Tag Archives: China

Did Four Taiwan F-16 Fighters Just Defect To China?!

Did four ROCAF F-16 fighter jets from Taiwan just defect to China?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

 

Claim : Four F-16 Fighter Jets From Taiwan Just Defected To China!

Many people are sharing a post on WhatsApp and social media, which claims that four F-16 fighter jets from Taiwan just defected to China.

It’s really long, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts…

👍IMPORTANT NEWS🇸🇬 :- is reported that at 4:35 in the morning, four F16 fighter jets of a certain air force in Taiwan suddenly flew towards the center line of the strait during routine training and lost contact with the ground.

The Taiwan Air Force sent two fighter jets to intercept it, and the two sides exchanged fire in the air. The four F16 fighter jets that defected have now landed at a military base in Fujian.

Recommended : Are Taiwan Government Officials Secretly Japanese Spies?!

 

Truth : No F-16 Fighter Jets From Taiwan Ever Defected To China!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), and shared by pro-CCP netizens, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : This Fake Story First Circulated In 2003

This fake story isn’t new. It first went viral in June 2003, when a mainland Chinese military publication called The Extensive Military Report, published a report claiming that four Taiwanese F-16 fighter jets defected to China.

The article said that four Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) F-16 Block 20 fighter jets from the 401st Fighter Wing based at the Taoyuan Air Base defected to an airbase in the Fujian province, under a heavy escort of eight Chinese Su-27 fighter jets.

Allegedly, the four F-16 fighter jets “escaped” during a routine exercise flight at 4 PM on May 27, 2003. Two “loyal” F-16 fighter jets gave chase, and one was shot down by the defecting planes while the second managed to return to base.

Fact #2 : Both Taiwan + China Labelled The Story As False

When the story broke in June 2003, both the Taiwanese and Chinese governments labelled the story as false.

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) called the article “a ridiculous rumour”, while the China’s foreign ministry denied the rumour at a press conference.

Taiwanese spokesperson Huang Suey-sheng pointed out that even the Chinese authorities rebutted the claims.

Fact #3 : ROCAF F-16 Tail Numbers Do Not Exist

The original fake story specifically mentioned that one of the defecting F-16 fighter jets had a tail number of 160531.

The modified fake story that is currently circulating on WhatsApp and social media in 2022 said that the aircraft had a tail number of TY160531.

They are both false. No ROCAF aircraft has either tail number.

ROCAF F-16 fighter jets have a four-digit tail number, without any TY prefix.

Fact #4 : ROCAF F-16 Fighters Are Not Based In Taoyuan

Both the original and the updated fake stories falsely claim that the defecting F-16 fighter jets were stationed at the Taoyuan Air Base.

Taiwan’s F-16 fighter jets are based at the Chiayi Air Base in Chiayi, and the Chiashan Air Force Base in Hualien.

Fact #5 : Taoyuan Air Base No Longer Exists!

Taoyuan Air Base no longer exists! In 2007, it was turned over to the Republic of China Navy, and renamed to Taoyuan Naval Base.

Fact #6 : Taiwan Only Has Five Fighter Wings

The original fake story claimed that the defecting F-16 fighters came from the 401st Fighter Wing, while the updated fake story claimed they came from the 16th Air Wing.

Neither the 401st Fighter Wing nor the 16th Air Wing exist in the Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF).

There was a 401st Tactical Combined Wing operating out of Taoyuan Air Base, and it had a 16th Tactical Fighter Squadron. But it only operated F-104 fighter jets from the 1960s until the early 1990s.

Currently, Taiwan has five fighter wings, of which only the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing and the 5th Tactical Fighter Wing are equipped with F-16 fighter jets.

Fact #7 : This Is Just Chinese Propaganda

This is just another example of Chinese propaganda created by the infamous Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).

All of the wumao articles and videos that I looked at so far have proven to be false… at every instance. So please watch out for such false claims.

Please help us fight fake news – SHARE this article, and SUPPORT our work!

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | MilitaryTech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

US Targets Chinese Military With New Chip Export Ban!

The US government just imposed sweeping chip and chipmaking export restrictions that target Chinese military capabilities!

 

US Targets Chinese Military With New Chip Export Ban!

On Friday, October 7, 2022, the US government announced new regulations on computer chips and chipmaking technologies designed to target Chinese military capabilities.

The stated goal of these new export restrictions is to “block the People’s Liberation Army and China’s domestic surveillance apparatus from gaining access to advanced computing capabilities that require the use of advanced semiconductors.

According to US officials, these rules target not only the sale and export of chips, but also the tools and software that might help the Chinese military in any way, including aiding the development of weapons of mass destruction.

Unlike earlier rules that target specific Chinese companies (like HUAWEI), the new rules have far greater reach, covering everything from chips made by AMD and NVIDIA, to complex and expensive hardware and software used to design and manufacture semiconductor chips.

These rules, some of which go into effect immediately, build on existing restrictions that were earlier applied to top chip toolmaking companies in the US, like KLA Corporation, Lam Research Corporation, and Applied Material Incorporated.

It’s not just advanced chips used for AI computing and national security or military applications that are being targeted.

The new rules are more generic, and forbid US companies from selling technologies to indigenous Chinese companies that will enable the production of:

  • DRAM chips at 18 nm or below,
  • NAND flash chips at 128 layers or above, and
  • logic chips at 14 nm or below.

Even foreign companies operating China are somewhat affected. US companies will need to obtain a license to export more advanced equipment to them.

But in a concession to South Korea, the US government will spare SK Hynix and Samsung from these measures. US companies will be able to continue supplying their production facilities in China.

Many of the rules aim to block foreign companies from selling advanced chips or chipmaking technologies and tools to China. However, the US government will need to “lean” on those countries to introduce similar measures.

Most advanced chips are manufactured in South Korea and Taiwan. If they continue to export to China, they will allow China to bypass US restrictions.

Read more : Biden To Hit China With More Chip Restrictions!

 

Chinese Government Criticised US Chip Export Ban

On Saturday, the Chinese government criticised the new US chip export ban, calling it a violation of International economic and trade rules that will “isolate and backfire” on the US.

Out of the need to maintain its sci-tech hegemony, the U.S. abuses export control measures to maliciously block and suppress Chinese companies.

It will not only damage the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies, but also affect American companies’ interest.

– Mao Ning, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson

Despite Mao’s assertions that US actions will not stop China’s progress, the new wide-ranging chip and chipmaking export ban will undoubtedly be detrimental to the Chinese semiconductor industry, and set back its attempts at indigenous production by many years.

On the other hand, this export ban will spur China to redouble its efforts to develop its own chipmaking capabilities, and possibly “strike back” by restricting exports of rare earths to US companies.

Read more : Did China Make 7nm Chips In Spite Of US Sanctions?!

 

US Chip Export Rules Affecting Chinese Companies Summarised

Here is a summary of the new restrictions that take effect on Friday (October 7, 2022):

  • Tools that are capable of producing logic chips made using fin field-effect transistors (FinFET) are blocked from sale to China.
  • Tools capable of fabricating NAND flash storage chips with 128-layer technology or greater, and DRAM based on 18-nanometer half-pitch or less technology are blocked from sale to China.
  • Servicing and maintenance of restricted tools are also banned, which would prevent keeping advanced equipment in good enough shape to keep producing quality chips at high volume.
  • US citizens currently servicing or supporting tools on the restricted list must halt their activities by Wednesday, October 12.
  • Export of items that China can use to make its own chip manufacturing tools, such as a photolithography light source and other specialised components are also blocked from sale to China.

The US Commerce Department also enacted these additional measures on Friday:

  • 31 Chinese entities were added to the Unverified List, which consists of companies that the US government believes could divert technology that they purchase to restricted entities.
  • The Commerce Department expanded the scope of controls for the 28 Chinese firms already on the US Entity List, including presumptively denying any licenses because of the risk they will divert technology to the Chinese military.

Then two weeks later, these restrictions will take effect on Friday, October 21, 2022:

  • Using a new foreign direct product rule, the U.S. will block any chips that used in advanced computing and artificial intelligence applications.
  • The foreign direct product rule can block chips made by non-US companies — including Chinese chip designers — if they use American technology or software.
  • TSMC may be forced by this new rule to halt production on advanced AI or supercomputer chips designed by Chinese firms that are fabricated in Taiwan, unless it gets an exemption.
  • A new foreign direct product rule will apply to components and chips destined for supercomputers in China.

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Business | Computer | Tech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

India Seizes US$678 Million Of Xiaomi Assets!

India just seized US$678 million of Xiaomi assets, over claims it made illegal remittances to foreign entities by masquerading them as royalty payments.

Here is what you need to know…

 

India Seizes US$678 Million Of Xiaomi Assets!

On Friday, September 30, 2022, an Indian appellate authority confirmed an April order by the Enforcement Directorate of India to seize Rs 55.51 billion (US$678 million).

The Enforcement Directorate found that Xiaomi made illegal remittances under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), to foreign entities by masquerading them as royalty payments.

The Competent Authority appointed under Section 37A of the Foreign Exchange Management Act has confirmed the seizure order of Rs. 5551.27 Crore dated 29.04.2022 passed by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) against Xiaomi Technology India Private Limited under the provisions of FEMA.

The Company started its operations in India in the year 2014 and started remitting the money from the year 2015. The Company has remitted foreign currency equivalent to INR 5551.27

The Authority, while confirming the seizure of Rs 5,551.27 crore, held that ED is right in holding that foreign exchange equivalent to Rs 5,551.27 crore has been transferred out of India by Xiaomi India in an unauthorised manner and is held outside India on behalf of the group entity in contravention of Section 4 of the FEMA.

It was the Enforcement Directorate’s finding that the payment of royalty was a mechanism to (illegally) transfer foreign exchange our of India – a “blatant violation” of FEMA requirements.

This is the highest amount of seizure order in India which has been confirmed by the authority till date.

Xiaomi India is the wholly-owned subsidiary of the Xiaomi Group in China, and sells and distributes mobile phones under the Mi brand name.

Chinese companies are facing headwinds in India, due to political tensions that arose from a border clash between the two countries in 2020.

Since then, India banned more than 300 Chinese mobile apps, and tightened rules for Chinese companies.

 

Xiaomi Pushes Back Against Seizure Of Assets In India!

On Sunday, October 2, 2022, Xiaomi India issued a statement, pushing back against the seizure of its assets.

It clarified that more than 84% of its remittances were royalty payments made to Qualcomm Group, to pay for intellectual property used in its Indian version of smartphones.

It also asserted that all royalty payments were limited to sales done by Xiaomi India, and confirmed by the Qualcomm Group.

Finally, it stated that since it does not own or hold any assets outside of India, Section 4 of FEMA would not apply to its remittances.

We have studied the order from the Competent Authority and are disappointed with the decision as none of the factual and legal contentions raised by us has been addressed. We believe our royalty payments and statements to the bank are all legitimate and truthful. We would like to clarify few points regarding our royalty payments:

a) Xiaomi India is an affiliate and one of the Xiaomi Group companies, which entered into a legal agreement with Qualcomm Group (USA) to license IP for manufacturing smartphones. Both Xiaomi and Qualcomm believe that it is a legitimate commercial arrangement for Xiaomi India to pay Qualcomm royalty.

b) Of the entire IN 5551.27 Crore Xiaomi India paid to foreign entities, more than 84% were royalty payments made to Qualcomm Group (USA), a third party US listed company, towards the in-licensed technologies, including Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) and IPs used in our Indian version of smartphones.

c) These technologies and SEPs are used across the entire global smartphone industry. Without these technologies, our smartphones would not have worked in India.

d) All royalty payments made by Xiaomi India were only related to sales done by Xiaomi India, and not for any other countries or regions. This has also been confirmed by the Qualcomm Group (USA).

e) These royalty payments were made via RBI approved and mandated banking channels and are legitimate commercial arrangements.

Moreover, we would like to clarify that Xiaomi Technology India Private Limited does not own or hold any assets outside India. Hence, as per our understanding, the Section 4 of FEMA does not even apply in this situation.

We will continue to use all means to protect the reputation and interests of the Company and our stakeholders. We remain committed to working with various authorities to resolve the issue.

Although Xiaomi states that it will “use all means” to protect its reputation and interests, it is hard to see what the company itself can do.

Perhaps it was an indirect threat of bringing the Chinese government into this fray. Whether China will step into what’s really a regulatory dispute remains to be seen…

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Mobile | BusinessTech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Xi Jinping Appears For First Time Since Coup Rumours

Chinese President Xi Jinping appeared for the first time since coup rumours surfaced amidst his disappearance. Here is what you need to know…

 

Xi Jinping Appears For First Time Since Coup Rumours

Chinese President Xi Jinping made his first public appearance on Tuesday, 27 September 2022, since returning from his trip to Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

It was his disappearance since then, coupled with a video of military vehicles heading towards Beijing and sudden, unexplained flight cancellations, that sparked rumours of a military coup.

However, those coup rumours were squashed when Xi Jinping was shown on TV visiting an exhibition in Beijing showcasing China’s achievements during his decade in power, called Forging Ahead in the New Era.

On that CCTV evening broadcast, Xi Jinping was seen wearing a face mask while taking a tour of the displays at the Beijing Exhibition Hall, where his photos featured heavily.

He was also seen in the company of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and other members of the Politburo Standing Committee – Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Hunting, Zhao Leji and Han Zheng.

Despite unverified claims that he was under house arrest, Xi was likely undergoing the standard 7+3 quarantine required by China’s zero COVID policy.

One may be forgiven in thinking that this TV broadcast of Xi, backed by the top Chinese leaders, seems specifically designed to convey the message – he’s very much still in power.

Read more : Xi Calls For Rejuvenation, Squashing Coup Rumours!

 

Xi Jinping Coup Rumours : Much Ado About Nothing

Right now, much has been made about a short video showing military vehicles heading towards Beijing, and over 9,000 flights getting cancelled across China.

However, these “evidence” of a coup in China have not withstood serious analysis.

  • There is no evidence of an 80 km-long military convoy entering Beijing.
  • The viral video shows a minute or so of several military vehicles travelling on a highway, nothing more.
  • There is no evidence of any lockdown of Beijing, which would certainly occur during a military coup.
  • While there was a large number of cancelled flights in Beijing airports, quite a number of commercial flights were still allowed to fly in and out.
  • Airports in the rest of China were generally functioning normally, even though there were some cancelled flights.
  • Flight cancellation is pretty common in China, especially when it comes to COVID-19 mitigation.
  • Commercial air traffic in and out of Beijing was restored by Monday, 26 September 2022.
  • Xi Jinping issued two letters a day after he was supposedly under house arrest after being overthrown.
  • Sun Lijun and his anti-Xi Jinping “political clique” were sentenced to long jail sentences.
  • CCP delegates were “elected” as expected, together with Xi Jinping himself.
  • CCP mouthpiece, the People’s Daily, reaffirmed Xi Jinping as the party’s “core”.

To top it off, the CCP is continuing its business as usual, firming up support for Xi Jinping’s third term at the upcoming CCP Congress.

Now that Xi was publicly seen accompanied by top Chinese military leaders, any fantasy of a military coup in China is finally dead.

Read more : Are Beijing Flights Getting Cancelled By Military Coup?!

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | PoliticsTech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Beijing Flights Back To Normal, No Coup In China!

Flights in and out of Beijing are now back to normal, dealing yet another blow to rumours of a military coup in China!

 

Claim : Beijing Flights Were Cancelled By Coup In China!

The Internet has been abuzz for days with claims that there is a military coup underway in China, after over 6,000 domestic and international flights in and out of Beijing were just cancelled!

On top of that, about 60% of flights (about 9,583 flights) were cancelled across China on Wednesday, 21 September 2022.

  • Beijing Capital International Airport canceled 622 flights, with a 60% cancellation rate.
  • Shanghai Pudong International Airport had 652 cancelations of flights, with a 54% cancellation rate
  • Shenzhen Baoan Airport’s 542 flights were canceled, with a 51% cancellation rate
  • Guiyang Longdongbao Airport (Guizhou Province): 539 flights canceled, with a 99% cancellation rate
  • Lhasa Gongga Airport (Tibet): 157 flights canceled, with a 98% cancellation rate
  • Chengdu Tianfu Airport (Sichuan Province): 752 flights canceled, with a 87% cancellation rate
  • Urumqi Diwobao Airport (Xinjiang): 476 flights; with a 79% cancellation rate
  • Tianjin Binhai International Airport (about 84 miles east of Beijing): 353 flights; with a 74% cancellation rate
  • Harbin Taiping Airport (Heilongjiang Province): 275 flights canceled; with a 56% cancellation rate
  • Xi’an Xianyang International Airport (Shaanxi Province): 555 flights canceled; with a 56% cancellation rate
  • Nanjing Lukou International Airport (Jiangsu Province): 378 flights canceled; with a 54% cancellation rate
  • Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (Guangdong Province): 560 flights canceled, with a 40% cancellation rate

The number of flights to and from Beijing continued to decline from Wednesday until Saturday.

Read more : Are Beijing Flights Getting Cancelled By Military Coup?!

 

Beijing Flights Back To Normal, No Coup In China!

Although flights in and out of Beijing continued to be few through the weekend, it was soon restored by Monday, 26 September 2022.

The flight tracking site flightradar24 now shows air traffic back to normal at the Beijing Capital International Airport, and the Beijing Daxing International Airport.

Other airports across China were also operating as normal, with no mass cancellations that we saw earlier.

There has been no official word on why so many flights were cancelled, but flight cancellations are rather common in China. This is especially true during the COVID-19 pandemic, when flights have been grounded with little or no warning.

While most of the world is relaxing COVID-19 measures and opening up, China is still persisting with its Zero COVID policy. Hence, it is certainly possible that those flights are being cancelled to protect Beijing from COVID-19 outbreaks / surges in other parts of China.

The Beijing Capital International Airport, incidentally, regularly ranks as one of the airports with the most cancellations in the world.

The Chinese news portal Netease said that the cancellations were mainly due to the recent COVID-19 surges in multiple provinces in China, which makes quite a lot of sense.

Beijing is preparing to host 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on 16 October 2022.

This is a major twice-a-decade meeting for the CCP, and one in which President Xi Jinping is expected to be re-elected as General Secretary for an unprecedented third term.

While the 20th National Congress is really just a rubber-stamp event, it is critical for President Xi that his Zero COVID policy is seen to work. Hence, it is critical that Beijing has no COVID-19 outbreak at that time.

Recommended : Did US Navy Fleet Escort Nancy Pelosi To Taiwan?!

Former Chinese investigative journalist Zhao Lanjian, however, suggested that the flights may have been cancelled due to a military exercise.

刚刚我问询一位墙内专业人士。这么回答的。这个大规模取消航班,必须是军方指令。空中交通管制权由中国军方决定,再下指令给民航管理部门。空域留出来,军方飞机才可以随便飞。这是军事计划,至少是有军备预演。但愿未来真的实施军事行动了,不要有太多赔偿品。

This mass cancellation of flights must be a military directive. Air traffic control authority is decided by the Chinese military, which in turn gives instructions to civil aviation management. The airspace is set aside so that military aircraft can fly at will. This is military planning, or at least with military prep.

 

China Coup Rumours : Much Ado About Nothing

Right now, much has been made about a short video showing military vehicles heading towards Beijing, and over 9,000 flights getting cancelled across China.

However, these “evidence” of a coup in China have not withstood serious analysis.

  • There is no evidence of an 80 km-long military convoy entering Beijing.
  • The viral video shows a minute or so of several military vehicles travelling on a highway, nothing more.
  • There is no evidence of any lockdown of Beijing, which would certainly occur during a military coup.
  • While there was a large number of cancelled flights in Beijing airports, quite a number of commercial flights were still allowed to fly in and out.
  • Airports in the rest of China were generally functioning normally, even though there were some cancelled flights.
  • Flight cancellation is pretty common in China, especially when it comes to COVID-19 mitigation.
  • Commercial air traffic in and out of Beijing was restored by Monday, 26 September 2022.
  • Xi Jinping issued two letters a day after he was supposedly under house arrest after being overthrown.
  • Sun Lijun and his anti-Xi Jinping “political clique” were sentenced to long jail sentences.
  • CCP delegates were “elected” as expected, together with Xi Jinping himself.
  • CCP mouthpiece, the People’s Daily, reaffirmed Xi Jinping as the party’s “core”.

To top it off, the CCP is continuing its business as usual, firming up support for Xi Jinping’s third term at the upcoming CCP Congress.

The People’s Daily editorial seals the case for Xi Jinping’s toppling in a military coup. That was nothing more than the wishful thinking of netizens who despise him, fuelled by unverified claims.

Read more : Are Beijing Flights Getting Cancelled By Military Coup?!

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | PoliticsTech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Xi Calls For Rejuvenation, Squashing Coup Rumours!

Chinese President Xi Jinping just called for national rejuvenation, squashing fevered rumours of a coup in China!

Here is what you need to know…

 

Xi Calls For Rejuvenation, Squashing Coup Rumours!

Xi Jinping remains out-of-sight, feeding rumours of a possible military coup in China. However, his absence in recent days isn’t so much a house arrest, as house quarantine.

Xi has not appeared in public because he’s undergoing the 7+3 days of hotel and home quarantine mandated by the Chinese government, after his return from Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

In recent days, his office issued two letters in his name, and the CCP continued to chug along as usual, “electing” 2,296 delegates to the upcoming 20th National Congress.

Then on Monday, September 26, 2022, Xi called for the CCP to press forward China’s “national rejuvenation” in a foreword he wrote for a collection of literature.

In the foreword, titled “Forging Ahead on the Journey to National Rejuvenation”, which was made public on Monday, Xi stressed the importance of reflecting on the past and looking to the future in the historical process of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

He wrote that currently, the profound changes the world has not seen in a century are speedily evolving, and national rejuvenation has entered a crucial period. At such a moment, the nation needs to draw more on the lessons of history as a guide to the future.

Coming many days after his alleged house arrest and military coup, the official announcement further squashes the unsubstantiated rumours of a coup in China.

Read more : Was Xi Jinping Arrested In Sudden Military Coup?!

 

CCP Reaffirmed Xi Jinping As Its Core, Further Squashing Coup Rumours

In a Monday editorial by the People’s Daily, the Communist Party of China (CCP) congratulated the 2,295 delegates that were just “elected” to the 20th National Congress.

It also affirmed President Xi Jinping as “its core in uniting and leading the whole party and Chinese people“.

This is in line with Xi’s expected endorsement at the 20th CCP National Congress for an unprecedented third term, and squashes the rumours of a military coup in China.

The 20th CPC National Congress will take stock of the Party’s work over the past five years, as well as major achievements and valuable experience of the Party’s Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core in uniting and leading the whole Party and Chinese people of all ethnic groups to uphold and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era..

This was repeated at the end of the editorial, stressing that the CCP was under the “strong leadership” of its Central Committee with “Xi Jinping at its core”.

It is firmly believed that under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core and through the concerted efforts of all the delegates, the 20th CPC National Congress will be a congress of unity, victory and endeavor, reads the editorial.

Read more : CCP Congress Delegates Elected Amid China Coup Rumours!

 

Xi Jinping Coup Rumours : Much Ado About Nothing

Right now, much has been made about a short video showing military vehicles heading towards Beijing, and over 9,000 flights getting cancelled across China.

However, these “evidence” of a coup in China have not withstood serious analysis.

  • There is no evidence of an 80 km-long military convoy entering Beijing.
  • The viral video shows a minute or so of several military vehicles travelling on a highway, nothing more.
  • There is no evidence of any lockdown of Beijing, which would certainly occur during a military coup.
  • While there was a large number of cancelled flights in Beijing airports, quite a number of commercial flights were still allowed to fly in and out.
  • Airports in the rest of China were generally functioning normally, even though there were some cancelled flights.
  • Flight cancellation is pretty common in China, especially when it comes to COVID-19 mitigation.
  • Xi Jinping issued two letters a day after he was supposedly under house arrest after being overthrown.
  • Sun Lijun and his anti-Xi Jinping “political clique” were sentenced to long jail sentences.
  • CCP delegates were “elected” as expected, together with Xi Jinping himself.
  • CCP mouthpiece, the People’s Daily, reaffirmed Xi Jinping as the party’s “core”.

To top it off, the CCP is continuing its business as usual, firming up support for Xi Jinping’s third term at the upcoming CCP Congress.

The People’s Daily editorial seals the case for Xi Jinping’s toppling in a military coup. That was nothing more than the wishful thinking of netizens who despise him, fuelled by unverified claims.

Read more : Are Beijing Flights Getting Cancelled By Military Coup?!

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | PoliticsTech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

CCP Congress Delegates Elected Amid China Coup Rumours!

People continue to speculate about a possible coup in China, but almost 2,300 CCP delegates were just elected to the upcoming Congress!

Here is what you need to know…

 

CCP Congress Delegates Elected Amid China Coup Rumours!

While rumours swirl about a possible military coup in China, the CCP appears to be oblivious to the rabid speculation and conspiracy theories on the Internet.

On Sunday, September 25, 2022, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) announced that a total of 2,296 delegates were “elected” to the upcoming 20th National Congress.

While the CCP statement did not specifically address the rumours of a coup in China, it specifically pointed out that the delegates were elected

  • under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era,
  • in accordance with the Party’s Constitution, and
  • adopting methods required by the CCP Central Committee

The statement also said that the process upheld the CCP’s nature and purpose, adhere to and enhanced the Party’s overall leadership, and fully embodied intra-party democracy.

President Xi Jinping himself was “elected” as a delegate to the 20th National Congress in April 2022. The statement notably did not change that status, so he remains a delegate, and is still expected to be endorsed for an unprecedented third term.

Read more : Was Xi Jinping Arrested In Sudden Military Coup?!

 

China Coup Rumours : Much Ado About Nothing

Right now, much has been made about a short video showing military vehicles heading towards Beijing, and over 9,000 flights getting cancelled across China.

However, these “evidence” of a coup in China have not withstood serious analysis.

  • There is no evidence of an 80 km-long military convoy entering Beijing.
  • The viral video shows a minute or so of several military vehicles travelling on a highway, nothing more.
  • There is no evidence of any lockdown of Beijing, which would certainly occur during a military coup.
  • While there was a large number of cancelled flights in Beijing airports, quite a number of commercial flights were still allowed to fly in and out.
  • Airports in the rest of China were generally functioning normally, even though there were some cancelled flights.
  • Flight cancellation is pretty common in China, especially when it comes to COVID-19 mitigation.
  • Xi Jinping issued two letters a day after he was supposedly under house arrest after being overthrown.
  • Sun Lijun and his anti-Xi Jinping “political clique” were sentenced to long jail sentences.

To top it off, the CCP just continued about its business like nothing happened. This “election” of all 2,295 delegates to the 20th CCP National Congress only goes to show that it’s business as usual in China.

Read more : Are Beijing Flights Getting Cancelled By Military Coup?!

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | PoliticsTech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Are Beijing Flights Getting Cancelled By Military Coup?!

Are thousands of flights into and out of Beijing being cancelled because a military coup is underway?!

Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!

 

Claim : Beijing Flights Are Getting Cancelled By Military Coup!

The Internet is abuzz with claims that there is a military coup underway in China, with an 80 km military convoy heading for Beijing!

Many also believe that this was evidence of a military coup in China – over 6,000 domestic and international flights into and out of Beijing were just cancelled!

On top of that, about 60% of flights (about 9,583 flights) were cancelled across China on Wednesday, 21 September 2022.

  • Beijing Capital International Airport canceled 622 flights, with a 60% cancellation rate.
  • Shanghai Pudong International Airport had 652 cancelations of flights, with a 54% cancellation rate
  • Shenzhen Baoan Airport’s 542 flights were canceled, with a 51% cancellation rate
  • Guiyang Longdongbao Airport (Guizhou Province): 539 flights canceled, with a 99% cancellation rate
  • Lhasa Gongga Airport (Tibet): 157 flights canceled, with a 98% cancellation rate
  • Chengdu Tianfu Airport (Sichuan Province): 752 flights canceled, with a 87% cancellation rate
  • Urumqi Diwobao Airport (Xinjiang): 476 flights; with a 79% cancellation rate
  • Tianjin Binhai International Airport (about 84 miles east of Beijing): 353 flights; with a 74% cancellation rate
  • Harbin Taiping Airport (Heilongjiang Province): 275 flights canceled; with a 56% cancellation rate
  • Xi’an Xianyang International Airport (Shaanxi Province): 555 flights canceled; with a 56% cancellation rate
  • Nanjing Lukou International Airport (Jiangsu Province): 378 flights canceled; with a 54% cancellation rate
  • Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (Guangdong Province): 560 flights canceled, with a 40% cancellation rate

The number of flights to and from Beijing continue to decline from Wednesday until Saturday.

Read more : Was Xi Jinping Arrested In Sudden Military Coup?!

 

Truth : Beijing Flights Are Not Getting Cancelled By Military Coup!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS that started as a rumour, but was used to generate page views for rumour / fake news websites.

Here are the reasons why… and what we know so far!

Fact #1 : Flights Are Being Cancelled In Beijing

First, let me confirm that the claims of mass flight cancellations into or out of Beijing are correct.

The flight tracking site flightradar24, for example, shows that the Beijing Capital International Airport and the Beijing Daxing International Airport have more or less come to a standstill with very few flights taking off, or landing.

Fact #2 : Some Flights Continue In + Out Of Beijing

While many scheduled flights at the airports either have a Cancelled status, or listed as Unknown, there continue to be some flights flying in and out of both airports.

It was not a total lockdown of the airspace around Beijing, as some have claimed. This would suggest that a military coup is not underway.

Fact #3 : Other Chinese Airports Are Operating Normally

According to flightradar24, other major airports in China, like the Shanghai and Hong Kong airports, appear to be operating normally, although some flights have been cancelled.

It seems rather unlikely that coup plotters would allow airports to continue operating while trying to take over the country.

Recommended : Biden To Hit China With More Chip Restrictions!

Fact #4 : Flight Cancellations Are Common In China

There has been no official word on why so many flights were cancelled, but flight cancellations are rather common in China. This is especially true during the COVID-19 pandemic, when flights have been grounded with little or no warning.

While most of the world is relaxing COVID-19 measures and opening up, China is still persisting with its Zero COVID policy. Hence, it is certainly possible that those flights are being cancelled to protect Beijing from COVID-19 outbreaks / surges in other parts of China.

The Beijing Capital International Airport, incidentally, regularly ranks as one of the airports with the most cancellations in the world.

Fact #5 : Cancellations Could Possibly Be Due To COVID-19

The Chinese news portal Netease said that the cancellations were mainly due to the recent COVID-19 surges in multiple provinces in China, which makes quite a lot of sense.

Beijing is preparing to host 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on 16 October 2022.

This is a major twice-a-decade meeting for the CCP, and one in which President Xi Jinping is expected to be re-elected as General Secretary for an unprecedented third term.

While the 20th National Congress is really just a rubber-stamp event, it is critical for President Xi that his Zero COVID policy is seen to work. Hence, it is critical that Beijing has no COVID-19 outbreak at that time.

Recommended : Did US Navy Fleet Escort Nancy Pelosi To Taiwan?!

Fact #6 : Cancellations Could Possibly Be Due To Military Exercise

Former Chinese investigative journalist Zhao Lanjian, however, suggested that the flights may have been cancelled due to a military exercise.

刚刚我问询一位墙内专业人士。这么回答的。这个大规模取消航班,必须是军方指令。空中交通管制权由中国军方决定,再下指令给民航管理部门。空域留出来,军方飞机才可以随便飞。这是军事计划,至少是有军备预演。但愿未来真的实施军事行动了,不要有太多赔偿品。

This mass cancellation of flights must be a military directive. Air traffic control authority is decided by the Chinese military, which in turn gives instructions to civil aviation management. The airspace is set aside so that military aircraft can fly at will. This is military planning, or at least with military prep.

Fact #7 : No Evidence Of Military Coup In China

Outside of these flight cancellations and an 80 km military convoy, there really isn’t any actual evidence of a military coup in China.

If a military coup did occur, Beijing would be under martial law, with no flights allowed in and out. That would include a lockdown or curfew with military roadblocks all over Beijing and the rest of China.

These are all “noisy” actions that would be clearly visible, not only to the Chinese public but the entire world as well, especially in a time of smartphones and social media.

Yet, there was no mention of anything remotely close to a military coup of any kind, in any mainstream media or social media, either inside or outside of China.

It may be possible to keep a lid on such a major event in North Korea – the hermit kingdom, but not in China. Not even with the Great Firewall (防火长城).

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | PoliticsTech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Was Xi Jinping Arrested In Sudden Military Coup?!

Was Chinese President Xi Jinping just arrested and overthrown by a sudden military coup in China?!

Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!

 

Claim : Xi Jinping Was Just Arrested In Sudden Military Coup!

The Internet is abuzz with claims that Chinese President Xi Jinping was just arrested and overthrown by a sudden military coup in China.

A video showing a long line of military vehicles went viral, and some websites posted articles like “Chinese President Xi Jinping arrested, what is happening in China?

Xi Jinping has been removed from the post of Chairman of the Chinese Military Commission. After the conclusion of the SCO conference in Uzbekistan, Jin Jinping, who returned to China, was arrested by the country’s army and kept under house arrest.

Military special forces have gathered at Shenyang Military Airport on the orders of Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) General Li Qiaoming. Not only this, a video recording has also been released that the military vehicles of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army started invading Beijing from September 22. 

These military vehicles are lined up for about 80 kilometers from Huanlai to Zhangjiakou near Beijing. The root cause of all this is the removal of Xi Jinping from the leadership of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army by senior and top officials of the Chinese Communist Party.

Even former Indian cabinet minister and BJP leader, Subramaniam Swamy, jumped on the bandwagon, posting:

New rumour to be checked out: Is Xi jingping under house arrest in Beijing ? When Xi was in Samarkand recently, the leaders of the Chinese Communist Party were supposed to have removed Xi from the Party’s in-charge of Army. Then House arrest followed. So goes the rumour.

Read more : Are Beijing Flights Getting Cancelled By Military Coup?!

 

Truth : Xi Jinping Was Not Arrested In Any Military Coup!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS that started as a rumour, but was used to generate page views for rumour / fake news websites. Here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : It Started As A Rumour

It started when China Democracy Party Chairman Wanjun Xie 谢万军 posted a video showing a very long convoy of PLA military vehicles heading to Beijing, with this message:

9月22日,中共解放军大部队开往北京。军队的车头在北京怀来,车尾在河北省张家口,行军队伍长达80公里。

On September 22, a large troop of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army left for Beijing. The front of the army was in Huailai, Beijing, and the rear was in Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province. The convoy was 80 kilometers long.

Then Falun Gong practitioner and writer, Jennifer Zeng (曾錚), posted the same video, but this time, mentioning the rumour that Chinese President Xi Jinping was under arrest.

#PLA military vehicles heading to #Beijing on Sep 22. Starting from Huanlai County near Beijing & ending in Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province, entire procession as long as 80 KM. Meanwhile, rumor has it that #XiJinping was under arrest after #CCP seniors removed him as head of PLA

The video, however, does not actually show that the military convoy stretched out for 80 km.

Fact #2 : Jennifer Zeng Admitted Rumour Was Not True

Jennifer Zeng admitted a few hours later that the rumour that Xi Jinping was arrested was not true.

Someone told me that he knows the family of a #CCP admiral, the rumor about Xi’s arrest is not true.

Unfortunately, the rumour had already gone viral by then, and rumour / fake news websites capitalised on it to generate page views for the ad money.

It didn’t help that there were earlier reports of flights in and out of Beijing being cancelled

Fact #3 : Xi Jinping Issued Two Statements The Next Day

While no photos of Xi Jinping were taken on 23 September 2022, he issued two letters on that day – a day after he was supposedly deposed and imprisoned.

While not direct evidence that Xi Jinping is not under some kind of house arrest, both statements still referred to him as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China.

Xi Jinping is likely still in quarantine, after returning from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, which was held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan less than a week ago.

Fact #4 : Sun Lijun Was Sentenced To Death The Next Day

If Xi Jinping was really arrested and overthrown on Thursday, 22 September 2022, the sentencing of Sun Lijun the next day would have at least been postponed, if not cancelled.

On Friday, 23 September 2022, Sun Lijun was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, that would eventually be commuted to life imprisonment with no possibility of commutation or parole.

Officially, the former Vice Minister of Public Security was found guilty of taking more than 646 million yuan (US$90.6 million) of bribes, manipulating the stock market, and illegally possessing two firearms.

Unofficially, Sun was part of a “political clique” that challenged Xi Jinping’s authority. Xinhua reported that “Sun failed to stay true to the Party’s ideals and faith, displayed “extremely inflated political ambition and very poor political integrity,” issued groundless criticisms of the Party’s policies, and spread political rumours“.

Several members of this political clique, like former Justice Minister Fu Zhenghua and three former police chiefs of Shanghai, Chongqing and Shanxi provinces, also received long jail sentences.

Recommended : US Mil Contractor Admits Selling Aviation Secrets To China!

Fact #5 : No Evidence Of Military Coup / Arrest

As much as many people would like to see Xi Jinping experience the pleasures of the Chinese prison system, there is simply NO EVIDENCE of any military coup, or Xi Jinping getting arrested.

If Xi Jinping was arrested in a military coup, the first thing the plotters would have done is publicly reveal that they not only toppled him, they have him in custody.

They would also seize control of major government institutions and the media, to secure power and ensure that Xi loyalists cannot regain power. Martial law would have been declared, with a complete lockdown of Beijing, and the military barricading government buildings.

These are all “noisy” actions that would be clearly visible, not only to the Chinese public but the entire world as well, especially in a time of smartphones and social media.

Yet, there was no mention of anything remotely close to an arrest or a coup of any kind, in any mainstream media or social media, either inside or outside of China.

It may be possible to keep a lid on such a major event in North Korea – the hermit kingdom, but not in China. Not even with the Great Firewall (防火长城).

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | MilitaryTech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Parent Company Of Shopee Slashes Costs + Salaries!

Sea Limited – the parent company of Shopee – appears to be in dire straits, pulling out of markets, slashing costs and salaries!

 

Parent Company Of Shopee Slashes Costs + Salaries!

Singapore-based Sea Limited – Shopee’s parent company – appears to be in dire straits, pulling out of markets, slashing costs and salaries!

In March 2022, Shopee shut down its France operations less than 6 months after kicking off its “European conquest” in October 2021.

Then in early September 2022, Shopee exited Argentina, and shut down its local operations in Chile, Colombia and Mexico. Sea Limited’s Garena gaming unit also laid off hundreds of employees in Shanghai.

Today (September 15, 2022), Bloomberg reported that Sea Limited’s top management staff will forgo their salaries, and the company will tighten its expenses.

In a 1,000-word internal memo to Sea Limited staff, CEO Forrest Li said that the leadership team will not take any cash compensation “until the company reaches self-sufficiency”, as well as these additional measures :

  • business travel is restricted to economy class flights,
  • travel meal expenses are limited to US$30 a day,
  • hotel stays for business trips are limited to US$150 a night
  • reimbursements for meals and entertainment bills will be removed

 

Sea Limited + Shopee Have Been Struggling In 2022

Li noted that Sea Limited has been struggling against rising interest rates, accelerating inflation, and a volatile market – conditions that he foresees will likely persist into the medium term.

He stressed that the company’s primary objective for the next 12-18 months will be to achieve positive cashflow as soon as possible.

With investors fleeing for ‘safe haven’ investments, we do not anticipate being able to raise funds in the market.

The only way for us to free ourselves from relying on external capital is to become self-sufficient, generating enough cash for all our own needs and projects.

Li’s comments mirrors the “tough times” concerns recently expressed by HUAWEI CEO Ren Zhengfe.

Read more : HUAWEI CEO Ren Zhengfei Warns Of Tough Times!

Sea Limited saw its market value soar to more than US$200 billion in October 2021, but its share prices tumbled 85%, reducing its market value to just US$27 billion.

Last month, Sea announced that its net loss in the second quarter of 2022 widened to US$931.20 million from US$433.7 million last year. Its total adjusted loss before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation for that quarter also jumped to US$506.3 minion from US$24.1 million.

This was despite a 29% increase in total revenue to US$2.9 billion, from US$2.3 billion in the second quarter of last year.

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Business | Tech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Miss Taiwan Left Crying At WCIT 2022 Tech Event!

Miss Asia Global Taiwan was left crying after she was barred from the stage at the WCIT 2022 tech event in Penang, Malaysia!

Here is what you need to know…

 

Miss Taiwan Left Crying At WCIT 2022 Tech Event!

The 2022 World Congress on Innovation and Technology (WCIT) kicked off on Tuesday, 13 September 2022, in Penang, Malaysia.

But the opening ceremony was marred by controversy after Miss Asia Global Taiwan, Kao Man-jung, was barred from taking the stage.

Miss Kao Man-jung was supposed to appear on stage with other Miss Asia Global contestants for the WCIT 2022 opening ceremony, when she was stopped at the last moment by a WCIT staff member.

Her crime? Waving the flag of her country – Taiwan. The other contestants were allowed to go on stage, waving the flag of their countries, except Miss Kao Man-jung.

Instead, the WCIT official pulled her aside, and she was seen bursting into tears, with Taiwanese officials around her looking befuddled.

WCIT organisers later apologised to Miss Kao, claiming that due to a “last minute change”, they could not allow her to appear on stage.

 

MOFA Condemns Mistreatment Of Miss Taiwan At WCIT 2022

The Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) issued an official statement on Wednesday, 14 September 2022, condemning the mistreatment of Miss Asia Global Taiwan at WCIT 2022.

MOFA expressed “regret and frustration” over the “flawed decision” by WCIT, and condemned China’s bullying of Taiwanese citizens and its intervention in unofficial exchanges.

Taiwan is a sovereign country, and its people have the right to display their national flag at international events.

MOFA stands with Kao and all Taiwanese in their efforts to speak up for Taiwan in international settings in their respective fields of expertise.

 

Penang Assemblyman Defends Barring Of Miss Taiwan At WCIT 2022

Penang assemblyman Jason Ong Khan Lee (PKR-Kebun Bunga) defended the decision by the World Congress on Innovation and Technology organisers to bar Miss Asia Global Taiwan from going on stage with the other contestants.

He said that many countries, including the United Nations, subscribe to the One China policy, and so, it would be insensitive to allow the Taiwanese contestant to go on stage with the flag.

I think there is no offence intended and I hope the Taiwanese beauty can understand that there is nothing personal against her.

 

WCIT Organisers States One China Policy Behind Decision

The WCIT 2022 organisers reportedly said that they had to abide by the One China policy that Malaysia adhered to, when they asked Miss Kao Man-jung not to wave her flag.

Since this was a national event, the organisers was “obliged” to abide by the One China policy.

However, the organisers did not explain why they did not inform the Taiwanese beauty queen and the Taiwanese delegation earlier, so she would not have to make the effort to dress nicely and appear for the event, only to be pulled aside and left looking like a jilted bride at the altar.

Regardless of the reason, the last minute decision showed a complete lack of foresight and discretion.

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Business | Celebrity | Tech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Biden To Hit China With More Chip Restrictions!

The Biden Administration is planning to hit China with more restrictions on chip supplies, as well as chipmaking technology!

 

Biden To Hit China With More Chip Restrictions!

Sources familiar with the matter just revealed to Channel News Asia that the Biden Administration plans to hit China with more more restrictions on chip supplies, as well as chipmaking technology.

In September 2022, the US Commerce Department intends to publish new regulations for the semiconductor industry, based on :

  • restrictions that earlier applied only to KLA Corporation, Lam Research Corporation, and Applied Material Incorporated.
  • restrictions that were recently enforced on AMD and NVIDIA

The first three US companies received letters from the US Commerce Department, explicitly forbidding them from exporting chipmaking equipment to Chinese factories that produce sub-14 nanometer semiconductors without special export licences.

AMD and NVIDIA, on the other hand, received letters informing them that they were now banned from selling high-performance AI chips to China (as well as Russia) without special export licences.

On top of those restrictions, the US Commerce Department will likely impose additional chip restrictions on China.

The US Chamber of Commerce claims last week that the Commerce Department plans to add more Chinese supercomputing entities to a trade blacklist.

Read more : AMD, NVIDIA Banned From Selling AI Chips To China!

 

Why Biden Is Introducing More Chip Restrictions On China

The US Commerce Department issued those 5 companies the so-called “is informed” letters to quickly impose restrictions without going through the lengthy rule-writing process, but they would only apply to companies that receive them.

That leaves open the possibility for other companies to bypass those restrictions, or offer comparable chips or technologies to the Chinese as an alternative.

For example, NVIDIA is banned from selling their A100 artificial intelligence chips to Chinese companies. However, China can still purchase servers containing NVIDIA A100 chips from Dell Technologies, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Super Micro Computer.

Hence, the new regulations serve to codify those restrictions and apply them across the board, preventing those chips and technologies from “leaking” to China.

As a general rule, we look to codify any restrictions that are in is-informed letters with a regulatory change.
– Senior US Commerce Department official

The Biden Administration has also reached out to US allies to lobby them into enacting similar restrictions, to prevent China from obtaining critical chips and technologies through other sources.

This move comes after the US Congress voted to pass the historic CHIPS and Science Act, which not only provides semiconductor companies with billions of dollars of funding, but also blocks them from building advanced chip fabs in China.

Read more : Did China Make 7nm Chips In Spite Of US Sanctions?!

The Biden Administration appears to be more cognisant than the Trump Administration of the risks of permitting China continued access to advanced semiconductors and chipmaking technologies.

The Chinese government has become very belligerent and aggressive in the South China Sea, and cutting access to advanced chips will reduce its ability to build more advanced missiles like the Dong-Feng 21 (DF-21) and the YJ-12.

China is also a source of chips that Russia desperately needs to build its own advanced missiles, so these rules would also prevent that possibility.

By blocking China’s access to advanced chips, the hope is that it will preclude hostilities from breaking out in Asia, and force an earlier and better conclusion of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Business | Computer | Tech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

AMD, NVIDIA Banned From Selling AI Chips To China!

Both AMD and NVIDIA have just been banned from selling high-performance AI chips to both China and Russia!

Here is what you need to know…

 

AMD, NVIDIA Banned From Selling AI Chips To China + Russia!

On Friday, 26 August 2022, NVIDIA and AMD were both ordered by the US government to stop exporting high-performance AI chips to both China and Russia.

In its regulatory filing to the SEC, NVIDIA stated that the US government introduced this ban to prevent them from being used for military purposes, or by the Chinese or Russian military.

The ban uses the A100 Tensor Core GPU as the baseline for NVIDIA, and the 3rd Gen Instinct MI250 accelerator chip for AMD.

Effective immediately, anything equal to, or faster than, the NVIDIA A100 or the AMD Instinct MI250 can no longer be exported to either China or Russia. That includes the upcoming H100 chip.

On August 26, 2022, the U.S. government, or USG, informed NVIDIA Corporation, or the Company, that the USG has imposed a new license requirement, effective immediately, for any future export to China (including Hong Kong) and Russia of the Company’s A100 and forthcoming H100 integrated circuits.

DGX or any other systems which incorporate A100 or H100 integrated circuits and the A100X are also covered by the new license requirement.

The license requirement also includes any future NVIDIA integrated circuit achieving both peak performance and chip-to-chip I/O performance equal to or greater than thresholds that are roughly equivalent to the A100, as well as any system that includes those circuits. A license is required to export technology to support or develop covered products.

The USG indicated that the new license requirement will address the risk that the covered products may be used in, or diverted to, a ‘military end use’ or ‘military end user’ in China and Russia. The Company does not sell products to customers in Russia.

I should point out that the NVIDIA A100 was launched two years ago – on June 22, 2020, while the AMD Instinct MI250 was introduced on November 8, 2021.

So it appears that the US government wants to maintain at least a 1-year advantage in high-performance AI chips.

 

AMD, NVIDIA Set To Lose Billions From AI Chip Sales To China!

Both AMD and NVIDIA stopped selling chips to Russia, after the invasion of Ukraine, so there is no material loss from such a ban on sales to Russia.

However, they both stand to lose billions of dollars worth of sales to China. NVIDIA alone estimates that the ban will affect US$400 million of sales, just in the third fiscal quarter.

Even more worrying was the likelihood that this ban may delay the H100 chip’s launch, and force NVIDIA to move “certain operations” out of China.

The new license requirement may impact the Company’s ability to complete its development of H100 in a timely manner or support existing customers of A100 and may require the Company to transition certain operations out of China.

AMD however claims that the ban will not have a material impact on its business, because shipments of its less powerful MI100 chips are not affected.

At this time, we do not believe that shipments of MI100 integrated circuits are impacted by the new requirements.

We do not currently believe it is a material impact on our business.

Both AMD and NVIDIA will now have to discuss with their customers in China on using alternative (less powerful) chips, or obtaining special licenses from the US government.

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Enterprise | ComputerTech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Can Greeting Photos + Videos Hack Your Phone?!

Can hackers use greeting photos and videos to hack your phone, and steal your data?

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the FACTS really are!

 

Claim : Greeting Photos + Videos Can Hack Your Phone!

People keep sharing this warning about greeting photos and videos, which claims that they can hack your phone and steal your data.

It’s a long message, so just skip to the next section for the facts!

Hello Family and friends,

Starting tomorrow, Please do not send network pictures. Look at the following article to understand. I’m going to stop too.

Please delete all photos and videos of Good morning, Evening and other greetings and religious messages as soon as possible. Read the following article carefully and you will understand why.

Read all! Please send this message urgently to as many friends as possible to prevent illegal intrusion.

 

Truth : Greeting Photos + Videos Cannot Be Hack Your Phone!

Many of us get spammed with Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening photos and videos every day from family and friends.

While they often clog up Facebook, Telegram and WhatsApp groups, they really cannot hack your phone. Here are the reasons why Good Morning messages are very irritating, but harmless…

Fact #1 : Shanghai China International News Does Not Exist

The news organisation that was claimed to be the source of this warning – Shanghai China International News –  does not exist!

Fact #2 : Greeting Photos + Videos Not Created By Hackers

Hackers (from China or anywhere else) have better things to do than to create these greeting photos and videos.

They are mostly created by websites and social media influencers for people to share and attract new followers.

Fact #3 : No Fraud Involving Greeting Photos / Videos

There has been no known fraud involving Good Morning or Good Night messages, videos or pictures.

Certainly, half a million victims of such a scam would have made front page news. Yet there is not a single report on even one case…. because it never happened.

Fact #4 : Image-Based Malware Is Possible, But…

Digital steganography is a method by which secret messages and other data can be hidden in digital files, like a photo or a video, or even a music file.

It is also possible to embed malicious code within a Good Morning photo, but it won’t be a full-fledged malware that can execute by itself.

At most, it can be used to hide the malware payload from antivirus scanners, which is pretty clever to be honest…

Fact #5 : Image-Based Malware Requires User Action

In January 2019, cybercriminals created an online advertisement with a script that appears innocuous and would pass any malware check.

However, the image itself has an “almost white” rectangle that is recognised by the script, triggering it to redirect the user to the cybercriminals’ website.

Once there, the victim is tricked into installing a Trojan disguised as an Adobe Flash Player update.

Such a clever way to bypass malware checks, but even so, this image-based malware requires user action.

You cannot get infected by the Trojan if you practice good “Internet hygiene” by not downloading or installing anything from unknown websites.

Fact #6 : Malicious Code Executes Immediately

If you accidentally download and trigger malware, it will execute immediately. It won’t wait, as the hoax message claims.

Deleting Good Morning or Good Night photos or videos will free up storage space in your phone, but it won’t prevent any malware from executing.

There is really no reason for malware to wait before it infects your devices. Waiting will only increase the risk of detection.

Whether the malware serves to take over your device, steal your information or encrypt it for ransom, it pays to do it at the first opportunity.

Now that you know the facts, please SHARE this article with your family and friends!

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | CybersecurityTech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

HUAWEI CEO Ren Zhengfei Warns Of Tough Times!

HUAWEI CEO Ren Zhengfei just warned of tough times ahead, and called for his company to go into survival mode!

Here is what you need to know…

 

HUAWEI CEO Ren Zhengfei Warns Of Tough Times!

On 22 August 2022, HUAWEI founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei posted a memo on its internal network, stating that “The entire company’s business policy should shift from the pursuit of expansion to the pursuit of profit and cash flow“.

In Ren’s opinion, the global economy will continue to decline and be in the doldrums for the next ten years, putting HUAWEI under great pressure.

He also said that it is unclear if HUAWEI can survive the 2023-2024 financial year, partially blaming its woes on a “continued blockade” by Western countries.

Therefore, he says HUAWEI must focus on its own survival, and shift from expanding to pursuing profit and improving cash flow over the next 3 years. To that end, the CEO said that HUAWEI will completely abandon its business in certain countries.

The HUAWEI CEO also said that the “chill” in business sentiment to be passed down to HUAWEI employees, linking their bonuses and promotions to business results. In addition, he called for responsibilities to be consolidated, which sounds like euphemism for job cuts.

This alarming memo by its CEO comes after HUAWEI – China’s largest company – saw revenue decline by 14% in the first three months of 2022, with its profit margin narrowing to 4.3% from 11.1% just a year ago.

The HUAWEI CEO appears to believe that China will experience a much longer and persistent economic slowdown spreading far beyond the current collapse of its real estate sector.

It is surprising to note that Chinese censors has not removed the memo, which suggests the HUAWEI CEO has enough clout to speak openly. His memo went viral on Chinese social media, and has been discussed and shared by more than 100 million Chinese netizens.

Recommended : Can HUAWEI Phones Get Free Calls + Internet From BeiDou?

 

HUAWEI CEO Ren Zhengfei Tough Times Memo : Key Points

Here are the key points from HUAWEI CEO Ren Zhengfei’s “tough times” memo, machine-translated from NetEase:

Live with quality in the next three years

We have to see the difficulties faced by the company and the difficulties in the future. The next ten years should be a very painful historical period, and the global economy will continue to decline. Now, due to the impact of the war and the continued blockade and suppression by the United States, the world’s economy is unlikely to improve in the next 3 to 5 years. Coupled with the impact of the epidemic, there should be no bright spot in the world. Then the consumption power will be greatly reduced, which will not only put pressure on the supply, but also the pressure on the market.

Under such circumstances, Huawei’s overly optimistic expectations about the future will be lowered. In 2023 and even 2025, we must take survival as the main program to survive, and survive with quality. This slogan is very good. Every business must be carried out carefully.

If we have a little bit of hope in 2025 as planned, then we must first find a way to get through these three difficult years, and the basis of survival must be adjusted to focus on cash flow and real profits, not just sales revenue. The respite period of our life is 2023 and 2024. We are still not sure whether we can break through in these two years, so every mouth should not tell stories, but must talk about realization, especially when conducting business forecasts, do not No more illusions, telling stories to deceive the company, losses will be deducted from your food package, first of all, you must survive, and if you survive, you will have a future.

Blind investment business to shrink

The 2023 budget should maintain a reasonable pace, blind expansion, and blind investment in businesses should shrink or close.

The entire company must use the budget effectively, and cannot blindly close all projects. The manpower saved will go to the front line, continue to optimize the organization’s business, rationally staff the ICT infrastructure, or our black land granary. Competitive complex hardware platforms and complex software platforms, and the projects that hang on to ride on them must be picked out. The legion is to build a basic information platform and sell ICT better. The infrastructure is not for the ecology. The terminal is the foundation for our rise and breakthrough in the future, but it should not be blind. Now we need to narrow the front lines, concentrate our troops to fight the war of annihilation, and increase profits.

Huawei cloud computing should focus on supporting Huawei’s business development in a down-to-earth manner, and take the road of supporting the industrial Internet. Digital energy has increased investment in the strategic opportunity window, created greater value, contracted institutions, and strengthened combat teams. Smart car solutions cannot be rolled out on a complete front. It is necessary to reduce the research budget, strengthen the business closed loop, and take a modular approach to R&D, focusing on a few key components to be competitive, and the rest can be connected to others.

In addition to the main goal of continuous investment for survival and profitability, businesses that cannot generate value and profits in the next few years should be scaled down or closed, and human and material resources should be concentrated on the main channel. We must face the reality and not be too far away. The great ideal is to cut through the mess quickly, and the surplus personnel will be adjusted to the strategic reserve team, and then they will be combined into reasonable positions to grab food.

The peripheral business must be taken out of the strategic core. After the marginal business is taken out, we first evaluate whether it can be done well and how much resources are needed to do it well. If it is not possible to do a business with huge resource consumption, it is better to open it up and let others do it after closing it. We must do it, and if we do not do well enough, we will reorganize the combat team and change cadres. If there are some windows of opportunity, we expand the strategic resource pool of strategic reserve teams and cadres and experts, and form commandos to attack in the window of opportunity.

Adhere to seeking truth from facts, and shrinking in the market must be firm. We used to embrace the ideal of globalization and aspire to serve all mankind. What is our ideal now? Survive and earn a little wherever you have money. From this perspective, we need to adjust the market structure and study what can be done and what should be abandoned.

Give up part of the market

The first focus is on value market value customers, and the main force is used in the middle section of the normal distribution curve. In some countries, we completely give up in the market. We also have a fat meat market, and the people who used to eat bones are transferred to eat fat meat.

Second, for hard-fought countries and regions, as an assessment and training base for new cadres to be promoted in the future, some countries have low output. Although we still have to do it, should we no longer send soldiers to guard the top of the snow, because he will still be a soldier after he comes down? Xueshan Mountain is a test of people, and potential new cadres will have the opportunity to be promoted to army commander. Because it is easy to integrate a small country, he calculates from the estimated budget, contract, tender delivery, working hour quota, and the solution is all done together. When I came back, I passed 5 and 6 on the cadre’s resume and passed the threshold of 11 generals in one day. Of course, some employees have been on the frontier for a long time, and their incomes have decreased when they return to China. There is also the issue of children going to school.

Third, employees returning from overseas should have priority in obtaining skills training and job opportunities. Employees returning from overseas must have a period of protection to protect them from their posts and ensure that they receive certain training. The skills of personnel in difficult countries may be worse than those in China, because they do not have a realistic combat environment. How can they improve? Just like a soldier on the plateau, although he stood very high, he did not absorb any cosmic energy. They paid the price. They could not take the exam as soon as they returned to China, and then they were eliminated. No one wanted to go to such difficult areas, so we have to It is guaranteed that the returning employees have job arrangements and a relaxed study time. As for his ability to catch up during this period, it is another matter.

Financial planning needs to be done for cash flow. In times of crisis, the main purpose is to make blood. Although we say that it will improve in 2025, what if there are no shells by then? So that’s a wonderful plan, we have safe food measures.

The company has two major expenditures to distribute dividends to employees, including wage stability, which is to enhance internal confidence and cohesion, and repayment of loans to banks, which is to enhance the society’s trust in us. For projects that already have obvious potential risks, don’t have any illusions, and surface them as soon as possible, let the audit come to a conclusion, and quantify the risks. At the same time, it is still possible to continue to manage these assets that have been eliminated. Through management, risks can be turned into appropriate returns. We should not have a bubble in our hearts. When we look at the report, we will be very determined, but we will not actually be able to make money. to the money.

Let the chill pass to everyone

Consolidate responsibilities, and link bonuses, promotions and promotions to business results, so that the cold will be passed on to everyone.

First, in this year’s and next year’s assessment, the weight of cash flow and profit should be increased. It is better for sales revenue to decline a bit, but profit and cash flow to increase. The bonus for operating profit growth should be a little more, so as to encourage everyone to compete for profits.

Second, each responsibility center signs the assessment responsibility letter. The company should aim at the KPI-based reciprocal reward mechanism. The normal promotion and upgrading will remain unchanged next year, but the link with the equivalence of responsibility should be strengthened, which makes people feel cold year after year. , but we need to be patient and enthusiastic in our transition. I once told the executive board that the basic salary framework should not be changed. This is a rigid indicator, but if the employees are excellent, they can be promoted and upgraded, and the bonus can be very flexible. Why is it elastic? Encourage everyone to go to the battlefield to grab food, the front line is different from the agency.

Third, the bonuses of various businesses this year must widen the gap, and it is absolutely not allowed to force everyone to achieve the short-term goal of grabbing food. In the past, the company’s policy was basically to settle things down. Everyone didn’t feel the cold in winter. Everyone covered the quilt, but it was a little thicker and thinner. At the end of this year, businesses with more profit and cash flow will have more bonuses, and businesses that cannot create value will have very low bonuses. They don’t even force the business to commit suicide and pass on the cold.

At present, we have to survive, not to fight for our ideals. The legion competition is the year-end bonus, because the bonus is not given by the company, but the profit earned by the legion itself, and part of it is handed over to the company. If we cannot earn food, we must dare to Bonuses are not given because the basic income of the employees covers the necessities of life. Of course, some strategic businesses cannot create value in the short term, which we can determine through evaluation, but many marginal businesses with poor performance must be cut off. This is adjustment, consolidation, enrichment, and improvement.

Invest at all costs at the point of survival crisis

Quality is the primary productive force. We must adhere to this line. R&D must be responsible for the quality and performance of products, and we promise that service experts must have comprehensive capabilities. Poor quality products are a shame for R&D personnel. This sentence should be posted on On the wall of the R&D office area of ​​the R&D office, the rate of network failures around the world is getting higher and higher, and an accident may destroy the trust system of the entire market.

100-1=0, for our research and development, the research and development of single boards, the research and development of single devices, and the research and development of systems must put quality first. Quality is the best support guarantee for R&D and manufacturing personnel to market service personnel. If the quality of the product is not good, it is equivalent to letting the brothers brave the hail of bullets, ice and snow, hot and sweltering heat, and the new crown virus is charging on the front line. Therefore, we need to establish a reverse assessment mechanism. The first-line reverse assessment should not only assess the service organization of the agency, but also extend to the product line. If the quality is not good in the office, then the front line should be narrowed and the competitiveness should be improved.

We need to improve the status of the service system, and service experts must have a comprehensive ability to judge the network experience of accidents. In the past, we paid more attention to R&D than service, but now we also need to pay attention to the service system.

Reasonable, scientific and reasonable control of inventory. We must change from panic-stricken self-rescue in the past to high-quality self-rescue. We must pay attention to reducing inventory reasonably, and do not cause insufficient profits and tight cash flow of the company due to excessive inventory, which constitutes our new crisis. We can invest at all costs on strategic key opportunities and existential crises, but we cannot spend money on non-strategic opportunities.

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > BusinessTech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Why Sony Hiked PlayStation 5 Prices Globally!

Sony just gave everyone a “nice” August surprise, by hiking PlayStation 5 prices globally by up to 24%!

Here is what you need to know…

 

Sony Hikes PlayStation 5 Prices Globally, Except US!

Sony has had a hard time producing enough PlayStation 5 consoles, with available units getting snapped up within minutes, often by scalpers.

It doesn’t seem to be a situation that will likely be resolved until 2024, but that does not mean Sony is willing to lose out on profits just because there’s still a shortage of chips worldwide.

On 25 August 2022, they sprung a “nice” surprise by announcing an immediate hike to PlayStation 5 prices globally… except in the United States.

Japan gets a short reprieve until September 14, so consumers there can still enjoy the lower price, but with virtually no stock at hand, that probably won’t make much of a difference.

Europe

  • PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – €549.99
  • PS5 Digital Edition – €449.99

UK

  • PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – £479.99
  • PS5 Digital Edition – £389.99

Japan (effective Sept. 15, 2022)

  • PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – ¥60,478 yen (including tax)
  • PS5 Digital Edition – ¥49,478 yen (including tax)

China

  • PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – ¥4,299 yuan
  • PS5 Digital Edition – ¥3,499 yuan

Australia

  • PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – AUD $799.95
  • PS5 Digital Edition – AUD $649.95

Mexico

  • PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – MXN $14,999
  • PS5 Digital Edition – MXN $12,499

Canada

  • PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – CAD $649.99
  • PS5 Digital Edition – CAD $519.99

Singapore

  • PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – SG$799
  • PS5 Digital Edition – SG$669

Malaysia

  • PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – RM2,499
  • PS5 Digital Edition – RM2,069

Indonesia

  • PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – IDR 9,699,000
  • PS5 Digital Edition – IDR 8,199,000

Thailand

  • PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – THB 18,690
  • PS5 Digital Edition – THB 15,690

Philippines

  • PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – PHP 30,790

Vietnam

  • PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – VND 15,990,000

In the United Kingdom, prices are going up by £30 for both the Blu-ray and Digital Edition versions – a 6% to 8% hike.

In Europe, the €50 hike raises the console’s price by 10% to 12.5% for the Blu-ray and Digital Edition versions respectively.

In Australia, the A$50 hike raises the console’s price by 6.7% to 8.3% for the Blu-ray and Digital Edition versions respectively.

Here in Malaysia, the RM200 hike raises the console’s price by 8.7% to 10.7% for the Blu-ray and Digital Edition versions respectively.

The highest increase though will be in Japan. The ¥10,498 increase is a massive 21% hike over the original price of ¥49,980 for the Blu-ray edition. The Digital Edition was originally priced at ¥39,980, but it will cost 24% more after its price is raised by ¥9,498.

 

Why Is Sony Hiking PlayStation 5 Prices Globally, Except US?!

It is certainly odd and rare for companies to raise prices on a product in the middle of its lifespan. I should point out that the PlayStation 5 is almost 2 years old, having been launched on November 12, 2020.

Sony Interactive Entertainment President and CEO Jim Ryan blamed the decision on “challenging economic conditions” which caused “high global inflation rates, as well as adverse currency trends“.

The global economic environment is a challenge that many of you around the world are no doubt experiencing. We’re seeing high global inflation rates, as well as adverse currency trends, impacting consumers and creating pressure on many industries.

Based on these challenging economic conditions, SIE has made the difficult decision to increase the recommended retail price (RRP) of PlayStation 5 in select markets across Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), Asia-Pacific (APAC), Latin America (LATAM), as well as Canada. There will be no price increase in the United States.

Why not the United States? Probably because Sony is not doing quite so well in that market, getting edged out by Xbox Series X/S. So it looks like Sony does not want to upset the apple cart there just yet…

PlayStation 5 is doing great in other countries, so Sony apparently felt confident enough to raise prices without the risk of potential customers jumping to the Xbox bandwagon in protest.

Ultimately, this boils down to profit. If Sony cannot get enough units out the door, the only way to increase profits is to raise prices. And if raising prices will keep the shareholders happy and protect their own bonuses, it’s no surprise that Sony executives would sign off on this.

Even more shockingly – Sony is raising prices most in its own turf. Japanese gamers will have to put up with a massive price hike of 21% to 24%.

It really does not pay to be a fan of Sony products…

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Gaming | BusinessTech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

XPeng Engineer Guilty Of Stealing Apple Car Secrets!

An XPeng engineer just pleaded guilty to stealing trade secrets from the Apple Project Titan self-driving car program!

Here is what we know so far…

 

XPeng Engineer Guilty Of Stealing Apple Car Secrets!

A former Apple engineer who joined Xpeng – the Chinese electric vehicle maker, just pleaded guilty to the criminal charge of stealing trade secrets from the Apple self-driving car program!

Zhang Xiaolang initially pleaded not guilty to the charges, but he reached a plea deal with prosecutors and changed his plea to guilty, according to court documents released on Monday, August 22, 2022.

The plea deal is sealed, so the details are unknown. Zhang’s attorney, Daniel Olmos, confirmed the plea agreement but declined to comment on the details. Sentencing however is set for November 2022.

Zhang faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine. With this plea deal, he should serve a much shorter sentence.

In addition to Zhang, US federal prosecutors also charged Chen Jizhong with stealing secrets from the Apple self-driving car program. Chen, however, continues to plead not guilty, and will have his day in court on August 29, 2022.

Chen is also represented by the same lawyer as Zhang – Daniel Olmos.

Recommended : Did China Make 7nm Chips In Spite Of US Sanctions?!

 

How XPeng Engineer Stole Apple Car Secrets!

Zhang Xiaolang worked on the Apple Project Titan autonomous vehicle program as a hardware engineer between 2015 and 2018, during which he designed and tested circuit boards.

He travelled to China during his paternity leave in 2018, and on returning in April 2018, he told his boss at Apple that he was leaving to work for XPeng (Guangzhou Xiaopeng Motors Technology) in China.

XPeng, also known as XMotors in the United States, is a Chinese electric car startup backed by Alibaba, Foxconn and IDG Capital. It has developed electric cars like the XPeng G3 and XPeng P5.

His boss felt that Zhang was “being evasive” during the meeting. There was also increased network activity and visits to his office, before he resigned. All that led to an internal Apple investigation of his two company-issued phones and laptop.

That’s when they discovered that Zhang had been downloading confidential files from the Apple lab during his time away. He was also caught on CCTV removing circuit boards and a Linux server from their lab.

Zhang’s network activity was found to consist of “both bulk searches and targeted downloading copious pages of information from the various confidential database applications“.

Recommended : US Mil Contractor Admits Selling Aviation Secrets To China!

Zhang was arrested at the San Jose airport in July 7, 2018, before he could board a last-minute, one-way flight to China aboard Hainan Airlines.

In an interview with Apple’s security team, Zhang admitted that he downloaded the data online, and removed hardware from its labs. He also admitted to the FBI that he stored the files he downloaded on his wife’s laptop.

The FBI described the data he stoled as “largely technical in nature, including engineering schematics, technical reference manuals, and technical reports“.

The files – about 24 GB worth – include a 25-page document containing engineering schematics of a circuit board, as well as technical manuals and PDFs related to the Apple self-driving car prototype.

The other Apple engineer to be charged with stealing secrets of its autonomous car project – Chen Jizhong – was accused of stealing stolen thousands of sensitive documents, as well as 100 photos taken inside its self-driving facility – all discovered in a hard disk drive he owned.

Chen was also arrested when he attempted to board a flight to China, ostensibly to visit his ill father.

Recommended : TikTok Leak : China Repeatedly Accessed Private User Data!

 

XPeng Denies Involvement In Theft Of Apple Car Secrets!

XPeng said in a Weibo post that it was aware of the plea agreement from media reports, but it was “not clear about the details, nor involved in further investigation conducted by US law enforcement“.

It has been more than four years into the case, and we are not aware of the specifics of the case and have not been involved in the follow-up investigation of the case by the US judiciary.

We also have no relevant dispute with Apple and have no connection with the case. We strictly abide by relevant laws and attaches great importance to intellectual property protection.

Zhang joined XMotors in May 2018, but the company quickly distanced itself from its employee, stating on July 11, 2021 :

There is no indication that he has ever communicated any sensitive information from Apple to XMotors.

XMotors always has strictly abided by the laws of China and the United States and takes protection of intellectual property rights seriously.

Company spokesperson Isabel Jiang also stated that once they were notified in late June 2018 that US authorities were investigating Zhang, they secured his computer and office equipment and denied him access to his work. They subsequently fired him.

XPeng also said that Zhang signed an intellectual property compliance document on the day he joined, and that there was “no record that he reported any sensitive and illegal situations” to the company.

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Automotive | CybersecurityTech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Are Taiwan Gov Officials Secretly Japanese Spies?!

Are many high-ranking Taiwan government officials secretly Japanese spies?!

Take a look at the latest viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

 

Claim : Taiwan Gov Officials Are Secretly Japanese Spies!

People are sharing a post which claims that many high-ranking Taiwan government officials are really Japanese spies or agents.

It’s pretty long, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts…

The truth of taiwan’s official government, I can’t imagine that the entire group of high-ranking officials are ghosts!

Lee Teng-hui, not surnamed Lee
Original name: Noboru Iwasato, of Japanese descent
Ancestral home: Mizawa, Aomori Prefecture, Japan

Tsai Ing-wen, not surnamed Tsai
Original name: Umehara English, Ancestral home of Japanese ancestry: Nihe, Iwate Prefecture, Japan

 

Truth : Taiwan Gov Officials Are NOT Japanese Spies!

None of the Taiwan government officials mentioned in the viral post are Japanese citizens or have Japanese heritage. They are also not Japanese spies or secret agents.

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), and shared by pro-CCP netizens, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Lee Teng-hui Was First Taiwan-Born President

Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) was born in 1923, during Japanese colonial rule. Like other Taiwanese under Japanese rule, he was given a Japanese name. However, it was Iwasato Masao (岩里 政男/いわさと まさお), not Noboru Iwasato.

Lee Teng-hui was also not of Japanese descent. He was of Tingzhou Hakka decent, from the Yonding district of the Fujian Province in mainland China, not Mizawa in the Aomori Prefecture of Japan.

Lee Teng-hui eventually became the first Taiwan-born President of the Republic of China.

Ironically, Lee joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) not once, but twice – in 1946 and 1947, and his New Democracy Association that he formed was absorbed by the CCP.

Fact #2 : Tsai Ing-wen Is First Female President Of Taiwan

Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) was born on 31 August 1956, in Taipei – the capital of Taiwan. She eventually became the first female President of Taiwan, so it is ridiculous to accuse her of being a Japanese spy or secret agent.

Taiwan was already free from Japanese occupation when she was born, so she did not have the Japanese name, Uemhara English as alleged by the fake post.

Tsai Ing-wen is also not of Japanese origin. Her family originated in the Fangshan town of Pingtung County, in southern Taiwan, not Nihe in the Iwate Prefecture of Japan.

Fact #3 : Chen Chi-chung Grew Up On A Taiwanese Farm

Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) has been the Taiwan Minister of Council of Agriculture since January 2019.

He is of Chinese ancestry, and does not have any Japanese name, and certainly not Tozuka Jizuka.

Chen Chi-chung grew up on a farm in Wandan, Pingtung County in southern Taiwan, not Abashiri City in Hokkaido, Japan.

Fact #4 : Lai Ching-te Grew Up In Taipei

Willam Lai Ching-te (賴淸德) was born in a free Taiwan, so he does not have any Japanese name, and certainly not Kiyotoku Teraoka.

Lai was also born in Wanli on October 6, 1959, in what is now New Taipei City. He certainly did not originate from Tamura in the Fukushima Prefecture of Japan.

He is currently the Vice-President of Taiwan, after serving as the running mate of President Tsai Ing-wen. So it is also ridiculous to accuse him of being a Japanese spy or secret agent.

Fact #5 : Chen Chu Grew Up In Taipei

Joyce Chen Chu (陳菊) was born on June 10, 1950. This was after Japanese occupation ended, so she did not have the Japanese name, Kikuto Tsukasa, as alleged by the fake post.

Her family originated from Sanxing in the Yilan County of Taiwan, not Kuroishi in the Aomori Prefecture of Japan.

She currently serves as the President of the Control Yuan, and the Chair of the National Human Rights Commission in Taiwan.

Fact #6 : Chen Shui-bian Grew Up In Tainan

Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) was born on October 12, 1950. This was after Japanese occupation ended, so he did not have the Japanese name, Shimabukuro Mizuhira, as alleged by the fake post.

He grew up on a farm in the Guantian Township of Tainan County in Taiwan, not Hachimantai in the Iwate Province of Japan.

His family are Hokkien people from the Zhao’an county of the southern Fujian province of mainland China.

He was the first politician from the Democratic Progressive Party to become President of Taiwan, breaking the 55 years of Kuomintang’s rule.

Needless to say – it is absurd to accuse a former President of Taiwan of being a Japanese spy or secret agent.

Fact #7 : Hsieh Chang-ting Was Born In Taipei

Frank Hsieh Chang-ting (謝長廷) was born in Dadaocheng in Taipei in 1946. Again, this was after Japanese occupation ended, so he did not have a Japanese name.

Even if Hsieh had a Japanese name, it wouldn’t be something as ridiculous as Oka Minister Ting.

He is a 7th generation native Taiwanese of part-Hokkien, part-aboriginal descent, whose ancestor Hsieh Kuang-yu (謝光玉) migrated from Tongshan in the Fujian Province of mainland China.

He certainly did not originate from Ono, in the Fukushima Prefecture of Japan.

Hsieh is currently the head of the Association of Taiwan-Japan Relations.

Fact #8 : Su Tseng-chang Was Born In Pingtung

Su Tseng-chang was born on 28 July 1947. As this was after Japanese occupation of Taiwan ended, he did not have a Japanese name, and certainly not Honda Sadamasa.

He was born in Pingtung in southern Taiwan, not Minami Soma City in the Fukushima City of Japan.

He is currently the Premier of Taiwan, serving since 2019, so it would be absurd to label him as a Japanese spy or secret agent.

Fact #9 : Lin Yi-hsiung Was Born In Pingtung

Lin Yi-hsiung (林義雄) was born in 1941, during Japanese colonial rule. However, he does not appear to have any Japanese name. Nor is he associated with the name, Yoshio Kojima.

Lin Yi-hsiung is also not of Japanese descent. He was born in Wujie Township of the Yilan County in Taiwan, not Abashiri City in Hokkaido, Japan.

Lin ceased being active in politics since campaigning for two Democratic Progressive Party candidates in 2006. Since then, he has been focused on halting construction of nuclear plants in Taiwan, even starting a hunger strike in 2014 which ended after the government pledged to halt construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City.

Fact #10 : This Is Just Chinese Propaganda

This is just another example of Chinese propaganda created by the infamous Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).

All of the wumao articles and videos that I looked at so far have proven to be false… at every instance. So please watch out for such false claims.

Please help us fight fake news – SHARE this article, and SUPPORT our work!

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | Tech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Did US Navy Fleet Escort Nancy Pelosi To Taiwan?!

Did a massive US Navy fleet of warships and fighters escort Nancy Pelosi safely to Taiwan?!

Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!

 

Claim : Massive US Fleet Had To Escort Nancy Pelosi To Taiwan!

People are sharing a video which claims to show a massive fleet of warships and fighters that the United States used to escort Nancy Pelosi safety to Taiwan.

Here are some of the accompanying descriptions :

Pelosi gets more firepower escorting her flight to Asia than any US President flying anywhere ever had in history.

See, how Nancy Pelosi reached Taiwan, Escorted by fighter jets and the strength of US Blue Navy

Retired Pakistani Brigadier Ashfaq Hassan also shared the video, claiming that the US Air Force was authorised to shoot at Chinese aircraft or warships interfering with her flight.

👇Arrival of US Air Force One in Taiwan with US official Nancy Pelosi.
20 Warplanes were escorting Nancy Pelosi’s plane including US fighter jets. US air force authorized to open fire in case of any Chinese interference on the plane carrying Nancy Pelosi.

 

Truth : US Fleet Did Not Escort Nancy Pelosi To Taiwan

This is another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on social media and WhatsApp groups, and here are the reasons why….

Fact #1 : Nancy Pelosi’s Flight Had No US Escort

Nancy Pelosi flew from Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia to Taipei, Taiwan aboard a Boeing C-40C – the military version of the Boeing 737 airliner, operated by the US Air Force.

Her flight with the callsign SPAR19 flew to Taipei without US fighter or warship escort, but was met by Taiwanese fighter escorts on entering Taiwanese airspace.

Fact #2 : Video Was Recorded At Valiant Shield 2020

The video was recorded on September 25, 2020 – just over two years ago, and had nothing to do with Nancy Pelosi, or Taiwan.

If you watch the official Valiant Shield 2020 video, you will see the same aircraft fly over the same ships at around 1:39. Here was the official description of the aircraft flyover :

PHILIPPINE SEA (Sept. 25, 2020) From left, USNS Charles Drew (T-AKE 10), USS Comstock (LSD 45), USS Shiloh (CG 67), USS New Orleans (LPD 18), USS Chicago (SSN 721), USS America (LHA 6), USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), USNS John Ericsson (T-AO 194), USS Antietam (CG 54), USS Germantown (LSD 42), and USNS Sacagawea (T-AKE 2) steam in formation while E/A-18G Growlers and FA-18E Super Hornets from Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, a P-8 Poseidon from Commander Task Force 72, and U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors and a B-1B Bomber fly over the formation in support of Valiant Shield 2020.

In this screenshot, you can see the same 3 flights of aircraft flying over the same warships in Valiant Shield 2020.

Fact #3 : US Air Force Won’t Send A Bomber As Escort

The lead aircraft in the flyover has a very distinctive shape. Any military buff will immediately identify it as a Rockwell B-1B Lancer.

The US Air Force would never send the B-1B, because it’s a supersonic heavy bomber, and useless as an escort aircraft.

Fact #4 : P-8 Poseidon Is An ASW Aircraft

The aircraft that looked like a Boeing 737 is actually a P-8 Poseidon, which is based on the 737-800ERX.

It is an anti-submarine warfare aircraft, and is most certainly not a passenger transport aircraft like the Boeing C-40C.

Fact #5 : US Air Force Was Not Authorised To Open Fire

Retired Ashfaq Hassan falsely claimed that the US Air Force was authorised to open fire in case of Chinese interference with Nancy Pelosi’s flight.

It is such an absurd claim, because either party shooting at each other would have been considered an act of war.

In past confrontations, Chinese aircraft have only limited themselves to buzzing other aircraft and dumping chaff into their engines. No one ever fired a shot, because that would have led to an outbreak of war.

Read more : Did Chinese Bombers Fire On US Aircraft Carrier?!

Fact #6 : China Sent 10 Observers To Valiant Shield 2020

Interestingly, the Chinese are well-aware that this video is from Valiant Shield 2020, because that was the first time they were invited to observe the exercise.

China sent a 10-person delegation, including one high-ranking officer each from its Navy, Army and Air Force to observe Valiant Shield 2020.

Chinese Rear Admiral Zhang Leiyu – the leader of this delegation, even called it “a positive step in China-US military ties”.

Fact #7 : This Is Just Chinese Propaganda

This is just another example of Chinese propaganda created by the infamous Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).

All of the wumao articles and videos that I looked at so far have proven to be false… at every instance. So please watch out for such false claims.

Please help us fight fake news – SHARE this article, and SUPPORT our work!

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | BusinessTech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

US To Block New Advanced Chip Fabs In China!

The US aims to block the construction of new advanced chip fabs in China and countries of concern like Russia.

Here is what you need to know…

 

US To Fund Building Of Advanced Chip Fabs!

The US Congress just passed the historic CHIPS and Science Act (HR 4346) – a massive $280 billion bill designed to bolster innovation and tech hubs in the United States.

The legislation passed with a Senate vote of 64-33, and a House vote of 243-187, approving :

  • $76 billion of funding to revive and boost chip production in the United States
  • $81 billion for the National Science Foundation over 5 years, for research, equipment and STEM education
  • Almost $10 billion for the National Institute of Standards and Technology

TSMC, Intel and Samsung are expected to benefit from the billions of dollars of funding, which would subsidise their construction of new advanced chip fabs in the United States.

Read more : AMD, NVIDIA Banned From Selling AI Chips To China!

 

US To Block New Advanced Chip Fabs In China!

There is however a big caveat in the legislation that the White House is expected to sign – any company that receives funding will be barred from building new advanced chip fabs in China and other countries of concern, like Russia.

The CHIPS and Sciences Act specifically bars companies that receive federal funding from “materially expanding” production of chips more advanced than 28 nanometres (28 nm) in countries of concern like China and Russia, for 10 years.

28 nm chips are not state-of-art, with production first starting more than 10 years ago – in 2011. However, they are still used in many applications, and China is free to keep producing these chips.

This move though will essentially limit development of advanced chips in China, by blocking foreign chipmakers from investing in more advanced fabs.

Intel had earlier lobbied hard against this move. In late 2021, Intel wanted to expand production in China but was pressured to sell its Dalian wafer plant to South Korea’s SK Hynix. Intel now only has chip packaging and testing facilities in China.

But that changed, and now Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger is a big proponent of the bill, even suggesting that it might forego building its Ohio mega fab and shift it to Europe if the legislation did not pass.

Read more : China Bans Taiwan Food Over Pelosi, But Not Chips!

Currently, the only semiconductor companies investing in fabs in China are Samsung and TSMC. So if they choose to accept US funding, both companies will have to stop building fabs that can produce chips that are more advanced than 28 nm.

Of the potential recipients of US funding, TSMC is the only company making relatively advanced chips in China. Its Nanjing fabs currently make 28 nm and more advanced 16 nm chips.

Unless TSMC spurns US funding, it won’t be able to invest in more advanced fabs in China. This will force China to rely on its own SMIC to develop more advanced chipmaking technologies.

While SMIC has had some success with a 7nm process using older DUV technology, it came at the expense of yield and chip complexity.

Unless China is somehow able to develop its own EUV technology, it’s pretty much end game for more advanced chip production in China… for ten years.

Read more : Did China Make 7nm Chips In Spite Of US Sanctions?!

 

US Quietly Expands Chip Equipment Ban To Fabs In China

In addition to the looming CHIPS Act, the US government also expanded its ban on the sale of machines for fabricating advanced chips.

The US government had earlier banned the sale of tools that allow China to manufacture chips at 10 nm or smaller. That ban was just extended to include tools that would allow the manufacture of chips 14 nm or smaller.

American equipment makers like LAM Research and KLA Corp. have received letters about this expanded ban, which appears to be limited to logic chips (like computer processors), but not memory chips.

According to the US Commerce Department, the move was meant to impair China’s ability to manufacture advanced chips :

The Biden Administration is focused on impairing PRC efforts to manufacture advanced semiconductors to address significant national security risks to the United States.

However, this move appears to be merely officiating what is already being practiced – the US Commerce Department had already declined many licences to sell 14nm fab equipment.

The Biden Administration is also pushing the Netherlands and Japan to ban ASML Holdings NV and Nikon Corp from selling advanced chip making equipment to China.

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Business | Tech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

China Bans Taiwan Food Over Pelosi, But Not Chips!

China just banned food imports over 100 Taiwanese companies right before US Speaker Nancy Pelosi landed in Taiwan, but unsurprisingly not microchips!

Here is what you need to know…

 

China Bans Taiwan Food Products Over Pelosi!

While US Speaker Nancy Pelosi was flying to Taiwan from Malaysia, the General Administration of Customs for China announced an import ban on food products from over 100 Taiwanese companies.

Of those 100 Taiwanese companies, 35 are exporters of biscuits and pastries, including famous Taiwanese companies like Kuo Yuan Ye Corp (郭元益), Yu Jan Shin (裕珍馨), Kuai Kuai Co (乖乖), Imei Foods Co (義美食品), Chiate Bakery (佳德) and Kuang Ta Hsiang Foodstuffs Co (廣達香).

The other companies exported food products like tea, honey and seafood. Of the 3,200 Taiwanese food products registered for export to China, 2,066 (64.6%) had their imports suspended.

Officially, Beijing says that the blacklisted companies failed to renew their export registration, and can only sell their products until the end of August 2022.

However, the late night announcement, and the fact that only Taiwanese exporters are required to file their registration documents by June 2022, instead of June 2023 like exporters from other countries; strongly suggest that this move was motivated by Pelosi’s visit.

 

China May Ban Taiwan Food Over Pelosi, But Not Chips!

Despite the dramatic late night announcement, this move was relatively benign as the banned exports only make up 0.1% or US$650 million of Taiwan’s total exports.

Last year, Taiwan exported US$44 million worth of pastries to China, but that fell to only US$10 million during the first half of 2022.

Seafood exports to China were more substantial at US$280 million, but tea exports were just under US$32 million, and honey exports was a minuscule US$35,000.

On the other hand, China does not dare to ban the import of Taiwanese microchips or electronics, because it has grown reliant on them.

After the US imposed sanctions on Chinese chipmakers in 2018, China increased imports of Taiwanese memory chips by a whopping 57% in just 3 years!

In fact, Taiwanese exports to China surged by 24.8% to an all-time high of US$188.9 billion in 2021, largely due to high demand for their computer chips.

No matter what their Wolf Warriors may threaten, China is still too reliant on Taiwan for high-end semiconductors to really threaten its supply, and it is not ready to invade Taiwan with a realistic chance of success.

By targeting only a small portion of relatively inconsequential Taiwanese imports, China is just slapping Taiwan on the wrist.

The Taiwanese should play along and moan like they have been mortally wounded to give China some face, so it can (gracefully) retreat from the uncomfortable corner it back itself into.

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Business | Tech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Is US Sending Infected Birds To Spread Monkeypox?!

Are the US and Western countries sending infected birds to spread monkeypox to China and other Asian countries?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

 

Claim : US Is Sending Infected Birds To Spread Monkeypox!

The Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) and pro-CCP (Chinese Communist Party) netizens are now claiming that the US and Western countries are sending infected birds to spread monkeypox to China and other Asian countries.

Hey, guys. No matter where you are, if you see a bird that can’t fly, can’t walk or struggle on the ground, you should never catch it, for fear of monkeypox infection. The relevant community has informed you, please pay attention to it. Remember!

 

Truth : No One Is Sending Infected Birds To Spread Monkeypox!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), and shared by pro-CCP netizens, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : The West Is Not Sending Infected Birds To Spread Monkeypox

Just like their insects attack claim, the wumao are falsely blaming the West for sending birds to spread monkeypox.

This is utter nonsense, and nothing more than Chinese propaganda. It is also not very believable propaganda at that, and I will show you why.

Fact #2 : Monkeypox Not Known To Infect Birds

Birds have, so far, not been found to be infected with the monkeypox virus, or any other orthopoxviruses. So it would be absurd for anyone to suggest birds being used as a vector for spreading monkeypox.

The monkeypox virus mostly infects mammals like apes, monkeys, squirrels, shrews, chinchillas, anteaters, hedgehogs, prairie dogs… and yes, human beings. But not birds.

Fact #3 : Most Monkeypox Cases Are In The West!

It is absurd to claim that the West is intentionally spreading monkeypox to China and other Asian countries.

If they were, well, they are doing a piss-poor job of it, because nine of the top 10 countries with monkeypox cases are Western countries!

Country Confirmed
Cases
Suspected
Cases
Total
Spain 3,536 62 3,598
United States 2,891 2,891
Germany 2,268 2,268
United Kingdom 2,208 2,208
France 1,567 1,567
Canada 681 45 726
Netherlands 712 712
Brazil 696 6 702
Portugal 588 588
Italy 407 407

Read more : What You Must Know About Monkeypox!

Fact #4 : Current Outbreak Spreading Human-to-Human

In the 2022 monkeypox outbreak, the disease is being spread from human-to-human, not from birds to humans.

The global spread occurs through air travel – infected people travelling overseas, and infecting other people at those destinations.

Many of the cases have also been traced to men who have sex with men, especially those with multiple sexual partners.

This does not mean that monkeypox is a sexually-transmitted disease (STD). It is not spread through sexual activities, but through skin-to-skin contact between an infected person and other people.

Fact #5 : It Is Difficult To Train Birds

While pigeons can be trained to carry messages between two points, it is not easy to train them.

For one thing – you need to repeatedly transport the pigeons and feed them at both the origin location, and the destination, until they can fly between the two locations independently.

Only pigeons have been trained reliably this way. Other birds lack the pigeon’s ability to navigate using the Earth’s magnetic field (magnetoreception), or its ease of training.

Even if the US and other Western countries want to use pigeons to infect China and other Asian countries with monkeypox, they would need to repeatedly bring the pigeons over to the target countries and back. Do you think such activity would not catch the attention of the authorities at those countries?

Without such training, the birds will simply fly wherever they want to, and not where the Americans / Westerners want them to.

It would be much easier to just fly someone infected with monkeypox to China, and give everyone there a big hug…. which is why this fake story is so stupid!

Read more : Did EU Torture + Kill Hundreds Of African Refugees?!

Fact #6 : Most Birds Cannot Fly Vast Distances

The bar-tailed godwit (Limosa lapponica) holds the world’s record for flying over 12,000 kilometres for 11 days straight without stopping. However, most birds just don’t fly very far.

Even homing pigeons can only fly for about 1,200 km a day, which is pretty darn far… until you realise that the distance between the US and China is some 11,640 kilometres!

Only the bar-tailed godwit is capable of making that flight. The homing pigeon can only travel 10% of the way across the mighty Pacific Ocean.

Fact #7 : This Is Just Chinese Propaganda

This is really nothing more than yet another example of Chinese propaganda created by the infamous Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).

All of the wumao articles that I looked at so far have proven to be false… at every instance. So please watch out for such false claims.

Please help us fight fake news – SHARE this article, and SUPPORT our work!

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | HealthTech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Did China Make 7nm Chips In Spite Of US Sanctions?!

Did China successfully fabricate 7nm chips, despite US sanctions on advanced chip manufacturing technology?

Well, yes, but not quite. Here is what you need to know about China’s mysterious 7nm chips!

 

China Made 7nm Chips In Spite Of US Sanctions!

A TechInsights report recently concluded that China has successfully created 7nm chips since last year.

This caused quite a ruckus, because it essentially meant that China jumped two generations ahead in chip manufacturing technology!

The TechInsights team bought a MinerVa mining ASIC which used a custom chip that has been manufactured by China’s SMIC since July 2021.

When they examined the chip, they discovered that it was fabricated on a 7nm process that appears to be a “close copy” of a 7nm process used by TSMC – the Taiwanese foundry giant.

The MinerVa chip is small – at just 19.3 mm², with 120 chips populating the MinerVa board. Each mining ASIC has 3 of these boards, for a total of 360 chips and a total power consumption of 3300 watts.

This discovery is deeply concerning to many people, because it meant that China has more advanced chip manufacturing technology than is even available in the United States or EU.

After all, US sanctioned the sale of advanced chip manufacturing technology to China – which was meant to crippled China’s ability to manufacture such chips.

US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer used this report to stress the danger of delaying the $50 billion subsidy package for semiconductor manufacturing in the United States.

Members of both sides know that America’s chips crisis is sending shock waves across the economy.

It is endangering our national security. […] China’s top chips maker has now likely advanced its tech by two generations, threatening U.S. competitiveness.

But the situation really isn’t as dire as many people make it out to be…

 

SMIC / China Barely Made Those 7nm Chips

After the report was released, the Internet fell into two main camps – American politicians and China hawks bemoaning the “loss” of Western chip making advantage, and pro-CCP netizens celebrating it.

First, let me start by congratulating China / SMIC on achieving this feat despite being hobbled by US sanctions on crucial chipmaking technology.

Whether China / SMIC “copied / stole / bought” the technology knowhow from TSMC whose 7nm process it closely resembles, it is still a remarkable achievement.

That said, SMIC / China barely made those 7nm chips, and here are the reasons why…

SMIC manufactured these 7nm chips using older Deep Ultraviolet Lithography (DUV) machines, instead of the state-of-art Extreme Ultraviolet Light (EUV) lithography machines made by Dutch company ASML.

This isn’t extraordinary in itself – TSMC and Samsung had much earlier developed 7nm process nodes using the older DUV machines. However, this comes at the cost of “increased process complexity and design rule restrictions“.

That is likely why the MinerVa chip is not only very small, it actually lacks SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) that is critical in processors that run our computers and smartphones.

The simpler design and small size allow SMIC to obtain sufficient workable chips, even with a poor yield. However, the cost of chip would be much higher than if it was manufactured on a higher-quality process.

So for all intents and purposes – this should be considered as a niche / prototype 7nm process, and not a true 7nm process node.

On top of that, SMIC apparently isn’t capable of producing large quantities of these 7nm chips, suggesting either a yield problem, or difficulty in scaling up.

MinerVa has not been able to deliver the mining ASICs based on these SMIC 7nm chips in large numbers. A Bitcoin mining company – Stronghold Digital Mining, for example, said that it ordered 15,000 miners from MinerVa but only received about 3,200 units as of March 2022.

For China / SMIC to present a true “threat” as far as chipmaking is concerned, it would have to be capable of manufacturing MILLIONS of chips, not thousands.

Regardless of whether the Americans are howling in despair, or the pro-CCP netizens are howling in delight, China really does not have true 7nm chipmaking capability for mass production yet.

And even if they somehow manage to improve and scale up this 7nm DUV process, they cannot make more advanced chips without EUV machines made by ASML.

As long as the Dutch government holds firm on blocking sale of ASML’s EUV machines to China, this is likely as far as they can go… unless they invade Taiwan, which is where TSMC is based and has the world’s most advanced chip manufacturing facilities.

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Business | Computer | Tech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech AR

Did EU Torture + Kill Hundreds Of African Refugees?!

Did the European Union torture and kill hundreds of African refugees?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

 

Claim : The EU Tortured + Killed Hundreds Of African Refugees!

The Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) and pro-CCP (Chinese Communist Party) netizens are sharing a picture of African refugees apparently lying dead, together with this message.

This is massacre within NATO and European Union borders. African immigrants are being tortured and killed in numbers to prevent them from seeking refuge in Europe. This is not for Ukrainians. Do you remember how they treated Arabs and other Asians? Recorded 100 deaths yesterday alone.

For those who condemn Russian actions to restore equality and humanity across the globe let them think again.
Please share it widely and quickly before the West (read the WORST) remove this video from their Facebook.

 

Truth : The EU Did Not Torture + Kill Hundreds Of African Refugees!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), and shared by pro-CCP netizens and websites, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : The Incident Happened In Africa, Not Europe

The viral photo was not taken in Europe, but in Morocco, Africa, of what is now known as the 2022 Melilla Incident.

The 2022 Melilla Incident occurred on Moroccan soil, at the border fence separating Morocco from the autonomous Spanish city of Melilla.

Fact #2 : 2,000 Migrants Attacked The Border Fence

On June 24, 2022, about 2,000 African migrants attacked and tried to break through the Melilla border fence.

Security forces from both Morocco and Spain tried to disperse them, but ended up fighting them for two hours.

Fact #3 : Hundreds Of Migrants Did Not Die

The wumao claim that hundreds of refugees died is easily proven false.

Several refugees died in the stampede when they stepped on each other while trying to flee, while five fell and died trying to scale the fence. In the end…

  • At least 37 migrants died
  • At least 63 migrants were injured
  • Two Moroccan gendarmes (police officers) were killed
  • 140 Moroccan officers were wounded, five seriously
  • 49 Spanish Civil Guards were lightly injured

The wumao intentionally used a picture that shows most of the migrants lying down, instead of other pictures that show them sitting down after being detained.

While it may look like the migrants are dead, they are very much alive. If you look closely at the viral photo, you can see some of them sitting up.

Fact #4 : Individuals In The Photo Were Detained, Not Killed / Tortured

The wumao took the picture from Association Marocaine des Droits Humains – Section Nador (AMDH Nador), and edited out their watermark, so you cannot find the original post.

They did that to avoid people finding out that the migrants in the viral picture were not killed or tortured, from the AMDH Nador’s post :

They are currently in custody at Nador central police station. Given the large number of detained migrants and the heavy charges they may face prosecution, AMDH Nador wishes to mobilize more lawyers to defend them and ensure fair trials.

Unfortunately for them, I managed to trace the source of the viral photo, although the Rafah / Pafah Orient bus in the photo threw me off for a while.

Fact #5 : Moroccan Authorities Were Responsible

The wumao also did not want you to find out that it was the Moroccan authorities that were responsible for tackling the refugees that day.

If you traced the photo  also posted a video showing part of the migrants’ effort to storm the Melilla border fence, in which they stated that the Spanish authorities just “quietly observed” the Moroccan authorities at work :

The video that shows it all. At the moment when the Moroccan authorities were playing the role of gendarme by prohibiting asylum seekers from arriving in Melilla using very violent practices, the Spanish authorities crossed their arms and quietly observed that they getting the dirty job done.

Fact #6 : China Wants To Divert Attention From Xinjiang

The wumao is creating fake news like this, not just to support Russia, but also to divert attention from its oppression of the Uyghur people in Xinjiang.

No, it’s not all kumbaya in Xinjiang, no matter what pro-CCP netizens keep claiming. That’s just Chinese propaganda.

Fact #7 : This Is Chinese Propaganda

This is really nothing more than yet another example of Chinese propaganda created by the infamous Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).

All of the wumao articles that I looked at so far have proven to be false… at every instance. So please watch out for such false claims.

Please help us fight fake news – SHARE this article, and SUPPORT our work!

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | Military | Tech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

China Fines Didi Global $1.2 Billion For Violating Laws!

China just fined Didi Global a whopping $1.2 billion for violating its cybersecurity, data security and privacy laws!

 

China Fines Didi Global $1.2 Billion For Violating Laws!

On Thursday, 21 July 2022, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) announced that Didi Global breached the country’s cybersecurity law, data security law, and personal information protection law.

The Chinese cyberspace regulator fined Didi Global 8 billion yuan ($1.2 billion), as well as a personal fine of 1 million yuan ($148,000) each on Chairman and CEO Cheng Wei, as well as President Liu Qing (also known as Jean Liu).

The facts of violations of laws and regulations are clear, the evidence is conclusive, the circumstances are serious, and the nature is vile.

Didi Global responded to the regulator’s announcement with a contrite statement “sincerely” accepting the judgement and penalties :

We sincerely accept this decision, and resolutely obey it. We will strictly follow the penalty decision and the requirements of relevant laws and regulations, conduct comprehensive and in-depth self-examination, and actively cooperate with supervision and complete rectification carefully.

We will take this as a warning and further strengthen the construction of cyberspace security and data security, strengthen the protection of personal information, and earnestly fulfill our social responsibilities. We will serve every passenger, driver and partner well, and realize the safe, healthy and sustainable development of the enterprise.

 

What Did Didi Do To Incur China’s Wrath?

According to an FAQ by the CAC, its investigators started their investigation of Didi in July 2021.

After conducting an extensive investigation, they found that Didi conducted data processing activities that “seriously affected national security”, and refused to comply with “the explicit requirements of regulatory authorities” and conducted “malicious evasion” of regulatory supervision.

They also stated that Didi Global committed 16 violations of China’s laws, including :

  1. Didi illegally collected 11.9639 million screenshots from its users’ mobile phone photo albums.
  2. Didi excessively collected 8.323 billion pieces of its users’ clipboard information, and application list information.
  3. Didi excessively collected 107 million pieces of passenger face recognition information, and 53.5092 million pieces of age group information, 16.3556 million pieces of occupational information, 1.3829 million pieces of family relationship information, and 153 million pieces of taxi address information.
  4. Didi excessively collected passengers’ evaluation of the drivers, when the app is running in the background, and 167 million pieces of precise location (longitude and latitude).
  5. Didi excessively collected 142,900 pieces of driver education information, and 53.976 billion pieces of “intent information”, 1.538 billion pieces of resident city information, and 304 million pieces of non-local business/travel information.
  6. Its users are frequently asked to provide “telephone permissions” while using its services.
  7. Inaccurate and clear description of user personal information processing, including device information.

The CAC noted that Didi started its bad practices in June 2015, and continued even after the Cybersecurity Law was implemented in June 2017, the Data Security Law started in January 2022, and the Personal Information Protection Law was implemented in November 2021.

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Cybersecurity | BusinessTech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Did China Reduce 4X More Air Pollution Than US/EU?!

Did China reduce 4X more dangerous PM2.5 air pollution than the US and Europe?!

Take a look at viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

 

Claim : China Reduced 4X More Air Pollution Than US / EU!

The Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) and pro-CCP netizens are now promoting the story of how China reduced 4X more air pollution than the US and Europe.

This is based on a Bloomberg article, which declared “China has reduced air pollution nearly as much in seven years as the US did in three decades, helping to bring down average global smog levels in the process“.

Let’s take a closer look at the story, and see what the facts really are!

Recommended : Did US Send 7000 Insects To Destroy Crops In China?!

China Significantly Reduced Air Pollution But Still Far From US / EU Levels

One can readily see why the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) and pro-CCP netizens are ecstatic about this, and they have the right to be.

That said, they are turning the great progress China has made into a pissing contest with the US and Europe. So let me just set the record straight.

Fact #1 : China Reduced Air Pollution By Almost 40%

First, let me confirm that the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) did indeed report that China successfully reduced dangerous PM2.5 air pollution by almost 40% between 2013 to 2020.

China must be congratulated for making such an incredible improvement, even though its 9% drop from 2019 to 2020 can be attributed to a drastic reduction of economic activity during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This isn’t just a technical achievement. The reduction in dangerous PM2.5 air pollution is estimated to add 2 years to the life expectancy of the Chinese people.

We should also applaud the Chinese for their very significant contribution to reducing global air pollution – without which, the global average air pollution would have increased, instead of fallen.

Fact #2 : China Air Pollution Was Incredibly High

Now, if the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) and pro-CCP netizens just celebrated that achievement, I would have celebrated it with them.

However, since they turned it into a pissing contest, I should point out that a big reason for China’s massive reduction was its incredibly bad PM2.5 air pollution.

Back in the early 2000s, air pollution in China grew so bad that the Air Quality Index (AQI) actually exceeded 500 points for the first time in November 2010 – far beyond the index limit of 300!

The US embassy in Beijing at that time labelled it as “crazy bad”, but later amended it to a more diplomatic “beyond index” – a feat that China repeated 3 times in the next year.

Air pollution was so bad the Chinese government asked foreign consulates to stop publishing their own air quality data. But it didn’t matter – even official Beijing data showed readings of up to 700!

It is from these dubious heights that China finally announced their “War Against Pollution”. Their incredible achievement in reducing air pollution was only made possible by the incredible air pollution they created in the first place.

China = national average, BTH = Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, YRD = Yangtze River Delta, PRD = Pearl River Delta

Fact #3 : Air Pollution In China Still High

Despite cutting down air pollution by almost 40% from 2013 to 2020, China still has high amounts of air pollution.

The EPIC chart above shows that the national average for air pollution in China remains above 30 µg/m³ – 6X above the new WHO guidelines.

Fact #4 : Pollution Reduction Partly Due To Lower Economic Activity

The EPIC report noted that 9% of the drop in China’s air pollution was from 2019 to 2020 – when economic activity in China was drastically reduced due to COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.

Without that 9% drop, the reduction in air pollution would be far less impressive, and China would be recording PM2.5 air pollution at about 35 µg/m³.

Fact #5 : US Has Far Lower Air Pollution

The wumao and pro-CCP netizens may cackle at how China managed to cut their air pollution 4X faster than the US, but that is only possible because the US already has relatively low air pollution.

Even though the United States actually increased its air pollution since 2019, its PM2.5 air pollution levels in the US remain 4X lower than China, at around 7.5 µg/m³.

More importantly, air pollution levels in the United States have remained under 13 µg/m³ since 1998 – at least 4X lower than China’s peak of about 53 µg/m³.

Fact #6 : Even Europe Has Far Lower Air Pollution

The wumao and pro-CCP netizens should also be wary about comparing China’s “quick” reduction in air pollution against Europe.

The EU has steadily reduced air pollution from a peak of just 16 µg/m³ to about 11 µg/m³ – just over half as much as China.

In other words – it is harder for Europe to reduce its air pollution levels which are already pretty low.

Fact #7 : US, EU + China Far From Achieving WHO PM2.5 Guideline

Now, let me end by pointing out that the US, the EU and China all FAIL to meet the updated WHO PM2.5 guideline of just 5 µg/m³.

It will take many years for either the US, the EU or China to hit that, and it would require a tremendous amount of political will and investment.

So instead of mocking other countries, can we just focus on reducing dangerous PM2.5 air pollution?

Please help us fight propaganda – SHARE this article, and SUPPORT our work!

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | Science | Tech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Chinese Netizens Explode Over WPS Office Censorship!

Chinese netizens are incensed over evidence that WPS Office was monitoring and deleting their files!

Find out what’s going on, and what it means for the digital privacy of WPS Office users!

 

Chinese Netizens : WPS Office Is Monitoring + Blocking Our Documents!

Chinese company, Kingsoft, is under fire for claims that its productivity suite WPS Office is actively monitoring and deleting user documents that might displease Beijing!

At the heart of this issue is the WPS Cloud platform that works like Microsoft 365, allowing users to store their documents in the cloud, or locally.

Chinese netizens are alleging that WPS Office was actively monitoring their documents, and even deleting those that were detected to contain content that might displease the Chinese authorities.

One novelist who goes by the pseudonym Mitu, claimed that she was unable to access her unpublished 1.3 million character document. Not only was it blocked in her cloud storage, she couldn’t access the local copy using the desktop WPS client.

She was told that “the file may contain sensitive content and access has been disabled“.

Mitu shared her experience on Lkong – an online Chinese literature forum, and the social media platform Xiaohongshu, in late June 2022; and it only began trending in Weibo in early July after an influencer reposted her complaint.

A Weibo post on her complaint appears to have been deleted, but fortunately a screenshot was captured. This was the post in Chinese, machine translated into English :

Simply put, WPS seems to have some kind of sensitive word harmony function, Then after being detected, not only the ones stored on the cloud disk will be harmonized

According to the victim’s complaint, it is not only on the cloud, but also on local files. It’s hard to escape a harmony.

At present, according to some netizens, it may be checked after being saved.Sensitive words are detected and then determined to be files that may contain sensitive information,

Directly blocked, or it may be directly locked after being remotely detected by the background server local files There is no other way but to appeal (and it will be fixed in time) but this Is it remote from the server?

Now there is a lot of panic in the online literature circle, for fear that hundreds of thousands of words of manuscripts will be blocked overnight. Asking both online and offline harmony, many people re-use ms and writing pads write file

Mitu said she reported the problem to Kingsoft, which eventually apologised and restored access to the file within two days. The company admitted that “the file was not problematic”.

However, her story spurred other Chinese netizens to come forward with their own stories. A writer in Guangzhou who goes by the pseudonym Liu Hai also said that his WPS Office document of nearly 10,000 words was similarly blocked on July 1, 2022.

These incidents have sparked concerns about privacy in China. While the Chinese government routinely monitors and censors social media content, monitoring and blocking of personal documents would represent a new level of censorship in China.

 

WPS Office Admits Blocking File Access

After the online furore over claims that WPS Office deleted user files, the software developer issued a terse public statement on July 11, 2022.

It said that WPS Office does not delete the “user’s local files”, and that it was a misunderstanding. They only deleted the “online document link”, and blocked “others from access the link according to the law”.

Here is the Weibo post in Chinese, machine translated into English :

Statement on the exposure of online transmission #WPS will delete the user’s local files

A recent online document link shared by a user is suspected of violating the law, and we have prohibited others from accessing the link according to law. This has been misrepresented as #WPS delete user local files.

To this end, we specifically declare: WPS, as an office software developed for more than 30 years, has always put user experience and user privacy protection first.

WPS Office cleverly claims that it never “censors, locks or delete users’ local files”, which is technically correct but as Mitu and Liu Hai described, WPS Office blocks access to their users’ local files.

It was discovered that the files can still be opened by other software, like Microsoft Word or Tencent Docs. But the blocked files cannot be opened by WPS Office, even if they are stored locally (in the user’s computer).

It should be noted that Mitu never shared her file online. So WPS Office’s claim that they only blocked “others” from accessing the file is misleading.

 

WPS Office Not The Only Cloud Provider Monitoring Content

To be fair to WPS Office and Kingsoft, they are not the only ones monitoring content uploaded to the cloud. They just took things one step further by blocking access to local files.

By default, traffic to and from cloud-based productivity services like Google Docs, Microsoft 365 and WPS Office are not end-to-end encrypted.

That means they can and most likely are reading / monitoring EVERYTHING you type or upload. This includes files uploaded and stored in cloud-based storage services like Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive.

That is the right of cloud service providers, because you are using their servers to store your content.

Google, for example, lists content that can be automatically removed and could even lead to a ban :

  • Account hijacking
  • Account inactivity
  • Child sexual abuse and exploitation
  • Circumvention
  • Dangerous and illegal activities
  • Harassment, bullying, and threats
  • Hate speech
  • Impersonation and misrepresentation
  • Malware and similar malicious content
  • Misleading content
  • Non-consensual explicit imagery
  • Personal and confidential information
  • Phishing
  • Regulated goods and services
  • Sexually explicit material
  • Spam
  • System interference and abuse
  • Unauthorized images of minors
  • Violence and gore
  • Violent organizations and movements

People need to be aware of this, and stop assuming that they have privacy on such cloud services, even if they paid to use them.

So it is not surprising that WPS Office monitors everything its users do. If they stopped at blocking access to the online files that contravened local laws, no one would bat an eye.

What is unusual though is that it also blocked access to the users’ local files! That means that their desktop and mobile apps were specifically designed to enforce a list of blocked files issued by WPS Office / Kingsoft.

If WPS Office / Kingsoft goes to that extent, does it mean that they would also alert the Chinese authorities about users producing content that displease them?

That is something everyone should think about, not just Chinese netizens who are justifiably concerned about WPS Office.

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | Science | Tech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Is Lianhua Qingwen More Effective Than Paxlovid?!

Is the Chinese herbal medicine Lianhua Qingwen more effective than the Pfizer Paxlovid antiviral combination?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

 

Claim : Lianhua Qingwen Is More Effective Than Paxlovid!

People are sharing a link to a Bloomberg called “Pfizer’s Covid Pill Doesn’t Work For Healthier Patients, Will Focus On Those With higher Risk”, together with this message :

Pfizer scams the world with US$22 billion in sales of Paxlovid to treat Covid.
Now finds that Paxlovid does not work and may cause rebound of disease.
Malaysia has ordered 200,000 doses at a cost of RM500 million –
RM2,500 per dose compared to a few bucks for China’s effective Lian Hwa pills.

 

Truth : Paxlovid Is More Effective Than Lianhua Qingwen!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) as part of their campaign to support Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Paxlovid Is Combination Of Two Antiviral Drugs

Pfizer PAXLOVID is an antiviral treatment that consists of two protease inhibitors :

  • two 150 mg tablets of Nirmatrelvir (the new protease inhibitor developed by Pfizer)
  • one 100 mg tablet of Ritonavir (an old antiviral approved in 1996)

Protease inhibitors work by binding to proteolytic enzymes used by the SARS-CoV-2 virus to replicate. This prevents the virus from replicating in the infected cells, stopping the infection and preventing transmission.

Drug combinations like this offer a synergistic effect, above and beyond their individual abilities. In this combination, ritonavir helps to slow down the breakdown of nirmatrelvir, allowing it to remain in the body for a longer period at higher concentrations.

Fact #2 : Paxlovid Was Proven To Work Against COVID-19

Unlike Lianhua Qingwen, Paxlovid underwent and passed an actual randomised double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

In the EPIC-HR clinical trial, Paxlovid was shown to reduce hospitalisation or death from COVID-19 by 88%, compared to placebo.

That statistically significant result was why the US FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) for Paxlovid on December 22, 2021.

The EUA allows Paxlovid to be used for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adults and children 12 years and older, who are at high risk of developing severe COVID-19.

Read more : Did Cornell Name Ivermectin Most Effective Drug vs. Omicron?

Fact #3 : Paxlovid EPIC-HR Trial Involved High-Risk Patients

I should point out that the EPIC-HR trial involved adults who have a high risk of developing severe COVID-19 :

  • 18 years and older with a risk factor for developing severe COVID-19, or
  • 60 years and older, regardless of chronic medical conditions

All these patients also were not vaccinated against COVID-19, which puts them at higher risk of developing severe COVID-19.

Fact #4 : Paxlovid Not Effective In Normal Risk Patients

After successfully proving that Paxlovid worked for patients who are at high risk of developing severe COVID-19, Pfizer tested it on “standard risk patients”.

Their study showed a 51% relative risk reduction of developing severe COVID-19, which was not statistically significant.

That was why Pfizer halted further enrolment in its Paxlovid trial for “standard risk patients”, which are people who do not have co-morbidities – health conditions that put them at risk of developing severe COVID-19.

This “failure” actually shows the value of running clinical tests, before approving any drug. Unlike Paxlovid though, Lianhua Qingwen did not undergo any clinical trial to prove that it can treat or prevent COVID-19.

Fact #5 : Lianhua Qingwen Not Proven To Work Against COVID-19

Lianhua Qingwen (连花清瘟) has been heavily promoted by the Chinese government and the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), leading to massive sales in the global Chinese diaspora.

It then gained oversized importance when both Hong Kong and Shanghai distributed boxes of these capsules to help stave off the surge of COVID-19 in both cities.

Yet, the mass distribution of Lianhua Qingwen has done nothing to stop the spread of COVID-19 in both cities.

That’s because, unlike Paxlovid, there never was any evidence that Lianhua Qingwen can treat or prevent COVID-19.

Its main “call to fame” was a small Chinese study conducted early during the pandemic, which showed that it had only a modest effect on symptom recovery :

  • time to recover from fever : 2 days, instead of 3 days
  • time to recover from fatigue : 3 days, instead of 6 days
  • time to recover from coughing : 7 days, instead of 10 days

There was NO DIFFERENCE in the viral load, or the risk of developing severe COVID-19.

In other words – Lianhua Qingwen only helped to reduce symptoms, and was no different from taking over-the-counter drugs like paracetamol.

Read more : Did US NCBI Confirm Lianhua Qingwen Treats COVID-19?

Fact #6 : Lianhua Qingwen Should Not Be Taken To Prevent COVID-19

Official Chinese media outlets like CGTN and China Daily have falsely claimed that that Lianhua Qingwen was “proven effective for the treatment of COVID-19” and that it was “approved to treat [COVID-19] virus”.

However, Lianhua Qingwen cannot prevent COVID-19, and should not be taken on a long-term basis to prevent it, due to potential side effects.

The medicine could cause side effects such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and rash.

Fang Bangjiang, doctor from Long Hua Hospital of the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said that Lianhua Qingwen has complex ingredients and is mainly suitable for COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms of fever and pneumonia but unsuitable for prevention.

Its ingredients will affect the renal system.

Fact #7 : Chinese Official Admits Lianhua Qingwen Cannot Kill Coronavirus

When Chinese Deputy Consul General in Vancouver, Kong Weiwei, was confronted about these claims, he said that people should be “mature enough” to do their own research and understand that Lianhua Qingwen cannot kill the COVID-19 virus :

They’re not babies. We don’t want to be like a nanny telling every one of them that these [Lianhua Qingwen capsules] cannot kill the virus.

Read more : Lianhua Qingwen Finally Tumbles Over Efficacy Concerns!

Fact #8 : Singapore HSA Warns Against Lianhua Qingwen Claims

The Singapore Health Sciences Authority (HSA) continues to warn the public not to believe the many misleading claims made about Lianhua Qingwen’s ability to treat or prevent COVID-19.

To date, there is no scientific evidence from randomised clinical trials to show that any herbal product, including Lianhua Qingwen products, can be used to prevent or treat COVID-19.

All herbal products formulated for common cold and flu, including CPM, should only be used to manage symptoms such as headache, runny or blocked nose, sore throat and cough.

We strongly advise members of the public not to fall prey to unsubstantiated claims or spread unfounded rumours that herbal products can be used to prevent or treat COVID-19.

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | Science | Tech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Did China Edit Out Thor Insulting Chinese Military?!

Did China order Marvel to edit out insults of Chinese military capabilities in the movie Thor: Love and Thunder?!

Find out what’s going on, and what the facts really are!

 

Claim : China Edited Out Thor Insulting Chinese Military!

Some people, and an Indian website, are sharing an article about China ordering Marvel to edit out insults of Chinese military capabilities in the movie Thor: Love and Thunder?!

The article is long, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!

The Chinese government said in a statement on July 2 that they had to edit Marvel’s newest blockbuster Thor: Love and Thunder themselves to suppress Thor’s lengthy, well-spoken monologue about why the United States shouldn’t be afraid of China’s powerless military.

“China is a feeble country that cannot support its people,” During an unrelated fight scene, Thor tells Korg. “They are weak-willed, sluggish people that the United States can easily trounce in combat. The only reason the U.S. allows them to live is out of pity and sorrow. China is a worthless, flaccid military regime that has poor and pathetic rulers asleep at the wheel. Communism does not work. Let’s go fight some more space pirates,” he added.

On why the speech was initially included, director Taika Waititi went into further detail.

“Marvel usually asks us to shoehorn in something for Chinese audiences,” Waititi said. “I thought it would be a fun wink to Chinese Thor fans if the Asgardian warrior stopped dead in his tracks, faced the camera, and broke down how China poses no threat to the United Nations and that their military is an empty threat that could easily be quashed. It’s Easter eggs like that that get the audience really feeling seen by your film.”

Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, voiced his bewilderment on China’s editing of the film.

“I’ll never understand why China makes seemingly nonsensical edits,” Feige said. “It’s just a fantasy movie about vikings, super heroes, and how China’s current missile silos couldn’t reach the West if they tried. I’ll never know why they take it so seriously, but whatever.”

Marvel revealed that China would also be removing a funny post-credits scene wherein Thor flies to Xi Jinping’s private mansion and chokes him on live television.

 

Truth : China Did Not Edit Out Thor Insulting Chinese Military

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created as “satire” to go viral, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : There Is No Chinese Military Monologue In Thor: Love and Thunder

First, let’s start with the fact that there is no 20-minute monologue about the Chinese military in the movie, Thor: Love and Thunder.

Can you really, REALLY imagine Thor speaking for TWENTY MINUTES about the Chinese military in the movie? Whatever for???

Fact #2 : China Was Never Mentioned In Thor: Love And Thunder

China, and the Chinese military, were never mentioned in the movie, Thor: Love and Thunder.

Fact #3 : Thor: Love And Thunder Post Credit Scene Not About Xi Jinping

Thor obviously did not fly to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s private mansion to choke him on live television. There is no reference to any Chinese person in the entire movie.

In the mid-credits scene, a recuperating Zeus sends his son Hercules to kill Thor. In the post-credits scene, Foster arrives at the gates of Valhalla, where she is welcomed by Heimdall.

Read more : Why Thor: Love and Thunder Is Likely Banned In China!

Fact #4 : Thor: Love And Thunder Still Not Approved In China

Thor: Love and Thunder was never approved in China, and will remained banned because of LGBTQ+ themes in the movie.

Fact #5 : It Is Up To Disney To Edit The Movie

The Chinese government may require edits for a movie to be approved for screening in China, but it is ultimately up to the distributor to comply with the requests, or reject them.

In this case, the Chinese government may request for the LGBTQ+ scenes to be edited out of Thor: Love and Thunder; but it is up to Disney to either comply with their requests, or reject them.

Rejecting the edits will naturally prevent the movie from receiving screening approval, but it is still Disney’s choice, not the Chinese government.

Read more : Malaysia Postpones Thor: Love and Thunder Indefinitely!

Fact #6 : It Was Just Satire

I traced the origin of this fake story to Hard-Drive – a satire website.

Even though there are no disclaimers on the entire website, or the article itself; their website appears to consist entirely of satirical content, and the article itself is clearly satirical.

However, it appears that some people actually thought that the story was genuine and reposted it on social media.

Times Now, which is part of the Times Group in India, even reposted the story on their online news portal, as if it’s genuine news!

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Showbiz | Fact Check | Tech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Why Thor: Love and Thunder Is Likely Banned In China!

Here’s why Thor: Love and Thunder will likely remain banned in China forever and ever…

 

Thor: Love and Thunder Has Not Been Approved In China!

Film regulators in China do not explain or comment publicly why they refuse to approve any movie, but anyone with more two neurons in their brains will be able to connect the dots.

Just like how Lightyear got banned for a brief kiss between two female characters, it seems that Chinese censors have no love for LGBT themes in Thor: Love and Thunder.

This was confirmed by two The Hollywood Reporter sources in China who said that Thor: Love and Thunder will likely remain banned because of LGBTQ+ themes in the movie.

Sources at two major cinema chains in China tell The Hollywood Reporter that they expect Thor 4 will face the same fate as Pixar’s Lightyear: denied censorship approval because of fleeting moments in the movie involving LGBTQ characters.

Read more : The Brief Kiss That Got Lightyear Banned In 14+ Countries!

 

What LGTBQ+ Scenes In Thor: Love and Thunder Concern China?

Thor: Love and Thunder was already postponed in Malaysia, allegedly over Thor’s butt cheeks. Perhaps this is also an issue for Chinese censors, but they are more concerned about its LGBTQ+ scenes.

Just how many LGBTQ+ scenes are there really? And how controversial are these scenes?

  • Bisexual Asgardian King Valkyrie (Tessa Thomson) kisses a maiden’s hand
  • At two other scenes, characters reference and discuss King Valkyrie’s late girlfriend.
  • Korg (Taika Waititi) is shown to be gay.
  • Korg references having two dads.
  • Korg settles down with a fellow Korean named Dwayne.

Read more : Thor : Love and Thunder Postponed, May Be Censored!

 

Thor: Love and Thunder Is 6th MCU Movie To Be Banned In China

Thor: Love and Thunder will just join a rather long list of Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies banned in China.

Black Widow : It was released in May 2021, during the Chinese summer movie season, when there is usually a blackout of foreign movies.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings : It was not approved in China, after 2017 comments by actor Simu Liu resurfaced, in which he called China a “third world” country.

Eternals : It was apparently not approved, after a 2013 interview with China-born director Chloé Zhao resurfaced, in which she said that “there are lies everywhere” in the country.

Spider-Man: No Way Home : Hilariously, Chinese censors wanted Sony to remove the Statue of Liberty from the movie. Perhaps they should have asked David Copperfield instead…

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness : It was not approved because of a scene in which a newspaper kiosk appeared with the Epoch Times visible.

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Showbiz | Business | Tech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!