This week on the Caixin-Sinica Business Brief:

Wildfires rage in Sichuan and Chongqing as a heatwave and drought turn forests into tinderboxes and reservoirs evaporate; Huawei's Ren Zhengfei warns of dire difficulties ahead for the telecoms equipment giant; a labor scam in Hong Kong fleecing people lured to Southeast Asia with the promise of high-paying jobs is uncovered; and SMIC announces plans for a massive new wafer fab in Tianjin.

In addition, we speak with Nandini Venkata about the fallout from a leaked high school entrance exam in Shanghai.