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
- Opinion: Pacific Allies Need U.S. Support — Our allies are resolute and determined to resist China, and the U.S. is indispensable to that mission. By Roger Wicker and Deb Fischer.
The Financial Times
- Did the UK prioritise trade over national security by dropping China spying case? — Pressure grows on Starmer government to explain why prosecution of two Britons was abandoned.
The New York Times
- Trump to Unveil Farmer Aid as China Shuns U.S. Crops — As it did in 2018, the White House plans to dole out relief funds to struggling U.S. farmers who have lost their biggest customer.
- As Trump’s Justice Dept. Pursues His Enemies, an Ally Goes on Trial — Xinyue Lou is accused of funneling foreign campaign donations to President Trump’s campaign. The president has said the justice system has been used against him and his supporters.
Caixin
- Hong Kong Launches Task Force to Shepherd Chinese Mainland Firms Overseas — Expanding globally and “establishing supply chains and industrial chains” are major trends among mainland firms and an inevitable step for their sustained growth.
- The Misguided Quest for a Human-Like Robot Hand — From Tesla and Amazon to tech upstarts like RoboSense and Magiclab, companies are investing heavily to develop robotic hands as dexterous as our own.
- Chinese Premier to Visit North Korea for Ruling Party Anniversary — Li will lead a party and government delegation on an official visit from Oct. 9 to 11, according to a foreign ministry spokesperson.
South China Morning Post
- China charts path to global competitiveness in chips and AI for next five-year plan — While the nation is a world leader in space exploration, 5G and green energy, key battlegrounds remain in AI and semiconductors.
- Hong Kong market’s connector role not just for mainland China, Citic boss says — The city’s advantages position it to attract top-tier companies from India, Southeast Asia, Australia, Japan and Singapore, Li Chunbo says.
- How a dead US trade deal is pushing Africa further into China’s orbit — Lapse of African Growth and Opportunity Act deals tariff blow to continent and ‘creates fertile ground’ for Beijing to expand its clout.
- ‘AI censorship’ of horror film Together raises new fears for future of Chinese LGBTQ film — A public outcry over a scene where a gay couple were turned into a heterosexual one has triggered a wider debate about the use of technology.
- Opinion: China is driving a green energy future while the US is frozen in the past — Even as the US leverages its political power to market its oil and gas, the rest of the world is surging ahead on an unstoppable green transition. By Winston Mok.
Nikkei Asia
- China, India IPOs help lift global stock, bond fundraising to 4-year high — Bond offerings dip on tariff uncertainty, but impact may be temporary.
- China bubble tea chain Mixue to buy takeout draft beer purveyor for $40m — Country’s beverage leader eyes older consumers.
- IEA lowers renewables forecast due to China, US policy changes — Industry now expected to grow by 4,600 GW by 2030, down from 5,500 GW.
Bloomberg
- Trump’s AI Czar David Sacks Rebuffs Criticism of China Stance — Sacks stood by the decision to let Nvidia and AMD sell less-advanced AI chips to China, pointing out that the Biden administration had previously authorized sales of Nvidia’s H20 chip.
- Nigeria in Talks With China for $2 Billion Loan for Super Grid — The financing for the new super grid has already been approved by cabinet, according to Nigeria’s Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu.
- Opinion: The AI Suicide Problem Knows No Borders — Chinese artificial intelligence developers may be doing something right to protect vulnerable users, as there are no similar waves of cases in China like those in the US. By Catherine Thorbecke.
Reuters
- If Trump convinces China to abandon force against Taiwan he deserves Nobel prize, Taiwan president says — Lai referred to comments Trump made in August in which he said Xi told him China would not invade Taiwan while he was U.S. president.
- China angered at EU ‘challenging’ UN resolution that led to Taiwan leaving global body — China and Taiwan, which Beijing views as its own territory, have been locked in an increasingly bitter dispute about U.N. resolution 2758.
- China accelerates oil reserve site build amid stockpiling drive — Once completed, the new sites will be able to store two weeks of China’s net crude imports, according to Reuters calculations based on Chinese trade data.
Other Publications
- Foreign Policy: Civilian Tech Is Powering China’s Military — Beijing’s gains could eventually erode Washington’s battlefield advantage.
- Foreign Policy: Who Holds the High Cards in Sino-American Supply Chain Poker? — Beijing’s control of rare-earth minerals will force Trump to find new leverage.
- The Economist: Chinese officials boast a god’s-eye view of towns from above — Digital surveillance grids are meant to help solve local problems quickly. But they also track potential troublemakers.
- CSIS: U.S.-China Relations Heading into a Likely Summit — Assessments on the state of the overall relationship and the prospects for the forthcoming meeting.
- BBC: The ‘typhoon-proof’ wind farms powering China’s coast — China is racing to develop a new generation of wind farms that can not only survive tropical cyclones, but also harness their power.
