Taiwan News
Date; 2016-07-24
By: Central News Agency

A delegation led by Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Shen Jong-chin embarked on a trip to Tokyo Sunday to attract Japanese companies with cutting-edge technology to invest in Taiwan and strengthen bilateral industrial and technology cooperation.

During their trip, which will run through July 30, the delegation will visit around 10 large multinational companies headquartered in Tokyo to facilitate their investment in Taiwan through the signing of investment letters of intent, according to the ministry’s Department of Investment Services.

In addition, to help Japanese businesses to gain an understanding of investment opportunities in Taiwan, the ministry will hold investment briefings in Tokyo on Taiwan’s wind power generation, smart city and semiconductor industries and on the advantages of Taiwan’s investment environment, according to the department.

With Taiwan’s complete supply chain for the high-tech manufacturing sector and Japan’s advantages in technology research and development and good brand images, there is ample room for cooperation between industries in the two countries, according to the department.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/07/24
By: Huang Chiao-wen and Romulo Huang

Taipei, July 24 (CNA) The government has set a production target for the nation’s biotechnology industry at NT$500 billion (US$15.6 billion) for 2020 with several flagship enterprises of the sector getting annual revenues of more than NT$10 billion, an official of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said Sunday.

The MOEA has elaborated six main strategies for future development of the biotechnology industry in the nation, including the establishment of chains of related enterprises for new drug research and development, the promotion of internationalization of local pharmaceutical manufacturers that obtain certificates of good manufacturing practice PIC/S (pharmaceutical inspection cooperation scheme), the official of the Industry Development Bureau under the MOEA said.

The other strategies are establishing clusters of manufacturing industries of high-level medical equipments and materials, promoting smart systems of niche medical materials, developing health and welfare industries and amending outdated rules and regulations on new drug development, he added.     [FULL  STORY]

TAKEOVER BID:The technology sector is facing its third merger and acquisition this year, as Ardentec buys Giga to hurry its entry into the Internet of Things market

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 25, 2016
By: Lisa Wang / Staff reporter

Ardentec Corp (欣銓), a semiconductor tester, said it plans to launch a tender offer to acquire as much as 75 percent of local peer Giga Solution Technology Co (全智科技) for NT$2.17 billion (US$67.66 million) in cash.

The transaction would pave the way for Ardentec’s second-phase efforts to fully acquire Giga Solution, the companies said in a joint statement on Friday.

Giga Solution is to become a 100 percent subsidiary of Ardentec and delist its shares from the local stock market following the completion of the deal, the statement said.

The acquisition, the latest in the nation’s merger-and-acquisition spree, aims to boost the company’s market share and to speed up its expansion into the fledgling Internet of Things (IoT) market, Ardentec said in the statement.     [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: July 25, 2016
By: CNA

TAIPEI–Confidence in the local economy has shown signs of weakening amid concerns that the decision of the United Kingdom to leave the European Union will send ripples through the global economy and affect domestic fundamentals, according to Cathay Financial Holding Co. (國泰金).

Citing a monthly survey conducted by the financial holding company, Cathay Financial said that 44.3 percent of the 17,645 respondents predicted that the local economy will get worse over the next six months, while 21.7 percent said that the local economy will improve.

The results translate into a July optimism index toward the economy over the next six months of minus 22.7, a fall from minus 8.5 recorded in June, the survey shows.

In the same survey, 47.5 percent of the respondents said the local economy was weaker than six months earlier, while only 16.2 percent of them said that the economic fundamentals had improved from six months earlier.     [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: July 24, 2016
By: Kate Shao-ching Chiu, Special to The China Post

TAIPEI, Taiwan — The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA, 外貿協會) held a product launch event in Osaka last week, inviting awarded Taiwanese medical enterprises to enhance their brand visibility and increase their competitiveness in the Japanese market.

A similar product launch in Tokyo held last year proved successful, a Taiwanese attendee said. The entrepreneur said he appreciated TAITRA’s effort and that orders from Japan had increased after the product launch.

The attendee said he believed that this year’s product launch will attract Japanese companies, after promoting Taiwan’s brands and the innovation of Taiwan’s medical products.

According to the TAITRA, Japan’s need for medical and health care products has grown higher after the nation has become a “hyper-aged” society. Knowing the high standards of Taiwan’s medical equipment R&D and quality, the TAITRA suggested that Taiwan’s medical enterprises explore the Japanese market more.     [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: July 24, 2016
By Renita Li, Special to The China Post

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Department stores are launching promotional sales for the upcoming Chinese Valentine’s Day and Father’s Day holidays.

Department stores have been affected by the slack season, according to Shin Kong Mitsukoshi (新光三越百貨) Vice General Manager of Operations Joseph Yang (楊宗榮), who said that purchases had been slow this year. He compared the state of the industry to a “smoldering pot.”

“We feel stifled and buying just won’t go up,” Yang said.

Faced with declining sales of 2 percent in the first half of 2016, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi is launching promotions from July 22 to Aug. 1, offering NT$200 after customers make a purchase of NT$2,000. During the promotional period, the company would like to achieve a sales target of NT$4 billion.     [FULL  STORY]

ELECTRONICS RECOVERY:The 0.88 percent growth was driven largely by electronics components. In commercial sales, retail and restaurants grew, but wholesale dropped

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 23, 2016
By: Kuo Chia-erh / Staff reporter

The nation’s industrial production last month rose 0.88 percent year-on-year, supported by rising global demand for electronics components, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday.

Last month’s industrial output rose for a second consecutive month, following a revised 1.9 percent increase in May, the ministry’s data showed.

Manufacturing output, which accounts for more than 90 percent of total industrial production, increased 1.58 percent last month from the same period a year ago, the ministry said.

“The growth last month mainly came from the output of electronics components, but does not mean the nation’s economy is recovering. We still need to observe other industries’ performance in the future,” Department of Statistics Senior Executive Officer Wang Shou-yu (王守玉) told a news conference.     [FULL  STORY]