Neowin

We have an interesting week coming up with China launching astronauts to its space station and SpaceX sending an unmanned Dragon 2 on a resupply mission to the International Space Station.

Microsoft has put out a warning about Chinese state-sponsored actors, Volt Typhoon. It is apparently targeting US infrastructure with the objective of disrupting communications with Asia.

It's the first time the Chinese government has banned a US chipmaker, as it claims that Micron's products have "serious network security risks." The government did not offer any details.

We have a super busy week ahead in rocket launches. The most interesting will be SpaceX launching an Axiom Space crew to the International Space Station where they'll stay for a week.

Apple's 2022 App Store Transparency Report has shown that the Chinese Communist Party submitted the bulk of app takedown demands during 2022. Most of the targeted apps were commercial games.

China's regulatory body has reportedly approved Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, becoming the second major economy to do so after the European Union approved it earlier this week.

A former Apple software engineer has been charged by the US Department of Justice for allegedly stealing valuable autonomous vehicle technology and this is not the first time for Apple.

Apple partner Foxconn plans to set up manufacturing plants in South India with a $500M investment. This demonstrates Apple and Foxconn expand its manufacturing infrastructure beyond China.

The Chinese Communist Party has access to global TikTok data according to Yintao Yu, a former executive at ByteDance. He said the party also has kill switches for ByteDance's Chinese apps.

Oppo is closing its Zeku chip design business due to the weakening global economy. Zeku was responsible for designing various components to help separate Oppo's phones from the competition.

LinkedIn is shutting down its China-focused local jobs app called InCareer, which will result in the departure of 716 employees from the company. The operations will wind down by August this year.

As a response to the growing tech export bans from the U.S., Huawei has announced the go-live of its in-house ERP system to reduce dependencies on U.S. vendors like Oracle, SAP, and more.

The U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has imposed a $300 million penalty against Seagate for shipping $1.1 billion worth of hard disk drives to Huawei against the export rules set in 2019.

China's cyberspace regulator is going to review Micron's products amid tensions between the U.S. and China over the semiconductor industry. The move is meant to safeguard China's national security.

The unidentified smuggler taped the Intel Core processors on his waist, abdomen, and thighs, but his weird body shape and odd walking were quickly spotted by authorities at China's Gongbei Port.

China is changing its strategy to support its semiconductor industry by providing easier access to subsidies to some companies. This comes amidst tight U.S. controls over chip-making equipment.

New Zealand is the latest country to ban its governmental employees from using TikTok. It fears that the app could collect sensitive data which could get into the hands of the Chinese government.

The UK government has banned TikTok from being used on government devices. It said the ban was a precautionary one as the app requires sensitive data permissions, and they could be misused.

Alleged real life photos of OPPO's next flagship phone, the Find X6 Pro, have appeared online. The associated leaker calls the device OPPO's "most ambitious product in recent years."

We've got a busy week of rocket launches coming up next week. SpaceX, China, Russia, and India all have missions planned. It'll mostly be satellite launches, however, so nothing too exciting!

According to reports, Huawei was allegedly tracking visitors at its booth during the MWC 2023 event. Visitors found the security badges given by the company rather suspicious on further investigation.

Foxconn is investing a massive $700 million to develop a new factory in India's Bengaluru that will manufacture Apple products like the iPhone. This comes amid companies moving capacity out of China.

China is planning to invest $1.9 billion in its biggest maker of memory chips, Yangtze Memory Technologies Co., to renew the influx of capital into the industry that affected by US sanctions.

TikTok has criticized the European Commission's decision to ban its employees from using TikTok on their devices. It said the process to reach the decision was "un-European" due to its secretiveness.

Xiaomi is bringing a selection of new devices to the upcoming Mobile World Congress later this month, including the Xiaomi 13 and 13 Pro, and it will also bring a phone with a 'dynamic island.'

Multiple analysts, news outlets, and tech executives have been warning investors in China not to blindly invest money into AI companies just because of the recent hype generated by ChatGPT.

Singapore aims to win its "fair share" of semiconductor investments amidst growing trade tensions between China and the United States, focusing on semiconductor assembly and design.

Inda has banned over 200 mobile apps and services operating in the country. While some of these were created by Indian developers, they are suspected of transferring customer data to China.

Japan joins US and Netherlands in restricting chip exports to China. New regulation comes amid US efforts to boost domestic chip production, including subsidies for semiconductor manufacturing.

Coca-Cola is partnering with Realme for the launch of a custom Realme 10 Pro 5G in India. The phone wears the softdrink brand's logo and comes with Coca-Cola-themed accessories.

In a new measure, the US government has reportedly begun blocking approvals of licenses to export to the Chinese tech giant Huawei, which covers most items and businesses within the US.

TikTok CEO, Shou Zi Chew, has been called by the House Energy and Commerce Committee in March to testify over the company's relation with the Chinese Communist Party, data security privacy, and more.

Chinese tech giant Baidu is working on its own version of the popular ChatGPT tool, according to a report. Baidu's own tool will reportedly be integrated into the company's main services.

Even though the global release of the OnePlus 11 is a month away, it has launched in China. It will be available for purchase in two colors on Jan 7 for 3999 yuan, equalling around $580.

U.S. lawmakers have introduced a bill that would impose more sanctions on Huawei and other Chinese 5G companies from accessing US banks in an attempt to reduce potential security risks.

China has issued regulations on the use of deepfakes in order to curb the potential risks associated with their use, as well as to promote the healthy development of the industry.

Dutch officials are reportedly planning to implement new controls on exports of chipmaking equipment to China. This aligns Dutch trade rules with U.S. efforts to restrict China's access to chip tech.

There are several launches planned for this week. Among them is a private mission to the Moon that was originally scheduled for last week but got delayed. There's also a recap of this week's launches.