The Daily Roundup - The Wire China
July 13th, 2026 | 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.
Skip to contentTopicsPoliticsCompaniesTechnologyEconomyInvestmentTradeSupply ChainFinanceSecurityEnergyAIProfileHealthcareClimateCultureAgricultureHistoryScienceEducationPoliticsCompaniesTechnologyEconomyInvestmentTradeSupply ChainMoreFinanceSecurityEnergyAIProfileHealthcareClimateCultureAgricultureHistoryScienceEducationJuly 13th, 2026. Good Morning. Welcome toThe Wire’sdaily 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 JournalShein Targets Over $40 Billion Valuation After China Nod for IPO— The fast-fashion retailer could list in Hong Kong as early as the third quarter of this year. U. S. Biotechs Are Keeping More Secrets to Beat Copycats in China— Western biotechs get new playbook with tighter controls to stay ahead of ultraefficient pharmaceutical pipeline overseas. China Successfully Launches Reusable Rocket in a Win for Space Program— A decade after Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Beijing shows it can recover booster upon descent. The Financial TimesCutting China reliance would cost the west $23tn, research suggests— Study highlights challenge facing US and EU as they try to reduce Beijing’s dominance over strategic supply chains. Companies turn to Chinese AI models to cut costs— DoorDash, Siemens and Airbnb are among those seeking to curb ballooning bills and reduce reliance on US technology. Australians ‘going gangbusters’ on Chinese batteries in renewable energy shift— Clean energy, backed by storage, now makes up about half of the country’s energy supply. China’s ‘temple economy’ thrives on the power of youthful prayer— After decades of economic transformation and social change, a new generation is seeking answers in religion. Opinion:AI is not enough to arrest China’s decline— There are other, more powerful forces weighing on the country’s economy. By Ruchir Sharma. Opinion:Why China still believes in the power of rote memorisation— The art of learning ancient texts by heart has persisted through decades of cultural transformation. By Thomas Hale. The New York TimesStorm Causes Mass Evacuations, Floods and Flight Disruptions in China— Typhoon Bavi made landfall in China after killing 17 in the Philippines, skirting Japan and hitting Taiwan. ‘They Don’t Need People’: The Workers Left Behind by China’s Robot Drive— For out-of-work factory workers in Kunshan, a region made rich by electronics manufacturing, a park is the only place to go. Nobel-Winning U. S. Chemist Will Move to China to Lead A. I. Institute— Omar Yaghi of the University of California, Berkeley, will head an initiative to apply artificial intelligence to the discovery of new materials. Opinion:We Returned From China. We Realized Our Century’s Biggest Challenge. — A. I. demands a populist approach that treats the technology as a public project. By Eric Schmidt and Selina Xu. CaixinHow China Took the Lead in Lithium Batteries— On July 8, Chen Liquan, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Physics received the 2025 State Preeminent Science and Technology Award. China Moves to Shore Up Struggling Brick-and-Mortar Retailers— China has unveiled 20 measures to support its struggling brick-and-mortar retail sector. China Tech Giants Battle to Build the Ultimate AI Concierge— WeChat’s long-awaited artificial intelligence (AI) agent has arrived with little fanfare but sweeping implications for China’s consumer internet. China Vanke’s Board Overhaul Cements Shenzhen State Control as Losses Widen— China Vanke Co. Ltd. has nominated a new board entirely controlled by Shenzhen’s state-owned sector. South China Morning PostChina to make car connectivity mandatory as US moves to tighten ban— New vehicles with smart driver assistance systems will have to support continuous safety monitoring, data recording and remote management. Japan wants 60 million tourists, but China isn’t sending them— Tokyo is banking on a massive visitor boom to do what its factories and financiers increasingly cannot: carry the economy forward. Why factories in southern China are feeling the squeeze despite pickup in orders— Manufacturers hoping for stimulus measures turn attention to coming Politburo meeting as costs eat into profits and investment. Nikkei AsiaChina’s property developers face fresh liquidity crunch— Previous debt restructuring fails to ease cash flow pressures. 14 nations reaffirm South China Sea ruling against China— Joint statement says Beijing’s sweeping maritime claims have ‘no legal basis’. China hit by heavy flooding in Typhoon Bavi’s wake— Cars swept away while people paddle-board in streets, videos show. Rule of law looks shakier 10 years after South China Sea ruling— China keeps ramping up pressure on Philippines over disputed territory. BloombergChina EVs on Road Have Average Age of 1. 8 Years, Newspaper Says— Chinese electric vehicles on the road are on average just 1. 8 years old, compared with 8. 2 years for gasoline-powered cars, 21st Century Business Herald reported. Xi to Debut at China’s Flagship AI Summit as US Rivalry Heats Up— Chinese President Xi Jinping will make his first appearance at the country’s flagship AI conference, signaling the growing importance Beijing attaches to the technology. China Expands Strategic Mineral Toolkit With New Investment Firm— A new Beijing-backed mining investment vehicle, Guangyan International Investment Co, aims to bolster China’s grip on overseas resources. China is Supercharging a Rooftop Solar Boom in the Philippines— Soaring electricity bills are pushing Filipino households and businesses to embrace solar energy, and China is cashing in. ReutersChina’s GDP growth set to slow, raising expectations for more stimulus— China’s economy likely slowed in the second quarter after a solid start to the year. South China Sea joint statement says China’s maritime claims have no basis— China’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea have no legal basis, Japan, the Philippines, the United States and 11 other countries said in a joint statement. Iran oil stuck at sea surges as China’s teapots turn to rival Middle East supplies, traders say— The return of U. S. sanctions this week risks leaving Tehran with more cargoes searching for buyers just as shipments arrive in Asia. Other PublicationsForeign Policy:Why We Know More About China’s Next-Generation Fighters Than America’s— As internet sleuthing replaces traditional intelligence collection, one big mystery about the PLA remains. AP:China’s ‘Green Great Wall’ tames desert growth, but scientists warn the fight is not over— For half a century, millions of workers have repeated a task across the deserts in northern China. The Guardian:China’s graduate glut: millions enter a job market with little use for them— Record numbers find there is little demand for their skills, as entry-level tech roles are hit by AI and automation. Cover StoryThe Sun Sets for Chinese Solar in the U. S. Major Chinese solar companies are in a rush to reverse big investments as American firms look to build homegrown supply chains. EssayAmerica’s EV ReckoningXi Jinping’s zero-Covid policy sealed China off from the outside world for almost three years. Joshua Busby, a Biden-era climate advisor to the Pentagon and professor at the University of Texas at Austin, recently returned. . . Q & ACorporate Risk Intelligence for National Security, Compliance & Due DiligenceLearn More