USA tries to divide and conquer: Asian Tech Roundup

Plus: Robots versus the human race

Welcome to Computing's weekly roundup of tech news in Asia. This time we look at the USA’s attempts to scare Asia into submission, Chinese robots running a marathon, and a new silicon milestone for TSMC.

The Trump administration continues to pile on pressure across Asia in a bid to win favourable deals. This week those moves include trying to weaken Australia’s proposed social media ban for under-16s, warnings against dealing with Chinese firms and anti-trust accusations against Indonesia.

The threats may be working, as at least one Asian giant – South Korea’s LG – is considering moving some production to the USA.

Australia

• Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said he expects to receive pressure from social media giants to soften Australia's impending social media ban for under sixteens. The Trump administration had raised the issue in trade and tariff talks. Both Albanese and his opposite number have vowed to support the ban. Source
• Albanese has also pledged to establish a critical minerals strategic reserve should his party be re-elected in May. Source

China

• A US congressional committee has subpoenaed three of China's largest telecoms firms in an investigation into their alleged support for the Chinese military and government. Source
• The US State Department has urges allies to avoid doing business with Chinese satellite firms, arguing that such contracts are boosting Chinese military development and Chinese intelligence gathering efforts. Source
• Security researchers at Kasperksy have identified updated malware from a Chinese speaking hacking group targeting Russian and Mongolian government organisations. Source
• China’s rare earth mineral export restrictions have derailed Tesla plans to manufacture thousands of humanoid robots this year. The export restrictions were imposed as a counter measure in the tariff war instigated by the Trump administration. Source
• Robots have competed in the Bejing half-marathon – not entirely successfully. Twenty-one humanoid robots ran the race, but only six completed it. The mixed performance was attributed to a “hardware robustness problem”. Source
• CATL showcased several breakthroughs in EV battery technology at an event in Shanghai. The new developments promise vastly improved charging speeds with a five-minute charge delivering a 520km range. Source
• A team of researchers based at Shanghai University has announced a major advance in the field of quantum cryptology, successfully factoring a 90-bit RSA integer which up until recently was thought to be impossible. Source
• China's Zhipu AI is ramping up its overseas expansion through a partnership with Alibaba Cloud as the startup prepares for an IPO, according to vice-president Carol Lin. Source
• Huawei Technologies plans to begin mass shipments of its advanced 910C AI chip to Chinese customers as early as next month, two people familiar with the matter have said. Source
• Chinese search engine giant Baidu has launched an AI agent Xinxiang, which it says users should find more helpful than a chatbot service. Xinxiang is currently only available on Android smartphones. Source

India

• The Indian government has demanded that Google removes the video chat app Ablo from its Play Store because the app displays an incorrect map of India. Source
• Google has agreed to unbundle its Play Store and Android operating system in India on smart TVs. It will also pay a $2.4 million fine after being found to have breached competition law. Source
• The FT reports that Apple plans to assemble all US-bound iPhones in India, moving production away from China as soon as next year . Source

Japan

• Rohm electronics has developed a silicon carbide device for EV charging which the company says is 50% more efficient than existing systems. Source
• Japanese robotics company Fanuc Corp said this week that it was not able to report its forecasts for the current fiscal year ending in March 2026 due to "numerous uncertain factors." These factors are likely to include on/off US tariffs and their global impact. Source
• Nintendo said this week that it has received 2.2 million applications in the lottery for its Switch 2 gaming device in Japan but cannot fulfil all the demand. Shares in Nintendo subsequently jumped 5%. Source
• NTT Data Group is joining with OpenAI to integrate generative AI solutions into their portfolio of ICT services. Source
• Nissan plans to invest another 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion) in China by the end of 2026. The investment will be focused on the production of EVs and hybrid vehicles. Source

South Korea

• LG Electronics is mulling price hikes in response to US tariffs and reviewing its options to move some production to the United States. Source
• Chipmaker SK Hynix announced a 158% rise in quarterly operating profits, and expressed confidence in continuing demand despite tariff pressures. Source
• South Korea's data protection authority has accused DeepSeek of transferring data to China without permission. The AI app is currently banned in the country. Source

Taiwan

• TSMC has warned in a recently published report that it may not be possible to prevent China accessing its customers most advanced chips, despite US export controls. Source
• TSMC said it plans to put its most advanced 1.4 nanometre chips into production in 2028. The chip’s predecessor 2 nanometre chips are due to go into production later this year. Source

Other Asia

• Indonesia: The United States Trade Representative (USTR) has raised concerns over Indonesia’s Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard (QRIS), alleging it acts as a trade barrier that potentially excludes American payment services. The USTR has made a similar complaint recently about Indian payment networks. Source
• Southeast Asia: A Chinese linked cyber espionage group tracked as Lotus Panda has compromised multiple government and infrastructure organisations in an unnamed Southeast Asian country between August 2024 and February 2025. Source
• Southeast Asia: The UN has warned that the international community is at a “critical inflection point” in efforts to combat the growing cyberfraud threat in Southeast Asia. Source
• Southeast Asia: Solar panels made in Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam will be subject to import duties in excess of 3000% to ship to America after a US Department of Commerce probe apparently found the countries were being used as a way for subsidised manufacturers in China to dodge tariffs. Source
• Thailand: Delivery Hero's Asia-based business foodpanda is to stop operating its platform in Thailand before the end of May, the German food delivery firm said on Wednesday. Source