0:00:00 > 0:00:02Minister.
0:00:02 > 0:00:07Now on BBC News, all the latest business news live from Singapore.
0:00:17 > 0:00:27Strong demand for memory chips boost Samsung's quarterly profits to a
0:00:27 > 0:00:31record high. After a day of soldiering through the sites, French
0:00:31 > 0:00:35President Macron gets down to business, focusing on economic
0:00:35 > 0:00:44relations between the two countries. Good morning, Asia, hello world.
0:00:44 > 0:00:49Glad you could join us for another exciting edition of Asia Business
0:00:49 > 0:00:54Report. I'm Rico Hizon. We start off with Samsung Electronics, and
0:00:54 > 0:00:59despite having its boss behind bars, but Korean conglomerate appears to
0:00:59 > 0:01:03be going from strength to strength. It released its earnings guidance
0:01:03 > 0:01:07this morning and while it missed expectations it expects a record
0:01:07 > 0:01:11quarterly profit in the fourth quarter. For more I am joined by my
0:01:11 > 0:01:15colleague. Why did they miss expectations?If you thought it was
0:01:15 > 0:01:19because of the scandals, it has got nothing to do with it. It is because
0:01:19 > 0:01:23of the strong South Korean currency, which makes its currency more
0:01:23 > 0:01:29expensive overseas. But even though it missed expectations, it is still
0:01:29 > 0:01:34a pretty impressive number. A record quarterly profit of $14 billion in
0:01:34 > 0:01:39just three months, the final three months of 2017. That is up 64%
0:01:39 > 0:01:46compared to a year ago. And it is all because of the strong demand for
0:01:46 > 0:01:51memory chips. It was of course we all seem to be a test with
0:01:51 > 0:01:56smartphones, and part of Samsung's strength is that they do not just
0:01:56 > 0:02:08make smartphones, but displays and chips. It has displaced Intel as the
0:02:08 > 0:02:12world's biggest chipmaker. And the company missed those expectations
0:02:12 > 0:02:19earlier, and the shares are actually trading lower at this hour in Seoul.
0:02:19 > 0:02:25And of course, you have the South Korean yuan strengthening because of
0:02:25 > 0:02:28tighter monetary policy from the Korean central bank. Talking of
0:02:28 > 0:02:33smartphones, our addiction to these machines is worrying some Apple
0:02:33 > 0:02:37shareholders. Two of them said the company needs to do more to help
0:02:37 > 0:02:41teenagers and children to put down the devices, because they could
0:02:41 > 0:02:47impact mental health. Our business reporter has the details. They are
0:02:47 > 0:02:52quite big shareholders. I mean, one is actually the teachers' pension
0:02:52 > 0:02:57fund, so this is something you might expect from investors like that. We
0:02:57 > 0:03:00have had examples in America of investors who are for example
0:03:00 > 0:03:05pension funds taking up social causes or asking for changes in the
0:03:05 > 0:03:09way a particular company operate. You know, for a social cause. But
0:03:09 > 0:03:13the other big investor, a huge investor, has billions of dollars in
0:03:13 > 0:03:17the fund. It is actually surprising for a statement like that to come
0:03:17 > 0:03:22from them. As far as what investors are saying, in their letter to Apple
0:03:22 > 0:03:25they say it will make good business sense. If you start paying attention
0:03:25 > 0:03:29to health issues, eventually in the long run it will make business sense
0:03:29 > 0:03:36because they say there is growing societal and these that at -- that
0:03:36 > 0:03:40some people might be getting too much of a good thing. They have
0:03:40 > 0:03:44asked Apple to spread awareness to parents about possible addiction and
0:03:44 > 0:03:47what they can do to reduce iPhone usage by their children and to study
0:03:47 > 0:03:52the impact on mental health of being addicted to your phone. So in that
0:03:52 > 0:03:57sense, I think, for the company to respond to that, which it so far
0:03:57 > 0:04:01hasn't, I think they are in a pretty easy spot. But remember, this also
0:04:01 > 0:04:05comes on the back of last week and the week before that we were talking
0:04:05 > 0:04:10about Apple being on the back foot when they had to come out and say
0:04:10 > 0:04:14they were slowing down iPhones because of battery issues. So of
0:04:14 > 0:04:18course it is not good news that investors have come out and said
0:04:18 > 0:04:22this, but in that sense they are not really in a sticky spot.Overall it
0:04:22 > 0:04:26has not been a good day for Apple, they have also been sued by Paris
0:04:26 > 0:04:33prosecutors over a suspected plan to throttle its products. It admitted
0:04:33 > 0:04:36it intentionally slows down older models of iPhones over time.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40Manufacturers are being criticised the building in the expiry of their
0:04:40 > 0:04:45product, so that consumers will be forced to replace them.With Europe
0:04:45 > 0:04:51looking divided, experts say France is gaining the lead in access to
0:04:51 > 0:04:55China. Emmanuel Macron is on the mainland for a second day as he
0:04:55 > 0:04:59tries to drum up closer trade ties with the second largest economy.
0:04:59 > 0:05:04Trade between the countries in 2016 was worth $70 billion US, but
0:05:04 > 0:05:08massively skewed in China's favour. They have roughly $33 billion
0:05:08 > 0:05:13surplus with France. Chinese economists say they believe Emmanuel
0:05:13 > 0:05:18Macron will be able to narrow the trade gap.After this basically he
0:05:18 > 0:05:23is definitely bringing back some big deals. At least now the rumours have
0:05:23 > 0:05:32been saying that at least the Chinese will invest in Airbus,
0:05:32 > 0:05:35narrowing the trade deficit with France.Definitely that deal with
0:05:35 > 0:05:41Airbus is much bigger than exporting more wine and beef to the mainland.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45I think Airbus has been traditionally there, but the new way
0:05:45 > 0:05:52of narrowing the gap should go beyond nuclear, automobiles, and
0:05:52 > 0:06:00then the Airbus jet. Because it is the new growth area.Surely the
0:06:00 > 0:06:06Chinese also want more French investments into China.Yes, and
0:06:06 > 0:06:11that is why I think on Emmanuel Macron's agenda will be asking China
0:06:11 > 0:06:18for preferential policy towards the French, which the European chamber
0:06:18 > 0:06:23of commerce have continued lobbying for, for a more fair trade and
0:06:23 > 0:06:28investment policy for European firms.But will the Chinese also
0:06:28 > 0:06:34want more access not only to France but into the European Union? More
0:06:34 > 0:06:43mergers and acquisitions, after the failed bid to buy a company in the
0:06:43 > 0:06:45United States?Yes, for sure. Definitely because of the overall
0:06:45 > 0:06:53French position in that initiative. So overall, China needs France,
0:06:53 > 0:06:59especially when the UK now is busy dealing with Brexit.Some people are
0:06:59 > 0:07:05calling for a boycott of H&M over and ad they consider to be racist.
0:07:05 > 0:07:16Posts on social media point to a photograph of a black child
0:07:16 > 0:07:19modelling a hoodie, saying coolest monkey in the jungle. Others are
0:07:19 > 0:07:22defending them, saying it is a mistake. They have apologised to
0:07:22 > 0:07:30anyone this may have offended. Sony is singing a sweet June after
0:07:30 > 0:07:38striking a deal with Facebook, which will allow it to stream work from
0:07:38 > 0:07:45its Instagram. The catalogue includes Bob Dylan, Taylor Swift and
0:07:45 > 0:07:51Ed Sheeran, who can earn royalties from the use of their music on the
0:07:51 > 0:07:54social media platforms. Remember that Google engineer who was fired
0:07:54 > 0:07:59after writing an infamous memo with gender stereotypes? He sued his
0:07:59 > 0:08:03former employer on Monday. He claims Google systematically discriminates
0:08:03 > 0:08:08against white Conservative men. If I told you there was a new software
0:08:08 > 0:08:14that can draw better than you can, well, it turns simple scribbles into
0:08:14 > 0:08:20detailed paintings and it is on show at the Consumer Electronics Show in
0:08:20 > 0:08:24Las Vegas. Let's take a look.
0:08:47 > 0:08:52I am going to have a go on Vincent. I am going to turn my scribbles into
0:08:52 > 0:08:57art. Let's try a picture of London with Tower Bridge and the houses of
0:08:57 > 0:09:02parliament. So what is the system doing here?It is looking at the
0:09:02 > 0:09:08edges you draw and imagining those as the tracings of a masterpiece,
0:09:08 > 0:09:12and it is trying to create that masterpiece.It looks a little bit
0:09:12 > 0:09:17like something you might find in a hotel bedroom.I think that is that,
0:09:17 > 0:09:21it is bold and colourful typically. It is looking at the shapes on the
0:09:21 > 0:09:24horizon and inventing something quite colourful.I have had a go at
0:09:24 > 0:09:28doing a self-portrait here as well. It is quite hard to get it to
0:09:28 > 0:09:33recognise and fill in a face as you might expect it to look. Why is
0:09:33 > 0:09:37that?The simple answer is you are not drawing a face exactly how it
0:09:37 > 0:09:41might look in a painting. So it is my art skills. I have too much of
0:09:41 > 0:09:44the modern face for Renaissance art.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18Art and technology, an amazing combination. Let's have a quick look
0:10:18 > 0:10:22at the markets, and most of them are in positive territory. The Nikkei
0:10:22 > 0:10:27225, the Hang Seng and the all ordinaries index well entrenched in
0:10:27 > 0:10:31positive territory. This is after record highs on Wall Street
0:10:31 > 0:10:33overnight. Thank you for investing your time with