■ Cellphones
Samsung gains on Nokia
Nokia Oyj, the world's largest mobile-phone maker, lost market share to Samsung Electronics Co in the first quarter, while shipments by Germany's Siemens AG were smaller than at Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Ltd. Nokia's first-quarter shipments fell 19 percent from the previous quarter to 53.8 million units, while South Korea's Samsung, the third-largest vendor, increased sales volume 16 percent to 24.5 million, according to a Bloomberg tally of the top six vendors' preliminary results. Shipments by Motorola Inc, the No. 2, fell 10 percent to 28.7 million units. Munich-based Siemens slipped 31 percent to 9.3 million units shipped, dipping below the 9.4 million sold by London-based Sony Ericsson, which now ranks fifth, according to the tally. LG Electronics Inc of South Korea had shipments fall 20 percent to 11.1 million units, retaining its No. 4 ranking for a second consecutive quarter.
■ Piracy
China to tackle Web sites
China will soon enact new regulations aimed at curbing online piracy of copyrighted material that will hold Web sites responsible for stolen material, state media reported yesterday. The "Administrative Measures on Internet Copyright Protection" are due by the end of April, the official Xinhua News Agency quoted Yan Xiaohong, deputy director of the National Copyright Administration, as saying. "The Web sites providing pirated information should bear major responsibility, and the ISPs who are passively spreading the information will be exempted from punishment," Yan was quoted as telling a conference on Tuesday in Beijing.
■ Oil industry
Yukos boss' verdict delayed
The verdict in the trial of former Yukos boss Mikhail Khodorkovsky, which was expected yesterday, has been postponed to May 16, said a statement pinned on the court's gate quoted by the Interfax news agency. Khodorkovsky and his associate Platon Lebedev have been charged with embezzlement and tax evasion and have been on trial since last July. The statement did not say why the verdict had been postponed, Interfax reported. The trial concluded on April 11 with Khodorkovsky defiantly rejecting charges of fraud and embezzlement as a politically-motivated farce. Some observers say the Kremlin initiated the case to punish Khodorkovsky for financing opposition parties ahead of parliamentary elections in 2003 and for openly challenging President Vladimir Putin's policies, including the state's monopoly over oil pipelines.
■ Textiles
EU edgy over China imports
EU imports of 11 categories of Chinese textiles are close to an "alert level" that could trigger possible curbs, in addition to the nine already in this zone, the European Commission said on yesterday. "There are 11 other categories approaching the alert level," spokeswoman Claude Veron-Reville said. The EU's trade chief has already recommended the opening of a probe into 9 categories of Chinese textile and clothing products, which have leapt in some cases by over 500 percent since the end of a global quota system on Jan. 1. The investigation, expected to open tomorrow, could lead to EU restrictions on Chinese shipments within 150 days.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest foundry service provider, yesterday said that global semiconductor revenue is projected to hit US$1.5 trillion in 2030, after the figure exceeds US$1 trillion this year, as artificial intelligence (AI) demand boosts consumption of token and compute power. “We are still at the beginning of the AI revolution, but we already see a significant impact across the whole semiconductor ecosystem,” TSMC deputy cochief operating officer Kevin Zhang (張曉強) said at the company’s annual technology symposium in Hsinchu City. “It is fair to say that in the past decade, smartphones and other mobile devices were
US-CHINA SUMMIT: MOFA welcomed US reassurance of no change in its Taiwan policy; Trump said he did not comment when Xi talked of opposing independence US President Donald Trump yesterday said he has not made a decision on whether to move forward with a major arms package for Taiwan after hearing concerns about it from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Trump’s comments on Taiwan came as he flew back to Washington after wrapping up critical talks in which both leaders said important progress was made in stabilizing US-China relations even as deep differences persist between the world’s two biggest powers on Iran and Taiwan. “I will make a determination,” Trump said, adding: “I’ll be making decisions. But, you know, I think the last thing we need right
TAIWAN ISSUE: US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said on the first day of meetings that ‘it wouldn’t be a US-China summit without the Taiwan issue coming up’ There were no surprises on the first day of the summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday, as the government reiterated that cross-strait stability is crucial to the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the world. As the two presidents met for a highly anticipated summit yesterday, Chinese state media reported that Xi warned Trump that missteps regarding Taiwan could push their two countries into “conflict.” Trump arrived in China with accolades for his host, calling Xi a “great leader” and “friend,” and extending an invitation to visit the White House
SECURITY: Taipei presses the US for arms supplies, saying the arms sales are not only a reflection of the US security commitment to Taiwan but also serve as a mutual deterrent against regional threats Taiwan is committed to preserving the cross-strait “status quo” and contributing to regional peace and stability, the Presidential Office said yesterday. “It is an undeniable fact that the Republic of China is a sovereign and independent democratic nation,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) reiterated, adding that Beijing has no right to claim sovereignty over Taiwan. The statements came after US President Donald Trump warned against Taiwanese independence. Trump wrapped up a state visit to Beijing on Friday, during which Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) had pressed him not to support Taiwan. Taiwan depends heavily on US security backing to deter China from carrying
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