CIER raises GDP growth forecast to 3.73% for 2021
CIER raises GDP growth forecast to 3.73% for 2021SUSTAINABLE GROWTH: Stronger-than-expected exports are driving growth this year, while domestic demand would lift it next year, a CIER official saidStaff writer, with CNAThe Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research (CIER, 中華經濟研究院) has adjusted upward its forecast for economic growth for this year and next year, with the strength in exports this year giving way to stronger domestic demand next year. CIER yesterday forecast that the economy would grow 2.38 percent this year and 3.73 percent next year, up from its October estimates of 1.76 percent and 3.42 percent respectively. Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research vice president Wang Jiann-chyuan is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo: Wu Jia-ying, Taipei TimesThe economy’s higher-than-expected growth this year would largely be driven by robust exports, but the main engine of growth next year would shift to robust domestic demand and consumption, Wang said. At the same time, Taiwan should try to assist its companies in upgrading their operations and rebuilding their supply chains to align with global trends, helping to make businesses the pillars of the domestic economy, Wang said.
Source:Taipei Times
December 18, 2020 15:56 UTC
AIT ire over Taichung public pork briefing
AIT ire over Taichung public pork briefingLACK OF RESPECT? The Taichung City Government on Wednesday allegedly did not confer with AIT Director Brent Christensen before turning a closed-door meeting into a public briefing — especially as it included a severe critique of US pork imports. Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) told Christensen in plain terms that she is opposed to the importation of US pork with traces of ractopamine. Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen, front left, holds up domestically produced pork at a meeting in Taichung yesterday. AIT spokeswoman Amanda Mansour said in a statement that all US exports to Taiwan and other trade partners “are safe and meet the same high, evidence-based standards” as pork consumed in the US.
Source:Taipei Times
December 17, 2020 15:56 UTC
Database vendor said to abet Chinese censors
Database vendor said to abet Chinese censorsStaff writer, with CNAA company providing access to an online database of academic theses and dissertations has been accused of cooperating with Chinese political censorship and content revisions. For example, it would be unreasonable if automated translation software changed every mention of “New Taiwan dollar” in a paper to “New Chinese Taipei dollar,” he said. The ministry would instruct universities and colleges to evaluate their database vendors, it said. Airiti (華藝) — the vendor in question — said in a statement on Wednesday that when it exports Taiwanese academic content, the content is in its original form. The company can only respect that a database subscriber chooses the content they need, the representative said.
Source:Taipei Times
December 17, 2020 15:56 UTC
Four more Moscow dancers test positive
Four more Moscow dancers test positiveCANCELED: While the troupe has been forced to cancel its tour, the minister of health and welfare said that people who test positive after a 14-day quarantine are not contagiousBy Jake Chung / Staff writer, with CNAThe Moscow Classical Ballet canceled all planned performances in Taiwan after eight members of the troupe tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the tally of infected members to eight. The results for the four dancers returned positive on Wednesday, although none of them showed any symptoms. It has been adequately demonstrated that people who test positive after the full 14-day quarantine are not contagious, Chen said. The center could not force the troupe members to self-isolate after the first members’ test results returned positive for COVID-19, Chen said. Some of the troupe members had doubts about the COVID-19 test results and some wanted to leave Taiwan right away, udnFunLife chairman Lee Yen-fu (李彥甫) said.
Source:Taipei Times
December 17, 2020 15:56 UTC
Taiwan will see millimeter wave tech boost: exec
Qualcomm Inc senior vice president of manufacturing technology and operations Roawen Chen speaks at a virtual meeting yesterday. Devices supporting mmWave technology consume much more silicon content, or chips, than those for sub-6-gigahertz technology and 4G LTE technology, Chen said. “As Taiwan has the world’s most comprehensive [semiconductor] ecosystem, the mmWave technology will be a boon to the country,” he said. Such stations are different from traditional and closed-loop base stations designed by existing suppliers, Nokia Oyj, Ericsson AB and Huawei Technologies Inc (華為), Chen said. Telecoms have shown a stronger interest over the past six months in deploying O-RAN-based base stations due to their lower costs, Chen said.
Source:Taipei Times
December 17, 2020 15:56 UTC
NSC to boost information security with new system
NSC to boost information security with new systemBy Yang Chun-hui and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe National Security Council (NSC) is to bolster information security by strengthening its joint national-level security structure over the next year, establishing a data-driven proactive defense system, and securing the nation’s data channels and supply chains, NSC Secretary-General Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said yesterday. Fifth, the council would improve its “information and national security strategy 2.0” by implementing a proactive defense system to create a resilient and secure “smart nation,” Koo added. Information security is of paramount importance in nearly every segment of society, but it faces threats that increase by the day, Koo said. First, the NSC would focus on upgrading the national-level joint defense system and the team focused on information security, he said. Third, it would promote information security within industry, and support cybersecurity firms to enhance the nation’s independence and capabilities in the field, he added.
Source:Taipei Times
December 17, 2020 15:56 UTC
Population of green iguanas up 27-fold over 5 years: COA
However, many green iguanas were likely released into the wild by their owners as they grew to their full size of up to 1.5m. Captured green iguanas are pictured in Chiayi County on Tuesday. The bureau has rejected all applications for imports of green iguanas since June 2015 and assisted local governments in eradication efforts, Lo said. In September, green iguanas were labeled “exotic wildlife dangerous to the environment, people or animals,” and owners were required to register their pets. Native to Central and South America, the green iguana is considered an invasive species in 15 countries or regions.
Source:Taipei Times
December 17, 2020 15:56 UTC
Central bank’s Yang says Taiwan’s interests come first
Central bank’s Yang says Taiwan’s interests come firstBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterThe central bank yesterday denied acting to unfairly boost Taiwan’s exports, as it attributed the nation’s widening trade surpluses with the US to the fallout from US-China trade tensions. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-long speaks at a news conference at the bank in Taipei yesterday. The US had exaggerated the sum in its report, based on external projections, while the central bank’s figures would be based on facts, he said. The central bank has no choice but to intervene in times of massive fund inflows, as on Nov. 30 when MSCI weighting adjustments took place, the governor said. The central bank would try to understand the US’ reasoning for its actions, but it has to give top priority to Taiwan’s currency and financial market stability, Yang said, adding that the US quantitative policy has eased the central bank’s headache.
Source:Taipei Times
December 17, 2020 15:56 UTC
CAL cargo plane signage prompts protest, criticism
CAL cargo plane signage prompts protest, criticismBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterPro-Taiwan independence activists yesterday protested outside China Airlines’ (CAL) headquarters in Taipei over the airline’s new cargo airplane exterior signage, while Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers also criticized CAL’s new designs and called on the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to force the airline to make more changes. “The new design still has ‘China Airlines,’ only slightly smaller and moved nearer the tail. CAL clearly does not want to have Taiwan as part of its logo,” Chen said. “Throughout the world, people might not know what Taiwan’s map looks like, and so this design cannot distinguish the aircraft as coming from Taiwan,” Wang said. It should be recognizable as coming from Taiwan, to distinguish itself from Chinese airlines,” Wang added.
Source:Taipei Times
December 16, 2020 16:00 UTC
Industry leaders upbeat on tech demand outlook
Industry leaders upbeat on tech demand outlookBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterIndustry leaders attending the Taipei Computer Association’s (TCA, 台北市電腦公會) annual meeting yesterday said that they expect Taiwanese tech companies to see “continued demand” in the next three to six months. Pegatron Corp (和碩) chairman and TCA honorary chairman Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢) said there was “no need to worry” about fluctuating orders for the next three to six months. “Overall, supply is outstripping demand,” Tung said. SHORTAGESGiven a shortage of semiconductors and tight supply of glass substates, flat panels for laptop computers are especially in short supply, Peng said. “We can only supply half of the demand for monitors for Chromebooks, which are in high demand due to distance learning,” he said, adding that the order visibility for AUO has extended into the first half of next year.
Source:Taipei Times
December 16, 2020 15:56 UTC
Nan Shan, Gogoro team up on usage-based insurance
Nan Shan, Gogoro team up on usage-based insuranceSAFE RIDERS: The special vehicle insurance policy’s premium is determined by a rider’s behavior on the road, such as speed, distance, driving habitsBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterNan Shan General Insurance Co (南山產險) yesterday launched the nation’s first usage-based insurance (UBI) policy in collaboration with Gogoro Inc (睿能創意), with the special policy expected to benefit safe riders. In the first stage, Nan Shan would adjust its premiums based on driving distance, with those covering more distance seeing higher premiums than those who ride less. “It is not our intention to punish dangerous riders, but to reward safe riders with lower insurance premiums,” Tsai and Peng said. CONSENTGogoro would not deliver a motorist’s data to Nan Shan without their consent, and all data would be delivered via blockchain technology to ease concerns over information security, they said. Nan Shan has not yet decided when to implement the second stage, as it needs to first build a consumer database and set up analysis models, Tsai said, adding that it would not take long.
Source:Taipei Times
December 16, 2020 15:56 UTC
ASE to build smart manufacturing zone
ASE to build smart manufacturing zoneTHREESOME: The company also unveiled the world’s first smart factory using Qualcomm’s 5G mmWave technology, with Chunghwa Telecom providing supportBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporter, in KaohsiungASE Technology Holding Co (ASE, 日月光投控) yesterday said it is to invest NT$94 billion (US$3.3 billion) to develop a third smart manufacturing campus in Kaohsiung after rolling out the world’s first smart factory using Qualcomm Inc’s 5G millimeter-wave (mmWave) technology. ASE operates 18 smart factories in Kaohsiung, making up 20 percent of the company’s total factories in the city, Wu said. It plans to add seven smart factories next year, bringing the total number to 25, he said. If the economic benefits of the 5G mmWave smart factory are verified, ASE does not rule out introducing the smart manufacturing system to its existing smart factories, Wu said. Qualcomm’s chips — including Snapdragon X55, Snapdragon QSM5165, Snapdragon XR2 and GZX5-AR — are used in devices such as augmented reality (AR) glasses to enable smart manufacturing applications at ASE’s fab.
Source:Taipei Times
December 16, 2020 15:56 UTC
US clears export of sonars for local subs
Sonar systems, diesel engines, torpedo and missile systems, and an integrated combat system have all been categorized as “red,” Chang said. Deputy Minister of National Defense Chang Che-ping answers questions at the legislature in Taipei yesterday. It is a significant platform for the government and the party’s support could prevent opposition lawmakers from freezing NT$5 billion (US$175.59 million) of the project’s budget, Tsai said. The ministry called for the public to support its budget proposal, citing the nation’s need for resolute defense capabilities. Cross-caucus negotiations on the submarine budget could take place next month, while the DPP caucus would not back cutting or freezing the proposed budget, said Lo, who is also director of the DPP’s international affairs department.
Source:Taipei Times
December 16, 2020 15:56 UTC
Defense R&D to be promoted at universities
Defense R&D to be promoted at universitiesSETTING PRIORITIES: The program would target seven research areas, with the ministries of science and technology and defense splitting the costBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterThe government is to budget NT$5 billion (US$175.6 million) over the next five years to promote a program on the research and development (R&D) of defense technologies at local universities, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of National Defense announced yesterday. From left, Executive Yuan Office of Science and Technology Deputy Executive Secretary Andrew Yeh, Deputy Minister of National Defense Lee Tsung-hsiao, Minister of Science and Technology Wu Tsung-tsong and others yesterday pose during a news conference announcing a joint defense technology research and development program between the two ministries and universities. Technologies related to artificial intelligence, 5G and even 6G communications, Internet of Things, as well as quantum computing, are key to defense technology development, Wu said, encouraging students to study in the related fields. The defense ministry has over the past two months met with faculty and students at National Taiwan University and National Cheng Kung University to promote defense technology, Deputy Minister of National Defense Vice Admiral Lee Tsung-hsiao (李宗孝) said. Many experts on defense technology have worked at the Chungshan institute, while students in the new program would also be able to seek employment in the private sector, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
December 16, 2020 15:56 UTC
A taste of Taiwan’s dark tourism
A locked prison gate inside the Eight-Sided Building at Oasis Village on Green Island, Taitung County. DARK TOURISMA view of the Eight-Sided Building (watching four corridors) in Oasis Village on Taitung County’s Green Island. Photo: Noah Buchan, Taipei TimesTwo decades later, Green Island White Terror Memorial Park (白色恐怖綠島紀念園區) opened the doors to a dark chapter in Taiwan’s authoritarian past. PENAL COLONYA mural of a Republic of China (ROC) soldier fades on a wall topped with razor wire in Oasis Village. It features the engraved names of political prisoners and the dates that the victim was executed or to the years of imprisonment.
Source:Taipei Times
December 15, 2020 15:56 UTC