MediaTek pays nonmanagement highest salaries of companies listed on TWSEStaff writer, with CNAMediaTek Inc (聯發科), the largest IC designer in Taiwan, last year paid its nonmanagement employees the highest average yearly salaries of all the companies listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE), while Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, was seventh, the exchange said on Monday. MediaTek, which specializes in smartphone IC design, paid an average salary of NT$4.867 million (US$156,414) to its nonmanagement employees last year, TWSE data showed. 1 title for pay, average salaries at the firm dropped from about NT$5.15 million recorded in 2021, the data showed. Rounding out the top 10 were communications network IC designer Realtek Semiconductor Corp (瑞昱半導體, No. 10, NT$2.777 million), TWSE data showed.

EDITORIAL: Interviewee harassment unacceptableAs graduation season comes to a close, the yes123 online job bank at the end of last month surveyed 1,260 college graduates to gauge their experiences as they seek jobs, often for the first time. It turns out that many graduates’ welcome into working life is a litany of harassment, starting at the hands of interviewers. Job interviews also provide a distilled case study of the power dynamics at play in so many harassment cases. Is the interviewee going to make a fuss when the interviewer brushes their knee or asks about their plans for marriage? Overt harassment aside, these data also expose a less sinister, but more pervasive disregard for any semblance of work-life balance.

Ko and Hou to join housing justice and judicial reform rallyStaff writer, with CNATwo of the three presidential candidates — former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) — yesterday accepted invitations to attend a housing justice and judicial reform rally on July 16 on Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office Building. Huang said the issues of judicial reform and housing justice are not exclusive to any one party, but are concerns that all Taiwanese share. Internet celebrity Holger Chen, left, and former legislator Huang Kuo-chang, hold a press conference in Taipei yesterday. After meeting with Ko, Huang and Chen went to Hou’s campaign headquarters, where they met his deputy campaign head, Hsieh Cheng-ta (謝政達). Hou had previously expressed support for the rally, Hsieh said, adding that he would “make arrangements” for Hou to attend.

The real problems facing TaiwanBy Michael DanielsenRecent discussions in Taiwan about reviving the cross-strait service trade agreement highlight a fundamental difference between political parties in Taiwan. Such a policy would not solve any of Taiwan’s real problems, but only make Taiwan more dependent on the Chinese economy and Chinese investment. They should develop policies that reform Taiwan to be an even better society. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government has introduced initiatives in green technology, biotechnology, smart machinery and the Internet of Things. Without reforms, Taiwan will have a weaker economy and increased dependence on China, and this will weaken Taiwan’s self-determination.

The complicated interplays of these forces and the resulting complex dynamics significantly increase the probability of a kinetic war in Taiwan. The real danger in Taiwan’s impasse is caused not so much by international conflicts, superpowers and their schemings, as by the intramural divisions among Taiwan’s political forces that prevent the formation of a single united front. They seemingly share a common ultimate objective, which is preserving Taiwan’s democratic way of life, but make drastically different assumptions about China’s future and behavior. Having Chinese roots and the Republic of China Constitution’s backing, the pan-blue camp is willing to accept Beijing’s “one China” principle and the “1992 consensus,” which allows alternative interpretations of what “one China” means. Given the imminence and increasing escalation of the US-China conflict, the time for Taiwan’s major political parties to get their acts together and arrive at a consensus strategy on how to preserve Taiwan’s peace and democratic way of life is now.

EDITORIA: Economy likely to remain ‘blue’The National Development Council (NDC) last week reported that Taiwan’s business monitoring indicators remained “blue” for a seventh straight month in May, pointing at a continued economic slowdown, while the index of leading indicators fell for a second consecutive month, adding to worries about persistent weakness in the nation’s export-reliant economy. The index of leading indicators seeks to forecast the economic landscape in the next six months. The NDC’s data showed that the index dropped 0.28 percent in May, following a 0.19 percent fall the previous month. As the leading indicators are still falling, it means Taiwan’s economy is not out of the woods yet. In a nutshell, it would be unlikely for the business monitoring indicators to show significant upward movement in the short term, until a definitive turnaround materializes, and the “blue” signal is likely to linger for a while.

Hsueh made the remarks at a conference on reducing the nation’s neonatal mortality rate, organized by the Taiwan Society of Neonatology and the Taiwan Pediatric Association in Taipei. Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan, at the podium, talks about reducing the nation’s neonatal mortality rate at a conference in Taipei yesterday. National Taiwan University Children Hospital’s Division of Neonatology attending physician Chou Hung-chieh (周弘傑) said the neonatal mortality rate has been increasing in the past three years. Another common cause of neonatal death are perinatal respiratory disorders, he said. A neonatal death database should be established to analyze the cases and improve critical issues, he added.

Ko seeks to win big by rehashing trade issueBy Wu Hai-ruei 吳海瑞Convincing voters who remember the debate over the cross-strait service trade agreement a decade ago, as well as the flaws in the legislative process surrounding it at the time, will be difficult. South Korea had not even started negotiations until 2012, but it quickly came up with the English version of an FTA with China, and the official signing was just around the corner. The Legislative Yuan approved the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) in August 2010, and was still debating the service trade agreement and goods trade agreement. Plus, South Korea’s trade volume reached a record high of US$1.415 trillion last year, which was almost 1.6 times Taiwan’s trade volume of US$0.9075 trillion, instead of the huge differential of 1.9 to three times predicted by Kuan — and has been shrinking. This is why Ma wanted to rush the service trade agreement through without review, sparking the 2014 Sunflower movement.

Stephen M. Young On Taiwan: Further musings on Taiwan’s fate, in the shadow of UkraineThe ongoing war in Ukraine, precipitated by the dictatorial Russian leader Vladimir Putin, has been a disaster of monumental proportions. So how do we apply the paradigm of Putin’s Ukraine misadventure to the island state of Taiwan? First, Taiwan poses a very different military challenge to the Putin model of aggression against Ukraine. Like the odious Putin, Mr. Xi has grandiose ambitions to rule all he surveys for the rest of his life. It is all well and good for Mr. Xi to ramble on about “resolving” the Taiwan question in his lifetime.

Gasoline prices drop as diesel prices increaseBy Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterGasoline prices are to drop NT$0.1 per liter this week, while the cost of diesel fuel is to increase by NT$0.2 per liter, CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) and Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) separately announced yesterday. Crude oil prices moved down last week on market concerns that the European and US central banks might continue to raise interest rates, which would weaken energy demand, the companies said. Oil prices were also affected by a larger-than-expected fall in the US commercial crude oil inventories last week, they added. The price of premium diesel is to rise to NT$27.1 per liter at CPC stations and to NT$26.9 at Formosa pumps this week, they said. The company is also to keep liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices unchanged for retail and industrial users this month, but LNG prices for power generation users, such as Taiwan Power Co (台電), are to drop 5 percent, CPC said.

HK leader warns of ‘resistance’ on anniversaryAFP, HONG KONGHong Kong must guard against “destructive forces engaging in soft resistance,” Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee (李家超) said yesterday, as the territory marked the 26th anniversary of its handover from British to Chinese rule. Police question a man in Victoria Park in Hong Kong yesterday. Photo: AFPEx-security chief turned leader Lee said that Hong Kong was “largely stable” now, but was still being targeted by countries that oppose China’s rise. “There are also destructive forces engaging in soft resistance hidden within Hong Kong,” he said during a speech at an event marking the anniversary. Yoshiaki Ogawa, known for his coverage in Hong Kong, was later interviewed for about an hour, it said.

“The European Council opposes any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion. It reconfirms the EU’s consistent ‘one China policy,’” the leaders’ statement said. European Council President Charles Michel, left, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen talk to reporters at an EU summit in Brussels on Friday. The EU would also seek to ensure a level playing field with China, so that trade and the economic relationship can be balanced, reciprocal and mutually beneficial, the leaders said. Taiwan would continue to deepen exchanges and cooperation with EU members and like-minded democratic partners and jointly safeguard regional peace, stability and prosperity, it added.

Panama advance, Costa Rica heldAFP, NEW YORKPanama on Friday moved into the quarter-finals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup with a 2-1 win over Martinique after Costa Rica and El Salvador produced a frantic, but goalless draw. Martinique, surprisingly, made eight changes from the team who had beaten El Salvador in their opening game and faced relentless pressure from Panama from the outset. El Salvador’s Leonardo Menjivar leaps over Kendall Waston of Costa Rica during their CONCACAF Gold Cup match at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, on Friday. Joshua Perez’s long-range effort was tipped wide by Costa Rica goalkeeper Kevin Chamorro, while at the other end veteran Celso Borges’ thunderbolt from outside the box brought a fine save out of Mario Gonzalez. Costa Rica threw centerhalf Kendall Waston into attack and he had the ball in the net with a delicate flick, but the effort was ruled out for offside.

Ministry extends visa-free entry for three countriesStaff writer, with CNAThe trial visa-free entry program for tourists from Thailand, Brunei and the Philippines would be extended for another year, from Aug. 1 to July 31 next year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Friday. The decision to extend visa-free entry for citizens of the three countries was made following a review by agencies at a meeting on April 25, the ministry said in a statement. “Considering the need to revive mutual bilateral exchanges and tourism in the post-pandemic era, the participating agencies decided to extend the trial visa-free entry measure for one year for nationals of Thailand, Brunei and the Philippines,” the ministry said. Photo: Yang Cheng-yu, Taipei TimesThe ministry first granted visa-free entry to tourists from Thailand and Brunei on Aug. 1, 2016. “We will also continue to communicate with the governments of related countries to improve visa treatment for Taiwan nationals and make their overseas travel more convenient,” the ministry said.

Japanese are hiring agents to quit jobs for themBy Yuri Kageyama / AP, TOKYOIn Japan, a nation reputed for loyalty to companies and lifetime employment, people who job-hop are often viewed as quitters, and that is considered shameful. Enter “taishoku daiko,” or “job-leaving agents.” Dozens of such services have sprung up in the past few years to help people who simply want out. “Quitting would be a betrayal.”Founded in 2020, Guardian, a taishoku daiko service, has helped many people, mostly in their 20s and 30s, escape less painfully from jobs they want to quit. With Guardian’s help he was able to quit in 45 minutes. Niino laughs, recounting how one of his own employees used a rival agency to resign and then went on to set up his own taishoku daiko company.