Project with Sharp and SoftBank is response to Trump

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/01/13
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd. and its Japanese subsidiary Sharp

Corporation are considering building a liquid crystal display panel factory in the United States in what might be a response to President-elect Donald Trump, Japan’s Nikkei reported Friday.

Hon Hai, which also operates under the brand name Foxconn, is chaired by Terry Gou, one of Taiwan’s wealthiest tycoons, who has also been mentioned by the local media as a potential presidential candidate in 2020, even though he has dismissed such suggestions.

If the cost of a similar plant to be completed next year in China’s Guangzhou Province is taken into account, investment in the U.S. for the LCD project could total NT$270 billion (US$8.55 billion), reports said.

The Nikkei said an unnamed Sharp executive had said the plan for the factory was “on the table” and would be the subject of a careful decision.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/01/13
By: Jeffrey Wu, Chen Wei-ting and Kuo Chung-han

Taipei, Jan. 13 (CNA) In a meeting with a Uber executive on Friday, the government stayed firm on

having Uber pay local taxes, be covered by insurance and accept regulatory supervision, Transportation Minister Ho Chen Tan (賀陳旦) said.

Taiwan, however, will also be glad to discuss the possibility of Uber to provide services to rural and remote areas, Ho Chen said.

The ministry said it still will not allow services that match private cars with passengers, as Uber does, but it would be glad to maintain dialogue with Uber and provide any necessary help if the ride-hailing company is willing to operate in compliance with local laws.

The ministry also said it told Damian Kassabgi, head of Uber’s Asia Pacific region, that it would consider the possibility of using private vehicles for car sharing or carpooling to lower transportation costs in rural and remote areas, if Uber is willing to go along.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: January 14, 2017
By: CNA

TAIPEI — U.S.-based carrier Delta Air Lines announced Friday that it was terminating its only route that

serves Taiwan, with effect from May 25.

Delta Air currently operates one round-trip flight per day between Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Narita Airport in Tokyo, catering mostly to passengers traveling to and from the United States via Japan.

The Delta flight between Taoyuan and Narita on May 24 will be the last one on that route, said the carrier, which is based in Atlanta, Georgia.

The airline said it plans to shift more flights to Tokyo Haneda Airport but did not explain clearly why that would mean closing the Taiwan route, which it has been operating since 2010.

In a report last August, the U.S.-based Star Tribune newspaper, said Delta was ending some of its Narita routes, apparently as a result of changes to aviation rules.    [FULL  STORY]

Among the 22 winners this year, 13 were aged under 45

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/01/12
By: Sophia Yang, Taiwan News, Staff Reporter

Taipei (Taiwan News) — Shennong (神農), also known as the Divine Farmer in ancient Chinese literature,

is credited for teaching the ancient Chinese how to grow crops and raise animals. Shennong is renowned for testing hundreds of herbs on himself to record their medicinal properties. In Taiwan, the Shennong Award was established 30 years ago to commemorate this great forerunner and to honor present pioneers who stand out from their peers for their innovations and contributions to a sustainable food future in the country.

The Top 10 Shennong Award ceremony was held on Tuesday with the attendance of Premier Lin Chuan, Council of Agriculture (COA) Minister Tsao Chi-hung, Democratic Progressive Party legislators Huang Wei-cher and Frida Tsai. There were 10 people who received the Top 10 Shennong Award and another 12 who took home awards for the best farmers of the year.

Premier Lin Chuan said at the ceremony that the agricultural sector is the pillar of our economy, which is, however, plagued with problems and needs serious attention. The first challenge Lin pointed out is the scattered and small plots of farmland which has led to a decline in agricultural production. To tackle the problem, Lin said the government is planning to revitalize fallow farmland and improve its utilization.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/01/12
By: Chen Cheng-wei and Y.F. Low

Taipei, Jan. 12 (CNA) The government will increase investment in public infrastructure this year as part

of ongoing efforts to boost employment and balance regional development, the National Development Council (NDC) said on Thursday.

This year, the Cabinet plans to spend NT$363.4 billion (US$11.55 billion) on public infrastructure projects, of which NT$326.6 billion is listed in the central government’s annual budget, NDC Deputy Minister Tseng Shu-cheng (曾旭正) said.

He said related projects can be divided into 17 categories: highways, rail transport, aviation, harbors, tourism, environmental protection, water resources, sewage, national parks, industrial and commercial facilities, fuel and electricity, urban development, culture, education, sports, agricultural facilities and health.

One of these projects involves spending NT$20.1 billion over four years to improve the road-based public transport, for which NT$6.03 billion was earmarked in this year’s budget, he said.   [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: January 13, 2017
By: Christine Chou

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract

chipmaker and a major supplier to Apple Inc., Thursday announced record-high revenue and net profit for the fourth quarter of last year.

It reported consolidated revenue of NT$262.23 billion, net income of NT$100.20 billion and diluted earnings per share of NT$3.86 (US$0.61 per ADR unit) for the fourth quarter.

In U.S. dollars, the fourth-quarter revenue in 2016 increased 0.7 percent and saw a 3.6 percent increase in net income from the previous quarter. Fourth-quarter revenue was US$8.25 billion, increasing 32.3 percent year on year.

Its gross margin for the fourth quarter was 52.3 percent, operating margin was 41.9 percent and net profit margin was 38.2 percent.

Shipments of the 16/20-nanometer chip accounted for 33 percent of total wafer revenues in the quarter, whereas 28-nanometer shipments accounted for 24 percent.    [FULL  STORY]

TDCC Chairman Sherman Lin summed up the main progress achieved in 2016

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/01/10
By: Sophia Yang, Taiwan News, Staff Reporter

Financial technology (FinTech) is shaping financial services globally and financial institutions are looking for strategic answers to sustain competitive advantages. In the face of FinTech, many firms are struggling to apply innovation, but Taiwan Depository & Clearing Corporation (TDCC) has responded to the changes very early to deliver better customer experience and has been well received by the market.

The company’s effort was not in vain. Data show a 3.2-fold increase in Taiwan’s electronic voting (e-voting) by retail and institutional investors at shareholder meetings in 2016 from a prior year. The company was even invited to share its success story and achievements of improving market efficiency through applying innovative technologies.

In a year-end media gathering, TDCC Chairman Sherman Lin summed up the main progress achieved in 2016, including laying a foundation for a digitized securities depository service slated to launch in 2017, expanding cross-border custody services, promoting e-voting, streamlining online fund platform, building up anti-money-laundering inquiry system platform, and promoting philanthropy and financial education. Lin added that the financial technology solutions will be widely applied into the service in a bid to create more innovative solutions to help stakeholders expand markets and improve market efficiency.   [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/01/11
By: Emerson Lim and Lilian Wu

Manila, Jan. 11 (CNA) A Taiwanese university alliance said Wednesday that it is seeking to build

cooperation with prestigious universities in the Philippines and pave the way for wider bilateral exchanges.

To this end, the NTU System, which comprises National Taiwan University (NTU), National Taiwan Normal University and National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, met in Manila with representatives of several top-ranking Philippine universities and with diplomatic officials from both sides.

NTU vice president Chang Ching-ray (張慶瑞) said the alliance has helped to create added value and he hoped to see increased exchanges between the students and faculty of universities in Taiwan and the Philippines, which will make the schools more competitive.

Taiwan’s representative to the Philippines Lin Song-Huann (林松煥) noted that the Philippines has the second-largest population in Southeast Asia and its economy has been growing in recent years.   [FULL  STORY]