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☆ Their parents made China the world's factory. Can the kids save the family business?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( David Kirton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Du, like tens of thousands of other young Chinese factory bosses, is inheriting a basic manufacturing business that can no longer rely on the labour-intensive model that made China the world's largest exporter of goods. Those skills would come in handy in a factory the Chinese state set up in 1951 and privatised in 2002. Like five of the other chang er dai who spoke to Reuters, Zhang never planned to take over the factory. Chang er dai, however, help lift the bottom, which is also important for preserving China's share of world manufacturing, two industry experts told Reuters. Not all chang er dai will get there.

Persons: Steven Du, Du, Zhang Zhipeng, Mao Zedong's, Du said, Zhang, Zhang Zeqing, Chang, Zhou Yuxiang, Tian Weihua, Tian, Zhang Ying, David Kirton, Marius Zaharia, David Crawshaw Organizations: Shenzhen Research Institute of High, Reuters, Apple, Agricultural Products, Lake Technologies, Science, Technology Innovation Research Institute, University of Arts, Workers, Thomson Locations: RUICHANG, China, Shanghai, Southeast Asia, India, New Zealand, United States, TW, Wisconsin, Ruichang, France, London, Ningbo

In the next three days, most of southern China is expected to suffer temperatures of more than 35 Celsius (95 Fahrenheit), with temperatures in some areas exceeding 40C, national forecasters said on Friday. Extreme hot weather beset China, like many part of Asia in recent weeks, even before summer arrived. But how they are occurring - it's just been week on week on week of these records being shattered," said Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick, a climate scientist with the University of New South Wales. ELECTRICITY DEMANDDemand for electricity in southern manufacturing hubs, including Guangdong, has surged in recent days, with China Southern Power Grid, one of the country's two grid operators, seeing peak power load exceeding 200 million kilowatts - weeks earlier than normal and close to historical highs. Powerful convection weather has also wreaked havoc in central China in recent weeks, with protracted downpours and even hail devastating the country's ongoing wheat harvest.

Persons: David Kirton, we've, Zhao, Yang, haven't, heatstroke, I'm, Sarah Perkins, Kirkpatrick, Mei, Gao Rong, Ryan Woo, Qiaoyi Li, David Stanway, Michael Perry, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: heatwave, REUTERS, Reuters, University of New, China Southern Power Grid, National Climate Centre, Thomson Locations: Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China, BEIJING, Shanghai, Asia, University of New South Wales, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Henan, Beijing, Singapore

☆ Chinese tech entrepreneurs keen to 'de-China' as tensions with US soar
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( David Kirton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

But he's dismayed by the U.S.-China trade spats and the restrictions on a growing number of Chinese companies that have been imposed, or are being proposed, by U.S. lawmakers. "It's very unfair," he said, lamenting that competitors from other countries did not face similar issues when trying to expand into the United States. Reuters spoke to seven tech entrepreneurs from mainland China, most of them educated overseas, who would like to expand their businesses in the United States. Geopolitical tensions have meant a far less friendly atmosphere for mainland Chinese companies wanting to operate or gain funding in the United States, the entrepreneurs and consultants say. The U.S. Commerce Department did not respond to a request for comment on attitudes towards Chinese companies within the United States.

Persons: Florence Lo, Ryan, Trump, Joe Biden, Major flashpoints, James McGregor, Xi, Wilson, Chris Pereira, Shein, PDD, Pereira, Tommy, David Kirton, Eduardo Baptista, Casey, Brenda Goh, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: REUTERS, Huawei, U.S ., U.S, Micron Technology, Washington DC, Chinese Communist Party, Greater, APCO Worldwide, U.S . Commerce Department, Reuters, of Information, American Ecosystem Institute . Companies, PDD Holdings, U.S . Customs, Border Protection, Casey Hall, Thomson Locations: China, SHENZHEN, U.S, Washington, United States, Shenzhen, East Asia, North America, Hong Kong, Canada, Japan, Singapore, Montana, Greater China, Beijing, China's, Shanghai, Dublin

☆ The more nuclear weapons that exist, the more things can go wrong: G7 Research Group
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThe more nuclear weapons that exist, the more things can go wrong: G7 Research GroupJohn Kirton, director of the research group, says one of the greatest dangers is an "accidental, unintended, unauthorized" launch.

☆ Tencent cuts cloud service prices up to 40% to fend off rivals
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Josh Ye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (9988.HK) said last month it would slash prices for some cloud products by up to 50%. Wei Yunfeng, a researcher at data firm IDC, said the price cuts were triggered in part by high sales targets despite slowing growth for the market. Alibaba's cloud revenue accounts for about 9% of its total revenue. James Mitchell, Tencent's chief strategy officer, told analysts on a call: "The impact of price cuts on Tencent as a whole is not notable." Moreover, price cuts only apply to its infrastructure-as-a-service business, which represent only a portion of Tencent's cloud services.

☆ Huawei launches in-house software system after being cut off from US services
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( David Kirton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ERP software is used by companies to manage key business operations ranging from accounting to supply chain management. "We were cut off from the old ERP system and other core operation and management systems three years ago," said Tao Jingwen, a Huawei board member and president of its quality, business process and IT management department. The in-house Meta-ERP has been rolled out across 80% of the company's business, Huawei said in a news release. The cut off was a "massive crisis" for Huawei, Tao said in his speech, saying that the old system had been core to the company's operations for over two decades. Huawei's 'meta-ERP' system is a 'cloud-native' product, which uses the company's cloud-computing systems for greater efficiency than traditional ERP products, the person said.

[1/3] A staff member attends to visitors at an oven retailer at the China Import and Export Fair, also known as Canton Fair, in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China April 16, 2023. REUTERS/Ellen ZhangGUANGZHOU, April 16 (Reuters) - Chinese exporters exhibiting their products at the country's largest trade fair said the weak global economy was hurting their businesses, with many freezing investments and some cutting labour costs in response. Lin said the company cannot afford to sell at lower prices, but it may look to reduce labour costs. Vicky Chen, foreign trade manager at socket producer Qinjia Electric, said she did not expect a big sales boost at the fair, which runs until May 5. "The whole global economy is fairing poorly at the moment, and the fair won't change that."

☆ China's Huawei says 'out of crisis' mode as revenue edges up
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( David Kirton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

But it posted net profit of 35.6 billion yuan ($5.18 billion), down some two-thirds from 2021 when profit was helped by the sale of its Honor mid-range smartphone business. INDUSTRY SUPPORTR&D spending over the year rose 13.2% to 161.5 billion yuan ($23.50 billion), equivalent to a quarter of company revenue. Such spending helped Huawei with replacing components in its products that were hit by U.S. trade sanctions, Meng said. Revenue for 2022 came in at 642.3 billion yuan. Huawei's asset-to-liability ratio was 58.9% and it had a net cash balance of 176.3 billion yuan.

☆ Huawei posts slump in annual profit but ekes out revenue growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( David Kirton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SHENZHEN, China, March 31 (Reuters) - China's Huawei Technologies Co Ltd (HWT.UL) said net profit slumped last year, as the tech conglomerate boosted research and development spending and grappled with increases in materials costs. It posted net profit of 35.6 billion yuan ($5.2 billion), down roughly two-thirds from 2021 when profit was helped by the sale of its Honor mid-range smartphone business. Revenue for 2022 came in at 642.3 billion yuan. R&D spending rose 13.2% to 161.5 billion yuan, equivalent to a quarter of the company's revenue, said Meng. Huawei's asset-to-liability ratio was 58.9% and it had a net cash balance of 176.3 billion yuan.

☆ Huawei makes breakthroughs in design tools for 14nm chips -media
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The announcement comes as Huawei and other Chinese technology companies rush to localise their supply chains in the face of mounting U.S. sanctions. According to a transcript of Xu's remarks published by Caijing, Huawei cooperated with domestic EDA companies to create the software, "basically realising the localisation of EDA tools above 14nm." Chip design companies use EDA software to produce the blueprints for chips before they are mass manufactured at fabs. China is home to a handful of domestic EDA software makers, but experts do not consider them globally competitive. All three overseas EDA companies fell subject to Washington's sanctions against Huawei in 2020.

☆ China's Huawei makes breakthrough in design tools for 14nm chips and above - media
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay/File PhotoSHENZHEN, China, March 24 - Huawei Technologies Co Ltd (HWT.UL) has made breakthroughs in electronic design automation (EDA) tools for chips produced at and above 14-nanometre technology, Caijing financial news magazine reported on Friday, citing a speech by a senior Huawei executive. Huawei will complete testing on the tools this year, rotating chairman Xu Zhijun said in a speech on Feb 28., Caijing reported. Huawei has developed 78 tools related to chip hardware and software, the report added. Chip design companies use EDA software to produce the blueprints for chips before they are mass manufactured at fabs. China is home to a handful of domestic EDA software makers, but experts do not consider them globally competitive.

☆ Huawei touts camera on latest premium smartphone without 5G
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Huawei, also a major supplier of equipment used in 5G telecommunications networks, has been the target of successive rounds of U.S. export controls since 2019. The company's former budget unit Honor claimed 18% of the market last year, with 30% annual growth, Canalys said. Huawei sold Honor to a consortium of over 30 agents and dealers to keep it alive in late 2019. Huawei also launched the more premium P60 Pro and foldable Mate X3, with prices starting at 6,988 yuan and 12,999 yuan respectively. ($1 = 6.8230 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by David Kirton; editing by Christian SchmollingerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China's top diplomat reiterates calls for dialogue over Ukraine crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 18 (Reuters) - China has "neither stood by idly nor thrown fuel on the fire" regarding the crisis in Ukraine, and continues to call for peace and dialogue, top diplomat Wang Yi said at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday. China will set out its position on settling the Ukraine crisis in a document that will state all countries' territorial integrity must be respected, Wang said. Asked to reassure the audience that military escalation was not imminent over the Taiwan Strait, Wang said Taiwan "independence forces" are incompatible with peace. "If we want to maintain peace across the Taiwan Strait, we must resolutely oppose Taiwan independence, and we must resolutely maintain the one-China policy." Reporting by David Kirton in Shenzhen, China, Ryan Woo in Beijing and Laura Lin in Shanghai; editing by Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Huawei's Meng Wanzhou to take over as rotating chairperson -report
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SHENZHEN, China, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Meng Wanzhou will begin her term as the rotating chairperson of Huawei Technologies (HWT.UL) on April 1, Shanghai Security News reported on Wednesday. Meng returned to China in September 2021 after nearly three years detention over alleged attempts by Huawei-linked companies to sell equipment to Iran in breach of U.S. sanctions. Meng, the daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, was allowed to return home after reaching an agreement with U.S. prosecutors. Huawei’s website announced last year that Meng, the company's finance chief, would become rotating chairperson, but did not specify when her term would begin. In the role, she will act as the company's top leader and head Huawei's board of directors for six months.

☆ COVID-hit Chinese factories eye gradual recovery after Lunar New Year break
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( David Kirton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

But people running factories expect that the sudden U-turn will at least deliver a recovery that will be faster than what would have followed a phased withdrawal of controls. Economically, the country should finally leave behind a pandemic that suppressed domestic demand and snarled global supply chains for three years. LIMPING BACK TO NORMALLi's factories had to scramble last month, when up to a third of their workers were down with COVID at the same time. Her industry peer Li says his factories might even need to cut jobs later this year if external demand weakens. "If the U.S. economy enters a recession, then it's going to be very damaging to us," he said.

Reuters could not immediately establish if the deaths were due to COVID. The NHC also reported 1,995 symptomatic infections for Dec. 18, compared with 2,097 a day earlier. A hashtag on the two reported COVID deaths quickly became the top trending topic on China's Twitter-like Weibo platform on Monday morning. But it is not just the elderly that are wary of vaccines in China. While China's medical community in general doesn't doubt the safety of China's vaccines, some say questions remain over their efficacy compared to foreign-made mRNA counterparts.

☆ 'I don't trust it:' Vaccine hesitancy lingers even as China COVID cases surge
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( David Kirton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"I don't trust it," she said, speaking on the condition that only her first name be used. It has also yet to introduce its own version of an mRNA vaccine. "At least a half of doctors and educated people wanted to get the mRNA ones and refused to get the Chinese ones," Lei said. "After a while, people see no hope and also they are kind of forced to get the Chinese ones, so they had to accept it. Lei said many of her friends are looking to visit the neighbouring Chinese territory of Macau, where mainlanders can receive mRNA vaccines.

☆ Inside China's fight over the future of zero-COVID
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( David Stanway | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +10 min

After nearly three years, a significant loosening of zero-COVID measures has been signalled by senior government officials and public health experts. Vice Premier Sun Chunlan said on Thursday that China's health system had "withstood the test" of COVID, allowing further adjustments to state policies. "You can have zero-COVID, but you can't have a healthy economy, and you can have a healthy economy, but you can't have zero-COVID." Laura Yasaitis, a public health expert at the Eurasia Group think-tank who follows China's zero-COVID policies, said fear of the virus likely varied widely across the country, as well as within cities or provinces. Officials have repeatedly said that China's health system would be unable to cope with a surge in cases, with medical resources unevenly distributed across the country.

Overseas-based Chinese and their supporters rallied in Sydney, Tokyo, Hong Kong, New York and Toronto, with more protests planned in coming days. Outside the Chinese consulate in New York, hundreds gathered, some waving blank white placards, which have become a protest symbol in China. About 50 mainland Chinese students attended the rally, which was the biggest protest by mainland Chinese in Australia, said Chen Yonglin, a democracy activist who promoted the vigil on social media. "They will try to find out who are the organisers," said Chen, a former Chinese consulate official who defected in 2005. The Chinese embassy in Australia and the education office of the Chinese consulate in Sydney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

☆ China's Shenzhen limits indoor venue occupancy, asks public to work from home
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BEIJING, Nov 27 (Reuters) - The Chinese city of Shenzhen said it will limit restaurant and other indoor venues to 50% occupancy as part of its COVID prevention measures. New arrivals to the southern city will be barred from entering venues such as theatres and gyms for the first three days, it also said in a government notice on WeChat. During an evening briefing, local authorities also required the majority of enterprises, employees and residents to work from home from Monday to Friday. Reporting by Beijing newsroom and David Kirton in Shenzhen; Writing by Liz Lee; Editing by Edwina Gibbs and Elaine HardcastleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

A source familiar with the situation in Zhengzhou said production at the plant was unaffected by the worker unrest and output remained "normal". It makes most of the phones at the Zhengzhou plant, though it has other smaller production sites in India and southern China. Shares of Foxconn have slipped 2% since the unrest emerged in late October. Before the unrest, the Zhengzhou plant employed some 200,000 people. To retain staff and lure more workers Foxconn has had to offer bonuses and higher salaries.

☆ Apple Inc supplier Foxconn's China plant hit by fresh worker unrest - social media
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The videos showed more than a hundred people clustered outside and coming face to face with dozens of hazmat-suited officials, who they said were police. Some videos showed workers complaining about the food they had been provided while others said they had not been paid bonuses as promised. The Zhengzhou plant is the world's largest iPhone factory with some 200,000 workers. It has maintained so-called closed-loop operations at the plant - a system in which staff live and work on-site isolated from the wider world - due to the COVID situation in Zhengzhou. The curbs and discontent have hit production, prompting Apple Inc to say earlier this month that it expected lower shipments of premium iPhone 14 models.

☆ Younger Chinese are spurning factory jobs that power the economy
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( David Kirton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

For his father's generation, factory work was a lifeline out of rural poverty. For Zhu, and millions of other younger Chinese, the low pay, long hours of drudgery and the risk of injuries are no longer sacrifices worth making. Factory bosses say they would produce more, and faster, with younger blood replacing their ageing workforce. But offering the higher wages and better working conditions that younger Chinese want would risk eroding their competitive advantage. Yet young workers are vital to keep production moving.

SHENZHEN, China/HONG KONG, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings (0700.HK) has begun a new round of job cuts targeted at its video streaming, gaming and cloud businesses, four sources close to the matter said. Two of the sources said some staff in IEG were informed last week they were being laid off. Tencent already cut jobs earlier this year, alongside peers, including Alibaba Group (9988.HK) and smaller Chinese tech companies such as Xiaohongshu. In August, Tencent disclosed its employee numbers fell to 110,715 by the end of June from 116,213 in March. Refintiv data shows analysts expect Tencent to report flat revenues or a small contraction on Wednesday, when it publishes third-quarter results.

The districts in Guangzhou subject to mass testing this week include Haizhu, which has seen the bulk of the city's cases. Lily Li, a Guangzhou resident, said the outbreak in the city had worsened in the past two days, having spread to Tianhe, just north of Haizhu. While COVID cases in China are small by global standards, the policy response has been relentless and mass testing for large populations has been the norm since 2020. Mass testing is generally free, but some local governments are resuming charges for tests as their finances come under strain amid a slowing economy. A COVID testing company in Xuchang, a city in Henan province, said on Tuesday they would stop all testing-related work from Friday due to late payments from authorities.

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