IBM to Shut Down China Research Centers, Laying Off Over 1,000 Workers
fliptop writes:
IBM joins a growing list of Western tech companies that have been pulling out or scaling back their presence in the Chinese market:
IBM is in the process of shutting down its research and development (R&D) departments in China, local media outlets say, becoming the latest American tech giant to scale back its presence in the increasingly restrictive China-based market.
The decision by the Armonk, New York-based tech service provider will affect its more than 1,000 employees across China, local staff told multiple Chinese media outlets, including Jiemian, a news site owned by a Shanghai municipal government.
[...] IBM was among the first significant Western companies to invest in the Chinese market in the 1980s, according to China's state media.
In January 2021, IBM quietly closed its China Research Laboratory, a Beijing-based R&D center that focused on quantum computing, big data analysis, and other cutting-edge technology.
[...] IBM joins a growing list of Western tech companies that have been pulling out or scaling back their presence in the Chinese market amid increasing regulatory pressures from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
In response to the CCP's trade practices that have placed U.S. companies and workers at a competitive disadvantage, the Biden administration has significantly increased tariffs on imported electric vehicles, solar panels, and other imports hurting U.S. industries.
U.S. lawmakers are pushing the federal government to combat Beijing's other unfair trade practices, particularly the CCP's efforts to acquire American technological know-how. Through tactics including intellectual property theft and forced technology transfer, the CCP aims to leverage advanced technology to power its economy and advance its military.
Related:
- Yahoo Pulls Out of China Over "Challenging" Business Conditions
- Microsoft Will Shut Down LinkedIn in China
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