The White House on Wednesday will detail its plans to prohibit some US&nbsp;investments in sensitive technology in China, and require that the government be notified of other investments, a senior government source told Reuters.

The plans are aimed at preventing US&nbsp;capital and expertise from helping develop technologies that could support China’s military modernisation and threaten US&nbsp;national security.

Reuters reported on Friday that President Joe Biden was expected to soon issue a the long-awaited executive order to screen outbound investments in sensitive technologies to China this week.

The senior government source said that order is expected Wednesday. The White House declined to comment on Tuesday.

Biden administration officials have stressed for months any restrictions on US&nbsp;investment in China will be narrowly targeted.

“These are tailored measures,” National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in April. “They are not, as Beijing says, a ‘technology blockade’.”

US&nbsp;Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in March the administration did not “want to be overly broad…. Anything that’s overly broad hurts American workers and the economy.”

The administration is expected to target active investment such as US&nbsp;private equity, venture capital and joint venture investments in China in semiconductors, quantum computing and artificial intelligence.

Most investments captured by the order will require that the government be notified about them, sources have said. Some transactions will be prohibited.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-who-made-the-cut-here-are-the-candidates-for-first-republican-presidential-debate-of-2024-623735">US: Who made the cut? Here are the contenders for first Republican presidential debate of 2024</a>

The New York Times reported on Tuesday that the Biden administration plans to require firms making investments in a broader range of Chinese industries to report that activity, which will give the US&nbsp;government great visibility into financial transactions between the United States and China.

Sources previously told Reuters investments in semiconductors that will be restricted are expected to track export control rules for China issued by the US&nbsp;Department of Commerce in October.

Emily Benson, of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a bipartisan policy research organisation, said she expects investments in artificial intelligence to be prohibited to military users and uses, and that other investments in the sector will only require notification to the government.

Also watch |&nbsp;Thousands of US&nbsp;sailors, Marines reach Red Sea after Iran tensions

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Benson said the burden will fall on the administration to determine what AI falls into the military category.

“They will have to draw a line of what constitutes a military application of AI, and to define AI,” said Benson, director of CSIS’s project on trade and technology.

Biden’s order is expected to direct publication of a notice of proposed rule-making. It is not expected to take effect immediately and to provide for a comment period to consider industry feedback before being finalised.

&nbsp;

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The White House on Wednesday will detail its plans to prohibit some US investments in sensitive technology in China, and require that the government be notified of other investments, a senior government source told Reuters.

The White House on Wednesday will detail its plans to prohibit some US investments in sensitive technology in China, and require that the government be notified of other investments, a senior government source told Reuters. The plans are aimed at preventing US capital and expertise from helping develop technologies that could support China’s military modernisation and threaten US national security. Reuters reported on Friday that President Joe Biden was expected to soon issue a the long-awaited executive order to screen outbound investments in sensitive technologies to China this week. The senior government source said that order is expected Wednesday. The White House declined to comment on Tuesday. Biden administration officials have stressed for months any restrictions on US investment in China will be narrowly targeted. “These are tailored measures,” National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in April. “They are not, as Beijing says, a ‘technology blockade’.” US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in March the administration did not “want to be overly broad…. Anything that’s overly broad hurts American workers and the economy.” The administration is expected to target active investment such as US private equity, venture capital and joint venture investments in China in semiconductors, quantum computing and artificial intelligence. Most investments captured by the order will require that the government be notified about them, sources have said. Some transactions will be prohibited. Also read | US: Who made the cut? Here are the contenders for first Republican presidential debate of 2024 The New York Times reported on Tuesday that the Biden administration plans to require firms making investments in a broader range of Chinese industries to report that activity, which will give the US government great visibility into financial transactions between the United States and China. Sources previously told Reuters investments in semiconductors that will be restricted are expected to track export control rules for China issued by the US Department of Commerce in October. Emily Benson, of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a bipartisan policy research organisation, said she expects investments in artificial intelligence to be prohibited to military users and uses, and that other investments in the sector will only require notification to the government. Also watch | Thousands of US sailors, Marines reach Red Sea after Iran tensions Benson said the burden will fall on the administration to determine what AI falls into the military category. “They will have to draw a line of what constitutes a military application of AI, and to define AI,” said Benson, director of CSIS’s project on trade and technology. Biden’s order is expected to direct publication of a notice of proposed rule-making. It is not expected to take effect immediately and to provide for a comment period to consider industry feedback before being finalised. WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

White House to detail plans restricting some US investments in China

A European Union-funded project to build a genomic map of Poland plans to drop gene-sequencing technology from China's BGI Group over concerns about data security, one of the project's leaders told Reuters.

The Genomic Map of Poland's concerns stem from questions over how Polish genomic data may be used that relate to national security, said Marek Figlerowicz, a Professor at the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry at the Polish Academy of Sciences who steers the project.

Figlerowicz said the concerns were initially raised by a report earlier this year from the U.S. National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI) which said BGI may be serving as a "global collection mechanism for Chinese government genetic databases."

BGI told Reuters in response that the U.S. report was "disinformation, not borne out by the facts;" China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called it "groundless accusations and smears."

An NSCAI spokesperson said it stood by its report, and has recommended the United States and allies double-down on techniques to better protect patient privacy. Since 2015, Beijing has restricted foreign researchers from accessing gene data on Chinese people.

In August, a human genetics committee at the Polish Academy of Sciences said a "lack of compliance" by what it called "Far East companies" with the principles of genetic testing ethics raised serious doubts. It did not name any companies or countries but urged labs and scientific institutions that sequence genetic material abroad to stop using biotechnology companies there.

It said about 100,000 complete Polish genomes may already be in "Far Eastern" laboratories, citing a rough estimate which Reuters could not verify. Poland has no control over that sensitive personal data, the committee said.

Figlerowicz said the Genomic Map, which is expected to cost over 100 million zlotys ($25.35 million) and is about halfway through its programme of sequencing 5,000 Polish genomes, has outsourced the work to a third party since 2019.

That company, Bialystok-based Central Europe Genomics Center sp. z o.o. (CEGC), started using BGI's technology last year, he said; now Figlerowicz said the Genomic Map of Poland had decided not to send any genetic data out of the country and is likely to cancel the contract it has with CEGC. He added that the final decision, still to be approved by the funding institutions, is expected within the next week or two.

As the technology to sequence genetic data has advanced and become cheaper, Figlerowicz said, the mapping project plans to bring the remaining sequencing in-house. The project wants to ensure Poland has genomic "independence" so it can ensure data security.

CEGC did not respond to requests for comment. Poznan-based biotech company Inno-Gene S.A., which holds a minority stake in CEGC, said it did not know of a possible cancellation.

The European Union, which provided about 65 per cent of the total funding for the Genomic Map, did not respond to a request for comment. Neither did Poland's Ministry of Education and National Information Processing Institute, also involved with funding the project. Poland's special services declined to comment.

National security

Reuters reported in July that BGI had developed and improved a prenatal screening test sold in at least 52 countries in collaboration with People's Liberation Army hospitals.

The privacy policy on the test's website says data collected can be shared when it is "directly relevant to national security or national defence security" in China, although BGI says it hasn't been asked to do that. BGI uses the pregnant women's genetic data for research into the traits of populations. It also collaborates with the PLA in other areas of research.

BGI rejects any suggestion that it developed the test, branded NIFTY, in collaboration with the military, and says working with military hospitals is not equivalent.

"BGI takes all aspects of data protection, privacy and ethics extremely seriously," the company said in a statement on the Polish decision, adding it complies with all applicable data protection laws and regulations.

"We value the business and research relationships we have with all our partners and customers in Poland and we look forward to continuing our collaboration with them."

A European Union-funded project to build a genomic map of Poland plans to drop gene-sequencing technology from China's BGI Group over concerns about data security, one of the project's leaders told Reuters.

A European Union-funded project to build a genomic map of Poland plans to drop gene-sequencing technology from China's BGI Group over concerns about data security, one of the project's leaders told Reuters. The Genomic Map of Poland's concerns stem from questions over how Polish genomic data may be used that relate to national security, said Marek Figlerowicz, a Professor at the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry at the Polish Academy of Sciences who steers the project. Figlerowicz said the concerns were initially raised by a report earlier this year from the U.S. National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI) which said BGI may be serving as a "global collection mechanism for Chinese government genetic databases." BGI told Reuters in response that the U.S. report was "disinformation, not borne out by the facts;" China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called it "groundless accusations and smears." An NSCAI spokesperson said it stood by its report, and has recommended the United States and allies double-down on techniques to better protect patient privacy. Since 2015, Beijing has restricted foreign researchers from accessing gene data on Chinese people. In August, a human genetics committee at the Polish Academy of Sciences said a "lack of compliance" by what it called "Far East companies" with the principles of genetic testing ethics raised serious doubts. It did not name any companies or countries but urged labs and scientific institutions that sequence genetic material abroad to stop using biotechnology companies there. It said about 100,000 complete Polish genomes may already be in "Far Eastern" laboratories, citing a rough estimate which Reuters could not verify. Poland has no control over that sensitive personal data, the committee said. Figlerowicz said the Genomic Map, which is expected to cost over 100 million zlotys ($25.35 million) and is about halfway through its programme of sequencing 5,000 Polish genomes, has outsourced the work to a third party since 2019. That company, Bialystok-based Central Europe Genomics Center sp. z o.o. (CEGC), started using BGI's technology last year, he said; now Figlerowicz said the Genomic Map of Poland had decided not to send any genetic data out of the country and is likely to cancel the contract it has with CEGC. He added that the final decision, still to be approved by the funding institutions, is expected within the next week or two. As the technology to sequence genetic data has advanced and become cheaper, Figlerowicz said, the mapping project plans to bring the remaining sequencing in-house. The project wants to ensure Poland has genomic "independence" so it can ensure data security. CEGC did not respond to requests for comment. Poznan-based biotech company Inno-Gene S.A., which holds a minority stake in CEGC, said it did not know of a possible cancellation. The European Union, which provided about 65 per cent of the total funding for the Genomic Map, did not respond to a request for comment. Neither did Poland's Ministry of Education and National Information Processing Institute, also involved with funding the project. Poland's special services declined to comment. National security Reuters reported in July that BGI had developed and improved a prenatal screening test sold in at least 52 countries in collaboration with People's Liberation Army hospitals. The privacy policy on the test's website says data collected can be shared when it is "directly relevant to national security or national defence security" in China, although BGI says it hasn't been asked to do that. BGI uses the pregnant women's genetic data for research into the traits of populations. It also collaborates with the PLA in other areas of research. BGI rejects any suggestion that it developed the test, branded NIFTY, in collaboration with the military, and says working with military hospitals is not equivalent. "BGI takes all aspects of data protection, privacy and ethics extremely seriously," the company said in a statement on the Polish decision, adding it complies with all applicable data protection laws and regulations. "We value the business and research relationships we have with all our partners and customers in Poland and we look forward to continuing our collaboration with them."

Polish gene project moves to drop Chinese tech on data concerns

China's crackdown on Chinese tech giants is intensifying. Tencent lost almost $60 billion dollars after a state media outlet called online games "electronic drugs" and "spiritual opium".

Gravitas: An article leads to a $60 billion loss for Tencent

A report by an environmental group Greenpeace on Wednesday said that China's tech organisations are not adopting clean energy "fast enough" to show their commitment towards carbon neutrality.&nbsp;

The report by Greenpeace said that China's data centre sector is a main and rising source of CO2 emissions and the energy consumption from this industry is on course to rise 66 per cent between 2019 and 2023.&nbsp;

Watch |&nbsp;

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In 2018, Chinese data centres were 73 per cent powered by coal, the report said, adding that by 2023, the electricity consumption from the sector is set to compete with Australia.&nbsp;

However, in Greenpeace's latest rankings, Chinese gaming giant Tencent took the top spot in the country's tech sector amongst the cloud providers to tackle carbon emissions and procuring from renewable sources.

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/eu-clinches-deal-on-climate-law-tougher-2030-emissions-goal-378968">EU clinches deal on climate law, tougher 2030 emissions goal</a>

Thirteen of China's 22 biggest tech companies have now agreed to actively procure renewable energy, a significant rise from just eight companies in 2019.&nbsp;

However, the report said that only two out of these companies, namely Baidu and Chindata have renewable energy usage rates of more than three per cent.&nbsp;

Greenpeace urged internet and data centre organisations to target 100 per cent renewable energy use and aim carbon neutrality by the end of 2030.&nbsp;

A report by an environmental group Greenpeace on Wednesday said that China's tech organisations are not adopting clean energy "fast enough" to show their commitment towards carbon neutrality.

A report by an environmental group Greenpeace on Wednesday said that China's tech organisations are not adopting clean energy "fast enough" to show their commitment towards carbon neutrality. The report by Greenpeace said that China's data centre sector is a main and rising source of CO2 emissions and the energy consumption from this industry is on course to rise 66 per cent between 2019 and 2023. Watch | In 2018, Chinese data centres were 73 per cent powered by coal, the report said, adding that by 2023, the electricity consumption from the sector is set to compete with Australia. However, in Greenpeace's latest rankings, Chinese gaming giant Tencent took the top spot in the country's tech sector amongst the cloud providers to tackle carbon emissions and procuring from renewable sources. Also read | EU clinches deal on climate law, tougher 2030 emissions goal Thirteen of China's 22 biggest tech companies have now agreed to actively procure renewable energy, a significant rise from just eight companies in 2019. However, the report said that only two out of these companies, namely Baidu and Chindata have renewable energy usage rates of more than three per cent. Greenpeace urged internet and data centre organisations to target 100 per cent renewable energy use and aim carbon neutrality by the end of 2030.

Chinese tech firms not adopting clean energy 'fast enough' to show commitment: Greenpeace

The United Kingdom will not ban Huawei from its 5G network. The Chinese tech giant can sell equipment to British companies for their 5G network. The United States is not happy with this decision. WION's Palki tells you why.

Britain defies Trump: Huawei can sell 5G gear in UK | Gravitas

Chinese tech conglomerate LeEco&#39;s sports unit said it completed a new round of funding that valued it at 24 billion Yuan ($3.50 billion) and that its investors will form a new committee to supervise its finances.

LeEco is currently tackling a cash crunch, caused by its aggressive expansion, by restructuring its operations and cutting jobs.

The unit, LeSports, a sports content platform, did not disclose the amount of funding in the latest round.

The group had said in April last year that LeSports raised $1.2 billion in a funding round led by HNA Capital, part of China&#39;s HNA Group.

Investors, including HNA Capital, will form a new steering committee for strategic decisions, daily oversight and financial supervision, according to a statement on LeSports&#39; website.

LeEco stretched from video streaming to TV sets, smartphones, sports and even electric vehicles in a little over a decade, although this rapid expansion spurred a cash shortfall last year that left the company scrambling for new funds.

Shareholder representative Chen Chen said there existed a &quot;chronic illness&quot; typical of new economy internet firms under the previous LeSports administrative structure but the committee will ensure the company grows at a stable but rapid pace and avoids risk, according to the statement.

LeSports would continue to acquire the rights to new content but would take a more balanced approach, the statement said.

(Reuters)

LeEco is currently tackling a cash crunch caused by its aggressive expansion

Chinese tech conglomerate LeEco's sports unit said it completed a new round of funding that valued it at 24 billion Yuan ($3.50 billion) and that its investors will form a new committee to supervise its finances. LeEco is currently tackling a cash crunch, caused by its aggressive expansion, by restructuring its operations and cutting jobs. The unit, LeSports, a sports content platform, did not disclose the amount of funding in the latest round. The group had said in April last year that LeSports raised $1.2 billion in a funding round led by HNA Capital, part of China's HNA Group. Investors, including HNA Capital, will form a new steering committee for strategic decisions, daily oversight and financial supervision, according to a statement on LeSports' website. LeEco stretched from video streaming to TV sets, smartphones, sports and even electric vehicles in a little over a decade, although this rapid expansion spurred a cash shortfall last year that left the company scrambling for new funds. Shareholder representative Chen Chen said there existed a "chronic illness" typical of new economy internet firms under the previous LeSports administrative structure but the committee will ensure the company grows at a stable but rapid pace and avoids risk, according to the statement. LeSports would continue to acquire the rights to new content but would take a more balanced approach, the statement said. (Reuters)

LeEco's sports unit at $3.5 billion after new funding round

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