IBM, a major U.S. IT company, is halting its R&D operations in China and laying off more than 1,000 employees, according to a report by the Hong Kong South China Morning Post, citing the Chinese media outlet Jiemian News. Jiemian News reported on the 24th that IBM is shutting down its China Development Lab and China Systems Lab, resulting in layoffs in Beijing, Shanghai, Dalian, and other locations. The report also noted that IBM's R&D staff in China discovered over the past weekend that they had been blocked from accessing the company's internet systems.

According to posts by IBM employees on Chinese social media, the company announced the layoffs during an internal meeting on the morning of the same day. In an email to the newspaper, IBM stated, "IBM adjusts its operations as needed to provide the best service to its clients, and these changes will not affect our ability to support our clients in Greater China." The newspaper explained that, as U.S.-China competition intensifies, global businesses are adjusting their operations in mainland China, with IBM joining other multinational tech giants like Tesla, Amazon, and Intel in reducing jobs in China this year.

(MBC News 2024.08.26)