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
- China’s Sprint for Tech Dominance Can’t Hide an Economy Full of Holes — Self-sufficiency push has made China a tougher competitor to the U.S., but it comes with enormous waste.
- China to Impose Provisional Anti-Subsidy Duties on EU Dairy Products — The European Commission said the measures were unjustified and that it’s examining the move.
- China’s BYD Logs Another Month of Strong Sales Growth in Europe — BYD continues to outpace both domestic and foreign rivals.
The Financial Times
- TikTok’s Chinese owner plans $23bn AI spend to keep pace with U.S. rivals — ByteDance set to increase capital expenditure next year in effort to further build AI infrastructure.
- Caviar and foie gras? China is becoming a luxury food powerhouse — Low-cost domestic producers of prized delicacies are replacing imports and breaking into global markets.
- Opinion: The year of the tariff — American trade policy is geared towards re-industrialisation — and it’s working. By JAMIESON GREER.
The New York Times
- China Delays Plans for Mass Production of Self-Driving Cars After Accident — After years of planning for cars that would let drivers take their hands off the wheel and eyes off the road, China’s regulators have become more cautious.
- China Vanke Gets Temporary Lifeline to Prevent Debt Default — Bondholders for one of China’s biggest real estate developers extended a grace period to negotiate a delayed repayment of a $285 million bond issue.
- The Pentagon and A.I. Giants Have a Weakness. Both Need China’s Batteries, Badly. — As warfare is reinvented in Ukraine, and Silicon Valley races to maintain its A.I. lead, China’s battery dominance is raising alarms far beyond the auto industry.
Caixin
- Cash-Hungry China AI Companies Turn to Hong Kong Listings — Firms are seeking fresh capital as heavy research spending, U.S. technology restrictions and intensifying competition strain finances.
- China Probes Former Hua Xia Bank Chairman for Alleged Corruption — Li Minji is under investigation for alleged corruption, Chinese state media reported, marking the first official confirmation of his status.
- China Lawmakers Review Banking Law to Rein In Financial Risks — China’s top legislature has begun its first review of a draft amendment to the country’s banking law, a move aimed at tightening oversight, expanding regulatory reach and strengthening consumer protection.
South China Morning Post
- Second reusable rocket recovery failure in a month puts China 10 years behind U.S. — Chinese state-owned and commercial developers are racing to catch up on a decade of the technology’s deployment.
- What China’s yuan internationalisation push looks like – and what may hold it back — Currency sees wider use in trade, but high domestic savings and partial capital controls still act as constraints, analysis shows.
- U.S. adds new models of China’s DJI and all other foreign-made drones to its blacklist — The FCC move, which does not affect existing DJI models, is a significant escalation in Washington’s battle to crack down on Chinese drones.
Nikkei Asia
- Vietnam: Where Chinese goods go to be redirected to the U.S. — Donald Trump’s tariff barriers turn out to be relatively easy to get around.
- Cathay shares hit 10-year high as airline expects earnings growth — Hong Kong carrier enjoys ‘strong’ second half but budget arm hit by weak Japan demand.
Bloomberg
- Wingtech Chair Warns Chip Turmoil to Worsen on Nexperia Spat — Chairwoman Ruby Yang warned that global chip supplies remain at risk unless the Chinese company’s control over Dutch chipmaker Nexperia BV is restored.
- Citi Downgrades China Stocks, Lifts Taiwan on AI and Earnings — The change in Citigroup’s growth exposure stands out against a still broadly bullish view on China among global banks.
- Huawei’s Maybach Rival Becomes China’s Top-Selling $100,000 Car — The Maextro S800 is billed as a ride rivaling that of a Rolls-Royce or Bentley but at a fraction of the price, with features such as a starry headliner and a triple-screen dashboard.
Reuters
- China likely loaded more than 100 ICBMs in silo fields, Pentagon report says — Draft report says Beijing has no desire for arms control talks.
- China’s Kuaishou shares fall to near five-week low after livestreaming cyberattack — The closest rival to TikTok’s Chinese version Douyin on Tuesday confirmed it experienced a livestreaming cyber incident at around 10 p.m.(1400 GMT) Monday.
- Nvidia aims to begin H200 chip shipments to China by mid-February, sources say — The U.S. chipmaker plans to fulfil initial orders from existing stock, with shipments expected to total 5,000 to 10,000 chip modules.
Other Publications
- The Diplomat: After the Subsidies: EVs and Lessons from China’s Industrial Policy — Looking closely at how China’s EV sector rose to global dominance offers the United States a chance to discern what to emulate, what to avoid, and how to compete.
- Sixth Tone: Game Plan: Shanghai Rolls out New Policy to Boost Esports — China’s gaming and esports hub aims to support its homegrown video game developers in pursuit of economic and cultural gains abroad.
- The Guardian: Opinion: The second China shock is coming – and the UK’s response is too timid — Beijing’s push to dominate technology through state-backed industrial policy is reshaping global trade and could devastate European industry. By GEORGE MAGNUS.
- The AP: FCC bans new Chinese-made drones, citing security risks — The review found that all drones and critical components produced in foreign countries, not just by the two Chinese companies, posed “unacceptable risks to the national security of the United States.”
- Rest of World: EVs hit a fork in the road in 2025 — As Chinese EV companies like BYD continued to grow at home and abroad, U.S. leader Tesla struggled with sales slumps and political turmoil.
- The Verge: Chipwrecked — Nvidia has built an empire on circular deals for chips. Can anything knock it down?
