Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/11/19
By: Tsai Peng-min and Frances Huang

Taipei, Nov. 19 (CNA) Taiwan’s manufacturing sector continued to ride the wave of

strong global demand in the third quarter as its production value rose on a year-on-year basis for an eighth straight quarter, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said Monday.

Data compiled by the MOEA showed the output value of local manufacturers rose 8.39 percent in the July-September period from a year earlier to NT$3.63 trillion (US$117 billion), after a 9.05 percent increase in the second quarter.

The output of electronics component makers totaled NT$978.1 billion, up 2.53 percent from a year earlier, on the back of launches of mobile devices by international brands and an increase in prices of dynamic random access memory chips, the data showed.

After two quarters of declines, the computer/optoelectronics sector saw output value edge 0.45 percent higher to NT$165 billion in the quarter due to growth in the production of computers, solid-state drives, and semiconductor inspection equipment, the MOEA said.    [FULL  STORY]

EU assisted Taiwan to attend annual meeting in Brussels

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/11/17
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Following a hiatus of four years, Taiwan has rejoined the Kimberley Process to fight the trade in conflict or blood diamonds, the Central News Agency reported Saturday.

The European Union assisted Taiwan in attending the latest annual gathering of the organization, held November 12-16 in the Belgian capital Brussels.

The Kimberley Process for the certification of diamonds serves to prevent the diamond trade from financing war and oppression in mostly African countries wrecked by vicious wars.

When Congo chaired the annual meeting in 2011, Taiwan was already unable to attend, and the same problem occurred when China played host in 2014, Angola in 2015, the United Arab Emirates in 2016 and Australia last year, according to CNA.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/11/17
By: Pan Tzu-yu and Frances Huang 

Taipei, Nov. 17 (CNA) Taiwan’s economy is expected to slow down over the next six months in the wake of volatility in global equity markets and the impact of escalating trade tensions between the United States and China, according to the German think-tank Ifo Institute.

In its latest quarterly World Economic Climate survey, Ifo said the economic climate indicator in Taiwan fell to minus 42.1, its lowest level since the first quarter of 2012.

The slowdown in the local economy reflected recent turbulence in the global equity market at a time of concern over the trade situation between Washington and Beijing, the top two economies in the world.

The Ifo survey showed the sub-indexes for exports, imports, capital formation and private consumption moving lower over the next six months.    [FULL  STORY]

The government says it is actively striving to support new industries

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/11/16
By: Ryan Drillsma, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Premier William Lai (賴清德) assured that the government

is actively striving to support new startup businesses during a speech today at the 2018 Meet Taipei Startup Festival.

The Premier emphasized that the state will continue to extend its assistance to the startup industry in three key areas: funding, law and regulation, and talent procurement. He added that with this help, the Taiwanese start-up industry can become an international phenomenon, as well as a homegrown miracle.

Meet Taipei, which is running from Nov. 15 – 17, is celebrating its fifth anniversary this year. Attending this year are 104 international teams from 27 cities in 21 different countries, on top of another 346 local groups.

The theme is “Startup High 5ive” and features six major themed exhibition areas as well as an international startup exhibit zone. Participants from around the world have been welcomed to showcase their new innovations and witness the progressions made by Taiwan’s creative industries. [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/11/16
By: Tien Yu-pin and Frances Huang

Taipei, Nov. 16 (CNA) Taiwan Cooperative Bank (TCB) said Friday it has decided to open another branch in Cambodia to expand its reach in the emerging market.

The sub-branch will be established in Tuol Kouk, a district in the city of Phnom Penh, bringing the number of TCB branches in Cambodia to eight.

On its website, the bank said it already has five branches or sub-branches in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh, one sub-branch in Siem Reap, and another in Sihanouk Ville.

The Tuol Kouk sub-branch is expected to help TCB, the banking arm of Taiwan Cooperative Financial Holding Co., provide better services in northern Phnom Penh.
[FULL  STORY]

Such talks will help create a buffer for Taiwan in the face of Chinese pressure

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/11/15
By: Huang Tzu-ti, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The White House should seek to establish a high-level economic dialogue with Taiwan to foster a new strategic bilateral relationship beneficial to both sides while serving to counteract China’s mounting pressure on Taiwan, suggested a Washington-based think tank.

Riley Walters, a policy analyst on Asia Economy and Technology at The Heritage Foundation, has published a report proposing that the U.S. and Taiwan can engage in economic talks twice a year, wrote the Liberty Times in citing a report by Voice of America.

The talks will be conducive to developing robust trade ties and likewise, to some extent, offset the “non-market forces” from China, Walters argued. In turn, this will help to provide a buffer against reliance on China and boost consumer confidence for both the U.S. and Taiwan.

Expressing his concerns over insufficient focus on Taiwan by Washington when dealing with Sino-U.S. trade issues, the President of US-Taiwan Business Council, Rupert Hammond-Chambers, noted that the association has been urging the U.S. government to decouple its trade agenda for Taiwan from that of Beijing, the report quoted him.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/11/15
By: Pan Tzu-yu and Evelyn Kao 

Taipei, Nov. 15 (CNA) Israeli scientist Dan Shechtman, a 2011 Nobel laureate in chemistry, offered a number of suggestions to create a more friendly environment for technology startups in Taiwan Thursday, including the provision of universal basic science education and high-quality science and engineering teaching.

Shechtman has been invited by the Ministry of Science and Technology to attend the 2018 Pitch and Match Event slated to be held in Taipei Friday.

During the event, the Nobel laureate will engage in a dialogue with Edward Wen (溫峻瑜), secretary-general of the Taiwan Israel Chamber of Commerce, and Joses Hsiung (熊樂昌), founder and CEO of Taiwan start-up company Winnoz Technology, to share their experience promoting the development of a startup ecosystem in their respective countries.

At a press conference Thursday, Shechtman suggested ways Taiwan might develop into a hub for startups and entrepreneurs, including supporting initiatives and policies to improve the nation’s technology startup ecosystem and creating a free-market environment.    [FULL  STORY]