Focus Taiwan
Date: 08/31/2020
By: Pan Tzu-yu and Emerson Lim

Taipei, Aug. 31 (CNA) A Taiwanese government official on Monday raised the idea of jointly raising funds with the Czech Republic to support business enterprises of both countries, especially those in the startup sector.

Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫), minister of Taiwan's National Development Council (NDC), shared that thought during a press conference when asked by reporters whether his office has a role to play to support the startup sectors in Taiwan and the Czech Republic.

"Maybe we can ponder jointly raising funds with the Czech Republic to invest exclusively in enterprises of both countries," Kung said, adding that Taiwan already engages in similar cooperation with other countries.

He stressed that one of the primary functions of the NDC is to invest in overseas enterprises that have dealings with Taiwan.    [FULL  STORY]

NO GHOSTLY CONCERN: Buyers who might have decided to wait during Ghost Month in prior years were more willing to act this year, with Taipei seeing the most demand

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 01, 2020
By: Crystal Hsu / Staff reporter

Housing transactions last month soared from a year earlier, although the deals held steady compared with July’s, major property brokers said yesterday, attributing the results to real demand and low interest rates.

Last month’s showings came even though Ghost Month started on Aug. 19 and is to last through Sept. 16. Taiwanese tend to avoid buying properties during the annual lunar Ghost Month, which is considered inauspicious for completing real-estate transactions, business openings, getting married and many other activities.

Evertrust Rehouse Co (永慶房屋), the nation’s largest real-estate broker by the number of offices, said its tallies showed a 58 percent spike in property deals nationwide, as people regained confidence in the property market given that Taiwan appears to have the COVID-19 outbreak well under control.

“Real demand underpinned 60 to 70 percent of the deals,” Evertrust Rehouse spokesman Jay Hsieh (謝志傑) said, adding that investment and asset allocation needs also contributed 20 percent after staying on the sidelines for several years.    [FULL  STORY]

Experts urge action to cushion impact by imminent signing of free trade pact

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/08/28
By: Huang Tzu-ti, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The expected finalization of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) by the end of 2020 is likely to have a serious impact on the private sector of Taiwan, local experts have warned.

RCEP negotiations — a free trade agreement for nations in the Asia Pacific — made significant progress in 2019 after its launch in 2012. The trade pact is set to be signed by 15 member states in the region, including China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and 10 ASEAN nations, despite India opting out last year, according to the Nikkei Asian Review.

With Taiwan blocked from participating in the trade bloc, local firms would seek to move out to avoid tariffs, said Tsai Lien-sheng (蔡練生), secretary-general of the Chinese National Federation of Industries (CNFI), at a symposium on ECFA Wednesday (Aug. 26). RCEP members accounted for 59 percent of Taiwan’s trade in 2019, wrote China Times.

Tsai called for a government-led response to the potential fallout of the trade arrangement, by assisting companies to relocate to Southeast Asia and countries like Mexico. The plans can be realized, for example, by inking investment agreements with target countries and setting up industrial parks to accommodate Taiwanese businesses.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 08/30/2020
By: Wang Shu-fen and Kay Liu

Mandarin Airlines' plane (front, with blue tail) that operated the final flight between Taipei and Kaohsiung is pictured at Taipei Songshan Airport. CNA photo Aug. 31, 2012

Taipei, Aug. 30 (CNA) People may get a chance to fly directly between Taipei Songshan Airport and Kaohsiung International Airport for the first time in eight years, if a planned domestic tour package draws enough interest, a local tour operator said Sunday.

Hsieh Ming-hsiu (謝明秀), who runs a travel agency in Kaohsiung, told CNA her company is planning a three-day tour package that takes travelers from Taipei to Kaohsiung for a visit to the city and Kenting in neighboring Pingtung County during the Oct. 10 National Day long weekend.

Hsieh said her company is negotiating with a local carrier to charter a 158-seat Boeing 737-800 to operate the flight, and if enough people book the tour, it will formally apply to the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) to give it the go ahead.

According to the CAA, domestic charter flights are only allowed if there are no scheduled flights on the particular route.    [FULL  STORY]

VIRUS IMPACT: Chairman Fang Leuh said because of increased demand for high-end laptops and TVs, 8-inch wafers would continue to be in short supply through next year

Taipei Times
Date: Aug 31, 2020
By: Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporter

Vanguard International Semiconductor Co (VIS, 世界先進) on Saturday said that its revenue and earnings for this year are expected to continue growing, after its performance in the first eight months of the year met expectations.

Hsinchu-based Vanguard is a specialty IC foundry service provider, specializing in LCD driver ICs and logic ICs, as well as power management ICs and complementary metal-oxide semiconductor image sensors.

In the first eight months, Vanguard’s accumulated revenue rose 15.09 percent year-on-year to NT$18.78 billion (US$636.16 million), company data showed.

At a family day event for company employees in the Leofoo Village Theme Park (六福村) in Hsinchu County on Saturday, Vanguard chairman Fang Leuh (方略) said that the company was grateful to be able to hold the event, as many families and individuals have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide.    [FULL  STORY]

Transfer of IC layouts, specialized technologies subject to increased scrutiny by Taiwanese authorities

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/08/27
By: Huang Tzu-ti, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan is tightening rules on cross-strait technological cooperation as it reviews potential risks brought upon by how the two sides conduct business.

An amendment will be made to a set of guidelines governing Taiwanese investment in China and technology collaboration, according to the Investment Commission of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEAIC). The transfer or authorization of the use of specialized technologies and integrated circuit (IC) layouts from Taiwan to China will now need to be granted by Taiwanese authorities.

The guidelines now cover IC layouts as they are considered vital to Taiwan’s industries and warrant better management and protection, CNA cited officials as saying.

This newly introduced amendment means any attempt to export Taiwan’s specialized technologies to China will be subject to rigorous scrutiny. Competent authorities are required to review applications and determine whether or not to green-light certain technological transfers and must take multiple factors into consideration including impacts on domestic business competitiveness, intellectual property rights infringement concerns, and the country’s research and development plans.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 08/26/2020
By: Liu Chien-pan and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, Aug. 26 (CNA) The flag-ship store of Kao Chi (高記) restaurant known for serving Shanghai delicacies in Yongkang commercial circle, a tourist attraction in Taipei, will close its doors for good before the end of the month, the business announced Wednesday.

Kao Chi, best known for serving pan fried buns and other Shanghai snacks, made the announcement after Taipei City government found the three-story building that houses Kao Chi's Yongkang restaurant has been used in violation of building regulations.

The city's Building Administration Office recently discovered after a public safety check that the second and third floors of the restaurant were categorized as "collective resident units" but used as dining spaces without approval.

The office, as a result, ordered Kao Chi to change the building's usage license to that for a restaurant business before the end of the month, or face a fine of up to NT$300,000 (US$10,212) for violating the Building Act.    [FULL  STORY]

EXPANSION: While the search giant declined to confirm the reports, it mentioned in a blog post in March plans to construct a new data center in the nation this year

Taipei Times
Date: Aug 27, 2020
By: Angelica Oung / Staff reporter

Alphabet Inc’s Google has bought a plot in Yunlin County to build a data center, local media reports said yesterday, without citing sources.

Google has two data centers in Taiwan — one in Changhua County and the other in Tainan.

In Asia, the search giant also operates a data center in Singapore and one in Mumbai, India.

Earlier yesterday, the Chinese-language Economic Daily News cited unnamed county officials as saying that Google had bought a NT$3.64 billion (US$123.33 million) plot at the Yunlin Technology-based Industrial Park (雲林科技工業區).

As of press time last night, Google, the county government and China Man-made Fiber Corp (中國人造纖維), the seller of the property, had not made official comments.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs said it would not comment on the investments of individual companies.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 08/25/2020
By Chang Chien-chung,
Frances Huang and Joseph Yeh

Taipei, Aug. 25 (CNA) Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the world's largest contract chipmaker, approved a plan Tuesday to issue NT$15.6 billion (US$530 million) in unsecured bonds to help fund its plans to expand production capacity.

In a public notice, TSMC said the bonds will comprise three tranches — NT$4.8 billion payable over five years, NT$8 billion over seven years and NT$2.8 billion over 10 years.

The interest rates will be 0.5 percent on the five-year bonds, 0.58 percent on the seven-year ones and 0.6 percent on the 10-year tranche, TSMC said.

The company did not disclose when and where the bonds will be sold but said the funds will be used to finance capacity expansion.    [FULL  STORY]