Exchanges could share Taipei site
Exchanges could share Taipei siteBETTER COORDINATION: Four exchanges have invested in an urban renewal project at Taipei Beimen Post Office and might move there once construction is completedBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterThe Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE), the Taipei Exchange (TPEX), the Taiwan Futures Exchange (TAIFEX) and Taiwan Depository and Clearing Corp (TDCC) could move into one building in downtown Taipei in six years, TWSE chairman Hsu Jan-yau (許璋瑤) said yesterday. The four companies have invested in an urban renewal project run by Chunghwa Post Co (中華郵政) that would transform the historic Taipei Beimen Post Office site into a national postal museum and two high-rises, Hsu told a news conference in Taipei. Taiwan Stock Exchange chairman Hsu Jan-yau is pictured at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Photo: CNATWSE rents office space in Taipei 101, while the other three are headquartered either in Taipei’s Songshan (松山) or Zhongzheng (中正) districts. The Financial Supervisory Commission, now in New Taipei’s City’s Banciao District (板橋), would probably also relocate to the same building, but it is still in talks with the National Property Administration (NPA), the landowner of the renewal project, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 05, 2021 15:56 UTC
Legislator discusses CECC data use, privacy concerns
Legislator discusses CECC data use, privacy concernsBIG BROTHER? More than 30 people under self-health management were detected near the Taipei City Government’s New Year’s Eve event, and seven people under self-health management were asked to leave concerts by rock band Mayday in Taoyuan on Thursday and Friday evening. The CECC used that information to issue text message warnings to people whose mobile devices were detected in the areas where the passengers had been, she said. “However, once the pandemic is over, what the standard for using personal data is remains a question to be answered,” Kao said. Personal data collected as part of COVID-19 prevention efforts would be destroyed after 28 days, in line with regulations, Chen said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 04, 2021 15:56 UTC
‘Pork dashboard’ shows zero imports
‘Pork dashboard’ shows zero importsPORK WATCH: The dashboard provides daily information on locally produced and imported pork products, including those containing ractopamine residueBy Chien Hui-ju and Chen Hsin-yu / Staff reportersThe government yesterday launched an online “pork dashboard,” which showed no pork imports since Friday, when the nation started allowing imports of pork containing residue of the leanness-enhancing additive ractopamine. It includes information on domestically produced pork, including the number of pigs slaughtered and weights of pork and edible pig organs. Premier Su Tseng-chang points to an image of the government’s new “pork dashboard” at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. All government agencies are prepared to inspect imported pork batch by batch, clearly label imported pork and follow relevant procedures,” he added. The real test begins when there are companies that want to import pork containing ractopamine, he added.
Source:Taipei Times
January 04, 2021 15:56 UTC
Continental launches sales of San Francisco condos
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.
Source:Taipei Times
January 04, 2021 15:56 UTC
New vehicle sales hit 15-year high
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.
Source:Taipei Times
January 04, 2021 15:56 UTC
Beware of infiltration and enemies in Taiwan
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.
Source:Taipei Times
January 03, 2021 16:07 UTC
FEATURE: Taichung still popular pick for LY relocation
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.
Source:Taipei Times
January 03, 2021 15:56 UTC
Whither Taiwan’s universities?
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.
Source:Taipei Times
January 03, 2021 15:56 UTC
THSR Yilan line proposal sent to MOTC: bureau
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.
Source:Taipei Times
January 03, 2021 15:56 UTC
Chen Shui-bian hosts first episode of new radio show
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.
Source:Taipei Times
January 03, 2021 15:56 UTC
Sports lottery sales end year down 11%
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.
Source:Taipei Times
January 03, 2021 15:56 UTC
New revenue drivers to benefit Chilisin: analysts
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.
Source:Taipei Times
January 03, 2021 15:56 UTC
CTBC Financial beats its own record for accolades
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.
Source:Taipei Times
January 03, 2021 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: CECC confirms four new imported cases of COVID-19
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.
Source:Taipei Times
January 03, 2021 15:56 UTC
Educational mentors
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
Source:Taipei Times
January 03, 2021 15:56 UTC