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 Gains Favor With Trump by Dipping Into Iran Diplomacy — Beijing hopes that nudging Tehran into a cease-fire buys goodwill for May summit between the president and Xi Jinping.
- Trump Once Talked Tough With China. Now He’s Playing Nice. — The administration has quietly scrapped its previous playbook, adopting a more conciliatory approach to Beijing.
- Xi Hosts Taiwan Opposition Leader to Draw Island Closer to China — Ahead of Trump visit, campaign to absorb Taiwan and muffle U.S. influence advances.
- Middle East Energy Shock Snaps China’s Deflationary Streak — Factory-gate prices rise in China for the first time in over three years.
- The British Solar Startup Being Courted by Both China and the U.S. — Oxford PV has developed a technology enabling photovoltaic panels to harness more of the sun’s energy, finding success in the world’s biggest markets.
The Financial Times
- China’s Xi tells Taiwan opposition leader unification an ‘inevitability’ — Meeting in Beijing with Chinese president first of its kind in a decade.
- China lures home its top AI talent from Silicon Valley — Engineers and scientists return for better pay and quality of life as U.S. grows more hostile.
- China’s factory gate prices rise on back of Iran war — Producer price index for the world’s dominant manufacturer turns positive year-on-year for the first time since 2022.
- Opinion: The biggest threat to China’s global champions is not Trump — The most competitive companies are being damaged by an underclass of less productive domestic rivals. By Alicia García-Herrero.
- Opinion: The chips chokehold that could end the AI investment boom — Taiwan’s control of leading-edge silicon chips lies on a geostrategic faultline. By John Thornhill.
The New York Times
- A Cease-Fire for Now in Iran, but a Blow to American Credibility — Critics wonder if this is America’s “Suez moment,” when a leading power signals the start of its international decline.
- Middle East War Triggers Higher Prices in China — Three and a half years of deflationary pressure on Chinese factories reversed course last month as higher energy prices cycled into the economy.
- Xi Meets Taiwan Opposition Leader for First Time in a Decade — Xi Jinping held rare talks with a Taiwanese opposition leader, Cheng Li-wun, who floated the idea of some day inviting Mr. Xi to visit Taiwan.
Caixin
- Yuan Bonds Boom as Borrowers Shift Away From U.S. Dollar Funding — Panda and dim sum bond issuance surges as higher U.S. yields make yuan financing more attractive.
- Chinese Banks Seen Lending Less as Demand Weakens — New yuan loans seen falling as property slump drags, Caixin survey shows.
- Chinese Energy Storage Firms Push Harder Overseas as Orders Boom — New orders from abroad more than doubled in 2025 due to rising demand from data centers and power grids, though tightening Western regulations pose growing risks.
South China Morning Post
- How can Beijing prepare for Trump’s ‘drunken boxing’ style before he meets Xi in China? — As Trump loomed large in both Iran war and subsequent pause, analysts weigh the importance of rhetoric vs results in his talks with China.
- China sidelined: EU shelves rare strategy debate as Middle East crisis takes priority — Delay risks entrenching a policy vacuum as member states diverge and Brussels struggles to evolve its approach.
- Chinese firms in Hungary face a post-election reckoning – no matter who wins — With opposition Tisza party leading in the polls, businesses ponder implications if Orban’s Fidesz party loses 16-year grip on power.
Nikkei Asia
- Chinese airlines add thousands of Europe flights, shrugging off Iran war — European carriers face sharply higher costs as airspace open to them narrows.
- Sumitomo Electric to boost tungsten output 50%, reducing China dependence — Japanese materials supplier will build $100m plant and bolster recycling efforts.
Bloomberg
- Xi Helps Trump on Iran War as China Assists With Ceasefire Bid — The decision to step in reflects Beijing’s ability to straddle strong ties with Iran, Gulf nations and Trump, and marks a departure from China’s long-held preference of staying on the sidelines.
- China AI Firm Discloses $92 Million of Banned Nvidia Chip Servers to Beijing — The documents provide a window into China’s demand for banned U.S. chips.
- China Revamps ChiNext Rules to Lure More Startups to Market — The measures are designed to give greater access to high‑quality companies in emerging and future industries that may not yet meet traditional benchmarks.
- Jack Ma’s Yunfeng, Hillhouse Are Said to Plan Investing in Victory Giant’s $2 Billion Listing — It could be among the city’s largest maiden share sales this year.
- The New World Order Will Be More Dangerous and More Cooperative — ‘Polyamory’ is the new norm in geopolitics.
Reuters
- Chinese foreign minister visits Pyongyang to advance relations — Beijing has been trying to draw Pyongyang back into its orbit after ties cooled.
- Taiwan sees only warships and warplanes as China talks peace with opposition — China’s tactics are all the more unnerving for the Taipei government given the opposition continues to stymie a defence spending rise that Washington has pushed for.
- China’s teapots buy Iranian oil at premiums to Brent for first time in years, sources say — Iranian oil typically trades at discounts to Brent because of sanctions.
- U.S. considers new crackdown on Chinese telecom companies — The FCC has aggressively moved to clamp down on Beijing.
Other Publications
- The Economist: The West is doing more to combat China’s covert activity abroad — But China is paying little attention.
- The Economist: China may be building a big new airbase in the South China Sea — But analysts are scratching their heads over the timing and location.
- The Washington Post: China helped broker Iran truce, but it’s wary of deeper involvement — Beijing urged Iran to accept a ceasefire, but it hasn’t agreed to act as a guarantor of the deal in America’s messy war.
- Foreign Affairs: The Iran War’s Real Lessons for China — U.S. tactical successes should give Beijing pause.
- CFR: After the WTO: The Case for Managed Trade — Building a Market-Economy Trade Bloc — Without China. By Liza Tobin and Addis Goldman.
