Tai Tzu-ying reaches quarter-finalsLAST ONE STANDING: The world No. Malaysia’s Ng Tze Yong returns to Viktor Axelsen of Denmark at the All England Open at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham on Thursday. After a 2-2 tie early in the second, Tai kept her opponent at bay, leading 12-10 before marching away. Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying returns to Kim Ga-eun of South Korea at the All England Open at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham on Wednesday. Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying returns to Kim Ga-eun of South Korea at the All England Open at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham on Wednesday.

Samsung’s Texas plant cost rises above US$25bnReuters, WASHINGTON, SAN FRANCISCO and SEOULA chip plant that South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co is building in Taylor, Texas, would cost the world’s biggest memorychip maker more than US$25 billion, up more than US$8 billion from initial forecasts, three people familiar with the matter said. “The higher construction cost is about 80 percent of the cost increase,” one of the sources said. Photo: Reuters“The newly estimated cost could go up even more if the construction of the Taylor plant gets delayed,” a second source said, adding that the estimate could be fluid. “The later the plant is completed, the higher cost we would be looking at,” they said. 2 contract chip manufacturer, announced its Taylor plant in 2021.

Foxconn secures AirPod order, plans new factory in IndiaStaff writer, with ReutersTaiwanese contract manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密), also known as Foxconn Technology Group (富士康科技集團) internationally, has won an order to make AirPods for Apple Inc and plans to build a factory in India to produce the wireless earphones, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said. A person walks past a Foxconn logo outside a company office in New Taipei City on Dec. 22 last year. Photo: REUTERSHon Hai would invest more than US$200 million in the new India AirPod plant in the southern state of Telangana, one source said, requesting anonymity as the matter is not public. The decision to set up production in India was requested by Apple, the source said. The subsidiary would make AirPods in India, a second source said, without providing further details.

US dollar retreats for biggest weekly loss since JanuaryReuters, NEW YORKThe US dollar on Friday slid from a two-and-a-half-month high versus the yen, for its largest weekly loss since mid-January against a basket of six major currencies, as traders stepped back to gauge the path for Federal Reserve policy. The index slid 0.65 percent for the week, its biggest percentage fall since the week of Jan. 15. “Next week’s job opening and nonfarm payrolls reports could generate a lift in yields and the dollar,” he said. For the week, the dollar was down 0.44 percent versus the yen, its worst weekly showing since mid-January. The New Taiwan dollar on Friday gained against the US dollar, adding NT$0.003 to close at NT$30.627, down 0.48 percent from NT$30.480 a week earlier.

Meanwhile, the head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group said its forces had “practically encircled” the eastern Ukraine city of Bakhmut, which has seen the fiercest fighting of Moscow’s invasion. He has said in the past few weeks that his fighters have seized three villages north of Bakhmut — Yagidne, Berkhivka and Paraskoviivka. Ukraine has said it will defend “fortress Bakhmut” for as long as possible, but this week officials said the situation was difficult. Russia is determined to seize Bakhmut — a now-destroyed city once known for its sparkling wine — as part of its wider aim of capturing the entire Donetsk region. Ukrainian troops have held out for months, fighting brutal trench warfare and artillery battles that have flattened large portions of the city.

Militarization of waters around China concerns QuadAFP and Reuters, NEW DELHIThe US, Japan, India and Australia yesterday expressed concern over the militarization of the East and South China seas on the heels of a flare-up in tensions between Washington and Beijing. From left, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Yoshimasa Hayashi, Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Penny Wong and Indian Minister of Foreign Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar attend a panel discussion in New Delhi yesterday. China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, through which massive amounts of trade passes annually. However, China has no reason to fear the Quad, Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Yoshimasa Hayashi said. Meanwhile, the Quad allies yesterday released another statement saying that Russia cannot be allowed to wage war with impunity.

Biden, Scholz to discuss Ukraine war, China in WashingtonReuters, BERLIN and WASHINGTONGerman Chancellor Olaf Scholz was yesterday scheduled to hold confidential talks in Washington with US President Joe Biden about the war in Ukraine amid growing concerns that China might provide weapons to Russia as its invasion grinds into a second year. US President Joe Biden, left, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrive at a G7 welcoming ceremony in Kruen, Germany, on June 26 last year. Scholz arrives as the US is consulting with allies about the possibility of imposing sanctions on China if it provides military support to Russia for its war in Ukraine, according to four US officials and other sources. “The Biden administration will use the Scholz visit to try to shift Germany’s balance in the direction of stronger pushback,” he said. Critics said the measure is a slap in the face to Europe from its biggest ally at a time when Europe is struggling with sharply higher energy prices due to the Ukraine war.

Okinawa to hold drill for possible conflictFIRST TIME EVER: A preliminary plan envisages the evacuation of 120,000 people from the Sakishima Islands in the event of a cross-strait conflict, a newspaper said Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture is to hold an evacuation drill next month to prepare for a possible conflict in the Taiwan Strait, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Saturday. It would be the first such drill in Okinawa, the Japanese prefecture closest to Taiwan. An estimated 17,500 people per day could be evacuated by airlift and 3,000 could be evacuated by sea, the newspaper said, citing a preliminary plan, adding that it would take six days to complete the evacuation. People on the Sakishima Islands, which lie between Taiwan proper and Okinawa’s main island, would be evacuated to Kyushu in the event of a cross-strait

Nation to launch first low Earth orbit satellite in 2025By Wu Po-hsuan and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerTaiwan plans to launch its first low Earth orbit communications satellite as soon as the middle of 2025, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. A model of a low Earth orbit communications satellite is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo provided by the Taiwan Space AgencyThroughout Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, satellites have greatly benefited Ukrainian forces, which has generated global interest in satellite research, the council said. The agency would also assist private companies with the launch of four satellites aimed at enhancing the nation’s mobile-communications industry, it said. The Ministry of Economic Affairs was also offering subsidies to spur the development of the nation’s space industry, it said.

Taiwan Mobile in negotiations for Taiwan Star dealBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterTaiwan Mobile Co (台灣大哥大) said it is negotiating a lower acquisition bid for Taiwan Star Telecom Corp (台灣之星), as the regulator’s ruling last month curtailed Taiwan Mobile’s access to the 5G spectrum owned by Taiwan Star. Taiwan Mobile seeks to slash about 72 percent of its offering to absorb financially strapped Taiwan Star through a share swap. Taiwan Mobile’s board of directors yesterday approved an exchange of one Taiwan Star share per 0.0326 Taiwan Mobile shares, compared with 0.04508 shares agreed in December 2021, according to a company filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange last night. Taiwan Mobile expects its revenue to grow this year, without counting the contribution from Taiwan Star, Lin said. Taiwan Mobile said it plans to boost capital spending this year to NT$12.8 billion, from NT$9.63 billion last year.

Jovicevic hails ‘victory for Ukraine’AFP, RENNES, FranceShakhtar Donetsk on Thursday qualified for the knockout stages of the UEFA Europa League, with coach Igor Jovicevic hailing the win at French side Stade Rennais as a “victory for Ukraine.”Shakhtar defeated Rennes 5-4 in a penalty shoot-out after their playoff had ended 3-3 on aggregate and then went to extra-time. The win came a day before the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This match was for you, Ukraine, it was for our country, for Ukraine,” said Croatian coach Jovicevic, who has worked in Ukraine for more than 20 years. “Respect to my players, I’m proud of them,” said Jovicevic, who praised the “magnificent atmosphere” of Rennes’ Roazhon Park. “It’s already a very difficult situation to live to the rhythm of the bombardments, the sirens,” Jovicevic said.

Migrants face obstacles in re-entry: rights groupsHARDSHIP: Migrant workers need to apply for a re-entry permit with immigration authorities, which is valid only for a limited time, the Domestic Caretakers Union saidStaff writer, with CNAMigrants’ rights groups yesterday rallied outside the Executive Yuan in Taipei to demand that the government overturn what they say are discriminatory obstacles for workers who vacation in their home countries. Stop discrimination against blue-collar migrant workers,” the crowd of about 50 shouted. The groups said the regulations are discriminatory and do not respect the hard work that migrant workers do for Taiwanese. Discrepancies between the policies covering migrant workers and ARC holders are in the purview of the National Immigration Agency, it added. As of the end of December, 728,081 migrant workers were in Taiwan, the labor ministry said.

Women shop for shoes in a store at a market in Pleiku, Vietnam, on Jan. 2. Shoe manufacturer PouYuen Vietnam Co Ltd is planning to cut thousands of jobs at the end of the month. Photo: BloombergPouYuen is commercial capital Ho Chi Minh City’s largest employer, with about 50,000 staff. The layoffs come after PouYuen put 20,000 of its workers on paid leave in rotation at the end of last year. More than 630,000 workers lost their jobs or had their hours cut in Vietnam last year, the Vietnamese Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs said.

Onshore yuan-denominated deposits experience largest drop since 2013By Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterOnshore yuan-denominated deposits last month dropped for the sixth consecutive month to 186.047 billion yuan (US$6.12 billion), a 4.69 percent decline from a month earlier and the lowest in nearly nine years, data released by the central bank on Wednesday showed. The monthly decrease of 9.158 billion yuan from 195.205 billion yuan in December last year also marked the largest decline since local banks began accepting yuan deposits in 2013, an indication that investors have lost interest in the Chinese currency. Onshore yuan deposits include those at local banks’ domestic banking units (DBUs) and those at offshore banking units (OBUs) in Taiwan. Photo: BloombergCentral bank data showed that yuan deposits at DBUs decreased 5.3 percent from the previous month to 157.693 billion yuan, while those in OBUs fell 1.14 percent to 28.354 billion yuan. The US Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes have led to US dollar deposits gaining appeal over yuan deposits for institutional and individual investors given the widening interest spreads, the Liberty Times reported, citing the central bank.

Last quarter’s decline in manufacturing output ended eight consecutive quarters of annual increase, compared with an increase of 3.75 percent in the previous quarter, which the ministry attributed to poor market conditions in traditional industries. In the electronic components industry — the manufacturing sector’s most important segment — output expanded 7.76 percent to NT$1.37 trillion last quarter. However, LCD panelmakers continued to register declining output due to weakening demand for consumer electronics and inventory depletion in the supply chain. Their output grew 17.32 percent year-on-year to NT$296.6 billion, compared with an expansion of 26.54 percent to NT$301.5 billion in the third quarter, it added. However, global inflation and monetary tightening by central banks, as well as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and US-China technology disputes, could continue to weigh on global economic growth and affect local manufacturing output, the ministry said.