美國開始在澳洲戰略海岸部署潛艦部隊 - 基於AUKUS聯盟

 Recently Yahoo News on-line picked up the following:

US starts to build submarine presence on strategic Australian coast under AUKUS

Sun, March 16, 2025 at 7:50 a.m. PDT·3 min read

By Kirsty Needham

PERTH (Reuters) - In the control room of the American Virginia class attack submarine USS Minnesota, off the Western Australian coast, sonar operators adjust to the chatter of dolphins in new waters where the U.S. submarine presence will soon grow significantly.

On a training exercise from its home port in Guam, USS Minnesota is a forerunner to four Virginia class submarines that will be hosted at a Western Australian naval base from 2027, under the AUKUS partnership to transfer nuclear submarine capability to Australia.

Crew use video game joysticks to interrogate screen images from a photonic mast that has replaced a periscope. Life aboard can mean up to 100 days without seeing sunlight, and intermittent communication with families via email to maintain stealth.

Commanding officer Jeffrey Corneille says the Virginia class submarine is "the most advanced warship in the world".

"If someone wakes up and they say 'Is today the day?', we make sure that they say 'Maybe not'," he says, describing its deterrent role.

Around 50-80 United States navy personnel will arrive by the middle of the year at Western Australia's HMAS Stirling base, which is undergoing an A$8 billion ($5 billion) upgrade to prepare for the "Submarine Rotational Force West", Australian officials have said.

In two years, those numbers will swell to hundreds of U.S. navy personnel and support crew.

The location of HMAS Stirling, closer to Asia and the Indian Ocean than the U.S. Pacific fleet headquarters in Hawaii, is strategically important to the United States, said Peter Dean, director of Foreign Policy and Defence at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney.

"Defending the Indian Ocean against rising Chinese capabilities and power is important," he said.

The Virginia submarine program has been exempted from Pentagon budget cuts as the Trump administration focuses less on the Middle East and Europe, and more on the Indo Pacific, he said.

The Trump administration's number three Pentagon official, Elbridge Colby, told a U.S. Senate confirmation hearing this month the attack submarines are "absolutely essential" for making the defence of Taiwan viable, and production rates must be lifted to first meet U.S. needs and also to fulfill its obligations to sell submarines to Australia under the AUKUS pact.

The USS Minnesota moved its home port from Hawaii to the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam, closer to Taiwan and the only forward-deployed U.S. submarine base, in November.

A Chinese navy task group that circumnavigated Australia in February and March, holding unprecedented live fire drills off the east coast that disrupted commercial airlines, before passing Western Australia to coincide with the USS Minnesota's port call and heading into the Indian Ocean, has highlighted China's ambition to operate more frequently in Australia's neighbourhood, Australian officials said.

Under AUKUS, Australia’s most expensive defence project, Australia will buy two used Virginia class submarines next decade, and build a new class of nuclear powered submarine with Britain, to replace its ageing diesel powered fleet.

In preparation, there are 115 Australians in the U.S. nuclear navy training pipeline or on Virginia submarines, plus 130 training for nuclear submarine maintenance at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, U.S. navy officials said.

(Reporting by Kirsty Needham in Perth; editing by Giles Elgood)

Translation

美國開始在澳洲戰略海岸部署潛艦部隊 - 基於AUKUS聯盟

珀斯（路透社）— 在西澳大利亞海岸附近的美國弗吉尼亞級攻擊潛艇明尼蘇達號的控制室裡，聲納操作員正在適應新海域海豚的鳴叫，美國潛艇的出現將很快地顯著增加。

明尼蘇達號核潛艇正在關島母港進行訓練演習，它是四艘弗吉尼亞級潛艇的前身。根據 AUKUS 合作夥伴關係，將核潛艇能力轉移給澳洲, 將於 2027 年在西澳大利亞海軍基地作客。

機組人員使用電玩操縱桿, 向取代潛望鏡的光子桅杆的螢幕影像獲取信息用。在船上的生活意味著長達 100 天都見不到陽光，並且只能透過電子郵件與家人斷斷續續地溝通以保持隱密。

指揮官Jeffrey Corneille 說，維吉尼亞級潛艦是「世界上最先進的軍艦」。

當他在描述其威懾作用時說道 :“如果有人醒來後問 ‘今天是那一天嗎？’，我們會確保他們會說 ‘也許不是’ ” 。

澳洲官員表示，約有 50 至 80 名美國海軍人員將於今年年中抵達西澳大利亞的皇家海軍(HMAS) Stirling基地，該基地正在進行耗資 80 億澳元（50 億美元）的升級，為「西部潛艇輪換部隊」做準備。

兩年內，這一數字將增加到數百名美國海軍人員和支援人員。

雪梨大學美國研究中心外交政策與國防問題主任 Peter Dean 表示，HMAS Stirling 基地的位置比位於夏威夷的美國太平洋艦隊總部更靠近亞洲和印度洋，對美國具有重要的戰略意義。

他說： “保衛印度洋抵禦中國不斷增強的能力和力量至關重要。”

他說，由於特朗普政府的重點不再是中東和歐洲，而是更關注印度太平洋地區，維吉尼亞潛艇計劃免受五角大廈預算削減的影響。

特朗普政府五角大廈官員三號人物 Elbridge Colby 本月在美國參議院的確認聽證會上表示，攻擊型潛艇對於保衛台灣 “絕對必要” ，必須提高潛艇生產率，首先滿足美國的需求，同時也要履行其根據 AUKUS 條約向澳大利亞出售潛艇的義務。

11 月，明尼蘇達號潛水艇將其母港從夏威夷遷至美國太平洋領土關島，該地更靠近台灣，也是美國唯一的前線部署潛艇基地。

澳洲官員稱，中國海軍編隊於 2 月和 3 月繞澳大利亞航行，在東海岸舉行了史無前例的實彈演習，導致商業航班中斷，其艘驅逐艦經過西澳大利亞，然後與美國海軍明尼蘇達號驅逐艦的停靠港口同步，再駛入印度洋，這凸顯了中國在澳洲週邊地區開展更頻繁活動的抱負。

根據澳洲最昂貴的國防計劃 AUKUS，澳洲將在未來十年購買兩艘二手維吉尼亞級潛艦，並與英國共同建造一艘新型核動力潛艦，以取代其老化的柴油動力艦隊。

美國海軍官員說，在準備階段，有 115 名澳洲人在美國的核海軍系統性訓練流程中，或在維吉尼亞號潛艇上接受訓練，另外還有 130 名澳洲人在夏威夷珍珠港接受核潛艇維護培訓。

       So, under AUKUS, Australia will buy two used Virginia class submarines next decade, and build a new class of nuclear-powered submarine with Britain. Meanwhile around 50-80 United States navy personnel will arrive at Western Australia's HMAS Stirling base. Apparently, Australia’s navy force is expanding in response to the challenges from China.

Note:

1. AUKUS , also styled as Aukus, is a trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States intended to "promote a free and open Indo-Pacific that is secure and stable." This partnership involves two lines of effort referred to as pillars. Pillar 1 focuses on Australia acquiring nuclear-powered attack submarines and the rotational basing of US and UK nuclear-powered attack submarines in Australia. Pillar 2 is about the collaborative development of advanced capabilities in six technological areas: undersea capabilities, quantum technologies, artificial intelligence and autonomy, advanced cyber, hypersonic and counter-hypersonic capabilities, and electronic warfare; and in two broader functional areas: innovation and information sharing.(Wikipedia)

2. HMAS Stirling is a Royal Australian Navy (RAN) base that is part of Fleet Base West situated on the west coast of Australia, on the Indian Ocean. The base is located on Garden Island in the state of Western Australia, near the city of Perth.

Genetically modified pig kidney transplant successfully completed, a major step forward for xenotransplantation - the US (2/2)

 Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

遺伝子改変したブタの腎臓移植に成功、「異種移植」大きな前進　米

CNN 2025.03.08 Sat posted at 18:30 JST

(continue)

移植成功の鍵を握る遺伝子操作

動物の臓器を人間に移植する「異種移植（ゼノトランスプランテーション）」は、長い間、ＳＦの世界のものと考えられてきた。しかし、米国ではブタを使った異種移植がこの３年間で６例実施されている。これらのブタは、その臓器がより人体に適合するように遺伝子操作されている。

アンドリュースさんへの移植手術を行ったマサチューセッツ総合病院の医療チームは、マサチューセッツ州ケンブリッジに拠点を置くバイオテクノロジー企業、イージェネシスが開発した臓器を使用した。

科学者たちは、ＣＲＩＳＰＲと呼ばれる遺伝子操作技術を使って、ブタのＤＮＡを改変する。

イージェネシスの研究者たちは、拒絶反応や臓器の大きさ、さらに人への感染の恐れのあるレトロウイルスなど、多くの潜在的問題に対処するために６０以上の遺伝子操作を行っている。

大勢の患者にとって希望の光

アンドリュースさんは移植手術からわずか１週間で退院したが、引き続き経過観察が行われている。

週３回の血液検査に加え、複数の端末を使って医療チームが遠隔でアンドリュースさんのバイタルサインや心拍リズムを監視している。また人間の腎臓を移植した場合と同様に、拒絶反応を抑制するために、アンドリュースさんは生涯にわたって免疫抑制剤を服用する必要がある。

米国では３７００万人の成人が慢性腎疾患を抱えており、そのうち約８０万人が末期の腎不全を患っている。

ニューヨーク大学ランゴーン医療センターの移植外科医ジェイム・ロック医師によると、同センターでは毎年８万～１０万人の患者を腎臓移植の待機リストに登録するが、年間に実施する腎移植は２万５０００～２万８０００件にとどまるという。しかも、腎不全を患うすべての患者が待機リストに登録されるわけではない。

アンドリュースさんのように末期の腎疾患を患う患者にとって、この新たな臓器は全く予想していなかった明るい兆しだ。

「まさに一筋の希望の光だ」とアンドリュースさんは述べた。

Translation

Genetically modified pig kidney transplant successfully completed, a major step forward for xenotransplantation - the US (2/2)

CNN 2025.03.08 Sat posted at 18:30 JST

(continue)

Genetic manipulation held the key to successful transplantation

“Xenotransplantation”, the transplantation of animal organs into humans, had long been considered something of a science fiction story. However, six xenotransplantations using pigs had been performed in the US in the past three years. These pigs were genetically modified to make their organs more compatible with the human body.

The medical team at Massachusetts General Hospital who performed Andrews' transplant surgery used organs developed by eGenesis, a biotechnology company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Scientists used a genetic engineering technique called CRISPR to modify the pig's DNA.

eGenesis researchers had performed more than 60 genetic modifications to address many potential issues, including rejection, organ size, and even retroviruses that could infect humans.

A ray of hope for many patients

Andrews was released from the hospital just one week after the transplant, but remained under observation.

In addition to blood tests three times a week, Andrews' vital signs and heart rhythm were monitored remotely by a medical team using multiple devices. As with a human kidney transplant, Andrews would need to take immunosuppressants for the rest of his life to prevent rejection.

In the United States, 37 million adults had chronic kidney disease, of which about 800,000 suffered from final-stage renal failure.

Dr. Jayme Locke, a transplant surgeon at New York University Langone Medical Center, said the center put 80,000 to 100,000 patients on the kidney transplant waiting list each year, but performed only 25,000 to 28,000 kidney transplants annually. Furthermore, not all patients with kidney failure had been put on the waiting list.

For patients with final stage renal disease like Andrews, the new organ was an unexpected promising sign.

"It really is a ray of hope," Andrews said.

              So, Andrews has been on dialysis for about two years due to final-stage kidney disease. In February a pig kidney transplant performed on him was a success. This transplant surgery uses organs developed by eGenesis, a biotechnology company based in the US. For patients with final stage renal disease like Andrews, the new organ is an unexpected promising sign. I hope Andrews will start a new life with this pig kidney transplant, and his experience will benefit other patients with similar organ failure.

Note:

1. In its website eGenesis states that it is a biotechnology company committed to using its multiplex gene editing and genome engineering platform to transform solid organ and therapeutic cell transplantation for the treatment of serious diseases. (https://egenesisbio.com/about/)

Genetically modified pig kidney transplant successfully completed, a major step forward for xenotransplantation - the US (1/2)

 Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

遺伝子改変したブタの腎臓移植に成功、「異種移植」大きな前進　米 (1/2)

CNN

2025.03.08 Sat posted at 18:30 JST

 （ＣＮＮ） ６６歳のティム・アンドリュースさんにとって、それは生死に関わる問題だった。

アンドリュースさんは、末期の腎疾患のため、約２年にわたり透析を受けた。腎移植の待機リストに登録されていたが、アンドリュースさんの血液型が原因でドナー（臓器提供者）探しは困難を極めた。

腎移植の平均待機期間は、大半の医療センターで３～５年だが、血液型がＯ型の人の場合は、移植までの待機期間が１０年に及ぶこともあることが複数の研究で明らかになっている。

アンドリュースさんが長期透析により、向こう５年間生きられる確率はわずか３５％だ。医師たちは、アンドリュースさんが今後５年以内に腎移植を受けられる可能性は約９％と予測していた。

そのため、マサチューセッツ総合病院の医師たちから、ブタの腎臓を使った実験的な移植を検討したらどうかと提案された時、アンドリュースさんに迷いはなかった。

「突然のことだが、もう暗闇の中にはいない。これから快方に向かう。自分はこれ（ブタの腎臓の移植）にかける」

アンドリュースさんは病院でのインタビューでそう述べた。

そして２月７日、マサチューセッツ総合病院の医師たちは、アンドリュースさんへのブタの腎臓移植が成功したと発表した。

１月２５日に行われたこの移植手術は、米食品医薬品局（ＦＤＡ）の拡大アクセス（一般にコンパッショネート・ユースと呼ばれる）制度を通じて実施された。この拡大アクセスは、死が切迫している病状の患者に、試験研究中の医療製品の使用を認める制度だ。

アンドリュースさんは、３人の患者を対象に行われる研究の最初の患者となる。また、現在世界でブタの腎臓の移植手術を受けて生存している２人目の人物となる。

同病院の腎移植部門の医療ディレクターを務めるレオナルド・リエラ医師は次のように述べた。

「今年、３人の患者を対象に実施されるこの研究は、命を救う腎移植を必要とする何千人もの患者にとって、異種移植が革新的な解決策として長期的に実現可能か否かを見極める重大な手掛かりとなるだろう」

(to be continued)

Translation

Genetically modified pig kidney transplant successfully completed, a major step forward for xenotransplantation - the US (1/2)

(CNN) For 66-year-old Tim Andrews, it was a matter of life and death.

Andrews had been on dialysis for about two years due to final-stage kidney disease. He was on the waiting list for a kidney transplant, but Andrews' blood type made it extremely difficult to find a donor (organ donor).

The average wait time for a kidney transplant was three to five years at most medical centers, but studies had shown that people with blood type O could wait as long as 10 years for a transplant.

Andrews' long-term dialysis gave him only a 35% chance of surviving the next five years. Doctors predicted that he had about a 9% chance of receiving a kidney transplant within the next five years.

So, when doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital suggested he consider an experimental pig kidney transplant, Andrews didn't hesitate.

"All of a sudden, I'm not in the dark anymore. I'm on my way to recovery. I'm going to do this [pig kidney transplant]."

Andrews said in an interview at the hospital.

And on February 7, doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital announced that Andrews' pig kidney transplant was a success.

The transplant, which took place on January 25, was performed through the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Expanded Access (commonly known as compassionate use) program. Expanded access allowed patients who were in a critical condition to use experimental medical products.

Andrews would be the first patient in the three-patient study. He would also be the second person in the world to have survived a pig kidney transplant.

Dr. Leonardo Riella, medical director of kidney transplantation at the hospital, said:

"This study, which will be conducted on three patients this year, will provide important clues to whether xenotransplantation may be a viable and long-term solution for the thousands of patients who need life-saving kidney transplants."

(to be continued)

Taiwan's TSMC to invest 15 trillion yen in the US, President Trump announces

 Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

台湾ＴＳＭＣ、米国で１５兆円投資へ　トランプ大統領発表

2025.03.04 Tue posted at 17:47 JST

  ニューヨーク（ＣＮＮ） 台湾の半導体大手、台湾積体電路製造（ＴＳＭＣ）が、米国での生産事業に少なくとも１０００億ドル（約１５兆円）を投資するとの見通しが明らかになった。

 

トランプ米大統領が３日、魏哲家・最高経営責任者（ＣＥＯ）、ラトニック商務長官、人工知能（ＡＩ）・暗号資産政策を指揮するサックス氏とともに、ホワイトハウスで発表した。

 

アリゾナ州ですでに稼働しているＴＳＭＣの半導体製造工場一つと建設中の二つに加え、新たに先端工場三つを建設するための資金で、数万人の雇用創出が期待される。

 

Translation

Taiwan's TSMC to invest 15 trillion yen in the US, President Trump announces

New York (CNN) Taiwanese semiconductor giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) was set to invest at least $100 billion (approximately 15 trillion yen) in its manufacturing operations in the US.

US President Trump announced this at the White House on the 3rd, along with CEO Wei Zhejia (魏哲家), Secretary of Commerce Lutnick, and Sachs, who oversees artificial intelligence (AI) and cryptocurrency policies.

The funds would be used to build three new cutting-edge factories, in addition to one TSMC semiconductor manufacturing plant already in operation and two under construction in Arizona, tens of thousands of jobs were expected to be created.

       So, TSMC will be investing at least $100 billion in its manufacturing operations in the US. I am wondering what are the reasons that push TSMC to make such a decision. Will US tariffs be a factor? Or the future security of Taiwan?

熊貓吃竹子而不跟隨直覺進食。科學家解釋原因

 Recently Yahoo News on-line picked up the following:

Pandas eat bamboo instead of going with their gut. Scientists explain why

Chris Lau, CNN

Thu, February 27, 2025 at 11:13 p.m. PST·2 min read

Pandas famously love bamboo but the fluffy mammals actually have digestive systems typical of animals that eat a meat-based diet - and Chinese scientists now think they know why.

They say gorging on the tall, fast-growing plant can influence the covert carnivores’ behavior and regulate the bears’ sense of smell and taste.

Native to southwest China, pandas spend up to 16 hours a day devouring bamboo, absorbing a genetic material called microRNA (miRNA) into their bloodstream, according to research published Friday in the journal Frontiers.

The molecule can influence how genetic information is transferred across pandas’ bodies, shaping the way they act, said the research led by China West Normal University in Sichuan province.

MiRNA plays “a role in regulating the gene expression of giant pandas,” said Dr Li Feng, a senior author from the university, in a statement.

Li and his colleagues found that the molecule can shape physiological processes in pandas’ bodies, including growth, biological rhythms, behavior and immune responses.

“MiRNA in bamboo is also involved in the regulation of smell, taste, and dopamine pathways of giant pandas, all of which are related to their feeding habits,” he said.

The researchers believe that by the time a baby panda grows up, it will develop the ability to pick the freshest and most nutritious bamboo, which enables them to adapt to a plant-based diet.

The study was based on blood samples from six adult pandas and a juvenile. Among those samples, scientists detected 57 traces of miRNAs likely derived from bamboo.

They hope the discovery can help scientists further understand the effect of plant miRNA on animals, potentially paving the way for the treatment or prevention of diseases, according to the study.

Though the panda’s diet consists almost entirely of bamboo leaves, stems and shoots, about 1% of their food comes from other plants - and even meat such as small rodents, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

About 1,800 pandas live in the wild, roaming mountain ranges in the Chinese provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu, WWF says.

Habitat loss and fragmentation pose the biggest threats to wild pandas, while their lukewarm desire to reproduce has made preserving them a challenge. When mothers finally give birth, newborn pandas are extremely fragile.

China has drastically scaled up efforts to save the bears over the past decades, boosting the number of panda reserves from 12 to 67.

Translation

熊貓吃竹子而不跟隨直覺進食。科學家解釋原因

眾所周知，大貓熊喜愛吃竹子，但這種毛茸茸的哺乳動物實際上擁有典型的肉食動物的消化系統 - 中國科學家現在認為他們知道了其中的原因。

他們表示，大量食用這種高大、快速生長的植物可以影響隱性肉食者的行為，並調節熊貓的嗅覺和味覺。

根據週五發表在《前沿》雜誌上的一項研究顯示，大貓熊原產於中國西南部，每天要花 16 個小時進食竹子，將一種名為微小核糖核酸 (miRNA) 的遺傳物質吸收到血液中。

四川省華師範大學主導的研究顯示，這種分子可以影響大熊貓體內遺傳訊息的傳遞方式，進而塑造它們的行為方式。

該大學資深作者 Li Feng 博士在聲明中表示，miRNA「在調節大熊貓基因表現方面發揮作用」。

Li 和他的同事發現這種分子會影響熊貓體內的生理過程，包括生長、生物節律、行為和免疫反應。

他說： “竹子中的miRNA也參與調節大熊貓的嗅覺、味覺和多巴胺通路，這些都與它們的飲食習慣有關。”

研究人員認為，在大熊貓寶寶長大後，它們將具備挑選最新鮮、最有營養的竹子的能力，這使它們能夠適應以植物為基礎的飲食。

研究以六隻成年大熊貓和一隻幼年大熊貓的血液樣本為基礎。在這些樣本中，科學家檢測到了 57 種可能來自竹子的 miRNA 痕跡。

根據研究，他們希望這項發現能幫助科學家進一步了解植物 miRNA 對動物的影響，為治療或預防疾病鋪平道路。

根據世界野生動物基金會 (WWF) 介紹，雖然大貓熊的食物幾乎全部由竹葉、竹莖和竹筍組成，但其約 1% 的食物來自其他植物，甚至還有細小的囓齒動物的肉。

世界自然基金會稱，約有 1,800 隻大熊貓生活在野生環境中，漫遊於中國四川、陝西和甘肅省的山脈中。

棲息地喪失和破碎化對野生大熊貓構成了最大的威脅，而它們冷淡的繁殖慾望也使去保育它們成為一項挑戰。當熊貓媽媽最終生產時，新生的熊貓是極其脆弱的。

過去幾十年來，中國大大提升了拯救熊貓的力度，大熊貓保護區的數量從 12 隻增加到 67 隻。

So, a study based on blood samples from pandas has detected 57 traces of miRNAs likely derived from bamboo. They hope the discovery can help scientists further understand the effect of plant miRNA on animals, potentially paving the way for the treatment or prevention of diseases.

一家名不見經傳的中國公司研發出一種藥物，打敗了全球最暢銷的藥物（2/2）

 Recently Yahoo News on-line picked up the following:

A little-known Chinese company made a drug that beat the world’s biggest-selling medicine (2/2)

Wayne Chang, Will Ripley and Eric Cheung, CNN

Tue, February 25, 2025 at 6:59 p.m. PST·5 min read

(continue)

According to a research note published by HSBC Qianhai Securities earlier this month, China is becoming an innovation hub for the entire industry, with the number of licensing deals jumping from just 46 in 2017 to more than 200 last year. The total deal amount was just $4 billion in 2017, and rose to $57 billion last year, it said.

And figures from market intelligence firm Mergermarket indicated that large pharmaceutical transactions worth $50 million or more involving Chinese firms grew nearly 30% in 2024 compared to the previous year.

Cui Cui, managing director of healthcare research for Jefferies, said Chinese biotech firms’ research capabilities and development efficiency are catching up, thanks to factors such as strong government support, foreign investment and a wealth of domestic talent.

“In the past, [Chinese biotech] are perceived to be only copycats, but in the future, it might be able to compete with the global best-in-class pharmaceutical companies,” Cui told CNN.

 

Doubts at home

But while Akeso’s achievement is making waves overseas, debate is raging in China over the quality of domestically produced generic drugs, which have the same active ingredients as patented drugs but are much cheaper.

Distrust over the track record of domestically produced medicine runs deep in China. Such concerns spiraled into public uproar last month over the alleged questionable quality of Chinese generic drugs, which has led to an official investigation.

China’s health regulator subsequently defended the safety of the drugs, saying the probe found the quality concerns to be unsubstantiated. Several Beijing residents told CNN last week that they were not familiar with Akeso or its new drug and still preferred imported drugs.

“To be honest, I tend to choose the more expensive medicine. After all, you get what you pay for,” Gu Zhihao, a Beijing resident, told CNN.

US investors and regulators have previously questioned the quality of clinical trial data gathered in China. Liang said the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has rejected drugs developed in the country in the past because the trial setup was “not rigorous enough.”

Akeso’s new drug, which is not a generic, has been approved by China’s pharmaceutical regulator for some lung cancer patients. But it is still years away from being sold in the US.

A global trial is now in the works for later this year, which could further prove its efficacy, according to Cui. If the outcome is sound, it would be further evidence of the strides China has made in developing cutting-edge drugs.

Translation

一家名不見經傳的中國公司研發出一種藥物，打敗了全球最暢銷的藥物（2/2）

（繼續）

根據匯豐前海證券本月稍早發布的一份研究報告，中國正在成為這整個產業的創新中心，其授權交易數量從 2017 年的 46 項躍升至去年的 200 多項。該公司表示，2017年交易總額僅40億美元，去年則升至570億美元。

市場情報公司 Mergermarket 的數據顯示，2024 年涉及中國企業的價值 5,000 萬美元或以上的大型醫藥交易比上一年增長了近 30%。

Jefferies的醫療保健研究董事總經理 Cui Cui表示，得益於政府的大力支持、外國投資和豐富的國內人才等因素，中國生物科技公司的研發能力和開發效率正在迎頭趕上。

Cui告訴 CNN： “過去，人們認為（中國生物科技）只是模仿者，但未來它或許能夠與全球一流的製藥公司競爭。”

 

國內疑慮

然而，儘管康方生物的成功在海外引起轟動，但中國國內對國產仿製藥的品質卻存在激烈爭論。

中國國內對國產藥品的業績記錄存在著根深蒂固的不信任。上個月，中國仿製藥品質問題引發民眾擔憂，並引發官方調查。

中國衛生監管機構隨後為這些藥品的安全性進行辯護，表示調查發現的品質問題沒有根據。上週，幾名北京居民告訴 CNN，他們不熟悉康方生物及其新藥，仍然更喜歡進口藥。

北京居民 Gu Zhihao 告訴 CNN: 「說實話，我傾向於選擇更昂貴的藥物。畢竟，一分錢一分貨」。

美國投資者和監管機構先前曾對中國收集的臨床試驗數據的品質提出質疑。Rebecca Liang 說，美國食品藥物管理局（FDA）過去曾拒絕該國研發的藥物，因為試驗設置「不夠嚴格」。

康方生物的新藥並非仿製藥，已獲得中國藥品監管機構的批准，可用於治療某些肺癌患者。但它距離在美國銷售仍需數年時間。

Cui表示，目前正準備在今年稍後進行全球試驗，這將進一步證明其有效性。如果結果良好，這將進一步證明中國在研發尖端藥物方面取得了長足進步。

       So, Akeso has shaken up the biotech sector with its new lung cancer drug known as Ivonescimab.In a test conducted in China, the performance of this new drug was found more effective when compared with Keytruda, according to clinical data released at the World Conference on Lung Cancer. I am interested in knowing the result of a global trial on this medicine. 

一家名不見經傳的中國公司研發出一種藥物，打敗了全球最暢銷的藥物（1/2）

 Recently Yahoo News on-line picked up the following:

A little-known Chinese company made a drug that beat the world’s biggest-selling medicine (1/2)

Wayne Chang, Will Ripley and Eric Cheung, CNN

Tue, February 25, 2025 at 6:59 p.m. PST·5 min read

China’s DeepSeek shocked the world by delivering unexpected innovation at an unbelievable price. But this disruptive trend isn’t confined to Big Tech: it has been quietly happening in the pharmaceutical sector.

In September, Akeso, a little-known Chinese biotech company founded nearly a decade ago shook up the biotech sector with its new lung cancer drug.

Ivonescimab, the new drug, was found in a trial conducted in China to have bested Keytruda, the blockbuster medication developed by Merck that has raked in more than $130 billion in sales for the American behemoth that has dominated cancer treatment.

Patients treated with Akeso’s new drug went 11.1 months before their tumors began to grow again, compared with 5.8 months for Keytruda, according to clinical data released at the World Conference on Lung Cancer, a top medical forum.

Over the course of several days in early September, shares in California-based Summit Therapeutics, Akeso’s US partner, more than doubled to a record high, according to data from Refinitiv. The firm had licensed the right to commercialize the new drug in North America and Europe.

At the time, though experts said it was a watershed moment for Chinese pharmaceutical companies, it was little noticed outside the industry. All that changed following DeepSeek’s exploits earlier this year, which put international attention on pockets of innovation in China — with growing global implications.

“I do believe the Chinese biotech industry will play an important role globally. And we [will] participate more and more,” Michelle Xia, the CEO of Akeso, said in an interview last month with BiotechTV.

In a statement sent to CNN, Akeso said it was an “incredibly exciting moment” to see its drug beat Keytruda, the world’s best-selling medication.

“Akeso’s innovation is driven by a deep understanding of disease biology and protein engineering, while benefitting from the fast development time and the abundance of top-tier talent in China,” it said.

 

The rise of Chinese biotech

Until the 1980s, when China opened up its economy, most of its pharmaceutical firms were state-owned. For most of the past 40 years, Chinese biotech companies were mainly replicating existing medications, known as “me-too” drugs.

But over the past 10 years, they’ve begun to innovate with more advanced drugs that can compete directly with the Western offerings. And they’ve signed billions of dollars in licensing deals with Western partners to get their products to the rest of the world.

AstraZeneca signed a $1.92 billion deal with China’s CSPC Pharmaceutical Group last year to develop cardiovascular medication, and Merck has a $2 billion agreement with China’s Hansoh Pharmaceutical over an experimental weight loss pill.

“People were aware that the biotech industry was growing very fast in China, but very few saw it as a real threat to the top US innovators,” said Rebecca Liang, a pharmaceuticals analyst at AB Bernstein. “Now the threat is getting real, because you do start to see these next generation drugs that are sort of a leapfrog.”

(to be continued)

Translation

一家名不見經傳的中國公司研發出一種藥物，打敗了全球最暢銷的藥物（1/2）

中國的 DeepSeek 以令人難以置信的價格實現了意想不到的創新，震驚了世界。但這種顛覆性趨勢並不限於大型科技公司：它也已在製藥業悄悄發生。

9 月，康方生物 - 一家成立於近十年、名不見經傳的中國生物科技公司 - 憑藉其新型肺癌藥物震撼了生物科技界。

在中國進行的一項試驗發現，新藥 Ivonescimab 的效果優於Merck公司開發的暢銷藥物 Keytruda，後者為主導癌症治療市場的美國巨頭帶來了超過 1,300 億美元的銷售額。

根據在頂級醫學論壇世界肺癌大會上發布的臨床數據，使用康方新藥治療的患者的腫瘤在 11.1 個月後才開始再次生長，而使用 Keytruda 治療的患者的腫瘤在 5.8 個月後就開始再次生長。

根據 Refinitiv 的數據，9 月初的幾天內，康方生物美國合作夥伴加州 Summit Therapeutics 的股價上漲了一倍多，創下歷史新高。該公司已獲得在北美和歐洲銷售該新藥的權利。

當時，儘管專家表示，這是中國製藥公司的分水嶺，但業內外卻很少注意到。今年早些時候，DeepSeek 的探索讓一切都改變了，中國的其中一些團體的創新引起了國際社會的關注，其全球影響力也越來越大。

康方生物執行長Michelle Xia上個月在接受 BiotechTV 採訪時表示: 「我確實相信中國生物科技產業將在全球發揮重要作用。而且我們將會有更多參與」。

康方生物在發給 CNN 的聲明中表示，看到自己的藥物擊敗全球最暢銷藥物 Keytruda，是一個「無比令人興奮的時刻」。

該公司表示： “康方生物的創新是源於對疾病生物學和蛋白質工程的深刻理解，同時受益於中國快速的發展時間和豐富的頂尖人才。”

 

中國生物科技的崛起

直到1980年代中國實施經濟開放前，大多數製藥公司都是國營企業。在過去 40 年的大部分時間裡，中國生物科技公司主要在複製現有藥物，即所謂的「仿製藥」。

但在過去十年裡，他們開始創新，研發出更先進的藥物，可以直接與西方藥物競爭。他們還與西方合作夥伴簽署了價值數十億美元的授權協議，以將他們的產品推向世界其他地區。

去年，AstraZeneca 與中國石藥集團簽署了一項價值 19.2 億美元的協議，開發心血管藥物，而Merck則與中國豪森藥業簽署了一項價值 20 億美元的協議，共同開發一種實驗性減肥藥。

AB Bernstein 的製藥業分析師 Rebecca Liang 表示：“人們意識到中國生物技術產業發展非常迅速，但很少有人認為這對美國頂尖創新者構成了真正的威脅” ; “現在威脅已經變得真實，因為你確實開始看到這些下一代藥物具有蛙跳式的發展。”

（待續）

Note:

1.Akeso, Inc. (康方生物), established in 2012, is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the research, development, manufacturing and commercialization of new innovative antibody drugs that are affordable to patients worldwide. (https://www.akesobio.com/en/about-us/corporate-profile/)

2. A me-too drug (類似藥物)as defined as a pharmacologically active compound that is structurally related to a first-in-class compound, regarded as belonging to the same therapeutic class as the original compound, and used for the same therapeutic purposes, but which may differ in some respects, such as specificity of pharmacological action, adverse reactions profile, or drug-drug interactions. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32358800/#:~:text=We%20define%)

3. A "me-too drug" is a medication that is similar to a pre-existing drug, often with minor modifications, and acts on the same target as the first drug of its kind. This differs from a generic drug (仿製藥), which is a copy of a brand-name drug with the same active ingredients, dosage, and intended use.

香港首富因其公司參與的巴拿馬運河港口交易而陷入困境 (2/2)

Recently Yahoo News on-line picked up the following:

Hong Kong's richest man is in hot water over his company's Panama Canal ports deal (2/2)

AP - KANIS LEUNG

Wed, March 19, 2025 at 9:26 p.m. PDT 6 min read

(continue)

Ports carry geopolitical value

Some unconfirmed reports have suggested Chinese leaders were angry not to have been consulted in advance about the deal.

George Chen, managing director for Hong Kong at The Asia Group, a Washington-headquartered business and policy consulting firm, said Beijing may have been disappointed because it had almost no time to devise a response in advance.

Ports are valuable strategic assets and transactions involving them are always sensitive, said Wilson Chan, co-founder of the Pagoda Institute, a think tank focusing on public policy and the global political economy.

It is unclear whether pressure from Beijing will affect the deal, which has to be approved by Panama's government. China’s Foreign Ministry deflected a question about whether authorities are investigating the deal, saying reporters should ask other authorities.

Cancelling the deal would be risky, Chan said.

“Strictly speaking, you just let Trump take credit for it, then you later say ‘Sorry, I’m canceling the deal.’ You can imagine what Trump’s reaction would be,” he said, adding that would also affect how the outside world views Hong Kong businesses.

CK Hutchison has not commented on the controversy.

The company reported its 2024 financial results on Thursday, but did not hold a news conference. Victor Li did not mention the deal in his chairman’s statement but said the operating environment for the group’s business is expected to be volatile and unpredictable. He said he anticipated potential headwinds for the company’s ports and related services in early 2025 as shipping lines transition into their new alliances and ongoing geopolitical risk impacts global trade.

Longer term implications

 The first Trump administration sanctioned Chinese and Hong Kong officials for undermining the autonomy of the territory promised when Britain handed its colony to Beijing in 1997 under a concept dubbed “One country, two systems.” It promised the city could keep its Western-style civil liberties and economic autonomy for at least 50 years, but following the 2019 protests, Beijing has doubled-down on its political control of the city.

Li could try to placate critics who deem him insufficiently patriotic, Chan said, by using proceeds from selling the port assets for investments aligned with Beijing’s policies, particularly in developing Hong Kong and mainland port businesses.

But relations between private businesses and Beijing remain uncertain, said The Asia Group's Chen. Even though Chinese President Xi Jinping recently met with private sector business leaders in a show of support, some may wonder if they must follow the party line even if that might conflict with their business interests, he said.

If Beijing steps up pressure on Li to scrap the deal, the Trump administration could hit back with more sanctions and restrictions on Hong Kong and Chinese businesses and some individuals, he said.

The situation shows that Washington’s concerns about Hong Kong's business autonomy are valid, Chen said.

“This is bad when it comes to the defense of ‘one country, two systems,’” Chen said.

Translation

香港首富因其公司參與的巴拿馬運河港口交易而陷入困境 (2/2)

（繼續）

港口具有地緣政治價值

一些未經證實的報道稱，中國領導人對於事先未就該協議被磋商感到憤怒。

總部位於華盛頓的商業和政策諮詢公司 The Asia Group 香港董事總經理 George Chen 表示，北京方面可能感到失望，因為幾乎沒有時間提前製定應對措施。

研究公共政策和全球政治經濟的智庫 Pagoda Institute 聯合創始人 Wilson Chan 表示，港口是寶貴的戰略資產，涉及港口的交易總是很敏感。

目前還不清楚北京方面的壓力是否會影響該交易，該交易需得到巴拿馬政府的批准。中國外交部迴避了有關部門是否正在調查該交易的問題，並表示記者應該詢問其他部門。

Chan 表示，取消這筆交易將會有風險。

他說: 「嚴格來說，你就讓特朗普取得承功勞，然後你又說『對不起，我要取消這筆交易』。你可以想像特朗普會作何反應」，並補充說這也會影響外界如何看待香港企業。

長江和記尚未對此事發表評論。

該公司週四公佈了2024年財務業績，但並未召開記者會。李澤鉅在董事長聲明中並未提及這筆交易，但表示集團業務的經營環境預計將不穩定且難以預測。他表示，隨著航運公司向新聯盟轉型，以及持續的地緣政治風險影響全球貿易，他預計該公司的港口和相關服務將在 2025 年初面臨潛在阻力。

 

長期影響

特朗普第一屆政府對中國和香港官員實施了製裁，因為他們破壞了英國在 1997 年根據「一國兩制」理念將香港殖民地移交給北京時承諾的香港自治權。北京承諾香港可以保持西方式的公民自由和經濟自治至少 50 年，但在 2019 年抗議活動之後，北京加強了對香港的政治控制。

Chan表示，李嘉誠可以嘗試安撫那些認為他不夠愛國的批評者，利用出售港口資產的收益進行符合北京政策的投資，特別是發展香港和內地的港口業務。

但 Asia Group 的 Chen 表示，私營企業和北京之間的關係仍不確定。他說，儘管中國國家主席習近平最近會見了私人企業領袖以表示支持，但有些人可能仍懷疑他們是否必須遵循黨的路線，即使這可能與他們的商業利益相衝突。

他說，如果北京加大對李的壓力，要求他廢除協議，特朗普政府可能會採取反擊措施，對香港和中國企業以及一些個人實施更多製裁和限制。

Chen 表示，現況顯示華盛頓對香港商業自治的擔憂是合理的。

Chen 稱： “這對於捍衛 ‘一國兩制’ 而言這是糟糕的。”

              So, in the past week, Beijing's Hong Kong affairs office has posted harsh commentaries written by a Hong Kong state-backed media outlet over the tentative deal by Hutchison. That raises questions about the deal and highlights the difficulties of Hong Kong businesses in trying to balance demands from Beijing for national loyalty and their own capitalist interests. Apparently, if Beijing steps up pressure on Li to cancel the deal, the Trump administration probably would hit back with more sanctions and restrictions on Hong Kong and Chinese businesses. Let’s wait and see what will happen next.

香港首富因其公司參與的巴拿馬運河港口交易而陷入困境 (1/2)

Recently Yahoo News on-line picked up the following:

Hong Kong's richest man is in hot water over his company's Panama Canal ports deal (1/2)

AP - KANIS LEUNG

Wed, March 19, 2025 at 9:26 p.m. PDT 6 min read

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing’s business empire is in the crosshairs after CK Hutchison Holdings chose to sell its Panama Canal port assets to a consortium that includes U.S. investment firm BlackRock Inc., apparently angering Beijing.

Over the past week, Beijing's Hong Kong affairs offices have posted scathing commentaries from a local state-backed media outlet over the tentative deal by Hutchison, which is controlled by Li’s family.

That raises questions about the deal and highlights the difficulties Hong Kong businesses face as they balance demands from Beijing for national loyalty and their own capitalist interests in the once free-wheeling Asian financial hub. Here's what to know about the issue.

Hong Kong’s richest tycoon

Nicknamed “Superman,” Li is among the world’s 50 richest people, with Forbes calculating his net worth at $38 billion. Li, 96, retired from his position as chairman of CK Hutchison in 2018, succeeded by his elder son Victor. But he's still one of Hong Kong's most influential figures.

Li's rags-to-riches story paralleled the former British colony’s rise. His business empire touches almost every aspect of daily life in Hong Kong, from properties and supermarkets to telecommunications and utilities. Globally, his conglomerate owns assets including British drugstore chain Superdrug and European mobile phone network operator Three.

A Hutchison subsidiary has operated ports at both ends of the Panama Canal since 1997. That was one reason U.S. President Donald Trump has alleged Chinese interference with the critical shipping lane's operations.

Li's ties with Beijing

Li’s influence extends beyond business. He has met with top Chinese leaders and has served on the elite committee that selected Hong Kong’s leader.

Experts on ties between Beijing and Hong Kong said ruling Communist Party leaders once understood that support from the business sector was crucial for maintaining Hong Kong’s capitalist system. It has been strategically vital for mainland China’s economy, given the role their global networks and resources play in the country’s development. So, Li has had notable political influence.

But Li has faced criticism over some business decisions. When he sold off some mainland Chinese assets in 2015, an article published by a think tank affiliated with Chinese official news agency Xinhua accused him of being immoral.

During pro-democracy protests in 2019, Li was blasted by some pro-Beijing supporters for his perceived ambivalence about the unrest. Some other Hong Kong business leaders adopted a harsher stance.

Panama ports deal

CK Hutchison announced March 4 that it would sell all its shares in Hutchison Port Holdings and in Hutchison Port Group Holdings to the consortium that also includes BlackRock subsidiary Global Infrastructure Partners and Terminal Investment Limited, which is chaired by Italian shipping scion Diego Aponte, whose family reportedly has a longstanding relationship with Li’s.

If approved, the deal, valued at nearly $23 billion including $5 billion in debt, will give the consortium control over 43 ports in 23 countries, including the ports of Balboa and Cristobal, located at either end of the canal. The transaction does not include ports in Hong Kong or mainland China. CK Hutchison said the transaction was purely commercial in nature.

The deal pleased Trump but angered Beijing.

One of the Beijing-backed newspaper commentaries described the deal as a betrayal of all Chinese and said the company should think about which side to take. The other said great entrepreneurs are patriots, suggesting that businesspeople who “dance with” predatory American politicians would be doomed to infamy.

Comments on popular posts about the deal on Chinese social media platform Weibo tend to be more critical than favorable toward Li.

Chief Executive John Lee avoided direct criticism of the deal or Trump, but told reporters on Tuesday his government opposes bullying tactics in international economic and trade relations, reiterating Beijing's stance.

(to be continued)

Translation

香港首富因其公司參與的巴拿馬運河港口交易而陷入困境 (1/2)

香港（美聯社）—長江和記實業選擇將其巴拿馬運河港口資產出售給包括美國投資公司貝萊德 (BlackRock Inc.) 在內的財團，此舉顯然激怒了北京方面，香港大亨李嘉誠的商業帝國因此陷入危險。

過去一星期，北京的香港事務辦公室發佈了香港地方官媒的嚴厲評論，批評李嘉誠家族控制的和記黃埔的這項臨時交易。

這引發了人們對該協議的質疑，並凸顯香港企業在平衡北京對國家忠誠的要求和香港這個曾經自由放任的亞洲金融中心的自身資本主義利益時面臨的困難。以下是有關此問題需要了解的資訊。

香港首富

李嘉誠綽號 “超人” ，是全球 50 位富豪之一，根據《福布斯》估計，他的淨資產為 380 億美元。現年 96 歲的李嘉誠於 2018 年辭去長江和記主席一職，由其長子李澤鉅接任。但他仍然是香港最具影響力的人物之一。

李嘉誠的白手起家故事與香港這個前英國殖民地的崛起歷程相似。他的商業帝國幾乎涉及香港日常生活的方方面面，從房地產、超市到電信和公用事業。在全球範圍內，他的企業集團擁有的資產包括英國連鎖藥局 Superdrug 和歐洲行動電話網路營運商 Three。

和記黃埔的一家子公司自 1997 年以來一直運營巴拿馬運河兩端的港口。這就是美國總統特朗普指控中國干涉這條關鍵航道營運的原因之一。

李嘉誠與北京的關係

李嘉誠的影響力不僅限於商業。他曾與中國高層領導人會面，並曾擔任選出香港特首的精英委員會成員。

研究北京和香港關係的專家表示，執政的共產黨領導人曾經明白，商界的支持對於維護香港的資本主義制度至關重要。鑑於其全球網絡和資源在國家發展中發揮的作用，它對中國大陸的經濟具有重要的戰略意義。所以，李嘉誠的政治影響力是顯著的。

但李嘉誠的一些商業決策也受到批評。 2015年，當他出售一些中國大陸資產時，中國官方通訊社新華社下屬一家智庫發表的一篇文章指責他不道德。

在2019年的民主抗議活動中，李嘉誠因對暴動表現出矛盾態度而遭到一些親北京支持者的抨擊。其他一些香港商界領袖採取了更嚴厲的立場。

 

巴拿馬港口協議

長江和記 3 月 4 日宣布，將把所持有的和記港口控股及和記港口集團控股的全部股份出售給一個財團，該財團還包括貝萊德的子公司 Global Infrastructure Partners 和 Terminal Investment Limited，後者的董事長是意大利航運世家 Diego Aponte，據報道 Aponte 與李嘉誠有著長期的合作關係。。

如果獲得批准，該交易價值近 230 億美元，其中包括 50 億美元的債務，將使該財團控制 23 個國家的 43 個港口，包括位於運河兩端的 Balboa 港和 Cristobal 港。此次交易不包括香港和中國大陸的港口。長江和記表示，此次交易純屬商業性質。

這筆協議令特朗普很高興，但卻激怒了北京。

一家北京支持的地方報紙的評論文章稱，這筆交易是對所有中國人的背叛，並表示該公司應該考慮一下自己該站在哪一邊。另一家則表示，偉大的企業家都是愛國者，並暗示與掠奪性的美國政客「共舞」的商人將注定背負惡名。

中國社群媒體平台微博上有關這筆交易的熱門貼文的評論對李嘉誠的批評多於贊同。

香港行政長官李家超避免直接批評該協議或特朗普，但周二對記者表示，其政府反對在國際經貿關係中採取霸凌手段，並重申了北京的立場。

（繼續）

初創公司 PsiQuantum 表示正在製造數百萬個量子計算晶片

 Recently Yahoo News on-line picked up the following:

Startup PsiQuantum says it is making millions of quantum computing chips

Reuters - Max A. Cherney and Stephen Nellis

Wed, February 26, 2025 at 8:45 a.m. PST·2 min read

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - PsiQuantum said on Wednesday it had cracked one of the crucial challenges in quantum computing: a method to manufacture quantum chips at the volumes needed to build commercially viable machines.

Quantum technology has the potential to perform types of calculations that would stump even the most powerful artificial intelligence systems that use Nvidia chips and could unlock a host of scientific and commercial applications, including cybersecurity. The technology may help in drug discovery and in materials research.

But mass manufacturing of quantum computing chips has been a difficult problem to solve. Seeking a solution, PsiQuantum's founders decided almost 20 years ago to pursue an approach that could be made using photonics, the same semiconductor manufacturing technology widely used in the communications industry.

The company spent ensuing years working closely with chip factories to engineer its chipset, called Omega, which is now ready for production, PsiQuantum Chief Executive Jeremy O'Brien told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday.

"This isn't a breakthrough, this is actually something that has gone out of the research lab, and that is the highest level of maturity that you can achieve," O'Brien said, referring to bringing a quantum chip to mass production.

The company has partnered with GlobalFoundries to fabricate the chips at the latter's Albany, New York, factory.

PsiQuantum's method uses chip industry-standard foot-wide wafers on GlobalFoundries' 45-nanometer process and has achieved manufacturing yields that match standard semiconductors, according to PsiQuantum's Chief Scientific Officer Pete Shadboldt.

"We're right now making millions of them in GlobalFoundries," Shadboldt said.

PsiQuantum published findings related to the mass-manufacture of its Omega quantum chips in the scientific journal Nature on Wednesday.

The Palo Alto, California-based company's quantum computing technology manipulates particles of light, or photons, to perform the quantum calculations. The light-based approach has several advantages, such as deploying significantly less complex mechanisms needed to cool its quantum devices, according to O'Brien and Shadboldt.

O'Brien told Reuters in 2023 the company planned to target a commercial quantum computer within six years. He said on Tuesday in the interview the company expects to complete a facility with the ability to perform commercial applications by roughly 2027.

Last week, Microsoft showcased a quantum chip that took a different approach but said that it shows such computers are "years not decades" away. And after a significant breakthrough that Alphabet Inc's Google announced in December, the search company said earlier this month commercial applications could arrive within five years.

PsiQuantum said in 2023 it had a valuation of $3.15 billion.

Translation

初創公司 PsiQuantum 表示正在製造數百萬個量子計算晶片

（路透社）- PsiQuantum 週三表示，它已經破解了具有量子計算的一個關鍵挑戰：一種以製造商業上可行機器所需的數量來生產量子晶片的方法

量子技術有可能執行多種運算，這些運算甚至會難倒使用 Nvidia 晶片的最強大的人工智慧系統，並可以解除包括網路安全在內的一系列科學和商業應程式中的限制。該技術可能有助於藥物研發和材料研究。

但量子運算晶片的量產一直是個難以解決的難題。為了尋求解決方案，PsiQuantum 的創始人在近 20 年前就決定尋求一種可以使用光子學的方法，同樣半導體製造技術已在通訊產業中廣泛應用。

PsiQuantum 執行長 Jeremy O'Brien 週二接受路透社採訪時表示，該公司隨後幾年與晶片工廠密切合作，設計出名為 Omega 的晶片組，目前已準備好投入生產。

O'Brien 在談到量子晶片的量產時表示： “這並不是什麼突破，實際上這只是走出實驗室的研究成果，也是目前可以達到的最高成熟度。”

該公司已與 GlobalFoundries 合作，在後者位於紐約州Albany的工廠去生產晶片。

PsiQuantum 首席科學官 Pete Shadboldt 表示，PsiQuantum 的方法是在 GobalFoundries 45納米的工藝上使用芯片行業標準的英尺寬晶圓，並實現了與標準半導體相匹配的製造產量。

Shadboldt 表示： “我們目前在 GlobalFoundries 的生產量是數以百萬計。”

PsiQuantum 週三在科學期刊《自然》上發表了有關其 Omega 量子晶片量產的研究結論。

這家總部位於加州的 Palo Alto公司的量子計算技術,可以操縱光粒子或光子來進行量子計算。據O'Brien 和 Shadboldt 表示，基於光的方法有幾個優點，例如部署去冷卻量子設備所需的機制要簡單得多。

O'Brien 在 2023 年向路透社透露，該公司計劃六年內推出商用量子電腦。他在周二的採訪中表示，該公司預計將在 2027 年左右建成一座能夠進行商業應用的設施。

上週，微軟展示了一款採用不同方法的量子晶片，但它表明這種電腦的誕生還需要「幾年而不是幾十年」的時間。繼 Alphabet Inc 旗下的谷歌於 12 月宣布重大突破後，這搜尋公司本月稍早表示，商業應用可能會在五年內到來。

PsiQuantum 在2023 年表示，其估值為 31.5 億美元。

       So, PsiQuantum says that it has cracked one of the crucial challenges in quantum computing: a method to manufacture quantum chips at the volumes needed to build commercially viable machines. I am wondering how this will impact on the manufacturing of quantum computers.

在越南宣布領土主張後，中國在北部灣舉行實彈演習

 Recently Yahoo News on-line picked up the following:

China holds live-fire exercises in Gulf of Tonkin after Vietnam marks its territorial claims

DAVID RISING

Mon, February 24, 2025 at 2:56 a.m. PST·2 min read

BANGKOK (AP) — Chinese authorities said they began live-fire exercises in the Gulf of Tonkin on Monday, only days after Vietnam announced a new line marking what it considers its territory in the body of water between the two countries.

China's Maritime Safety Administration said the exercises would be focused on the Beibu Gulf area, closer to the Chinese side of the Gulf of Tonkin, and would run through Thursday evening.

It gave no further details, but the drills follow an announcement last week by Vietnam establishing a baseline used to calculate the width of its territorial waters in the Gulf of Tonkin.

State-run Vietnam News reported that the baseline was in compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and would provide "a robust legal basis for safeguarding and exercising Vietnam’s sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction."

Vietnam has not publicly responded to the Chinese drills.

China and Vietnam have long had a maritime agreement governing the Gulf of Tonkin, but have been locked in competing claims in the nearby South China Sea over the Spratly and Paracel Islands and maritime areas.

China has been growing aggressive in pursuing those claims, and in October assaulted 10 Vietnamese fishermen near the Paracel Islands, three of whom suffered broken limbs.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea as its own, though it has not publicly released exact coordinates of its claim other than a map with 10 dashed lines broadly demarcating what it calls its territory.

In addition to Vietnam, China's claims overlap with those of the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan, while Indonesia has also figured in violent confrontations with the Chinese coast guard and fishing fleets in the waters around the Natuna Islands.

Tensions have been particularly high with the Philippines, with regular confrontations between the two countries.

Most recently, a Chinese navy helicopter flew within 10 feet (3 meters) of a Philippine patrol plane last week over the South China Sea, near the hotly disputed Scarborough Shoal off the northwestern Philippines.

Leaders in Australia and New Zealand also said China should have given more warning before its navy conducted an unusual series of live-fire exercises in the seas between the two countries, forcing flights on Friday and Saturday to divert on short notice.

Political leaders from both countries emphasized that China didn’t breach international law, but said they had only been given “a couple hours notice” rather than the usual 12 to 24 hours.

Translation

在越南宣布領土主張後，中國在北部灣舉行實彈演習

（美聯社） - 中國當局表示，他們於週一開始在北部灣舉行實彈演習，而就在幾天前，越南宣布了一條新的分界線，在兩國之間水域標示了認為是它的領土。

中國海事局表示，演習將集中在北部灣海域，靠近北部灣中國一側，演習將持續到週四晚間。

越南沒有透露更多細節，但這次演習是在越南上周宣布劃定其用於計算其北部灣領海寬度的基線之後進行的。

國營媒體《越南新聞》報道稱，該基線符合《聯合國海洋法公約》，並將提供為「維護和行使越南主權、主權的權利, 和管轄權的堅實法律基礎」。

越南尚未公開回應中國的演習。

中國和越南長期以來一直就北部灣管理達成海洋協議，但在附近的南海，兩國對南沙群島、西沙群島及海域有主權爭議。

中國在追求南海主權主張問題上愈發激進，並於10月在西沙群島附近襲擊了10名越南漁民，其中三人受骨折損傷。

中國聲稱對幾乎整個南海擁有主權，但除了一張以 10 條虛線大致劃定其領土範圍的地圖外，並未公開發布其主張的確切座標。

除越南外，中國的主權主張也與菲律賓、馬來西亞、汶萊和台灣的主權主張重疊，而印尼也在Natuna 群島附近海域與中國海警和漁船隊發生激烈衝突。

中菲關係尤其緊張，兩國經常發生衝突。

最近，一架中國海軍直升機上週在南海上空飛行，距離菲律賓巡邏機不到 10 英尺（3 公尺），該海域靠近菲律賓西北部有激烈爭議的黃岩島。

澳洲和紐西蘭領導人也表示，中國海軍在兩國間海域舉行一系列不同尋常的實彈演習，導致周五和周六的航班被迫臨時改道，認為在演習前中國應給予更多警告。

兩國政治領袖都強調中國沒有違反國際法，但表示他們只收到了 “幾個小時的通知”，而不是通常的12到24小時。

       So, Chinese authorities begin live-fire exercises in the Gulf of Tonkin only days after Vietnam announces a new line marking what it considers its territory in the body of water between the two countries. China has been growing aggressive in pursuing sovereignty claims in the past few months towards Vietnam. Apparently, the confrontation is escalating.

越南向中國徵收鋼鐵關稅抑制其激增出口

 Recently Yahoo News on-line picked up the following:

Vietnam Hits China with Steel Tariffs to Fight Surging Exports

Yihui Xie and Katharine Gemmell

Sun, February 23, 2025 at 11:41 p.m. PST·2 min read

(Bloomberg) -- Vietnam will impose anti-dumping tariffs on steel from China, following South Korea and other nations in fighting back against surging supplies from the world’s biggest producer.

The Southeast Asian nation will impose temporary tariffs on some hot-rolled coil starting from early March, according to a statement from the Ministry of Industry and Trade on Friday. Outside China itself, Vietnam is the biggest single buyer of Chinese steel, and hot-rolled coil is a major export product.

China’s sent the most steel overseas in nine years in 2024, as its producers turned to global markets to offset a deep construction slowdown at home. That set the stage for President Donald Trump to propose a blanket 25% tariff on all US imports, and has prompted nations from South Korea to Brazil and India to consider levies.

The flurry of protectionism will pile pressure on Beijing to rein in its billion-ton steel industry after several years of slowing domestic demand. Steel futures in China fell as much as 1.8%, while steelmakers in Vietnam advanced.

Recent tariff decisions “should incentivize the Chinese government to launch another round of supply reform” to boost supply discipline and improve industry profitability, analysts including Jack Shang from Citigroup Inc. wrote in a note.

Vietnam’s temporary tariffs of between 19.38% and 27.83% will come into force on March 7 and last for 120 days. China exported about 8 millions tons of HRC to Vietnam last year, and the tariffs would likely cover about 50% of that volume, Citigroup said, citing discussions with industry players.

The anti-dumping probe was triggered by Hoa Phat Group and Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corp., two major Vietnamese steelmakers who requested an investigation of imports from India and China last year. The government won’t go ahead with duties on India at this moment, it said.

HRC futures on China’s Shanghai Futures Exchange were 1.3% lower by 3:34 p.m. local time, while iron ore in Singapore was little changed at $107.50 a ton.

Translation

越南向中國徵收鋼鐵關稅抑制其激增出口

(彭博社)－繼韓國和其他國家針對全球最大鋼鐵生產國中國鋼鐵供應激增進行反傾銷之後，越南將對來自中國的鋼鐵徵收反傾銷關稅。

越南工業和貿易部週五發表的聲明稱，這個東南亞國家將從 3 月初開始對部分熱軋捲板(HRC)徵收臨時關稅。中國對外，越南是中國鋼鐵最大的單一買家，熱軋捲板是中國鋼鐵的主要出口產品。

到2024年的九年內，中國的大部分鋼鐵產品是出口到海外，因為中國鋼鐵生產商將目光轉向全球市場，以抵消國內建築業大幅放緩的影響。這為特朗普總統提議對所有美國進口產品徵收 25% 的關稅提供了基礎，並引使韓國、巴西和印度等國也考慮徵收關稅。

在國內需求連續幾年放緩之後，一系列保護主義將給北京帶來壓力，迫使其遏制數十億噸的鋼鐵業。中國鋼鐵期貨下跌1.8%，而越南鋼鐵上漲。

花旗集團的分析師 Jack Shang 在一份報告中寫道，最近的關稅決定 “應該會激勵中國政府啟動新一輪供應改革” ，以加強供應紀律並提高行業盈利能力。

越南19.38%至27.83%的臨時關稅將於3月7日生效，為期120天。花旗集團引述與業內人士的討論結果稱，去年中國向越南出口了約 800 萬噸熱軋卷，加徵關稅的範圍可能涵蓋其中的 50% 左右。

這項反傾銷調查由越南兩大鋼鐵製造商 Hoa Phat Group 及 Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corp發起，這兩家公司去年申請對來自印度和中國的進口產品進行調查。政府表示，目前不會對印度徵收關稅。

截至下午 3:34，中國上海期貨交易所熱軋捲板期貨下跌 1.3%, 而在新加坡鐵礦石價格基本持平，每噸 107.50 美元。

       So, Vietnam will impose anti-dumping tariffs on steel from China, following South Korea and other nations in fighting back against surging supplies from the world’s biggest producer. Apparently, China is getting more pressure from abroad and a tariff war is also taking place among Asian countries.