The real feeling of the anxious Chinese manufacturing industry - technology is a bottleneck in overseas relocation

Recently Nihon Keizai Shimbun electronic version reported the following:

悩める中国製造業の本音　国外移転は技術がネック

日経産業新聞 コラム（ビジネス） 自動車・機械 中国・台湾 東南アジア

2019/12/11 2:00日本経済新聞　電子版

NIKKEI BUSINESS DAILY 日経産業新聞

米中貿易戦争の先行きが見通せないなか、中国メーカーが生産地の海外移転で揺れている。10～11月に広州市で開かれた中国最大級の貿易商談会「中国輸出入商品交易会（広州交易会）」に参加した製造業に聞いたところ、移転の意向を持ちながらも移転先の技術水準の低さ、資金難など壁が立ちはだかることが分かった。米国は15日からはスマホ、玩具などの追加関税を発動する可能性があり、中国の製造業の苦境はさらに深まりそうだ。

「来年は米国の追加関税による影響を覚悟しなくてはいけない」。新疆ウイグル自治区のカシミヤ衣類メーカーの担当者はこう話した。同社の主力製品はまだ追加関税が課せられていない。12月中旬に発動予定の追加関税の対象のため、前倒しで米国の顧客へ納入している。

主に中国で生産し、全世界へ出荷する同社の売り上げは米国向けが2割を占める。追加関税があれば経営への影響は大きい。生産地の移転を検討し幹部は最近、カンボジアの工業団地を見学した。しかし、ボタンメーカーなどの技術水準の低さに驚いたという。「移転しても費用対効果はかえって落ちるかもしれない」として移転計画を白紙に戻した。

広州市のあるジーンズメーカーは5月の追加関税で米国向け輸出が割高になり、主力市場だった米国からの注文がほぼ無くなった。同業他社は追加関税を避けようとベトナムやパキスタンに生産移転し、米国からの注文を維持していた。同じようにしようと検討したが、工員が数十人程度と規模が小さく、海外で新たな生産ラインを立ち上げるのは事実上難しいと分かった。現在は米国以外の販売先探しに専念しているという。

ジーンズ業界は利幅の薄い業界で中小零細業者も多い。主要市場の一つである米国からの受注減は大きな痛手となり、営業担当者は「（米中の貿易戦争は）早く解決されると信じている」と話すばかりだった。

中国に生産拠点を持つスマホメーカーや電子機器の受託製造サービス（EMS）は動こうにも動きにくい状況だ。スマホ、ノートパソコンなどは12月15日の第4弾で追加関税が発動する見通し。あるメーカーは「海外で工場用地を手付けしておいて移転の判断は保留し、米中協議次第で速やかに動く」と話す。

こうしたメーカーと取引があるパナソニックの田中利秀総括部長は「顧客動向を注視している」とする。同社は最近、中国事業の営業担当とベトナムやインドの人員の情報交換体制を整え、生産移転があっても円滑に製品を供給できるようにした。

ゲーム機、玩具、衣類なども12月の追加関税に含まれる見通しのため、関連業界はEMSと同じように頭をひねる局面になっている。

中国メーカーにとっては生産地だけが悩みのタネではない。米中摩擦などを起点に全世界的な貿易の冷え込みも懸念される。

世界貿易機関（WTO）が11月発表した2019年10～12月期のモノの貿易指数は、貿易の拡大・縮小の判断の目安となる100を5四半期連続で下回った。また実際に今回の広州交易会で中国メーカーや海外の仕入れ業者（バイヤー）が結んだ契約額は292億8800万ドル（約3兆2千億円）と前年比で1.9%減った。前年実績を下回ったのは18年秋、19年春に続き3回連続だ。

国を越えたサプライチェーンの組み替え、取引自体の鈍化――。世界の工場として長く機能してきた中国の製造業は大きな試練を迎えている。

（広州=比奈田悠佑）

Translation

As the future of the US-China trade war could not be seen through, Chinese manufacturers were wavering on whether to move their production sites overseas. The manufacturing industry that had participated in China's largest trade fair held in Guangzhou city in October-November (Canton Trade Fair) was interviewed, and it was understood that the low level of technology and the difficulty of funding had proven to be a hurdle to them. As the US might trigger additional tariffs on smartphones, toys, etc. starting from the 15th, the Chinese manufacturing industry's predicament was likely to deepen further.

“We must be prepared for the impact of additional US tariffs next year.” A representative from a cashmere clothing manufacturer in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region said. The company's flagship product had not yet been subjected to additional tariffs. Delivery to US customers was done ahead of schedule as their production might be subjected to additional tariffs scheduled to be activated in mid-December.

This company's goods, which were mainly produced in China and shipped worldwide, had the US accounted for 20% of the sales. If there were additional duties, the impact on management would be significant. Considering the relocation of production areas, its executives recently visited an industrial park in Cambodia. However, the level of technology there among the button makers and the like was surprising low. “Relocation may reduce our cost-effectiveness,” and thus reverted the relocation plan to just a blank paper.

It was more expensive for a jeans maker in Guangzhou City to export to the US due to additional tariffs in May, and orders from the key US markets were almost gone. Other companies in the same industry had transferred production to Vietnam and Pakistan to avoid additional tariffs so as to maintain orders from the United States. One company tried to do the same transfer, but found that it was practically difficult to set up a new production line overseas because its number of workers was merely a few dozen. Currently the company devoted to look for sales outlets beyond the US.

Jeans industry was a low profit margin industry with many small and medium-sized enterprises. Decrease in orders from the US, one of their major markets, was a big hit; one sales representative had said, “I believe it (US-China trade war) will be resolved soon.”

With production bases in China, smartphone manufacturers together with the contract manufacturing services for electronic devices (EMS) were in a difficult situation even in moving out. Additional tariffs were expected to be activated for smartphones and laptops in the fourth round by December 15th. A manufacturer said, “we have decided to move the factory site overseas but is putting on hold the relocation, we would move quickly depending on the US-China negotiations.”

Panasonic's general manager Toshihide Tanaka who was doing business with these manufacturers said "we are closely monitoring customer trends." The company recently had established a system for exchanging information between sales representatives in China and personnel in both Vietnamese and Indian so that products could be supplied smoothly even if there was a production transfer.

Game consoles, toys, clothing etc. were also expected to be included in the additional tariffs in December, the related industries were, just liked EMS, in a state of puzzling.

For Chinese manufacturers, the production area was not the only source of problem. There was a concern that world trade would cool down, starting with frictions between the US and China.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) in November announced its trade index for goods, it was a standard for judging the expansion or contraction of trade. For the period from October to December 2019 it had been fallen below 100 for five consecutive quarters. In addition, the contract amount signed by Chinese manufacturers and overseas purchaser (buyers) at the recent Canton Fair was 29,288 million dollars (approximately 3.2 trillion yen), a decrease of 1.9% from the previous year. The previous decline in track record was in autumn 2018, following a decline in spring 2019, it was a three-consecutive decline.

With supply chain across the country re-organizing and self- transaction slowing down, China's manufacturing industry, which had long functioned as a world factory, was facing a major challenge.

           The tariff imposed by the US on Chinese goods in the recent trade dispute, together with the threat of imposing further tariff, has already upset China’s plan to become the world’s factory. Many Chinese manufactures have moved their production sites to SE Asian countries in general and Vietnam in particular. Globally due to the demand for daily consumer goods, there will be no trading vacuum in the business world. If country A cannot produce goods at an attractive price, country B or C will move in to take over the production vacuum immediately. International trading will never stop to wait for an outcome of the US-China trade war.

儘管發生貿易戰，但往中国的直接投資激增

On 4.12.2019 Yahoo Finance reported the following:

Foreign Direct Investment into China Jumps Despite Trade War

Bloomberg Karlis Salna, Bloomberg 10 hours ago

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(Bloomberg) -- Foreign direct investment into China jumped last year to $139 billion even as trade tensions escalated, bucking a trend that saw global flows sink 13% from 2017 levels.

While global foreign direct investment declined to $1.3 trillion last year, inflows into China rose 3.7% from 2017, according to a report Wednesday from the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. The report also showed that for the fist time, Asia-Pacific was both the largest destination and source of foreign direct investment globally, with China remaining the biggest recipient of inflows despite the trade war with the U.S.

China was the biggest FDI recipient for the third consecutive year, but the report warned that a slowdown may be on the horizon.

“As it takes time for businesses to diversify their capacity outside of China in order to respond to the trade tensions, the longer the trade war between the United States and China continues, the higher the probability that there will be a slowdown in inward FDI,” the report said.

The report also cautioned that sluggish growth in inward greenfield investment may hamper Asia-Pacific’s ability to maintain such levels of investment in the near term.

“A decline in investment flows in 2020 is expected if both the uncertainty related to international trade continues and companies consolidate their value chains,” the report said. “Investment prospects for the region remain tied to unfolding risks of ongoing global political and economic disturbances.”

Translation

（彭博社）-- 儘管貿易緊張局勢升級，但去年流入中國的外國直接投資躍升至1,390億美元，逆轉了全球投資流量比2017年下降了13％這一趨勢。

聯合國亞太經濟和社會委員會周三發布的一份報告顯示，儘管去年全球外國直接投資減少至1.3萬億美元，但流入中國的資金較2017年增長了3.7％。該報告還顯示，在第一時間，亞太地區是全球最大的外國直接投資目的地和來源，儘管與美國發生貿易戰，中國仍然是最大的外國直接投資接受國。

中國是連續第三年最大的外國直接投資接受國，但該報告警告說，經濟放緩可能即將到來。

報告說, “由於企業需要時間在中國境外進行多樣化的業務以應對貿易緊張局勢，中美之間的貿易戰持續的時間越長，流入的外國直接投資放緩的可能性就越大”。

該報告還警告說，流入的綠地投資的緩慢增長可能會阻礙亞太地區在短期內保持這種投資水平的能力。

報告稱：“如果與國際貿易有關的不確定性繼續存在而公司又进行鞏固其價值鏈，那麼預計2020年投資流量將下降”; “該地區的投資前景仍與持續的全球政治和經濟動盪不斷加劇的風險聯繫在一起。”

        It is surprising to know that although global foreign direct investment declined last year, investment inflows into China had increased. Having a very large market, China is still  a place attractive for investment to many overseas investors.

Bio-plastic trading is active and orders are doubling - countering the ocean plastic problem

Last month Nihon Keizai Shimbun electronic version reported the following:

バイオプラ取引活発、受注倍増も　海洋プラ問題後押し

環境エネ・素材

2019/11/28 14:10日本経済新聞　電子版

植物を原料に使ったり、微生物が分解したりする合成樹脂「バイオプラスチック」の需要が国内で盛り上がってきた。廃プラスチックが海洋を汚染する「海洋プラスチック問題」に注目が集まったことが背景だ。国の「プラスチック資源循環戦略」も後押しとなり、過去のブームとは違う様相を示している。

「需要の伸びに応じて、生産能力を増やしたい」。岩谷産業が東京都内で27日開いた説明会。PET（ポリエチレンテレフタレート）樹脂の植物由来原料メーカー幹部らが講演した。日本の消費財や容器メーカー、商社から100人以上が集まり、バイオプラ市場の動きに耳を傾けた。

海洋プラスチック問題はプラスチックのゴミが海岸に打ち上げられたり、海洋生物の体内から見つかったりしたことをきっかけに、世界的に関心が高まった。日本のバイオプラ市場は2017年に4万トン程度とみられ、合成樹脂全体の1%にも満たない。市場規模は小さいが、環境は一変した。

「19年の販売量は18年から倍増しそう」。双日プラネットの環境サステナブル事業室の大八木潤担当部長はこう話す。同社はブラジル化学大手、ブラスケムが生産するバイオポリエチレンをアジア・オセアニア地域で販売する。

価格は1キロ200円台前半のポリエチレンに比べ2倍以上とされる。割高感から需要が伸びなかったが、環境意識の高まりで「社会のニーズが大きく変わった」（大八木担当部長）。石油由来のポリエチレンにバイオプラを混ぜた製品を作る需要家が増えている。

大日本印刷は植物原料のポリエチレンやPET樹脂を容器やフィルムに加工し、「バイオマテック」として消費財メーカーに提供する。販売量は直近5年で5倍以上になった。環境ビジネス推進室の柴田あゆみ氏は「この1年ぐらいは取引のなかったメーカーからも問い合わせが来るようになった」と話す。

6月に開いた20カ国・地域首脳会議（G20大阪サミット）では50年までに廃プラスチックによる新たな海洋汚染をゼロにする目標「大阪ブルー・オーシャン・ビジョン」を採択した。日本は5月に策定した「プラスチック資源循環戦略」で30年までにバイオプラを約200万トン導入する目標を決めた。レジ袋有料化に向けた議論も進む。

レジ袋や食器類といった使い捨ての利用を規制するのは世界的な潮流だ。欧州では生分解性プラやバイオマス由来の原料を混ぜることを義務付ける動きがある。独化学大手BASFの日本法人で生分解性ポリマー開発営業の寺田道弘マネージャーは「日本もレジ袋の有料化だけにとどまらない」とみる。同社は日本で生分解性プラの多用途への展開をにらむ。

今後は供給力の確保も課題になりそうだ。三菱ケミカルはタイの合弁会社で植物由来の原料を使った生分解性の「バイオPBS」を生産する。欧州を中心に販売してきたが、日本やアジアで販売が伸びてきた。サステイナブルポリマーズ事業部企画管理グループの柏谷一郎・グループマネジャーは「19年度は18年度比2倍以上の販売を見込む。フル生産が視野に入る」と話す。

バイオプラには何度かブームがあり、需要が伸びないために事業撤退した会社もあった。植物由来原料の安定した確保に加え、「これまでのブームとは違う」という確信がなければ設備増強に踏み切りにくい。乗り越えるべき課題は多い。（三輪恭久）

Translation

The demand for synthetic plastic "Bio-plastic", which used plants as raw materials and decomposed it by microorganisms, had increased in Japan. The background was a focus on the “Ocean plastic problem” where waste plastic had polluted the ocean. The country's “Plastic Resource Recycling Strategy” had also been boosted, showing an aspect different from the booms in the past.

In a briefing session held by Iwatani Corporation on the 27th in Tokyo, “I want to increase the production capacity according to demand growth” was said when executives of manufacturers of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) that used plant-derived raw material were giving their talks. More than 100 people from manufacturers of Japanese consumer goods and containers, together with trading companies people gathered to listen to the movement in the bio-plastics market.

The marine plastic problem had become a worldwide concern because plastic garbage was washed up on the shore, and was found in bodies of marine animals. Japan's bio-plastics market was expected to be around 40,000 tons in 2017 which was less than 1% of the total synthetic resin generated. Although the market size was small, the situation now had changed completely.

“Trading volume in 2019  will double that of 2018,” said Jun Oyagi, the Director of Sojitz Planet's Environmental Sustainable Business Office. In Asia and Oceania region this company sold bio polyethylene produced made by Brazilian chemical giant Braskem.

The price of polyethylene in the first half of the 200-yen level had more than double. Demand did not increase due to its high price, but “social needs have changed significantly” due to increased environmental awareness (Dai Yagi the Director in charge). The number of consumers for products made by mixing bio plastics with petroleum-derived polyethylene had increased.

Dai Nippon Printing was processing plant raw materials such as polyethylene and PET resin into containers and thin sheets, then supply them as Biomatech to consumer goods manufacturers. Trading volume increase was over five-fold in the last five years. Ayumi Shibata from the Environmental Business Promotion Office said “inquiries have been received from manufacturers that have not been trading for the past year or so.”

At the 20-country and region summit held in June (G20 Osaka Summit), the “Osaka Blue Ocean Vision” was adopted, it aimed to eliminate new marine pollution caused by waste plastic to zero by 2050. Japan had set a goal to introduce approximately 2 million tons of bio-plastics by 2030 in the “Plastic Resource Recycling Strategy” formulated in May. Discussions were also underway to introduce charges to plastic shopping bags.

Regulating the use of disposables such as plastic bags and tableware had been a global trend. In Europe, there was a movement to require the mixing of biomass with ingredients from biodegradable plastics. Handling the development and trading biodegradable polymer, Michihiro Terada who was the manager of a corporation in Japan under BASF that was a leading German chemical company, had envisioned that "Japan is not limited to implementing plastic bags payments". The company aimed to expand the use of biodegradable plastics in Japan.

In the future, securing supply capacity would be an issue. Mitsubishi Chemical was a Thai joint venture that produced biodegradable “Bio-PBS” using plant-derived raw materials. Trading had been focused on Europe, but sales had increased in Japan and Asia. “In FY2019 we expect to sell more than twice as much as that of FY2018,” said Ichiro Kajitani of the Planning & Management Group’s Sustainable Polymers Division.

There had been several booms in bio-plastics previously, and some companies withdrew their business because demand did not grow. In addition to securing plant-derived materials in a stable manner, it was difficult to take steps to increase equipment unless "it's not like the boom we have seen so far". There were many challenges to overcome.

          The current demand for environmentally friendly plastic products is surely different from all the previous booms as more government leaders have realized that plastics have polluted our environment, both on land and at sea.

World airline ranking - NZ Airlines the 1st, ANA 3rd

Last month CNN.co.jp reported the following:

世界の航空会社ランキング　ＮＺ航空１位、全日空は３位

2019.11.26 Tue posted at 12:40 JST

（ＣＮＮ） オーストラリアの航空評価機関「ＡｉｒｌｉｎｅＲａｔｉｎｇｓ．ｃｏｍ」はこのほど、２０２０年の航空会社にニュージーランド航空が選ばれたと発表した。

ニュージーランド航空は、安全運航の実績や乗員の意欲の高さが評価された。同ランキングで首位に立つのはこれで６回目。一方、前年の首位だったシンガポール航空は２位に後退し、３位には全日空が入った。

ニュージーランド航空は環境への配慮でも高い評価を獲得した。同航空が過去１０年で削減した燃料消費量や二酸化炭素排出量はほぼ２２％に上り、業界平均を上回る。

ランキングは機体の年数や乗客による評価、乗員の対応など１２の基準に基づき、経験豊富なエディター７人が審査を行っている。

カテゴリー別ではオーストラリアのカンタス航空が、国内航空部門と空港ラウンジ部門で首位に立った。

長距離部門では米大陸でデルタ航空、欧州ではルフトハンザ航空、中東・アフリカでエミレーツ航空、アジア太平洋ではキャセイパシフィック航空がそれぞれトップに選ばれている。

ファーストクラス部門ではシンガポール航空が首位に立ち、カンタス航空と全日空がわずかな差で続いた。

◇

２０２０年の航空会社トップ１０は以下の通り。

１．ニュージーランド航空

２．シンガポール航空

３．全日空

４．カンタス

５．キャセイパシフィック

６．エミレーツ

７．ヴァージンアトランティック

８．エバー航空

９．カタール航空

１０．ヴァージンオーストラリア

Translation

(CNN) Australia's aviation assessment agency “Airline Ratings.com” recently announced that New Zealand Airlines had been chosen as the 2020 airline.

Air New Zealand was recognized for its safe flight performance and the high motivation of their crews. This was the sixth time in the ranking. On the other hand, Singapore Airlines, which was the leader of the previous year, retreated into second place and ANA entered the third place.

Air New Zealand received a high reputation for environmental considerations. The aviation had reduced fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions over the past decade by nearly 22%, exceeding the industry’s average.

The ranking was judged by seven experienced editors based on 12 criteria such as the age of the aircraft, evaluation by passengers, and crew response.

By category, Qantas in Australia ranked first in the domestic aviation and airport lounge categories.

In the long-distance category, Delta Air Lines was ranked at the top in the Americas, Lufthansa in Europe, Emirates in the Middle East and Africa, and Cathay Pacific in Asia Pacific.

In the first-class category, Singapore Airlines took the lead, followed by Qantas and ANA by a narrow margin.

◇

The top 10 airlines in 2020 were:

1. Air New Zealand

2. Singapore Airlines

3. ANA

4). Qantas

5. Cathay Pacific

6). Emirates

7). Virgin Atlantic

8). EVA Air

9. Qatar Airways

10. Virgin Australia

     It is interesting to note that while EVA Air was able to secure the 8th place, no air line from mainland China was on the list.

Philippine power grid, China can shut off it at any time - an internal report warned

Last month CNN.co.jp reported the following:

フィリピンの電力網、中国が「いつでも遮断可能」　内部報告書が警告

2019.11.26 Tue posted at 17:58 JST

 中国企業に電力網を握られているフィリピン。政府の意向で送電が停止するリスクも/TED ALJIBE/AFP/AFP via Getty Images

（ＣＮＮ） フィリピンの電力供給網は中国政府の支配下にあり、紛争の際には遮断される可能性があるという議員向けの内部報告書の存在が明らかになった。

中国の送電会社の国家電網は、フィリピンの送電企業ＮＧＣＰの株式の４０％を保有している。民間の合弁企業のＮＧＣＰは２００９年からフィリピンで送電事業を行っている。中国がフィリピンの電力システムに介入する可能性については１０年前の合意時から懸念が出ていた。

議員からは今月、取り決めについて再検討を求める声があがった。内部報告書によれば、システムの主要素にアクセスできるのは中国人技術者のみで、理論上は中国政府の指示によって遠隔で動作を停止させることも可能だという。

中国によってこうした攻撃が電力網に行われたという前歴はない。また、喫緊にこうしたことが行われるという証拠が提示されているわけでもなく、あくまで将来的な理論上の可能性としている。

情報筋によれば、内部報告書は電力網が現在、中国政府の「完全な支配下」にあり、中国政府はフィリピンの電力網に混乱を引き起こす能力を保持していると警告している。

中国外務省は、国家電網が、ＮＧＣＰのプロジェクトについて現地のパートナーとして関与していると述べた。中国外務省はまた、「フィリピンは中国にとって隣人であり重要なパートナーだ」と指摘。相互の利益の拡大とウィンウィンな関係の拡大に向けて、法と規則にのっとって、フィリピンで事業を行う中国企業を支援すると述べた。

電力網に関する取り決めについては２０２０年の電力予算を協議するなかで懸念が持ち上がった。

上院議員の１人は、「スイッチひとつで」電力が停止する可能性に懸念を示した。復旧には２４時間から４８時間かかる見通しだという。別の上院議員も中国がＮＧＣＰの株を保有していることについて、「中国の最近の行動や覇権主義的な願望を考えると、国家安全保障に対する深刻な懸念だ」と述べた。

ＮＧＣＰはフィリピン全土で電力の送電事業を行っており、同社の報告書によれば、フィリピンの家庭の約７８％に電力を供給している。２００９年に民営化され、国家電網が株式を保有したほか、運営のためのスタッフも派遣している。

Translation

(CNN) The Philippines' power supply network was under the control of the Chinese government, and it was made clear in an internal report for lawmakers that it might be shut down in the event of a conflict.

A Chinese home electronics network of the Chinese power transmission company owned 40% of the shares of Philippine power transmission company NGCP. NGCP, a private joint venture, had been conducting power transmission business in the Philippines since 2009. Concerns about China's possibility of intervening in the Philippine power system had been raised from the time of the agreement 10 years ago.

This month, lawmakers called for reconsideration of the arrangement. According to an internal report, only Chinese engineers had access to the main elements of the system, and in theory it could be stopped remotely at the direction of the Chinese government.

There was no previous history of such attacks on the power grid by China. Also, there was no proof that this would happen urgently, but it was only a future theoretical possibility.

According to sources, internal reports warned that the power grid was now “in full control” of the Chinese government, and that the Chinese government had the ability to cause disruption to the Philippine power grid.

China's Foreign Ministry said the national electricity network was involved as a local partner for the NGCP project. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also pointed out that “the Philippines was a neighbor and an important partner for China”. It was said that they would support Chinese companies doing business in the Philippines in accordance with laws and regulations to increase mutual benefits and win-win relationships.

Concerns about the power grid arrangements were raised as the 2020 electricity budget was discussed.

One senator expressed concern about the possibility of power shutting down “with a single switch”. The recovery was expected to take 24 to 48 hours. Another senator said China was holding NGCP shares, "It is a serious concern for national security given China's recent actions and hegemonic aspirations."

NGCP had a power transmission business all over the Philippines and, according to the company's report, supplied about 78% of the households in the Philippines. It was privatized in 2009, the national electric network on top of owning the shares, also dispatched staff for operations.

              I think power supply is a business that involves national security. It is natural for the lawmakers of the Philippines to express concern over power grid arrangements in their country. Recently China’s 5G  mobile phone technology has become an issue as worries about national security are mounting among overseas countries in allowing the Chinese 5G construction into their countries.

Early snakes had feet for 70 million years - confirmed from new fossils

Last month CNN.co.jp reported the following:

初期のヘビ、７千万年にわたり足があった　新化石から判明

2019.11.21 Thu posted at 15:38 JST

化石の分析によって、後ろ脚がヘビの祖先にとって役立っていた可能性が示唆された/Courtesy Ral Orencio Gomez

（ＣＮＮ） ヘビは７０００万年にわたり後ろ足を持っていたが、その後の進化の過程で失われた――。新たな化石を分析した結果として、２０日の米科学誌サイエンスアドバンシズにそんな論文が発表された。

ヘビは１億７４００万年前～１億６３００万年前に出現。その後の進化で手足のない生態に適応したが、これまでの限られた化石記録からは変化の様子が分かっていなかった。

従来の説ではヘビに手足があった期間について、四肢のない現在の体形に適応するまでの過渡期に過ぎないとの見方もあった。

しかし、新たに発見された保存状態のよい化石を分析した結果、長期間にわたり後ろ足があったことが判明した。

分析対象となったのは、ナジャシュ・リオネグリナと呼ばれる初期の種。研究者はアルゼンチンのパタゴニア北部で８個の頭がい骨を発見し、そのうち１個はほぼ無傷の状態で見つかった。

ナジャシュには頰骨（きょうこつ）弓などトカゲに似た原始的な特徴がある一方、頭がい骨から頰骨につながる骨がない点を含め、現在のヘビに近い特徴も併せ持つ。あごの関節の一部などにはヘビとトカゲの中間的な特徴も見られる。

ナジャシュは７０００万年の間、後ろ足を備えた体形で安定的に生息していた。この事実からは、後ろ足がヘビの役に立っていて、単なる過渡期ではなかったことがうかがえる。

Translation

2019.11.21 Thu posted at 15:38 JST

(CNN) Snakes had hind legs for 70 million years, but were lost in the process of subsequent evolution. As a result of analyzing new fossils, a paper suggesting such was published in Science Advances on the 20th.

Snakes appeared between 174 million and 163 million years ago, subsequent evolution adapted to the ecology without limbs, but the state of change was not known from the limited fossil record so far.

In the conventional theory, there was a view that the period when the snake had limbs was only a transitional period until it adapted to the current body shape without limbs.

However, as a result of analyzing newly discovered fossil with good preservation condition, it was found that there was a hind leg for a long time.

The subject of analysis was an early species called Najash Lionegrina. Researchers found eight skulls in northern Patagonia, Argentina, one of which was found almost intact.

Najash had primitive features similar to lizards, such as a rib bow, but it also had features similar to current snakes, including the absence of bones that connect the skull to the ribs. Some of the chin joints also had intermediate characteristics between snakes and lizards.

Najash lived stably in a figure with hind legs for 70 million years. This fact suggested that the hind legs were useful for snakes and not just a transitional period.

         So, it is an interesting scientific discovery on the evolution of animal.

中國將籌集290億美元用於芯片的宏願

On 29.10.2019 Yahoo Finance reported the following:

China to Funnel $29 Billion Towards its Chip Ambitions

Bloomberg Bloomberg News,Bloomberg 12 hours ago

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(Bloomberg) -- China has formally created a $29 billion state-backed fund to invest in the semiconductor industry, advancing its goal of reducing a dependency on U.S. technology.

China is the world’s biggest chip importer, and the long-awaited 204 billion yuan ($28.9 billion) fund will fuel Beijing’s efforts to forge its own semiconductor supply chain from chip design to manufacturing. It will play a key role in steering overall strategy and investment in the integrated circuit sector, which includes processors and storage chips used in smartphones and datacenters.

Beijing’s effort to reduce its reliance on American chips is taking on greater urgency as the Trump administration adds more Chinese names to its export blacklist, cutting off the flow of chips to targeted companies from Huawei Technologies Co. to SenseTime Group Ltd.

The fund’s registered capital comes mainly from state organizations, according to company registration information, which was posted online on Oct. 22.

China’s Ministry of Finance injected 22.5 billion yuan while an investment arm of China Development Bank poured in 22 billion yuan. It also attracted investment from local governments and state-owned enterprises including China Tobacco, the registration information shows.

China created its first state-led integrated circuit fund in 2014 to provide backing to major chip manufacturing initiatives, including Tsinghua Unigroup’s multibillion dollar memory chip plant in the central city of Wuhan.

Beijing is trying to reduce the country’s reliance on semiconductor imports worth about $200 billion annually. It fears such dependence undermines national security and hampers the development of a thriving technology sector. The country envisions spending hundreds of billions of dollars to achieve a prominent position in the semiconductor industry -- something U.S. tech executives and government officials have warned could harm American interests.

Translation

（彭博社）-中國已正式設立一項290億美元的國家支持基金，用於投資半導體行業，以實現其減少對美國技術依賴的目標。

中國是世界上最大的芯片進口國，人們期待已久的2040億元人民幣（289億美元）基金將推動北京建立自己的從芯片設計到製造的半導體供應鏈的努力。它在控制集成電路領域的總體戰略和投資方面將發揮關鍵作用，其中包括智能手機和數據中心中使用的處理器和存儲芯片。

隨著特朗普政府在其出口黑名單中增加了更多的中文名稱，從而切斷了目標公司由華為技術公司到SenseTime Group Ltd的芯片流動。北京減少對美國芯片的依賴的努力越來越緊迫。

根據10月22日在線發布的公司註冊信息，該基金的註冊資本主要來自國家機構。

中國財政部注資225億元人民幣，而國家開發銀行的投資部門注資220億元人民幣。註冊信息顯示，它還吸引了地方政府和包括中國煙草在內的國有企業的投資。

中國於2014年成立了首個國家領導的集成電路基金，以支持主要的芯片製造計劃，包括清華紫光集團在武漢市中心的數十億美元的存儲芯片工廠。

北京正努力減少對外國每年進口價值約2000億美元的半導體的依賴。它擔心這種依賴關係會破壞國家安全，並阻礙蓬勃的技術部門的發展。美國預計中國將花費數千億美元在半導體行業中去达到重要地位 -- 美國技術主管和政府官員警告稱，這可能會損害美國利益。

              So, China is trying to compete with the US for leadership in the electronic chips production. I always believe that one of the moving forces in international trade is specialization. For example, in the field of medicine the US is taking the lead in the world due to, among other things, its strong scientific research base (other reasons for its success may include cultural and historical factors). I am interested to know the outcome of this semi-conductor industry competition between China and the US

Mr. Nagai who returned from Peleliu had died

Last month NHK News on-line reported the following:

ペリリュー島帰還者永井さん死去

11月06日　14時46分

太平洋戦争の激戦地、パラオのペリリュー島から帰還した元日本兵３４人のうちの１人で、戦争体験を語り継ぐ活動を行ってきた茨城県茨城町の永井敬司さんが４日、大腸がんのため亡くなりました。

９８歳でした。

永井さんは大正１０年に今の茨城県笠間市に生まれ、太平洋戦争末期の昭和１９年、日本とアメリカの間で激しい戦闘が行われ、旧日本軍のおよそ１万人が２か月あまりの間でほぼ全滅したパラオのペリリュー島での戦闘に参加しました。

ペリリュー島から帰還した元日本兵はわずか３４人で、なかでも永井さんは最後の生存者として、近年、戦争体験を語り継ぐ活動に力をいれていました。

家族などによりますと永井さんは去年、大腸がんと診断されて治療を続けていましたが、４日茨城町の病院で亡くなったということです。

ペリリュー島の犠牲者の慰霊活動を長年一緒に行ってきた「水戸二連隊ペリリュー島慰霊会」の影山幸雄事務局長は「永井さんは最後の生存者として『戦争は絶対にやってはいけない』ということを、説得力のあることばでいつも伝えていた。かけがえのない人を亡くし大変残念だ」と話しています。

Translation

Keiji Nagai from Ibaraki-cho of Ibaraki, who had been carrying out activities to pass on his war experience and was one of 34 former Japanese soldiers returned from Peleliu Island in Palau that was a place of fierce battlefield in the Pacific War, had died of colorectal cancer.

He was 98 years old.

Mr. Nagai was born in Kasama City of Ibaraki Prefecture in Taisho 10th year. In 1945 at the end of the Pacific War, fierce battles took place between Japan and the United States. He joined the battle on Peleliu Island of Palau with about 10,000 former Japanese troops participating, and almost all were completely annihilated in about two months.

There were only 34 ex-Japanese soldiers returning from Peleliu Island. Nagai, as the last survivor, in recent years had been focusing on activities in passing on war experiences.

According to his family, Nagai was diagnosed with colorectal cancer last year and had been treated, but died on the 4th at a hospital in Ibaraki.

Mr. Yukio Kageyama, Director of the Mito Second Regiment Peleliu Island Reunion Society who had been performing the memorial activities for the victims of Peleliu Island for many years, said, “As the last survivor, Nagai always communicated in a compelling language that war should never be made. I'm very sorry to lose this irreplaceable person. ''

              So, Mr. Nagai has used his time meaningfully after returning to Japan to preach about the horror of a war.

從豬隻到對黨的忠誠，中國利用區塊鏈力​​量

On 7.11.2019 Yahoo Finance reported the following:

From Pigs to Party Fealty, China Harnesses Block-chain Power

Bloomberg Lulu Yilun Chen,Bloomberg 14 hours ago

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(Bloomberg) -- Verifying pigs, tracking shares of liquor maker Kweichow Moutai Co., and pledging loyalty to the Communist Party. These are just some of the block-chain projects getting a boost amid a frenzy spurred by comments from President Xi Jinping.

Companies and government officials alike are embracing the technology underpinning Bitcoin after Xi urged faster development of block-chain ahead of a recent key policy meeting by high-ranking Chinese officials.

Call it block-chain with Chinese characteristics. Many of the applications have little reason to be decentralized -- a key merit, if not requisite for a block-chain to be tamper-proof. A flurry of gimmicks could just be the first-rush response to Xi’s call to no longer play second fiddle to the U.S., as Beijing stakes a claim on the technology -- but doing so in a way that’s a far cry from the vision of the technology’s creator Satoshi Nakamoto.

“I can’t see them doing much decentralization at this point, without the block-chain players being under the watchful eye of the government,” said Martin Chorzempa, research fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. “If we have block-chain with these Chinese characteristics, we eschew the central ethos of cryptocurrency and block-chain and the technology that underlines it.”

A startup in Chengdu that aims to use block-chain to raise pigs and provide safe pork became buzzy on Chinese social media. Shares of Shenzhen-listed MYS Group Co., known for its quick embrace of artificial meat and industrial cannabis, jumped 22% when it announced a foray into blockchain. A news publication operated by the People’s Daily asked Party members to stamp their declarations of loyalty to the organization on a block-chain, so that “it can never be tampered with.”

A burst of activity also ensued in the stock market, with more than 70 tech-company stocks surging by the daily limits in Shanghai and Shenzhen. Regulators stepped in to ask companies like MYS Group to explain their involvement in the technology.

“I think in the short term investors are so thirsty about any signal about mainstream adoption, and I think this is one of them,” said James Wo, founder of Digital Finance Group, which focuses on investment in the field.

Some think they’ve cracked the code for more practical financial applications. Players including billionaire Jack Ma’s Ant Financial have been quietly experimenting with adapted versions of the technology for cross-border micro-transaction payments and medical reimbursement. The PBOC’s Shenzhen branch said its blockchain-based trade finance platform has processed 75 billion yuan ($10.7 billion) of transactions in the year since its introduction, applying it to accounts-receivable financing and supervision of cross-border trade.

Traditionally, blockchain-technology transactions are recorded and verified by so-called miners who use powerful computers to solve complex math problems. For the network to be inviolable, a significant number of miners need to be involved, with no one controlling more than half of the mining power.

As the value of cryptocurrencies grew, companies and government entities began looking at the underlying technology, proposing use it for other purposes. Many of those projects are built on private blockchains, where people need to be invited to become a node to document the ledger. Some Bitcoin fundamentalists argue these private blockchains are not tamper-proof due to their pre-screened nature and limited parties involved.

Even though Xi’s speech was an endorsement of blockchain, not cryptocurrencies, it still helped fuel a rise of about 30% in the price of Bitcoin within days. But there’s no reason to think the country will open the floodgates for crypto trading or regulations for foreign players.

Last year, China cracked down on cryptocurrency activity, halting trading on domestic exchanges, discouraging Bitcoin mining, and banning initial coin offerings, the equivalent of an initial public offering for new virtual currencies.

“I’d be very careful if I were a foreign blockchain company contemplating entry into China,” said Chorzempa. The line between “encouraged blockchain” and “discouraged Bitcoin” is constantly moving, he said, and navigating it requires deep knowledge of China.

Translation

（彭博社）- 從驗證豬隻，跟踪白酒生產商貴州茅台公司的股份，以至保證對共產黨的忠誠 -- 這些只是在習近平主席的評論下引起激發的瘋狂中，一些得到了推動的區塊鏈項目。

在最近召開關鍵政策會議之前, 習近平敦促中國高層官員更快發展區塊鏈之後，公司和政府官員都在擁護這支撐比特幣的技術。

它被稱之為具有中國特色的區塊鏈。許多應用程序幾乎沒有理由作出分散 --- 作出分散是區塊鏈一個關鍵優點條件, 即使不是必要條件, 區塊鏈是用作出防篡改。一連串的花招可能只是對習近平不再幫美國扮演從屬角色的號召的第一個反應，因為北京對這項技術有利害關係，但這樣做的方式與這科技的創造者中本聪的願景相去甚遠。。

彼得森國際經濟研究所（Peterson Institute for International Economics）研究員馬丁·喬澤姆帕（Martin Chorzempa）表示：“區塊鏈參與者沒在有政府監督下，我現時看不到他們進行太多的權力下放。” “如果我們有具有中國特色的區塊鏈，我們就會遠離加密貨幣和區塊鏈和它的技術核心思想。”

成都一家旨在使用區塊鏈飼養豬並提供安全豬肉的初創公司在中國社交媒體上風靡一時。在深圳上市的MYS Group Co. 的股票以快速擁抱人造肉和工業大麻而聞名，當它宣布進軍區塊鏈時，股價上漲了22％。 《人民日報》（People's Daily）運營的新聞出版物要求黨員在區塊鏈上標記對組織的忠誠聲明，以便“永遠不能對其進行篡改”。

股市也隨之爆發，上海和深圳的70多家科技公司股票漲停。監管機構介入，要求像MYS Group這樣的公司解釋他們對這項技術的參與。

專注於該領域投資的Digital Finance Group的創始人詹姆斯·禾（James Wo）表示： “我認為短期內投資者對於主流採用的任何信號都非常渴望，這就是其中之一。”

有些人認為他們已經破解了更實際的金融應用程序的代碼。包括億萬富翁馬雲（Jack Ma）的螞蟻金服（Ant Financial）在內的玩家一直在悄悄嘗試該技術的改版，以進行跨境微交易支付和醫療報銷。中國人民銀行深圳分行表示，自推出以來，其基於區塊鏈的貿易融資平台已處理了750億元人民幣（合107億美元）的交易，將其應用於應收賬款融資和跨境貿易監管。

傳統上，區塊鏈技術交易由所謂礦工記錄和驗證，這些礦工使用功能強大的計算機來解決複雜的數學問題。為了使網絡不可入侵，需要大量的礦工參與，而沒有人控制採礦功率的一半以上。

隨著加密貨幣的價值增長，公司和政府實體開始研究背後技術论理，並提議將其用於其他目的。這些項目中有許多是建立在私有區塊鏈上的，需要邀請人們成為記錄分類賬的節點。一些比特幣原教旨主義者認為，由於這些私有區塊鏈具有預先篩選的性質和涉及有限参与者，因此它們不是防篡改的。

儘管習近平的講話是對區塊鏈的認可，而不是對加密貨幣的認可，但它仍然幫助推動了比特幣價格在幾天之內上漲了約30％。但是沒有理由認為該國將為加密貨幣交易或外國參與者的監管打開閘門。

去年，中國打擊了加密貨幣活動，停止了在國內交易所的交易，阻止了比特幣的開採，並禁止首次代幣發行 -- 這相當於新虛擬貨幣的首次公開發行。

 “如果我是一家打算進入中國的外國區塊鏈公司，我會非常小心，” Chorzempa說。他又說，“鼓勵區塊鏈”和“比特幣不受歡迎”之間的界線一直在變化，要在期中航行，需要對中國有深入的了解。

       Block-chain is a new name and a new concept. It takes time to understand and make the best use of it.