Sumner Lemon

BEA Systems Inc. opened a research and development centre in Beijing on Thursday, to support the company's Asian expansion plans. The centre is the first such facility opened by the company in Asia, according to a statement.

The Internet Society of China (ISC) is hoping to bring the problem of spam under control in the world's most populous country by blocking e-mails sent from 127 servers that have been identified as sources of spam, according to a statement released by the group.

An alliance between Hewlett-Packard Co. (HP) and Chinese Linux developer Red Flag Software Co. Ltd. established last month should lead to co-operation between the two companies on technology development and marketing of Red Flag Linux to companies in China and around the world.

Heeding Chinese government calls for investors to help develop China's interior, Intel Corp., the world's largest chip maker, Wednesday announced it had signed a memorandum of understanding to construct a test and assembly facility in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu. With an initial investment of US$200 million, the facility will be the second such plant that Intel operates in China.

The Chinese government is pushing ministries to buy more locally produced software but foreign vendors aren't likely to be shut out of government contracts.

In a move that could lead to lower prices for Microsoft Corp.'s software in other countries, the Redmond, Washington, software company has cut the price of its Windows operating system and Office application suite in Thailand, according to a report released by market analyst Gartner Inc.

When Joyce Yang's family fell on hard times she turned to online auctions for help.

Looking to grab a larger chunk of the Chinese memory market, German chipmaker Infineon Technologies AG plans to invest US$241 million over the next five years in a joint-venture company that will construct a test and assembly facility for memory chips in China, the company said Monday.