Focus Taiwan
Date: 02/29/2020
By Tsai Peng-min and Frances Huang

Taipei, Feb. 29 (CNA) Taiwan's exports of toys, gaming and sports devices for 2019 reached a new high in 23 years, largely because the awareness of keeping fit is on the rise worldwide, boosting demand for fitness equipment, according to the Ministry of Finance (MOF).

Data compiled by the MOF showed that outbound sales of toys and gaming and sports items totaled US$2.43 billion, up 7.9 percent from a year earlier.

In the year, with popularity of fitness equipment on the rise, the MOF said, exports in such items for 2019 totaled US$1.05 billion, up 17.7 percent from a year earlier, the data showed.

The MOF said the spike in fitness equipment exports reflected Taiwan's increasing strength in research and development in this area at a time when the industry was gearing up to upgrade itself in a bid to improve its global competitive edge.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan’s efforts to contain COVID-19 recognized by participants of first senior officials’ meeting this year

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/02/27
By: Ching-Tse Cheng, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Thursday (Feb. 27) that Taiwan participated in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2020's First Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM1) last week and was recognized for its preventive measures against the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19).

At the regular press conference Tuesday, Sun Jian-yuan (孫儉元), deputy director of MOFA's Department of International Organizations, said that a team led by department head Bob Chen (陳龍錦) attended the meeting held in Malaysia between Feb. 20 and Feb. 22. He said that Taiwan had the chance to talk about the country's epidemic prevention results and received high praise from the attending delegations.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 02/27/2020
By: Y.F. Low

Taipei, Feb. 27 (CNA) Taiwan shares closed down 141.45 points, or 1.24 percent, at 11,292.17 Thursday on turnover of NT$201.34 billion (US$6.65 billion).    [SO-URCE]

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/02/25
By:  Central News Agency

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the world's largest contract chipmaker, said Tuesday it is planning to hire more than 4,000 new staff this year at a time when the company is gearing up to develop high-end processes to maintain its lead over rivals.

According to TSMC, it has listed plenty of job openings on the recruitment website TaiwanJobs run by the Ministry of Labor's Workforce Development Agency (WDA), and has also actively launched recruitment campaigns on campuses to expand its talent pool.

The more than 4,000 job openings reflect demand for talent in a wide range of fields such as electric/engineering, optoelectronics, machinery, physics, production materials, chemicals, finances, management, human resources and labor relations, TSMC said.

At an investor conference held in mid-January, TSMC said the company expects to benefit from solid demand for smartphones, high performance computer (HPC) devices, Internet of Things related applications and automotive electronics this year.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 02/25/2020
By: Pan Tzu-yu and Frances Huang

Taipei, Feb. 25 (CNA) Amid escalating concerns over the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, business sentiment among manufacturers in Taiwan weakened in January, the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER) said Tuesday.

According to TIER, one of the country's leading economic think tanks, the reduced number of working days in January due to the 7-day Lunar New Year holiday also raised concerns over production and shipments.

Data compiled by TIER showed that the composite index for the manufacturing sector, which gauges business sentiment among manufacturers, fell 2.23 points from a month earlier to 94.16 in January.

In addition, the sub-index for the local property sector dropped 8.41 percent from a month earlier to 95.03, while the composite index for the service sector also fell 3.15 percent to 88.63, the data indicated.    [FULL  STORY]

Query results limited to cities and counties of confirmed indigenous and imported cases

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/02/24
By: Sophia Yang, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — In response to the mounting coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Taiwan and people's desire to know where they are, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) is adding the new virus to the country's existing epidemic statistics query system.

The search function is currently only available in Chinese, and the virus appears as the "national severe special infectious pneumonia" (全國嚴重特殊傳染性肺炎) instead of the familiar "Wuhan coronavirus" or the "COVID-19" coined by the World Health Organization.

The query results cover both imported and confirmed indigenous cases of the infection.

According to the results shown on the map, there have been seven confirmed cases of the virus in Taipei City, five in New Taipei City and Changhua County, four in Taichung City, two in Kaohsiung City and Nantou County, and one each in Taoyuan City, Tainan City, and Yilan County, totaling 28 cases nationwide as of Monday (Feb. 24). There is no mention of townships or addresses of confirmed cases on the map.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date:\ 02/24/2020
By: Flor Wang and Wu Po-wei

Taipei, Feb. 24 (CNA) Taiwan's industrial production index for January slid by 1.51 percent year-on-year to 105.58, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) reported on Monday.

Of the various sub-indexes, the one for the manufacturing sector, which accounts for more than 90 percent of the total industrial production, contracted 1.28 percent annually, falling to 106.67, MOEA tallies showed.

Despite the decrease, the ministry remains optimistic about the outlook for the country's manufacturing sector, citing the easing of the trade war between the United States and China and the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus.

These two factors have pushed overseas-based Taiwan businesses, mainly those operating in China, to return and invest in the domestic market, providing a boost to the local manufacturing sector, the ministry said.    [FULL  STORY]