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Apple Boss Hails ‘Next Generation of Developers’ on China Visit 

Apple CEO Tim Cook attends the opening ceremony of the China Development Forum at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on March 23, 2025. (AFP)
Apple CEO Tim Cook attends the opening ceremony of the China Development Forum at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on March 23, 2025. (AFP)
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Apple Boss Hails ‘Next Generation of Developers’ on China Visit 

Apple CEO Tim Cook attends the opening ceremony of the China Development Forum at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on March 23, 2025. (AFP)
Apple CEO Tim Cook attends the opening ceremony of the China Development Forum at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on March 23, 2025. (AFP)

Apple boss Tim Cook on Wednesday praised "the next generation of developers" during a visit to a technology hub in eastern China, as the US tech giant battles to stay relevant in the country's vast consumer market.

The iPhone maker last year lost its status as the best-selling smartphone brand in China, but has sought to boost its ties to the country in recent months.

"Thrilled to meet the next generation of developers at Zhejiang University today," Cook said Wednesday in a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo that included a video of him interacting with students.

The post came as Apple announced it would donate 30 million yuan ($4.1 million) to the college to provide students with technical and business training in app development.

Based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang University is known for producing elite tech talent including Liang Wenfeng, the founder of AI startup DeepSeek.

The company stunned the world this year with a model chatbot that seemed able to match the performance of US rivals at a fraction of the cost.

Cook met China's commerce minister Wang Wentao on the sidelines of a key development forum in Beijing on Monday, with the ministry saying they "exchanged views on Apple's business development in China, China-US economic and trade ties and other topics".

In February, Chinese ecommerce titan Alibaba said it would supply AI technology to power Apple's iPhones in China.

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Technology

Samsung, SK Urge Employees to Cut Car Use Amid Rising Energy Risks

FILE - The logo of the Samsung is seen at the Samsung Electronics' Seocho building in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File)
FILE - The logo of the Samsung is seen at the Samsung Electronics' Seocho building in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File)
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Samsung, SK Urge Employees to Cut Car Use Amid Rising Energy Risks

FILE - The logo of the Samsung is seen at the Samsung Electronics' Seocho building in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File)
FILE - The logo of the Samsung is seen at the Samsung Electronics' Seocho building in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File)

South Korean tech giants Samsung Electronics and SK Group said they were asking employees to curb private car use and follow fuel-saving measures after South Korea rolled ⁠out emergency energy-conservation steps ⁠amid instability in Middle Eastern energy supplies.

Internal notices showed the companies encouraging car-use restrictions ⁠such as a five and 10-day vehicle rotation system, reduced parking availability and other energy-saving practices at offices from Thursday for Samsung and from March 30 ⁠for ⁠SK.

The moves follow government guidance aimed at cutting fuel consumption as concerns grow over prolonged disruptions linked to the Iran-related energy crisis.

Technology

Epic Games to Cut More Than 1,000 Jobs as Fortnite Usage Falls

The Epic Games logo, maker of the popular video game "Fortnite", is pictured on a screen in this picture illustration August 14, 2020. (Reuters)
The Epic Games logo, maker of the popular video game "Fortnite", is pictured on a screen in this picture illustration August 14, 2020. (Reuters)
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Epic Games to Cut More Than 1,000 Jobs as Fortnite Usage Falls

The Epic Games logo, maker of the popular video game "Fortnite", is pictured on a screen in this picture illustration August 14, 2020. (Reuters)
The Epic Games logo, maker of the popular video game "Fortnite", is pictured on a screen in this picture illustration August 14, 2020. (Reuters)

Epic Games said on Tuesday it would cut more than 1,000 jobs after a drop in engagement for "Fortnite," its flagship title, the latest cuts in the video-game industry whose growth has stalled amid economic uncertainty.

The cuts, along with more than $500 million in savings from lower contracting and marketing spending and unfilled roles would put the company in "a more stable place," Chief ‌Executive Tim Sweeney said ‌in a note to employees.

The ‌cuts ⁠are the latest ⁠in the gaming sector, where companies have faced weaker growth as consumers have been sticking with proven titles amid economic uncertainty.

But even those, especially live services games, which depend on a steady stream of new content to ⁠keep players engaged, are now showing signs ‌of cracks.

"We've had ‌challenges delivering consistent Fortnite magic," Sweeney said, adding "market conditions ‌today are the most extreme" since the early ‌days of the company founded in 1991.

"The layoffs aren't related to AI," Sweeney noted amid industry worries the technology could replace video-game developers.

The move marks ‌Epic's second major round of layoffs in three years. In September 2023, ⁠the company ⁠cut about 830 jobs, or roughly 16% of its workforce.

It was not immediately clear what percentage of staff would be impacted by Tuesday's announcement.

The gaming sector has faced mounting pressure. In September, Electronic Arts laid off hundreds of workers and canceled a Titanfall game that was in development at its Respawn Entertainment unit, according to media reports. Amazon's broader job cuts late last year also affected its gaming division.

Technology

Chinese Firms' Involvement in 5G Network May Deter Investors, EU Warns Vietnam

EU Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Sikela speaks during the EU-Vietnam business and investment forum in Hanoi on March 24, 2026. (Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP)
EU Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Sikela speaks during the EU-Vietnam business and investment forum in Hanoi on March 24, 2026. (Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP)
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Chinese Firms' Involvement in 5G Network May Deter Investors, EU Warns Vietnam

EU Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Sikela speaks during the EU-Vietnam business and investment forum in Hanoi on March 24, 2026. (Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP)
EU Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Sikela speaks during the EU-Vietnam business and investment forum in Hanoi on March 24, 2026. (Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP)

The involvement of Chinese vendors in the rollout of Vietnam's 5G network may deter foreign companies from investing in the Southeast Asian nation, a top EU official said on Tuesday.

European telecom firms Ericsson and Nokia are developing Vietnam's core 5G network, but in recent months Vietnamese state-owned operators have awarded 5G contracts to Chinese rivals Huawei and ZTE.

That marks a notable shift following years of caution towards China, and the change has ⁠sparked concerns among ⁠Western officials.

"Be careful with dependencies in strategic areas," EU Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Sikela said when asked about the Chinese contracts.

"5G is the new battlefield," he told Reuters on the sidelines of an EU-Vietnam investment forum in Hanoi. "Through the network you can access a lot and you can control a lot, ⁠and you have to be always careful who is your trusted vendor."

"If investors have doubts about the security of their data, they might decide not to take the risk and not to invest," he said.

Vietnam's foreign ministry and the Chinese embassy in Hanoi did not immediately reply to emailed requests for comment.

Vietnam is a major industrial hub and hosts large manufacturing operations of big Western multinationals, including European firms Adidas and Lego. Its decades-long economic boom hinges on foreign investment.

The European Union and European states ⁠on Tuesday ⁠announced a new package of investment in Vietnam's transport and energy sector.

Sikela said risks to future investments from unsecure networks were at this stage theoretical, and noted that several European countries allowed Chinese telecom vendors in the past.

Huawei and ZTE are banned from the telecom networks of several European countries and in the United States, because they are seen as risks to national security.

The companies have criticized the restrictions as unfair, rejecting the concerns as baseless.

Vietnamese officials have said that Chinese telecom equipment is reliable and cheaper, while downplaying security risks. Additional contracts with Chinese firms are under discussion, Reuters reported earlier this month.