■ 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
CHINA POLICY: At the seventh US-EU Dialogue on China, the two sides issued strong support for Taiwan and condemned China’s actions in the South China Sea The US and EU issued a joint statement on Wednesday supporting Taiwan’s international participation, notably omitting the “one China” policy in a departure from previous similar statements, following high-level talks on China and the Indo-Pacific region. The statement also urged China to show restraint in the Taiwan Strait. US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and European External Action Service Secretary-General Stefano Sannino cochaired the seventh US-EU Dialogue on China and the sixth US-EU Indo-Pacific Consultations from Monday to Tuesday. Since the Indo-Pacific consultations were launched in 2021, references to the “one China” policy have appeared in every statement apart from the
A clandestine US Navy special missions unit colloquially known as SEAL Team 6 has been training for missions to assist Taiwan’s defense against an attack by China, the Financial Times said in a report yesterday. The navy commando team famous for killing Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan, has been conducting training to take part in a Taiwan conflict at its Dam Neck headquarters in Virginia Beach for more than one year, it said, citing sources familiar with the matter. “The secret training underlines the increased US focus on deterring China from attacking Taiwan, while stepping up preparations for such an event,”
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