As the fab would serve as a site for research and development, Hon Hai would manufacture SiC chips at other production facilities, he said. The 6-inch fab would be suitable for making SiC chips, as most manufacturers are migrating production from 4-inch to 6-inch fabs, but the 6-inch fab could no longer manufacture memory chips competitively, he said. The deal paves the way for Hon Hai to deepen its partnership with Macronix, as they explore additional opportunities in the electric-vehicle business, Liu said. Macronix chairman Miin Wu (吳敏求) said that he was relieved after feeling pressured over the past one-and-a-half months to strike a deal. Hon Hai employs 5,000 to 6,000 workers in semiconductor-related jobs, he said.

Chip shortage to extend into next year: WinbondBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterWinbond Electronics Corp (華邦電子) expects supply constraints on memory chips to extend into next year, suggesting a further upside to chip prices, company president James Chen (陳沛銘) said yesterday. “The supply of specialty DRAM will continue to be tight next year.”“Based on what we know, the world’s top three memorychip makers do not plan to add new capacity for specialty DRAM next year,” he said. Winbond Electronics Corp’s logo is pictured outside its office building in Hsinchu County’s Jhubei City on Nov. 12, 2019. The company plans to make specialty DRAM chips using advanced 20-nanometer technology, which can boost output by more than 30 to 40 percent over the 25-nanometer technology that it currently uses. Specialty DRAM is one of Winbond’s major revenue contributors, accounting for about 46 percent of total memory chip revenue last quarter, while NOR and NAND flash memory chips made up the remaining 54 percent.

COVID-19: Local jabs may be ready later this month, Chen saysBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterThe government could start offering COVID-19 vaccines by local drugmaker Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp later this month, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said yesterday. On Wednesday, the nation administered 97,342 COVID-19 vaccine doses, CECC data showed. Asked whether live-in foreign caregivers would be prioritized for COVID-19 vaccination, Chen said that there is currently no such plan. They can use the COVID-19 Vaccination Record card issued by their COVID-19 vaccination site, which includes information in English and Mandarin, Chen said. As a third option, COVID-19 vaccination sites may issue an English-language certificate of diagnosis specifying the COVID-19 vaccination record, the CECC said.

Formal ties with US would lift Taiwan’s status: YouNORMALIZATION: The legislative speaker said he has never been shy to admit that he is a Taiwanese independence advocate and would continue to fight for Taiwan’s statusBy Chung Li-hua and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writerTaiwan’s status would be normalized if the US resumed diplomatic ties with Taiwan, Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃) said yesterday, adding that the issue of Taiwan’s identity has been gaining attention worldwide. Legislative Speaker You Si-kun, right, talks during an online interview with media personality Frances Huang in Taipei yesterday. Asked about possible constitutional amendments, You expressed reservation and highlighted the difficulties such proposals must overcome. Lawmakers have sent 56 proposed amendments to the Legislative Yuan Constitutional Amendment Committee and they are expected to file more, he said. Given this constraint, lawmakers will have to pass the floor vote on the constitutional amendments before March 29 next year, he said.

The consumer price index rose by 1.95 percent year-on-year last month, partially due to higher vegetable prices amid unfavorable weather, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics said yesterday. Photo: Clare Cheng, Taipei Times“A significant increase in food prices accounted for the acceleration in consumer prices, and food prices increased because bad weather disrupted vegetable supply,” DGBAS official Tsao Chih-hung (曹志弘) told an online news conference in Taipei. Food costs rose 2.45 percent, as vegetable prices increased 19.91 percent, egg prices rose 10.17 percent and meat prices rose 5.11 percent amid unfavorable weather, the DGBAS said. The core CPI — a more reliable tracker of long-term prices as it excludes items with volatile prices, such as vegetables and oil products — edged up 1.29 percent from last year, the agency said. In the first seven months of the year, the CPI increased 1.54 percent, while the WPI rose 6.72 percent, the DGBAS said.

New US arms sale to boost combat capability: expertsSHOW OF STRENGTH: The new sale signals that US President Joe Biden’s administration is following that of his predecessor in supporting Taiwan’s securityStaff writer, with CNALocal security experts yesterday lauded the US’ announcement of a new arms sale package to Taiwan, saying it had been long delayed from last year and can help the Taiwanese army modernize its combat capabilities. Instead, they were replaced by M1156 precision guidance kits for turning existing 155mm shells into guided weapons, he wrote. The new sale shows that the Biden administration is following former US president Donald Trump’s administration on arms sale; that is, it can discuss the sale of single weapons with Taiwan, instead of selling many weapons in a large package as in earlier times, Shu said. Trump ramped up big-ticket arms sales to Taiwan during his time in office, as he feuded with Beijing on a host of issues from trade to national security. The Taiwan Strait is international waters, and any country should have freedom of navigation there, he added.

Taiwan still seeking vaccine cooperation: ministryPOLAND DONATION? Following negotiations among diplomatic personnel, Poland would evaluate the possibility of donating vaccines to Taiwan, the Liberty Times reported. Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Joanne Ou speaks at a news conference at the ministry in Taipei on May 11,2021. The US and Japan have also donated millions of vaccine doses to Taiwan. Slovakia last month said it would donate 10,000 doses to Taiwan through the European Civil Protection Mechanism, while the Czech Republic also pledged to donate 30,000 doses to Taiwan.

COVID-19: NPIs critical to containing COVID-19 spread: expertsBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterAside from boosting the nation’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage, implementation of nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) is key to controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, as the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 spreads around the world, infecting even fully vaccinated people, public health experts said yesterday. Researcher Jen Hsiao-hsuan explains the effectiveness of various nonpharmaceutical interventions in limiting the spread of COVID-19 during an online broadcast yesterday hosted by National Taiwan University College of Public Health professor Tony Chen. Screen grab by Wu Po-hsuan, Taipei TimesBreakthrough cases refer to people testing positive for COVID-19, despite being fully vaccinated for at least 14 days. The data suggest that even in places where the vaccination coverage is relatively high, the Delta variant can still cause a small surge in cases, Chen said. While Taiwan has lowered the nationwide COVID-19 alert to level 2, it should continue to implement NPIs as a key measure to contain the virus, especially in the face of the Delta variant spreading around the world, he added.

Tsai and other Ministry of Justice officials said that the extradition was another successful case of judicial cooperation with a European country. From left, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu, Slovak Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei Representative Martin Podstavek and Minister of Justice Tsai Ching-hsiang hold copies of the Arrangement Between Taiwan and Slovakia on Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters at a signing ceremony in Taipei on Tuesday. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he and other ministry officials could not visit Poland, so they had to communicate via e-mail, Lin said. “It was not easy to make arrangements, because Taiwan in May had a surge in local [COVID-19] infections. It was our job to ensure that all prevention measures and safety guidelines had been followed,” Lin said.

Chailease buys COVID-19 insurance for all employeesBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterChailease Holding Co (中租控股) has bought COVID-19 insurance for all its 4,000 local employees and Taiwan-based family members of those stationed abroad, the firm said yesterday. Chailease, the nation’s top capital leasing service provider, said it would also offer paid leave for those receiving COVID-19 vaccines, as well as disburse quarantine hotel expenses. The program is necessary due to a local outbreak of COVID-19 and continued spread of the virus throughout Asia, the company said in a statement. Chailease has also collaborated with its affiliated biotechnology company Protect Life (保生生醫) in donating COVID-19-related medical supplies to local communities, it said. Chailease attributed the trend to capital leasing demand on local and overseas markets.

Nanya Technology Corp chairman Wu Chia-chau poses for a photograph in Taipei on May 6. In addition, DRAM demand is being propelled by 5G infrastructure, 5G handsets, artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies, as those devices are equipped with much bigger memory, he added. As a result, Nanya Technology expects the DRAM industry is moving toward healthy development in the third and fourth quarters of this year. Nanya Technology last month said that it was not sure whether the price increases would be sustained in the final quarter of this year. To fuel growth, Nanya Technology is developing 10-nanometer technologies, with its second-generation 10-nanometer chips scheduled to start small-volume production soon, Wu said.

Firms question national space plansFLAWS? While the Space Development Act (太空發展法) has been promulgated, its supervising agency, the Ministry of Science and Technology, did not present a clear road map for space development, forum organizer and Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) said. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chung Chia-pin yesterday waves to other participants in an online forum about space technology development. It should seek opportunities in international cooperation for the local space industry, and develop launch vehicles to help other countries get small satellites and cubesats into space, he said. Letscom International general manager Randson Huang (黃文杰) asked whether the NSPO is assisting or competing with local firms, and whether it would transfer technologies to them.

E.Sun Financial posts record-high fee incomeBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterE.Sun Financial Holding Co (玉山金控) yesterday posted record-high net fee income of NT$10.41 billion (US$374 million) for the first six months of the year on the back of growing wealth management and brokerage businesses, but its credit card business lost steam amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The financial conglomerate’s wealth management operations generated a net fee income of NT$4.85 million in the first six months, up 2 percent year-on-year and the highest level ever, E.Sun Financial told an investors’ conference in Taipei. E.Sun Commercial Bank chairman Joseph Huang speaks to reporters in Taipei in an undated photograph. Net fee income from its brokerage, E.Sun Securities Co (玉山證券), advanced 93 percent year-on-year to NT$1.9 billion in the first six months, also a record high, thanks to more investors participating in the local stock market, the company said. However, the local COVID-19 outbreak did not affect the corporate banking business, as many of the bank’s corporate clients are trade-oriented and the nation’s exports remained strong, Huang said.

Most Taiwanese celebrities are careful never to reveal their stance on Taiwan’s political status for fear of being locked out of the lucrative Chinese market or angering fans at home who identify as Taiwanese rather than Chinese. “The nation’s interests are more important than anything else,” it said in a Sina Weibo post. “Resolutely support the one China principle.”Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai (蔡依林) was also targeted on Monday after congratulating several of Taiwan’s athletes at the Olympics, with angry Chinese Internet users asking why she had failed to celebrate any Chinese competitors. Those outside China have found themselves targeted by Chinese state media and Internet users as Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) encourages the country to challenge those seen as trying to split or weaken it. Taiwanese athletes have so far won 10 medals in Tokyo — two gold, four silver and four bronze — their best-ever haul.

New director takes over at space organizationBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterRocket scientist Wu Jong-shinn (吳宗信) has officially assumed the position of National Space Organization (NSPO) director-general, the National Applied Research Laboratories (NARL) said on Monday. Wu Jong-shinn specializes in system engineering, hybrid rocket propulsion and plasma physics, among other areas, it said. National Space Organization Director-General Wu Jong-shinn smiles in an undated photograph. Wu Jong-shinn expressed the hope that he would help Taiwan reinforce the foundations of space technologies and foster the growth of local space industry supply chains and space start-ups. He obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from National Taiwan University and his doctorate in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan in 1994.