There was huge news in the technology world last week. Huawei launched its latest smartphone, the Mate 60 Pro, just as US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo was wrapping up a four-day visit to China. It was remarkable that the phone contained high-tech components that American sanctions were designed to prevent Chinese companies getting their hands on. It looked as though China had managed to get around the bans. Huawei gleefully announced that whereas in 2019 only 30 per cent of its flagship phone’s components were locally sourced, the rate was now 90 per cent. The company now had, it said, “a self-reliant supply chain.”
How would an objective, independent-minded person react to this news? With surprise, and with congratulations, surely, that Chinese ingenuity had triumphed. Technological advances are usually “hailed”. How impressive, I thought, that dedicated Chinese scientists and researchers had managed to do this on their own.
But the reaction in America has been quite different. The new phone’s launch was a disaster, apparently – and not just because, according to one estimate, the new Mate could wipe out nearly 40 per cent of Apple’s iPhone sales in China. No, Huawei must have somehow cheated, was one accusation. Republican Congressman Michael McCaul made the astonishing statement that one Chinese company – Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation – may have violated US sanctions by supplying parts to another Chinese company – Huawei. The American government has already started an official investigation into a “purported” seven-nanometre processor in the Mate 60 Pro.
We will have to see what they find out. But it is worth mentioning that even the New York Times – generally friendly to President Joe Biden’s administration – describes one of the provisions Huawei is subject to, the foreign direct product rule, as “a sweeping assertion of extraterritorial power: even if an item is made and shipped outside the United States, never once crossing the country’s borders, and contains no US-origin components or technology in the final product, it can still be considered an American good”. Rarely has US exceptionalism been laid barer. Where would we be if every country came up with rules like that?
Rarely has US exceptionalism been laid barer
We have been told that the phone’s launch threatens to derail outreach efforts by Mr Biden’s administration to Beijing. Others, such as myself, take the view that it is the declaration of economic war on China that undermines any conciliatory gestures from US officials. For it is indisputable that the series of sanctions the US has tried to impose on China over the last few years are just that.
On October 7, 2022, the US Bureau of Industry and Security issued regulations whose intent was to block completely the ability of Chinese companies to produce or buy the very highest-end microchips. CJ Muse, a Wall Street semiconductor expert, said a few months later: “If you’d told me about these rules five years ago, I would’ve told you that’s an act of war – we’d have to be at war.”
After visiting Beijing in June, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a statement saying that “while we will compete vigorously, the United States will responsibly manage that competition so that the relationship does not veer into conflict”. If the US is waging economic war on China, how is that compatible with claiming you will “responsibly manage” competition between the two countries? And what is the point of either Mr Blinken or Secretary Raimondo making visits to improve ties, while still being determined to hobble the country technologically?
Scientists, academics and researchers need to collaborate across the globe for the common good. Retreating behind the ramparts of the nation state is not the way for us to advance the sum of human knowledge, and has often had a very unhappy history indeed. These nonsensical bans should be repealed, not strengthened. And if anyone wants to accuse Chinese companies of intellectual property (IP) theft, Bloomberg’s Howard Chua-Eoan came up with a good riposte recently, arguing that IP tends to leak; and that, in any case, Europeans stole Chinese IP in the form of the secrets to making paper, silk, gunpowder and porcelain over the course of millennia. “No one has a monopoly on innovation,” he concluded.
I can’t be alone in finding it incredibly dispiriting – albeit inevitable – that every time China marks an achievement of whatever kind, a chorus of doom erupts; and it’s not just from the hawks in America and Europe, for they seem to have infected nearly all mainstream opinion with their fear-mongering as well. Yes, I know that the ban on high-end chips is supposed to limit developments in China’s military capabilities. But whatever work-arounds or locally-sourced tech Huawei has come up with are currently functioning only in a handheld device. Sometimes a phone is just a phone.
A shooting war between the US and China would be catastrophic for all of us. The economic war being waged just last week led to $200 billion being wiped off Apple’s market value after reports that Beijing is banning government employees from using iPhones, presumably in retaliation for the sanctions. This is not competition, and the belligerent is hurting its own. Given that this is about phones, both sides would do well to recall a famous British Telecom slogan from the 1990s: “It’s good to talk.”
And maybe, just maybe, US politicians could acknowledge that when China forges new ground, in any area, it could one day be of use to them. Knowledge knows no boundaries. And technological advances are not a zero sum game.
Saturday's results
Brighton 1-1 Leicester City
Everton 1-0 Cardiff City
Manchester United 0-0 Crystal Palace
Watford 0-3 Liverpool
West Ham United 0-4 Manchester City
KEY%20DATES%20IN%20AMAZON'S%20HISTORY
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Empty Words
By Mario Levrero
(Coffee House Press)
Abu Dhabi traffic facts
Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road
The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.
Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.
The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.
The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.
Drivers in Abu Dhabi lost 41 hours spent in traffic jams in rush hour during 2019
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 4 (Suarez 27', Vidal 32', Dembele 35', Messi 78')
Sevilla 0
Red cards: Ronald Araujo, Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona)
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
If you go
The Flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Johannesburg from Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively. Economy return tickets cost from Dh2,650, including taxes.
The trip
Worldwide Motorhoming Holidays (worldwidemotorhomingholidays.co.uk) operates fly-drive motorhome holidays in eight destinations, including South Africa. Its 14-day Kruger and the Battlefields itinerary starts from Dh17,500, including campgrounds, excursions, unit hire and flights. Bobo Campers has a range of RVs for hire, including the 4-berth Discoverer 4 from Dh600 per day.
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Company profile
Name: Fruitful Day
Founders: Marie-Christine Luijckx, Lyla Dalal AlRawi, Lindsey Fournie
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2015
Number of employees: 30
Sector: F&B
Funding so far: Dh3 million
Future funding plans: None at present
Future markets: Saudi Arabia, potentially Kuwait and other GCC countries
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
Trolls World Tour
Directed by: Walt Dohrn, David Smith
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake
Rating: 4 stars
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
The finalists
Player of the Century, 2001-2020: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Ronaldinho
Coach of the Century, 2001-2020: Pep Guardiola (Manchester City), Jose Mourinho (Tottenham Hotspur), Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid), Sir Alex Ferguson
Club of the Century, 2001-2020: Al Ahly (Egypt), Bayern Munich (Germany), Barcelona (Spain), Real Madrid (Spain)
Player of the Year: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Club of the Year: Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Real Madrid
Coach of the Year: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta), Hans-Dieter Flick (Bayern Munich), Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Agent of the Century, 2001-2020: Giovanni Branchini, Jorge Mendes, Mino Raiola
Specs
Engine: 2-litre
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 255hp
Torque: 273Nm
Price: Dh240,000
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
Day 2, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Pakistan’s effort in the field had hints of shambles about it. The wheels were officially off when Wahab Riaz lost his run up and aborted the delivery four times in a row. He re-measured his run, jogged in for two practice goes. Then, when he was finally ready to go, he bailed out again. It was a total cringefest.
Stat of the day – 139.5 Yasir Shah has bowled 139.5 overs in three innings so far in this Test series. Judged by his returns, the workload has not withered him. He has 14 wickets so far, and became history’s first spinner to take five-wickets in an innings in five consecutive Tests. Not bad for someone whose fitness was in question before the series.
The verdict Stranger things have happened, but it is going to take something extraordinary for Pakistan to keep their undefeated record in Test series in the UAE in tact from this position. At least Shan Masood and Sami Aslam have made a positive start to the salvage effort.
