CECC reports 17 new domestic virus infectionsUNKNOWN SOURCES: The center was investigating how a man involved in a traffic accident and a nurse at Far Eastern Memorial Hospital had been infectedStaff writer, with CNAThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday confirmed 17 new domestic COVID-19 infections, all but three of which were linked to an outbreak in Taoyuan. Since then, other airport personnel and their contacts have also tested positive and the disease has spread to the wider community. The other three local cases reported yesterday were not linked to the outbreak in Taoyuan, the CECC said. Of the 17 domestic cases, five were classified as breakthrough infections and the vaccination status of five others was still under investigation. The CECC yesterday also reported 48 imported cases, but did not release information regarding the vaccination status of those infected.

Tesla to source key battery component outside ChinaAP, LONDONTesla Inc is turning to Mozambique for a key component in its electric vehicle batteries in what analysts believe is a first-of-its-kind deal designed to reduce its dependence on China for graphite. Tesla is to buy the material from the company’s processing plant in Vidalia, Louisiana, which sources graphite from its mine in Balama, Mozambique. The battery industry has been confronted with a short supply of graphite in the past few months, Moores said. Graphite stores lithium inside a battery until it is needed to generate electricity by splitting into charged ions and electrons. Tesla is making almost 1 million electric vehicles per year and sourcing enough batteries is its biggest constraint, he said.

Number of ‘big investors’ falls after cooling schemeBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterThe number of so-called “big investors” — those trading NT$500 million (US$18.11 million) or more in a single quarter — fell to 3,791 last quarter, the second-lowest last year after only 3,178 in the first quarter, data released yesterday by the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) showed. The number of “mid-sized investors” — those trading NT$100 million to NT$500 million in shares in a single quarter — declined 28 percent from the third quarter to 30,463 last quarter, while the number of regular investors — those trading less than NT$100 million in a quarter — declined 3.6 percent quarter-on-quarter to 4.12 million, TWSE data showed. Investors sit in front of an electronic stock board at a securities firm in Taipei on Nov. 19, 2019. Photo: Kelson Wang, Taipei TimesThe drop in investors contrasts with a quarterly rise of 9 percent in the benchmark TAIEX at the end of last year, TWSE data showed. Hitting 18,218.84 at the end of last year, the TAIEX yesterday reached 18,535.42 points in the middle of the session before closing up 122.11 points, or 0.66 percent, at 18,525.44, TWSE data showed.

China might raise pressure next year: British historianStaff writer, with CNAChina would likely ramp up pressure on Taiwan next year, British historian Niall Ferguson said on Saturday, adding that deterrence is key to warding off Beijing’s threats. British historian Niall Ferguson speaks at a talk via video link on Saturday. The US and its allies should be committed to a credible deterrence strategy that could prevent “China from acting recklessly with respect to Taiwan,” Ferguson said. “Deterrence is key here.”“And it’s not just the United States that can deter China. It’s the United States and [its] allies,” he said, alluding to countries such as Japan, which has expressed concerns over security and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

The Omicron variant has become the focus of public attention recently, with school closures and some businesses having their staff work from home. One can only imagine how many such closures would be necessary should Omicron rampage across Taiwan. The strident emphasis on “mild” Omicron is intended to obscure the issue of how many would be killed by this policy. “The good news is that most of these deaths are mild.”OVERWHELMED HOSPITALSIn the US and elsewhere, the “mild” Omicron wave has resulted in massive spikes in hospitalization. Keep Taiwan (Omicron) free!

Cyprus extradition riles US lobbyistsAFP, NICOSIAA Chinese mother and son’s fight against extradition from Cyprus to face fraud charges at home has attracted criticism by US-based right-wing lobby groups who say the charges are politically motivated. The pair are due in court in the resort town of Paphos for the resumption of their extradition hearing on Friday. A US pro-democracy organization supported by former US president Donald Trump’s former adviser Steve Bannon has contacted Cypriot authorities to demand that the extradition request be rejected, Cypriot media said. The mother and son have been described as members of the New Federal State of China, a US-based political movement lobbying against the Chinese government. Cyprus would prefer to keep the case low-profile as it has an extradition treaty with China and good diplomatic ties with Washington.

Covid-19: Pingjhen plant to stay open: CompalCONTINGENCY PLANNING: Should disruptions occur, sites in Vietnam or China would take over, Compal said after COVID-19 cases among local workers were reportedBy Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterContract laptop maker Compal Electronics Inc (仁寶電腦) yesterday said that operations at its plant in Taoyuan’s Pingjhen District (平鎮) are continuing, after two employees at the facility tested positive for COVID-19 last week. Compal immediately activated emergency responses and disease prevention measures at the plant, the manufacturer said. The entrance to Compal Electronics Inc’s plant in Taoyuan’s Pingjhen District is pictured yesterday. The Central News Agency reported that Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) earlier yesterday said the firm had requested that about 1,500 employees at the Pingjhen plant undergo PCR tests. Compal’s plants in China or Vietnam would temporarily fill the gap if production at the Pingjhen plant is disrupted, the company said.

Hong Kong is to elect its next chief executive in March from a pool of 1,500 candidates including incumbent Lam. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, left, speaks during a question-and-answer session at the territory’s Legislative Council on Wednesday. “Beijing’s overhaul of the Hong Kong electoral system was an attempt to secure the legitimacy of its rule over Hong Kong in the short term,” he said. “Beijing is oscillating in its control over Hong Kong, between rule by the chief executive and rule by CCP committee members,” he said. However, feigning competition in the chief executive election might help the CCP garner a sense of legitimacy,” he said.

Bees are vital to the global food chain, but their numbers have been falling sharply, largely due to climate change, large-scale agriculture and pesticide use. In 2020, Nepal’s beekeepers produced about 50 percent less honey than three years earlier — and the warming climate is a big reason for the drop, said Shiva Prasad Sharma, a beekeeper and president of the Federation of Nepal Beekeepers (FNBK). PRESSURES PILE UPBees are vital to the global food chain, but their numbers have been falling sharply, largely due to climate change, large-scale agriculture and pesticide use. The government pays up to 80 percent of the premium, and the payouts cover 90 percent of the value of any honey shortfall. “Insurance helps, but to keep the honey industry vibrant, now is the time to keep colonies safe, healthy and strong,” Neupane said.

EU, China plan summit in March, Borrell saysAFP, BREST, FranceThe EU and China are planning to hold a summit in late March, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said on Friday amid concerns over a Chinese blockade of Lithuania’s exports. It will give me a chance to travel to China to prepare for it,” Borrell announced after an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brest, France. The last EU-China summit took place via videoconference in June 2020 between the presidents of the EU institutions and Chinese leaders. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell speaks at a news conference with French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian, not pictured, in Brest, France, on Friday. The summit “will be an important moment to see where we are in our relations with China.

Dow closes lower due to bank resultsGAINS POSTED: The NASDAQ and the S&P 500 rallied in the afternoon, assisted by rate-sensitive growth sectors, with technology moving up 0.89 percent by the closeReutersThe Dow on Friday closed lower dragged down by financial stocks as investors were disappointed by fourth quarter results from big US banks, which cast a shadow over the beginning of the earnings season. The S&P 500 bank subsector, which hit an intraday high in the previous session, closed down 1.7 percent. The sector has recently been outperforming the S&P as investors bet the US Federal Reserve’s expected interest rate hikes would boost bank profits. For the week, the S&P 500 fell 0.3 percent while the Dow fell 0.88 percent and the NASDAQ fell 0.28 percent. Analysts see S&P 500 companies earnings rising 23.1 percent in the fourth quarter, Institutional Brokers’ Estimate System data from Refinitiv showed.

The project was inspired by Japan’s ambitions to enhance its wood product brands and accelerate the development of its forestry industry. However, 93 percent of Taiwan’s forests are state-owned, whereas only 41 percent of Japan’s forests are owned by the government. Japan’s forestry industry, being mostly privately owned, is influential enough to exert a great deal of pressure on its government. This has allowed the Japanese government to revitalize its forestry industry and look after the interests of its workers. In contrast, Taiwan’s forestry industry has been weak since a logging ban was imposed in the 1990s.

Taiwan Resource Center set up in CzechBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterThe 39th Taiwan Resource Center for Chinese Studies has been established at a university in the Czech Republic, with more set to be opened in Europe, the National Central Library (NCL) said yesterday. NCL Director-General Tseng Shu-hsien (曾淑賢) and Masaryk University rector Martin Bares on Monday last week signed an agreement to set up the Taiwan center as part of the university’s Asia Studies Centre, the library said in a news release. There are 22 Taiwan Resource Centers in Europe, including the new one; five in the US; 11 across Asia (including Russia); and one in Australia, the library’s Web site showed. Last year, four centers were set up in universities in Lithuania, France, Switzerland and Estonia. Most foreigners learn Chinese using simplified characters, but the Taiwan centers would allow them to access publications that use traditional characters and other cultural assets of Taiwan, Yen said.

NCKU, Tensor launch cubesat, satellite systemEXPERIMENTS IN SPACE: The university’s project aims to test new technology ahead of the launch of larger satellites by the National Space OrganizationBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterTwo Taiwanese space technology products developed by National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) and start-up Tensor Tech Co were yesterday launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Florida in a joint mission. Among them was a cubesat — a small research satellite — named Iris-A, developed by NCKU electrical engineering professor Juang Jyh-ching (莊智清). The launch mission also involves a novel attitude determination and control system (ADCS) developed by Tensor Tech, installed on Polish firm SatRevolution’s cubesat named Stork-1. “This ADCS is actuated using a spherical motor with a rotor that can spin on multiple axes,” Tensor Tech said in a statement. Founded in 2019, Tensor Tech branched from the laboratory of NCKU electrical engineering professor Hsieh Min-fu (謝旻甫), Yen said, adding that local electronics firms are its main investors.

China tipped to follow US’ lead on releasing crude oilReutersChina will release crude oil from its national strategic stockpiles around the Lunar New Year holiday, which starts on Feb. 1, as part of a plan coordinated by the US with other major consumers to reduce global prices, sources told reporters. The sources, who have knowledge of talks between the world’s top two crude consumers, said China agreed late last year to release an unspecified amount of oil depending on price levels. A crude oil tanker is pictured at Qingdao Port in China’s Shandong Province on April 21, 2019. China in September conducted its first-ever public crude reserves auction of about 7.4 million barrels, about half a day’s consumption in the country. Benchmark Brent crude futures was at US$84.79 a barrel and US West Texas Intermediate crude at US$82.23 a barrel at 7:30am GMT.