Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/02/18
By: Huang Ya-chuan and Frances Huang

Taipei, Feb. 18 (CNA) The local manufacturing sector snapped a seven-quarter losing streak in production value in the fourth quarter of last year, largely on the back of a strong showing by the local electronics component industry, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said Saturday.

In the October-December period, the output of the local manufacturing sector rose 5.72 percent from a year earlier to NT$3.26 trillion (US$106 billion) after a 1.38 percent year-on-year decline in the third quarter, the ministry said.

However, the solid performance in the fourth quarter failed to reverse the weakness seen in the previous three quarters, the MOEA said. For the whole of 2016, the production value of Taiwanese manufacturers fell 4.26 percent from a year earlier to NT$12.31 trillion, but the decline moderated from a 10.84 percent year-on-year fall in 2015, the MOEA added.

In the fourth quarter, the electronic component industry served as a driver to boost the manufacturing sector’s total output due to international brands’ efforts to launch new mobile devices, which stimulated buying at a time when global demand was recovering, the MOEA said.   [FULL  STORY]

Uber’s ride-sharing service has been considered illegal in Taiwan and suspended operations on Feb. 10. But the company may have found a way back in after a recent meeting with the government.

The News Lens
Date: 2017/02/18
By: Rosemary Chen

Two weeks after Uber announced the suspension of its ride-sharing service in Taiwan, it released a

statement on Feb. 16 saying that it has reached a new agreement with the Ministry of Transportation and Communication (MOTC).

The statement says the new agreement is an “initial consensus” that allows Uber to “partner with car rental services and operate legally,” and “to continue to provide Taiwanese citizens with safe, reliable and affordable transportation options.”

It was released after a Feb. 16 meeting hosted by the MOTC to discuss Uber’s legality issues in Taiwan. Uber drivers, Uber Taiwan and taxi drivers participated in the discussion.

But not all parties are satisfied with the new agreement. The Uber Drivers Alliance published a Facebook post after the meeting saying the requests of Uber drivers were ignored. This included the drivers’ calls for “Transportation Network Company laws” to be implemented, a government response to the “legal framework of car rental services” and a “timeline for communication across different ministries.” The group also stated that a protest will take place on Feb. 26 in front of the MOTC.   [FULL  STORY]

The company is looking to expand in emerging economies and especially in India, an economic bright spot with strong domestic demand.

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/02/17
By: Wendy Lee, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan Cement Corp. (TCC, 台泥), the nation’s biggest cement company, is

seeking growth opportunities in India, a market that the late chairman of TCC Leslie Koo believed to have great development potential.

Leslie Cheng-yun Koo (辜成允), Taiwan Cement chairman and president, has died on January 21st from severe head injuries after falling down the stairs at a Taipei hotel. A memorial service will be held on March 15, the company announced last week.

The 62-year-old leader of one of Taiwan’s most prominent business families was attending a wedding banquet at Regent Hotel Taipei when he fell down a flight of stairs and suffered severe head injuries. He was immediately rushed to a hospital nearby but succumbed to his injuries two days later.

Leslie Koo took over the reins at Taiwan Cement from his brother, Chester Koo, who died of cancer in 2001. His brother-in-law and the company’s board director, Nelson An-ping Chang (張安平), has been appointed to take over the business as acting chairman following the sudden death of Koo.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/02/17
By: Chiu Po-sheng and Frances Huang

Taipei, Feb. 17 (CNA) The U.S. dollar fell against the Taiwan dollar on Friday, shedding NT$0.016 to close at NT$30.776 as the greenback gave up earlier gains on the back of selling by Taiwanese exporters, dealers said.

Continued fund inflows into the country and further institutional buying in the local equity market also pushed the U.S. dollar into negative territory at the end of trading, they said.

The greenback opened at NT$30.810 and moved between NT$30.755 and NT$30.839 before the close. Turnover totaled US$625 million during the session.

Soon after the local foreign exchange market opened, the U.S. dollar staged a technical rebound against the Taiwan dollar from its fall on Thursday to pass the NT$30.8 mark and hit a high for the day, as traders took their cue from the weakness of other regional currencies, in particular the South Korean won, which the local unit tracks closely, dealers said.    [FULL  STORY]

“The overall freedom to conduct business is relatively well protected under the transparent regulatory environment.”

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/02/16
By: Wendy Lee, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan has climbed to its highest level in world rankings of

economic freedom, according to an annual index released Wednesday by a leading Washington-based think tank, the Heritage Foundation.

Now in its 23rd year, the Economic Freedom Index measures the impact of liberty and free markets around the globe based on 12 quantitative and qualitative factors grouped into four broad categories, including rule of law, government size, regulatory efficiency, and open markets.

In this year’s index, Taiwan jumped three places from 14 to 11 with an overall score of 76.5 out of 100, surpassing the United States in the ranking, which ranked 11th in 2016 and slipped to 17th this year.   [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/02/16
By: Tien Yu-pin and S.C. Chang

Taipei, Feb. 16 (CNA) Ford Lio Ho Motor Co. Taiwan announced on Thursday it will

invest NT$4 billion (US$130 million) to upgrade its production processes in Taiwan and manufacture the Escort series of family cars.

Company president Tim Chu (朱忠園) said that as part of a program to improve the quality of Ford vehicles, the new investment will mainly involve the purchase of new equipment and introduction of intelligent production.

In the meantime, Ford Lio Ho plans to add more options to its Escort passenger car series to meet customer demands.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: February 17, 2017
By: Christine Chou

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Chinese media reports have recently claimed that Alibaba group

planned to acquire the mainland division of supermarket chain RT-Mart, which is operated by Taiwan-based Ruentex Group (潤泰集團).

The Chinese e-commerce giant declined to make any comments regarding the alleged acquisition.

Sun Art Retail Group (高鑫零售), the Ruentex-backed parent company of China’s RT-Mart, the saw its stock price rise 1.7 percent to a record-busting HK$8.17 on Thursday to end the day at HK$8.03 — its highest value in two years.

A spokesperson for RT-Mart’s parent group in Taiwan said they were not aware of Alibaba’s intentions to acquire the mainland RT-Mart.    [FULL  STORY]