Business and Finance

Xiaomi opens two more offline stores in Taiwan

Xinhua Net
Date: Nov. 19, 2017
By: Source: Xinhua| Editor: Xiang Bo

TAIPEI, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) — Chinese mainland tech giant Xiaomi opened two more brick-and-mortar stores in central and southern Taiwan over the weekend.

A Mi Home showroom opened in Taichung Saturday while a direct-sales store opened in Tainan Sunday, bringing the company’s offline stores to four in Taiwan, following a Mi Home showroom in Taipei and a direct-sales store in Kaohsiung.

The leading smartphone maker entered the Taiwan market in 2013 and mainly sells products through e-commerce platforms and its online store on the island. It opened its first offline store in Taipei in 2015.

Sales revenue of Xiaomi products in Taiwan surged 77 percent in the first three quarters of this year, with the flagship Taipei Mi Home showroom raking in over 300 million new Taiwan dollars (9.98 million U.S. dollars), according to Xiaomi Taiwan general manager Henman Lee.    [FULL  STORY]

Apple replaces Asustek to be No. 4 notebook computer supplier in Q3

Apple replaced Taiwan-based PC brand Asustek Computer Inc. to become world’s 4th largest notebook supplier

Focus Taiwan  
Date: 2017/11/19
By:  Central News Agency

Taipei, Nov. 18 — Apple Inc., the U.S. consumer electronics giant, replaced Taiwan-based

(Image by pixabay user markusspiske)

PC brand Asustek Computer Inc. (華碩) to become the world’s fourth largest notebook computer supplier in the third quarter of this year, according to TrendForce Corp.

In a research report, TrendForce, a Taipei-based market information advisory firm, said Apple got a boost from the rising popularity of its MacBook Pro, whose new edition was unveiled in the third quarter, helping it take the fourth position from Asustek.

TrendForce said Apple shipped 4.43 million notebook computers in the July-September period, up 11.3 percent from a quarter earlier. That enabled it to take a 10.4 percent share in the global market.

Asustek’s shipments, meanwhile, totaled 3.82 million units, down 4.3 percent from a quarter earlier, representing an 8.9 percent share of global notebook computer sales, putting it in fifth place.    [FULL  STORY]

CPC to cut fuel prices for 1st time in 5 weeks

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/11/19
By: Huang Ya-chuan and Evelyn Kao 

Taipei, Nov. 19 (CNA) State-owned oil refiner CPC Corp. Taiwan (中油) said it will cut domestic gasoline prices by NT$0.3 (US$0.01) per liter and lower diesel prices by NT$0.4 per liter for the coming week, starting at midnight Sunday, following a fall in international crude oil prices last week.

The price cut ended a streak of four consecutive weeks of price hikes totaling NT$1.5 per liter by the company.

After the adjustment, prices at CPC gas stations across Taiwan will be NT$23.9 per liter for super diesel, NT$26.1 per liter for 92 octane unleaded, NT$27.6 per liter for 95 unleaded and NT$29.6 per liter for 98 unleaded, the company said.

The price cut came after a drop in global oil prices this past week resulting from renewed concerns over a global supply glut after a hike in U.S. crude oil inventories.
[FULL  STORY]

Chunghwa Telecom awarded solar contract

‘GREEN’ SUPPORT: The solar power plant contract awarded by Taiwan Power Co will be added to the company’s more than 370 projects completed in support of a ‘green’ Taiwan

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 20, 2017
By: Staff writer
Chunghwa Telecom Co (中華電信) on Friday announced it has been awarded a NT$58 billion (US$1.93 billion) contract by state-run Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) to build a solar power plant with a capacity of 100 megawatts, which would be the largest of its kind in Taiwan.

The solar power plant is to be located in Changhua Coastal Industrial Park (彰濱工業區), Chunghwa Telecom said in a statement, adding that the project is to cover about 140 hectares.

The plant is expected to be ready for a trial run after about 15 months of construction, the company said, adding that the whole project is to be completed in 2019.

Wang Hui-min (王惠民), president of the company’s southern Taiwan business group, said in the statement that Chunghwa Telecom has been developing solar, wind and biogas energy since 2015, in line with the government’s policy of promoting the development of “green” energy in Taiwan.    [FULL  STORY]

Chic and functional — Taiwan’s sportswear brand dedicated to modern women

Chang said her collections are not just sportswear confined to a studio or gym, but also fashionable clothes that can be worn in many occasions. 

Taiwan News 
Date: 2017/11/18
By: Teng Pei-ju, Taiwan News, Staff Reporter

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Visitors to the Taipei IN Style expect to see booths displaying

MY’ELSE Activewear (By Taiwan News)

avant-garde and even extravagant clothes from around the world. MY’ELSE Activewear, which is committed to modern women with a healthy lifestyle, stands out among others with fresh and feminine designs that can be worn on a daily basis.

Sandy Chang (章寧), designer of MY’ELSE Activewear, said the brand is about creating activewear that is stylish and feminine while perfectly functional.

In order to reach that goal, Chang has utilized substantial meshes in her designs, particularly in areas that allow women to express their femininity and confidence but not to be overtly sexy.    [FULL  STORY]

56th OSEAL meeting underway in Kaohsiung

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/11/18
By: Wang Shwu-fen and Kuan-lin Liu

Kaohsiung, Nov. 18 (CNA) The 56th annual meeting of the Orient and South East Asia

President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) speaking at the 56th Orient and South East Asia Lions (OSEAL) Forum on Saturday in Kaohsiung.

Lions (OSEAL) is currently underway in Kaohsiung City, southern Taiwan, where an estimated 20,000 members of local Lions clubs in Taiwan and eight nearby regions are in attendance.

The four-day forum kicked off on Friday and coincides with the centennial of the Lions Clubs International, which was founded in 1917.

In his welcome message, Forum Chairman Carl Chou (周榮家) said that it was a great honor for Taiwan to host the forum in such a special year, noting that “all the Lions in Taiwan are working to prepare unique love of Lions’s 100 years.”

He also invited all those attending the forum, from Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Brunei, Guam and the Philippines, to check out the food, culture and beautiful scenery in southern Taiwan.    [FULL  STORY]

Yilan to tax underutilized industrial lots

DEVELOPMENT: Following the Cabinet’s effort to ease a shortage of industrial land, the Yilan County Government plans to first target the Lize and Longte industrial parks

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 18, 2017
By: Crystal Hsu  /  Staff reporter

The Yilan County Government has fired the first shot by imposing land taxes of up to five times the norm on underutilized lots in the county’s industrial parks to support the Cabinet’s effort to ease the land shortage for industrial properties.

Acting Yilan County Commissioner Derek Chen (陳金德) on Thursday said he is taking an inventory of underutilized plots of land under his jurisdiction and will levy additional land taxes on vacant plots at rates two to five times the regular rates to promote land development.

Chen’s move came after the Cabinet made plans on Nov. 6 to free up to 1,422 hectares of underutilized land for industrial use in the next four years as part of an effort to encourage investment in Taiwan.    [FULL  STORY]

Apple replaces Asustek to be No. 4 notebook computer supplier in Q3

The China Post
Date: November 18, 2017
By: Jeffery Wu and Frances Huang

TAIPEI (CNA) – Apple Inc., the U.S. consumer electronics giant, replaced Taiwan-based

Das Apple-Logo, aufgenommen am 03.11.2017 beim Verkaufsstart des iPhone X an einem Apple-Store in Hamburg zu sehen. Photo by: Bodo Marks/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images

PC brand Asustek Computer Inc. (華碩) to become the world’s fourth largest notebook computer supplier in the third quarter of this year, according to TrendForce Corp.

In a research report, TrendForce, a Taipei-based market information advisory firm, said Apple got a boost from the rising popularity of its MacBook Pro, whose new edition was unveiled in the third quarter, helping it take the fourth position from Asustek.

TrendForce said Apple shipped 4.43 million notebook computers in the July-September period, up 11.3 percent from a quarter earlier. That enabled it to take a 10.4 percent share in the global market.

Asustek’s shipments, meanwhile, totaled 3.82 million units, down 4.3 percent from a quarter earlier, representing an 8.9 percent share of global notebook computer sales, putting it in fifth place.

Another Taiwanese PC brand, Acer Inc. (宏碁), took the sixth position or a 7.7 percent market share in the third quarter after shipping 3.31 million units, up 2.8 percent from a quarter earlier, the research report showed.    [FULL  STORY]

Global recovery boosts Q3 manufacturing 6.43%

ASCENDING TRENDS:The Ministry of Economic Affairs attributes the manufacturing increase to double-digit growth in the output of chemical materials and basic metals

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 18, 2017
By: Kuo Chia-erh  /  Staff reporter

The nation’s manufacturing production value grew 6.43 percent year-on-year to NT$3.32 trillion (US$110.3 billion) last quarter, the highest in two years, amid a stable global economic recovery, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday.

On a quarterly basis, production value increased 4.74 percent from NT$3.17 billion, the latest government statistics showed.

In the first three quarters of this year, total production value expanded 6.79 percent to NT$9.66 trillion from the same period last year.

The increase is attributed to double-digit percentage growth in the output of chemical materials and basic metals on recent ascending trends in oil, steel and copper foil prices, a ministry statement said.    [FULL  STORY]

NT$170bn to be earmarked for digital economy

Radio Taiqwan Intwernational
Date: 2017-11-17

Minister without portfolio Andrey Tang says the government is planning to spend NT$170 billion (US5.6 billion) over the next eight years to create an environment for an innovative digital economy.

Tang was speaking Friday by video at a forum on digital convergence sponsored by the National Communications Commission. Digital convergence refers to viewing the same multimedia content from different types of digital device.

Tang talked about how the money will be spent. She said, “The Cabinet has introduced a program called Digital Innovation and Governance Initiative (DIGI).     [FULL  STORY]