■ Internet
Softbank gets 3G license
Softbank Corp, Japan's second-largest high-speed Internet access provider, said it has a preliminary license to test so-called third-generation wireless communications technology. A license for Softbank to test TD-CDMA technology, one of the standards approved by the International Telecommunications Union for 3G mobile telephones, was granted by the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications, Hideo Azuma, a spokesman for Softbank, said. Softbank and eAccess Ltd, which provides networks for high-speed Internet access, last month applied separately for licenses to test high-speed wireless Internet access service based on the TD-CDMA technology, which can be used for voice connections and for e-mail and wireless Internet access.
■ Semiconductors
Company plans China plant
A Singapore parts manufacturer for Intel and Motorola says it plans to open a plant in China next year to meet rising demand for chipmaking gear. "Our customers are more positive," Chris Borch, president of Micro-Mechanics, said in an interview. "They've seen an increase in orders and some are beginning to order production equipment to handle the increased order level." Micro-Mechanics makes parts like the tiny needles that push freshly cut silicon chips out from wafer slabs, and the metal plates that hold chips in place while machines etch their circuitry. The global chip industry is estimated to reach US$200 billion next year -- driven by sales for chips used in everyday goods like mobile phones and TVs. The plant will be located in Suzhou near Shanghai and is expected to open in June.
■ Video games
Nintendo losing ground
Nintendo Co, the world's biggest maker of hand-held game players, may be falling behind rivals such as Sony Corp in development and sales of video games, according to a Washington Post report, citing industry analysts. Kyoto-based Nintendo, whose GameCube console appeals to younger buyers than those buying Sony's PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Corp's Xbox, last month reported its first loss since going public in 1962. Sony has sold a total of about 60 million PlayStation 2 machines worldwide so far, compared with about 10 million for both the GameCube and the Xbox, the report said. The gap in sales is fueling speculation among some analysts that Nintendo may eventually go the way of Sega Corp and focus on game design, according to the report.
■ Petroleum
Petrobras awards contract
A Singaporean-French consortium may get a second multimillion dollar contract to build an offshore oil production platform from Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras), a spokesman for the Brazilian energy firm said yesterday. The Petrobras spokesman told financial news agency AFX-Asia it was possible that the consortium involving FELS Setal, a unit of Singapore's Keppel Corp, and France's Technip may be given the second contract. "It is possible that the FELS Setal/Technip consortium is awarded both contracts," a Petrobras spokesman said in an e-mail response to an AFX-Asia query. The consortium was awarded the first contract this month to build the US$775 million P-52 platform after submitting the best bid. FELS Setal will have a 75 percent stake while Technip will have 25 percent.
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
REGIONAL STABILITY: Taipei thanked the Biden administration for authorizing its 16th sale of military goods and services to uphold Taiwan’s defense and safety The US Department of State has approved the sale of US$228 million of military goods and services to Taiwan, the US Department of Defense said on Monday. The state department “made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale” to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US for “return, repair and reshipment of spare parts and related equipment,” the defense department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release. Taiwan had requested the purchase of items and services which include the “return, repair and reshipment of classified and unclassified spare parts for aircraft and related equipment; US Government
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from