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Monthly Archives: August 2025 - 5. page

UDN: Micron’s China Branch is Laying Off Employees

United Daily News (UDN), one of the primary Taiwanese news groups, reported that Micron Technology, a major U.S. memory manufacturer, has recently begun laying off employees in China. This personnel change is seen as part of Micron’s global strategic adjustment and is also a clear signal that Micron continues to shrink its business in the Chinese market.

The scale of the layoffs is currently unknown, but they primarily involve R&D, testing, and FAE/AE support teams, affecting employees in several Chinese cities including Shanghai and Shenzhen. Micron officially commented that this move was due to the continued weakness of mobile NAND products in the market, poor financial performance, and lower growth potential than other NAND opportunities. Therefore, it decided to stop the development of future mobile NAND products worldwide. Micron emphasized that this is limited to its mobile NAND product line, and the company will focus on high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips for data centers and AI infrastructure, as well as NAND solutions for automotive, industrial and other fields.

In fact, with the background of the U.S.-China technology war, a couple of years ago, the Chinese Cyberspace Administration concluded that Micron’s products “failed cybersecurity review” and required operators of critical information infrastructure to stop purchasing them, which had a negative impact on Micron’s business in China. According to Micron’s financial reports, the proportion of its sales from China has dropped from 14.03 percent in fiscal 2023 to 12.1 percent in fiscal 2024. Micron indicated that some Chinese government-backed domestic competitors also pose a threat of intensified competition and oversupply in the Chinese market.

Source: UDN, August 13, 2025
https://udn.com/news/story/7333/8935871

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology US-China Relations

Beijing and Moscow Fund African Influencers to Spread Anti–U.S. Messaging

Media experts and insiders report that Chinese and Russian actors are paying social media influencers across Africa—particularly on TikTok—to promote anti–U.S. narratives, often targeting the Trump administration. Influencers earn anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars per month by sharing misinformation and propaganda benefiting Beijing and Moscow.

Notably, according to a study by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, nearly 200 such campaigns have been identified across African regions, with a concentration in Southern and West Africa. Some influencers receive content-ready narratives and are compensated based on engagement, with one stating they earn roughly $3 per liked post and do not have direct contact with those sponsoring the content.

These operations fill an “information void” in Africa created by reduced U.S. aid to media, making the continent particularly susceptible to disinformation campaigns.

Source: Epoch Times, August 4, 2025
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/25/8/2/n14565971.htm

Briefings | | |   @CS Geo-Strategic Trend Government/Politics

China’s New Mandatory Social Security Insurance Contribution Rule Sparks Concern

An Internet article stated that China’s Supreme People’s Court issued a judicial interpretation on August 1 stating that beginning September 1, workers cannot legally waive social security insurance, even if they gave consent to their company; rather, they can sue employers who fail to pay.

The author pointed out that economically, mandatory contributions reduce workers’ take-home pay, hitting small businesses hardest and possibly pushing firms to switch their full-time employees to contractors (then they don’t have to pay for their benefits and social obligations). The article also criticizes rigid rules like a 20-year pension contribution and opaque fund management, which create uncertainty about future benefits.

The author concludes: it’s not that people need social security insurance – but rather, it is that the social security funds need us to contribute to remain solvent.

Source: Utopia, August 6, 2025
https://www.wyzxwk.com/Article/shehui/2025/08/511706.html

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Xinhua: Breakthrough in Moon Construction – China Develops First Lunar Soil Brick-Making Machine

Recently, China successfully developed its first lunar soil brick-making machine at the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory. This machine uses concentrated solar energy to melt and shape lunar soil, potentially enabling the construction of buildings on the Moon using local materials.

The lunar soil brick maker works by using a parabolic reflector to achieve high-concentration solar energy, which is transmitted via optical fiber bundles. At the end of the fiber bundles, the solar energy concentration reaches over 3000 times the normal sunlight. Through a precise optical system, sunlight is focused onto a small spot, rapidly raising the temperature above 1300°C to melt the lunar soil.

Since the experiment was conducted indoors without direct sunlight, the development team used a solar simulator to deliver energy equivalent to 3000 times sunlight onto simulated lunar soil for melting tests. The bricks produced are made of 100 percent lunar soil without any additives. Moreover, the lunar soil bricks possess high strength and density, making them suitable not only for building houses but also for infrastructure such as equipment platforms and road surfaces.

Source: Xinhua, July 28, 2025
http://www.news.cn/tech/20250728/df414226df8e4e2ca9abf5bb3aac8a5e/c.html

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

Beijing Hires Temporary “Bridge and Pole Guards” Ahead of the September 3 Parade

As the September 3, 2025 “9/3 Military Parade” approaches, districts in Beijing have begun recruiting temporary security personnel, primarily tasked with guarding utility poles, pedestrian overpasses, and other key areas.

These temporary jobs mainly cover the period from August 8 to September 4 (with some extending to September 5), and most require continuous work – wages will be withheld if the worker leaves early. According to screenshots of job postings circulating on Chinese social media platforms WeChat and QQ groups, the recruitment mainly targets healthy men aged 18 to 55, with minimum height requirements of 168 cm or 170 cm.

Some postings explicitly state the role is “bridge guard.” This “occupation” began after the 2022 Sitong Bridge incident where Peng Lifa posted banners denouncing the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping and the COVID lockdown. Since then, during politically sensitive periods, Beijing authorities have deployed “bridge watchers” to prevent the hanging of protest banners on overpasses. In addition, some recruitment ads mention “security guards” for utility poles. Netizens speculate this may be related to the large number of handwritten slogans found on utility poles in Beijing during this year’s June 4 anniversary.

A Beijing resident commented that this shows the times are unsettled.

Sources:
1. Epoch Times, August 8, 2025
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/25/8/8/n14569832.htm
2. NTDTV, August 8, 2025
https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2025/08/07/a104009810.html

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

To Counter Beijing’s Advancement, U.S. Starts Discussion with Cook Islands on Joint Seabed Mineral Exploration

The U.S. Department of State announced on August 5, that the United States and the Cook Islands issued a joint statement reaffirming their commitment to the responsible exploration and study of seabed mineral resources, aligning scientific advancement with economic sustainability and environmental stewardship.

The Cook Islands, located between New Zealand and Hawaii, consists of 15 islands and atolls. It is a self-governing state in free association with New Zealand. Under its constitution, the two sides must consult on matters of security, defense, and foreign policy. Earlier this year, without consulting New Zealand, Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown approved a cooperation agreement with China. New Zealand subsequently suspended aid to the Cook Islands, stating it would only resume once the latter took “concrete measures” to restore trust.

In recent years, Beijing has signed security, trade, and financial agreements with several Pacific island nations, raising growing concerns among Western countries – traditionally dominant in the Pacific – about China’s plans to expand its influence in the region.

Source: Radio France International, August 6, 2025
https://www.rfi.fr/cn/国际/20250806-美国开始与库克群岛进行海底矿产勘探和开发研究谈判

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

China’s Top 10 Automobile Export Markets in First Half of 2025

According to the latest data released by China’s Yiche.com on the top 10 destinations for Chinese automobile exports in the first half of 2025, Mexico ranked as the number one market, with 234,500 vehicles exported in six months, up 30.7 percent year-on-year. Mexico is not a transit hub for Chinese vehicles bound for the U.S. as some people thought, but rather a destination for Chinese cars. BYD was the main contributor to this growth.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) ranked second, importing 214,300 Chinese vehicles, a 58.5 percent increase from last year. As a regional hub for car imports in the Middle East, this growth was driven by Geely’s growing exports to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and other Middle Eastern markets.

Russia came in third, with 171,000 units. But it was down nearly 60 percent year-on-year, the largest drop on the list. The decline was driven by Russia’s hike in car loan interest rates – 18 percent in February – and a new scrap tax on imported vehicles, which pushed prices up by 10–15 percent on average, with some high-end models rising by 25%.

Rounding out the list from 4th to 10th place were Brazil, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Australia, the Philippines, and Kazakhstan.

Source: Liberty Times (Taiwan), August 4, 2025
https://stock.ltn.com.tw/article/jhby6m9azhza

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources Geo-Strategic Trend

China Questions NVIDIA H20 Chip Security as Trust Deficit Emerges

China has raised security concerns about NVIDIA’s H20 chips, prompting the company to deny the presence of backdoors, kill switches, or monitoring software. NVIDIA emphasized that “these are never the way to build trusted systems, and never will be.”

The controversy erupted after the U.S. approved H20 chip sales to China in July 2025, only for Chinese authorities to subsequently question the chips’ security risks and summon NVIDIA officials for discussions.

According to AI expert Guo Tao, NVIDIA faces a core dilemma of “proving innocence” amid technical barriers and trust deficits. The closed nature of chip design prevents external oversight, while corporate promises alone cannot satisfy national security review requirements. The H20 chip, already viewed as a customized “defective product” under U.S. export controls, now faces intensified market doubts about its security and reliability.

During this geopolitically sensitive period, government and enterprise users increasingly prefer risk-avoidance strategies, including choosing domestic chip solutions or reducing NVIDIA purchases. To reverse this trend, NVIDIA may need to open technical documentation for third-party audits or secure endorsement from international authorities.

Beijing Academy of Social Sciences researcher Wang Peng noted that while NVIDIA’s statement denies security risks, it lacks technical evidence. The Cyberspace Administration of China has requested detailed explanations and proof, requiring technical audits, code reviews, or third-party verification to build trust.

The security controversy has heightened awareness of the importance of technological self-reliance in China. Medical AI company executive Ding Ming reported his firm is intensifying testing of domestic chips, which can meet company needs in some scenarios, though ecosystem development requires more time.

Industry observer Liang Zhenpeng believes the H20 incident will accelerate domestic GPU adoption in data centers and AI training, encouraging more local enterprises to embrace domestic computing solutions and providing broader market opportunities for Chinese chip companies.

However, experts acknowledge that domestic chips still face performance bottlenecks and ecosystem maturity issues that require collaborative innovation and government support to overcome.

Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), August 7, 2025
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202508070190.aspx

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations