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"Pre-installed apps can be a weak security point and we want to ensure no foreign nations, including China, are exploiting it. India has ramped up scrutiny of Chinese businesses since a 2020 border clash between the neighbours, banning more than 300 Chinese apps, including TikTok. Currently, most smartphones come with pre-installed apps that cannot be deleted, such as Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi's app store GetApps, Samsung's payment app Samsung Pay mini and iPhone maker Apple's browser Safari. While European Union regulations require allowing removal of pre-installed apps, it does not have a screening mechanism to check for compliance like India is considering. An industry executive said some pre-installed apps like the camera are critical to user experience and the government must make a distinction between these and non-essential ones when imposing screening rules.

A DB spokesperson told Reuters that under current IT security legislation it did not have to run network components by Germany's cybersecurity office, the BSI, unlike public telecoms network operators. A BSI spokesperson said it was not aware of any law that determined the DB IT systems as "critical components". A Huawei spokesperson said the firm would never harm any nation or individual. The December contract with Deutsche Telekom Business Solutions, a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom, is for Huawei tech like switches and routers. A government source said it had detected some operators had already built in Huawei critical components without waiting for a BSI green light and could be required to replace those.

☆ US approved 192 licenses for exports to blacklisted Chinese firms early 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Karen Freifeld | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 3 (Reuters) - The Biden administration approved 192 licenses worth over $23 billion to ship U.S. goods and technology to Chinese companies on a U.S. trade blacklist in the first quarter of last year, according to a document released by a U.S. congressional committee on Friday. The 192 licenses granted were out of 242 license applications decided between January and March 2022, a chart showed, and 115 of those approved contained controlled technology. Nineteen, or 8 percent of the total number of applications, were denied, and 31 were returned without action. "This critical U.S. technology is going to the Chinese Communist Party's surveillance and military efforts," he said. BIS also noted that licenses for some well-known Chinese companies are reviewed under policies set by the Trump administration that do not carry presumptions of denial.

☆ Alibaba and Ant venture to launch RISC-V chips for payments
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The development comes as Chinese companies continue to invest heavily in chips, in the wake of U.S. export restrictions targeting China's semiconductor sector. Alibaba is one of several Chinese tech companies to pour research and development resources into RISC-V, an alternate chip architecture. The open-source nature of RISC-V's design in theory makes it less susceptible to export restrictions. In 2019, Washington imposed export restrictions on China's Huawei Technologies Co Ltd (HWT.UL), which threw the company's access to ARM designs in limbo. In late 2022, the United States launched similar export restrictions on Chinese chip fabs and research labs.

☆ Canada bans TikTok from government devices citing security risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Ismail Shakil | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"This may be a first step, it may be the only step we need to take," he said referring to the action against TikTok. As government bans TikTok on work phones, "many Canadians, businesses and private individuals will reflect on the security of their own data and perhaps make choices in consequence," he said. The ban was issued "without citing any specific security concern or contacting us with questions," a TikTok spokesperson said in an emailed statement. Ottawa has also previously excluded Chinese firms from Canada's critical minerals and telecommunication sectors, citing risks to its national security. "The Communications Security Establishment’s Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (Cyber Centre) guidance strongly recommends that Canadians understand the risks and make an informed choice on their own before deciding what tools to use."

BARCELONA, Feb 26 (Reuters) - A clash between Big Tech and European Union telecoms firms over who will underwrite network infrastructure is set to dominate discussion at the world's largest telecoms conference this week. More than 80,000 people, including tech executives, innovators, and regulators, are set to descend on this year's Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona. EU industry chief Thierry Breton on Thursday launched a 12-week consultation on its "fair share" proposals, under which Big Tech platforms would bear more of the costs of the systems which give them access to consumers. By contrast, Deutsche Telekom (DTEGn.DE), Orange (ORAN.PA), Telefonica (TEF.MC) and Telecom Italia (TLIT.MI) have been actively lobbying for Big Tech to pay the fees. "This discussion around 'fair share', or what we sometimes call the 'investment gap', is going to be a threshold question," said John Giusti, GSMA's chief regulatory officer.

☆ 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.

☆ Saudi Arabia says tech giants to invest more than $9 billion in kingdom
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

RIYADH, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has attracted more than $9 billion in investments in future technologies, including by U.S. giants Microsoft (MSFT.O) and Oracle Corp (ORCL.N), which are building cloud regions in the kingdom, a government minister said on Monday. Saudi Minister of Communication and Information Technology Abdullah Alswaha said Microsoft will invest $2.1 billion in a global super-scaler cloud, while Oracle has committed $1.5 billion to build a new cloud region in Riyadh. Saudi officials have pressed international companies to invest in the kingdom and move their regional headquarters to Riyadh in order to benefit from government contracts. The minister said China's Huawei (HWT.UL) will also invest $400 million in cloud infrastructure for its services in Saudi Arabia and another cloud region in partnership with oil giant Aramco (2222.SE). An additional $4.5 billion was invested in global and local assets across multiple sectors at the forum, Alswaha added.

☆ U.S., India partnership targets arms and AI to compete with China
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 31 (Reuters) - The White House is launching a partnership with India on Tuesday that President Joe Biden hopes will help the countries compete against China on military equipment, semiconductors and artificial intelligence (AI). Yet the White House faces an uphill battle on each front, including U.S. restrictions on military technology transfer and visas for immigrant workers, along with India's longstanding dependence on Moscow for military hardware, issues it hopes to now address. But Washington has held its tongue, nudging the country on Russia while condoning India's more hawkish stance on China. General Electric Co (GE.N), meanwhile, is asking the U.S. government for permission to produce jet engines with India that would power aircraft operated and produced by India, according to the White House, which says a review is underway. Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Chris Sanders, Josie Kao and Himani SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Chinese EV maker Xpeng joins Tesla, Seres in price cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Xpeng lowered the starting prices for its best-selling pure electric P7 sedan to 209,900 yuan ($31,015), according to the notice, 12.5% lower than its previous level. EV makers, though many of them still loss-making, are therefore under pressure to cut prices to sustain sales volumes. Xpeng said it would offer car owners who purchased automobiles before the price cut extended maintenance services for free as compensation. Xpeng is also counting on a revamped version of the three-year-old P7 sedan to be launched in the first quarter to boost sales. The EV maker sold 59,066 P7 cars in 2022, 2.5% fewer than a year earlier.

☆ China's Huawei sees 'business as usual' as U.S. sanctions impact wanes
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Josh Horwitz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"U.S. restrictions are now our new normal, and we're back to business as usual," Xu wrote in the letter that was addressed to staff and released to media. Revenue for the year is expected to be 636.9 billion yuan ($$91.53 billion), according to Xu. That represents a tiny increase from 2021, when revenue hit 636.8 billion yuan, and marked a 30% year-on-year sales tumble as the U.S. sanctions on the company took effect. The company continues to generate revenue via its networking equipment division, which competes with Nokia (NOKIA.HE) and Ericsson (ERICb.ST). The company began investing in the electric vehicle (EV) sector as well as green technologies around the time sanctions took effect.

☆ Huawei's 2022 revenue steady at $91.5 bln as U.S. sanctions impact wanes
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Despite revenue increasing only marginally, rotating chairman Eric Xu struck an upbeat tone in the company's annual New Year's letter, where he revealed the figure. Revenue for the year is expected to be 636.9 billion yuan ($$91.53 billion), according to Xu. That represents a small increase from 2021, when revenue hit 634 billion yuan ($99.48 billion) and marked a 30% year-on-year sales tumble as the U.S. sanctions on the company took effect. Revenue for 2022 still remains well below the company's record of $122 billion in 2019. The company continues to generate revenue via its networking equipment and cloud divisions, and has steadily invested in the electric vehicle (EV) sector.

Nokia CEO Pekka Lundmark echoed that sentiment in a interview: "Our exit will be complete. "This will allow us to organise modern production of telecoms equipment in Russia," he said, without naming the operators or producers. Government programs to promote Russian equipment have helped telecoms operators become less reliant on Nokia and Ericsson over the past several years and Russian producers have increased their market share this year to 25.2% from 11.6% in 2021. Russian telecom operators stockpiled foreign-made parts in February and March ahead of sanctions, two of the industry sources said, but inventory will drop after Nokia and Ericsson pull the plug Dec. 31. Consolidation between Russian operators at the behest of the government might also allow them to share equipment and resources to make the networks last longer, industry sources added.

☆ Germany ups reliance on Huawei for 5G despite security fears -survey
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Sarah Marsh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Many European countries have banned Chinese companies from all or part of their 5G networks on security grounds, amid intense diplomatic pressure from the United States. Germany, home to operators like Deutsche Telekom (DTEGn.DE) and O2 (O2Dn.DE), passed an IT security law two years ago setting high hurdles for makers of telecommunications equipment for the "critical components" of 5G networks. The German network agency referred Reuters to regulation that shows differentiated treatment for core and RAN components. The information security office did not reply to a request for comment on whether the high share of Chinese components could pose a security threat. A strategy paper by Germany's Greens-run economy ministry has recommended increased scrutiny of components from authoritarian states in critical infrastructure.

☆ Factbox: Chinese companies added to U.S. entity list
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 15 (Reuters) - The Biden administration on Thursday added Chinese memory chipmaker YMTC and 21 "major" Chinese players in the artificial intelligence chip sector to a trade blacklist, broadening its crackdown on China's chip industry. YMTC was added to the list over fears it could divert American technology to previously blacklisted Chinese tech giants Huawei Technologies Co Ltd [RIC:RIC:HWT.UL] and Hikvision (002415.SZ). Here is a brief overview of some of the key actions taken as part of the package:FRESH ENTITY LISTINGSThe Biden administration added 35 Chinese companies and one Japan-based subsidiary of a Chinese company (YMTC) to the entity list, barring their suppliers from selling them U.S. technology without a hard-to-obtain permit. REMOVALS FROM THE UNVERIFIED LISTThe Biden administration removed 27 Chinese entities from the unverified list. Companies are added to the unverified list if the United States cannot complete on-site visits to determine whether they can be trusted to receive sensitive U.S. technology exports, inspections which in China require approval from the commerce ministry.

☆ Biden blacklists China's YMTC, crackdowns on AI chip sector
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Alexandra Alper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 15 (Reuters) - The Biden administration on Thursday added Chinese memory chipmaker YMTC and 21 "major" Chinese players in the artificial intelligence chip industry to a trade blacklist, broadening its crackdown on China's chip industry. It also comes as Congress prepares to finalize legislation to bar the U.S. government from buying products that contain semiconductors made by YMTC, Chinese memory chipmaker CXMT or China's top chip manufacturer SMIC. The Commerce Department on Thursday also targeted nine Chinese entities for allegedly seeking to support China's military modernization, including Shanghai Micro Electronics Equipment Group Co Ltd (SMEE), China's only lithography company. Two of the Chinese companies removed from the unverified list - YMTC and SMEE- were added to the entity list. Being added to the unverified list forces U.S. suppliers to perform greater due diligence before shipping to the targeted companies.

☆ Saudi Arabia signs MoU with China's Huawei -statement
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

CAIRO, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia signed a memorandum of understanding with China's Huawei Technologies (HWT.UL) on Thursday on cloud computing and building high-tech complexes in Saudi cities, the government communication office said in a statement. The MoU was signed during the Chinese president's visit to Saudi Arabia which Beijing said marked its biggest diplomatic initiative in the Arab world. Reporting by Aziz El Yaakoubi; writing by Yomna Ehab; editing by Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

NEW YORK, Dec 2 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Friday dismissed an indictment against Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies Co [RIC:RIC:HWT.UL], formally ending a criminal sanctions case that strained U.S.-China relations. U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly in Brooklyn dismissed Meng's indictment with prejudice, meaning it cannot be brought again. A lawyer for Meng and a spokeswoman for Huawei did not immediately respond to requests for comment. On the day Donnelly approved that agreement, Meng flew home to Shenzhen. On Nov. 25, the Biden administration banned approvals of new telecommunications equipment from Huawei and China's ZTE Corp (000063.SZ) because they posed an "unacceptable risk" to national security.

☆ Huawei CFO's U.S. bank fraud charges to be dismissed
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Karen Freifeld | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Dec 1 (Reuters) - U.S. prosecutors on Thursday asked a judge to dismiss bank fraud and other charges against Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of China's Huawei Technologies [RIC:RIC:HWT.UL] whose 2018 arrest strained relations between the U.S. and China. Meng had been accused of bank fraud and other crimes for misleading global bank HSBC Holdings Plc about the company's business in Iran to obtain banking services in violation of U.S. sanctions. The charges against Huawei include everything from bank fraud to sanctions busting to conspiracy to steal trade secrets from U.S. technology companies and obstructing justice. The United States also waged a global campaign against Huawei, warning that the Chinese government could use the company's equipment to spy. A lawyer for Meng declined comment and a spokesperson for Huawei did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

REUTERS/Aly Song/File PhotoNov 25 (Reuters) - The Biden administration has banned approvals of new telecommunications equipment from China's Huawei Technologies (HWT.UL) and ZTE (000063.SZ) because they pose "an unacceptable risk" to U.S. national security. "These new rules are an important part of our ongoing actions to protect the American people from national security threats involving telecommunications," FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement. ZTE, Dahua, Hytera and the Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The FCC said in June 2021 it was considering banning all equipment authorizations for all companies on the covered list. That came after a March 2021 designation of five Chinese companies on the so-called "covered list" as posing a threat to national security under a 2019 law aimed at protecting U.S. communications networks: Huawei, ZTE, Hytera Communications Corp Hikvision and Dahua.

☆ Huawei separates Russia business from other CIS countries -source
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Chinese telecoms giant Huawei [RIC:RIC:HWT.UL] is separating its corporate division in Russia and Belarus from other CIS countries, a source close to the company told Reuters on Tuesday. The other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States, made up of former Soviet republics, will now fall under the supervision of Huawei's office in Bahrain. Work to make the change has started and the new arrangement will officially become operational at the start of 2023, the source told Reuters. Vedomosti in September reported that Huawei had moved some employees in Russia to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee and Alexander Marrow Editing by Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ South Africa's Telkom launches 5G network with Huawei
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JOHANNESBURG, Oct 27 (Reuters) - South African telecoms operator Telkom (TKGJ.J) has launched its 5G high-speed internet network using technology from China's Huawei Technologies [RIC:RIC:HWT.UL], the companies said on Thursday. "The COVID pandemic has driven significant lifestyle changes for South Africans, due to work from home or school from home, online shopping and an 'always on' kind of culture," said Fortune Wang, Carrier Business Director for Huawei South Africa. "At launch Telkom will primarily focus on providing super fast 5G fixed wireless access solutions, as the demand for mobile 5G increases, we will supplement this with suitable mobile propositions," said Lunga Siyo, chief executive officer of Telkom Consumer and Business. Shunned in the global north due to security concerns, which Huawei has denied, the Chinese company dominates in Africa as a supplier of equipment to many telecoms operators. Reporting by Nqobile Dludla Editing by Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Kenya's Safaricom targets more fixed Internet users with 5G network
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Ayenat Mersie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Pedestrians walk on a sideway outside the Safaricom mobile phone customer care centre in the central business district of Nairobi, Kenya, November 10, 2021. REUTERS/Monicah MwangiOct 27 (Reuters) - Kenya's largest telecoms operator Safaricom (SCOM.NR) launched its 5G high-speed internet service on Thursday, becoming the first firm to deploy the technology commercially in East Africa. The company, whose internet provision business is one of its fastest growing, uses equipment from Nokia (NOKIA.HE) and Huawei (HWT.UL) to power its 5G network. While Safaricom dominates the mobile data market - commanding about a 65% share - it holds only about a third of the fixed data market, data from the Communications Authority of Kenya showed. Customers with compatible phones would however be able to use the network soon, the company said, when it starts selling 5G data packages.

☆ China's Huawei slows its long decline under U.S. sanctions as revenues improve
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( David Kirton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Huawei posted revenue of 445.8 billion yuan ($62.03 billion)for the first three quarters, 10 billion yuan less than it saw in the same period a year earlier, the company said on Thursday. Revenue for the third quarter alone came to 144.2 billion yuan, up 6.5% on a year earlier, based on Reuters calculations. "The decline in our device business continued to slow down, and our ICT infrastructure business maintained steady growth." The company is now a bit player behind rivals, including its former budget unit Honor, which it sold in 2020. Huawei is pushing to develop other businesses that are less dependent on U.S. technology, including smart car components, energy efficiency systems and cloud services.

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterChinese nationals Guochun He and Zheng Wang were charged with trying to interfere in the prosecution, the prosecutors said. Court documents did not name the company, but the complaint referenced the same dates in which the U.S. unsealed its charges against Huawei, in 2019 and 2020. In addition to the case against the two Chinese nationals accused of interfering in the Huawei prosecution, the Justice Department also announced charges in two other schemes. The second case charges four Chinese nationals out of New Jersey with running a decade-long intelligence campaign, while the third accuses seven others of waging a harassment campaign against a U.S. resident in a bid to convince him to return to China. Of the 13 people charged, 10 are Chinese intelligence officers and Chinese government officials.

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