Lions dominate Brothers 12-1 to force Game 7By Jason Pan / Staff reporterThe visiting Uni-President Lions yesterday thrashed the CTBC Brothers 12-1, forcing a decisive Taiwan Series Game 7 today at the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium for the title. Fans wearing CTBC Brothers gear and holding a banner for Brothers right fielder Chang Chih-hao cheer during Game 6 of the Taiwan Series against the Uni-President Lions at the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium yesterday. Baseball fans cheer for their teams at Thursday’s Taiwan Series game between the Uni-President Lions and the CTBC Brothers in Tainan. De Paula left the game after seven innings, and in the eighth, the Lions scored eight runs against five pitchers brought in by Brothers manager Chiu Chang-jung. The Lions’ Pan, a pivotal member of Tainan Lions’ three-peat title dynasty from 2007 to 2009, ignited the rally with a second double to knock in one run.

CEC mulls referendum to ban ractopamine porkBy Huang Hsin-po and Dennis Xie / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Central Election Commission (CEC) yesterday held a hearing on a referendum proposal to ban imports of US pork treated with the controversial feed additive ractopamine. Central Election Commission members in Taipei yesterday attend a hearing on a referendum proposal submitted by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislative caucus whip Lin Wei-chou. Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei TimesMost experts participating in the hearing said that Lin’s proposal met the qualifications of a national referendum, the commission said. Lin rebutted Hsueh’s remarks, saying that as pork containing ractopamine would be cheaper, the annual consumption would rise after it enters the local market. After Japan allowed imports of pork containing ractopamine 15 years ago, the treated pork eventually accounted for more than 50 percent of its total imported pork, Lin said.

Eighty percent of food delivery workers fear traffic accidents, survey showsBy Chung Li-hua / Staff reporterUp to 80 percent of those working as food deliverers worry that they will get into a traffic accident while making deliveries, a survey released yesterday by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Fan Yun (范雲) and the Taiwan Labor Front found. “We have witnessed recurring tragedies: road accidents involving delivery riders followed by disputes over compensation and medical bills,” she said, citing that over a two-month period, delivery riders in Taipei were involved in more than 200 traffic accidents, resulting in one death and 202 people injured. Forty percent of respondents worked part-time as food deliverers and 42 percent worked full-time, while 18 percent were high-school students. Among the full-time delivery riders, 68 percent had no labor insurance, while 32 percent had coverage through a workers’ union. Sixty-eight percent of the part-time food deliverers had labor insurance through their other job, while 18 percent had no labor insurance and 10 percent had coverage through a workers’ union.

Former president Ma Ying-jeou speaks in Taipei on Oct. 31 at an event to celebrate the 68th anniversary of the founding of the Lifelong Learning Center. Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei TimesIt kowtowed to Beijing by recasting the so-called “1992 consensus” as “there is only one China, with no differing interpretations,” the DPP said. “However, most Taiwanese have rejected the ‘one country, two systems proposal.’”“The Chinese government must understand this fact,” he said. “The Chinese leadership must face these political realities and must have the courage to change the way it treats cross-strait relations,” he said. The “1992 consensus” is a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up in 2000.

Rakuten Bank targets 500,000 digital accountsBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterRakuten International Commercial Bank Co (樂天國際商銀), a Web-only bank that is expected to begin operations by the end of this year, aims to sign up 500,000 digital savings accounts next year, but it would not launch a price war to attain its goal, chairman Chien Ming-ren (簡明仁) said on Thursday. If the virtual bank achieves its goal, it is likely to overtake O-Bank Co (王道商業銀行) or Bank SinoPac (永豐銀行), which had 441,945 and 471,689 digital savings accounts respectively as of the end of June, and rank third after Taishin International Bank (台新銀行) with 2.11 million accounts and Cathay United Bank (國泰世華銀行) with 680,330. Photo: Lee Chin-hui, Taipei Times“It is very easy for traditional banks to boost their digital savings accounts, as they already have millions of customers. Rakuten Bank is waiting for the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) to approve its operating license, Chien said. The bank plans to offer deposits, fund transfer, small loan and debit card services in the initial phase and gradually expand into mortgages and corporate loans, he added.

HTC sales nearly halved last monthBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterHTC Corp (宏達電) yesterday reported revenue of NT$430 million (US$14.89 million) for last month, down 47 percent from NT$817 million in September and 34 percent from NT$656 million a year earlier. HTC Taiwan president Darren Chen, left, and HTC Corp CEO Yves Maitre introduce the company’s new smartphones, the U20 5G series, at a news conference in Taipei on June 17. On Oct. 20, HTC launched the 4G HTC Desire 20+, a mid-range model priced at NT$8,940. This month, it made the U20 5G available in black. Contract electronics manufacturer Inventec Corp (英業達) also saw revenue last month fall 18.9 percent month-on-month and 12.6 percent year-on-year to NT$42.1 billion.

The draft law would authorize coast guard vessels “under attack” to respond with force, and to detain vessels that have illegally entered Chinese waters. For Taiwan, which has already butted heads with Tokyo over Japan’s actions toward Taiwanese fishing boats near the Diaoyutais, which are claimed by Taiwan, Japan and China, it means that disputes in the area could become a three-way balancing act. By defining the limits of the use of force, the law would enhance the safety in China’s territorial waters, they say. China’s proposed law is the latest in Beijing’s efforts to turn the East and South China seas into its territorial waters. For the sake of regional security and international maritime commerce, it cannot go unchallenged.

Highlight: Taiwan POW Camps Remembrance DayBy Han Cheung / Staff reporterThis year is a special one for the Taiwan POW Camps Memorial Society — Aug. 15 marked the 75th anniversary of VJ Day, the Allied victory over Japan and the end of World War II. Only then were the surviving men held in the 14 POW camps across Taiwan able to go free. They will be hosting their annual Remembrance Day event on Nov. 15 at the memorial, followed by a picnic lunch at the community center. Relatives of the POWs lay down poppy wreaths at the Kinkaseki POW Camp memorial during 2016’s Remembrance Day event. ■ Nov. 15 at 11am at Taiwan POW Memorial Park in Jinguashi, New Taipei City.

Tainan Lions stay alive, shutting out CTBC BrothersBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterThe Uni-President Lions yesterday stayed alive in the Taiwan Series, shutting out the CTBC Brothers 6-0 in Tainan. With the Brothers ahead in the series 3-2, the Lions started the game with Canadian right-hander Brock Dykxhoorn, while Dominican pitcher Esmil Rogers started for CTBC. Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua yesterday throws the opening pitch at Game 5 of the Taiwan Series between the Uni-President Lions and CTBC Brothers in Tainan. Uni-President Lions’ Lin Yu-le bats in yesterday’s game against CTBC Brothers in Tainan. In Wednesday night’s game, the Brothers held a 6-0 lead over the Lions heading into the eighth inning, scoring three runs each in the fourth and fifth innings in Tainan.

Civic groups call for government probe into Chinese investment in ezTravelBy Jake Chung / Staff writer, with CNAThe government should investigate allegations of Chinese dominance of Taiwan’s largest online travel agency Web site, ezTravel, representatives of two civic groups said at a news conference at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday. Chiang also questioned how ezTravel — given its Chinese investment — has continued to win management of the Taiwan Railways Administration’s (TRA) round-island train travel programs. “It is evident that Trip.com completely owns ezTravel’s board,” Lai said. Chiang called on the government to penalize travel agencies that have not declared that they have received Chinese investment. Investment Commission Executive Secretary Chang Ming-pin (張銘斌) said that previous investigations found that while ezTravel has Chinese investors, their share of its stock had not exceeded the 30 percent permitted by law.

TPK projects dismal revenueSEEKING ALTERNATIVES: The firm faces mounting risk of weakening revenue due to the effects of its slow season, which are usually very severe, CEO Leo Hsieh saidBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterTouch module and sensor supplier TPK Holding Co (宸鴻) yesterday gave a dismal revenue outlook for this quarter due to order losses. Revenue is forecast to slump between 20 and 25 percent from NT$32.85 billion (US$1.14 billion) last quarter, TPK chief strategic officer Freddie Liu (劉詩亮) told investors in a teleconference. As a result, TPK expects a continuous decline in revenue from the smartphone segment in the short to medium term, he said. The smartphone segment is the second-largest revenue source for TPK, making up 34 percent of its total revenue last quarter, a company financial statement showed. Regular-sized tablets contributed 20 percent to TPK’s revenue last quarter, while notebook computers and larger tablets made up the biggest revenue share of 41 percent, the financial statement showed.

Farmers protest water curtailmentBy Lee Hsin-fang and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerDozens of farmers on Wednesday protested the government’s announcement last month that it was cutting off irrigation to 1.9 hectares of farmland across Taoyuan, and Hsinchu and Miaoli counties due to insufficient rainfall this year. A group of farmers protest in front of the Executive Yuan in Taipei on Wednesday against the Council of Agriculture’s decision last month to suspend farmland irrigation to parts of Taoyuan, and Hsinchu and Miaoli counties. Hung said that the government should rather cut the water supply for the manufacturing sector and subsidizing companies in the sector instead of the farmers. Central Taiwan Farmer’s Group member Hsu Wen-feng (許文烽) said that while the subsidies would outweigh many famers’ losses, those who are leasing land, managing their own brand or pursue organic farming would not benefit. The reputation of some farmers’ brands might be harmed, and they might have to cease selling under that brand, Hsu said.

Attack by China unlikely before 2024, academic saysBy Chen Yu-fu and Jason Pan / Staff reportersChina would not attack Taiwan before 2024, as long as President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) does not push for de jure independence or moves to rely on foreign countries for security, an academic said yesterday. A group of academics take part in a seminar in Taipei yesterday to discuss the relationship between Taiwan, China and the US following this year’s US presidential election. “Xi did not talk about ‘one country, two systems’ nor warn against Taiwan independence,” he added. “Therefore, as long as President Tsai does not push for de jure independence, and avoids overreliance on foreign countries for security, then we are certain that China would not attack Taiwan before 2024,” he said. “Biden favors multilateralism, while he is against decoupling from China, so Taiwan need its own strategy, and cannot just follow US policy as before,” Chao said.

Yang made the comment at a news conference in Taipei held by the National Policy Foundation, a think tank affiliated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). Yang said he believes that if Biden were to become US president, he would adopt a diplomatic approach that focuses on communication and coordination. Traditionally, US foreign policy has been bipartisan, he said, adding that the general attitudes and policies of both major US parties are similar, although their approaches might be different. In terms of arms sales, Yang said that Biden might think more carefully about how they would affect the relationship between the US and China. Biden is aware of this change, Yang said, adding that the former US vice president would see China as a competitor, but not necessarily an adversary.

NCC sees 5G coverage reaching 80% by 2024By Shelley Shan / Staff reporterThe 5G service coverage rate is expected to reach 80 percent by 2024, National Communications Commission (NCC) Chairman Chen Yaw-shyang (陳耀祥) said in a briefing to the legislature’s Transportation Committee in Taipei yesterday. National Communications Commission Chairman Chen Yaw-shyang speaks at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee in Taipei yesterday. The rules governing the appropriation of subsidies to carriers would be publicly disclosed by the end of this year, Chen said. The 5G service coverage rate is at about 26 percent now, and the subsidies can help reinforce telecoms infrastructure in both urban and rural areas and accelerate the developments of applications using 5G systems, he added. The commission also estimated that the nation’s 5G service coverage rate would reach 80 percent based on the speed at which carriers are expanding their base station infrastructure.