Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/12/03
By: Joseph Yeh

Taipei, Dec. 3 (CNA) U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Manufacturing Ian

Steff arrived in Taiwan on Monday for a two-day trip to strengthen bilateral trade and investment, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) announced Monday.

The visit is intended to strengthen U.S.-Taiwan trade ties, advocate for U.S. business, and advance the economic pillar of the Indo-Pacific Strategy, according to an AIT statement.

“This trip will also provide an opportunity for advocacy on key market access issues, as well as promote Taiwan investment in the U.S.,” AIT said.

During the visit, Steff will also meet with private sector representatives to discuss trade and investment, including the SelectUSA Summit, which is dedicated to promoting foreign direct investment (FDI) in the U.S., it added.    [FULL  STORY]

‘EASED WORRIES’: The agreement gave investors some room to breathe, but that does not mean that the trade spat will be resolved, Fubon Securities’ Michael Kuo said

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 04, 2018
By: Kao Shih-ching  /  Staff reporter

The TAIEX yesterday jumped 2.53 percent to close at 10,137.87 points, breaching 10,000 points for the first time since Oct. 12, after US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on Saturday agreed to suspend new tariffs at the G20 meeting in Argentina.

The weighted index opened higher and rose to 10,055.41 points after two minutes of trading. It continued to climb throughout the session. It ended 249.84 points higher at 10,137.87, from its close of 9,888.03 on Friday.

Turnover was NT$166.84 billion (US$5.43 billion), with foreign institutional investors buying a net NT$5.69 billion of local shares, Taiwan Stock Exchange data showed.

With all sub-indices advancing, the rally was led by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電), the most heavily weighted stock on the local market, which closed up 4.21 percent at NT$235.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/11/30
By: Liao Yu-yang Chi Jo-yao

Taipei, Nov. 30 (CNA) Economic officials have asked for evidence from investors

in Taiwan’s offshore wind power sector to justify their rejection of a proposed 12.71 percent cut in the 2019 feed-in tariff rate.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) released a proposal for the 2019 rate on Thursday in which the rate per kilowatt hour (kWh) will be reduced from NT$5.8 (US$0.189) to NT$5.1.

It was criticized by wind power developers in a joint statement on Friday as unacceptable, but Economic Affairs Minister Shen Jong-chin (沈榮津) met with them and explained how the new rate was calculated.

A MOEA official told CNA that the MOEA had asked businesses to offer information on their power generation operations when the new rate was being assessed, but only two companies did so.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/11/30
By: Pan Tzu-yu and Frances Huang 

Taipei, Nov. 30 (CNA) The Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (GDBAS) announced lower forecasts for gross domestic product (GDP) growth in 2018 and 2019 on Friday.

The DGBAS said it has cut the estimate for Taiwan’s GDP growth in 2018 by 0.03 percentage points from a forecast in August to 2.66 and downgraded its forecast for 2019 by 0.14 percentage points to 2.41.

Chu Tzer-ming (朱澤民), head of the DGBAS, told the press that despite the downgrade in GDP growth forecasts, Taiwan’s economy remains on the track to grow at a stable pace.

The DGBAS said the cut in the 2018 forecast was in part a result of weaker than expected private consumption in the third quarter so private consumption for 2018 is expected to grow 2.17 percent, down 0.30 percentage points from the earlier estimate.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan’s fiscal and trade position well poised to deal with burgeoning credit risks

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/11/28
By: Scott Morgan, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan faces a host of credit risks relating to the U.S.-

China trade war, deteriorating relations with China, and an aging population, according to a recent report by U.S. financial services giant Moody’s.

Taiwan’s robust fiscal condition, as well as its strong trade and investment position leaves it in good standing to counter these risks, Moody’s analysis shows.

Taiwan as an open and trading nation is vulnerable to costs distortions from increased tariffs instigated by the U.S.-China trade war. The report suggests that Taiwan’s electronics sector is particularly vulnerable.

The assertion supports comments made by TSMC (台積電) CEO and Vice President C.C. Wei (魏哲家), who said that the trade war will affect Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, because of the prominence of the electronics component in an incredibly wide array of products.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/11/28
By: Frances Huang

Taipei, Nov. 28 (CNA) Shares in Taiwan rose by more than 1 percent on Wednesday,

pushed higher by support for the bellwether electronics sector.

Buying was also sparked by gains seen on other regional markets, including in Shanghai and Hong Kong, amid optimism that U.S. President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will make progress on resolving the U.S.-China trade dispute at the upcoming G20 summit, dealers said.

The weighted index on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE), the Taiex, ended up 105.69 points, or 1.08 percent, at 9,884.31, after moving between 9,767.14 and 9,890.89, on turnover of NT$126.84 billion (US$4.10 billion).

The market opened down 4.59 points and moved within a narrow range for most of the morning before buying interest emerged around noon and picked up in the afternoon, dealers said.    [FULL  STORY]

C.C. Wei says digital era poses tremendous opportunity for Taiwan semiconductor industry

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/11/27
By: Scott Morgan, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – C.C. Wei (魏哲家) CEO and Vice President of TSMC (台積

電) said that the U.S.-China trade war will affect all of Taiwan’s industries, including semiconductors, on Nov. 27, reported CNA.

Wei suggested Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, the third largest in the world, faces challenges from the U.S.-China trade war, but the industry also has a substantial upside as the world enters a new digital era.

Wei spoke at the Taiwan Semiconductor Industry Association annual meeting, which brought together senior officials from business and government in Hsinchu.

Wei said that this year marks the 60th anniversary since the invention of integrated circuits, and that Taiwan leads the world in semiconductors.    [FULL  STORY]