trade war
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US slaps trade restrictions on China's top chipmaker
The US has put limits on exports to China's top chip manufacturer, SMIC, potentially hurting a host of Chinese tech compaines.
US considers blocking deals with China's largest chip maker
The US is considering blacklisting China's largest chip maker, SMIC, in a move that could escalate an ongoing trade war.
Sonos hikes prices on the Amp and Port as it moves production out of China
Sonos is moving production of some of its products from China to Malaysia, and at the same time the company is increasing the price of the Sonos Amp and Sonos Port by $50. Sonos told The Verge that its decision to move production is less of a response to tariffs, which it reportedly called a "one-time hit," and more about diversifying production for the future.
China bans all government departments from using US-made technology
It was only a matter of time before China started offering trade bans to US companies in return for the ban on Huawei's gear. The Financial Times is reporting that Beijing has ordered all government institutions and public bodies to get rid of their foreign (i.e. western) computer gear. According to the report, China will spend between now and 2022 transitioning off American hardware and software in favor of local alternatives.
Commerce Department extends Huawei license for another 90 days
In May, the Trump administration essentially banned the purchase and sale of Huawei products on a temporary basis. The emergency measure was meant to stem concerns that the company provides intelligence or backdoor access to the Chinese government while US agencies investigate the allegations. Organizations that wanted an exemption to this had to apply for what's called a Temporary General License, or TGL. The latest extension of the TGL was scheduled to expire today, but the Department of Commerce announced a 90-day extension this morning.
Tesla wins a tax exemption in China to offset trade-war tariffs (updated)
The regulatory body in charge of cars in China has announced several Tesla vehicles will be exempt from its purchase tax, which should help offset an upcoming tariff. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology granted exemptions for more than a dozen Model 3, Model S and Model X models.
Tesla will reportedly raise prices in China again this week
Buying a Tesla in China could be more expensive in the very near future. The automaker will increase prices on its cars in the country this Friday, according to Reuters. That potential price lift is said to be in response to the yuan weakening against the US dollar, but Tesla may jack up the sticker price once again should new tariffs come into effect as part of the China-US trade war.
China's latest retaliatory tariffs could pose trouble for Tesla
The escalating trade war between the US and China could have particularly steep consequences for car brands. China's Finance Ministry has announced countering tariffs across a range of products, including plans to resume a suspended 25 percent extra tariff on US cars on December 15th -- with an extra 10 percent for certain cars. This could make tariffs as high as 50 percent for some cars, and particularly damage automakers that ship many US-made cars to China, including Tesla, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
US gives Huawei another 90 days to serve existing customers
The US government has granted Huawei another 90 days to buy from American suppliers. The "temporary general license" extension will allow Huawei to continue servicing existing US customers before it is fully blacklisted, Reuters reports. The company now has through November 19th to maintain existing telecom networks and provide software updates to existing Huawei handsets.
US delays tariffs on some Chinese-made electronics until December 15th
The Trump administration announced a tariff earlier this month on an additional $300 billion of Chinese imports that was to take effect from September 1st, but the 10 percent levy will only kick in then for about half of the goods. The tariff on others -- including mobile phones, laptops, monitors, game consoles, some toys and LED lamps -- is set to be enforced from December 15th.
Trump announces more tariffs on goods made in China
The US plans to add more tariffs to Chinese imports starting September 1st. President Donald Trump made the announcement on Twitter, stating the nation would impose a 10 percent tariff on $300 billion worth of Chinese goods, in addition to an existing 25 percent tariff on $250 billion of imported items. He said the tariff would be enforced after China didn't meet a promise to buy more American agricultural goods. He also claimed China, despite saying it would, failed to stop fentanyl sales to the US.
Huawei and Google scrapped their smart speaker due to US ban
Before the Trump administration declared a 'national emergency' effectively banning Huawei, Google and Huawei were reportedly months away from launching a Huawei-branded smart speaker. The companies allegedly planned to reveal the speaker at a trade show in Berlin this September and to sell it online in the US. But progress came to a halt when the Trump administration blacklisted Huawei, sources told The Information.
Apple will reportedly manufacture its $6,000 Mac Pro in China
Apple will manufacture its new $6,000 Mac Pro in China, The Wall Street Journal reports. That's not entirely surprising given that most of Apple's products are made there, but the Mac Pro was Apple's last major product manufactured in the US. The decision is an about-face from 2013, when Apple bragged about its plans to keep Mac Pro production domestic.
China's supercomputers are the latest target in US trade war
The US and China have been locked in a race for the world's most powerful supercomputer. China was in the lead with its Sunway TaihuLight, which has a 93 petaflop capacity. But the US surpassed that last year, when it released the Summit, which can run at 200 petaflops -- or 200 quadrillion calculations per second. Now, the US is using export restrictions in an attempt to thwart China's supercomputing efforts.
Tariffs are forcing Big Tech to move production out of China
In response to the Trump administration's trade war with China, major tech companies are preparing to relocate key manufacturing operations. According to Bloomberg, Google is moving production of its US-bound Nest thermostats and motherboards to Taiwan. The Wall Street Journal reports that Nintendo is shifting at least some production of its Switch console to Southeast Asia. At the same time, China has allegedly warned companies that they will face permanent consequences if they cooperate with Trump administration trade restrictions.
Apple can make US-bound iPhones outside of China if necessary
If the trade war between the US and China spirals out of control and leads to Chinese retaliation against American tech production, is Apple hosed? Not necessarily. Senior Foxconn exec Young Liu told investors that his manufacturing company has "enough capacity" to make US-bound iPhones outside of China if necessary. About a quarter of that capacity is elsewhere, Liu said, including growing Indian production. While Apple hasn't made any moves on that front, Foxconn can shift its lines elsewhere if things go south.
'Game of Thrones' finale blocked in China due to trade war
The Game of Thrones finale may have aired last night but the show isn't over yet -- at least in China, where the episode has yet to air. Tencent Video, the streaming platform that controls the rights of HBO's series in China, didn't broadcast the show's conclusion Monday morning when it was supposed to air. Instead, the service displayed a message that the show wasn't available due to "transmission medium problems," though HBO believes it is fallout from the recent trade dispute between the US and China.
