DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Italy signed up to China's Belt and Road Initiative. Now it's having second thoughts
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Silvia Amaro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

At the time, analysts said that by joining the project, Italy was undermining Europe's ability to stand up to Beijing. Two years down the line and with a new government in place, Rome is now having another think about its ties with China. China sees Taiwan as a breakaway province, while Taiwan sees itself as separate from China, having ruled itself since splitting from the mainland in 1949 following a protracted civil war. If Italy chooses closer ties to Taiwan that will surely jeopardize its relations with China. "I believe they might not decide anything," Menegazzi said, suggesting the Italian government will continue its Belt and Road participation for now.

☆ China Detains Taiwan-Based Publisher in National Security Investigation
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Amy Chang Chien | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

TAIPEI, Taiwan — A Taiwan-based publisher who disappeared while in China has been detained for suspected violations of security laws, Chinese authorities confirmed on Wednesday, fanning concerns in Taiwan that Beijing is sending a warning to the island’s vibrant publishing sector. The publisher, Li Yanhe, widely known by his pen name, Fu Cha, is a Chinese citizen who has been living in Taiwan since 2009. His company, Gusa Publishing, is well known in Taiwan for books that cast a critical eye on China’s ruling Communist Party. Mr. Li had returned to China early last month to visit relatives but fell out of contact shortly after, according to his colleagues and friends. Mr. Li’s detention is “a strong blow and will have a chilling effect,” Bei Ling, a writer from China living in Taiwan, said on Wednesday.

☆ China's defense minister applauds Putin for 'promoting world peace' amid Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

China's defense minister applauded Putin for "promoting world peace" as they met in Moscow. Beijing and Moscow have maintained warm ties in spite of Russia's brutal war in Ukraine. The war in Ukraine — the largest military conflict in Europe since World War II — has left Ukrainian cities in ruins and wreaked havoc on the global economy. As Europe curtails Russian energy imports in response to the war in Ukraine, China remains a major buyer. Meanwhile, China in February unveiled a peace plan for the Ukraine war, which was met with major skepticism in Washington.

☆ There is 'no situation' where Taiwan can defend itself against China the way Ukraine has fought against Russia, says APAC security expert
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Taiwan can't fight off China alone, even if it gets NATO weapons, said an APAC security expert. There's "no situation" where Taiwan can pull off its own defense like Ukraine has, she said. Taipei's game plan will rely on holding out so the US can arrive, she told The Washington Post. "Taiwan has to be able to hold out long enough for the United States to get enough forces in theater," Mastro told the outlet. And US forces would be significantly delayed if war does break out over the Taiwan Strait, she added.

☆ Opinion: Amid fallout of Macron-Xi meeting, another world leader tries his luck
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Editor’s Note: Frida Ghitis, a former CNN producer and correspondent, is a world affairs columnist. She is a weekly opinion contributor to CNN, a contributing columnist to The Washington Post and a columnist for World Politics Review. Like most of China’s diplomacy, the country paints itself as champion of global peace, even as it launches menacing military maneuvers. French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands at a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, April 6. Just hours after Macron left, China launched an alarming military operation, encircling Taiwan in a simulation of an assault.

☆ Young people in Greater China are blowing their paychecks every month — even if they don't have to
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Goh Chiew Tong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

"Yue guang zu" ("moonlight clan") refers young singles in Greater China who go broke at the end of each month, or live paycheck to paycheck. Hsu belongs to a group of people in Taiwan, typically young and single workers, called the "yue guang zu" — the so-called "moonlight clan." Eric Hsu Civil engineerBut when a serious knee injury took him out of work for two weeks without pay, Hsu realized he was unable to support himself. "Young people would rather give up that dream and spend money on things they are guaranteed to get today." After his experience, he canceled his credit cards two years ago and committed to saving one third of his salary each month.

☆ CNBC Daily Open: Reality settles in
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Jihye Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

This report is from today's CNBC Daily Open, our new, international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. The 10-year Treasury yield also fell to its lowest since mid-September, and its spread with the 3-month Treasury yield maintained wide levels. And we'll see what European leaders have to say as they visit Beijing to denounce Russia's invasion, following Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Subscribe here to get this report sent directly to your inbox each morning before markets open.

☆ CNBC Daily Open: Reality sinks in
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Jihye Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

This report is from today's CNBC Daily Open, our new, international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. Such a yield-curve inversion is seen by many on Wall Street as a signal that a recession is near. And we'll see what European leaders have to say as they visit Beijing to denounce Russia's invasion, following Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Subscribe here to get this report sent directly to your inbox each morning before markets open.

Hong Kong/Tokyo CNN —Japan will restrict the overseas sale of chip manufacturing equipment, joining the United States and the Netherlands in curbing the export of key technology to China. The ministry said it would require stricter procedures to export to about 160 destinations such as China, while 42 territories — including the United States, South Korea and Taiwan — are recognized by Japan as having adequate export controls in place. All exports to countries not formally recognized will now require approval from the Japanese trade ministry, it added. The restrictions are not aimed at a specific country, the trade ministry told CNN on Friday. In October, the United States banned Chinese companies from buying advanced chips and chipmaking equipment without a license.

☆ TSMC: Taiwanese chipmaker plans to hire 6,000 employees in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —Semiconductor giant TSMC plans to add more than 6,000 jobs this year, despite a broader slowdown in demand for chips. TSMC, which stands for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, produces an estimated 90% of the world’s super-advanced chips. TSMC announced last year that it’s building a second semiconductor factory in Phoenix, and increasing its investment there. The average salary for a new engineer based in Taiwan with a master’s degree would be 2 million New Taiwan Dollars (about $65,400), according to TSMC. That would equate to roughly 533,004 New Taiwan Dollars ($17,426) per year.

☆ China approved equivalent of two new coal plants a week in 2022, report finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

“China continues to be the glaring exception to the ongoing global decline in coal plant development,” said Flora Champenois, a research analyst at GEM. Throughout 2022, China granted permits for 106 gigawatts of capacity across 82 sites, quadruple the capacity approved in 2021 and equal to starting two large coal power plants each week, said the report. To ease the power crunch, coal plants boosted their output, with daily thermal coal consumption hitting a record high in August. It added that for China to truly cut down on carbon emissions, it needs to start phasing out its “vast coal power plant fleet” rather than continue growing it. Besides the plants’ environmental impact, their “politically influential owners … have an interest in protecting their assets,” said the report.

☆ U.S. will create at least two semiconductor manufacturing clusters by 2030, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo testifies before a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 1, 2022. WASHINGTON — The U.S. will use funds from the $52 billion CHIPS and Science Act to create at least two large-scale logic fabs for the manufacture of semiconductors, along with multiple high-volume advanced packaging facilities, by 2030, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo announced Thursday. U.S.-based manufacturing plants, known as "fabs," will produce advanced memory chips "on economically competitive terms," Raimondo said. "This is fundamentally a national security issue," she said. The Commerce secretary reiterated the government's plans to invest $11 billion in what it calls a National Semiconductor Technology Center.

☆ Chinese people fed up with the rat race are calling themselves 'huminerals' — human resources to be relentlessly exploited and discarded
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The post's author, a user named Zhang Wanzhi, listed various aspects of a humineral's life. A humineral's life is divided into three stages, wrote Zhang, per CDT. The first is a Chinese person's formative and schooling years, which exist so the person can be "mined" and made available for usage, Zhang's post read. Then, the next few decades are a stage of "consumption" where the worker is exploited, the post read, according CDT. The origins of the term "humineral" are not immediately clear.

☆ Taiwan finds crashed weather balloon on remote island, says it is likely from China
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Chinese dredger boat seen from the ferry between Nangan and Dongyin, Matsu archipelago Taiwan, Aug. 30, 2022. Taiwan's military said on Thursday it had found the remains of a probable crashed weather balloon likely from China on a remote and strategically located island near the Chinese coast, amid a dispute between China and the United States over spy balloons. Taiwan, claimed by China as its own territory, has complained of increased harassment by Beijing's armed forces over the past three years, including fighter jets flying near the island and drones buzzing close to offshore islets. The sphere is about 1 meter in diameter with an instrument box marked with simplified Chinese characters — which are used in China but not Taiwan — and the wording "Taiyuan Radio No. 1 Factory Co., Ltd.," "GTS13 digital datmospheric sounding instrument" and "meteorological instrument," the army said.

☆ Beijing's response to the US shooting down its balloon has been muted. It might be China's way of preparing for a future in which the roles are reversed, says international law expert.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

China has to consider what it will do if the US sends balloons into Chinese airspace, a legal expert said. If Beijing pushes too hard on its response, its own rhetoric may backfire later, Julian Ku told NYT. In a statement on Sunday, China condemned the Department of Defense for destroying the balloon, saying the Pentagon "obviously overreacted" and "seriously violated international practices." "Moreover, they need to think about their own rights in case the US starts sending balloons or drones into China," Ku told the outlet. "We treat our enemies with fine wine, but for our enemies we got shotguns," China's ambassador to Sweden infamously said on radio in 2019.

☆ Xi Jinping is 'preparing the Chinese people for war,' Trump-era National Security Adviser says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

McMaster warned that Xi Jinping is preparing China for war. download the app Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyHerbert Raymond McMaster, a former National Security Adviser, said on Monday he believes Chinese President Xi Jinping is "preparing the Chinese people for war." McMaster urged the US to increase its military presence in the Asia Pacific region. In November, Xi urged the Chinese military to be ready for potential war and outlined a vision for the People's Liberation Army to become a world-class force by 2027. The Chinese president also denounced "foreign interference" with Taiwan — a veiled threat against the US that came after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's August visit to Taipei.

☆ Taiwan to extend military conscription to one year, citing threat from China
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan will extend compulsory military service to one year from four months starting in 2024 due to the rising threat the democratically governed island faces from its giant neighbor China, President Tsai Ing-wen said on Tuesday. Tsai, speaking after a national security council meeting of senior security officials, said Taiwan wanted peace but needed to be able to defend itself. “Taiwan wants to tell the world that between democracy and dictatorship, we firmly believe in democracy. China also staged war games near Taiwan in August following a visit to Taipei by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Reuters has reported that military training in Taiwan, particularly for conscripts and reservists, had deteriorated.

☆ China sends 71 warplanes and 7 ships toward Taiwan in 24 hours
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

TAIPEI, Taiwan — China’s military sent 71 planes and seven ships toward Taiwan in a 24-hour display of force directed at the island, Taiwan’s defense ministry said Monday, after China expressed anger at Taiwan-related provisions in a U.S. annual defense spending bill passed on Saturday. Among the planes China sent toward Taiwan were 18 J-16 fighter jets, 11 J-1 fighters, 6 Su-30 fighters and drones. Shi was referring to the U.S. defense spending bill, which calls China a strategic challenge. China’s military has often used large military exercises as a demonstration of force in response to U.S. government actions in support of Taiwan. It conducted large live-fire military exercises in August in response to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.

☆ With tension rising in the Pacific, US special operators have a new goal: Creating 'multiple dilemmas' for China
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

US special operators are aiming to create "multiple dilemmas" for China, SOCOM's commander says. Multiple dilemmasUS Navy SEALs, Philippine Navy special operators, and Australian special-operations soldiers during an exercise in Palawan in April. 1st Class Jared N. GehmannUS special operators need to continue "developing and strengthening the partner and ally piece that's a comparative and competitive advantage for this nation," Fenton said. Moreover, US special operators have been working closely with all US military branches to better understand how those branches operate and how SOCOM can support them in a conflict with China. The Pentagon's top special-operations official said in May 2021 that special operators could be "a key contributor" to resisting a Chinese attempt to seize Taiwan.

Each new B-21 is pegged at roughly $729.25 million, and the U.S. Air Force expects to procure at least 100 of them. Factoring in inflation, it’s half the price of the exorbitantly expensive B-2 stealth bomber it’s meant to replace. Factoring in inflation, it’s half the price of the exorbitantly expensive B-2 stealth bomber it’s meant to replace. (China’s military grasps the benefit of long-range stealth bombers in the Pacific context and is developing its own Raider-like stealth bomber intended to expand its strike range.) That isn’t to say the Raider program should be written a blank check.

☆ China's military has been spending a lot more time working on how to forcefully capture an island, Pentagon says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

China's military has been increasingly practicing seizing islands, the Pentagon says. The US has accused China of engaging in aggressive behavior around Taiwan and in the South China Sea. As an extensive assessment of China's military might, the report outlines the threat that China poses to the self-ruled democratic island of Taiwan. In addition to Beijing's longstanding focus on Taiwan, China also holds competing claims to islands and reefs in the South China Sea, where China has been building military outposts and strengthening its position. Earlier this month, Vice President Kamala Harris made a rare trip to a South China Sea hotspot, specifically the Philippine island of Palawan, which overlooks contested areas in the strategic waterway.

☆ More anti-Covid protests in China triggered by deadly fire
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Protests against China’s restrictive Covid-19 measures appeared to roil in a number of cities Saturday night, in displays of public defiance fanned by anger over a deadly fire in the western Xinjiang region. A protester who gave only his family name, Zhao, said one of his friends was beaten by police and two friends were pepper sprayed. Posts about the protest were deleted immediately on China’s social media, as China’s Communist Party commonly does to suppress criticism. The Associated Press could not independently verify all the videos, but two Urumqi residents who declined to be named out of fear of retribution said large-scale protests occurred Friday night. The AP pinpointed the locations of two of the videos of the protests in different parts of Urumqi.

☆ Taiwan president resigns as party leader after election loss
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen resigned as head of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party following local election losses on Saturday suffered by her party. Tsai had spoken out many times about “opposing China and defending Taiwan” in the course of campaigning for her party. “Faced with a result like this, there are many areas that we must deeply review.”Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen casts her ballot at a polling station in New Taipei City, Taiwan on Nov. 26, 2022. They’ve raised a local election to this international level, and Taiwan’s survival,” said Yeh-lih Wang, a political science professor at National Taiwan University. At an elementary school in New Taipei City, the city that surrounds Taipei, voters young and old came early despite the rain.

☆ Biden wants to discuss Taiwan, Russia and trade with China’s Xi
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said Wednesday he plans at an anticipated meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss growing tensions between Washington and Beijing over the self-ruled island of Taiwan, trade policies and Beijing’s relationship with Russia. Biden told reporters at a White House news conference that he had much to discuss with Xi as U.S.-Chinese relations have grown more fraught in recent months. The White House and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin were quick to clarify that there was no change in U.S. policy. Chinese President Xi Jinping inspects a joint operations command center at an undisclosed location on Tuesday. Li Gang / Xinhua via APAs president, Biden has repeatedly accused China of human rights abuses of the Uyghur people and other ethnic minorities.

☆ China panda experts visit Taiwan in rare point of contact
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan has welcomed a pair of experts from China to help with an ailing panda in a rare opportunity for contact between the sides. The two experts arrived Tuesday after Taipei Zoo’s Tuan Tuan, suspected to have a malignant brain tumor, took a turn for the worse. The giant panda and his mate, Yuan Yuan, were gifted to the zoo in 2008 during a time of warming relations between China and Taiwan, which split amid civil war in 1949. Chinese panda experts checking on Tuan Tuan at the zoo in Taipei on Wednesday. AFP - Getty ImagesAn MRI on Tuan Tuan showed that lesions on his brain had grown in a sign the disease was “progressing rapidly,” the zoo said in a news release.

Search resuls for: "Taiwan —"

25 mentions found