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Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company is transforming the small Japanese farm town of Kikuyo into a key node in Asia’s chip supply chain. TSMC, as the company is known, dominates the global semiconductor business. At its home base in Taiwan, TSMC sits at the center of a web of factories, suppliers and engineering firms. In February, TSMC opened a factory, known as a chip “fab,” for fabricator, on a ridge overlooking Kikuyo. The Japanese electronics giants Sony, Denso and Toyota, major buyers of TSMC semiconductors, are investing huge sums in TSMC’s Japan subsidiary.

Persons: TSMC Organizations: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Sony, Toyota, TSMC’s Locations: Kikuyo, Taiwan, Japan, TSMC’s Japan

When the largest earthquake in Taiwan in half a century struck off its east coast, the buildings in the closest city, Hualien, swayed and rocked. As more than 300 aftershocks rocked the island over the next 24 hours to Thursday morning, the buildings shook again and again. One of them, the rounded, red brick Uranus Building, which leaned precariously after its first floors collapsed, was mostly drawing curious onlookers. The building is a reminder of how much Taiwan has prepared for disasters like the magnitude-7.4 earthquake that jolted the island on Wednesday. Of Taiwan, he added: “And most of these deaths, it seems, have come from rock slides and boulders, rather than building collapses.”

Persons: ”, Daniel Aldrich Organizations: Global Resilience, Northeastern University Locations: Taiwan, Hualien

It was so strong it set off tsunami warnings in Japan, China and the Philippines. But then, even in a fault-riddled place with long and hard experience with earthquakes, the jolt of aftershock after aftershock was startling, continuing every few minutes throughout the day. The magnitude-7.4 quake killed nine and injured at least 1,011 others, stretching an expert quake response system that has served as a model in other places. In Hualien County, close to the epicenter, 71 people were trapped in two mining areas as of Wednesday night and dozens of others were stranded, according to officials. Around 14,000 households were without water, and 1,000 households were without power.

Persons: aftershock Locations: Taiwan, Japan, China, Philippines, Hualien County

☆ Strong Quake Strikes Taiwan, Setting Off Tsunami Warning in Japan
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Meaghan Tobin | More About Meaghan Tobin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

In Japan, according to the broadcaster NHK, tsunami waves as high as 30 centimeters had already started hitting the shore on Yonaguni Island at 9:14 a.m. local time. Residents on Okinawa, Miyako and Yaeyama islands in southern Japan were told to get as far away from coastal areas as possible. According to NHK, the tsunamis were expected to hit the islands shortly after 10 a.m., with waves as high as 3 meters, or 10 feet, on Miyako and Yaeyama. Motoko Rich contributed reporting from Tokyo.

Persons: Motoko Rich Organizations: NHK Locations: Japan, Okinawa, Miyako, Tokyo

The temblor set off at least nine landslides, collapsing hillsides onto the Suhua Highway in Hualien, according to local media reports. The quake was centered in the waters off Hualien, according to the United States Geological Survey. The epicenter was about 10 miles under the earth’s surface, according to Taiwan. Here is the latest: In Japan, tsunami waves as high as 30 centimeters hit the shore on Yonaguni Island at 9:14 a.m. local time. People in China took to social media saying they felt the tremors as far as away as Hangzhou, Xiamen, and Shanghai.

Persons: Tobin, Motoko Rich Organizations: Rail, United States Geological Survey, Weather Administration, U.S . Pacific, Warning Locations: Taiwan, Japan, Hualien, Taiwan’s, Taipei, People, China, Hangzhou, Xiamen, Shanghai

For years, Apple dominated the market for high-end smartphones in China. But evidence is mounting that, for many in China, the iPhone no longer holds the appeal it used to. Meanwhile, sales for one of Apple’s longstanding Chinese rivals, Huawei, surged 64 percent. Analysts say its latest product, a $3,500 virtual reality headset released in February, is still years away from gaining mainstream appeal. For a decade, China has been the iPhone’s most important market after the United States and accounted for roughly 20 percent of Apple’s sales.

Organizations: Apple, Research, Huawei, Analysts Locations: China, U.S, United States, Beijing

☆ What China Is Saying About the TikTok Furor in Washington
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Meaghan Tobin | Siyi Zhao | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

This is not the first time that China has seen a frenzy over TikTok consume Washington. In 2020, former President Donald J. Trump issued an executive order that would have forced TikTok’s Chinese owners to sell the popular app. Now, U.S. lawmakers are again attempting to force ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese owner, to give up control of the app. Instead, officials in Beijing have blasted the bill but largely reiterated common criticisms of U.S. policy as unfair to China. Mr. Trump, the expected Republican presidential nominee, has said he opposes the bill despite his 2020 executive order against TikTok.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, ByteDance Organizations: TikTok Locations: China, Washington, Beijing, Montana, U.S, United States

☆ Why Taiwan Is Building a Satellite Network Without Elon Musk
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Meaghan Tobin | John Liu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

In Taiwan, the government is racing to do what no country or even company has been able to: build an alternative to Starlink, the satellite internet service operated by Elon Musk’s rocket company, SpaceX. Starlink has allowed militaries, power plants and medical workers to maintain crucial online connections when primary infrastructure has failed in emergencies, such as an earthquake in Tonga and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Officials in Taiwan face constant reminders that its communication infrastructure must be able to withstand a crisis. The island democracy sits 80 miles from China, where leaders have vowed to use force if needed to assert claims that Taiwan is part of its territory. Taiwan experiences regular cyberattacks and near-daily incursions into its waters and airspace by the People’s Liberation Army, which has been built up in recent years.

Persons: Starlink Organizations: Elon Musk’s, SpaceX, Officials, People’s Liberation Army Locations: Taiwan, Tonga, Ukraine, China

☆ China Condemns U.S. Proposal to Force the Sale of TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Meaghan Tobin | More About Meaghan Tobin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

China on Wednesday condemned U.S. lawmakers’ push to force the Chinese parent company of TikTok to sell the popular short video platform. Lawmakers say that Beijing could use TikTok to spread Chinese Communist Party messages or gain access to sensitive data about TikTok’s American users. Beijing rejected concerns that the app was a danger to the United States. China has opposed previous efforts in the United States to force ByteDance to give up TikTok. The fervor over the House bill is the latest episode in a yearslong saga over the app’s future in the United States.

Persons: TikTok, ”, Wang Wenbin, ByteDance Organizations: Wednesday, U.S, Communist Party Locations: China, Washington, Beijing, United States, U.S

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