Without clear timeline for industry recovery, shutting down only option for budget carrier

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/10/06
By George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Budget airline AirAsia Japan announced on Monday (Oct. 5) that it will officially drop all four of its flight routes on Dec. 5, becoming the first Japanese airline to entirely suspend operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

AirAsia Japan suspended all its flights in April but resumed some in August. However, on Monday, the airline announced its plan to halt all operations, citing a slower-than-expected increase in demand, per CNA.

In June, AirAsia offered a voluntary retirement scheme to its employees, and about 70 of its approximately 300 workers took the offer and left the company. Since then, prompted by an uncertain timeline for the industry’s recovery, the airline has submitted a report to Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, stating that it will stop operating all four routes on Dec. 5.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 10/06/2020
By: Yang Shu-min and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, Oct. 6 (CNA) The Cabinet-level Council of Agriculture (COA) launched an exhibition on Tuesday that features 76 circular economy-related agriculture R&D results, some of which have already been transformed into profitable products.

The show will be held at 18 different locations across Taiwan this month as part of governmental efforts to promote agricultural products that boost the circular economy.

At a press conference for the event, Livestock Research Institute Director Huang Jeng-fang (黃振芳) said the 76 research programs reduced carbon emissions by 92,000 metric tons, equivalent to the reduction in carbon achieved by 300 Da'an Forest Parks in Taipei.

He also said the research projects have received more than NT$800 million in funds for relevant investment projects, expressing hope that the cross-island exhibition will "inspire people to come up with more new industrial operation modes."    [FULL  STORY]

‘SUN CAKE NO. 35’: Working in collaboration with solar power supplier Grinnodot, AUO is to install solar panels on the roofs of factories and buildings in Taichung

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 07, 2020
By:  Lisa Wang / Staff reporter

Solar power supplier Grinnodot Inc (綠點能創) and AU Optronics Corp (AUO, 友達光電) have formed a partnership to speed up solar power installations in Taiwan, addressing the fast-growing demand for green energy.

The collaboration came after Grinnodot in September last year secured a license to retail renewable energy, making it an alternative to state-run Taiwan Power Co (台電) for electricity supply for households and enterprises, the companies said in a joint statement yesterday.

In the initial stage, AUO is to build rooftop solar systems with annual installed capacity of 10 megawatts (MW), mostly for households and individual investors, according to the statement.

Grinnodot Inc chief executive officer

Grinnodot builds solar power plants and trades green energy via a platform, called Sunnyfounder, to the public.    [FULL  STORY]

Flights scheduled to begin in early November

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/10/054
By: Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — United Airlines will resume flights to Taiwan starting in November.

Though the carrier had planned to resume flights after April 30, the decision was repeatedly postponed, per CNA. United had suspended its flights to Taipei since March 19 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of Monday (Oct. 5), the airline has announced 29 new international routes for November, which include the San Francisco – Taipei flights.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 10/05/2020
By: Lee Wan-yu and Kay Liu

Taipei, Oct. 5 (CNA) Regular riders of the Taipei Metro who have not claimed their monthly cashback rewards for journeys made between January and March have been given an extra month to make a claim, the metro network's operator said Monday.

According to the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp. (TRTC), NT$11.6 million (US$402,768) of the total cashback of NT$379 million during the three-month period remains unclaimed.

Under the frequent rider program the company introduced at the beginning of this year, cashbacks are paid out to passengers who make 11 or more rides in a month and pay full fare with one of the four types of payment cards accepted through the metro network, when they swipe their card at a metro station in the following six months.

The program was launched to replace a universal 20 percent discount for cardholders that was first introduced in 2002 to encourage the use of the Taipei City-backed EasyCard.
[FULL  STORY]

INDUSTRY-WIDE GROWTH: Firms selling electrical and machinery equipment posted increases in business activity following a 16-month hiatus, suggesting a broad recovery

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 06, 2020
By: Crystal Hsu / Staff reporter

The official manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) last month accelerated to 57.7, the fastest pickup since March 2018, as operating conditions brightened further on the back of new technology product launches, holiday inventory demand and 5G deployment, the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research (CIER, 中華經濟研究院) said yesterday.

It was the third straight month that the critical economic gauge rose with all sectors reporting an upturn in business, the first industry-wide growth since May last year, CIER said.

CIER president Chang Chuang-chang (張傳章) attributed the improvement to frontloading ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival, new product releases by Apple Inc and continued 5G deployment.

“Even firms selling electrical and machinery equipment reported an uptick after a 16-month hiatus,” Chang said, suggesting that the recovery is across the board and healthy.
[FULL  STORY]

Increased cellphone use and consumers worried about coronavirus transmission boost mobile wallet use

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/10/02
By: Huang Tzu-ti, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The amount of mobile payments in Taiwan totaled NT$120.9 billion (US$4.18 billion) during the first seven months in 2020, representing a 156 percent jump year-on-year, as people turn to contactless payments during the coronavirus.

The five most used mobile payment methods are credit cards, debit cards, electronic tickets such as EasyCards, Online to Offline (O2O), and mobile point-of-sale (mPOS), according to the Banking Bureau of the Financial Supervisory Commission.

The growing popularity of mobile wallets can be attributed to the increased availability of the services, and the convenience they bring to customers. Promotions at retailers such as supermarkets have also helped attract a population who used to pay in cash, reported CNA.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 10/01/2020
By: Liang Pei-chi and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, Oct. 1 (CNA) Taiwan moved up two places from last year to become the 11th-most digitally competitive out of 63 countries evaluated this year, according to a report published Thursday by the Swiss-based International Institute for Management Development (IMD).

It is the country's highest ranking since the IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking was launched in 2017.

IMD data showed that Taiwan was ranked second-most digitally competitive among 29 economies with populations greater than 20 million, up one notch from last year, and climbed two places from last year to 11th among 34 economies with GDP per capita greater than US$20,000.

The ranking measures economies using 51 indicators based on three major factors: knowledge, technology and future readiness.    [FULL  STORY]

NO TOUCH: The use of contactless payment has soared as many see it as a ‘safer’ alternative to cash and other types of payments amid the COVID-19 pandemic

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 02, 2020
By: Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporter

Mobile payments jumped 127 percent from a year earlier to NT$120.9 billion (US$4.15 billion) in the first seven months of the year, as consumers embraced contactless payment amid the COVID-19 pandemic, data compiled by the Financial Supervisory Commission showed yesterday.

The use of mobile payment services, which enables consumers to pay their bills just by tapping their smartphones, has surged as people feel safer not having to hold cash or come into contact with devices that have been touched by other people.

As more consumers turn to mobile payment services, supermarket chain operator Pxmart Co Ltd (全聯實業) and state-run oil refiner CPC Corp, Taiwan (台灣中油), as well as several franchise shops and department stores have launched electronic wallets to boost consumer loyalty, the commission said.    [FULL  STORY]