■ COMPUTERS
Dell betting on China
Dell computer chief Michael Dell said yesterday his company would increase investment in emerging markets, and China in particular, so it can continue to grow as the world economy slows. Dell said in Shanghai that his company’s conservative management, cost-cutting and a strong balance sheet would help it ride out the financial storm. He said the company’s financial position was strong, with US$10 billion in cash and investments.
■ SOFTWARE
Microsoft upsets Chinese
Chinese Internet users have expressed fury at Microsoft’s launch of an anti-piracy tool targeting Chinese computer users to ensure they buy genuine software. The “Windows Genuine Advantage” program, which turns the user’s desktop black if the installed software fails a validation test, is Microsoft’s latest weapon in its war on piracy in China, where the vast majority of 200 million computer users are believed to be using fake software, unwittingly or not. The company defends the program on its Web site as “part of Microsoft’s commitment to help protect its intellectual property and to help you avoid problems before they happen.”
■ ELECTRONICS
NEC cuts earnings forecast
Japanese electronics maker NEC Corp more than halved its full-year earnings forecast yesterday because of a slump in telecommunications systems and mobile phones, as well as stagnant sales of electric devices. NEC downgraded its net profit forecast for the year to March to ¥15 billion (US$150 million) from its earlier estimate of ¥35 billion. Its pretax profit is expected to be ¥95 billion against ¥135 billion projected earlier. Annual sales are forecast at ¥4.6 trillion, down from ¥4.8 trillion.
■ FINANCE
Citic Pacific investigated
Hong Kong’s financial regulator said yesterday it had launched an investigation into Citic Pacific (中信泰富) after the Beijing-backed firm admitted that an executive had made improper currency bets. The Securities and Futures Commission said in a press statement that “a formal investigation has been commenced into the affairs of Citic Pacific Limited.” Citic Pacific revealed huge potential losses from the incident in a statement to Hong Kong’s stock exchange on Monday.
■ RETAIL
Wal-Mart wary about milk
Wal-Mart Stores Inc said yesterday it would set new quality standards for its suppliers amid a scare over toxic milk products that have sickened tens of thousands of babies across China. Mike Duke, vice chairman of the company’s international division, said Wal-Mart was expecting “greater transparency ... from our supplier partners” beginning next month. They will be required to “tell us the name and location of every factory they use to make the products we sell,” according to Duke’s prepared remarks delivered at a company conference in Beijing.
■ TOYS
Chinese factory goes under
A toy factory in China has gone bankrupt, leaving 900 workers jobless, a report said yesterday, just days after a major toy maker went under as a result of the financial crisis. Hong Kong-owned Chong Yik Toy Co, shut down its factory in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, the South China Morning Post reported, citing local officials who paid the workers from emergency funds. A district labor official said the workers got payments ranging from a few hundred yuan to nearly 8,000 yuan.
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
OBJECTS AT SEA: Satellites with synthetic-aperture radar could aid in the detection of small Chinese boats attempting to illegally enter Taiwan, the space agency head said Taiwan aims to send the nation’s first low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite into space in 2027, while the first Formosat-8 and Formosat-9 spacecraft are to be launched in October and 2028 respectively, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. The council laid out its space development plan in a report reviewed by members of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee. Six LEO satellites would be produced in the initial phase, with the first one, the B5G-1A, scheduled to be launched in 2027, the council said in the report. Regarding the second satellite, the B5G-1B, the government plans to work with private contractors
‘NARWHAL’: The indigenous submarine completed its harbor acceptance test recently and is now under heavy guard as it undergoes tests in open waters, a source said The Hai Kun (海鯤), the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, yesterday began sea trials, sailing out of the Port of Kaohsiung, a military source said. Also known as the “Narwhal,” the vessel departed from CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard at about 8am, where it had been docked. More than 10 technicians and military personnel were on deck, with several others standing atop the sail. After recently completing its harbor acceptance test, the vessel has started a series of sea-based trials, including tests of its propulsion and navigational systems, while partially surfaced, the source said. The Hai Kun underwent tests in the port from
New Taipei City prosecutors yesterday indicted nine entertainers over their alleged connection to a fraud ring that produces falsified documents to help people evade military service, including actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and show host William Liao (廖威廉). Twenty-eight people were charged with contravening the Punishment for Violation of Military Service System Act (妨害兵役治罪條例) and Article 214 of the Criminal Code for “causing a public official to make a false entry in a public document.” Prosecutors alleged the fraud ring was ran by a man, Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), and his three assistants, and that they were paid to help people dodge compulsory
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