'Qualcomm fine' shadow looms over trade talks

Qualcomm Inc's decision to pay a record fine of $975 million for antitrust violations in China is likely to increase trade tensions and hamper negotiations on a key trade pact in the Asia-Pacific region, experts said on Tuesday.

On Monday the United States-based chip maker agreed to pay the largest corporate fine ever in China for anti-competitive practices, ending a 14-month investigation against it by the National Development and Reform Commission.

The "unfair" and "excessively high" royalties Qualcomm collected from Chinese smartphone makers were the key factors that led to the historic fine, the NDRC said.