The U.S. Ultimatum on Huawei Is Backfiring :UPDATE: Google banning Huawei from Android updates and

[loyola llothta]

Huawei gets further involved in 5G development in Thailand
By Sean

Sep 22, 2020

Huawei, the Chinese telecom giant, and the Thai government have worked together to jointly launch a facility aimed at developing the 5G infrastructure in the Southeast Asian country.

According to an NHK report, the Thailand 5G Ecosystem Innovation Center had its opening ceremony take place in Bangkok earlier this week. In the event, Thailand’s Minister of Digital Economy and Society, Buddhipongse Punnakanta, attended in place of the country’s Prime Minister Chan-o-cha. The government official also thanked the Chinese company for its cooperation in setting up the new center.



The newly built facility houses equipment to test products and even allows visitors that want to get a sensor of how 5G services work. This includes exhibitions involving medical robots and face recognition-based surveillance systems. The Chinese tech giant has invested 15 million US Dollars to the joint project and is even sending its engineers to the country to help with personnel training. In other words, apart from just providing 5G infrastructure, Huawei is also planning on stimulating its local economy by creating new job opportunities or prospects as well.

This arrives amid the rising US pressures, as the Trump Administration has recently reinforced regulations against Huawei. Furthermore, the company has also been facing increasing scrutiny over alleged ties with the Government of China, so gaining positive relations is crucial for the company. Huawei has also been focusing on other Southeast Asian regions as well and plans on increasing its presence throughout. Buddhipongse also stated that his country is open to cooperating with any country.

Link:

Huawei gets further involved in 5G development in Thailand - Gizmochina

 

[loyola llothta]

Huawei smartphone shipment to fall by 30% due to US Ban in 2020
By
Sean
-
Sep 22, 2020
Back in August, the US Government reinforced its restriction against Huawei, which effectively regulated its supply of any technology that has originated from the US. This includes software as well and was set to take effect from 15th September. Now, reports have suggested that the effects of this ban might have the Chinese tech giant’s smartphone shipment fall by about 30 percent.

According to a TrendForce report, the smartphone market in China may undergo a major reshuffling as the ban takes hold on one of its primary players. The analytical based firm stated that the stronger restrictions will drastically affect Huawei and projected that the smartphone production for 2020 will only reach about 170 million units, which is already 10 percent lower than previous estimates of 190 million units.

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This means that the overall annual smartphone shipments from the company would fall by about 30 percent since the company shipped 240 million units back in 2019. This showcases a sharp decline of 70 million units. The primary reason for this steep drop is likely due to the lack of key components that Huawei would be able to acquire after recent US sanctions. With the company’s focus being mainly placed on the Chinese market at the moment, this may also have its rivals like Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo benefit from its current situation.

Although, the report also states that with the foundries operating at maximum capacity, material shortage for crucial components like processors and panel modules might make it harder for the other brands to raise production volumes on short notice. Thus, Huawei is still expected to maintain a market share of 14 percent in 2020, while Xiaomi’s share is expected to rise by 12 percent, Oppo’s by 11 percent and 9 percent for Vivo.

Link:
Huawei smartphone shipment to fall by 30% due to US Ban in 2020 - Gizmochina

 

[loyola llothta]

30 September 2020

5G Technology Cooperation Between Germany and China Is a Major Blow Against American Interests
By Lucas Leiroz de Almeida

In Germany, a major blow is being delivered against the United States in the trade war between Washington and Beijing. Despite pressures, Berlin is opting for cooperation with China on 5G technology, refusing to impose any sanctions against Huawei, ignoring American demands. Considering the prominent economic role played by Germany within the European Union, it is possible that the country’s decision will become a trend for other states on the continent, as suggested by several experts around the world.

The German government is currently working on a new bill to guarantee the national security interests in the use of 5G technology. At first, this project could exclude Huawei’s participation, if it were interpreted that the Chinese company does not meet formal security requirements. But this is an increasingly distant scenario. German Chancellor Angela Merkel in no way wants to exclude the Chinese giant Huawei from building the 5G network in Germany. The major position in the German parliament appears to be similar to that of Angela Merkel, who has repeatedly stated the complete impossibility of excluding Huawei.

The main American speech to support its global crusade to impose sanctions against China is that Beijing uses Huawei’s technology for espionage purposes, working to steal data and collect information useful to the Chinese government in the countries where the company’s antennas and platforms are based. This speech did not convince Germany, which currently elaborates its national security policy and makes it increasingly clear that it does not recognize China as a possible threat due to Huawei’s actions.

In fact, Merkel is keen to see how American and European interests tend to clash more and more, and as a result, she has made important and notable decisions that challenge the American agenda for Europe.


Germany’s refusal to impose a ban or limitations on Huawei’s admission to its market is also a challenge to European policy towards the US, as Berlin currently holds the presidency on the EU Council. Germany’s approach to Huawei would be dictated not only by Germany’s interests, but also by the EU’s, making it inevitable that the German attitude will be shared by other European states.

In fact, at least in the field of 5G technology, Huawei has increasingly stood out in the German market, being especially attractive in terms of price-quality proportion. Currently, half of the antennas used by the telecommunications operators Deutsche Telekom and Vodafone to build 5G networks are manufactured by Huawei and cooperation tends to increase even more. If Germany had to reject the construction of its 5G platforms due to sanctions against China, billions of euros would be lost, and Berlin would risk becoming technologically obsolete in the face of a rapidly changing market. From all points of view, it would be disadvantageous to both China and Germany, but especially worse for Germany.

In fact, Washington has so far provided no evidence of its accusations against China about using 5G for espionage purposes. Obviously, all high technology is secretly used by the great powers for military and intelligence purposes, which makes American accusations even more vague and banal. When the topic involves not just billions of euros, but also the entire technological capacity of a nation – and a continent – it takes much more than mere accusations to affect a project. As long as Washington does not present concrete evidence of its allegations, it will only lose more and more allies to the growing Chinese market.

In general, Germany has increasingly distanced itself from the US in its geopolitical alignment in the last months. In addition to the 5G issue, cooperation with Russia on the Nord Stream 2 project, the decrease in American troops in Germany and the intention to reduce the number of nuclear weapons installed in German territory are examples of this distance. In all of these cases, Merkel has demonstrated her particular strategic ability to foresee situations of shock of interests between Americans and Europeans and has prioritized national and continental interests.

However, it is important to note that Merkel has her opponents and that she does not lead Germany alone. The bill tends to pass without any sanction against Huawei, but that is not a guarantee. There are still parliamentarians who advocate maintaining a Western alliance against China. In this sense, efforts to sanction Huawei could intensify and create several internal tensions within the German government and across European society. Above all, German politicians must take their country’s interests into account when drafting a national security law, ignoring what is necessary for the security of foreign powers.

Link
5G technology cooperation between Germany and China is a major blow against American interests

 

[loyola llothta]

21 October 2020

Brazil Chooses US as Its Partner in 5G Technology, Refusing China
By Lucas Leiroz de Almeida

After months of controversy and discussions, Brazil has chosen to prioritize the US as a partner in 5G technology. The decision contradicts the opinion of the greatest experts on the subject, who see the choice as Brazil’s alignment to Washington in the trade war against China, which would be a disaster for the Brazilian economy, considering that Beijing is the largest allied trading partner of Brazil.

The Brazilian choice does not come by chance: once again, Brasilia makes an important decision after talks between government officials and the American Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. In a virtual meeting organized on Monday (October 19) by the United States Chamber of Commerce, Pompeo said that both Brazil and the United States needed to reduce their dependence on imports from China. According to him, the Chinese participation in the economies of the two countries brings “enormous risks”. During the meeting, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaroannounced three trade agreements with Washington, which were signed hours later. Pompeo called for strengthening trade between Brazil and the US.

The risks mentioned by Pompeo refer to an old discourse propagated by Washington that Beijing would be using its technology exported to other countries in order to spy and steal data from the nations that consume its products and services. This has been the main American argument for trying to persuade other countries to ban China from participating in their respective technology markets. In most parts of the world, this rhetoric has been rejected, but in Brazil, which adopts a foreign policy of automatic alignment with the US, the government adhered to the speech.

It is important to note that for many months the Bolsonaro government’s automatic alignment was hampered by a more pragmatic trend that persisted in some sectors of the Brazilian political scenario. The Brazilian vice president General Hamilton Mourão himself was the first member of the government to pronounce in favor of Chinese participation.


Mourão is the main name of the government’s military wing and the military are the most interested in Chinese activity because they see Beijing as an important strategic ally. In general, we can divide the Brazilian government between those who are ideologically committed to American supremacy – in this wing are Jair Bolsonaro, his family and Chancellor Ernesto Araújo – and, on the other hand, those who defend an alliance with the US for merely strategic reasons, without ideological commitments – this is the case with the military. Without ideological commitment, military are more open to possible alliances with China, as they analyze scenarios based on purely strategic and pragmatic assumptions – so if China is offering something more advantageous than the US, the military will support China.

In this sense, the “victory” of the ideological wing of the government is truly surprising, mainly due to the way it happened: in a few hours, the Brazilian government signed agreements with the US, without any satisfaction to the military, businessmen or the media and contradicting the recommendations of the military and all the experts. The most affected by this decision will be the Brazilian government itself since Brazil is in a position of absolute disadvantage in the dispute between the US and China. The neutral position in the trade war between Beijing and Washington would be the best for Brazil. If there was a national strategy truly concerned with the country’s development, the government would allow the participation of as many countries and companies in the Brazilian 5G market as possible, not damaging the image of the country by joining either side in a trade war between two powers with a level of economic and technological development much higher than that of Brazil.

Now, with the decision taken this week, Brazil is officially in favor of Washington in a dispute that does not concern it, and this can have serious consequences for one simple reason: Brazil depends on China. China is the largest importer of Brazilian products, mainly from Brazilian agribusiness. It was the partnership with China that prevented the complete economic catastrophe in Brazil during this pandemic period, precisely through the consumption of agribusiness products, mainly the purchase of meat and soybeans – which increased 51% and 22%, respectively, compared to last year. China will certainly impose sanctions on Brazil from now on, which will seriously affect the Brazilian economy. In fact, Chinese 5G will be spread around the world, regardless of whether Brazil accepts it or not. Beijing does not depend on the Brazilian market – but Brazil does depend on China.

With possible sanctions by China on trade with Brazil, the Brazilian agribusiness sector – the biggest beneficiary in negotiations with China – will be harmed and will certainly stop supporting the Bolsonaro government – which has major agribusiness entrepreneurs as one of its main bases of support . Without the support of the military and farmers, what will be the future of the government? The ideological wing is insufficient to keep Bolsonaro in power. Bolsonaro has only one option left: to go back and guarantee a neutral position in the trade war.

Link:
Brazil chooses US as its partner in 5G technology, refusing China

 

[loyola llothta]

United States adds China-based chipmaker SMIC to the Entity List

Dec 4, 2020
The Trump administration has confirmed that two major Chinese companies — chipset maker SMIC and oil producer CNOOC have been added to the trade blacklist, alleging them to be Chinese military companies.

The Department of Defence has designated four companies for being owned or controlled by the People’s Liberation Army. The list includes Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp(SMIC), China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC), China Construction Technology Co. Ltd, and China International Engineering Consulting Corp.

With the addition of these four companies to the trade blacklist of the United States, there are now 35 countries on the list. Companies on the list are barred from procuring or using technologies or goods made in the United States.


A couple of months ago, it was reported that the Pentagon was holding discussions to determine id the SMIC should be added to the Commerce Department Entity List. SMIC is one of the biggest players in China when it comes to chip manufacturing.

Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) heavily relies on the United States for supplies and getting blacklisted will make it a bit difficult for the company and will also hinder China’s plan to boost its chipset manufacturing technology.

However, blocking these companies from trading with US-based firms also hurts the suppliers, in this case, the US companies, as several of the companies highlighted in their request to the government to allow them to continue doing business with Huawei after the Chinese giant was added to the Entity List in May last year.

link:

United States adds China-based chipmaker SMIC to the Entity List - Gizmochina

 

[loyola llothta]

Huawei allowed to build 5G in Germany, but with strict conditions
By Sean
Dec 18, 2020
Earlier this week, the German cabinet sent legislation to the Bundestag that will allow Chinese telecommunications equipment provider, Huawei, to build 5G networks in the region but only after strict security measures are guaranteed.

According to an AsiaTimes report, the proposed legislation would make Huawei and telecom equipment providers financially liable for compromised security. This would also give security agencies complete network access to determine the integrity of the network. In other words, Germany is going ahead with Huawei for 5G building but with strict conditions, despite Washington having lobbied Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government to ban the Chinese tech giant outright.

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Notably, American media described the newly proposed German law as a “a setback for the outgoing U.S. administration,” as written in the Wall Street Journal. Furthermore, the Merkel government’s decision might have been different if Donald Trump had been re-elected. Copies of these proposed law had leaked in Germany back in November but it seems that this has now been solidified.

This should arrive as another win for Huawei in Europe, especially as various governments in the region are following in the footsteps of the US. Previously, the UK banned the company outright and is aiming to phase out the company’s technology from its existing networking infrastructure as well. France is also taking a somewhat similar approach, despite Huawei planning on building a network equipment manufacturing factory in the region.

link:

Huawei allowed to build 5G in Germany, but with strict conditions - Gizmochina

 

[3rdWorld]

fukk Huawei..

African govts are using Huawei tech to spy on citizens..and Huawei tech is shoddy Chinese bullshyt.
Everyone I know with a Huawei phone is complaining.

 

[loyola llothta]

United States to spend $1.9 billion for replacing Huawei and ZTE equipment
By
Jeet
- Dec 21, 2020


United States has banned Huawei from participating in its 5G infrastructure development and has pressured other countries to do the same, and many have complied. Now, the country is set to replace the existing infrastructure.

The lawmakers in the United States are set to back a $1.9 billion program that will provide funding to remove telecom network equipment which the government has classified as posing a national security risk.

Huawei and a few other Chinese companies, including ZTE, have been classified as a national security risk. The funding for this new program has been added as a part of a $900 billion COVID-19 relief bill, reports Reuters citing people aware of the development.

Earlier this month, Huawei had said that it was disappointed in the FCC’s decision “to force the removal of our products from telecommunications networks. This overreach puts U.S. citizens at risk in the largely underserved rural areas – during a pandemic – when reliable communication is essential.”

Recently, the United Kingdom also banned Huawei and asked telecom network carriers to remove the Chinese company’s infrastructure by 2027. It recently banned the installation of new 5G equipment from Huawei after September 2021.

The government is also working to create a new law, which once approved, will enable them to plan fines on telecom operators and can have them pay 10 percent of turnover or 100,000 Pounds per day if they fail to comply with the new regulations.

link:
United States to spend $1.9 billion for replacing Huawei and ZTE equipment - Gizmochina

 

[loyola llothta]

Ericsson lobbied against Huawei’s 5G ban in Sweden: Report
By
Sean
-
Jan 4, 2021
Borje Ekholm, the CEO of Ericsson, had apparently lobbied to overturn the ban on Huawei in Sweden, which prevented the company from participating in the roll out of 5G networking in the region.

According to a Bloomberg report, the Ericsson CEO had pressured a Swedish minister to reverse the ban on Huawei and ZTE as well. Reportedly, Ekholm had lobbied Foreign Trade Minister Anna Hallberg via a series of phone messages to review an order by the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority (PTS). For those unaware, this order was to operators that were required to remove networking equipment that was bought from the Chinese companies and replacing it from their infrastructure by January 2025.

An Ericsson spokesperson has confirmed the news that Ekholm was in contact with the minister. Furthermore, the news also arrives after Hallberg said that she did not have any contact with PTS and would never step in as minister and influence the decisions made by individual authorities. Halberg further added that she had never met with Ekholm regarding the matter. Similarly, Jacob Wallenberg, deputy chair of Ericsson’s board of directors, had previously said that “stopping Huawei is definitely not good.”

At the moment, Ericsson brings in 10 percent of its total sales from China, with Huawei being one of its biggest rivals as a telecommunications equipment provider. Notably, China had even warned that the Swedish companies would also see “negative impacts” from the ban if the decision wasn’t reversed. Although, the Swedish Prime Minister, Stefan Lofven is standing by the decision of the authority.

link:

Ericsson lobbied against Huawei's 5G ban in Sweden: Report - Gizmochina

 

[loyola llothta]

Trump bans eight Chinese apps in the US, including Alipay and WeChat Pay

President of the United States, Donald Trump, who lost the election and is set to leave office in a couple of weeks, has signed an executive order banning transactions with eight Chinese applications, including Alipay and WeChat Pay.

Interestingly, the order is set to take effect in 45 days, after Donald Trump leaves office. The applications banned with this executive order includes apps from some of the biggest companies like Ant Group and Tencent.

In an attempt to justify the ban, Trump said that the applications can access private information from users and could be used by the Chinese government to “track locations of Federal employees and contractors, and build dossiers of personal information.”

Several US-based companies, including Apple, Ford Motor, Walmart, and Walt Disney previously objected to an executive order by Donal Trump that banned Tencent’s WeChat as well as ByteDance’s TikTok. A federal court has issued a preliminary injunction blocking the ban on WeChat.


As noted above, the executive order bans Alipay, a payments application from Ant Group with more than a billion users. It also bans three applications from Tencent, which includes WeChat Pay, QQWallet, and Tencent QQ. Other apps in the list include CamScanner, SHAREit, Vmate, and WPS Office.

The move seems to be furthering the US-China trade war which started when Donald Trump issued an executive order banning China-based Huawei Technologies, the world’s largest telecom equipment manufacturer.

link:Trump bans eight Chinese apps in the US, including Alipay and WeChat Pay - Gizmochina

 

[loyola llothta]

[UPDATE: Response] US government blacklists Xiaomi and 8 other Chinese companies

Jan 15, 2021
UPDATE:

With regards to this incident, Xiaomi has released an official statement. It reiterates that it has no affiliation with the Chinese military and that it was looking into the potential implications of the matter.

“THE COMPANY HAS BEEN IN COMPLIANCE WITH LAW AND OPERATING IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE RELEVANT LAWS AND REGULATIONS OF JURISDICTIONS WHERE IT CONDUCTS ITS BUSINESSES. THE COMPANY REITERATES THAT IT PROVIDES PRODUCTS AND SERVICES FOR CIVILIAN AND COMMERCIAL USE. THE COMPANY CONFIRMS THAT IT IS NOT OWNED, CONTROLLED OR AFFILIATED WITH THE CHINESE MILITARY, AND IS NOT A “COMMUNIST CHINESE MILITARY COMPANY” DEFINED UNDER THE NDAA. THE COMPANY WILL TAKE APPROPRIATE COURSE OF ACTIONS TO PROTECT THE INTERESTS OF THE COMPANY AND ITS SHAREHOLDERS.

THE COMPANY IS REVIEWING THE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES OF THIS TO DEVELOP A FULLER UNDERSTANDING OF ITS IMPACT ON THE GROUP. THE COMPANY WILL MAKE FURTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS AS AND WHEN APPROPRIATE.”

It remains to be seen how this affects the company and its products in the future. But in the short term, it likely doesn’t have any direct implications on existing Xiaomi users.



Original Story below.

Now that Huawei is effectively out of the picture, the Trump administration has set its eyes on the next big Chinese smartphone maker, Xiaomi. On Thursday, the US administration added nine companies to its blacklist of companies with ties to the Chinese military, which includes the world’s third-largest smartphone maker, Xiaomi.



Following this move, US investors can no longer invest in the companies added to this special blacklist. They are barred from purchasing shares and securities of companies like Xiaomi who are a part of this list and will have to divest their existing holdings in them by Nov. 11, 2021, Reuter reports.

Unfortunately, so far the Trump administration has not given any proof as to how Xiaomi or other companies are tied to the Chinese military. Blacklisting Xiaomi was very sudden and quite unexpected given how Xiaomi is essentially a smartphone and electronics company. Before this move, the Trump administration was focused on blacklisting companies from crucial industries like telecommunications (Huawei) and Semiconductor technology (SMIC). Currently, the US has blacklisted over 60 Chinese companies which include the world’s largest drone maker DJI and China’s top semiconductor firm SMIC.

However, it’s worth noting that this blacklist is different from the US Entity List. So unlike Huawei or even DJI, Xiaomi still can import US technology without a license, at least for now.

It’s also quite possible that the Biden administration that’s all set to take power from January 20 overturns this decision. However, until then, it remains to be seen how Xiaomi and other Chinese companies react to this sudden blacklisting.

link:[UPDATE: Response] US government blacklists Xiaomi and 8 other Chinese companies - Gizmochina

 

[JT-Money]

 

[gho3st]

They should ban all them shyts. Better the devil you know

 

[aXiom]

I wonder if Xi has the nuts to ban Apple.

 

[loyola llothta]

Joe Biden’s Commerce nominee vows to protect nation’s networks from Huawei and ZTE



The US President’s, Joe Biden, nominee for the position of the head of the US Commerce Department vowed to protect the US telecommunications networks against Chinese companies like Huaweiand ZTE, earlier this week.

According to a Reuters report, the nominee would protect the US networks from the Chinese firms and would commit to keeping companies like Huawei and ZTE on the economic trade blacklist. Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo said in testimony before the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee that “I would use the full toolkit at my disposal to the fullest extent possible to protect Americans and our network from Chinese interference or any kind of back-door influence.”

In particular, the government official named Huawei and ZTE, who are known telecommunications equipment providers, especially for 5G infrastructure. Back in December 2020, Congress even approved 1.9 billion US Dollars in funds for the replacement of ZTE and Huawei equipment from the US networks. This decision is in line with the previous President’s efforts against Chinese firms, which had dozens of Chinese companies being placed on the trade blacklist.

Raimondo also stated that she would “review the policy, consult with you, consult with industry, consult with our allies and make an assessment as to what’s best for American national and economic security,” when asked about keeping Huawei on the economic blacklist. Furthermore, she has vowed to take an “aggressive: stance against the trade practices of China saying that “China’s actions have been anticompetitive,” and that she would use all the tools at her disposal to “level the playing field.”

link:
Joe Biden's Commerce nominee vows to protect nation's networks from Huawei and ZTE - Gizmochina