ELECTRONICS
Sony to develop game phone
Sony Corp’s phone venture with Ericsson AB signaled it is developing a smartphone with a slide-out controller designed to play games, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing an interview with the head of the venture. Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB chief executive Bert Nordberg said he’s aware of speculation about a new product that would take advantage of Sony’s experience in developing its portable game device, the report said.
DAIRY
Yoplait fights for Nestle
The head of French dairy food company Yoplait said in a newspaper interview on Sunday that Swiss food giant Nestle would make an “ideal” partner, with major investment planned in China and India. Yoplait, the world’s second-biggest dairy food producer, is in the midst of a battle to take over a 50 percent stake in the company that investment group PAI wants to sell. Chief executive Lucien Fa told the newspaper Le Matin Dimanche that he wanted to break with the company’s franchise system and take greater control of operations in local markets.
AUTOMOTIVE
Nissan eyes US dollars
Japanese auto giant Nissan wants to move production and support functions to US dollar-linked economies, including the US and China, to avoid currency volatility, the Financial Times reported yesterday. Nissan chief executive Carlos Ghosn, who also heads France’s Renault, said the company wanted to correct a “big imbalance” in its costs and revenues due to making cars in Japan that are then sold in the US and dollar-linked economies in Asia.
EXCHANGES
Bourse to stop floor trading
Deutsche Boerse AG plans to stop floor trading by the end of May next year, the Financial Times Deutschland reported. The operator of the Frankfurt exchange is likely to fully switch to Xetra electronic trading “earlier than planned,” the German newspaper reported. Deutsche Boerse previously expected to complete the change in March 2012, FTD said.
TRADE
China signs Botswana deals
A delegation led by Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping (習近平) signed several agreements with Botswana on Sunday to further strengthen ties between the two countries. The two signed an agreement on economic and technical cooperation with a grant of about US$6 million, as well as other accords on infrastructure and energy development. Xi was expected to leave Gaborone yesterday morning after visiting Botswana Diamond Trading Company (DTCB). DTCB is a 50/50 joint venture partnership between Botswana and De Beers. It is the world’s largest diamond sorting and valuing operation.
TELECOMS
Firms forced to apologize
Two of China’s leading Internet firms have been forced by the government to issue public apologies over a nasty spat marked by accusations of unfair market practices and privacy infringement. Tencent (騰訊), parent company of the popular instant messaging service QQ, and security software developer Qihoo 360 (奇虎360) issued the apologies late on Sunday after being ordered to do so by the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. The public feud began in September when Tencent encouraged users to download its upgraded security software. Qihoo 360 subsequently accused QQ of trying to scan its users’ personal data and it issued tools to block QQ components.
Three experts in the high technology industry have said that US President Donald Trump’s pledge to impose higher tariffs on Taiwanese semiconductors is part of an effort to force Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) to the negotiating table. In a speech to Republicans on Jan. 27, Trump said he intends to impose tariffs on Taiwan to bring chip production to the US. “The incentive is going to be they’re not going to want to pay a 25, 50 or even a 100 percent tax,” he said. Darson Chiu (邱達生), an economics professor at Taichung-based Tunghai University and director-general of
‘LEGACY CHIPS’: Chinese companies have dramatically increased mature chip production capacity, but the West’s drive for secure supply chains offers a lifeline for Taiwan When Powerchip Technology Corp (力晶科技) entered a deal with the eastern Chinese city of Hefei in 2015 to set up a new chip foundry, it hoped the move would help provide better access to the promising Chinese market. However, nine years later, that Chinese foundry, Nexchip Semiconductor Corp (合晶集成), has become one of its biggest rivals in the legacy chip space, leveraging steep discounts after Beijing’s localization call forced Powerchip to give up the once-lucrative business making integrated circuits for Chinese flat panels. Nexchip is among Chinese foundries quickly winning market share in the crucial US$56.3 billion industry of so-called legacy
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday held its first board of directors meeting in the US, at which it did not unveil any new US investments despite mounting tariff threats from US President Donald Trump. Trump has threatened to impose 100 percent tariffs on Taiwan-made chips, prompting market speculation that TSMC might consider boosting its chip capacity in the US or ramping up production of advanced chips such as those using a 2-nanometer technology process at its Arizona fabs ahead of schedule. Speculation also swirled that the chipmaker might consider building its own advanced packaging capacity in the US as part
A move by US President Donald Trump to slap a 25 percent tariff on all steel imports is expected to place Taiwan-made steel, which already has a 25 percent tariff, on an equal footing, the Taiwan Steel & Iron Industries Association said yesterday. Speaking with CNA, association chairman Hwang Chien-chih (黃建智) said such an equal footing is expected to boost Taiwan’s competitive edge against other countries in the US market, describing the tariffs as "positive" for Taiwanese steel exporters. On Monday, Trump signed two executive orders imposing the new metal tariffs on imported steel and aluminum with no exceptions and exemptions, effective