Google Inc, the world's largest Internet search company, was facing a new controversy in China yesterday, just two weeks after it launched with the Chinese name Gu Ge (
After coming under fire for agreeing to self-censorship, Google's choice of Gu Ge, meaning "valley song" and meant to signify traditional songs that celebrate a rich harvest, has been mocked by www.noguge.com, which started an online petition demanding a name change.
More than 10,000 users have signed the petition, rejecting Gu Ge as being "garbage" or "unpleasant" and offering more than 50 alternatives.
By yesterday 4,820 users had said they favored Google renaming itself Gou Gou (
A Google spokeswoman was quoted in Chinese media as saying that Google would take no legal action against the site and was willing to discuss the name with the critics.
The name had been selected by Google CEO Eric Schmidt from 1,800 choices to symbolize a "fruitful and productive search experience," it was announced at the name launch on April 12.
Though Google's competitors such as Microsoft and Yahoo had already complied with Chinese censorship requirements, it attracted heavy criticism because it was the last major global search engine to do so, justifying the move as abiding to local "laws and customs."
China's Internet police block hundreds of Web sites that are deemed politically sensitive and try to keep content broadly in line with the ruling Communist Party's ideology.
Separately, Google has denied a report that it may buy China's Sina Corp (
"Google is not in talks with Sina," Johnny Chou (
Business Week reported in its "Inside Wall Street" column that Google is considering acquiring Sina, China's biggest Internet portal, to expand in the nation.
Sina is a potential acquisition target because it is cheaper than its peers, Business Week said, citing investment firm Clay Finlay's Jane Hsieh, who manages a US$7 billion portfolio invested throughout Asia.
"Google has never approached us about a possible acquisition," Sina president Charles Chao (
Alibaba.com Corp (
Google China president Lee Kai-fu (李開復) said in an April 13 interview that the search engine may buy domestic companies to "grow our talent base, technology and portfolio."
The domestic unit of the Chinese-owned, Dutch-headquartered chipmaker Nexperia BV will soon be able to produce semiconductors locally within China, according to two company sources. Nexperia is at the center of a global tug-of-war over critical semiconductor technology, with a Dutch court in February ordering a probe into alleged mismanagement at the company. The geopolitical tussle has disrupted supply chains, with some carmakers reportedly forced to cut production due to chip shortages. Local production would allow Nexperia’s domestic arm, Nexperia Semiconductors (China) Ltd (安世半導體中國), to bypass restrictions in place since October on the supply of silicon wafers — etched with tiny components to
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Taiwan is open to joining a global liquefied natural gas (LNG) program if one is created, but on the condition that countries provide delivery even in a scenario where there is a conflict with China, an energy department official said yesterday. While Taiwan’s priority is to have enough LNG at home, the nation is open to exploring potential strategic reserves in other countries such as Japan or South Korea, Energy Administration Deputy Director-General Chen Chung-hsien (陳崇憲) said. While the LNG market does not have a global reserve for emergencies like that of oil, the concept has been raised a few times —
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday received government approval to deploy its advanced 3-nanometer (3nm) process at its second fab currently under construction in Japan, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said in a news release. The ministry green-lit the plan for the facility in Kumamoto, which is scheduled to start installing equipment and come online in 2028 with a monthly production capacity of 15,000 12-inch wafers, the ministry said. The Department of Investment Review in June 2024 authorized a US$5.26 billion investment for the facility, slated to manufacture 6- to 12nm chips, significantly less advanced than 3nm process. At a meeting with
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