Complaints mount this year as some landlords hike rents regardless of COVID-19 pandemic

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/06/17
By: Sophia Yang, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — To prevent unreasonable rent hikes and associated fees, Taiwan's authorities have drafted a law to protect monthly and daily tenants during their lease terms; the law, which was announced July 15, is expected to soon take effect.

The new legislation will also protect landlords by enabling them to make claims over malicious damage caused by tenants, said Taiwan's Department of Consumer Protection on Wednesday (June 17). Tenants need to get approval from landlords before renovating, and they have to pay for any damage resulting from it.

There have been complaints this year of some landlords demanding rent increases, which has impacted those tenants who are feeling an economic strain amidst the backdrop of the pandemic.

To address the problem, the law stipulates that landlords should not increase the rent during the lease term, but they can extract rent that is owed, compensation for property damage, and cleaning fees for messy move-outs from the security deposit.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 06/17/2020
By: Wu Po-wei, Yang Su-min, Kuo Chi-hsuan and Chiang Yi-ching

Taipei, June 17 (CNA) The annual output value of Taiwan's fresh pork exports could exceed NT$10 billion (US$334.1 million), with the main markets likely to be Japan and southeast Asian countries, officials said Wednesday, the day the country received a designation that will allow such exports to resume after a 24-year hiatus.

Taiwan and the offshore counties of Penghu and Lianchiang (Matsu islands) were officially named a foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) free zone where vaccination is not practiced on Wednesday, meaning Taiwan can start exporting fresh pork again.

The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) announced the designation on its website Wednesday, but the news was already revealed by the Taiwan government late Tuesday.

For the past 24 years, Taiwan has been banned from such exports after a FMD outbreak in 1997.    [FULL  STORY]

NEW MODEL: The government is to make the development of artificial intelligence and 5G technologies its top priority, the National Development Council minister said

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 18, 2020
By: Crystal Hsu / Staff reporter

The government is looking to develop a new economic model that would build Taiwan into a regional high-end manufacturing hub, while low-end manufacturing activity migrates to ASEAN, National Development Council Minister Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said yesterday at a meeting of The Third Wednesday Club, a trade group whose membership is limited to the top 100 firms in each business sector.

The government is drawing up plans to help firms cope with the COVID-19 pandemic and US-China trade tensions, which are reshaping global technology supply chains, Kung said.

The undertaking, dubbed the “economic development plan version 2.0,” calls for the deployment of a forward-looking space and microsatellite industry, the creation of a digital development department, and the nation becoming Asia’s advanced manufacturing hub, he said.

Ministries are working to realize NT$6 trillion (US$202.14 billion) of investment projects and to increase funding for the development of renewable energy sources, Kung said.
[FULL  STORY]

The brand's first 5G phone is currently exclusive to its home market

Android Police
Date: June 16, 2020
By: Karandeep Singh

Sure, HTC doesn’t run a booming smartphone business anymore, but its sporadic efforts remind us the company's not quite done for good. In line with its plan to introduce its first 5G phone this year and a recent teaser, the Taiwanese brand has just unveiled a pair of mid-rangers with lot in common, from their battery sizes to the camera count: the U20 5G and Desire 20 Pro.

The U20 5G is the visibly more premium handset of the two, thanks to its frosted rear glass that you can pick in shades of gray and green. A large 6.8-inch hole-punch screen takes up most of the front; over on the back, you’ll find four sensors: a 48MP primary camera paired with ultra-wide, macro, and depth-of-field sensors. The camera supports stabilized recording that works up to 4K.

Its 5G capabilities come courtesy of Qualcomm’s uber-popular Snapdragon 765G SoC, which helps bring high-end connectivity features to the masses. HTC has generously provided 8GB of RAM and 256GB of expandable storage. As for its battery, the U20 5G offers a 5,000mAh cell that charges using an 18W adapter — we've seen faster chargers in this price bracket, but this one should be sufficient. A capacitive fingerprint reader sits on the phone’s back.
[FULL  STORY]

Only Singapore, Hong Kong rank higher in Asia

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/06/16
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan surged five places to No.11 in the latest world competitiveness rankings published by the IMD Business School in Switzerland Tuesday (June 16).

The island nation also ranked third in Asia on the list, with Singapore holding on to its top spot and Hong Kong slipping from second to fifth. China fell from No.14 to No. 20, while the only other Asian nation progressing five spots in the top 30 was South Korea at No. 23.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 06/16/2020
By: Pan Tzu-yu and Frances Huang

Taipei, June 16 (CNA) The National Development Council (NDC) said Tuesday it is considering removing the two-year work experience threshold for new foreign university graduates who want to work in the country.

NDC deputy head Kao Shien-quey (高仙桂) said the council, the top economic planning body in Taiwan, is mulling an amendment to current regulations governing the recruitment and employment of foreign professionals in Taiwan to remove the work experience requirement in a bid to encourage more foreign talent to work in the country.

The threshold has long been criticized because it is not easy for new university graduates to have two years of work experience, so foreign nationals who just received a bachelor's degree are effectively ineligible to apply for a job in Taiwan.

After the law amendment, Kao said, young foreign talent who graduate from overseas universities, such as an Ivy League schools in the United States, would no longer be unable to work in Taiwan.    [FULL  STORY]

TRANSFORMATION: State-run lenders would be asked to extend loans at favorable rates capped at 2 percent on top of benchmark policy rates, the finance minister said

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 17, 2020
By: Crystal Hsu / Staff reporter

The Ministry of Finance yesterday said it would ask state-run banks to offer loans totaling NT$1 trillion (US$33.67 billion) to help local firms upgrade and transform in the post-pandemic era.

The ministry would act as an integrator in facilitating the loans that might be available for a year after the COVID-19 outbreak has stabilized, Minister of Finance Su Jain-rong (蘇建榮) told a media briefing.

The government is mobilizing resources to help local firms recover from the virus shock and grow stronger on the world stage, Su said.

State-run lenders would be asked to offer loans totaling NT$1 trillion at preferential interest rates, capped at 2 percent on top of benchmark policy rates, he said.    [FULL  STORY]

Foxconn, Asus, Acer, AU Optronics all have factories in Czech Republic

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/06/15
By: Eric Chang, Taiwan News, Contributing Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — While President of the Czech Senate Milos Vystrcil's planned trip to Taiwan at the end of August has been of recent political focus, the two countries actually have a history of trade and economic exchanges, with the Czech Republic being Taiwan's fourth-largest investment destination in Europe.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Economic Affairs reported by CNA, the Czech Republic ranks fourth in terms of Taiwanese investment in Europe, behind Germany, Holland, and the UK. Last year, trade between the two nations totaled nearly US$820 million, with Taiwan exporting US$454 million in goods; while importing $US365 million in Czech products.

Local industry in the Czech Republic is developed to scale, and due to its geographical location in the center of Europe, it attracts factories from other EU nations, according to Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs Bureau of Foreign Trade. For countries interested in gaining access to EU markets, with the Czech Republic being a member state, it makes the country an ideal destination for investment, the bureau said.

Taiwanese firms have been operating in the Czech Republic since 1995, with electronics manufacturing services (EMS) accounting for most of the investment. Foxconn, Asus, Acer, and AU Optronics all have factories in the European country.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: June 15 (CNA)
By Jackson Chang and Evelyn Kao

Several Taiwan-based equipment and raw material suppliers of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) intend to invest in the United States to supply TSMC as it builds and operates its US$12 billion fab in Arizona.

TSMC announced in May its intention to invest in an advanced semiconductor fab in the United States. Construction is planned to start in 2021 with production targeted to begin in 2024.

Though TSMC's investment in the project will average about US$1.33 billion per year from 2021 to 2029, only 8-9 percent of its typical annual capital expenditure, the project will likely attract some of its suppliers to set up shop in the United States.

Marketech International Corp., a Taiwan-based advanced semiconductor equipment supplier, said it plans to pursue orders from TSMC's planned fab in the U.S., where it has already formed a team.     [FULL  STORY]