As Amnesty International leaves HK, intrusive organizations are losing ground

As Amnesty International leaves HK, intrusive organizations are losing ground by Tian Feilong Oct 26 2021

Amnesty International announced on Monday that it will close its offices in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) by the end of the year.

Amnesty International announced on Monday that it will close its offices in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) by the end of the year, according to media reports. Anjhula Mya Singh Bais, chairperson of Amnesty’s international board, was quoted as saying that the decision “has been driven by Hong Kong’s national security law which has made it effectively impossible for human rights organizations in Hong Kong to work freely and without fear of serious reprisals from the government.”

Such remarks are just excuses. In fact, Amnesty’s withdrawal is an independent decision made by the group after assessing the legal risks it may face. It is not the National Security Law for Hong Kong that prevents human rights organizations from operating normally in the city. Rather, Amnesty International violated the law by interfering in HKSAR affairs and inciting riots in the name of human rights. Amnesty International wants to avoid the scrutiny of the law in this despicable way.

After all, the previous grey areas are now all covered by the National Security Law, which has a deterrent effect on organizations like Amnesty International. Their announcement of withdrawal also proves that they do not comply with the law.

During the riots and violence two years ago, Amnesty International published a report which sensationalized Hong Kong police officers using excessive force against rioters. In June, Amnesty International said that the National Security Law has created a “human rights emergency” one year after its implementation.

What the National Security Law has brought about is not a human rights emergency in Hong Kong. It has prompted the violent forces that are disrupting HKSAR in the name of human rights to face a crisis. For these organizations, the tool of human rights is used to legalize their politicization. Through their specific activities in Hong Kong, they have tried to instigate those violent forces and stigmatized the legal system of Hong Kong. Maliciously hyping up Hong Kong police’s law enforcement activities has gone beyond the legitimate activities of human rights organizations. They have already become part of the forces that try to destabilize Hong Kong and undermine the central government. They are not entitled to say that they are innocent.

The Wall Street Journal reported that at least 35 groups have disbanded since the National Security Law for Hong Kong was enacted, including unions and activist groups. CNBC alleged that Hong Kong’s status as one of the world’s most prominent financial hubs appears to be under threat. This is the hypocritical double standards of Western media. They turned a blind eye to the institutional efforts of the central government and the HKSAR government to maintain Hong Kong’s status as an international financial center. They are not qualified to discuss Hong Kong’s freedom and openness. They do not have the credibility to judge whether Hong Kong is an international financial center. The first business environment report released by the HKSAR government on September 27 clearly explains the city’s advantages at three levels. Capital tells no lie. The inflow of the global capital into Hong Kong in recent years proves there is no threat at all.

These human rights organizations withdrew because they could not meet the requirements of the law. These intrusive “international organizations” created under the Western system have no market in China anymore. They can no longer deceive people.

Western media accuse the National Security Law for Hong Kong of undermining Hong Kong’s “freedoms.” Yet they turn a blind eye to the fact that organizations, such as Amnesty International, are in essence political tools of some Western countries to interfere in Hong Kong affairs and mess the city up. Playing double standards is a tactic that the West often uses to promote “color revolution” and contain China’s development. Western countries know very well the nature of those so-called human rights organizations. They are a part of the West’s global policy tools and many of them receive funds from Western governments. That’s why when they violate local laws and jeopardize stability of their location, some Western countries often play double standards and disregard their law violations.

Organizations such as Amnesty International are gradually losing their influence and discourse power in both China and other countries. When most countries and their people realize such double standards, it will mark the end of the “legitimacy of the Western hegemony.”

The author is an associate professor at Beihang University and member of the Beijing-based Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn

Chip industry’s virtuous circle made vicious by Biden’s policy – Forcing chip foundries to turn over internal files is a lose-lose proposition

Chip industry’s virtuous circle made vicious by Biden’s policy – Forcing chip foundries to turn over internal files is a lose-lose proposition By GEORGE KOO OCT 26, 2021

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company captured more than 50% of world’s chip-foundry business.

Some years ago, before my retirement, I offered the observation that the semiconductor industry had become a remarkably virtuous circle across the world. As everyone knows, in a virtuous circle, all participants win.

True enough, semiconductor technology was discovered and developed in California’s Santa Clara county, south of San Francisco, which is how it became known to the world as “Silicon Valley.” There Intel Corporation pioneered the advances in its microprocessor technology and created the mega personal-computer industry.

Other entrepreneurs in the valley soon followed Intel, either to compete with better circuit designs or to develop complementary integrated circuits to expand the use of semiconductors in a multiplicity of applications. Thus the role of semiconductors proliferated into everyday use, and they now serve many essential functions not conceived by the original inventors.

A recent example is the dependence on microchips to execute many functions in automobiles. A worldwide shortage of chips for cars has brought the manufacture of autos to a near standstill. The severe economic consequences of this stoppage have given US President Joe Biden’s administration the excuse to take unprecedented action; more on that later in this article.

As the industry evolved, the mantra was to design and make every generation of chips faster, cheaper and smaller. The complexity of each generation raised the cost of making them exponentially. Today, the cost of fabricating (the industry’s term for producing chips) the most advanced devices is in the billions of dollars.

Soon, companies in the US dropped out of making their own chips because of the escalating capital investment required to keep up. The techno-entrepreneurs concentrated on designing new devices for new applications. All that required was some computer-aided design stations and a group of smart circuit designers.

TSMC fills a need

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company saw this developing industry trend and decided to concentrate on fabrication technology and kept committing the capital investments needed to keep up with the advances in process technology.

TSMC’s strategy was to serve as everybody’s foundry and offer semiconductor fabrication as a service for a fee. To be credible, it promised strict confidentiality, to protect the client’s trade secrets and never to make its own devices to compete with its customers.

The “fabless” companies rushed to Taiwan to take advantage of this win-win business arrangement. As a matter of self-interest, these companies willingly shared their know-how with TSMC to improve the manufacturing process so that TSMC steadily improved its fabrication techniques. The fabless companies received their proprietary chips at reasonable cost in a timely manner without a heavy capital commitment.

Very quickly, TSMC became the world’s leading semiconductor foundry service company. Others followed suit and copied the TSMC model, but the Taiwanese company captured more than 50% of world’s chip-foundry business and maintained its grip as the leader of semiconductor manufacturing technology.

Companies that have enjoyed great success taking advantage of the TSMC business model include Apple, Nvidia and Huawei.

Apple designed proprietary chips for all of its product lines across the board and has them made in third-party foundries, mostly by TSMC.

Nvidia is the world leader in designing chips for complex computational tasks such as in computer games, machine learning and artificial-intelligence applications and even for mining cryptocurrencies. TSMC is a major supplier of Nvidia’s chipsets.

Huawei relied on TSMC’s advanced fabrication technology to make the Chinese company’s proprietary chips for its smartphones and, of course, for its fifth-generation (5G) telecommunication equipment.

US, Taiwan and China form a virtuous circle

For a while, this was a virtuous arrangement. Apple took its designs to Taiwan and assembled its chipsets into iPhones, iPads and computers in China and sold them worldwide. Nvidia had its chip designs made in Taiwan and also enjoyed worldwide sales.

But then Huawei got too successful and became the world leader in 5G and a major supplier of smartphones. The former Donald Trump administration in the US thought the one way to stop Huawei was to deny it access to TSMC’s foundry services and also to any American-owned semiconductor technology.

Trump’s successor Joe Biden has gone a step further by becoming the Godfather of the worldwide semiconductor industry and make an offer the foundries cannot refuse: Turn over your confidential files to the US Department of Commerce (DOC) or else we will stop you from operating.

The foundries were given 45 days to comply after the September announcement, and it appears that the leaders, TSMC and Samsung, will comply and others will follow suit. Neither Taipei nor Seoul can stand up to Washington and fight this strong-armed unethical outrage.

The US has long envied China’s ability to set industry policies in accordance to national priorities. Apparently, the latest DOC edict is Biden’s attempt to mimic Beijing and favor domestic industry, namely Intel, with policy and financial subsidy.

TSMC will lose

TSMC’s position in the industry will no doubt be diminished. It will not able to collaborate in the manner it was used to and now will only be able to serve its customers in China with great difficulty, if at all. Its covenants with its customer is in tatters.

If TSMC relocates some of its facilities to the US to please Washington, it will face the same set of comparative disadvantages of having to operate in America that caused Intel to fall generations behind.

Cutting off China will force that country to accelerate the development of indigenous semiconductor technology. It will be stymied for an interim period but in the end, China will have its own semiconductor production and market.

As TSMC loses its luster, skilled management and technical personnel will seek opportunities elsewhere. Some might migrate to the US but more are likely to look for jobs in China, where they will not be penalized for language or cultural disconnect.

It’s not at all certain that Intel can catch up to TSMC thanks to Washington’s assistance. Besides policy and financial subsidy, doing so will also require people with motivation and skillsets. In that respect, China far outnumbers the US.

Washington seems to think its is playing a win-lose game. It doesn’t seem to appreciate that by cutting China off, American companies will be deprived of access to the largest market in the world.

When the world’s semiconductor market is split into two, the halves will be less than the whole. Thus a virtuous circle will become dysfunctional, and everybody will lose.

George Koo retired from a global advisory services firm where he advised clients on their China strategies and business operations. Educated at MIT, Stevens Institute and Santa Clara University, he is the founder and former managing director of International Strategic Alliances. He is currently a board member of Freschfield’s, a novel green building platform.

Video: Debunk US fake news propaganda on China’s BRI, Meet Laos’ First High-Speed Train: China’s BRI Delivers Again…

Video: Debunk US fake news propaganda on China’s BRI, Meet Laos’ First High-Speed Train: China’s BRI Delivers Again… 揭穿美國對中國“一帶一路”倡議的虛假宣傳，認識老撾的首列高鐵：中國“一帶一路”倡議再次實現承諾…
https://vimeo.com/639144709
https://youtu.be/VQkw7nY8vLI
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The China-Laos high-speed railway is now complete. The first passenger train is being delivered in October 2021. This is a tangible example of how China contributes to the world and to developing countries which stands in stark contrast to the wars, interference, and subversion carried out by the West. 中老高鐵現已建成通車。 首列旅客列車將於2021年10月交付，這是中國為世界和發展中國家做出貢獻的一個具體例子，與西方的戰爭、干涉和顛覆形成鮮明對比.

China’s contributions to UN multilateralism and global peace and devt in past half century

In numbers: China’s contributions to UN multilateralism and global peace and devt in past half century by Global Times Oct 25 2021

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the People’s Republic of China’s lawful seat in the United Nations. In the past half century, China has always been a staunch supporter of UN-centered international order and a major contributor to UN missions. China has mobilized the largest number of standby UN peacekeeping troops, provided great material support to the global COVID-19 fight, contributed the largest part in eradicating world extreme poverty, and in spite of Western smears on China’s human rights, China has actively participated in the work of the UN’s human rights bodies. Check the statistical facts about China’s vigorous promotion of the spirit of multilateralism and its contributions to global development and justice.

After failed regime change attempts in HK in 2019 and the passing of homeland security laws in 2020, Amnesty International has decided to leave HK.

After failed regime change attempts in HK in 2019 and the passing of homeland security laws in 2020, Amnesty International has decided to leave HK. 在 2019 年香港政權更迭嘗試失敗以及 2020 年通過國土安全法之後，國際特赦組織決定離開香港.

English Tsai, called herself President of Taiwan on Double 10, Taiwan military pledge allegiance to ROC and not Taiwan President.

English Tsai, called herself President of Taiwan on Double 10, Taiwan military pledge allegiance to ROC and not Taiwan President. If PLA invade Taiwan, Taiwan military will surrender even faster than those in Afghanistan. 蔡英文在雙10稱自己為台灣總統，台灣軍方宣誓效忠中華民國而不是台灣總統。 如果解放軍入侵台灣，台灣軍隊的投降速度會比阿富汗軍隊還要快.

Judge Julie Tang: In Feb 1972 I went to work for a man called Lingchi wang Professor of UC Berkeley).

California Superior Court Judge Julie Tang: In Feb 1972 I went to work for a man called Lingchi wang Professor of UC Berkeley). I knew nothing about him except he was a volunteer at an agency he started called chinese for affirmative action. When I saw him I instantly knew this man is a superior being. He was working for free in a little office on Columbus Ave (SF). He had raised enough money to hire an office and employ a secretary. But nothing more. Everything was donated including Lingchi.

I was the only paid Secretary.

I went to work quite diligently because I agreed 100% with what he was doing – starting an organization that would fight for the civil rights of Chinese Americans along with all other minorities.

I did dictation and typed all his letters. I took minutes of meetings and also prepared a monthly newsletter to members. His goal – to get 3000 members each paying $10 yearly membership dues. I even started to contact local organization to have meetings with them about their affirmative action policy.

I left after 8 months to start graduate school. But Lingchi stayed on as a volunteer collecting no salary. He brought in a lot of donated funds and set up more staffing. He also started a Chinese Media committee that tried to hold Hollywood accountable for the chinese stereotypes on screen. I typed up a lot of letters to Hollywood including some Asian movie stars.

I developed so much respect for Lingchi and his work after that job. He changed my life forever. I would probably never have done the kind of civil rights works that I did had I not learned from Lingchi what that all meant.

And yes I later learned there was a bounty on his head issued by the chinese six company in San Francisco. It was too late for me to divest myself from his affiliation. Glad I’m still alive.

Video: Why US & Western Empires hated China?

Video: Why US & Western Empires hated China? Because China does things differently like poverty alleviation, COVID19 etc & it works exposed western Empires incompetence 為什麼美國和西方帝國討厭中國？ 因為中國以不同的方式解決問題, 比如扶貧，新冠病毒等等, 它奏效了. 暴露西方帝國的無能.
https://vimeo.com/639017990
https://youtu.be/KpsnbgPENrg
https://www.facebook.com/100036400039778/posts/592411458648850/?d=n