COVID-19: Issue vouchers in smaller denominations: legislatorsBy Chien Hui-ju and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerDemocratic Progressive Party Legislator Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) and independent Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐) yesterday urged the Executive Yuan to issue vouchers in smaller denomination as part of its stimulus plan to benefit small businesses. Chung said that the voucher program should issue 20 vouchers in NT$100 denominations, five in NT$200 denominations, two NT$500 denominations and one NT$1,000 voucher. A woman holds up Triple Stimulus Vouchers on Jan. 7. Photo: Wu Chi-lun , Taipei TimesChung added that the program should be limited to small sums, as vouchers of smaller denominations would be easier for stores that sell daily necessities to accept. Only designated small stores should be allowed to accept the vouchers, Chung said, adding that the vouchers’ use should be limited to retail stores, restaurants, hotels and art exhibitions.

COVID-19: Taipei considers securing its own supply of shotsPRIVATE RESERVE: The city would pay at least NT$6 billion to acquire COVID-19 vaccines to provide booster shots against possible variantsBy Yang Hsin-hui and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Taipei City Government is considering buying COVID-19 vaccines and is to meet within a week to discuss the issue, it said yesterday. Although the central government has nominally obtained 75 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, either through purchase agreements or donations, only 9.5 million doses have arrived in Taiwan, Taipei Deputy Mayor Tsai Ping-kun (蔡炳坤) said. Medical workers administer COVID-19 vaccinations at the Taipei Expo Park yesterday. If the Taipei City Government decides to buy vaccines, it — and subsequent matters such as the number of doses needed — would be deliberated and ratified by the city council, he added. The Taipei City Government would meet within a week and invite experts to assess the situation, he said, adding that the assessment would be used to make a final decision.

Innolux cautious about prospects in second halfBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterLCD panel maker Innolux Corp (群創) yesterday said it was cautiously optimistic about second-half prospects as an imminent glass substrate supply constraint and an ongoing chip shortage would curb supply and avert a glut. The supply of glass substrates might start declining this month at the earliest, as some manufacturers commence annual factory maintenance, the Miaoli-based company said. Innolux Corp chairman Jim Hung, right, and president James Yang talk to investors during an online conference yesterday. Because of reduced glass substrate supply, “we are cautiously optimistic about the second-half market situation,” Yang said. Innolux expects the strategic partnership to lift its profit margin, as G10.5 has a cost advantage over Innolux’s G6 and G8.5 factories in producing large TV panels, Hung said.

Ending pandemic exceptionalismBy Chris van LaakIt is astonishing how differently the COVID-19 pandemic has transpired in Taiwan than in other countries with equal, or what should have been equal, disease prevention capabilities. When Taiwan largely kept the virus at its borders for most of the pandemic, it was a laudable success, but it eventually proved elusive and a few days in May brought a persistent domestic outbreak, plunging Taiwan into the “normal” of the international pandemic. However, it is more likely that some trends the world has seen in the past 18 months are to continue. Now might not be the time for that, not when only about 35 percent of Taiwanese have partial protection through vaccines. The nation needs to have a conversation about the possibility of a post-pandemic world in which COVID-19 is still around.

Formal ties with US would lift Taiwan’s status: YouNORMALIZATION: The legislative speaker said he has never been shy to admit that he is a Taiwanese independence advocate and would continue to fight for Taiwan’s statusBy Chung Li-hua and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writerTaiwan’s status would be normalized if the US resumed diplomatic ties with Taiwan, Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃) said yesterday, adding that the issue of Taiwan’s identity has been gaining attention worldwide. Legislative Speaker You Si-kun, right, talks during an online interview with media personality Frances Huang in Taipei yesterday. Asked about possible constitutional amendments, You expressed reservation and highlighted the difficulties such proposals must overcome. Lawmakers have sent 56 proposed amendments to the Legislative Yuan Constitutional Amendment Committee and they are expected to file more, he said. Given this constraint, lawmakers will have to pass the floor vote on the constitutional amendments before March 29 next year, he said.

New US arms sale to boost combat capability: expertsSHOW OF STRENGTH: The new sale signals that US President Joe Biden’s administration is following that of his predecessor in supporting Taiwan’s securityStaff writer, with CNALocal security experts yesterday lauded the US’ announcement of a new arms sale package to Taiwan, saying it had been long delayed from last year and can help the Taiwanese army modernize its combat capabilities. Instead, they were replaced by M1156 precision guidance kits for turning existing 155mm shells into guided weapons, he wrote. The new sale shows that the Biden administration is following former US president Donald Trump’s administration on arms sale; that is, it can discuss the sale of single weapons with Taiwan, instead of selling many weapons in a large package as in earlier times, Shu said. Trump ramped up big-ticket arms sales to Taiwan during his time in office, as he feuded with Beijing on a host of issues from trade to national security. The Taiwan Strait is international waters, and any country should have freedom of navigation there, he added.

As the fab would serve as a site for research and development, Hon Hai would manufacture SiC chips at other production facilities, he said. The 6-inch fab would be suitable for making SiC chips, as most manufacturers are migrating production from 4-inch to 6-inch fabs, but the 6-inch fab could no longer manufacture memory chips competitively, he said. The deal paves the way for Hon Hai to deepen its partnership with Macronix, as they explore additional opportunities in the electric-vehicle business, Liu said. Macronix chairman Miin Wu (吳敏求) said that he was relieved after feeling pressured over the past one-and-a-half months to strike a deal. Hon Hai employs 5,000 to 6,000 workers in semiconductor-related jobs, he said.

Chip shortage to extend into next year: WinbondBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterWinbond Electronics Corp (華邦電子) expects supply constraints on memory chips to extend into next year, suggesting a further upside to chip prices, company president James Chen (陳沛銘) said yesterday. “The supply of specialty DRAM will continue to be tight next year.”“Based on what we know, the world’s top three memorychip makers do not plan to add new capacity for specialty DRAM next year,” he said. Winbond Electronics Corp’s logo is pictured outside its office building in Hsinchu County’s Jhubei City on Nov. 12, 2019. The company plans to make specialty DRAM chips using advanced 20-nanometer technology, which can boost output by more than 30 to 40 percent over the 25-nanometer technology that it currently uses. Specialty DRAM is one of Winbond’s major revenue contributors, accounting for about 46 percent of total memory chip revenue last quarter, while NOR and NAND flash memory chips made up the remaining 54 percent.

The consumer price index rose by 1.95 percent year-on-year last month, partially due to higher vegetable prices amid unfavorable weather, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics said yesterday. Photo: Clare Cheng, Taipei Times“A significant increase in food prices accounted for the acceleration in consumer prices, and food prices increased because bad weather disrupted vegetable supply,” DGBAS official Tsao Chih-hung (曹志弘) told an online news conference in Taipei. Food costs rose 2.45 percent, as vegetable prices increased 19.91 percent, egg prices rose 10.17 percent and meat prices rose 5.11 percent amid unfavorable weather, the DGBAS said. The core CPI — a more reliable tracker of long-term prices as it excludes items with volatile prices, such as vegetables and oil products — edged up 1.29 percent from last year, the agency said. In the first seven months of the year, the CPI increased 1.54 percent, while the WPI rose 6.72 percent, the DGBAS said.

Following a decrease in COVID-19 cases, the CECC on Tuesday last week lowered the COVID-19 alert to level 2 from level 3, which was imposed on May 19. Customers wait for their orders at a restaurant in Taipei yesterday. Of the domestic COVID-19 cases recorded yesterday, four were men and two were women, with an onset of symptoms between July 23 and Wednesday, the center said. As of yesterday, Taiwan had recorded 15,753 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 1,280 imported and 14,420 domestic cases, with 791 deaths, CECC data showed. May 15 marked the first time the nation recorded more than 100 COVID-19 cases in a single day since the pandemic began.

COVID-19: Local jabs may be ready later this month, Chen saysBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterThe government could start offering COVID-19 vaccines by local drugmaker Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp later this month, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said yesterday. On Wednesday, the nation administered 97,342 COVID-19 vaccine doses, CECC data showed. Asked whether live-in foreign caregivers would be prioritized for COVID-19 vaccination, Chen said that there is currently no such plan. They can use the COVID-19 Vaccination Record card issued by their COVID-19 vaccination site, which includes information in English and Mandarin, Chen said. As a third option, COVID-19 vaccination sites may issue an English-language certificate of diagnosis specifying the COVID-19 vaccination record, the CECC said.

Taiwan still seeking vaccine cooperation: ministryPOLAND DONATION? Following negotiations among diplomatic personnel, Poland would evaluate the possibility of donating vaccines to Taiwan, the Liberty Times reported. Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Joanne Ou speaks at a news conference at the ministry in Taipei on May 11,2021. The US and Japan have also donated millions of vaccine doses to Taiwan. Slovakia last month said it would donate 10,000 doses to Taiwan through the European Civil Protection Mechanism, while the Czech Republic also pledged to donate 30,000 doses to Taiwan.

Firms question national space plansFLAWS? While the Space Development Act (太空發展法) has been promulgated, its supervising agency, the Ministry of Science and Technology, did not present a clear road map for space development, forum organizer and Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) said. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chung Chia-pin yesterday waves to other participants in an online forum about space technology development. It should seek opportunities in international cooperation for the local space industry, and develop launch vehicles to help other countries get small satellites and cubesats into space, he said. Letscom International general manager Randson Huang (黃文杰) asked whether the NSPO is assisting or competing with local firms, and whether it would transfer technologies to them.

Nanya Technology Corp chairman Wu Chia-chau poses for a photograph in Taipei on May 6. In addition, DRAM demand is being propelled by 5G infrastructure, 5G handsets, artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies, as those devices are equipped with much bigger memory, he added. As a result, Nanya Technology expects the DRAM industry is moving toward healthy development in the third and fourth quarters of this year. Nanya Technology last month said that it was not sure whether the price increases would be sustained in the final quarter of this year. To fuel growth, Nanya Technology is developing 10-nanometer technologies, with its second-generation 10-nanometer chips scheduled to start small-volume production soon, Wu said.

Tsai and other Ministry of Justice officials said that the extradition was another successful case of judicial cooperation with a European country. From left, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu, Slovak Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei Representative Martin Podstavek and Minister of Justice Tsai Ching-hsiang hold copies of the Arrangement Between Taiwan and Slovakia on Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters at a signing ceremony in Taipei on Tuesday. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he and other ministry officials could not visit Poland, so they had to communicate via e-mail, Lin said. “It was not easy to make arrangements, because Taiwan in May had a surge in local [COVID-19] infections. It was our job to ensure that all prevention measures and safety guidelines had been followed,” Lin said.