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☆ WTA roundup: Alycia Parks, Lin Zhu win first singles titles
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

February 5 - Alycia Parks won her first WTA singles title, defeating No. She won points on 85 percent of her first serves and saved all four break points she faced. She converted 80 percent of her first serves into points and staved off two break points until championship point, when she double faulted on the final break point of the match. Thailand OpenLin Zhu of China was another first-time WTA tour winner, defeating Lesia Tsurenko 6-4, 6-4 in Hua Hin. And in a match that saw 23 break point opportunities, Zhu cashed in on eight of nine attempts but saved only eight of 14 break points on her serve.

☆ Xiaomi demands payout from supplier after car designs leaked
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHANGHAI, Feb 2 (Reuters) - China's Xiaomi <1810.HK) said on Thursday it had imposed a 1 million yuan ($149,000) penalty on a supplier after it leaked early design drafts of an upcoming car model. Xiaomi did not disclose the name of the company and Reuters could not identify it. As punishment, the smartphone-turned-car maker said it would impose "economic compensation" of 1 million yuan ($148,763) on the supplier. The spokesperson added it had instructed the supplier to strengthen its information security management, and develop plans to upgrade its confidentiality measures. The company has said it hopes to reach mass production of its cars in the first half of 2024.

☆ New China Rule Threatens to Disrupt U.S. Solar Ambitions
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Sha Hua | Phred Dvorak | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SINGAPORE—A plan by China to restrict exports of key solar manufacturing technology could delay attempts to build up a domestic solar supply chain in the U.S., industry experts say. China’s Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Science and Technology are considering adding advanced technology used in the production of ingots and wafers, some of the building blocks of solar panels, to a list of technologies that are subject to export controls.

☆ Factbox: Chinese chipmakers caught in U.S.-China tech spat
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Josh Horwitz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

TSMC is the world's most valuable chipmaker and counts Apple Inc (AAPL.O) and Nvidia Corp (NVDA.O) among major clients. Its government-backing and ambition to make high-end chips caught the attention of the United States which put the firm on its Entity List in 2020. To date, most of SMIC's sales are made using the outdated 45 nanometer process node and above. Since late 2020, this specialisation in older chips has proven a boon due to a global shortage of lower-end chips. It produces DRAM at the 19 nanometer node and is moving into the 17 nanometer node - process nodes behind the industry leading-edge.

☆ Kuaishou Co-Founder Sells $483 Million in Stock to Fund Donations
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Dave Sebastian | Raffaele Huang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Beijing-based Kuaishou says some of the proceeds will go to a foundation that will make donations for public-benefit purposes. Kuaishou Technology Chairman Su Hua sold $483 million worth of shares in the short-video app operator to fund charitable contributions and other causes, joining other founders of Chinese technology giants who have made similar moves. A company owned by Mr. Su and his family sold a roughly 1.3% stake in Hong Kong-listed Kuaishou on Wednesday in an off-market block trade, according to a regulatory filing. Beijing-based Kuaishou said some of the proceeds will go to a foundation that will make donations entirely for public-benefit purposes. Other funds will be directed to a trust supporting the development of cutting-edge technology and related infrastructure.

"My message for Blinken is: say their names," said Katherine Swidan in a phone interview from her home in Luling, Texas. They've been wrongfully detained. And, unlike Griner, the U.S. citizens held in China are not well known to the American public. Families of detained Americans say the freedom of their relatives should not be bundled up with challenging policy issues and should instead be addressed in a separate track focused on humanitarian matters. There have been talks in recent months, Li said, between Washington and Beijing over the Americans detained in China but they did not go anywhere.

The coal ban reshaped energy markets and showed how Beijing’s efforts to use its economy as a foreign-policy tool can have limits. China effectively ended a ban on Australian coal that has been a centerpiece of a diplomatic dispute lasting more than two years, in the latest indication that Beijing is taking a less confrontational approach in its foreign policy as the economy struggles. Customs officials in the southern province of Guangdong on Thursday received notice from the local government that they can clear Australian coal shipments, two people familiar with the situation said. The move comes about a week after the country’s national planning agency permitted a group of large state-owned companies to buy Australian coal again. The Guangdong government didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

"We had such a hard time, and I would rather have more Chinese people come than the government restricting their entry so I can do business." "Tour bus operators who have had their vehicles idly parked for over three years are now gearing up for (bus) inspections," said Thai Tour Bus Association President Wasuchet Sophonsatien. Thailand, Japan, the United States, South Korea, Australia, Macao, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan were the most-searched destinations. Yue Hua Entertainment Korea, which manages Tempest, did not respond to a request for comment. "The pandemic outbreak on the mainland is still vigorous and needs time to recover, while domestic consumption remains weak on the mainland."

Analysts polled by Reuters had predicted new yuan loans would drop to 1.1 trillion yuan in December from 1.21 trillion yuan the previous month. New bank lending hit a record 21.31 trillion yuan in 2022, up from 19.95 trillion yuan in 2021 - the previous record. Broad M2 money supply grew by 11.8% in December from a year earlier, central bank data showed, below estimates of 12.2% forecast in the Reuters poll. Outstanding yuan loans grew by 11.1% in December from a year earlier compared with 11.0% growth in November. In December, TSF fell to 1.31 trillion yuan from 1.99 trillion yuan in November.

☆ China’s Xi Jinping Provides Rare Acknowledgment of Covid-19 Policies’ Toll
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Sha Hua | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SINGAPORE—China’s leader Xi Jinping offered a rare acknowledgment of the difficulties that three years of pandemic controls—which were abruptly lifted this month—have imposed on the Chinese population. He called for more determination and promised better times ahead. “It has not been an easy journey for anyone. Everyone is holding on with great fortitude, and the light of hope is right in front of us,” Mr. Xi said during his annual New Year’s Eve speech to the nation on Saturday.

☆ China’s Xi Jinping Provides Rare Acknowledgment of Covid Policies’ Toll
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Sha Hua | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ In China, Protesting Travelers Avoid Last Days of Quarantine
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Sha Hua | Rachel Liang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SINGAPORE—Some groups of Chinese travelers have staged spot protests against being sent into still-mandatory quarantine—and they have won. China has announced an end to quarantine on arrival, but not until Jan. 8. At the Nanjing airport, about 100 travelers argued with health workers and police that it made no sense to follow a rule that was about to disappear.

He has met the emperor and welcomed President Biden to his home, but Rahm Emanuel said an equally thrilling moment as ambassador to Japan came when he was offered a ride in the conductor’s cabin of a bullet train. His eyes opened wide. The train races toward Tokyo at more than 150 miles an hour. “Yeah, I want to! If you’ll let me,” Mr. Emanuel, 63, recalled saying.

Analysts polled by Reuters had predicted new yuan loans would jump to 1.35 trillion yuan in November. Household loans, including mortgages, rose to 262.7 billion yuan in November, versus a contraction of 18 billion yuan in October. Corporate loans rose to 883.7 billion yuan from 462.2 billion yuan in October. New loans totalled 19.91 trillion yuan in January-November, central bank data showed, compared with a record 19.95 trillion yuan in 2021. Outstanding yuan loans grew 11.0% in November from a year earlier compared with 11.1% growth in October.

☆ Late Chinese leader Jiang Zemin's ashes are scattered at mouth of Yangtze River
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, Dec 11 (Reuters) - The ashes of late Chinese leader Jiang Zemin were scattered into the sea at the mouth of the Yangtze River on Sunday, the state-run Xinhua news agency said. After arriving in Shanghai, the ashes were taken by hearse to the Wusong military port. Then Jiang's relatives escorted the ashes aboard the Yangzhou, a Chinese People's Liberation Army warship which was named after Jiang's hometown Yangzhou, Xinhua said. At the mouth of the Yangtze River, Jiang's widow Wang Yeping and other relatives, as well as Cai Qi, a senior Communist Party member, slowly scattered Jiang's ashes and colourful flower petals to the river and sea, it said. "Comrade Jiang Zemin devoted his life unreservedly to the motherland and the people," Xinhua said.

☆ China's capital swings from anger over zero-COVID to coping with infections
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] Pandemic control workers in protective suits sit in a neighbourhood that used to be under lockdown, as coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreaks continue, in Beijing, China December 10, 2022. Anecdotal evidence suggests that many businesses have been forced to close as infected workers quarantine at home while many other people are deciding not to go out because of the higher risk of infection. "We can see that hundreds of thousands or tens of thousands of people are infected in several major cities," Zhong said. China's economy may grow 1.6% in the first quarter of 2023 from a year earlier, and 4.9% in the second, according to Capital Economics. Inbound travellers are subjected to five days of quarantine at centralised government facilities and three additional days of self-monitoring at home.

TSMC's Arizona factory has sparked concerns in Taiwan, where semiconductor manufacturing is the backbone of the economy, about a "goodbye to Taiwan" trend among chip firms. "TSMC's research and development centre is in Taiwan, the complete supply chain is here," she said. "Taiwan has a complete supply chain, a complete system, and the backing of the government. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (2330.TW), , as it is formally called, has repeatedly said that the bulk of its manufacturing will remain in Taiwan. It is also encouraging more foreign tech firms in the chip supply chain to invest in Taiwan.

☆ China Turns to Well-Worn Playbook to Keep Protesters Off Streets
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Sha Hua | Josh Chin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Nearly a week after protests exploded across China over the country’s zero-tolerance Covid controls, Chinese authorities have restored a tense calm to the streets with a two-pronged strategy. Chinese leaders have moved to address the demands of protesters by signaling an easing of the country’s strict Covid policies. At the same time, police have deployed en masse to the sites of protests and hunted down activists, one by one, using the tools of the digital surveillance state.

☆ Obituary: China's Jiang Zemin confounded doubters, mended U.S. ties
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/5] A security guard stands next to a portrait of China's former President Jiang Zemin at an exhibition to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Beijing, China, July 7, 2011. Under Jiang, China weathered the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis, joined the World Trade Organisation in 2001 and won the bid to host the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. "Jiang Zemin was more ready to be natural, even though sometimes it could be perceived as vulgar, not very sophisticated." At celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the People's Republic in 1999, floats carried giant portraits of Mao, Deng and Jiang past Tiananmen Square. Jiang, like Mao, wore his trousers well above his waist and brushed his hair straight back.

☆ China’s New Daily Covid Cases Jump Above 24,000
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Sha Hua | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Beijing reported more than 450 new cases, close to Monday’s record. SINGAPORE—China’s central government has laid out preparations to deal with surging Covid-19 infections, while warning local authorities against “irresponsible loosening” of pandemic-control measures. China would continue to “rectify the practice of excessive measures such as lockdowns, while also opposing irresponsible attitudes and prevent a loosening up,” said Mi Feng, spokesman for China’s National Health Commission during a briefing on Thursday.

☆ Resurrection of U.S.-China Ties Boosts COP27 Climate Talks
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Chao Deng | Sha Hua | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SHARM EL SHEIKH, Egypt—The revival of formal dialogue between the U.S. and China at United Nations climate talks in Egypt is injecting diplomatic momentum into negotiations that delegates say have been rife with division. Cooperation between the U.S. and China is critical if the world is to avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change, according to climate scientists. Without the world’s two largest emitters of carbon dioxide working together, they say, it will be impossible to meet the target of limiting global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius and preferably 1.5 degrees Celsius.

☆ China Continues to Relax Covid Measures Even as Local Officials Battle Record Cases
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Liyan Qi | Sha Hua | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Several cities said they would no longer carry out mandatory mass testing. SINGAPORE—A sevenfold surge in coronavirus infections over the past two weeks is testing China’s new policy of loosened measures that aim to reduce the impact of zero-Covid restrictions. On Wednesday, China reported almost 20,000 new locally transmitted Covid-19 cases, with infections recorded all over the country. While below the peak in April, when nine out of 10 cases nationwide were in Shanghai, the latest wave of infections has spread more widely, with multiple regions battling their biggest outbreaks of the pandemic.

[1/2] Semiconductor chips are seen on a circuit board of a computer in this illustration picture taken February 25, 2022. REUTERS/Florence Lo/IllustrationTAIPEI, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has decried what she called "rumours" about the risk of investing in the island's semiconductor industry and said the government was working hard to ensure investments continued. But the Chinese military's menacing of the island to assert Beijing's sovereignty claims, especially after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei in August, is causing the chip industry to rethink the risk surrounding Taiwan. Tsai, who met with ASML Holding's (ASML.AS) chief operations officer Frederic Schneider-Maunoury on Tuesday, praised the European manufacturer of chip-making equipment for its commitment to investing in Taiwan. Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Sarah Wu; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Edwina GibbsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China Resists Climate Pressure From West, but Makes Gains on Its Own
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Phred Dvorak | Sha Hua | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

China is sending a large delegation to the United Nations climate summit in Egypt, but it is unlikely to bow to demands to strengthen its pledge to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, China energy experts say. The country wants to appear independent, rather than in collaboration with the U.S., when it makes any new climate commitments, they say. It is facing criticism from the U.S. and other countries that its pledges to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions aren’t aggressive enough.

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