IBM has struck its second major chip deal in China, leaving some to wonder if Big Blue is handing over technology to that nation without thinking about the possible consequences. Thanks to IBM, the Chinese foundry vendor will ramp the 45nm technology in 2010 - a possible bad sign for its rivals.

Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou said on Monday the island has not considered allowing the island's LCD firms to make large panels on the mainland for now, saying it will only cautiously export its technology expertise to China.

President Ma Ying-jeou suddenly realized it needed to focus on matters closer to home.

Beijing's four-trillion-yuan (US$586 billion) stimulus package, unveiled in November 2008, "has played a very good role in the recovery of the Chinese economy," said Xiong Bilin, a vice director general of the National Development and Reform Commission.

China says both exports and imports fell in September from a year earlier but at a slower pace than previously.

South Korea must diversify its export markets in order to achieve a sustainable expansion of overseas shipments and prepare for the possibility of another global economic crisis, according to a government report.

As China primes its energy market for explosive growth, the country could see one gigawatt of solar power generation capacity by 2011, said a new report by GTM Research.

The world's leading semiconductor manufacturers plan to discuss ways to prevent overproduction and enforce fair competition at an industry-wide annual meeting on Jeju Island, according to the South Korean government.

Foreign investment has been one of the factors helping drive the rapid growth of China's economy. The investment increased in August, after 10 consecutive months of declines.

TSMC and SMIC reached a US$175 million deal in 2005 to settle a claim by TSMC. But the Taiwan-based company now alleges SMIC reneged on the deal, and oral arguments began yesterday in Oakland.

Taiwan plans to sign an agreement with China in October that will allow some of the mainland's huge pool of liquidity to start flowing into the island's stockmarket, according to local media.

Recent signs that recession has ended in some major economies, including China's major trading partner Japan, suggest that exports may pick up again.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao pledged to continue his government's aggressive stimulus efforts, saying the world's third-largest economy faces persistent problems and uncertainties from the global recession despite an upturn in growth.

"In the US, energy policy is made on the state level," CEO Mike Ahearn said. "Every state has a different approach." In contrast, Ahearn said China has designated a region within the country for renewable energy production and transmission.

Freescale Semiconductor plans to transfer its 3G cellular IP to Beijing Capital Semiconductor in a deal valued at US$30-40 million, according to a market analyst.

BOE Technology Group plans to build an 8G TFT-LCD production base in the Beijing Economic & Technology Development Zone, the first one in China, the leading Chinese supplier of display products and solutions announced in a financial report on August 26, 2009.

China Unicom and Apple reached a three-year agreement to sell iPhone in China. The initial launch is expected to be in the fourth calendar quarter of 2009.

The formal transfer of Fujitsu's hard disk drive business to Toshiba has been postponed to Oct. 1 pending approval from Chinese antitrust authorities, a person familiar with the proceedings told Dow Jones Newswires.

LDK Solar has formed an agreement with Yancheng City in China's Jiangsu Province to develop several photovoltaic power projects, including ground-power stations and roof and building integration systems.

There are worries that an increase in bank lending, which has helped to drive the Chinese market rally, might see a rise in bad loans.

Chinese exports narrowly edged ahead of those from Germany in the first six months of 2009, in a fresh sign that Germany's status as the world's leading exporter is at risk.

President Obama wants to make the US "the world's leading exporter of renewable energy," but in his seven months in office, it is China that has stepped on the gas in an effort to become the dominant player in green energy — especially in solar power, and even in the US.

Inspur, a China-based IT solutions provider and server manufacturer, has agreed to acquire Qimonda's Xi'an R&D center for 30 million yuan (US$4.4 million).