Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/12/21
By: Tsai Peng-min and Frances Huang

Taipei, Dec. 21 (CNA) The hiring outlook among local businesses improved for the first quarter of next year, according to the 1111 online job bank, as more and more Taiwanese companies operating overseas are investing at home to avoid the impact of the trade friction between the U.S. and China.

Citing the results of a survey, the job bank said 56.20 percent of the polled employers said they have plans to hire in the January- March period of next year, up from 51.06 percent recorded in a similar poll for the first quarter of this year.

Those employers who are planning to increase their workforces for the quarter said full-time positions will account for most of their job openings, the survey showed.

According to the survey, manpower demand from the electronics industry, the service business and the real estate industry is expected to top other industries in the quarter.    [FULL  STORY]

Digital Photography Review
Date: Dec 20, 2019
By: Brittany Hillen

Taiwanese tech publication Digitimes has published a new report claiming that the 2020 iPhone model featuring 5G network support will feature 'sensor-shift stabilization technology.' This alleged new feature will only be available on select iPhone 5G models, according to the report, potentially offering better image quality over models that only feature optical image stabilization.

Optical image stabilization (OIS) works by shifting the lens whereas sensor-shift stabilization works by shifting the sensor. Though OIS is now a common feature on flagship smartphones, sensor-shift stabilization technology has been largely relegated to dedicated digital cameras, something Digitimes claims Apple will change starting next year.

Past leaks allege that Apple plans to release four new iPhones in 2020, including cheaper base tier models and more expensive higher-end models. On the high end of that scale, the 2020 iPhone is expected to feature a new 3D camera system for augmented reality applications.

It's unclear whether the inclusion of sensor-shift stabilization technology would be limited to these higher-end models and whether the tech will play a role in Apple's alleged AR ambitions. Digitimes itself has a mixed track record in regards to its consumer gadget leaks, though it has accurately published unreleased iPhone details in the past.    [SOURCE]

US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer asked to start bilateral trade negotiations with Taiwan

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/12/20
By:  Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A letter addressing U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and signed by 161 U.S. House of Representatives has called for the country to start negotiating for a bilateral trade deal with Taiwan.

“We believe an agreement with Taiwan would expand markets for American goods, including agricultural products, by addressing existing market access issues, and could serve as a high bar for future agreements with other governments in the region,” the letter said. Sponsored by Steve Chabot, Gerry Connolly, Mario Diaz-Balart, and Albio Sires, all of whom are co-chairs of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, the document obtained 161 signatures from a bipartisan group in the House.

Referencing close economic, trade, and security ties between the two nations under the Taiwan Relations Act, the representatives urged Lighthizer to mull over bilateral trade negotiations with Taiwan. On Friday (Dec. 20), Taiwan’s representative office in the U.S. thanked the U.S. Congress for its longstanding bipartisan support of Taiwan.

President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has expressed interest in inking a trade deal with the U.S. government. In a meeting with Ian Steff, assistant secretary for for Global Markets and Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration, in early December, Tsai said a bilateral trade agreement between Taiwan and the U.S. would “ensure a reliable and secure supply chain and inject new momentum into our countries’ economies to spur economic growth and prosperity.”    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/12/20
By: Flor Wang and Liao Yu-yang

Taipei, Dec. 20 (CNA) Foreign investment in Taiwan during the first 11 months of the year was up nearly 20 percent year on year, driven mainly by investment from European wind power developers, the Investment Commission (IC) reported Friday.

During the January-November period, foreign investment in the domestic market totaled US$10.29 billion, a 19.97 percent increase on an annual basis, the IC said, attributing the rise to investment by Germany's wpd AG and Demark's Ørsted Wind Power TW Holding A/S, both offshore wind energy developers.

Investment by Ørsted and wpd accounted for about 40 percent of the total during the 11-month period, while Google Inc. and Micron Technology B.V. also injected US$835 million and US$2.123 billion, respectively, IC said.

At the same time, investment by countries targeted by Taiwan's New Southbound Policy amounted to US$897 million, jumping 166.3 percent from a year ago, with Australia and Singapore posting the largest increases, according to the IC.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei finishes last out of 6 special municipalities: MOEA

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/12/19
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer\

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Under a government program to attract more investment, Taoyuan has emerged as the top destination among the country’s six special municipalities, ahead of Kaohsiung and Taichung, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said Thursday (December 19).

Out of a total of NT$883.2 billion (US$29.2 billion), Taoyuan had received NT$197.5 billion, Kaohsiung NT$164.2 billion, and Taichung NT$156 billion, the Economic Daily News reported.

Presenting its report to the weekly Cabinet meeting Thursday morning, the MOEA said the amounts came under three separate government programs to encourage Taiwanese businesses investing overseas,    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/12/19
By: Ku Chuan and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, Dec. 19 (CNA) A slew of government incentives launched earlier this year to boost investment in

Taiwan have increased the amount of investment in the country pledged by Taiwanese firms to over NT$830 billion (US$27.51 billion), Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said Thursday.

Su made the remarks after hearing a report by the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) at a Cabinet meeting that the projects have attracted 278 Taiwanese businesses that have pledged to invest a combined NT$833.2 billion in Taiwan.

The investment is expected to create 67,601 jobs and by the end of this year, it is estimated that paid-in investment will have reached NT$239.8 billion.

To help cushion Taiwanese businesses against the impact of the trade friction between the United States and China, the Executive Yuan launched an action plan Jan. 1 that allocated NT$20 billion in loans and subsidies to cover the 1.5 percent bank service charge for firms investing in Taiwan, Su said.    [FULL  STORY]

GLOBAL TRENDS: An accommodative monetary policy is warranted, as the global economy remains fragile, central bank Governor Yang Chin-long said

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 20, 2019
By: Crystal Hsu  /  Staff reporter

The central bank yesterday kept its rediscount rate unchanged at 1.375 percent for the 14th

consecutive quarter, saying there is still room for the nation’s economy to improve, as inflation remains benign.

The move was in line with the stance of major central banks, which have embarked on monetary easing to cushion the impact of the US-China trade dispute, geopolitical frictions and other downside risks.

“The negative output gap, which now stands at 0.34 percent, could widen to 0.42 percent next year,” bank Governor Yang Chin-long (楊金龍) told a news conference in Taipei after a board meeting.

The output gap — the difference between actual GDP and potential GDP — has topped the list of the bank’s concerns when it sets policy rates on a quarterly basis.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/12/18
By: Liu Chien-pang and Matthew Mazzetta

Taipei, Dec. 18 (CNA) Taipei 101 has retained its top spot in the real estate rankings in Taiwan's capital, with a value of NT$1.799 million (US$59,635) per square meter, the Taipei City Department of Land Administration said Wednesday.

In second place was Shin Kong Life Tower, which was valued at NT$1.743 million per square meter, the department's Commissioner Chiang Chih-hsiang (張治祥) said at a press conference at which the city's annual report on real estate values was released.

The Shin Kong Life Tower, located opposite Taipei Main Station in the original city center in western Taipei, topped Taipei's property rankings from 2000 to 2013, but it has since been edged out by Taipei 101, which is in the bustling Xinyi District in the eastern part of the city, Chiang said.

Although western Taipei is no longer the city center, the outlook for real estate in that area remains strong, he said, citing the development of the Gate of Taipei skyscraper and a long-term urban renewal plan.    [FULL  STORY]