Tariffs begin to bite - Asian Tech Roundup

Plus: India launches digital ID

Welcome to Computing's weekly roundup of tech news in Asia. This time we look at the impact of US tariffs across Asia, India’s Aadhaar app and a cyberattack in Australia.

Donald Trump’s tariffs have caused havoc across Asia, especially in China, which is (as of this writing) now subject to tariffs of more than 100% on its US-bound exports. Several companies, including Apple, are considering moving their production out of the country as a result – but not to the USA, as Trump wanted.

China appears fully willing to enter a trade war with the USA, raising its own tariffs on US imports to 125% and announcing an export ban on critical minerals.

Other countries, including Japan and Taiwan, are still adjusting to the tariffs, with Japanese gaming giant Nintendo postponing preorders for its upcoming Switch 2 console in the USA as a result.

Australia

• Australian pensioners are at risk after more than 20,000 accounts were breached in a credential stuffing cyberattack. Source
• US DARPA has awarded two Australian startups, Diraq and Silicon Quantum Computing, contracts for quantum computing research. Source

China

• A coalition of Chinese companies has announced a new audio and video interface standard called General Purpose Media Interface (GPMI). It claims several advantages over HDMI and DisplayPort. Source
• In response to Trump’s tariffs, China has further restricted export of minerals critical for many hi-tech, clean-tech and military use cases, including terbium, dysprosium, tungsten, yttrium and indium to the US. Source
• Planes full of iPhones are reportedly being flown from China and elsewhere in Asia to the US before tariffs bite. 90% of iPhones are assembled in China. Source
• Another casualty of the tariffs is a potential deal to sell TikTok to a US buyer. Source
• More than half of Amazon's sellers are based in China and the US is their biggest market. In the face of tariffs, they face some tough decisions . Source
• Apple supplier Luxshare, is exploring options to move production out of China in response to US tariffs, its chairwoman told analysts in a telephone call on Wednesday. The spokeswoman also said any move would have to be accompanied by commercial guarantees and strong evaluation. Source
• China has announced an export ban on twelve US tech companies. Source
• On Friday the country raised import tariffs on US goods to 125%, dismissing US levies – currently at 145% - as a “joke”. Source
• The USA has apparently changed its stance on allowing Nvidia’s H20 HGX GPU exports to China, deciding to allow them after a meeting between Donald Trump and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang at a $1-million-a-head dinner. Source
• Facebook whistleblower, Sarah Wynn-Williams testified to US Congress that Meta executives were prepared to undermine US security in their efforts to build an $18 billion business in China. Source

India

• The outsourcing model adopted by big Indian technology groups faces several challenges in the protectionist age, according to the FT, with the US comprising 50% of their client base . Source
• The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has released an AI Competency Framework for AI integration in the public sector. Source
• Apple is considering importing more iPhones from India to avoid the US’s 104% additional tariffs on goods imported from China. The company is also seeking to negotiate to negotiate with the Trump administration to be excluded from the tariffs. Source
• German Process Mining company Celonis is to set up a dedicated innovation hub at its Bengaluru office to drive co-innovation with customers, startups and partners. Source
• In an X post, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw introduced a new Aadhaar app. The new app, currently in beta testing, eliminates the need to carry a physical Aadhaar card or its photocopy and allows authentication without handing over a copy of the Aadhaar. Aadhar is a unique, government issued 12-digit ID number which serves as proof of identity and address across India. Source
• Four men were arrested in Uttar Pradesh for tampering with Aadhaar’s systems, allegedly manipulating the biometric data of more than 1,500 Aadhaar cardholders. Source

Japan

• Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders were supposed to begin in the US on 9^th April, but Nintendo has postponed the launch because of US tariffs. Source
• Japan has introduced a new law that will require online platforms like Facebook and X to develop and disclose their criteria for removing defamatory posts. Source
• Honda is experimenting with a renewable energy system designed to generate oxygen, hydrogen and electricity on the moon. Source
• Alphabet's autonomous car division Waymo has said it will start collecting data in Tokyo with test rides operated by human drivers next week. This will be the first time that Waymo will use its cars on public roads outside the United States. Source

South Korea

• Samsung’s 0.2% fall in Q1 operating profits were much less than feared, owing to demand for memory chips and smartphones by customers concerned about US tariffs. Source
• Meanwhile Samsung could benefit from Trump’s tariffs since its displays are made in Mexico rather than China. Source

Taiwan

• TSMC has reported first-quarter revenue of T$839.25 billion ($25.55 billion), beating market forecasts. As a major supplier to companies such as Nvidia, TSMC has benefited from AI-led demand. Source
• Less positively, TSMC could face a penalty of $1 billion or more to settle a U.S. export control investigation over a chip it manufactured that ended up inside a Huawei AI processor. Because TSMC’s Taiwan factories include US technology, it is forbidden under US export controls from making advanced chips for any customer in China without a US licence. Source
• Foxconn’s chief strategy officer for EVs, Jun Seki, has said that the company wants to co-operate with Nissan but is not currently engaging with the Japanese auto manufacturer. A deal with Mitsubishi to supply EVs is in the final stages, Seki confirmed. Source