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.
Paid subscribers automatically have this list emailed directly to their inboxes every day by 10 a.m. EST. Subscribe here.
The Wall Street Journal
- Harvard Has Trained So Many Chinese Communist Officials, They Call It Their ‘Party School’ — Kennedy School of Government is favored by party cadres seeking career boosts.
- Hegseth Warns of ‘Devastating Consequences’ Should China Seek to ‘Conquer’ Taiwan — The defense secretary said Asia is the administration’s priority region.
- China Hits Back Against Trump Claims That It Broke Trade Truce — Recent developments have damped optimism that the two superpowers will reach a lasting deal.
- Why Nvidia Can’t Just Quit China — Despite booming demand elsewhere, growth would still be hindered without world’s second-largest economy.
- Seeking the Dalai Lama’s Blessing, a Tibetan Monk Sets Out to Flee China — Dreaming of glimpsing the Dalai Lama, a taboo figure for Beijing, a Buddhist monk embarks on a dangerous journey.
The Financial Times
- BYD plans EV assault on Japan’s $18bn Mr Bean minicar sector — ‘Kei’ car launch next year by China’s leading electric vehicle maker seen as ‘black ship’ moment for country.
- Hegseth warns Chinese military action against Taiwan ‘could be imminent’ — Beijing says U.S. defense secretary is trying to instigate confrontation and stir up the region.
- Chinese students shaken by U.S. visa crackdown look for Plan B — Prospective scholars think twice about Trump’s America and consider applying to universities elsewhere.
- The ‘wild’ writer who told the truth about work in China — How a Beijing courier’s story struck a chord and escaped the censors.
- China accuses U.S. of ‘seriously violating’ trade truce and vows to respond — Beijing promises to take strong measures to defend its interests.
- Chinese battery glut plugs into solar boom to power Pakistan — Steep fall in energy storage prices proves a game-changer for businesses.
- A man, a plan B, a canal: Panama port owner charts course to placate Trump and Chinese ire — MSC and BlackRock-led consortium behind $23bn deal holds talks with Beijing regulator ahead of expected review.
- Opinion: How to break China’s stranglehold on critical minerals — One potential fix is using AI to cut extraction costs. By Lex.
- Opinion: For Pop Mart, tiny blind boxes are big business — Gen Z shoppers are driving a collecting frenzy for Labubu across Asia, the U.S. and Europe. By Lex.
The New York Times
- South Korea’s Election Likely to Reset Ties With China — Both of the main candidates support the alliance with the United States, but the front-runner favors diplomacy with North Korea and China to improve strained relations.
- How Trump Denying Visas to Chinese Students Could Backfire on the U.S. — Protecting the borders from espionage is essential. It’s something else to deny students because they are Chinese and hope to pursue a STEM degree in the United States.
- China Rejects Trump’s Accusation That It Violated Trade Truce — In response to President Trump’s claim, China said the United States was the one introducing a series of “discriminatory restrictive measures.”
- U.S. Dependence on China for Rare Earth Magnets Is Causing Shortages — The United States allowed its rare earth metals industry to move to China and could now face severe economic disruption as China limits crucial supplies.
Caixin
- Shipping Rates Soar as China-U.S. Export Rush Overwhelms Ports — Scramble for space as freight markets buckle under pressure of post-tariff boom.
- China’s Bank Deposit Insurance Plan Is Seen Needing New Support — Consensus forms to give teeth to regulator and triggers to act more swiftly.
- Falling Sales Offer Few Signs of End to China’s Property Slump — Cumulative sales of China’s top 100 developers fell 7.1% to roughly $180 billion for the first five months of the year.
South China Morning Post
- China fails to win over the public with second chances for disgraced officials — Many cadres have been reinstated or promoted after being disciplined as Beijing seeks to motivate, but the idea is proving unpopular.
- China targets chip, quantum advances with 2030 metrology action plan in tech race with U.S. — Plan aims to tackle several ‘pain points’ or shortcomings in China’s metrological capabilities, official Science and Technology Daily says.
- How dependent is America’s arsenal on China’s critical mineral supply? — Beijing has leveraged its dominance in critical mineral production and refining as a key negotiating point in trade wars.
Nikkei Asia
- ‘Ne Zha 2’: China makes a $2bn blockbuster all of its own — Home audience cheers movie’s technical and box-office achievements that highlight self-reliance.
- Huawei invested in 60-plus China chip firms since U.S. sanctions — Chinese telecom leader fosters own supply chain after being cut off from advanced tech.
- Japan automakers’ grip on Thai market slips as China rivals rise — Japanese share falls below 70% with BYD gaining ground on steep discounts.
- U.S. small business owners struggle to diversify from China manufacturing — Skills, lower costs and integrated logistics network give Chinese suppliers edge.
Bloomberg
- China’s Startups Race to Dominate the Coming AI Robot Boom — Elon Musk worries the country will eventually lead in the field of humanoids.
- Chinese Listing Spree Sparks Revival Hopes in Hong Kong Stocks — The listings are a welcome development for a market that had been bogged down in recent years by low liquidity and a dearth of prominent new entrants to attract global capital.
Reuters
- Trump, Xi likely to speak soon on minerals trade dispute, aides say — Trump on Friday accused China of violating an agreement with the U.S. to mutually roll back tariffs and trade restrictions for critical minerals.
Other Publications
- The Boston Globe: Opinion: How Universities Die — It has happened before in centers of learning such as Berlin and Beijing. Is Boston next? By Bill Kirby.
- The Economist: China is waking up from its property nightmare — An ecstatic $38m luxury-mansion auction lights up the market.
- The Washington Post: Trump administration claims Chinese students ‘exploit’ U.S. universities — Beijing wants talented Chinese studying overseas to return home. But are Chinese students in the United States really a national security threat?
- Foreign Policy: Beijing’s Play for Sandy Cay — China’s salami-slicing in the South China Sea is eroding U.S. credibility.
- Rest of World: China is gaining ground in the global race to develop AI agents — A new wave of startups promise to automate everyday tasks — from app development to travel planning — better than chatbots.
