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
- Taiwan Detains Ship and Chinese Crew After Undersea Cable Severed — The island’s coast guard said the incident is a national-security matter and possible case of Chinese sabotage.
- ASM International Orders Miss Forecasts Amid Weak China Demand — ASM International posted orders below analysts’ expectations for the fourth quarter amid weak demand from China for the company’s tools to produce more sophisticated semiconductors.
- Opinion: The Thoughts of Chairman Xi Jinping — The foolish Americans don’t realize we will soon pass them in military, and especially naval, power. By Mark Helprin.
The Financial Times
- Taiwan condemns China over unannounced live-fire naval drills — Exercises are latest sign of disruption as People’s Liberation Army expands operations.
- Why high medical bills are bringing pain to China’s economy — The cost of paying for ‘catastrophic’ health conditions discourages consumption despite improvements in treatment.
- Opinion: Chinese tech firms take two steps forward, one step back — Well-founded rally remains in jeopardy from geopolitical risks. By Lex.
The New York Times
- Trump Takes Aim at Chinese Shipping Amid Widening Trade War — A new proposal would impose steep levies on Chinese-made ships arriving at U.S. ports, threatening to increase costs for imports.
- Trump’s New Crackdown on China Is Just Beginning — The administration is positioning itself to clamp down on Chinese investment and access to technology. But the wild card may be the president himself.
Caixin
- Washington Wants to Seal New Trade Deal With Beijing, Ex-U.S. Treasury Secretary Says — Any future deal is likely to involve getting China to live up to commitments it made in previous rounds of negotiations, Steven Mnuchin tells conference.
- Why Going Global Is Crucial for China’s Petrochemical Producers — Companies need to build up capacity abroad to withstand fierce domestic competition and rising trade barriers, industry group leader says.
South China Morning Post
- As DeepSeek knock-offs flourish, China curbs false trademarks capitalising on AI hype — China rejects dozens of trademark applications for the name DeepSeek, as Hong Kong sees questionable companies bearing the start-up’s name.
- China strives to end vicious price wars plaguing several industries — Beijing has convened a meeting with representatives from leading solar, auto and tech companies to explore potential solutions.
- De minimis: China’s Shein workshops suffer as US tightens shipment rules — Small-scale factories supplying China’s e-commerce giants face an uncertain future as the US moves to end tax exemptions for small parcels.
- ‘Reinvestment surge’: US firms in China eye long-term success with confidence in future — But poll by AmCham in southern China still finds weakened confidence and concerns surrounding bilateral trade tensions with the United States.
- Opinion: Why the US should stop trying to target Chinese tech — In an interconnected world where innovation will find a way through, US measures to curb Chinese tech are not working as intended. By Felicia Feiran Chen and Adam Au.
Nikkei Asia
- Global tech industry braces for ‘China shock’ in mature chips — Nation’s rapid expansion in older semiconductors is driving down prices.
- China stock investors face uncertainty over Trump’s latest ‘America First’ review — New policy memo signals more aggressive stance on outbound U.S. investments.
- China cosmetics brands target growing Southeast Asian market — Skintific and Judydoll gain momentum with products tailored to local skin concerns.
Bloomberg
- Xi Urges Officials to Stay Calm as US Raises Pressure on China — Chinese President Xi Jinping called on officials to stay composed in the face of domestic and global challenges, signaling Beijing will take a measured approach to the Trump administration’s new trade and investment restrictions.
- China to Inject at Least $55 Billion of Fresh Capital Into Several Big Banks — China plans to start re-capitalizing three of its biggest banks in coming months, according to people familiar with the matter, following through on a broad stimulus package unveiled last year to shore up the struggling economy.
Reuters
- China says Taiwan seeks to give away chip industry to US — U.S. President Donald Trump has criticised Taiwan for taking away American semiconductor business, saying he wants the industry to manufacture more in the United States.
- CICC to merge with Galaxy Securities to form China’s No.3 brokerage, say sources — A combination of CICC, opens new tab and Galaxy, opens new tab, which would mark the second mega merger in China’s $1.6 trillion securities industry in a matter of months, has secured backing from Chinese authorities in recent weeks.
- US lawmakers warn that China could use Musk to influence Trump — China’s Washington embassy said China welcomed “mutually beneficial cooperation” with “people from all walks of life in the United States.”
Other Publications
- Brookings: Will 2027 invite conflict for Taiwan and China? — Maintaining peace between between Taiwan and China is critical. It is quite simply a matter of life and death.
- Brookings: Trump, Xi, and the false hope of a grand bargain — Could he agree to overlook Chinese aggression toward Taiwan in exchange for Beijing’s commitment to buy more American goods and to help reindustrialize America?
- Rest of World: China wants tech companies to monetize data, but few are buying in — A first-of-its-kind policy allows Chinese firms to treat data as an asset, but compliance hurdles are keeping many companies on the sidelines.
- ChinaFile: Xi Jinping’s Purges Have Escalated. Here’s Why They Are Unlikely to Stop — The phenomenon is not confined to the military. Purges of civilians have also been numerous.
- The Information: Alibaba to Launch Open-Source AI Video Model — Chinese tech giant Alibaba Group said Wednesday it will release open-source versions of its artificial intelligence video models.
