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
- China Officials Discuss Option of TikTok Sale to Elon Musk — Beijing’s leaders have denounced U.S. ban threat and said any forced divestiture would be like robbery.
- TikTok Refugees Find an Alternative in China — Chinese users of Xiaohongshu, or Little Red Book, welcome Americans fleeing a feared TikTok ban.
- Europe Accuses China of Unfairly Blocking EU Companies — EU alleges discrimination in Chinese procurement market, raising possibility of retaliation.
- U.S. to Ban Chinese, Russian Components in Connected Vehicles — The ban finalizes a proposal made in September to counter potential risks posed by software and sensors.
- Volkswagen Car Deliveries Fall as Challenges in China Continue — A price war is seeing even new models entering the Chinese market at steep discounts.
- China Reins In Its Once-Freewheeling Finance Sector With Purges and Pay Cuts — Xi’s campaign against capitalist excess ushers out internationally experienced financiers for a new generation of loyal functionaries.
- China Faces Harsh Dilemma as Yuan Comes Under Pressure — Weaker currency could help offset tariffs and economic weakness—but risks capital flight.
- China’s Central Bank Reiterates Easing Pledges Amid Policy Dilemmas — People’s Bank of China officials said they will ramp up support for the economy.
The Financial Times
- China’s smokers light up global tobacco sales despite bans — Authorities reluctant to clamp down on crucial source of central government revenue.
- Brussels threatens ‘decisive action against China over contract awards — EU investigation finds Beijing discriminating against medical device manufacturers in bids for public contracts.
- Mexico pledges to shrink trade deficit with China in nod to Trump — President Claudia Sheinbaum unveils plan to boost domestic manufacturing and cut imports.
- Beijing and London to assess feasibility of UK-China ETF link — Both countries agree to examine a UK-China Wealth Connect scheme.
- U.S. TikTok ‘refugees’ make surprise move to China’s ‘RedNote’ — Shanghai-based Xiaohongshu tops Apple download charts ahead of potential ban on rival this week.
- Opinion: Pain is coming for emerging markets from a Trump trade war — Investors are still not pricing in enough risks from the fallout of US-China tensions. By Manik Narain.
The New York Times
- China’s $1 Trillion Trade Surplus: What to Know as Trump Takes Office — Only a third of China’s trade surplus was with the United States, and only a third of the U.S. deficit was with China. That makes for tricky math for the president-elect.
- ‘Red Note,’ a Chinese App, Is Dominating Downloads, Thanks to TikTok Users — To show how little they care about TikTok’s ties to Beijing, people in the United States are downloading one of China’s most popular apps.
Caixin
- China’s Booming Cross-Border E-Commerce Pits Alipay, WeChat Pay Against the World — Although their QR code-based systems are convenient for buyers, poor transparency and a lack of alignment with international standards have drawn complaints from banks and scrutiny from regulators.
- How China Can Kick Its Overcapacity Habit — Fiscal policies are needed to boost household income and spur consumption, while the market should be allowed to play a bigger role in weeding out weak companies.
- Haitong Chairman Steps Down as Mega Merger Approaches — Leadership shuffle as Chinese securities firms prepare to form brokerage powerhouse.
South China Morning Post
- China’s TikTok sellers eye Amazon and Shein as U.S. ban looms — Cross-border merchants in China are bracing for an impending ban on TikTok in the U.S.
- Trump ascendancy casts cloud over Chinese solar firms’ U.S. ambitions — A saturated Chinese market and rising trade barriers overseas take shine off solar panel makers’ prospects.
- U.S. proposes to increase oversight of ‘de minimis’ exemption for low-value imports — New rule would help customs agents deal with over 4 million shipments that arrive daily, with nearly half estimated to originate in China.
Nikkei Asia
- Russia, China turn nuclear fuel into bargaining chip with the West — U.S. ban on Russian imports has led to greater dependence on Beijing.
- China’s economy will never surpass U.S., Biden says in exit speech — President urges next Trump administration not to drop the ball on AI and clean energy.
- China slows supply chain shifts by Apple, others as Trump 2.0 looms — Tighter export checks delay equipment shipments to Southeast Asia, India.
- Pakistan poised to tap China capital markets, finance minister says — Muhammad Aurangzeb says Islamabad aims to ensure latest IMF bailout is the ‘last.’
Bloomberg
- How Online Gambling Unleashed Transnational Crime on the Philippines — A casino raid in a sleepy town revealed the mayor’s business connections to Singapore’s $2 billion money-laundering scandal, and sparked allegations of Chinese espionage.
- Nvidia CEO Tours China During Beijing Antitrust Probe, AI Curbs — Foreign companies usually send senior executives to negotiate with Chinese officials when they face antitrust probes.
Reuters
- Exclusive: China to cut pay by half for staff at top financial regulators, sources say — The hefty pay cuts would come against the backdrop of China’s current focus on boosting consumption.
- China’s retail investor sours quickly on stocks — Disillusioned with economic policies and the worries around U.S. trade tariffs, retail investors are selling, threatening to knock Chinese shares back into a years-long downtrend.
- China torments and titillates seaborne coal market — For coal exporters, China is both their saviour and tormentor.
- Economic woes not a deal breaker as China’s Lunar New Year travel rush kicks off — The 40-day travel season will continue until Feb. 22, during which authorities estimate a record 9 billion domestic trips will be made.
Other Publications
- BBC: TikTok says report of possible sale to Musk ‘pure fiction’ — The firm’s comments came in response to a report by Bloomberg.
- Foreign Affairs: America’s China Strategy Is Incomplete — Putting Beijing on the back foot requires economic tools beyond tariffs.
- Foreign Policy: Vietnam Wants U.S. Help at Sea and Chinese Help at Home — Washington shouldn’t overestimate its influence in Hanoi.
- Washington Post: Opinion: Industrial decline threatens U.S. security. Here’s a plan to fix that. — Trump’s policy on China has muddled goals. It will likely fail. By The Editorial Board.
- Brookings: How do China and America think about the energy transition? — Both countries are huge with vast, but different, resource bases, leading them to have very different energy systems and respective advantages and disadvantages in the clean energy transition.
