe and Ukraine.
- The Washington Post: China, anxious about Trump and Putin, tells Russia it is ‘true friend’ — President Donald Trump’s rapprochement with Russia has some experts suggesting he might be trying to do a “reverse Nixon” and isolate Beijing by courting Moscow.
- The Atlantic: How America Wasted Its Most Powerful Economic Weapon — If world leaders had been clearer about the sanctions Putin would face, they might have deterred his invasion of Ukraine.
- BBC: Bangladesh wooed by China as ties with India fray — Following the fall of Hasina, Beijing has stepped up its interaction with Bangladeshi leaders, activists and delegations, including those from Islamist parties.
