Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/02/20
By: Tang Pei-chun and Elizabeth Hsu

Brussels, Feb. 19 (CNA) The European Union will not rule out the possibility of signing a bilateral

investment agreement (BIA) with Taiwan, even though it upholds the “one China” policy, an EU official in charge of trade affairs in Asia said Tuesday.

The EU included Taiwan on its list of trade partners for BIAs in 2015, but since then, it has not held negotiations with Taipei on the issue, except to state in a trade policy report released in September 2017 that it was preparing to hold investment talks with Taiwan.

At a public hearing on EU-Taiwan trade relations held by the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade (INTA), Peter Berz of the European Commission responsible for trade links with the Far East, was asked by an attending parliamentarian if the reluctance to sign the BIA with Taiwan was the result of pressure from China.

Berz replied that although the EU adheres to the “one China” policy, it will not rule out the possibility of forging such an accord with Taiwan, adding that any such talks will require European Commission approval.    [FULL  STORY]

The Vietnamese carrier commenced services in January

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/02/19
By: Huang Tzu-ti, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Vietnam’s Bamboo Airways has announced plans to launch 37 flight routes by

the end of 2019 connecting major cities of the Southeast Asian nation to international destinations.

The carrier will prioritize opening routes destined for cities in Taiwan and South Korea, because of optimism for the business prospects of the two Asian markets, noted CEO Dang Tat Thang (鄧必勝).

Bamboo Airways also seeks to expand its scope of service by flying to Japan and Singapore later this year, before making inroads into Europe, wrote Central News Agency. International routes destined for U.S. cities including Seattle, Los Angeles, and San Francisco are slated for inauguration in 2020 or 2021.

According to statistics, the number of flights between Taiwan and Vietnam has grown to more than 350 per week today from 100 a week in early 2016. The tripled growth indicates the increasingly closer relationship between the two countries, the report said.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/02/19
By: Pan Tzu-yu and William Yen

Taipei, Feb. 19 (CNA) Average regular earnings in Taiwan rose 2.11 percent from a year earlier in

December, marking the 13th consecutive monthly year-on-year increase at a time when the domestic economy has performed well, according to government statistics Tuesday.

Data compiled by the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) showed that the average regular wage for December rose 2.11 percent year-on-year to NT$41,414 (US$1,343).

The growth in December followed a 2.59 percent year-on-year increase in November, the data showed.

In December, average earned income, which includes regular salary plus bonuses, overtime pay and other irregular income, also grew 3.62 percent from a year earlier to NT$50,861, the DGBAS said.    [FULL  STORY]

Less profitable routes likely to be ceased due to rising costs

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/02/18
By: Huang Tzu-ti, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan’s China Airlines (CAL) is reportedly considering the discontinuation of a

number of flight routes to reduce operating costs set to rise following the week-long pilot strike that ended on Feb. 14.

Necessary adjustments will be made to CAL’s route portfolio to improve the company’s financial performance, as expenses are expected to increase after the company agreed to address issues of overwork and fatigue among pilots, reports UDN.

Routes considered less profitable are set to be cut as early as the second half of 2019. Flights most likely to be affected include those from Singapore to Indonesia’s Surabaya, and those destined for Delhi, London, Ontario, as well as cities in New Zealand and Australia.

According to the report, CAL has been increasing its number of routes over the past few years to include destinations such as Lisbon, Melbourne, London and Ontario. The company has been under pressure to maintain profitability since fuel costs increased last year.   [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/02/18
By: Chiu Po-shen and William Yen

Taipei, Feb. 18 (CNA) Taiwan collected tax revenues totaling NT$2.39 trillion (US$77.39 billion) in 2018,

up over NT$100 billion from 2017, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Finance (MOF) on Monday.

According to the MOF, the figure was up 6 percent, or NT$135.7 billion, from a year earlier, and also was NT$89.7 billion higher than the expected revenues budgeted at the beginning of the year.

Compared with the previous year, individual income tax revenues increased by NT$26 billion, while corporate income tax receipts were up by NT$64.6 billion, the statistics showed.

Business tax revenues rose NT$30.4 billion, and tobacco and alcohol taxes were up NT$19.4 billion, the figures showed.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: Feb. 18, 2019
By: Han Ting-ting and Frances Huang 

TAIPEI (CNA) — Cathay Financial Holding Co. (國泰金控) was the top-earning Taiwanese company of its kind in January amid a significant rebound of profitability in the sector, according to market statistics.

In January, the aggregate net profit of the 15 financial holding firms listed on the local main board topped NT$30 billion (US$972 million), reversing a combined net loss of almost NT$6 billion in December that was caused by heavy foreign exchange and securities investment losses, the data showed.

Among the 15 financial holding companies, Cathay Financial posted NT$4.7 billion in net profit, or NT$0.37 per share, in January after its flagship arms, Cathay Life Insurance Co. and Cathay United Bank registered a net profit of NT$2.23 billion and NT$2.22 billion, respectively.

The January figure was a strong recovery from Cathay Financial’s NT$4.12 billion in net losses in December, the data showed.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/02/17
By: Tsai Peng-min and William Yen

Taipei, Feb. 17 (CNA) With more than 10,000 convenience stores across the country, the

business needs to keep diversifying the services it offers to attract customers in a highly competitive market, according to the chairman of one of Taiwan’s leading convenience chains.

Yeh Jung-ting (長葉榮), FamilyMart chairman and chief executive officer, said Wednesday that Taiwan’s convenience store market is already saturated and if stores did not provide diverse services such as allowing customers to pay bills and send packages, they would find it difficult to make a profit just selling goods.

To that end, convenience stores need to attract more customers by “changing their profit models in wake of fierce day-to-day competition,” Yeh said.

In terms of FamilyMart’s expansion, Yeh said the business plans to focus on smart technology allowing customers to purchase coffee and other products without having to physically pay at the counter.    [FULL  STORY]