Three Taiwanese nationals have also been charged for the theft and transfer of documents valued between US$400 million and US$8.75 billion

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/11/02
By: Duncan DeAeth, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has formally

announced charges against three individuals and two companies, one Chinese and one Taiwanese, alleging the theft of trade secrets from the American computer chip company Micron.

The Chinese company Fujian Jinhua, and its Taiwanese partner, United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) have been identified by the DOJ and charged with conspiring to illegally transfer designs and program information for Micron DRAM chips, produced by the Idaho-based company.

The three individuals named in the indictments are Stephen Chen, JT Ho, and Kenny Wang, who are all former employees of a Micron subsidiary based in Taiwan. After leaving Micron all three individuals entered employment with UMC where the confidential trade secrets were transferred to China, according to the DOJ indictment.

The companies and the individuals are charged with “conspiracy to commit economic espionage, conspiracy to commit theft of trade secrets, and receiving and possessing stolen trade secrets.”    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/11/02
By: By Lee Hsin-Yin

Taipei, Nov. 2 (CNA) EVA Airways and Air New Zealand, which just resumed direct flights

between Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Auckland Thursday, initiated a codeshare agreement Friday with the aim of expanding service networks in Northeast Asia and Oceania for both carriers.

The service, which will start from the second half of December, is expected to further strengthen Star Alliance’s flight network, as both carriers are members, said EVA Air, one of Taiwan’s leading carriers.

The airlines said passengers will have codeshare options from Taoyuan to Seoul and to eight destinations in Japan — Tokyo, Hakodate, Fukuoka, Komatsu, Okinawa, Osaka, Sapporo and Sendai — via flights operated by EVA Air.

Passengers will also be able to choose Air New Zealand flights from Taoyuan to Auckland, and on to the New Zealand cities of Wellington, Christchurch, Queenstown and Dunedin, as well as from Brisbane to both Auckland and Christchurch.    [FULL  STORY]

UMC stops R&D activity with Chinese firm after it was banned from buying U.S. products on national security grounds

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/11/01
By: Scott Morgan, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan’s second-largest contract chipmaker United

Microelectronics Corp. (UMC, 聯華電子) has frozen its dealings with Chinese state-owned semiconductor firm Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co., after the company was sanctioned by the U.S. government on national security grounds.

UMC said in a statement on Oct. 31 that they will halt all research and development activities with the Chinese state-owned company “until we are cleared to resume by the appropriate authorities.”

The U.S. Department of Commerce added Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co. to a list of entities that cannot buy intermediate goods, software, or other technology from U.S. firms, citing national security grounds.

Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co. “poses a significant risk of becoming involved in activities that are contrary to the national security interests of the United States,” the U.S. Department of Commerce said in a statement.

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/11/01
By: Han Ting-ting and Evelyn Kao 

Taipei, Nov. 1 (CNA) Shares in Taiwan continued an upward trend for the fourth consecutive session Thursday to end above 9,800 points as investors moved in to pick up shares in the bellwether electronics sector.

The weighted index on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE), or Taiex, closed up 42.61 points, or 0.43 percent, at 9,844.74, after moving between 9,742.61 and 9,869.59. Turnover totaled NT$127.53 billion (US$4.13 billion).

The market opened up 10.07 points at 9,812.20 but soon fell below the 9,800-point mark before buying emerged that was focused on silicon wafer and passive component stocks and shares of Apple suppliers.

The buying was triggered by gains posted in the United States and in other Asian markets.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/10/31
By: Rita Cheng and William Yen

Washington, Oct. 31 (CNA) Taiwan has climbed two spots to reach the 13th position among

190 economies in the latest “Doing Business 2019” rankings, according to the international economic organization.

The improvement was reflected as Taiwan received a score of 80.90 points, up 0.24 points from a year earlier, according to the report, which was issued on Wednesday.

In the Asia-Pacific region, Taiwan also finished fifth, an improvement from sixth place last year, for the ease of doing business, behind New Zealand (No. 1 in the world with 86.59 points), Singapore (No. 2; 85.24), Hong Kong (No. 4; 84.22) and South Korea (No. 5; 84.14), the report said.

The Doing Business report focuses on 10 areas to assess a country’s business environment: starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit, protecting minority investors, trading across borders, paying taxes, enforcing contracts, and resolving insolvency.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan can assume a vital role in providing components and subsystems for the manufacturing of autonomous cars, said Stan Shih

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/10/30
By: Huang Tzu-ti, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan and Japan are positioned to benefit from the joint

creation of a “paradigm shift” in the industry of autonomous vehicles, as both sides can play important roles in the development of self-driving cars, said founder of Acer, Stan Shih (施振榮), Taiwan’s leading electronics corporation.

The remarks were made by the top Taiwanese businessman in a forum held by The Nikkei in Taipei on Oct. 30, with topics spanning Taiwan-Japan cooperation and exploration of the Southeast Asian market, reported Liberty Times.

Making a case for the two countries to create shared values, Shih noted that the competitive edge of Japan lies in technologies, quality, and culture, while Taiwan boasts advantages in ICT systems, entrepreneurship, flexibility, cost control, and adaptability, the report quoted him.

With the formation of a new paradigm shift into joint endeavors by the two sides, Taiwan can assume a vital role in providing components and subsystems for the manufacturing of autonomous cars, Shih emphasized.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: 2018/10/30
By: Pan Chih-yi and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, Oct. 30 (CNA) Taiwan-manufactured bicycles have achieved a 50 percent share of

the European market, Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) president and CEO Walter Yeh (葉明水) said Tuesday.

Yeh was hailing the competitiveness of Taiwan-manufactured bikes on the global market at a press conference for the upcoming 31st Taipei Cycle Show, which will be held from Oct. 31 to Nov. 3 at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center and the Taipei World Trade Center.

After three decades of hard work to develop overseas markets, Taiwanese manufacturers have created high-quality bicycles that carry an average price tag of US$658 per unit, reflecting the global competitiveness of Taiwan’s bicycle industry, Yeh said.

This year, the industry will introduce innovative products equipped with smart devices, which enable bikes to be part of the Internet of Things. Bikes have entered the era of intelligence and technology, the trade promoter touted.    [FULL  STORY]