隨著碳排放價格飆升，將碳掩埋的成本接近臨界點（1/2）

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

Cost to Bury Carbon Near Tipping Point as Emissions Price Soars (1 of 2)

Rachel Morison and Samuel Etienne

Sat., August 14, 2021, 10:00 p.m.

(Bloomberg) -- Skyrocketing carbon prices and a “code red” warning about the threat posed by climate change are giving fresh momentum to a technology that captures and removes greenhouse gas emissions so they can be buried.

The market for these tools could reach $2 trillion if used to cut pollution from heavy industry, according to Credit Suisse Group AG. With carbon more than doubling in the past year and prices set to reach 100 euros ($118) as soon as the middle of this decade, capture technology finally is going mainstream as governments push to reach net zero.

The cost to release carbon has never been higher in Europe and it’s poised to keep increasing, creating a tipping point where preventing the emissions becomes a viable economic alternative. Capture technology already is used in North America and Australia, and large projects are being developed in the U.K., Netherlands and Norway.

“Carbon pricing is driving industries to push to adopt the technology sooner,” said Samantha McCulloch, head of carbon capture usage and storage at the International Energy Agency. “The growing portfolio of CCUS projects around the world is important to refine these technologies, reduce costs and support the scale-up.”

Carbon-capture technology has been around for decades and is used in some industries, but it’s still expensive – costing as much as $120 a ton in cement production and power generation, according to the IEA. Costs depend on the location of the project and the technology used. That compares to the current cost of pollution permits of about 55 euros a ton.

The process siphons off carbon dioxide from fossil fuels, compresses it, transports it and then stores it in depleted undersea oil reservoirs. The number of projects planned around the world has risen six-fold since 2019 to 300, according to Wood Mackenzie Ltd.

Carbon prices could reach 100 euros as soon as 2025, according to Bank of America Corp. At that level, it’s more economical long-term for some sectors using natural gas to capture their emissions rather than paying for permits to release them.

“A carbon price of 100 euros obviously changes the game,” said Simon Virley, vice chairman and head of energy at KPMG LLP and a former U.K. government official responsible for carbon capture.

Norway and the Netherlands are leading the way in Europe, with the U.K. in hot pursuit. This year, the Dutch government announced it will spend $2.5 billion for the first large-scale CCS project on the continent. Norway is investing $1.9 billion, and the U.K. has pledged $1.4 billion over the next decade to create four carbon capture hubs.

These three nations, spread around the North Sea, have a history of fossil-fuel exploration and production. Spending by U.K. oil and gas companies in the North Sea last year fell to the lowest level since 2004. Carbon-capture technology could be key to keeping those industries -- and the sectors they supply -- alive as climate targets tighten.

“We need to see higher carbon prices to make those projects profitable,” said Anders Opedal, chief executive officer of Equinor ASA, which is developing CCS in the U.K., Norway, Germany and the Netherlands. “It actually needs to be more expensive to pollute than actually capture and store.”

(to be continued)

Translation 

（彭博社）- 飛漲的碳價格和關於氣候變化威脅的“紅色信號”警告正在為一項收集和消除溫室氣體排放的技術提供新的動力，以便可以埋藏它們。

據瑞士信貸集團 稱，如果這些埋藏工具用於減少重工業污染，它的市場可能達到 2 萬億美元。碳價在過去一年翻了一番多，價格將在本世紀中期達到 100 歐元（118 美元），隨著各政府努力實現淨零碳，收集技術終於成為主流。

歐洲的碳排放成本從未如此之高，而且還會繼續上升，面臨創造一個臨界點，使防止排放成為可行的經濟替代方案。收集碳排放技術已經在北美和澳大利亞使用，並且正在英國、荷蘭和挪威有大型開發項目。

國際能源署(IEA)的使用收集碳排和儲存負責人 Samantha McCulloch表示：“碳定價正在推動行業盡快採用該技術。” “全球不斷增長的 CCUS 項目組合對於完善這些技術、降低其成本和支持其擴大規模非常重要。”

據國際能源署稱，碳收集技術已經存在了幾十年，並被用於一些行業，但它仍然很昂貴- 每噸水泥生產和發電的除碳成本高達 120 美元。成本取決於項目的位置和使用的技術。相比之下，目前的污染許可證成本約為每噸 55 歐元。

該除碳過程從化石燃料中吸出二氧化碳，對其進行壓縮、運輸，然後將其儲存在已枯竭的海底油田中。根據 Wood Mackenzie Ltd. 的數據，自 2019 年以來，全球計劃中的項目數量增加了六倍，達到 300 個。

據美國銀行稱，除碳價格最早可能在 2025 年達到 100 歐元。在這個水平上，對於一些行業來說, 使用天然氣來按住碳排放，比長期支付排放許可費的做法更經濟。

KPMG LLP副董事長兼能源主管、亦是負責碳收集的前英國政府官員Simon Virley說: “100 歐元的碳價顯然改變了遊戲規則” 。

挪威和荷蘭在歐洲處於領先地位，英國緊隨其後。今年，荷蘭政府宣布將斥資 25 億美元用於非洲大陸第一個大型 CCS 項目。挪威投資 19 億美元，英國承諾在未來 10 年投資 14 億美元建立四個碳收集中心。

這三個國家分佈在北海周圍，有化石燃料勘探和生產的歷史。英國石油和天然氣公司去年在北海的開支降至 2004 年以來的最低水平。隨著氣候目標的收緊，碳收集技術可能是保持這些行業, 及受它支援的行業的生存關鍵。

在英國、挪威、德國和荷蘭開發 CCS 的 Equinor ASA 首席執行官Anders Opedal說:“我們需要看到更高的碳價格，以使這些項目有盈利”; “需要看到做成染污比實際收集和儲存污染更昂貴的事實。”

（待續）

Notes:

a. CCUS is the abbreviation for “carbon capture, utilization and storage” while CCS is the abbreviation of "carbon capture and storage".  CCUS is an important emissions reduction technology that can be applied across the energy system. (https://www.iea.org/fuels-and-technologies/carbon-capture-utilisation-and-storage)

b. KPMG International Limited is an Anglo-Dutch multinational professional services network, and is one of the Big Four accounting organizations

c. KPMG LLP operates as an audit firm. The Firm offers accounting, auditing, internal audit, compliance, corporate recovery, forensic accounting, assurance, tax, risk management, and financial advisory services. A limited liability partnership (LLP) is a partnership in which some or all partners (depending on the jurisdiction) have limited liabilities.

d. Equinor ASA  is a Norwegian state-owned multinational energy company. It is primarily a petroleum company, operating in over thirty countries with investments in renewable energy too.

Huawei – a rough path in global expansion - dependence on China rises to 70%

Recently Nihon Keizai Shimbun Electronic Edition reported the following:

ファーウェイ、難路の世界展開　中国依存度は7割に上昇

2021年8月12日 2:04 [有料会員限定]

西アフリカのセネガルで6月、約7000万ユーロ（約90億円）を投じた大型データセンターが稼働した。「今後は各州のデータを全てここに集約する」。地元メディアによると、サル大統領は稼働式典でこう語った。この施設は中国政府からの融資を受けて建設され、通信インフラを中国通信機器最大手、華為技術（ファーウェイ）が担う。

米政府はファーウェイの通信機器について、安全保障上の懸念があるとの理由から高速通信規格「5G」の通信網などから排除するよう各国に呼びかけている。それでもアフリカ、中東など新興国はなおファーウェイの牙城だ。スウェーデンのエリクソンやフィンランドのノキアなど欧州企業と比べて2～3割は安いとされる低価格などを武器に受注を広げてきた。

足元では5Gなどの通信機器だけでなく、関連するシステムもセットで売り込む手法が目立つ。注力分野の一つがスマートシティーだ。2020年末時点で、40カ国の700以上の都市で関連事業を手掛けるという。

中東のドバイでは5Gインフラの構築に参画しつつ、監視カメラや気温などを測るセンサーを組み合わせた「スマート街灯」を提供。ケニアでは4Gの基地局と監視カメラを組み合わせたシステムを納入し、犯罪発生率の低下につなげた。監視カメラは個人情報を政府に握られる懸念はあるが、犯罪抑止につながるとして需要が大きい。

ファーウェイの攻勢の背景には中国の巨大経済圏構想「一帯一路」もちらつく。ファーウェイは中国政府とは関係なく事業を展開しているとするが、一帯一路の沿線に含まれるアフリカや中東などで進むスマートシティーなどのプロジェクトは、中国政府系の融資が供与され、ファーウェイも参画するケースが多い。

ただ、アフリカなど新興国では対中債務が膨らんでおり、一部で返済に行き詰まるケースも出ている。米欧などは「債務のワナ」と呼んで批判しており、中国への警戒が強まればファーウェイの受注活動にも響く可能性がある。

先進国では米国の圧力の影響がじわりと出ている。5Gでは日本やオーストラリア、英国がすでにファーウェイ製品の排除を決めた。フランスやドイツは明言はしていないものの、参入を事実上厳しくする。20年までは好調だった通信機器の販売も、足元ではシェアを少しずつライバルに侵食されている。

こうした影響はファーウェイの経営指標にも表れつつある。10年代前半には売上高の国外比率が7割に迫ったが、徐々に低下。20年12月期は34%まで下がる一方、中国依存度は約7割まで高まった。19年以降の米政府による規制の影響に加え、スマートフォンや成長が続く5Gで中国市場への依存が加速している面がある。

台湾の証券会社、群益国際控股の李天凡研究員は「中国の売上高比率は今後も上がるだろう。国外事業は米中関係や国際情勢の影響を受けざるを得ない」と指摘する。

ただ、ファーウェイの成長を支えたのは1997年以降の積極的な国外展開だった。創業から30年超で世界の170を超える国・地域で20万人近くの従業員を抱えるまで巨大化したファーウェイ。成長力の源泉だったグローバル化の勢いを再び取り戻せるかが今後の課題の一つとなる。

Translation

In June, a large data center with an investment of about 70 million euros (about 9 billion yen) went into operation in Senegal, West Africa. "From now on, all the data of each state will be collected here." According to local media, President Sal said this at the ceremony. The facility will be constructed with a loan from the Chinese government, and the communication infrastructure would be handled by Huawei, the largest telecommunications equipment company in China.

The US government was calling on countries to exclude Huawei's communication equipment from the high-speed communication standard "5G" communication network because of security concerns. Still, emerging countries such as Africa and the Middle East were still Huawei's strongholds. It increased orders with low price as a weapon, which was said to be 20 to 30% cheaper than European companies such as Ericsson in Sweden and Nokia in Finland.

At present, not only communication devices such as 5G, but also related systems were sold as a set. One of the areas of focus was smart cities. As of the end of 2020, it will be involved in related businesses in more than 700 cities in 40 countries.

In Dubai in the Middle East, while participating in the construction of 5G infrastructure, it provided "Smart Street lights" that combined surveillance cameras and temperature measuring sensors. In Kenya, it delivered a system that combined a 4G base station and a surveillance camera, which led to a reduction in crime rate. Although there was a concern that personal information could be gotten hold by the government, surveillance cameras were in great demand because they could deter crime.

In the background of Huawei's offensive was China's flickering giant economic zone concept "One Belt, One Road". Huawei was said to be developing business independently of the Chinese government, but projects such as Smart City, which were included along the Belt and Road Initiative in Africa and the Middle East, were financed by the Chinese government, and Huawei also participated in many cases.

However, in emerging countries such as Africa, debt to China was swelling, and in some cases, repayment was stalled. The United States and Europe had criticized it as a "debt trap," and if vigilant towards China became strong, it could affect Huawei's business ordering activities.

In developed countries, the effects of US pressure were beginning to emerge. About 5G, Japan, Australia and the UK had already decided to eliminate Huawei products. France and Germany hadn't made a statement, but they would effectively tighten entry. Its sales of telecommunications equipment, which had been strong until 2020, were now gradually being eroded by rivals.

These effects were also appearing in Huawei's management indicators. In the first half of the 2010s, the overseas ratio of sales approached 70%, but it gradually declined. While it fell to 34% in FY ending Dec. 2020, it's dependence on China increased to about 70%. With the addition effects of regulations by the US government since 2019, and the continuing growth in smartphones and 5G, Huawei’s dependence on the China market was accelerating.

Li Tianfan, a researcher at Capital Securities Corporation said, "China's sales ratio will continue to rise. Foreign businesses will unavoidably be affected by US-China relations and international situations".

However, it was the aggressive overseas expansion since 1997 that supported Huawei's growth. More than 30 years after its founding, Huawei had grown to have nearly 200,000 employees in more than 170 countries and regions around the world. One of the future issues would be to regain the momentum of globalization, which was the source of growth potential.

              So, Huawei is doing 5G network building in Africa. It is not an ordinary business company. In the background, Huawei’s overseas operations support China’s giant economic zone concept "One Belt, One Road". No wonder when a top official of Huawei has been arrested in Canada, China uses all the means to seek her release.

台灣菠蘿 - 隨著新買家的入市, 中國的菠蘿禁令適得其反

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

China’s Ban on Taiwan Pineapples Backfires as New Buyers Step In

Betty Hou

Fri., August 6, 2021, 3:00 a.m.

(Bloomberg) -- China’s surprise ban on pineapple imports from Taiwan five months ago was widely viewed as an attempt to undermine President Tsai Ing-wen’s standing with a political constituency. Trade data show the move has produced anything but the desired effect.

First-half numbers collected by Taiwan’s Council of Agriculture show growers of the fruit on the island have fared better since China blocked imports starting March 1, as sympathetic Japanese shoppers stepped in to provide support. Shipments to Japan surged more than eightfold to 16,556 tons in the four months through June from a year ago. A domestic campaign to drum up demand also helped.

The helping hand from Japanese importers has come as a pleasant surprise for Taiwan’s rattled farmers who were bracing for a plunge in prices following the move by China, which termed it as a normal precaution to protect biosecurity. The spiky fruit is among a long list of products from Australian wine to coal and lobster China has targeted for sanctions to help gain leverage in trade disputes.

 “The bleeding was stopped before it even began,” said Chen Li-i, an official at the Council of Agriculture in Taipei.

Japan has now replaced China as the major overseas destination for Taiwan’s pineapples. While it’s unclear how long the ban will last -- the shift may well reverse once the restrictions are lifted -- the humble tropical fruit has become an unlikely symbol of defiance in the region’s geopolitical intrigues. Amid all the sabre-rattling by Beijing, Japan and the island democracy have expressed a broad desire to forge closer ties. Leaders in Tokyo see their own security directly linked to that of Taiwan, which China asserts is its territory.

Pineapples are an important source of income for farmers in central and southern Taiwan. Around 11% of the tropical fruit harvested in Taiwan are sold overseas. Until the ban, they were almost entirely shipped to China.

“Export orders are looking unexpectedly good,” said Chiao Chun, chief executive officer of Harvest Consultancy Co. in Taipei. “This really was a crisis turned into an opportunity.”

Besides the help from Japan, an increase in domestic demand fueled by a “save the farmers” campaign on social media rallied local shoppers in support of growers. Even President Tsai pitched in a day after China’s ban took effect.

Farmers also received passionate backing from local businesses. Restaurants across the island rushed in to add a pineapple-infused sweet twist to all sorts of dishes ranging from shrimp balls, fried rice and even the classic beef noodle soup. Taiwan Railways Administration introduced special edition lunch boxes with pineapples as one of the side dishes.

As a result, domestic prices of the fruit jumped 28% to an average NT$22.1 (80 cents) per kilogram in the March-June period, a three-year high. The total value of the pineapples sold locally rose 17%, according to data provided by the farm council’s Chen.

“Higher prices driven by strong domestic demand led to more profit for the farmers,” Chen said.

One key question is whether the uptick in overseas demand is sustainable. Exporters cite concerns over Japan’s stringent quality requirements and consumer preferences for smaller, less-sweet varieties than the pineapples typically grown in Taiwan.

But the Chinese ban leaves Taiwan with little choice but to review its export markets for the fruit, according to Young Fu-fan, a grower in the southern county of Tainan.

 “Farmers can’t expect to make ‘easy money’ from China anymore,” he said.

Translation

（彭博社）- 五個月前，中國出人意料地禁止從台灣進口菠蘿，這被廣泛認為是企圖削弱蔡英文總統在政治選區中的地位。但貿易數據顯示，此舉並未產生預期效果。

台灣農業委員會收集的上半年數據顯示，自從中國從 3 月 1 日開始禁止進口以來，島上的水果種植者表現更好，因為有同情心的日本購物者介入提供支持。在截至 6 月的四個月中，對日本的出貨量比去年同期增長了八倍多，達到 16,556 噸。國內發起的提振需求運動也起到了幫助作用。

日本進口商的幫助, 令台灣農民感到一個驚喜，他們在中國採取行動後已準備應對價格暴跌。中國稱這是保護生物安全的正常預防措施。菠蘿這種帶刺的水果, 只是數從澳大利亞葡萄酒到煤炭和龍蝦的一連串產品項目之一。中國已將其作為製裁目標，以幫助在貿易爭端中獲得優勢。

台北市農業委員會官員陳立儀(Chen Li-i) 說：“出血還沒開始就止住了” 。

日本現已取代中國成為台灣菠蘿的主要海外目的地。雖然目前尚不清楚禁令將持續多久 - 一旦取消限制，這種轉變很可能會逆轉 。這種不起眼的熱帶水果已成為該地區地緣政治計謀中一個冷門的反抗象徵。在北京展示武力威脅之下，日本和台灣民主島民都表達了建立更緊密聯繫的廣泛願望。東京領導人認為自己的安全與台灣的安全直接相關，中國聲稱台灣是其領土。

菠蘿是台灣中南部農民的重要收入來源。台灣收穫這熱帶水果約有11%銷往海外。在禁令頒布之前，它們幾乎全部運往中國。

黍離策略顧問股份有限公司(Harvest Consultancy Co.) 台北首席執行官焦鈞 (Chiao Chun) 說: “出口訂單看起來出乎意料地好”; “這真的是一場危機變成了機遇” 。

除了來自日本的幫助外，社交媒體上的“拯救農民”運動, 推動了本地需求的增長，也吸引了當地購物者支持種植者。在中國禁令生效後的第二天，就連蔡總統也加入幫忙。

農民們也得到了當地企業的熱情支持。島上的餐廳紛紛湧入，在蝦丸、炒飯甚至傳統的牛肉麵湯等各種菜餚中加入了菠蘿的甜蜜味。台灣鐵路局亦推出了以菠蘿為配菜的特別版飯盒。

因此，3 月至 6 月期間，該水果的國內價格上漲 28%，至每公斤平均新台幣 22.1 元（80 美分），創三年新高。根據農場委員會的陳立儀提供的數據，當地銷售的菠蘿總價值增長了 17%。

陳說:“強勁的內需推動價格上漲，為農民帶來了更多利潤”。

一個關鍵問題是海外需求的增長是否可持續。 出口商表示擔心日本嚴格的質量要求, 和消費者更喜歡相比通常台灣所種植的更小、更不甜的菠蘿品種。

但台南縣南部的種植者Young Fu-fan表示，中國的禁令讓台灣別無選擇，只能重新評估其水果出口市場。

他說:“農民不能再指望從中國賺‘輕鬆錢’ 了”。

       So, even the sympathetic Japanese shoppers stepped in to provide support to the Taiwan’s pineapple growers in face of China’s coercion. Some information on how Japanese help the pineapple sales in Japan can be found at Liberty Times Net (https://ec.ltn.com.tw/article/breakingnews/3629174)

A Japanese politician shows support (Source : LTN)

Pineapples on sale in a supermarket in Japan (source: LTN)

US intelligence agency - to check large amount of genetic data from the Wuhan Institute of Virology to understand the origin of Corona

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

米情報機関、武漢研究所の膨大な遺伝子データを調査　コロナ起源解明で　

CNN EXCLUSIVE

2021.08.06 Fri posted at 10:58 JST

 ワシントン（ＣＮＮ） 米国の情報機関が、中国・武漢の研究所で扱われていたウイルス試料の遺伝子情報を含む膨大なデータを入手し、調査を進めていることが分かった。事情に詳しい複数の情報筋が明らかにした。一部の当局者はこの研究所について、新型コロナウイルスの流行の発生源になった可能性があるとの見方を示している。

米情報機関がいつ、どのようにしてこれらの情報を入手したのかは不明。ただ、この種の遺伝子データの生成や処理に使われる機器は通常、外部のクラウドベースのサーバーに接続されており、ハッキングの可能性もあるという。

膨大な生データを使用可能な情報に変換する作業にはさまざまな困難が伴う。全データを処理する計算能力の確保が必要となるため、各情報機関はエネルギー省傘下の国立研究所にあるスーパーコンピューターを利用している。

マンパワーの問題もある。調査にかかわる政府の研究者は複雑な遺伝子配列データを解釈できるスキルや、機密取り扱い資格だけでなく、標準中国語を話す能力も必要になる。これらの情報は中国語で専門用語を使って書かれているためだ。

新型コロナウイルスの起源をめぐっては現在、米当局が９０日間の検証作業を実施中。検証作業にかかわる当局者は、今回の情報が新型コロナウイルスが動物から人間にうつった経緯の解明に役立つことに期待を寄せている。新型コロナウイルスが研究所から漏れたのか、あるいは野生動物から人間に感染したのかを決定するには、この点の解明が不可欠になるという。

米政府内外の調査員は以前から、武漢ウイルス研究所で扱われていた２万２０００のウイルス試料の遺伝子データを入手しようとしてきた。このデータは２０１９年９月に中国当局者によってインターネットから削除され、以降、中国は初期のコロナ症例に関する生データを世界保健機関（ＷＨＯ）や米国に提出するのを拒んでいる。

Translation

Washington (CNN) - It ​​had been revealed that a US intelligence agency had obtained a huge amount of data including genetic information of virus samples handled at a laboratory in Wuhan of China and was proceeding with an investigation. Several sources familiar with the matter revealed this. Some officials said this institute could be s source of the new coronavirus epidemic.

It was unknown when or how the US intelligence agency obtained this information. However, the equipment used to generate and process this type of genetic data was usually connected to an external Cloud-based server which could be hacked.

The task of converting a vast amount of raw data into usable information involved a variety of difficulties. Since it was necessary to secure the computing power to process all data, all intelligence agencies would use the supercomputer in the National Laboratories under the Ministry of Energy.

There was also the problem of manpower. Government researchers involved in this study needed skills to interpret complex gene sequence data, meeting confidentiality qualifications as well as with the ability to speak  Mandarin Chinese. This was because the information was written in Chinese using technical terms.

The US authorities were currently conducting a 90-day verification work on the origin of the new coronavirus. Officials involved in the verification work hoped that this information could help clarify how the new coronavirus was transmitted from animals to humans. It was essential to clarify this point in order to determine whether the new coronavirus was leaked from the laboratory or transmitted from wild animals to humans.

Investigators inside and outside the US government had long sought to obtain genetic data for 22,000 virus samples handled by the Wuhan Institute of Virology. This data was deleted from the Internet by Chinese officials in September 2019, and since then China had refused to submit raw data on early corona cases to the World Health Organization (WHO) or the United States.

              So, the US is trying to know whether the virus could come from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. I think many people are also eager to know the outcome of this project.

余英時 - 激惱北京的歷史學家逝世 享年91歲

(Source: CUHK)

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

Yu Ying-shih, historian who irked Beijing, dies at 91

Thu., August 5, 2021, 5:31 a.m.

HONG KONG (AP) — Yu Ying-shih, a historian of China who taught at Harvard, Princeton and Yale Universities and whose books were banned by the ruling Communist Party in 2014 after he expressed support for pro-democracy activism, has died. He was 91.

 Yu died Aug. 1 in the United States, according to an announcement by the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where he taught and was vice chancellor in the 1970s. It gave no cause of death.

 Yu “made lasting contributions to the study of Chinese history and culture,” the university’s acting vice chancellor, Alan K.L. Chan, said in a statement.

 Yu was born in Tianjin, east of Beijing, in 1930 and graduated in 1952 from Hong Kong’s New Asia College, which later became part of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He received a Ph.D. from Harvard in 1962.

Yu also taught at the University of Michigan and was a member of Academia Sinica, Taiwan’s national academy of humanities and sciences. His books included “Trade and Expansion in Han China” in 1967.

In 2014, bookstores and publishers in China said authorities ordered Yu’s books removed from sale after he expressed support for pro-democracy movements in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Others hit by the ban included economist Mao Yushi and constitutional law professor Zhang Qianfan.

“If you keep following the orders (by the Communist Party), don’t you become 100% slaves eventually?” Yu said in a 2014 interview with the Taiwanese financial magazine CommonWealth.

The Chinese University of Hong Kong gave no details of survivors or funeral plans.

 

Translation

香港（美聯社）- 曾在哈佛、普林斯頓和耶魯大學任教的中國歷史學家余英時已去世, 享年91歲。當年在他表示支持民主活動後, 他的書於 2014 年被執政共產黨禁止。

根據香港中文大學的一份聲明，余英時於 8 月 1 日在美國去世，他曾在中大任教, 並在 70 年代擔任副校長。中大沒有說明死因。

大學署理校長陳金樑在一份聲明中說，余英時“為中國歷史和文化的研究做出了持久的貢獻”。

余英時於1930年出生於北京東部的天津，1952年畢業於香港新亞書院，該書院後成為香港中文大學的一部分。他在1962年獲得哈佛大學博士學位。

於還曾任教於密西根大學，也是台灣國立人文科學院中央研究院院士。他的著作包括1967年的《漢代貿易與擴張》。

2014年，中國的書店和出版商說，在余英時表示支持中國、台灣和香港的民主運動後，當局下令他的著作下架。其他受到禁令影響的人包括經濟學家毛玉石和憲法學教授張千帆.

“如果你繼續聽從（共產黨）的命令，你最終不會成為 100% 的奴隸嗎？” 余英時於 2014 年在接受台灣金融雜誌天下雜誌 的採訪時說。

香港中文大學沒有透露他的在世家人或葬禮計劃的細節。

              So, one of the best scholars on Chinese history has passed away. Academi Sinica commenting on the death of Yu says that he was good at interpreting traditional Chinese thoughts with modern academic methods. As the most influential Chinese intellectuals in the contemporary era, his research on Chinese history, especially the history of thought and cultural history, has played a pioneering role, and is highly respected by Western academic circles. He is the master of Chinese historiography in the 21st century. (https://www.sinica.edu.tw/ch/news/6919)

              Also, about the news on the death of Yu, BBC has a good report on the matter. For details, please see its web-site. (https://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/trad/chinese-news-58107149)

Coronavirus mutant strains - occurred in immunocompromised human? Dr. Fauci

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

コロナウイルス変異株、免疫不全の人間に発生か　ファウチ氏

2021.08.05 Thu posted at 18:31 JST

 （ＣＮＮ） 米国のファウチ大統領首席医療顧問（米国立アレルギー感染症研究所長）は５日までに、新型コロナウイルスの変異株に触れ、免疫不全の状態にある人間の体内で発生した可能性が強いとの見方を示した。

米戦略国際問題研究所（ＣＳＩＳ）が主催した討論会で述べた。免疫抑制の状態にある人間が数週間あるいは数カ月の間、新型コロナの感染に抵抗出来ず、ウイルスの発達あるいは変容を促す十分な時間を許したとの説は新しいわけではない。

ファウチ博士は、知られているように変異株は人間の免疫機能がウイルスにもたらす圧力の結果で出現してきたと説明。その上で変異株は免疫不全の状態にあって感染した人間に由来する可能性が高いとし、ウイルスが消滅したり、あるいはその人間が亡くなったりする前の何日間も体内にウイルスを抱え、本質的に変異株の出現につながったとみられると述べた。

この過程がアルファ型やデルタ型の変異株に生じた可能性があると受けとめていると述べた。アルファ型は昨年出現し、米国での今春の感染拡大の主流となり、デルタ型は昨年後半に確認され、現在は米国で猛威を振るう主因となっている。

ファウチ氏はウイルスの変異株は、新型コロナに対応するため将来開発される一切の薬の行方に影響を及ぼすと指摘。新たな抗ウイルス薬で新型コロナに立ち向かうと同時に、薬への耐性の発生を予期し、計画を練る必要があると主張。

野球のホームランのように一撃の効果がある薬を手にするような話ではないとし、変異株に対応出来る代替の薬を開発し続ける準備を常に心がけなければならないと説いた。

Translation

 (CNN) - Anthony Fauci, the Chief Medical Advisor (Director of the National Institute for Allergic Infectious Diseases) to US President, on the 5^th touched on the mutant strains of the new coronavirus and showed the view that it was highly possible that mutant developed in a human body that had immunodeficiency.

He said that at a debate hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). The theory had that immunosuppressed human was unable to resist infection from the new corona for weeks or months, thus allowing ample time to stimulate the development or transformation of the virus, yet this idea was not new.

Dr. Fauci explained that, as was known, mutant strains emerged as a result of the pressure exerted on the virus by human immune function. On top of that, had said that the mutant strain was likely to be derived from an infected person who was immunocompromised, there the virus would either vanish, or stay in his body for days before that person died, and it seemed that this led to the emergence of mutant strains.

He said he accepted that this process could have occurred in Alpha and Delta mutants. The alpha type appeared last year and became the mainstream of infection spreading in the United States this spring, while the Delta type was confirmed in the latter half of last year and was now the main cause of the rampage in the US.

Fauci pointed out that about the mutant strains of the virus, to deal with the new corona could affect the direction of all drugs development in the future. He insisted that at the same time when we confronted the new corona with a new antiviral drug, we could expect the occurrence of drug resistance and had to develop a plan for that.

He said that he wasn't talking about getting a drug with a single-blow effect like a baseball home run, and that we should always be prepared to continue developing alternative drugs that could deal with the mutant strain.

So, it is interesting to know the theory that mutant strains emerge as a result of the pressure exerted on the virus by human’s immune function. Human and the virus are fighting each other for survival.

Rakuten exports low-cost 5G technology to a German company for 250 billion yen

Recently Nihon Keizai Shimbun Electronic Edition reported the following:

楽天、低コスト5G技術を輸出　ドイツ企業に2500億円で

モバイル・5G

2021年8月4日 23:35 (2021年8月5日 5:04更新) [有料会員限定]

楽天グループは自社で開発した低コスト通信技術をドイツの新興通信会社に輸出すると4日発表した。「仮想化」と呼ぶ通信機器をクラウド上のソフトウエアに置き換える技術で、これを使う通信網の設計・運用を独社から一括で請け負う。受注総額は2500億円超とみられる。仮想化は通信網の整備・運用コストを4割前後減らせるとされ、世界の通信会社が採用を進めている。普及に弾みがつきそうだ。

子会社の楽天モバイルが携帯通信事業を2020年に始め、新規参入の切り札として、仮想化技術の研究開発に注力してきた。技術は日本国内での自社通信網に活用するほか、海外の通信会社に提供する計画だ。今回、初めて技術を全面的に採用する具体的な提供先が決まった。

独の新興通信会社である1&1との間で、同社が整備する高速通信規格「5G」などの通信網向けに、技術を提供することで合意した。通信網の設計から保守・運用までを受注し、関係者によると、今後10年間で2500億～3000億円の収入を得るとしている。

1&1は現在は他社回線を借り通信を提供するMVNO（仮想移動体通信事業者）として独国内で1000万件超の契約を持つ。今後、自社回線のサービスを始める予定で、同国内でドイツテレコムなど既存3社に続く「第4の通信会社」となる。自社通信網の構築で楽天の技術を採用する。

仮想化は、従来の通信網では専用機器が担っていた情報処理をクラウド上のソフトウエアに移行させ、専用機器を減らす技術だ。機器が減り、コストを減らせる。世界の通信会社が採用を進めており、米新興のディッシュ・ネットワークも21年後半から導入し始める予定だ。

楽天の5G技術は、今夏に欧州で開かれたモバイル関連見本市「MWC」で表彰を受けるなど一定の評価を得ている。楽天は輸出先を増やし、技術提供で1兆円超の売り上げを計上する目標だ。

楽天は金融、電子商取引（EC）事業は好調だが、携帯通信事業は通信網の整備に向けた投資や販促の負担で赤字が続く。これが響き、連結業績も20年12月期まで2期連続で最終赤字だ。国内携帯プランは月0～2980円と低料金のため収益を上げにくい。早期の携帯通信事業の黒字化に向けて、技術輸出での収益が必要となっている。

Translation

Rakuten Group announced on the 4th that it would export its low-cost communication technology to an emerging German telecommunications company. It would use a technology that replaced software on the Cloud by using a communication equipment called "Virtualization”, and the design and operation of this equipment was the responsibility of a single company. The total amount of orders was estimated to be over 250 billion yen. It was said that Virtualization would reduce the maintenance and operation costs of communication networks by about 40%, and was being adopted by telecommunications companies around the world. It seemed that its spread could gain momentum.

As a subsidiary Rakuten Mobile started its mobile communication business in 2020 and had been focusing on research and development of virtualization technology as a trump card for new entrants. In addition to utilizing the technology for its own communication network in Japan, it planned to provide it to overseas communication companies. Now, for the first time, a specific destination had been decided to fully adopt this technology.

An agreement was reached with a Germany's emerging telecommunications company 1&1 to provide technology for telecommunications networks such as the high-speed telecommunications standard "5G" that was developed by Rakuten Mobile company. It accepted orders ranging from communication network design to maintenance and operation, and according to the related people, it could earn 250 to 300 billion yen over the next 10 years.

1&1 currently had more than 10 million contracts in Germany as an MVNO (Virtual Mobile Network Operator) that rented lines from other companies to provide communications. In the future, it planned to start its own line service, and to become the "fourth telecommunications company" following the existing three companies such as Deutsche Telekom in the country. It adopted Rakuten technology in building its own communication network.

In the conventional communication networks the information processing was performed using specialized devices, yet Virtualization was a technology that could reduce the number of specialized devices needed by shifting information processing to the software in Cloud. The equipment needed thus could be reduced and the cost went down as a result. This technology was being adopted by telecommunications companies around the world, and the emerging US dish network had scheduled to begin its introduction in the latter half of 2021.

Rakuten's 5G technology had received a certain reputation, including receiving an award at the mobile-related trade fair "MWC" held in Europe this summer. Rakuten aimed to increase export destinations and achieve a sales record of over 1 trillion yen by providing its technology.

Although Rakuten's financial and electronic commerce (EC) businesses were doing well, its mobile communications business continued to be in the red due to the burden of investment and sales promotion for the development of communication networks. As a close parallel to this, the consolidated financial result recorded a loss ending F/Y December 31, 2020, being the second consecutive year loss. It was difficult to make a profit because the domestic mobile plan was at a low charge of 0 to 2,980 yen a month. Revenue from technology exports would be needed to bring the mobile communications business into the black at an early stage.

              So, Rakuten Group will export its low-cost communication technology to an emerging German telecommunications company. It will use a technology called "Virtualization”.

中國將豬放入 13 層樓的“養豬旅館”以防止細菌滋生 (2 of 2)

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

China’s Putting Pigs in 13-Story ‘Hog Hotels’ to Keep Germs Out (2 of 2)

Bloomberg News

Sun., August 1, 2021, 10:59 p.m.

(continue)

Mega Complexes

These days, mega pig complexes that don’t rely on other farms for sows, fodder and labor -- which risk introducing pathogens -- are a pillar of China’s food security. As of 2020, 57% of the country’s pig production is from farms supplying more than 500 hogs a year. Before the outbreak, only about 1% came from larger suppliers.

New Hope Group recently completed three five-story buildings across an area the size of 20 football fields, or 140,000 square meters (1.5 million square feet), in Beijing’s eastern Pinggu district. The facility, which can be smelled from about a kilometer away, will eventually produce 120,000 pigs annually, making it the largest in the Beijing area.

It’s equipped with robots that monitor animals for fever, air filtration, and automatic feeding and disinfection systems, according to Gong Jingli, the supervisor in charge. A request to visit was declined on biosecurity grounds.

That’s in part because the scale of these farms means more is at stake. With thousands of pigs housed in close proximity, an infectious disease could spread rapidly.

Strict protocols are enforced to minimize risks. Staff are required to shower and change their clothes on entering and exiting the facility -- much like scientists working in biosafety laboratories. Wristwatches must be left outside.

Tom Gillespie, a U.S.-based swine veterinarian with 40 years of experience and who visits farms in Asia annually, said he was asked to remove his wedding band before entering a facility in China, but was allowed to keep his spectacles on. The requirement was a reaction to African swine fever, he said, and may be relaxed once operators are more familiar with managing biosecurity risks.

Some mega farms have built staff dormitories to try to limit workers’ contact with the “outside” -- a strategy Gillespie said would be difficult to implement in other countries.

So far, large-scale farms in China have also avoided many of the restrictions applied to their overseas counterparts because of animal welfare and environmental concerns.

“In Europe and U.S., there are restrictions on how big we can make a pig farm because people just object -- they don’t want to live next to these huge sites,” said Gira’s Claxton. “In China, that doesn’t seem to be the case. If it’s decided that a pig farm is needed, then the space is available.”

Popular Option

Expanding vertically is a popular option in a country lacking vast tracks of empty space. Rapid urbanization has diminished land available for agriculture, and environmental regulations have made intensive animal production increasingly difficult in metropolitan areas.

High-rise blocks can cut farmland use by a third compared with traditional farms with the same number of pigs, and there’s flexibility in terms of location as some can be built on mountains, said New Hope’s Gong. Wastewater from the Pinggu plant is treated and used to irrigate orchards nearby, while the solid waste is turned into fertilizer, Gong said.

Muyuan Foods, China’s largest hog breeder, said it has land available to support 100 million hogs. Jiangxi Zhengbang Technology, the second-biggest, has said its herd may eventually reach a similar size.

The rise of large hog farms also reflects shifting diets in China. Whereas Beijing focused on fighting hunger and eliminating poverty in past decades, rapid economic development and expanding incomes mean China’s 1.4 billion people are eating more meat, eggs and other animal proteins. That’s driving more-intensive animal production.

“China is the world’s largest pork-consuming nation, and I don’t see that changing very easily or any time soon,” said David Ortega, associate professor of Food and Agricultural Economics at Michigan State University in East Lansing. “Rebuilding the pork sector is a national priority for the government.”

Translation

(繼續)

大型綜合體

如今，大型養豬場是中國糧食安全的支柱, 它不依賴其他農場飼養母豬、飼料和勞動力 - 這都有可能引入病原體 。截至 2020 年，該國 57% 的生豬產量來自每年可供應 500 頭以上生豬的各農場。在疫情爆發之前，只有大約 1% 來自較大的供應商。

新希望集團 最近在北京東部平谷區完成了三座五層樓的建築，面積相當於 20 個足球場，或 140,000 平方米（150 萬平方英尺）。該設施在一公里外都能聞到，最終每年將生產 12 萬頭豬，成為北京地區最大的豬場。

據負責人龔景禮介紹，它配備了機器監測動物發燒、空氣過濾、自動餵食和消毒系統。他們以生物安全為由, 拒絕了訪問的請求。

部分原因是因為這些農場的規模意味著更多的風險。由於數以千計的豬被關在一起，傳染病可能會迅速傳播。

所有安排都嚴格執行以降低風險。工作人員在進出設施時需要淋浴和換衣服 - 就像在生物安全實驗室工作的科學家一樣。手錶必須放在外面。

擁有 40 年經驗的美國養豬獸醫Tom Gillespie 每年都會訪問亞洲的農場。他說，在進入中國的一家農場之前，他被要求摘下結婚戒指，但被允許繼續戴上眼鏡。他說，這項要求是對非洲豬瘟的反應，一旦操作員更熟悉管理生物安全風險，要求可能會放寬。

一些大型農場建造了員工宿舍，試圖限制工人與“外界”的接觸 - Gillespie說這一策略在其他國家難以實施。

迄今為止，中國的大型農場也不遵循許多適用於海外同行, 都是由於動物權益和環境問題出発的限制。

Gira的 Claxton 說: “在歐洲和美國，會對養豬場的規模有限制，因為人們一直反對 - 他們不想住在這些巨大豬場的旁邊”; 又 說: “在中國，情況似乎並非如此。如果決定需要一個養豬場，就有可用的空間。”

熱門選項

在一個缺乏廣闊空間的國家，垂直擴張是一種流行的選擇。快速的城市化減少了可用於農業的土地，環境法規使大都市地區的密集的動物生產變得越來越困難。

新希望 的龔說，與生豬數量相同的傳統農場相比，高層建築可以減少三分之一的農田使用量，並且在位置方面具有靈活性，因為有些可以建在山上。龔又說，平谷農場的廢水經過處理後用於灌溉附近的果園，而固體廢物則轉化為肥料。

中國最大的生豬養殖商牧原食品 表示，它擁有可養活 1 億頭生豬的土地。第二大的江西正邦科技 表示，其畜群最終可能會達到類似規模。

大型養豬場的興起也反映了中國飲食結構的轉變。北京過去幾十年專注於抗擊飢餓和消除貧困，而經濟的快速發展和收入的增加, 意味著中國 14 億人正在吃更多的肉、蛋和其他動物蛋白。這推動了更密集的動物生產。

Michigan State University in East Lansing的食品與農業經濟學副教授David Ortega說: “中國是世界上最大的豬肉消費國，我認為這種情況不會輕易或很快發生改變”; “重建豬肉行業是政府的國家優先事項。”

              So, China’s domestic hog numbers recovered more swiftly than anticipated because mega farms have expanded capacity aggressively. If this business continues to operate successfully, I am wondering whether China would become a major pork exporting country in the future.