Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/05/07
By: Tsai Yi-chu and Kuo Chung-han

Taipei, May 7 (CNA) State-owned oil refiner CPC Corp., Taiwan (中油) announced that it will cut gasoline prices by NT$0.3 (US$0.01) per liter and diesel prices by NT$0.4 per liter, starting at midnight Sunday, in reflection of lower international crude oil prices.

It is the third consecutive week in which CPC has marked down its fuel prices after a cut of NT$0.5 per liter for both gasoline and diesel a week earlier.

After the latest adjustments, prices at CPC gas stations nationwide will fall to NT$20.9 per liter for super diesel, NT$23.4 per liter for 92 octane unleaded, NT$24.9 per liter for 95 unleaded and NT$26.9 per liter for 98 unleaded.   [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/05/06
By: Chiu Po-sheng and Frances Huang

Taipei, May 6 (CNA) Taiwan’s foreign exchange reserves for April hit a new high partly due to an increase in returns in the Central Bank of the Republic of China’s management of the assets in the month, according to the central bank.

The bank said that due to a stronger euro, which got a boost from reduced fears over a victory of a populist candidate in France’s presidential election, conversion of the European common currency into the U.S. dollar raised the value of Taiwan’s forex reserves in April.

As of the end of April, Taiwan’s forex reserves was up US$900 million from the end of March to US$438.43 billion, a record high in the country’s history.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/05/06
By: Chen Wei-ting, Wei Shu and Frances Huang

Taipei, May 6 (CNA) China Airlines (CAL, 華航), one of the leading international carriers in Taiwan, is seeking more than 70 flight attendants, as the airline is expanding its global flight network.

CAL is scheduled to launch a recruitment campaign in June to hire 74 flight attendants who are Taiwan nationals, the carrier said, adding that the starting average monthly salary for new employees is expected to be NT$65,000 (US$2,152).

In additional to the salary, the carrier said that its flight attendants will be guaranteed annual leave of 123 days and enjoy discounts on CAL flight tickets.   [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan to kick off Computex Taipei which starts on May 31-June 3, 2017

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/05/06
By: Taiwan News

Computex Taipei, set to run May 30 to June 3 at Taipei World Trade Center, will attract more than 1,600 firms from home and abroad to showcase their latest offerings at the largest information and communication technology trade show in Asia, according to co-organizer Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA).

During a news conference May 4 in Taipei, TAITRA President and CEO Walter Yeh said the annual event continues to capture the attention of the worldwide tech community, with more than 40,000 foreign buyers expected to attend.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/05/06
By: Huang Ya-chuan and Frances Huang

Taipei, May 6 (CNA) The local service sector showed signs of improvement in March, with an index gauging the sector’s sentiment indicating that momentum accelerated in March, according to the Commerce Development Research Institute (CDRI).

The CDRI, one of the leading think tanks in Taiwan, cited a survey as saying that the Index of Service Industry (ISI) for March stood at 104, up 1 point from a month earlier, flashing a yellow-red light, which represents a range between 104 and 108. In February, the ISI flashed a green light, which ranges from 100 to 103.

The think tank said that the higher ISI in March largely reflected an improvement in the local job market and business operations.    [FULL  STORY]

Despite the sharp decrease of Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan, the nation’s annual foreign visitors reached 10 million in December last year

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/05/05
By: Wendy Lee , Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan’s tourism value is tipped to be worth NT$1.2 trillion

by 2025, Vice President Chen Chien-jen said Friday.

Attending the opening ceremony of 2017 Taipei International Tourism Expo, the nation’s biggest tourism exposition, Chen said the event serves as an indicator of the nation’s booming tourism industry.

Despite the sharp decrease of Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan, the nation’s annual foreign visitors reached 10 million in December last year.

By 2025, Taiwan’s tourism sector is tipped to be worth NT$1.2 trillion, and providing for approximately 830,000 jobs in the nation, the vice president said in his speech.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 017/05/05
By: Jeffery Wu and Frances Huang

Taipei, May 5 (CNA) Chunghwa Telecom Co. (中華電), the leading telecom operator in Taiwan, said Friday it will provide more than NT$100 million (US$3.32 million) worth of products and services as a sponsor of the upcoming 2017 Universiade in Taipei.

Chunghwa Telecom Chairman Cheng Yu (鄭優) and Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) jointly announced the company’s sponsorship of the international sporting event, to take place from Aug. 19 to Aug. 30.

Under the sponsorship agreement, Chunghwa Telecom has agreed to provide its high-speed Internet services during the event and its ultra-high definition 4K multimedia on demand (MOD) system to live stream the opening and closing ceremonies of the Universiade.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: May 6, 2017
By: Kuan-lin Liu, The China Post with CNA

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Bank of Taiwan (BOT), in response to a rumor that it was running

out of Japanese yen, lined up stacks of yen bills totaling 800 million on its counters to debunk the allegation on Friday.

Speculation that BOT was running out of the Japanese currency stemmed from the fact that on Thursday, the Japanese yen dipped to a new yearlong low in comparison to the New Taiwan dollar.

According to local media reports, local consumers rushed to take advantage of the depreciation and pick up the Japanese currency.

As early as the beginning of this week, BOT reported, its online platform “has been jammed by rising demand for the yen,” writes a local media source.   [FULL  STORY]