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
- Man Versus Machine as China Shows Off Humanoid Robots in Half-Marathon — A half-marathon in Beijing featured a road race between human runners and 21 robot models, and showed how far robots still are from mimicking people.
- Ford Halts Shipments of F-150s and Other Models to China — Retaliatory tariffs have raised Chinese duties on vehicle imports from the U.S. to 150%.
- If Trump Delisted Chinese Stocks, Here’s How It Would Work — A delisting would take time and send a serious ripple through global markets.
- Beijing Stokes Patriotic Fervor and Blames U.S. for Trade War — Communist Party steels China’s population for ideological battle, an approach that could backfire.
- China Warns Against Trade Deal With U.S. at Beijing’s Expense — Beijing’s warning comes as trade talks between the U.S. and several countries get underway.
- Breakdown in U.S.-China Relations Raises Specter of New Cold War — What is at stake as economic ties careen off the rails is overall global security and economic stability for years to come.
- China’s Benchmark Lending Rates Left on Hold Again — The hold was widely expected as the central bank hasn’t changed its policy rates.
The Financial Times
- Trump’s tariff war comes to New York’s Chinatown — Chinese American small businesses are stockpiling goods to delay higher costs.
- China’s rare earths controls prompt fears of auto shortages and shutdowns — Traders and executives warn of limited inventories and a risk of disruption to automotive production.
- Steel, energy and sports cars: how China poured over $100bn into Britain — Spending has slowed since 2017 peak but Beijing retains significant investments across the UK.
- China tech groups lead multibillion-dollar campaign to help exporters sell at home — Alibaba, JD.com and Tencent among those aiding switch to domestic sales in national movement influenced by Beijing.
- China’s CATL claims to have overtaken BYD on 5-minute EV battery charging time — Leading supplier says Shenxing cells can achieve 520km range compared with BYD’s 470km.
- China pulls back from U.S. private equity investments — Industry executives report change of approach as Beijing bears brunt of Trump’s tariffs.
- Beijing warns countries not to act against China in trade deals with U.S. — Commerce ministry acts amid concerns that Washington will push trade partners to isolate Chinese goods and businesses.
- Palau’s president vows to stand with Taiwan ‘til death do us part’ — Surangel Whipps Jr warns Pacific nations must show economic gains to justify snubbing Beijing.
- Western carmakers plot China comeback with local knowhow — Shanghai auto show will feature smarter models made ‘in China for China.’
The New York Times
- How Trump’s Tariffs Could Hurt U.S. Farmers and Benefit Brazil — China has long relied on the U.S. for soybeans. But with new steep tariffs, it is likely to look even more to Brazil and Argentina.
- Peter Navarro: The Architect of Trump’s Tariffs — Once sidelined, President Trump’s counselor Peter Navarro has returned to Washington and quickly upended the global trading system.
- CATL Announces Major Advances in E.V. Batteries — CATL, the world’s largest maker of batteries for electric vehicles, described breakthroughs that could make E.V.s more competitive with gasoline-powered cars.
- China Warns Countries Not to Team Up With U.S. Against It on Trade — Curbing trade with China to curry favor with the United States would be “selfish and shortsighted,” the government said, promising to retaliate.
- Opinion: Brace Yourself. Trump’s Trade War With China Will Get Even Uglier. — What happens if we run out of rare-earth metals or bond prices collapse? By Nicholas Kristof.
Caixin
- Sunac China Seeks $9.55 billion Debt-for-Equity Swap as Liquidation Deadline Looms — The developer is also launching an employee retention plan with around 500 core workers receiving shares.
- Leapmotor Taps Stellantis’ Malaysia Plant to Make EVs for Southeast Asia — The Chinese automaker plans to localize manufacturing in the ASEAN nation in hopes of using it as a launchpad for the rest of the region.
- China Writes a First Legal Rulebook to Strengthen Its Vital Private Sector — China fast-tracks landmark law to iron out obstacles to growth of private businesses.
- How China Can Cushion Jobs Blow From Trump’s Trade War — Policies should include a subsidy program to boost demand for services, which will deliver a far greater bang for its buck than the consumer-goods trade-in program.
South China Morning Post
- Chinese table tennis fans splash cash in Macau as authorities eye sports boom — ‘Handsome’ Wang Chuqin and ‘role model’ Sun Yingsha pull in tourists amid efforts to capitalise on growth in sports sector.
- Beijing adviser Yan Anlin on why a timetable for Taiwan reunification has disadvantages — ‘We are in a preparatory phase’, noted Taiwan studies expert and former aide to lead negotiator in historic 1993 cross-strait talks says.
- China to sanction U.S. Congress members and others who ‘acted egregiously’ on Hong Kong — Sanction decision announced by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday afternoon amid fierce trade war between China and the U.S.
Nikkei Asia
- China halted orders for U.S. soybeans and corn before tariff escalation — Beijing shifts trade toward Brazil, aiming to rattle American farmers amid trade war.
- U.S. miner halts rare-earth exports to China due to tariff war — Importer Shenghe admits shipments ‘temporarily stopped,’ says it has diversified.
- Pakistan still long way off China Belt and Road goals after 10 years — $50bn for projects stalled as Islamabad and Beijing talk about CPEC 2.0.
- Shein suppliers closing ‘all over the place’ in this China garment district — U.S. tariffs force small workshops to adapt or go out of business.
- BYD to enter Japan’s ‘mini’ EV segment in 2026 — Chinese automaker will release its first-ever country-specific model to explore market.
Bloomberg
- China’s Export-Led Growth Exposes Economy to Steeper Tariff Hit — China’s stronger-than-expected growth in the first quarter masks a key vulnerability: a growing dependence on foreign demand.
- Another China Shadow Bank Seeks State Help as Trust Sector Reels — The custody arrangement is another troubling development for China’s sprawling trust sector.
Reuters
- Exclusive: Huawei readies new AI chip for mass shipment as China seeks Nvidia alternatives, sources say — The timing is fortuitous for Chinese AI companies which have been left scrambling for domestic alternatives to the Nvidia H20.
- At China auto show, EV makers to grapple with autonomous-tech crackdown, launch Tesla ‘killers’ — As a years-long consumer price war in China drags on, next-generation automated-driving features have become the next front in the battle for vehicle sales and profits.
- India to put 12% temporary tariff on steel to curb cheap China imports, source says — The government would enact the tax as soon as possible, the source said.
Other Publications
- The Atlantic: What If China Wins the Trade War? — The United States could still prevail if it does everything right. The problem is that the Trump administration is doing everything wrong.
- The Atlantic: ‘You Think We’re Afraid of America?’ — Chinese manufacturers seem ready for a trade war.
- The Washington Post: Battle lines of U.S.-China trade war sharpen in Southeast Asia — As China and the United States prepare for a potentially long and painful trade war, Southeast Asia faces opportunities and challenges.
- MIT Technology Review: Yahoo will give millions to a settlement fund for Chinese dissidents, decades after exposing user data — A $5.4 million settlement over the mismanagement of the Yahoo Human Rights Fund concludes a lengthy legal fight.
