Hello everyone, this is Lauly. I am writing this week’s #techAsia on my way back to Taipei from a 5G industry event in Taoyuan, a rising hub for 5G technologies. It has been two weeks since US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan. China responded with several days of live-fire military drills around the democratically-governed island, but despite the rising tensions, business here goes on, as does daily life for ordinary people. A department store I went to over the weekend was packed with crowds, and I even had to wait in line to get a table at a coffee shop.

The 5G industry event drew executives from many key tech suppliers, including iPhone assemblers Foxconn and Pegatron and MacBook builder Quanta Computer. Tech suppliers see a chance in the emerging field of 5G private networks to shift away from low-margin consumer electronics and foray into telecom equipment, a field long dominated by giants like Huawei Technologies and Ericsson. Private 5G wireless networks are dedicated local networks for use in a specific facility or location, such as a factory or a farm. Grabbing such opportunities has become more important than ever as the industry braces for slowing consumer electronics demand and a looming economic recession.

Made in Vietnam

The Apple Watch and MacBook laptops are set to be the next major Apple products made in Vietnam, according to this scoop by Nikkei Asia’s Cheng Ting-Fang and Lauly Li.