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
- Xi Jinping Is Now the World Leader He Wanted to Be, but It Has Come at a Cost — Chinese leader’s policies strain his country at home but give him great international stature.
- Opinion: Trump, Taiwan and the ‘Thucydides Trap’ — A U.S.-China conflict would be perilous for both nations, and the ultimate outcome isn’t inevitable. By Gerard Baker.
The Financial Times
- Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping to discuss huge gas project at China summit — Talks on Power of Siberia 2 pipeline come just days after Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing.
- Electric ships and trucks to buoy battery boom, says China lithium boss — Tianqi says demand forecasts underestimate rapid rise of battery-powered industrial equipment.
- Xi Jinping told Donald Trump that Putin might ‘regret’ invasion of Ukraine — US president also suggested they should co-operate with Russian leader against the International Criminal Court.
- Opinion: The US and China crave hegemony without responsibility — Beijing has yet to step forward to fill the leadership vacuum left by Washington. By Elizabeth Economy.
The New York Times
- Penalized by China, Rubio Enjoys a Trip to Beijing — There has been rampant speculation online about whether the Chinese government changed the transliteration of Marco Rubio’s name to overlook sanctions. But that theory is wrong.
Caixin
- Asian Allies Rush to Consult Trump After His China Visit — U.S. allies Japan and South Korea raced to arrange phone calls with Donald Trump immediately following the U.S. president’s three-day visit to China.
- Beijing Fast-Tracks Novel Drugs as Medical Approvals Surge — China’s regulatory approvals for new pharmaceuticals surged to a five-year high in 2025.
- Inside China’s Evolving Anti-Sanctions Playbook — Unilateral sanctions have shifted from an external shock to a legal battleground.
- The Quiet Rise of an Asian Economic Security Alliance — As all eyes turn to Donald Trump’s first trip to China during his second term, an economic security net spanning the Asia-Pacific is quietly taking shape.
South China Morning Post
- China joins global sell-off of US Treasuries in March as Iran war prompts panic — Seven of the top 10 foreign holders cut their exposure to US government debt, led by Japan, which offloaded US$47.7 billion.
- Milei guts China currency lifeline after Trump ultimatum on financial ties: reports — Central bank records show the swap balance fell to US$675 million as Washington pressed Buenos Aires to wind it down.
- Vodka, bullet train and boat rides: how Xi and Putin built up a personal rapport — Xi Jinping’s friendship with Vladimir Putin has been cultivated over many visits and informal events, from pancakes to lakeside teas.
- China’s firms have a glaring weakness as they face a barrage of EU probes — Chinese companies, often reluctant to pay for legal services, are encountering greater compliance issues as they expand into a stricter EU.
Nikkei Asia
- BYD surges, Toyota falters as oil crisis boosts EVs in Australia — Imports from China surge past those from Japan this year.
- China’s empty, unfinished skyscrapers find new lease on life — Plan for country’s tallest tower scrapped in Shenzhen; rental housing eyed in Shanghai.
- US farmers warily welcome stabilization of trade with China — China pledges to buy at least $17bn a year of goods beyond soybeans, White House says.
Bloomberg
- Moonshot AI to Overhaul Structure to Win Nod for Hong Kong IPO — The company will begin dismantling its red-chip structure, which is a setup in which entities registered outside China hold assets and businesses within the country.
- Nvidia’s CEO Sees China Opening Market to AI Chips From US — Huang said the Chinese government has to decide how much of their local market they want to protect, and his sense is that over time the market will open.
- Australia Secures Jet Fuel From China as War Strains Supplies — Australia has secured additional commodity supplies, including jet fuel from China and urea from Brunei, as the Iran war strains markets.
- China’s Aluminum Output Surge Tests Capacity and Demand Limits — Chinese aluminum smelters are running at high levels, with daily output hitting an all-time high of 129,000 tons last month.
Reuters
- Russians covertly trained by China return to fight in Ukraine, sources say — China’s armed forces secretly trained about 200 Russian military personnel in China late last year and some have since returned to fight in Ukraine.
- Putin says Russia, China ready to back each other on issues such as protecting sovereignty — Relations between Russia and China have reached an ‘unprecedented level’ of mutual understanding and trust, Putin said.
- At least 18 killed as heavy rains drench southern, central China — Torrential rain continued across southern and central China on Tuesday with at least 18 people killed in widespread flooding that also closed schools and businesses.
Other Publications
- Los Angeles Times: Opinion: Chinese oppression is a personal affront to all people — You should care about the minorities targeted by Beijing ‘because you are part of this world and they are part of this world.’ By Michael Arkush.
- Semafor: The US and China’s delicate, new equilibrium — Beijing’s new framing appears intended to send both a message of reassurance and a warning.
- Business Insider: China’s hottest brands are coming for Starbucks, Nike, and your wallet — From Luckin to Pop Mart, China’s hottest companies are trying to become cool, build stores in the US, and sell directly to Americans.
- The Atlantic: Donald Trump’s Nixon Moment That Wasn’t — In Beijing, the president scrapped hardheaded diplomacy in favor of an imagined personal bond.
- Rest of World: Silicon Valley keeps misreading China’s role in tech — The heads of Tesla, Apple, and Nvidia regard Chinese companies as peers, not enemies, unlike most other Silicon Valley founders.
