Experts call for schools of information securityBy Chen Yu-fu and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerExperts on Monday recommended the drafting of a digital development act or basic information act, and urged the Ministry of Education to have universities establish information security departments or schools. Lawmakers and experts discuss prospects for a digital development act or basic information act at a public hearing at the Legislative Yuan on Monday. Photo: Chen Yu-fu, Taipei TimesThe Ministry of Education should encourage universities to set up departments of cybersecurity, Huang said, adding that the information security sector should not be concentrated in northern Taiwan. A digital development agency needs to communicate across departments, and be capable of integrating existing information systems or innovating new ones, Chen said. Chunghwa Telecom cybersecurity director Ma Hung-tsan (馬宏燦) said that the government should encourage entrepreneurship in cybersecurity by setting up a fund.

Taiwan enjoys bipartisan support in US: ex-officialBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterMaintaining a strong relationship with Taiwan has bipartisan support in the US, former US assistant secretary of state Kurt Campbell told a forum yesterday via videoconferencing, while encouraging Taipei and Beijing to resume dialogue. The Taiwan-US-Japan Trilateral Indo-Pacific Security Dialogue took place in Taipei, just hours after the US announced another potential arms sale package to Taiwan. “Taiwan has been at the receiving end of such military threats on a daily basis. Also joining the videoconference was Randall Schriver, Project 2049 Institute chairman and former US assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, who talked of Taiwan’s geostrategic importance. The Taiwan-US-Japan Trilateral Indo-Pacific Security Dialogue was cohosted by the Prospect Foundation, the Project 2049 Institute, the Japan Institute of International Affairs and the Prospect Foundation.

Perhaps the most egregious example of light pollution is the 2,400m2 LED display wall. Sleep scientists say light pollution can disrupt our nighttime rest. “Compared to other environmental issues, the public isn’t especially concerned about the problem of light pollution. “Advocacy and lobbying are needed to get people to pay more attention to this issue.”In terms of a legal framework to deal with light pollution, Taiwan lags behind comparable countries. Efforts to reduce light pollution are often opposed by those who think criminality thrives in darkness.

Team develops new breed of poinsettiaBy Su Meng-chuan and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerA National Chung Hsing University research team on Monday said it has developed a new breed of pink poinsettia, which won the award for best new breed in this year’s poinsettia competition held by the Taiwan Potted Plants Association. The research team, led by department of horticulture assistant professor Chen Yan-ming (陳彥銘), said it developed the breed over seven years. National Chung Hsing University department of horticulture assistant professor Chen Yan-ming on Monday in Taichung poses with pink poinsettias developed by his research team. A pink variety of poinsettia was first grown in Europe in 2000, but Taiwanese growers have not had success growing it locally, he said. The aishen variety on Nov. 18 won the best new breed award at the poinsettia competition, as well as the top prize in the 3-inch and 5-inch non-red poinsettia categories.

Full Wang confident for next yearBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterTaichung-based Full Wang International Development Co (富旺國際開發) yesterday said that its business outlook remains upbeat for next year, as low interest rates and ample liquidity would continue to support the property market despite the central bank tightening credit controls. Property development would require twice as much capital after the central bank set the loan-to-value ratios at 50 to 60 percent, from 80 percent previously, Full Wang chairman Lin Cheng-hsiung (林正雄) said. Full Wang International Development Co chairman Lin Cheng-hsiung poses for a photograph in Taipei on July 19, 2017. Photo: Hsu Yi-ping, Taipei TimesSales of residential properties and industrial plots have contributed to 74 and 25 percent of the company’s revenue respectively, Full Wang data showed. The company has acquired enough land lots to build new properties for the next four years in Taiwan, Lin said.

Citibank updates three cards ahead of likely credit rallyBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterCitibank Taiwan Ltd (台灣花旗) has revamped its three credit cards, adding higher reward rates and an improved digital banking app in a bid to attract customers before an expected rebound in credit card spending next year. Citibank Taiwan Ltd country business manager Muge Yuzuak poses for a photograph at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Holders of the Citi Prestige Card can also transfer airport delivery services to domestic travel programs due to the pandemic, it said. Citibank Taiwan, with a total of 2.14 million activated cards, ranks sixth among all of the banks in Taiwan and first among foreign banks, Financial Supervisory Commission data showed. Asked whether the bank was seeking to improve its ranking, Yuzuak said that the bank concentrates on quality instead of quantity.

Trade not issue in pork debate: KMTNEW US LEADERSHIP: Alicia Wang said Joe Biden has indicated that until the US solves domestic problems, it would not sign new trade deals with other countriesBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterThe Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday urged the government to rescind its decision to allow imports of US pork containing traces of ractopamine, saying that the policy might not lead to a trade agreement. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Culture and Communications Committee director-general Alicia Wang speaks at a news conference at KMT headquarters in Taipei yesterday. Biden’s remarks mean that Taiwan might not be able to get a bilateral trade agreement or free-trade agreement in return for the meat imports regulatory changes, Wang said. “If this is the case, we have to ask the Tsai administration ... will it still allow imports of ractopamine pork on Jan. 1 as scheduled?” Wang said, adding that the KMT wants Tsai to withdraw the decision. The Republican and Democratic parties disagree on issues including trade, environmental protection, food safety and labor, she said.

MediaTek eyeing 5G chip launchNEW FRONTIER: The 5G penetration rate is expected to climb to about 49 percent in 2022 and 60 percent in 2023, MediaTek chief executive Rick Tsai said in TaipeiBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterMediaTek Inc (聯發科), the nation’s biggest supplier of chips used in smartphones, plans to launch its new flagship 5G chip by February in a bid to capture a bigger share of the rapidly growing market, a company executive said yesterday. The announcement indicates that the Hsinchu-based chipmaker is gaining confidence about the rollout of its new 5G chip designed for premium smartphones. The chipmaker two months ago gave a more vague schedule, saying that new phones powered by its new Dimensity 5G chip would enter mass production early next year. The remarks came after the company’s bigger rival Qualcomm Inc last week unveiled its new flagship 5G chip, the Snapdragon 888, for premium smartphones. The 5G smartphone penetration rate is expected to reach 18 percent this year, beating MediaTek’s expectations, Tsai said.

Due to the PLA’s intensification of sea and air drills in the southwestern corner of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙島) are under severe threat from China’s military. The Ministry of National Defense has responded by garrisoning the Marine Corps on the Pratas Islands, ostensibly to conduct off-shore training, but in reality to bolster its defenses. The Pratas Islands are only about 400km from Kaohsiung. Freedom of navigation by the navies of the US and European nations would also be muzzled, as the waters around the Pratas Islands form a key choke point. Whether from the perspective of defense, diplomacy or territorial sovereignty, the Pratas Islands are vital to Taiwan.

Central bank tightens mortgage gripOVERHEATING: The measures would not affect first-time homebuyers or people with real demand, but are aimed at corporate and individual investors, the governor saidBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterThe central bank yesterday tightened credit controls for real-estate financing after verbal warnings failed to rein in property price hikes linked to capital repatriation and loose lending. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-long answers questions from reporters at a news conference at the bank in Taipei yesterday. It is better to act now, if credit controls are necessary to reverse the trend, he added. That explains why housing prices in the proximity of science parks in Hsinchu, Taichung and Tainan have risen, as have housing prices in rezoning areas nationwide, the central bank governor said. The central bank would further tighten credit controls if the situation fails to improve, Yang said.

Furthermore, Aboriginal hunting is often stigmatized as causing environmental damage despite rampant development continuing in other areas. Avai Yatauyungana, standing, speaks at the third annual National Aboriginal Hunter Conference. They are also required to report their kills, which will be more streamlined with the app. In April 2018, the Chiayi County Tsou Hunter Association was established as the nation’s first of its kind. Pei says findings so far have evidence that if followed properly, traditional hunting practices are sustainable.

Study traces ancient Taiwanese sailorsTAIWAN TO RYUKYU: Paleolithic seafarers might have deliberately set sail, as drifting in the ocean would not have led them to Japan’s Ryukyu Islands, a new study found About 30,000 years ago, ancient inhabitants of Taiwan might have intentionally crossed the Kuroshio, one of the world’s strongest currents, researchers found. They might have searched for a new habitat and reached the Ryukyu Islands in Japan, said a study, titled “Palaeolithic voyage for invisible islands beyond the horizon,” which was published in the journal Scientific Reports on Thursday. The study, led by anthropologist Yousuke Kaifu, a ancient history researcher at the University of Tokyo, is part of a project on maritime migration of Paleolithic people 35,000 to 30,000 years ago. While some of them are believed to have migrated from TaiwanBy Lin Chia-nan

Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei TimesThe amount of payment that can be delayed is capped at NT$30,000, with wire transfer being the only financial tool for payment, it says. The service also offers installment payment plans, but charges annual interest of up to 20 percent, the Web site says. “The service is more accessible and convenient than credit cards,” Shopee said on its Web site. “I am worried that this service would encourage young consumers to buy things they cannot afford. Both ShopeePay and Shopee Taiwan fall under the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ supervision due to their businesses of third-party payment services and e-commerce respectively.

New group urges unity in climate change fightADAPTATION: Taiwan must plan for changing climate policies, which are likely to affect supply chains, but also provide business opportunities, Camyale Chao saidBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterA group of advocates yesterday announced the formation of an alliance in Taipei called Business Action on Climate Change (BACC), aimed at facilitating a more integrated effort to fight climate change among the private sector, the government and the public. Business Action on Climate Change cofounder Niven Huang, center, announces the formation of the alliance at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei TimesTo conserve energy and reduce carbon emissions, all main sectors of the economy must transition at the same time, he said. Even trying its hardest, Taiwan would only be able to reduce global carbon emissions by less than 1 percent, he said. There are now many new ways to deal with environmental issues that can give rise to new business opportunities, Su said.

“Let them steal Georgia again, you’ll never be able to look yourself in the mirror,” Trump told rallygoers. US President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Valdosta, Georgia, on Saturday. Photo: APThe Jan. 5 Senate runoffs in Georgia are to determine the balance of power in Washington after Biden takes office. Democrats need a Georgia sweep to force a 50-50 Senate and position US vice president-elect Kamala Harris as the tiebreaking vote. Trump pulled out a piece of paper and read a list of his electoral achievements, including falsely asserting he won Georgia and the White House.