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Former UK PM Boris Johnson rejects China's bullying of Taiwan, calls for deeper ties with West
Former UK PM Boris Johnson rejects China's bullying of Taiwan, calls for deeper ties with West

Straits Times

time4 days ago

  • Business
  • Straits Times

Former UK PM Boris Johnson rejects China's bullying of Taiwan, calls for deeper ties with West

Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Taiwan did not deserve to be bullied by China. TAIPEI - Former British prime minister Boris Johnson said on Aug 5 that Taiwan did not deserve to be bullied by China and urged the West to build economic and political relations with Taipei in the face of Beijing's campaign against the democratic island. Mr Johnson is the third former British prime minister to visit Taiwan, after Ms Liz Truss in 2023 and Mrs Margaret Thatcher in the 1990s, and his trip comes at a time when Britain and China are seeking to further stabilise ties as Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to visit Beijing later in 2025 Britain, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan but the two governments have close economic and culture exchanges. Beijing has in recent years ramped up military and diplomatic pressure campaigns against Taiwan, including daily military activities near the island, to assert territorial claims the government in Taipei strongly rejects. "In very difficult and intense times, this is the moment for all western countries to build economic and political relations with Taiwan, not to tiptoe away from Taiwan at the pressure from any other country," Mr Johnson told Taiwan President Lai Ching-te in the presidential office in Taipei. "There's absolutely no case for the current Chinese bullying of Taiwan. This is a free, peaceful society. It does not deserve to be intimidated in this way. There's no point in it and I hope it stops as soon as possible," Mr Johnson said in video footage by Mr Lai's office. China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore 'She had a whole life ahead of her': Boyfriend mourns Yishun fatal crash victim World Israel says it will allow controlled entry of goods into Gaza via merchants Singapore Singapore-made bot matchmakes strangers virtually – without profile photos Life Urinary issues: Enlarged prostate affects half of men in their 50s and up Business Lendlease Reit to sell office component of Jem to Keppel for $462 million Singapore Conditional warning for ex-manager at Mendaki accused of trying to obtain laptop as bribe Beijing has previously condemned visits by British lawmakers to Taiwan for what it calls interference in China's internal affairs. Mr Johnson was invited to deliver a speech at a security forum by Taipei-based think tank, the Prospect Foundation, which was also attended by Mr Lai earlier on Aug 5. At the forum, Mr Lai vowed to build a "democratic supply chain" with allies by deepening economic cooperation and said he would boost Taiwan's defence spending to more than 3 per cent of its GDP in 2026. "I'm confident that if democracies can join hands in creating more robust, more resilient global democratic supply chains, we can spur even more economic prosperity and further consolidate our democracy," Mr Lai said. A British Royal Navy patrol vessel sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait in June. REUTERS

Former UK PM Johnson rejects China's bullying of Taiwan, calls for deeper ties with West
Former UK PM Johnson rejects China's bullying of Taiwan, calls for deeper ties with West

Yahoo

time4 days ago

  • Politics
  • Yahoo

Former UK PM Johnson rejects China's bullying of Taiwan, calls for deeper ties with West

TAIPEI (Reuters) -Former British prime minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday that Taiwan did not deserve to be bullied by China and urged the West to build economic and political relations with Taipei in the face of Beijing's campaign against the democratic island. Johnson is the third former British prime minister to visit Taiwan, after Liz Truss in 2023 and Margaret Thatcher in the 1990s, and his trip comes at a time when Britain and China are seeking to further stabilise ties as Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to visit Beijing later this year. Britain, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan but the two governments have close economic and culture exchanges. Beijing has in recent years ramped up military and diplomatic pressure campaigns against Taiwan, including daily military activities near the island, to assert territorial claims the government in Taipei strongly rejects. "In very difficult and intense times, this is the moment for all western countries to build economic and political relations with Taiwan, not to tiptoe away from Taiwan at the pressure from any other country," Johnson told Taiwan President Lai Ching-te in the presidential office in Taipei. "There's absolutely no case for the current Chinese bullying of Taiwan. This is a free, peaceful society. It does not deserve to be intimidated in this way. There's no point in it and I hope it stops as soon as possible," Johnson said in video footage by Lai's office. China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Beijing has previously condemned visits by British lawmakers to Taiwan for what it calls interference in China's internal affairs. Johnson was invited to deliver a speech at a security forum by Taipei-based think tank, the Prospect Foundation, which was also attended by Lai earlier on Tuesday. At the forum, Lai vowed to build a "democratic supply chain" with allies by deepening economic cooperation and said he would boost Taiwan's defence spending to more than 3% of its GDP next year. "I'm confident that if democracies can join hands in creating more robust, more resilient global democratic supply chains, we can spur even more economic prosperity and further consolidate our democracy," Lai said. A British Royal Navy patrol vessel sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait in June. (Reporting By Yimou Lee, Angie Teo and Yi-chin Lee; additional reporting by Ryan Woo; Editing by Michael Perry)

Former UK PM Johnson rejects China's bullying of Taiwan, calls for deeper ties with West
Former UK PM Johnson rejects China's bullying of Taiwan, calls for deeper ties with West

Reuters

time4 days ago

  • Politics
  • Reuters

Former UK PM Johnson rejects China's bullying of Taiwan, calls for deeper ties with West

TAIPEI, Aug 5 (Reuters) - Former British prime minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday that Taiwan did not deserve to be bullied by China and urged the West to build economic and political relations with Taipei in the face of Beijing's campaign against the democratic island. Johnson is the third former British prime minister to visit Taiwan, after Liz Truss in 2023 and Margaret Thatcher in the 1990s, and his trip comes at a time when Britain and China are seeking to further stabilise ties as Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to visit Beijing later this year. Britain, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan but the two governments have close economic and culture exchanges. Beijing has in recent years ramped up military and diplomatic pressure campaigns against Taiwan, including daily military activities near the island, to assert territorial claims the government in Taipei strongly rejects. "In very difficult and intense times, this is the moment for all western countries to build economic and political relations with Taiwan, not to tiptoe away from Taiwan at the pressure from any other country," Johnson told Taiwan President Lai Ching-te in the presidential office in Taipei. "There's absolutely no case for the current Chinese bullying of Taiwan. This is a free, peaceful society. It does not deserve to be intimidated in this way. There's no point in it and I hope it stops as soon as possible," Johnson said in video footage by Lai's office. China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Beijing has previously condemned visits by British lawmakers to Taiwan for what it calls interference in China's internal affairs. Johnson was invited to deliver a speech at a security forum by Taipei-based think tank, the Prospect Foundation, which was also attended by Lai earlier on Tuesday. At the forum, Lai vowed to build a "democratic supply chain" with allies by deepening economic cooperation and said he would boost Taiwan's defence spending to more than 3% of its GDP next year. "I'm confident that if democracies can join hands in creating more robust, more resilient global democratic supply chains, we can spur even more economic prosperity and further consolidate our democracy," Lai said. A British Royal Navy patrol vessel sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait in June.

Samsung to produce Tesla chips in US$17bil multi-year deal
Samsung to produce Tesla chips in US$17bil multi-year deal

The Star

time28-07-2025

  • Business
  • The Star

Samsung to produce Tesla chips in US$17bil multi-year deal

- REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo SEOUL: Samsung Electronics Co will produce semiconductors for Tesla Inc in a new US$16.5bil pact that gives a boost for its underperforming foundry division. South Korea's largest company announced yesterday that it secured a 22.8 trillion won chipmaking agreement with a global corporation that will run through the end of 2033. Tesla, which already does business with Samsung's contract chipmaking division, is that customer, according to a person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named. Samsung's Seoul-traded shares rose as much as 3.5%, their biggest intraday gain in almost four weeks. A company spokesperson declined to comment regarding Tesla, and representatives for the US company did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The contract win comes as Samsung has been steadily losing ground in chip manufacturing. The company, which makes its own memory chips and also fabricates semiconductors on behalf of clients, has had difficulty bringing in enough orders to fully utilise its foundry capacity. That's in contrast to leading chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), which still cannot meet all demand. TSMC held a dominant share of 67.6% of the global foundry market in the first quarter this year, according to Taipei-based TrendForce. Samsung's share slipped to 7.7% from 8.1% in the previous quarter. Bloomberg analysts Masahiro Wakasugi and Takumi Okano said: 'Samsung Electronics' contract to supply semiconductors to an unidentified large global corporation implies a recovery in its foundry business' two-nanometre generation chip production. 'The US$16.5bil contract spans 2025 to 2033 and could boost Samsung's foundry sales by 10% annually, we calculate. It could also lead to new contracts with other fabless chip companies.' Samsung and TSMC are both on pace to deliver the next generation of semiconductor advancement – moving to two-nanometre fabrication – and the new deal is seen as a signal of confidence for the company's upcoming fabrication technology. — Bloomberg

Samsung to make Tesla AI chips in multiyear Texas deal
Samsung to make Tesla AI chips in multiyear Texas deal

Los Angeles Times

time28-07-2025

  • Automotive
  • Los Angeles Times

Samsung to make Tesla AI chips in multiyear Texas deal

Samsung Electronics Co. will produce AI semiconductors for Tesla Inc. in a new $16.5 billion pact that marks a win for its underperforming foundry division. South Korea's largest company announced on Monday that it secured the 22.8 trillion won chipmaking agreement, which will run through the end of 2033. The plan is for an upcoming plant in Taylor, Texas, to produce Tesla's next-generation AI6 chip, Tesla chief Elon Musk said on X, confirming a Bloomberg News report. Samsung's Seoul-traded shares rose 6.8% to their highest since September, while its suppliers like Soulbrain Co. jumped 16%. A Samsung spokesperson declined to comment, citing confidentiality terms in its contract. 'The strategic importance of this is hard to overstate,' Musk, 54, wrote on X. He described the value of the deal announced by Samsung as 'just the bare minimum. Actual output is likely to be several times higher.' The Tesla chief executive officer and X owner will walk the chip fabrication line himself and has been authorized by Samsung to assist in optimizing production, he said. The AI6 component will form the foundation of Tesla's driving hardware suite for cars in coming years. Samsung produces the current AI4 system, according to Musk. The contract win, the first after Executive Chairman Jay Y. Lee was cleared of all outstanding legal charges, comes as Samsung has been steadily losing ground in chip manufacturing. The company, which makes its own memory chips and also fabricates semiconductors on behalf of clients, has had difficulty bringing in enough orders to fully utilize its foundry capacity. It has postponed completion of construction and operational ramp-up of its new Texas fab to 2026. 'Their foundry business has been loss-making and struggling with under-utilization, so this will help a lot,' said Vey-Sern Ling, managing director at Union Bancaire Privee in Singapore. 'Tesla's business may also help them to attract other customers.' That's in contrast to leading chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., which still cannot meet all demand. TSMC held a dominant share of 67.6% of the global foundry market in the first quarter this year, according to Taipei-based TrendForce. Samsung's share slipped to 7.7% from 8.1% in the previous quarter. Samsung and TSMC are both on pace to deliver the next generation of semiconductor advancement — moving to 2-nanometer fabrication — and the new deal is seen as a signal of confidence for the company's upcoming fabrication technology. While the contract may represent a small share of foundry revenue annually, it holds greater value as a catalyst for technological refinement and innovation over the long run, according to Ryu Young-ho, an analyst at NH Investment & Securities Co. It also helps burnish Samsung's reputation as the strongest TSMC alternative at a time when Intel Corp. is struggling to win over investors skeptical about its long-term strategy and road map. At Tesla, Musk has said the company's future will depend on delivering the long-elusive goal of true self-driving technology. Last week, after a disappointing earnings report, he said the automaker will face 'a few rough quarters' until it can deliver autonomous vehicles at scale — which he predicted for the second half of 2026 or by the end of the year. Yet there is still skepticism about that target. Musk's X posts following the Samsung deal imply that Tesla will adopt two different next-generation chips in short order that are crucial to its automated-driving systems. He wrote that the carmaker will go from currently sourcing AI4 chips from Samsung, to using AI5 chips from TSMC that have just been designed, to then using AI6 chips from Samsung. The rapid-fire changes risk opening Tesla up to more blowback from car owners who were told back in 2016 that all the vehicles the company was making from then on had the hardware necessary to eventually drive autonomously. In early 2023, Musk said on an earnings call that Tesla was going to stop offering retrofits to customers whose cars were equipped with older-generation chips, citing the cost and difficulty of offering upgrades. Tesla has made some progress in recent months toward competing with Alphabet Inc.'s Waymo by starting to offer a driverless taxi service in Austin. But the carmaker has yet to offer rides without any safety staff in its vehicles, and early users posted videos of the robotaxis appearing to violate traffic laws. The suite of features Tesla markets as Full Self-Driving still requires customers to supervise the system at all times. Lee and Kang write for Bloomberg.

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