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Matt Sheehan One irony of US-China technology competition is that much of it isn’t taking place in either country. Instead, it plays out in dozens of developing countries around the world where American and Chinese technology companies compete to win over what they call “the next billion users.” The business case for these companies is clear, but this competition between American, Chinese, and local technology firms also holds major implications for geopolitical competition and the future global technology landscape. Whether an Indonesian teenager chooses to record himself dancing on TikTok or Instagram might seem like a trivial question, but the apps used in these markets constitute a crucial pillar of technological soft power and influence. Cultural and political values are deeply embedded in the design and operation of these apps, including norms around privacy, censorship, and transparency. While the US foreign policy community has focused extensively on 5G infrastruc...

15 July 2020 The New York Times says it will move some of its Hong Kong staff to Seoul as concerns mount over the implications of a severe new security law for the city. The US news outlet said the law "unsettled news organizations and created uncertainty about the city's prospects as a hub for journalism". Reporters will remain, but the digital editing team will relocate over time. Global media organisations often face restrictions on the mainland but Hong Kong had been an exception so far. The controversial law criminalises subversion, secession and collusion with foreign forces. "China's sweeping new national security law in Hong Kong has created a lot of uncertainty about what the new rules will mean to our operation and our journalism," New York Times executives wrote in an email to staff, according to a report published on the paper's own website. "We feel it is prudent to make contingency plans and begin to diver...

Economy Reuters Updated: July 15, 2020 India posted a trade surplus of $790 million in June, its first in over 18 years, with imports plunging as the coronavirus pandemic depressed domestic demand for crude oil, gold and other industrial products, reflecting a slowing economy. Indian exports and imports have been falling since March and worsening India-China relations, shrinking global demand and disruptions in supply chains are likely to pressure the trade outlook over the next few quarters, analysts said. Asia's third largest economy is projected to contract by up to 5 per cent this financial year, beginning April, from an earlier government estimate of nearly 6 per cent growth as an over two-month-long COVID-19 lockdown has hit economic activities and consumer demand. Merchandise imports contracted 47.59 per cent in June to $21.11 billion from a year ago, while exports fell 12.41 per cent to $21.91 billion, leading to a marginal trade surplus, data released by the ...

MEGHA GUPTA Despite the persistence and spread of the corona pandemic, China has managed to use cultural centres as a tool to maintain its influence and geopolitical importance in different regions. As China is looking to expand its influence even during the COVID-19 pandemic, its relationship with “all-weather” friend, Pakistan, is very significant. Three months ago, Pakistan’s University of Sargodha expressed its solidarity and support to China in its struggle against the virus by organising a solidarity walk with the Chinese teachers. In mid-April, China’s Henan Normal University (HNU) donated 3,000 masks to Sargodha University for its fight against the pandemic. These might seem like novel exchanges, yet for all its possible benefits, they are accompanied with long-term economic and political risks for Islamabad. In April 2005, China and Pakistan entered into an agreement to establish Confucius Institutes — propagating Chinese civilisation and offering language traini...

Nevin John | New Delhi, Wednesday, July 15, 2020 The company will have net cash (having more cash and cash equivalents on books than gross debt) after a gap of nearly seven years The Google deal in Jio Platforms Ltd (JPL) will help Reliance Industries (RIL) enter the net cash zone with a surplus of Rs 11,931 crore in the September quarter from a net debt of Rs 1,61,035 crore in March 2020. The company will have net cash (having more cash and cash equivalents on books than gross debt) after a gap of nearly seven years. The company had last posted net cash of Rs 7,375 crore in December 2013. Back-to-back deals in JPL helped the parent company RIL set off the net debt on the balance sheet. JPL sold 32.94 per cent stake to 14 investors for Rs 1,52,056 crore in the last three months. Besides, RIL sold 49 per cent stake in fuel retailing business to BP Plc for Rs 7,629 crore. It has also concluded the Rs 53,124-crore rights issue in June. Of this, the company has received 25 pe...

Arun Mampazhy-Jul 13, 2020 On 24 June, in its 8pm show “The Right Stand” CNN News18 presented a hypothesis that China’s aggression against India and attempts to take over more and more of what is rightfully India’s, especially water bodies, is part of its desperation for water, amidst its ambitious growth plans in the semiconductor chip (IC) manufacturing area. In this article, three pertinent matters will be put forth in the spirit and hope of triggering further debate among those interested: What is China’s current status in chip manufacturing, that is, the semiconductor fab area and how desperate are they? I will present a summary mainly based on this detailed semi-engineering study that was published recently. How critical is water for China and in particular for the fab industry. I will use some numbers from this 2013 article. Indeed, “much water has flown under the bridge” since 2013, but the indicative numbers and messages are relevant to-date. I acknowledge Lo...

Shine Jacob & Megha Manchanda  |  New Delhi  Last Updated at July 15, 2020 Iran to finalise player to develop the gas field 21.6 tcf reserves; OVL may be shown the door Iran has ended its agreement with India for two key projects, the second phase of Chabahar Port and development of the Farzad-B block, reflecting the souring relations between the once strong allies. The West Asian country will fund and develop a rail link under the second phase of the Chabahar Port on its own, while the contract for developing the Farzad-B block is likely to be handed over to a local company following slow progress by ONGC Videsh (OVL). A person close to the development said Iran will sign a deal for development of the field with a local oil company soon. In the historic ‘New Delhi Declaration’ signed on January 25, 2003, both countries had decided to jointly develop the Chabahar Port complex and Chabahar-Fahranj-Bam railway link. Since then, the Chabahar proje...

15 Jul 2020 The Earth will be home to 8.8 billion people in 2100, two billion fewer than current UN projections, says new study. More than 20 countries, including Italy, Japan, Poland, Portugal, South Korea, Spain and Thailand, will see their numbers diminish by at least half by the year 2100, according to projections in a major study. China's population will fall from 1.4 billion people today to 730 million in 80 years, said the study led by an international team of researchers, published in The Lancet on Wednesday. The Earth will be home to 8.8 billion people in 2100, two billion fewer than current UN projections, the study said, foreseeing new global power alignments shaped by declining fertility rates and ageing populations. By century's end, 183 of 195 countries, barring an influx of immigrants, will have fallen below the replacement threshold needed to maintain population levels, it said. Sub-Saharan Africa, meanwhile, will triple in size to some...

Published 3 days ago on July 14, 2020 By EurAsian Times Desk As EurAsian Times reported earlier, the F-15 EX made a comeback after the US Air Force placed an order for eight which could go up to 72, will join the F/A 18 Super Hornet and the F 21 ( a variant of the F 16) that are already on offer for India. The most-advanced F15 ever built is expected to assist the USAF to meet its capacity requirements and add the combat capability to its aircraft fleet. The F15EX will be able to carry more munitions than the earlier versions and be able to launch hypersonic weapons, up to 22ft in length. “The F-15EX is the most advanced version of the F-15 ever built, due in large part to its digital backbone,” said Lori Schneider, Boeing F-15EX program manager. “Its unmatched range, price and best-in-class payload capacity make the F-15EX an attractive choice for the U.S. Air Force.” “F-15EX brings together benefits of digital engineering, open mission systems and agile software d...

Written by Parthasarathi Biswas | Pune | Updated: July 15, 2020 As per estimates, of the total weedicides sold in India worth Rs 4,500 crore annually, glyphosate alone accounts for over Rs 1,100 crore, with the most-talked about application being in cotton crops. In a move ostensibly aimed at preventing farmers from planting the unauthorised genetically modified herbicide-tolerant (HT Bt) cotton, the Centre has issued a draft notification making it mandatory for spraying of glyphosate — the herbicide widely used for such cotton crops — to take place only through approved pest control operators (PCOs). However, farmer leaders and agriculture scientists have condemned the draft published on July 7, pointing out that glyphosate is a commonly-used herbicide for a wide range of crops and any move to restrict its usage would have a far-ranging effect. As per estimates, of the total weedicides sold in India worth Rs 4,500 crore annually, glyphosate alone accounts for over Rs...