China’s tech news in June 2023 covered a range of items and technologies including wide-ranging artificial intelligence-based technology developments, China Telecom‘s backing of quantum technology work, the EU’s concerns over Chinese tech in member country 5G networks, and many more.
Hit the China tech news headlines below to read each technology article from June 2023 in full.
Plus: Daily updates & weekly newslettters >
WEF: Green hydrogen in China – A roadmap for progress
- China’s Xtalpi, AI-driven drug discovery firm, partnered by US pharma giant, Eli Lilly, in deal up to $250M to unearth potential medicines for as-yet undisclosed disease
- China: China Computing Net, national data centre network aiming to pool and centralize the nation’s computing power, adds centres in southern Guangdong, Sichuan and Guizhou
“…thousands of TikTok creators and businesses around the world have given the company sensitive financial information… TikTok has stored that personal financial information on servers in China…”
McKinsey Digital: Technology Trends for 2023 (July edition)
- China: MiniMax reportedly nears $250M funding and valuation near $1.2BN, with AI focus similar to OpenAI ChatGPT and believed to be part-backed by Tencent-related entity
- China’s Mobvoi files for Hong Kong IPO with multiple devices and software products and services built around artificial intelligence
- China Telecom invests $434M in establishing China Telecom Quantum Information Technology Group
“[This] is a practical action to thoroughly study and implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important instructions on the development of quantum technology,” China Telecom said in the statement.
- China: Baidu search giant sets $140M to fund Chinese startups working in generative AI that are built on Baidu’s Ernie Bot platform, a competitor to OpenAI’s ChatGPT
- ICYMI: Huawei, IPv6 Forum, African Telecommunication Union, Arab Info & Communication Tech Org recently held first IP GALA event aiming to ‘map out future of Internet in Africa region’
Deloitte: China Consumer Insights and Market Outlook White Paper 2023
- China: “…computer manufacturer Powerleader…is fending off allegations that its new central processing unit…is an old Intel chip in disguise, saying it was developed with support from the US chipmaking giant”
- ICYMI: The European Union is considering a mandatory ban on member-states using companies that might pose a security risk in their 5G networks, including China’s Huawei
European Union guidelines adopted two years ago call on its 27 member states to assess the risk profile of suppliers on a national or EU level, and restrict or ban high-risk 5G vendors from core parts of their telecoms networks.
“To date, only 10 of them have used these prerogatives to restrict or exclude high-risk vendors. This is too slow, and it poses a major security risk and exposes the Union’s collective security, since it creates a major dependency for the EU and serious vulnerabilities,” Breton told a press conference.
- China: Greater Bay Technology, subsidiary of state-owned group, claims EV battery tech beating cold weather-induced loss of range, claiming full charge in 6 minutes under all conditions
- China: Sales of semiconductor equipment to China dropped 23% YOY in Q1 2023 amid US export curbs, tho China remains world’s second-largest market for semicon equipment
- China: Jiangsu Xinhua Semiconductor Tech raised $140M Series C, with construction of Inner Mongolia factory scheduled for operation by year-end
CSIS: China’s progress towards space resilience & responsive launch
- Pakistan and China ink MOU for ‘green hydrogen’ project to produce 150,000kg per day from plant using energy from wind and solar farms
- Sequoia Capital’s split into regional firms “…may insulate Sequoia from pending regulation, but it’s also a signal that ties to China are a growing liability in Silicon Valley.”
- Hong Kong gov’t launches court bid to prevent internet platforms from hosting ‘Glory to Hong Kong’ song, lyrics, melody or video, criminalizing those who post
- China: 31 firms, including major ‘supercomputing’ facility, added to US export blacklist, due in part to military and hypersonic missiles research
- China: Huawei wins 52% of China Mobile 5G base station contracts to provide 45,426 stations, with rival ZTE to deliver 23,227 5G base stations
RAND Corp: The political geography of the South China Sea
- ICYMI: Ukraine has formally designated China’s Hikvision and Dahua tech firms “international sponsors of war”, alleging supply of drones and more to Russia, alongside contributing to war budget
- ICYMI: US TikTok ban expands to federal contractors, blocking app use on devices used for official business, regardless of whether owned by gov’t, contractor or employees
“Fund managers said requests for ‘ex-China’ products included the possibility of ‘Asian allies’ funds that would invest in US-friendly markets and provide clear insulation from Beijing-related geopolitical risk…”
- Micron US memory-chip maker to invest $603M in packaging facility in Xian…despite firm being sanctioned as a ‘security risk’ by China tech regulator
- Alibaba Group to make Europe top priority in bid to grow platforms and presence outside China, with European version of TMall e-commerce marketplace in the pipeline
CSET: An examination of China’s cyber ranges
- China: JD e-commerce giant sets 20-year plan for multiple new businesses to net $140BN revenue and $10BN profit
- Italy imposes curbs on Pirelli’s largest shareholder, China’s Sinochem, blocking Chinese government access to sensitive chip tech
Cybercrime: “This is the broadest cyber espionage campaign known to be conducted by a China-nexus threat actor since the mass exploitation of Microsoft Exchange in early 2021…”
- China: CATL to invest $1.4BN in building 2 lithium plants in Bolivia, aiming for 200K tons annually and with investment rising to near $10BN
- France’s L’Oréal launches North Asia Big Bang Beauty Tech & Innovation Challenge, focusing on new beauty products and experiences for and in China, South Korea and Japan
ASPI: State-sponsored Economic Cyber-Espionage for Commercial Purposes
- China: CellX cultivated meat firm gains $6.5M Series A+ funding in pursuit of production at low cost and high scale
- China cloud computing concerns: “…Beijing could use Chinese data centers in the United States and abroad to gain access to sensitive data, echoing concerns about Chinese telecom gear and TikTok…”
“While buying or selling high-end US chips is not illegal in China, US export restrictions have created a de facto underground market with vendors keen not to draw scrutiny from either US or Chinese authorities.”
- China’s Nio electric vehicles firm gains $738M from CYVN Holdings, a smart mobility-focused investment vehicle majority-owned by Abu Dhabi gov’t
- The digital yuan – PRC currency of first resort?: “Just this year, the PBOC counted digital yuan in the official measure of cash in circulation for the first time.”
KPMG Venture Pulse Q2 2023 Report – Asia findings
- A brief look at TikTok’s recently-announced aim to invest billions in SE Asia in the next few years, doubling down on the region’s 630M citizens, half of whom are under 30
- ICYMI: US gov’t reportedly mulls further tech export restrictions to China, specifically on AI-focused chips
“[Oppo] Zeku is a major casualty in China’s campaign to become self-sufficient in…the chip industry… By the time its parent pulled the plug, it was the country’s 5th-largest chip designer…”
- “After a month of avoiding confirmation of its involvement in the Montana lawsuit, TikTok was outed by two of the suing TikTokers, who told the Times that TikTok was paying their legal fees.”
- China faces further tech restrictions with Dutch gov’t adding regulations requiring further licensing for ASML deep ultraviolet semicon gear, with limit on extreme UV machines already in place
Europe: PRC United Front Targeting the Semiconductor Sector
- Sequoia VC to split into 3 entities – Sequoia Capital in the US and Europe, Peak XV Partners in India and SE Asia, and HongShan in China – in response to a changing geopolitical landscape
- China’s TuSimple tests autonomous vehicles in Japan via local subsidiary, noteworthy when considering Japan’s ageing demographic means 45.2% of transportation sector drivers are over 50
- Japan: “…export restrictions on 23 types of chip-related equipment…are set to disrupt China’s semiconductor self-sufficiency plan…The measures require specific permission for…23 types of items…”
- South Korea: Former Samsung exec arrested over theft of factory and clean-room blueprints used in unsuccessful bid to replicate facilities in China
The Decoding China dictionary: Terms, meanings, framing
- Australia: China’s MG EV automaker cuts $6000 from price for MG4 electric vehicle, making it Australia’s first entry-level model under $40K and undercutting rival BYD
- Thailand: GHL, major SEA payments service, partners China’s Alipay+ to enable cross-border e-payments, initially looking at payments from tourists visiting from China, Malaysia, South Korea and Malaysia
- ICYMI: “On 2 separate occasions last year, railroad cars carrying tens of thousands of kilograms…to collectively make at least 80M rounds of ammunition – rumbled across the China-Russia border…”
CSIS: Mapping semiconductor supply chains – Indo-Pacific’s importance
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