Foxcus Taiwan
Date: 2015/07/08
By: Tang Pei-chun and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, July 8 (CNA) Premier Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) and an AmCham Taipei delegation

on Wednesday discussed Taiwan’s efforts to join the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade bloc after the group had previously urged Taiwan to accelerate preparations for a TPP bid.

During the meeting, Thomas Fann, the chairman of the non-profit business group, asked Mao how determined the government was to gain access to the TPP and which government agencies were in charge of the bid.

He also reiterated some of the suggestions made in AmCham Taipei’s 2015 Taiwan White Paper, including that the premier should create a TPP Preparation Task Force to manage the TPP process and that Taiwan should promote greater transparency in the regulatory process to enhance its qualifications for TPP membership.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/07/07 19:58:20
By: Pan Chi-i, Maria Tsai and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, July 7 (CNA) Taiwan’s exports contracted 13.9 percent in June year on year, the fifth consecutive month in which they registered a drop, according to customs statistics released Tuesday by the Ministry of Finance (MOF).

June exports amounted to US$23.07 billion, while imports in the same month fell 16.1 percent year on year to US$20.89 billion, the tallies show. The trade balance for the month was favorable, reaching US$2.18 billion, the ministry said.

Yeh Maan-tzwu (葉滿足), director of the MOF’s Statistics Department, said the export decline was more serious than an earlier ministry prediction of 9 percent to 10 percent, and that it represented the biggest fall in terms of exports in a single month over the past six years.     [FULL  STORY]

Want China Times
Date: 2015-07-07
By: Staff Reporter

Chinese television makers have been promoting smart TV sets but with little success.

Their South Korean counterparts, on the other hand, are focusing on the development of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) products, reports the China Business Journal.

Chinese TV makers have emphasized the importance of smart TVs but have not achieved any major innovations that change how people watch TV. In fact, there are fewer TV viewers than ever before, said Liu Buchen, an industry observer who previously worked at Chinese electronics company TCL Corp.

Chinese flat panel makers have invested more in advanced 8.5- and 10.5-generation LCDs in recent years, whereas major LDC producers South Korea, Japan and Taiwan have stopped adding new capacity, Liu added.

On the other hand, South Korean display panel and electronics manufacturers Samsung and LG are both upgrading their panel production for OLED products and pushing an OLED industry alliance to introduce the technology to Chinese consumers.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/07/06
By: Esme Jiang and Kuo Chung-han

Taipei, July 6 (CNA) Chen Cheng-hui (陳正輝), co-founder and vice chairman of

Wowprime Corp. (王品), was named Monday as its acting chairman after the company’s chairman announced his retirement earlier that day.

A new chairman will be elected at a board meeting to be held soon, Wowprime spokesperson Yang Hsiu-hui (楊秀慧) said.

Retiring 61-year-old Steve Day (戴勝益) will devote himself to charity activities of the Wowprime DS Foundation, Yang said.

Wowprime, which owns 13 restaurant brands, including its flagship Wang Steak chain, is one of Taiwan’s largest restaurant operators.     [FULL  STORY]

Want China Times
Date: 2015-07-06
By: CNA and Staff Reporter

After the first 1,000 humanoid Pepper robots developed by Japanese telecom giant

SoftBank Corp and Taiwan-based contract manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry (Foxconn) sold out within a minute on June 20, another 1,000 of a new version of the robot will come out on July 31, according to SoftBank.

Pepper, which can not only read human emotions but also express feelings of its own that change according to how people interact with it, is priced at 198,000 Japanese yen (US$1,600).

To meet the massive demand, SoftBank said that it can produce about 1,000 units per month and that there are about 200 related apps available, including those that allow Pepper to maintain a photo journal or teach English to children.     [FULL  STORY]