CRITICAL BATTLEGROUND: SEMICONDUCTOR CHIPS While tariff talks continue to dominate global headlines, experts say the real flashpoint is technology, semiconductor microchips in particular which power everything from electric vehicles to smartphones, computers and satellites. The tiny but powerful chips have long been at the centre of the US-China trade war, fuelled by China’s push for … Read more
STRONGARM TACTIC COULD BACKFIRE Indonesia’s strong-arming appears to have reaped some victories. Yet it has also exposed what a costly headache it is for foreign companies to navigate the regulatory red tape required to operate within its borders. This could backfire, as competition for tech investment in the region grows, and competitors such as Vietnam and Malaysia position themselves … Read more
China has launched an antitrust investigation into Nvidia, the leading US chipmaker and a dominant player in artificial intelligence (AI) technology. This move underscores the intensifying competition between Beijing and Washington in the critical field of AI development. AI Arms Race: China Targets Nvidia China Central Television reported on Monday that Nvidia’s acquisition of Israeli … Read more
“(A Trump or Harris win is) two roads to the same cliff,” said Mr Tangen. Similarly, Mr Steven Okun, senior advisor from the public affairs consultancy firm APAC Advisors, told CNA that whoever takes the Oval Office will not have “directional change” in China policy. “US-China policy will be the same under either a Harris … Read more
But as the US reaches the limits of its security-based diplomacy, China’s trade and investment-based strategy is also running into trouble. President Xi Jinping’s efforts to revive China’s domestic economy through a renewed export drive is unsettling many developing countries, which fear their domestic industries are being undermined. Indonesia, Mexico, Brazil, India and Chile have … Read more
ASML dominates the global market for lithography systems, complex tools that use lasers to help create the tiny circuitry of semiconductors. It is the only maker of lithography systems using extreme ultraviolet (EUV) wavelengths, needed by TSMC to make the most complex processors for smartphones and AI chips. Christophe Fouquet took over as president and … Read more
Xi’s inspection was reportedly focused on local efforts to deepen education to forge “a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation” and strengthen “love for both the country and the religion” of Tibetan Buddhism, as well as education support from more developed eastern provinces. 04:31 Growing up on top of the world: A nomadic … Read more
Microsoft is reportedly offering relocation to hundreds of its machine learning and cloud computing employees in China. According to The Wall Street Journal, which cites unnamed sources, Microsoft is surveying up to 800 China-based employees about potential relocation amid ongoing tensions between the US and China. This follows Microsoft President Brad Smith’s meeting with China’s … Read more
WASHINGTON: The United States announced on Friday (Mar 29) that it was “taking steps” to put fresh visa curbs on Hong Kong officials responsible for cracking down on rights in the Chinese city, days after a new national security law came into force. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that Beijing has … Read more
As the challenges stack up, the two sessions could provide indications of potential government action to come. “Many are looking forward to stimulus packages for the economy. Reinvigoration of post-Covid recovery will be given importance,” NUS’ Dr Lim told CNA. Still, another observer does not expect the economy to be singled out for special mention. … Read more
