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Tuesday, 4 August 2020

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China Refuses to Accept 'Theft' of TikTok if US Acquisition Goes Ahead

Yesterday we reported on Microsoft's accelerated efforts to purchase TikTok in the United States before President Trump follows through on a threat to ban the Chinese-owned app in the country.

On Tuesday, Reuters reported that China's ruling Communist Party blasted those efforts via an editorial in the China Daily newspaper, saying it will not accept the "theft" of a Chinese tech company and is ready to respond if needed.

The United States' "bullying" of Chinese tech companies was a consequence of Washington's zero-sum vision of "American first" and left China no choice but "submission or mortal combat in the tech realm," the state-backed paper said in an editorial.

China had "plenty of ways to respond if the administration carries out its planned smash and grab," it added.

There is increasing concern among observers that Apple would become the likely focus of any countermeasures by China. Apple journalist John Gruber notes that with Google and Facebook already banned in China, Apple would be the obvious tit-for-tat target.

The Global Times, which is another Chinese government mouthpiece, reported in May that China could put Apple on an "unreliable entity list" alongside other U.S. companies, in a series of punitive countermeasures the country was prepared to take against U.S. moves to block Taiwan-based TSMC from selling chips to Huawei for its phones.

According to comments made last year by a Chinese ministry of commerce official, once a company is added to China's "unreliable entity list" it would face necessary legal and administrative measures and the Chinese public would also be warned against dealing with it to reduce risks.

In its latest editorial, however, The Global Times took a less threatening tone and said that U.S. treatment of ByteDance and Huawei was indicative of U.S. efforts to separate its economy from China's.

The paper said China had "limited ability" to give the Chinese companies protection by retaliating against U.S. companies because the United States had technological superiority and influence with its allies. Instead, it suggested that China's opening-up to the outside world and ending its strategy of decoupling with the U.S. should be priorities.

On Monday evening, President Trump reiterated that TikTok must sell off its U.S. operations in 45 days and that the deal must include a substantial payment to the U.S. government, otherwise the app would be banned.

"I don't mind whether it's Microsoft or someone else, a big company, a secure company, a very American company buys it," said Trump, according to Bloomberg.

"It'll close down on 15 September unless Microsoft or somebody else is able to buy it and work out a deal, an appropriate deal, so the Treasury of the United States gets a lot of money," he added.

Trump stopped short of explaining how the federal government had the authority to demand a cut of a transaction between two companies neither of which it has a stake in. It also remains unclear how a ban of TikTok would be enforced.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tags: China, TikTok

This article, "China Refuses to Accept 'Theft' of TikTok if US Acquisition Goes Ahead" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Cops Terrorize Black Family but Blame License Plate Reader for Misidentifying 'Stolen' Car

The Aurora Police Department in Colorado is blaming its license plate reader for misidentifying a “stolen” vehicle after video went viral showing a Black family with young children being menaced and traumatized by several cops. It’s just the latest example of police terror that likely wouldn’t have drawn much…

WhatsApp Users Can Now Fact-Check Forwarded Messages for Misinformation

WhatsApp is rolling out a new way for users to fact-check forwarded messages for misinformation, after several months testing the new feature.

From today, messages that have been forwarded through a chain of five or more people will display a magnifying glass button alongside them in the chat thread.

Users who tap the button will be asked if they want to search the web to try and find news results or other sources of information about the content they have received.

WhatsApp says the feature works by allowing users to upload the message via their browser without WhatsApp ever seeing the message itself.

The ability is being piloted starting today in Brazil, Italy, Ireland, Mexico, Spain, the U.K. and the U.S. for everyone on the latest versions of WhatsApp for Android, iOS and WhatsApp Web.

The feature is the latest in a series of attempts by WhatsApp to slow the spread of misinformation on the chat platform. In April, for example, it imposed new restrictions on the mass forwarding of messages, so that if a user receives a message that has been forwarded more than five times, they will only be able to send it on to a single chat at a time.

The move comes after several hoaxes went viral on the platform, including false stories about the ongoing global pandemic one of which linked the outbreak to the rollout of 5G networks.

Tag: WhatsApp

This article, "WhatsApp Users Can Now Fact-Check Forwarded Messages for Misinformation" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple Seeking to Build China-Based iPhone Supply Chain Exclusively for Chinese Market

DigiTimes issued a report today highlighting Apple's apparent efforts to build a supply chain consisting entirely of China-based makers in order to manufacture iPhones specifically for the Chinese market.

The assessment is based on recent aggressive moves by Apple suppliers Luxshare and Lens Technology to acquire metal chassis plants operated in China by Taiwan-based makers, a strategy that the US tech giant has reportedly been encouraging.

Luxshare, the largest assembler of AirPods, has newly joined the iPhone assembly chain by acquiring lower-end ‌iPhone‌ production lines in China from Taiwan's Wistron, the sources said. To further expand its presence in the ‌iPhone‌ supply chain, Luxshare also has been keenly seeking to take over metal chassis plants in China from Taiwan-based firms in the ‌iPhone‌ supply chain.

Taiwan's metal chassis maker Catcher Technology reportedly had planned to sell 30% of its stakes in its China plants to Luxshare, but talks over the deal were suspended after Luxshare began negotiating with Pegatron's affiliate Casetek Holdings over purchasing its metal chassis plants in China, according to DigiTimes' sources.

Later, Catcher reportedly was also in talks with China's handset cover glass maker Lens Technology on selling its plants in Suzhou to the Chinese maker, but the deal hit a snag over the acquisition price, the sources said.

The moves are believed to be part of Apple's efforts to recruit more Chinese suppliers that can provide lower-cost components for iPhones for the China market. Together with the lingering pressure of US-China trade tensions, such deals are increasingly being seen as part of Apple's wider plan to diversify overseas production bases, as demonstrated in recent reports that several Apple suppliers are actively seeking to set up production facilities in India.

Tag: China

This article, "Apple Seeking to Build China-Based iPhone Supply Chain Exclusively for Chinese Market" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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