Continental launches sales of San Francisco condosBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterContinental Development Corp (大陸建設) yesterday started selling small apartments in the heart of San Francisco, California, as the Taipei-based company seeks to expand at home and abroad. The mixed-use complex, Serif (尚芮), on the intersection of Market Street and Turk Street is set to include 242 condominiums and an upscale hotel upon its completion in July, Continental Development chairman Christopher Chang (張良吉) told a news conference in Taipei. Continental Development Corp chairman Christopher Chang, center, Formosan Rubber Group chairman Peter Hsu, second right, and other guests drink a toast at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Small apartments have been popular in San Francisco due to its dense population of affluent singles, she said, adding that the elegant modern design would strike a chord with the target customers. The company said it would reserve 36 units for Taiwanese buyers, and 40 percent has already been sold to young wealthy professionals.

Yulon said it was premature to give a forecast for vehicle sales this year as most automakers are pushing for a five-year extension of a NT$50,000 (US$1,760) reduction in commodity tax. 3 spot for sales, moving 30,426 units — a 7.9 percent decline from a year earlier — leaving it with a 6.7 percent share of the market. Yulon Nissan and Honda were the only two automakers among the top 10 firms in Taiwan that saw vehicle sales decline last year. China Motor Corp (CMC, 中華汽車), which distributes Mitsubishi sedans, was sixth in sales, moving 24,979 units, a 1.3 percent increase from the previous year. Tesla Inc saw its sales surge 84.9 percent to 5,819 units last year, making it the fastest-growing brand among imported automakers.

After the US cut diplomatic ties with Taipei, the US Congress passed the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) to provide the “governing authorities on Taiwan” with the same treatment enjoyed by other sovereign states. The persistence of the “ROC in Taiwan” was a result of the US’ indulgence of the KMT’s authoritarian rule. Putting aside the question of whether the US treats Taiwan as a bargaining chip against China, why should Taiwan be one of China’s core interests? US General Douglas MacArthur even referred to Taiwan as an “unsinkable aircraft carrier.”Should free and democratic Taiwan be dependent on China? What is really worrying is communist infiltration and enemies within Taiwan.

FEATURE: Taichung still popular pick for LY relocationBy Huang Hsin-po, Wu Su-wei and William Hetherington / Staff reporters, with staff writerThe issue of relocating the Legislative Yuan (LY) out of Taipei remains a hot topic even a decade after it was first proposed, with Taichung the most popular among the proposed locations, legislators said. Other proposed locations include New Taipei City’s Tucheng District (土城), Changhua County’s Tianjhong Township (田中) and Yilan County. The Legislative Yuan in Tapiei is pictured on April 30, 2010. The Legislative Yuan building was a girls’ high school during the Japanese colonial era, and the legislature’s administrative offices are in what used to be its dormitory. In 2012, then-Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) proposed moving the legislature to Taichung.

Whither Taiwan’s universities? This outcome had long been predicted, the inevitable result of Taiwan’s low birthrates and surplus of universities. Hence, the paradox by which Taiwan’s cheap public universities are populated by students from better-off families, while the working class has to send its children to lower quality private universities, often by borrowing money. Safe from foreign competition, Taiwan’s universities can monopolize the local population, save for those few families wealthy enough to send their children overseas. Whatever changes, thanks to low birthrates, around half of Taiwan’s private higher education institutions are expected to close in the coming decade.

THSR Yilan line proposal sent to MOTC: bureauNO DESTINATION YET: Four sites for a terminal station were proposed. Prior to the publication of the final report, the Yilan County Government sent a letter to the bureau suggesting that the terminal station be at a TRA station planned for near Yilan County Hall, which is not scheduled to be built until 2030. The town, which is in the center of the Lanyang Plain, has a complete infrastructure nearby and is close to the county hall, the Yilan County Council Building and the Yilan Science Park, it said. A THSR line to the station there would boost urban development as well as the growth of the high-tech industry there, it said. Travel time to any of the four proposed stations would be about the same, so it would not be a factor in the final decision, the bureau said.

Chen Shui-bian hosts first episode of new radio showTREAD LIGHTLY: As part of his medical parole, Chen is not allowed to discuss politics, but said his show would focus on life and inspiring storiesStaff writer, with CNAFormer president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday started a radio show on Smile Taiwan with Smile founder Shih Chuan (石川) as his first guest. Speaking to reporters before the program began, Chen said it was his first time hosting a show, and although he was unfamiliar with radio, he was not embarrassed to learn something new. Former president Chen Shui-bian smiles in Kaohisung yesterday before his debut as a radio show host. Chen was sentenced to 20 years in prison for money laundering and bribery, but was released on medical parole on Jan. 6, 2015, due to his deteriorating health. Responding to reports that the prison did not approve of his radio show, Chen said that prison authorities had visited him on Wednesday, and that they had communicated about it in advance.

Agency statistics showed sales revenue in 2019 reached NT$41.6 billion, while the pandemic caused the revenue to drop by about 11 percent. That led the Sports Administration to implement a contingency plan on March 16 to minimize the pandemic’s impact on sports lottery sales. Between March 17 and Dec. 31, Taiwan Sports Lottery offered a total of 28,909 games for betting, creating sales revenue of NT$31.9 billion, the agency said. “We thank the Sports Administration for enforcing the contingency plan and offering relief funds to sports lottery retailers during this difficult time. We continue to improve our service to help the nation expand the economies of scale for sports industry,” Taiwan Sports Lottery said.

New revenue drivers to benefit Chilisin: analystsBy Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterChilisin Electronics Corp (奇力新), the nation’s largest power inductor manufacturer, would continue to benefit from steady demand for inductor components due to the work-from-home economy, while high-margin molding chokes and low-temperature cofired ceramic (LTCC) components are expected to become new revenue drivers, analysts said. A sign displaying the logo of Chilisin Electronics Corp is pictured at the company’s headquarters in Hsinchu County’s Hukou Township on June 20, 2018. The deal — with Chilisin acquiring 100 percent shares of Bothhand for NT$2.8 billion — would hurt Chilisin’s revenue outlook in the short term but benefit its operations in the long term, they said. The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of this month, Chilisin said on Dec. 23. Yuanta has retained its “buy” rating on Chilisin with a target share price of NT$135, but forecast that the company’s revenue would decline 10 percent year-on-year this year and net income would drop 4 percent from last year.

CTBC Financial beats its own record for accoladesStaff writerCTBC Financial Holding Co (中信金控) not only remained stable during a trying year last year, but also outperformed itself, setting a new record by winning 230 major accolades, including 33 leading international and regional awards. As Taiwan’s largest bank, CTBC Bank is dedicated to the digitization of financial services, which has proved particularly important during the COVID-19 pandemic. A sign displaying the logo of CTBC Bank is pictured outside the company’s headquarters in Taipei on April 13 last year. CTBC Financial has also been recognized for its continued efforts in environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG). Notably, CTBC Financial in June became the first financial institution in the world to receive the UN Industrial Development Organization’s prestigious Award of Excellence in Energy Management.

Virus Outbreak: CECC confirms four new imported cases of COVID-19By Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported four new imported cases of COVID-19 — travelers from Eswatini, Germany, the US and the UK — bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Taiwan to 812. Visitors wearing masks yesterday crowd a Taipei park, where a sign at the entrance reminds people to wear masks at eight types of public venues to prevent the spread of COVID-19. She was tested for COVID-19 on Friday and the result came back positive yesterday, he added. The last case is a Swazi man in his 30s who came to Taiwan for work on Dec. 24, he said. He was tested on Friday, and the result came back positive yesterday, he said, adding that a friend of the man who accompanied him to Taiwan was also tested for COVID-19.

THSR Yilan line proposal sent to MOTC: bureauNO DESTINATION YET: Four sites for a terminal station were proposed. Once the plan is finalized, it would take more than a decade to build the line The Railway Bureau’s proposed extension of the Taiwan High-Speed Rail (THSR) system to Yilan County was submitted to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) last week, even though the bureau has yet to decide on the terminus station. Extending the line from Taipei’s Nangang District (南港) — the system’s current northern terminus — to Yilan is part of the ministry’s proposed plans to facilitate transportation between the west and east coasts. Previously, the ministry had planned to build a direct Taipei-Yilan line for the Taiwan Railways Administration’s (TRA) system. The bureau last year began planning for a high-speed rail extension to Yilan,By Shelley Shan

Of course, there’s joy mixed in as well, but not much.”A portrait of the late writer Sanmao. The friends from Chingchuan visit me in my dreams almost every night, and these people’s faces make my heart ache,” she continued in the letter. This photo shows Sanmao’s house in Chingchuan around 2005, just after it was fixed up by the government for tourism. “The Little Prince sobbingly told me that he could no longer return to the Sahara,” Sanmao wrote. Martinson writes he received numerous calls asking about the house, and countless people from across Taiwan passed through due to Sanmao’s calling.

New Taipei eatery owners cater for students in needBy Weng Yu-huang and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe owners of a Japanese-style izakaya food pub in New Taipei City’s Lujhou District (蘆洲) have through 2019 and last year prepared 300 lunchboxes per month for disadvantaged students, free of charge. Hsu Jui-hsi, left, and Hsu Pin-jui on Friday hold lunch boxes at their izakaya in New Taipei City’s Lujhou District. Photo: Weng Yu-huang, Taipei TimesThey hope that those who received the lunchboxes will prosper and one day also help others, they said. Until 2009, when Hsu Jui-hsi graduated from high school, they had not often been able to eat out, the brothers said. About 120 students at the school benefit from the project every month, Shen said.

Groups march for Trump in Taipei and extend an invitationBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterPeople rallied in Taipei yesterday to support US President Donald Trump and called for Taipei and Washington to normalize the relationship between the two nations. The group held banners and shouted: “Support President Trump, protect Taiwan,” “Welcome Trump to visit Taiwan” and other slogans while waving US flags, along with green-and-white flags bearing an image of Taiwan and its outlying islands. People march in Taipei yesterday to support US President Donald Trump. “I am here to thank President Trump, because he has done so much for Taiwan in the past four years,” Ong said. The groups invited Trump to visit Taiwan and expressed their hope that formal Taiwan-US ties would be restored.