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
- National-Security Concerns Tie Up Trump’s U.A.E. Chips Deal — Some administration officials worry China could get access to advanced Nvidia chips and are holding up efforts to iron out the agreement.
- China Threatens to Block Panama Ports Deal Unless Its Shipping Giant Is Part of It — Beijing pushes for state-owned Cosco to become shareholder of two Panama Canal ports, dozens of others in BlackRock deal.
- China’s ‘New Consumers’ Don’t Want a House. They Want Labubu and Bubble Tea. — Even in crowded markets, companies catering to changing trends have had no problem drawing in customers.
- China’s Solid Economic First Half Will Be a Tough Act to Follow — Companies have rushed to stockpile goods ahead of tariffs. But a ‘payback’ effect looms.
The Financial Times
- U.S. set to ban Chinese technology in submarine cables — New rule aims to end vulnerability in communications infrastructure after attack on American telecoms.
- U.S. companies in China decry overproduction as price war hits profits — More than a quarter of large American businesses are considering relocating, survey finds.
- Should China adopt a zero interest rate? — Policymakers in Beijing are deadlocked while some analysts believe rates are, in effect, at zero already
- China’s Belt and Road investment and construction activity hits record — Rapidly expanding presence in countries signed up to Xi Jinping’s global initiative contrasts with U.S. approach.
- What China wants from Europe — As the U.S. abandons the world order it built, China builds its own — how should Europe respond?
The New York Times
- Carney Moves to Reduce Canada’s Chinese Steel Imports in Response to Trump’s Tariffs — Canada’s steel industry fears that Chinese steel facing steep tariffs in the United States will be sent north and overwhelm the Canadian market.
- Nvidia C.E.O. Treads Carefully in Beijing — Jensen Huang, the chipmaker’s chief executive, is trying to balance his company’s interests as the United States and China compete for supremacy in artificial intelligence.
- How Nvidia’s Jensen Huang Persuaded Trump to Sell A.I. Chips to China — With help from a longtime Silicon Valley investor turned White House insider, Mr. Huang got the administration to reverse course on restrictions.
- China’s Aircraft Carriers Push Into Waters Long Dominated by U.S. — Recent drills near Japan reflect China’s ambitions to extend its navy’s reach and exert greater influence, in the Pacific and beyond.
- ‘Who Killed Love?’ A Video Game Plays to Male Resentment in China. — A popular and contentious game, Revenge on Gold Diggers, sheds light on misogyny, inequality and the feeling among many men that they are economic victims.
Caixin
- China Tightens Rules for Local AMCs to Curb Risks in Bad-Debt Market — Local asset management companies face greater scrutiny as regulator seeks to stamp out abuses.
- BMW Turns to Chinese Smart Driving Expertise to Regain Market Ground — German carmaker signs Momenta partnership to develop driver-assistance systems for its next-generation models.
- Restaurants Suffer as Crackdown on Officials’ Indulgence Goes Into Overdrive — Local authorities are taking up new austerity measures to curb lavish spending on food and drink by government workers, but some are going far beyond the call to service and issuing blanket bans on dining out.
South China Morning Post
- ‘Swayed by external forces’: the harsh reality for mainland students in Taiwan — It’s getting harder for mainlanders to study across the strait, and observers fear reduced exchanges will only make tensions worse.
- How deals are trumping port dispute on Australian PM’s China visit — Source says two sides have decided to step back from Darwin Port controversy amid trade tensions with U.S.
- Wahaha heiress’ inheritance battle puts Chinese family firms in spotlight — Lawsuits raise questions about corporate governance amid pressure from shaky economy and keen competition, analysts say.
- Maersk downplays hit from US port fees as doubts swirl over anti-China plan — The global shipping giant says it will neither raise prices nor stop buying Chinese vessels due to the looming U.S. charges.
Nikkei Asia
- Debate on China’s power structure to have far-reaching effects — Local party officials sensitive to any shift in political winds.
- Astellas Pharma sentencing highlights China risks for corporate Japan — 2 years after detention, companies have defense measures in place.
- Chinese drone battery makers ‘revitalized’ by Russia-Ukraine war — Companies selling to both sides as conflict drags on.
- Chinese banks trim dollar lending to developing Asia — Cheaper funding, geopolitical tensions boost growth in yuan loans.
Bloomberg
- Trump Softens Tone on China to Secure Xi Summit, Trade Deal — Trump’s fluid playbook and his departure from promised hawkish policies have worried policymakers inside his administration as well as outside advisers.
- Trump’s U-Turn on Nvidia Spurs Talk of Grand Bargain With China — How far will the U.S. go in rolling back a range of measures restricting business between the world’s biggest economies imposed in the name of national security?
- Made-in-China Chevys for $17,000 Are Winning Fans in Mexico — Small cars subject to high tariffs aren’t an option for cash-strapped American buyers.
- Feinberg Brings Wall Street Drive to Rare-Earth Minerals Push — Deputy secretary of defense is eager to build national champions across key sectors to boost U.S. competitiveness.
- Opinion: How Much Should a Tsinghua Graduate Be Making? — A diploma from a prestigious Chinese university might not be that special anymore. By Shuli Ren.
Reuters
- Exclusive: China-linked hackers target Taiwan’s chip industry with increasing attacks, researchers say — There is an increase in sustained hacking campaigns from several China-aligned hacking groups, researchers said.
- China’s tightest rare-earths headlock is financial — Dislodging China’s grip is less about access to rocks, and more a question of whether Western governments will extend financial support for a business with razor-thin operating margins.
- Chinese steel companies find new tariff workaround: steel billet — Chinese exporters are turning to steel billet, semi-finished blocks of steel, that typically faces fewer tariffs.
Other Publications
- Foreign Policy: Beijing’s Dominance of the South China Sea Is Not Inevitable — Groupthink and short-termism are clouding judgments about these waters.
- CFR: The Case That China Is Now Actively Resisting Pressure on the Yuan to Appreciate — Chinese state banks have been consistently accumulating foreign assets. The direction of pressure on China’s currency has changed; without backdoor intervention it would now be getting stronger.
- Nature: ‘Another DeepSeek moment’: Chinese AI model Kimi K2 stirs excitement — The latest version of the chatbot, developed by start-up Moonshot AI, is open for researchers to build on.
