Huawei

With China barring domestic operators of critical information infrastructure from procuring products from US chipmaker Micron as the latest move in the China-US chip war, there are concerns about whether moving too strongly might lead to China hurting itself instead. Zaobao correspondent Chen Jing takes a look at how the chip war might play out.

After making headway with French President Emmanual Macron last week, China is set to further its economic cooperation with Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, notably with the decision to use their local currencies for cross-border trade instead of the US dollar. While there is still a long way to go for RMB internationalisation, China has certainly upped its game.

Can patriotism be taken too far in supporting Huawei or any other China-made product regardless of quality? Does Huawei even need this form of support? Zaobao’s China Desk takes a look at Huawei’s outlook, as it seems that it needs more than acts of patriotism to tide it over the difficulties it will face in the coming years.

According to a development plan for China’s software and information technology (IT) service industry from 2021 to 2025, China is expected to significantly expand its capacity for developing key software and build two to three open-source communities with international influence by 2025. Meanwhile, China’s giant state-owned enterprises are also rushing to crank up domestic purchases of innovative IT applications under government pressure.

With the 20th Party Congress just days away, Zaobao correspondent Chen Jing looks at the government’s economic policies and actions over the past decade, including its cleanup of the technology and education sectors, and pandemic lockdowns. How has the party responded, and what impact has there been on the people?

In a recent internal memo, Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei did not beat around the bush in warning of the dire global economic situation. Zaobao associate editor Han Yong Hong notes that Ren is merely being candid about what has already been iterated by heads of states and economic experts. Amid a war in Europe, supply chain disruptions, geopolitical tensions and domestic economic troubles, can China hope for a recovery in the foreseeable future?

China’s Big Fund has come under scrutiny following a series of high-profile corruption investigations involving key persons in the chip industry. The CHIPS Act was also recently signed into law in the US to counter China, which makes things even more difficult for the sector. Zaobao correspondent Chen Jing speaks to industry experts to find out how the Big Fund can come out of this crisis.

In the second of a seven-part Lianhe Zaobao-Business Times series on China and ASEAN, Zaobao senior correspondent Chew Boon Leong looks at the strategies adopted and challenges faced by China’s tech companies in Southeast Asia.

An alleged ban of Tesla cars from Beidaihe, the site of Communist Party leaders’ annual retreat, shows the fangs behind the smiles in the Chinese government’s attitude towards US company Tesla. Lianhe Zaobao’s China Desk has the analysis.