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
- America’s Biggest Rare-Earth Producer Makes a Play to End China’s Dominance — Fresh Pentagon investment is turbocharging MP Materials’ goals, but the hurdles it has faced — and still faces — highlight the challenge of reviving the industry in the U.S.
- Nvidia Wins OK to Resume Sales of AI Chip to China After CEO Meets Trump — U.S. to grant licenses for H20 chip after announcing restrictions in April.
- China Says Its Economy Held Up Under Trump Tariff Attack — Beijing reports second-quarter GDP growth of 5.2% as exports continue to defy expectations.
- 40,000 Troops, 19 Nations: The China Threat Unites U.S. Allies — The Talisman Sabre military drills in Australia will include missile tests, drones and amphibious landings.
- China Slaps Export Curbs on EV Battery Technology — The commerce ministry said exports of these technologies will require approvals from Chinese authorities.
- Inside One Company’s Prolonged Tariff Limbo — Outdoor product maker American Outdoor Brands has plans for moving production out of China. Executives just need clarity.
The Financial Times
- China’s economy grows 5.2% in second quarter — Strong exports help world’s second-largest economy weather Trump’s trade war.
- Taiwan’s military takes preparation for Chinese invasion to civilians’ doorsteps — Annual Han Kuang exercises focus on more realistic scenarios of defending dense urban sprawl.
- Australia-China relations ‘out of the trough’ but security tensions weigh on PM’s visit — In meeting with Xi Jinping, Anthony Albanese raises concerns over Chinese live fire exercises near Australia.
- Nvidia gets nod from Washington to resume sales of H20 China chip — Shares in AI chipmaker climb in pre-market trading after White House relaxes export curbs.
- How BYD caught up with Tesla in the global EV race — The Chinese group is poised to outsell its U.S. rival this year after it dramatically narrowed the technology gap between the two.
The New York Times
- Democrats Accuse Trump of Ceding Global Influence to China — The minority members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee say the White House is undercutting American soft power and letting China fill the void.
- China’s Economy Grows Steadily Despite Trump’s Tariffs — Companies redirected exports through other countries to avoid U.S. tariffs, and policymakers turned up investment in manufacturing and infrastructure.
- Australian Premier Albanese Meets China’s Xi in Beijing — Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is trying to deepen ties with China, his country’s biggest trading partner, while being under pressure from the United States.
Caixin
- PBOC Concerned Bond Market Boom May Leave Smaller Banks Exposed — Central bank to strengthen market surveillance, monitoring capital adequacy and market risk exposure.
- Global Interest in China’s High-Speed Rail Tech Picks Up Speed — Plans to expand a China-made line in Indonesia attracted a host of potential new partners at a recent industry conference in Beijing.
- The Consumption Conundrum Dividing China’s Economists — Influential voices say the country needs another massive infrastructure push to bolster growth, arguing consumption is already strong. Others warn this is a delusion and that boosting household income is the only way forward.
- China Approves Synopsys–Ansys Merger With Eight Conditions Amid Post-Sanctions Rebound — Final condition remains ‘confidential’ as China approves $35 billion deal.
South China Morning Post
- What if Chinese, U.S. firms make humanoid robots together? CEO calls for a collab — With advantages respectively held by China and the U.S., the founder of Unitree Robotics points to opportunities for their private companies to work together.
- Chinese firms’ H stocks trade at smallest discount to onshore shares in 5 years — The narrowing discrepancy reflects the Hong Kong market’s gains from global investors’ diversification efforts.
- China on track to break ETF issuance record amid booming investor demand — A total of 166 ETFs were launched in the first half of the year, more than half the all-time high of 277 issued in 2021.
- In China, delivery robots now ride the subway to restock 7-Eleven stores — The project, reportedly the first of its kind in the world, will see robots ride subway trains to deliver goods to more than 100 stores across Shenzhen.
- ‘Financial burden’: why millions in China still quit national health insurance —Rising costs, stagnant incomes and growing distrust drive people to opt out of medical coverage, analysts say.
Nikkei Asia
- China’s three top airlines still in the red despite sector recovery — Regulator warns that excess competition is eating into earnings.
- BHP inks battery partnerships with China’s BYD and CATL — Australian company looks to decarbonize mineral resource mines.
Bloomberg
- The New Third Rail in Silicon Valley: Investing in Chinese AI — When Benchmark led a $75 million funding round in startup Manus, it was surprised to find other investors crying foul.
- China’s Growth Momentum Offers Xi Rare Window to Fight Deflation — The Chinese leader signaled his intent to do so earlier this month.
- Apple to Buy Rare Earths From Pentagon-Backed, U.S. Producer MP — The world’s dependence on China for rare-earth permanent magnets has become a flashpoint in the trade war.
Reuters
- Chinese firms rush to buy Nvidia AI chips as sales set to resume — Chinese companies have scrambled to place orders for the chips, which Nvidia would then need to send to the U.S. government for approval, sources said.
- U.S. rare earth pricing system is poised to challenge China’s dominance — Analysts say the pricing deal, which takes effect immediately, should have global implications.
Other Publications
- The New Yorker: Is the U.S. Ready for the Next War? — With global conflicts increasingly shaped by drones and A.I., the American military risks losing its dominance.
- ProPublica: A Little-Known Microsoft Program Could Expose the Defense Department to Chinese Hackers — Microsoft is using engineers in China to help maintain the Defense Department’s computer systems — with minimal supervision by U.S. personnel.
- The Washington Post: State Department cuts China policy staff amid major overhaul — Personnel involved in crafting the U.S. response to Beijing’s aggression in the South China Sea, and efforts in AI and quantum competition, have been laid off as the agency cut more than 1,300 jobs.
- Foreign Policy: The Philippines Is a Petri Dish for Chinese Disinformation — Inauthentic accounts linked to China are seizing on local political feuds.
- The Information: ByteDance Developing Mixed Reality Goggles in Challenge to Meta — ByteDance’s latest effort shows that the company hasn’t completely given up on the market for AR and VR devices.
- CSET: Inside Beijing’s Chipmaking Offensive — Chinese companies are gaining market share in several notable technologies, consequently eroding foreign incumbents’ market shares.
- PIIE: China’s private sector gained ground again among country’s top corporations in first half of 2025 — While the state sector still dominates, the private sector’s share now appears to have bottomed out after a three-year decline from its mid-2021 peak.
- CSIS: Trump Tariffs Likely Pushing Asia Elsewhere for Economic Partners — U.S. Pacific allies will almost certainly begin to foster relationships away from the United States.
