01/09/2025

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US makes it harder for Hynix, Samsung to make chips in China WASHINGTON: The United States is making it more difficult for chipmakers Samsung and SK Hynix to produce chips in China by revoking authorisations that allowed the companies to receive American semiconductor manufacturing equipment there, according to the Federal Register. The US Commerce Department had given the firms exemptions to sweeping restrictions created in 2022 on the sale of American semiconductor equipment to China. The companies will now need to obtain licenses to buy the equipment for China. The federal filing also included Intel among the firms that lost their authorisation for China, although Intel sold its Dalian unit in a deal that was finalised this year. The revocations will take effect in 120 days, according to the posting. The Commerce Department said in a statement that the United States plans to grant license applications to allow the companies to operate their existing facilities in China, but does not intend to grant licenses to expand capacity or upgrade technology. SK Hynix said in a statement that it “will maintain close communication with both Korean and the US governments and take necessary measures to minimise the impact on our business”. South Korea’s government has explained to the Commerce Department “the importance of a stable operation of our semiconductor companies in China for the stability of the global semiconductor supply chain”, the Industry Ministry said. Seoul will continue discussions with Washington to minimise the impact on South Korean companies, the ministry said. A spokesperson for China’s Commerce Ministry said Beijing “opposes the US move” and “will take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of enterprises”. The licensing change will likely reduce sales to China by US equipment makers KLA Corp, Lam Research and Applied Materials. “This move will make it harder for Korean chipmakers with facilities in China to continue producing more advanced chips,” said Chris Miller, author of Chip War . The move may help domestic Chinese equipment makers, whose tools can fill gaps. It also may help Micron, a major US competitor to South Korea’s Samsung and SK Hynix in the memory chip sector. “If this isn’t accompanied by further steps against (China chipmakers like) YMTC and CXMT, it risks opening market space for Chinese firms at the expense of the Korean firms,” Miller said. Thousands of license applications by US companies to export goods and technology to China also have been in limbo in recent months, creating a massive backlog, including for billions of dollars’ worth of semiconductor manufacturing equipment. – Reuters in a much more aggressive way,” Dobber said. High blood pressure affects over one billion people, according to the World Health Organisation, and aggravates risk of heart attacks or strokes. A small percentage of patients – 1.1% – taking baxdrostat developed hyperkalaemia, marked by high potassium levels in the blood. Hyperkalaemia was also observed with Mineralys’ lorundrostat. – Reuters

US$250 ‘integrity fee’ risks deepening US travel slump

anticipate much of it is in place throughout the administration,” Ryan said. The newest visa fee is likely to hit hardest in Central and South American countries that have been a rare bright spot for US travel this year. As of May, travel from Mexico to the US was up nearly 14% in 2025, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office. Arrivals from Argentina rose 20% and from Brazil 4.6% year-to-date. Overall, travel from Central America grew 3% and from South America 0.7%, compared with a decline of 2.3% from Western Europe. In China, arrivals have remained muted since the pandemic, with July numbers still 53% below 2019 levels. The visa fee also threatens travel from India, where visits are down 2.4% so far this year, driven by a near 18% drop in students. For some, the rise in fees will be absorbed as just another cost in an already expensive trip to the US. “The US has always been selective about its visitors. If your financial standing isn’t up to par, getting a visa is tough anyway,” said Su Shu, founder of Moment Travel in Chengdu. As foreign visitors face higher entry fees, American travellers worry about stricter requirements being imposed abroad, said James Kitchen, travel agent and owner of Seas 2 Day & Travel. “Travelers have expressed concern around reciprocal fees that may be imposed in the coming months,” Kitchen said. – Reuters

of Altour, a global travel management company. “As the summer ends this will become a more pressing issue, and we’ll have to factor the fees into travel budgets and documentation.” International visitor spending in the US is projected to fall below US$169 billion this year, down from US$181 billion in 2024, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council. The visa fee reinforces a bleak perception of the US under Trump, whose immigration policies, cuts to foreign aid and sweeping tariffs have eroded America’s appeal as a destination – even with major events like the 2026 Fifa World Cup and Los Angeles 2028 Olympics on the horizon. The Trump administration last Wednesday proposed government regulation that aims to tighten the duration of visas for students, cultural exchange visitors and members of the media. In early August, the administration said the US could require bonds of up to US$15,000 for some tourist and business visas under a pilot programme effective Aug 20 that will last for approximately a year, in an effort to crack down on visitors overstaying their visas. Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics consultancy, forecast in December 2024 that overseas travel to the US in 2025 would increase more than 10% year-over-year. Instead, it is on track to fall 3%, said Aran Ryan, director of industry studies at Tourism Economics. “We see it as a sustained setback, and we

NEW YORK: A new US$250 (RM1,056) “visa integrity fee” imposed on travellers to the United States risks piling more pressure on the struggling travel industry, as overseas arrivals continue to fall due to President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration and hostility to many foreign countries. Overseas travel to the United States fell 3.1% year-on-year in July to 19.2 million visitors, according to US government data. It was the fifth month of decline this year, defying expectations that 2025 would see annual inbound visitors finally surpass the pre-pandemic level of 79.4 million. The new visa fee, set to go into effect on Oct 1, adds an additional hurdle for travellers from non-visa waiver countries like Mexico, Argentina, India, Brazil and China. The extra charge raises the total visa cost to US$442, one of the highest visitor fees in the world, according to the US Travel Association, a membership organisation. “Any friction we add to the traveller experience is going to cut travel volumes by some amount,” said Gabe Rizzi, president o Extra charge impacts travellers from non-visa waiver countries such as Mexico, India, China

A tour guide watches as foreign tourists take selfies at the south rim of Grand Canyon National Park in the US state of Arizona. – REUTERSPIC

AstraZeneca to seek approval for blood pressure drug by year-end LONDON: AstraZeneca plans to file for regulatory approval of its experimental blood pressure biopharmaceuticals unit, ahead of a presentation of advanced trial data at a medical conference.

wished to see a 10-12 mmHg fall in placebo-adjusted blood pressure, the brokerage said on Friday. Mineralys Therapeutics’ rival drug, lorundrostat, in March showed a placebo-adjusted reduction in systolic blood pressure by 9.1 mmHg at six weeks with a 50mg dose. The US company also expects to submit data to the FDA by year-end. “There’s a huge acknowledgement that hypertension needs to be treated

Keenly watched data showed that 2mg of baxdrostat, added to standard treatment, reduced systolic blood pressure by 9.8 millimetres of mercury (mmHg) from the baseline at 12 weeks, when adjusted for placebo, in patients with hard-to-control hypertension. At the 1mg dose, that pressure exerted on the arteries by the heart’s pumping action was lowered by 8.7 mmHg. Physicians polled by TD Cowen

Baxdrostat targets blood pressure – regulating hormone aldosterone, a novel approach compared with older treatments like diuretics and ACE inhibitors, which do not address hormonal drivers. AstraZeneca expects peak annual sales for the drug to exceed US$5 billion.

treatment before the end of the year, a senior company executive said, about a product seen as key to the drugmaker’s long-term sales strategy. The company is aiming for potential approvals in 2026 for the drug, baxdrostat, starting with the US and the EU, said Ruud Dobber, president of AstraZeneca’s