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
- How China Is Quietly Helping an Isolated Iran Survive — From buying oil to selling rocket parts, China gives Iran critical support.
- China Hoped Trump Summit Would Cement Its Superpower Status. Now Xi Has to Wait. — The president’s postponement of planned meeting signals that the U.S.—not Beijing—still sets the global agenda.
- China Isn’t Planning to Invade Taiwan in 2027, U.S. Concludes — Beijing views an amphibious attack as a losing gamble, intelligence assessment says.
The Financial Times
- Apple supplier Murata starts US-China rare earths decoupling — Japanese manufacturer joins companies rushing to insulate themselves from geopolitical risk.
- Opinion: AI is moving from answering questions to taking action — China is likely to be both the testing ground and a leader in the use of agents. By June Yoon.
The New York Times
- American TikTok Users Are Fantasizing About ‘Being Chinese’ — While “Chinamaxxing,” users seem to be processing anxieties about the decline of their own country.
Caixin
- Tencent to Launch Hunyuan 3.0 in April, Build WeChat AI Agent — Tencent Holdings Ltd. plans to launch its next-generation Hunyuan 3.0 large language model in April and is developing an advanced artificial intelligence.
- China Growth Not Fully Translating Into Market Gains, Former Adviser Says — China’s economic growth is not fully translating into market-recognized gains, a former senior government adviser said, pointing to persistent deflationary pressures and calling for a shift toward consumption.
- State Property Giant’s Profit Plunges as Market Pressures Persist — China Merchants Shekou Industrial Zone Holdings Co. Ltd. reported profit fell to a nearly decade low, highlighting persistent strains in China’s property sector.
- China’s Demographic Fix Starts With Affordable Childcare — If you want to understand why China is facing a severe demographic decline, look at the impossible math facing working parents.
South China Morning Post
- US says mainland China not planning to attack Taiwan in 2027 after threat assessment — Beijing seeks to control the island without the use of force, the US intelligence community confirms in its annual report on global threats.
- How China opened the door to creating a direct rival to US payment systems — Beijing has removed several key restrictions on its payment system, allowing it to expand beyond yuan settlements, economist says.
- Chinese military set for EU and Nato talks as Iran war reshapes global security picture — The PLA delegation will travel to Brussels next week, where the Ukraine war remains a major barrier to better relations with Beijing.
- Why Beijing has struggled to rally Asia against Japan over Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks — Many in the region harbour security concerns similar to Tokyo’s and prefer to stay neutral between the Asian heavyweights, analysts say.
Nikkei Asia
- BYD plans $57m R&D center in Brazil to put EVs to the test — South America is a priority for China’s electric-car leader as it faces sluggish sales at home.
- China’s mediation efforts falter in Pakistan-Afghanistan clashes — Islamabad’s cross-border airstrikes intensify despite Wang Yi’s intervention.
- China shipbuilding orders bounce back after US port fee turmoil — Annual decline masks sharp year-end rise for CSSC and peers following fall reprieve.
- China’s Belt and Road investments hit record high on energy deals — Beijing tripled gas and oil project outlays in 2025 to secure supplies.
Bloomberg
- China Rate Markets Signal Cooling Bets on Deflation, PBOC Easing — China’s interest rate markets are indicating reduced expectations for further easing of funding conditions and monetary policy, reflecting renewed economic optimism and concerns about elevated oil prices.
- China EV Maker Voyah Falls 13% in HK Debut Without Fresh Funds — Voyah’s listing is a test of investor confidence in China’s cutthroat EV market, which has struggled with a years-long price war and weak demand as the government scales back subsidies.
- Geely Eyes Canadian Auto Market After Deal Allowing Chinese EVs — Geely has a goal to become one of the world’s top five carmakers by the end of the decade and has reported a 36% increase in profits and a 25% jump in revenue.
Reuters
- AstraZeneca to build cell therapy base, innovation centre in Shanghai — The cell therapy facility will make and supply CAR‑T cell therapies for China and other Asian markets, the British drugmaker said on its Chinese social media account.
- China-ruled Macau approves national security law allowing closed-door trials — The city enacted its first national security law in 2009 and tightened it with amendments in 2023.
- Apple’s China smartphone sales jump 23% to start 2026, bucking industry trend — Apple’s gains were driven by e-commerce discounts and its eligibility for state subsidies on the base iPhone 17 model.
- Nepal investigating burning of Xi Jinping’s book at university — Nepal is investigating how some copies of a book authored by Chinese President Xi Jinping were burned at a university in the east of the country after the Chinese embassy expressed concern over the incident.
Other Publications
- The China-Global South Project: CIA Says Iran Sought Intelligence Support From China — Analysts discuss Iran China Russia intelligence cooperation and the potential effects on global stability and U.S. foreign policy.
- Business Insider: Gen Z’s fascination with China is about their disillusionment with capitalism — Some young US workers, fed up with the state of capitalism, are showing an interest in aspects of China’s culture and economic policy.
- The Guardian: Inside China’s robotics revolution — How close are we to the sci-fi vision of autonomous humanoid robots? I visited 11 companies in five Chinese cities to find out.
- Foreign Policy: Xi Just Can’t Shake GDP Worship — Chinese officials are being asked to do everything all at once.
- Gizmodo: Will China Beat the US Back to the Moon? — NASA is under enormous pressure to return astronauts to the Moon before China achieves its first crewed landing, but experts question whether the Artemis program can overcome delays, technical hurdles, and budget constraints.
- Rest of World: “It feels like Squid Game”: China’s workers scramble to keep up in the AI race — Employees are rushing to learn new tools as layoffs and automation fuel widespread AI anxiety.
- The Economist: Is cheap energy the key to China gaining AI supremacy? — Leaders are hoping it will make up for its weakness in chips.
