Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/04/04
By: Liao Yu-yang, Chung Jung-feng and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, April 4 (CNA) Corporate leaders on Wednesday called on the Taiwan government

to improve the domestic business environment to encourage China-based Taiwanese companies to relocate their investment after Washington published a list of Chinese imports that could be subject to additional tariffs, impacting Taiwanese businesses operating in the mainland.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on Tuesday unveiled a list of Chinese advanced technology imports targeted for U.S. tariffs to punish Beijing over its technology transfer policies.

The office has recommended a 25 percent duty covering 1,300 Chinese products be applied to about US$50 billion worth of goods and other actions be taken in response to policies that coerce American companies into transferring technology and intellectual property to domestic Chinese enterprises in exchange for access to the Chinese market.
[FULL  STORY]

Taiwan’s ratio of convenience stores is second only to South Korea, and barely ahead of Japan in third

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/04/03
By: Duncan DeAeth, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – According to statistics from 2017, Taiwan possesses the second

highest ratio of convenience stores per population density of any country in the world.

At the beginning of March 2017, there were 10,662 different convenience stores in Taiwan, with an average of one convenience store for every 2,211 people across the country, according to Statistics Department of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA).

The only nation with a higher percentage of convenience stores per population is South Korea, which possesses well over 35,000 convenience store location by the end of 2016. There is one convenience store in South Korea for every 1,452 people.

Also in the neighborhood, Japan possesses the third highest amount of stores relative to population density. At the end of 2017, Japan had 56, 374 convenience stores, with one store for every 2,248 people.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/04/03
By: Tsai Yi-chu and Frances Huang 

Taipei, April 3 (CNA) The Philippines has become the top destination for Taiwanese banks planning to extend their reach in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) market, according to a research paper released Tuesday by the Taiwan Academy of Banking and Finance (TABF).

In the research paper, the TABF, a research group under the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC), said the Philippines, bolstered by its fast-growing economy, has replaced Vietnam for the first time to become the top destination in the ASEAN bloc for local banks seeking to set up branches or representative offices.

Vietnam had been the most-favored ASEAN market for Taiwanese banks in recent years.
[FULL  STORY]

BOOKED: The firm said its factories are fully utilized even after the merger with SPIL, which means concerns that the merger would undermine demand were unfounded

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 04, 2018
By: Lisa Wang  /  Staff reporter, in KAOHSIUNG

Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc (ASE, 日月光半導體) yesterday said it is

investing NT$12.5 billion (US$429 million) on a new advanced fab in Kaohsiung to expand capacity, with the aim of keeping up pace with high demand for system-in-a-package (SiP) services.

The rapid proliferation of slim Internet of Things devices is driving demand for SiP packaging technology, which encloses several chips, such as microprocessors and memory chips, in a single module, the world’s largest chip tester and packager said.

“Our factories are fully utilized [even] after the consolidation of ASE and Siliconware Precision Industries Co (SPIL, 矽品精密),” ASE chairman Jason Chang (張虔生) told a media gathering.

“This proves that the concern that the combination of the two firms would undermine ASE’s customer base and reduce client orders is unfounded,” Chang said
[FULL  STORY]

Motorcycle Taiwan 2018 will be held April 12-15 at TWTC Exhibition Hall 1, in Taipei. There will be 154 exhibitors including BMW, Adiva, J-Dream, TGB and PGO, showcasing new models of motorcycles and ATVs, according to show organizer

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/04/02
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)—Motorcycle Taiwan 2018 will be held April 12-15 at TWTC

Exhibition Hall 1, in Taipei. There will be 154 exhibitors including BMW, Adiva, J-Dream, TGB and PGO, showcasing new models of motorcycles and ATVs, according to show organizer Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA).

Moreover, many manufacturers of motorcycle parts and accessories as well as manufacturers of motorcyclists’ accessories will also be participating in the exhibition, TAITRA said.

This year’s trade show is set to extend its scope as it has successfully attracted participation from countries covered by Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy, the organizer said. Hot Engineering of Malaysia, Edico Utama of Indonesia, Luxdata Technology of South Korea as well as 13 exhibitors from China will join this year’s trade show.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/04/02 
By: Chiu Po-sheng and Frances Huang

Taipei, April 2 (CNA) Taiwan’s central bank Governor Yang Chin-long (楊金龍) said Monday that transactions of the cryptocurrency Bitcoin should be regulated by anti-money laundering rules.

In a hearing held by the Finance Committee of the Legislative Yuan, Yang, who took the helm of the central bank in late February, suggested that the Ministry of Justice include Bitcoin into the purview of Taiwan’s Money Laundering Control Act due to the digital currency’s lack of regulation.

With more and more investors chasing the virtual currency, many countries have been watching closely whether Bitcoin is being used for money laundering.

The United States is one of those countries. In the most recent case, a Bitcoin trader in Arizona has just been found guilty of money laundering by a Phoenix Federal Jury.
[FULL  STORY]