The China Post
Date: November 12, 2017
By: Liao Yu-yang and Frances Huang

TAIPEI (CNA) – Taiwan’s service sector continued to flash a yellow-red light in

September, indicating slight overheating, amid increasing demand for high-tech gadgets, according to the Commerce Development Research Institute (CDRI).

The CDRI, one of the country’s leading economic think tanks, said the Index of Service Industry (ISI) for September stood at 105, unchanged from August, flashing a yellow-red light that signaled a score of 104 to 108.

The slight overheating was driven by solid demand for tech devices and a move by buyers to build their inventories ahead of the year-end shopping season, the CDRI said.

The latest ISI reflected Taiwan’s trade figures for September, which showed a 28.1 percent year-on-year growth of exports and a 5.4 percent increase in production in the manufacturing sector from the same month last year, the CDRI said.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/11/11
By: Liao Yu-yang and Frances Huang

Taipei, Nov. 11 (CNA) Taiwan’s service sector continued to flash a yellow-red light in

September, indicating slight overheating, amid increasing demand for high-tech gadgets, according to the Commerce Development Research Institute (CDRI).

The CDRI, one of the country’s leading economic think tanks, said the Index of Service Industry (ISI) for September stood at 105, unchanged from August, flashing a yellow-red light that signaled a score of 104 to 108.

The slight overheating was driven by solid demand for tech devices and a move by buyers to build their inventories ahead of the year-end shopping season, the CDRI said.

The latest ISI reflected Taiwan’s trade figures for September, which showed a 28.1 percent year-on-year growth of exports and a 5.4 percent increase in production in the manufacturing sector from the same month last year, the CDRI said.    [FULL  STORY]

Premier Lai recommended the sum only for listed and multinational companies

Taiwan News 
Date: 2017/11/11
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Premier William Lai (賴清德) expressed reluctance Saturday

about raising the minimum monthly wage to NT$30,000 (US$993) after he said the previous day that certain companies should pay at least that sum to new employees.

Taiwan’s official minimum wage was last raised to NT$22,000 (US$728) after a decision by a relevant committee reached last August.

On Friday, addressing Taiwan’s problem in attracting talent and workers, Lai said that at least for listed companies and multinational corporations, paying a starting wage of less than NT$30,000 per month was too low.

When reporters expanded his suggestion to ask whether NT$30,000 should be generalized to become the official minimum wage for workers, Lai urged caution Saturday, saying this kind of measure was not up to the government to suddenly make.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/11/11
By: Chu Tse-wei and Kuan-lin Liu

Taipei, Nov. 11 (CNA) Taiwan’s leading policy think tank said Saturday that the country

should seek inclusion in a free-trade deal that 11 Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) countries have decided to revive.

On the sidelines of the 2017 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) summit, ministers from the 11 nations remaining in the TPP said Saturday that they have decided to move forward with a new regional trade arrangement called the “Comprehensive Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership” (CPTPP).

The proposed new deal maintains much of the core elements of the original TPP, which is precisely why Taiwan should attempt to join, said Liu Meng-chun (劉孟俊), director of the first research division of the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research (CIER).
[FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: November 11, 2017

RACINE, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Foxconn Technology Group

Chairman Terry Gou have signed off on a $3 billion contract for the Taiwanese company to build a massive display-screen factory in southeast Wisconsin.

Walker and Gou signed a contract Friday that locks the state into providing up to $3 billion in tax incentives if Foxconn invests $10 billion on a new display-screen manufacturing factory and campus near Racine. The company would also have to hire 13,000 workers to get the full benefit.

It is the largest state tax incentive package offered to a foreign company in U.S. history.

Gou says he will pay Wisconsin up to $500 million if Foxconn does not fulfill its side of the contract.

The contract signing comes after the state Legislature approved general terms of the deal. Wisconsin beat out several other states for the plant.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-11-10

The economics minister, Shen Jong-chin, says Taiwan has been proactive in pushing

for industry cooperation with APEC member countries at the latest forum underway in Vietnam. Shen was speaking on Thursday about bilateral ministerial-level meetings with the Philippines, Australia, Indonesia and a handful of undisclosed countries.

At a press conference on Thursday night, Shen said there is room for cooperation between Taiwan and the Philippines. He said Taiwan’s photovoltaic industry boasts a robust supply chain, while Manila has an advantage when it comes to geothermal power.

At a meeting with Indonesia’s trade minister on Thursday afternoon, Shen said the two sides have agreed to strengthen cooperation in metal products, mechanics, bio food products, information and communication technology (ICT), electronics, shipping, and smart machinery.    [FULL  STORY]

Huge sale and promotions for several products are prepared for the Double 11 shopping day

Taiwan News  
Date: 2017/11/10
By:  Taiwan News

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Several of Taiwan’s online shopping platforms offer big

promotions, and huge discounts on a wide range of products for Double 11, which is one of the world’s biggest online shopping days.

The date, November 11, is considered as Singles’ Day in China because the number “1” resembles an individual that is alone. In 2009, Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba turned this date into an online shopping day, similar to United States shopping event Cyber Monday, with the trademark registered as “Double 11” (双十一).

To celebrate this biggest online shopping festival, some Taiwanese online shopping websites also provide promotions and product sales for Double 11. Check out this list of online shopping websites with their sample discounts for Double 11 compiled by the Chinese language website Apple Daily.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/11/10
By: Jackson Chang and Frances Huang

Taipei, Nov. 10 (CNA) Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC, 台積電), the

world’s largest contract chipmaker, reported record monthly sales in October that analysts attributed to an increase in orders placed by Apple Inc.

TSMC, which is said to be supplying the A11 processor for production of the latest iPhones — the iPhone 8, the iPhone 8 Plus and the premium iPhone X — clearly benefited from the launch of the new flagship models in September, analysts said.

In October, TSMC posted consolidated sales of NT$94.52 billion (US$3.13 billion), smashing the previous high of NT$94.31 billion in August 2016, the chipmaker said.
[FULL  STORY]