American Institute in Taiwan Director Brent Christensen delivers a virtual farewell speech in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Lu Yi-hsuan, Taipei Times, from an AIT livestreamChristensen lauded Taiwan’s management of the COVID-19 pandemic and said that the nation’s health authorities would certainly contain the latest outbreak. Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je, seated center, speaks at a news conference at the Taipei City Epidemic Command Center yesterday. The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced that 150,000 AstraZeneca vaccine doses would be distributed to local governments today and frontline healthcare workers who are directly exposed to infected people would have priority. Chen on Tuesday announced that 2 million vaccine doses would arrive by the end of next month and 10 million doses, including locally produced ones, would be available by August.

COVID-19: Research vessel panned for sailing amid outbreakRETURNED TO PORT: The vessel left Tainan before the nationwide COVID-19 alert was raised to level 3, and none of the crew showed symptoms, an institute saidBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterThe management of a research vessel has been accused of flouting government regulations by letting the ship sail out to sea amid a COVID-19 outbreak in Taiwan. However, the management said the vessel had departed before the nationwide COVID-19 alert was raised to level 3. The R/V Legend is pictured moored at a harbor in an undated photograph. The R/V Legend surveyed the waters northeast of Taiwan, the ministry said in a statement. The Central Epidemic Command Center’s disease prevention guidelines are prioritized, Lin said, adding that the R/V Legend crew did not contravene any regulations.

‘True monsoon’ is on the way, agency says‘SPECIFIC PHENOMENON’: The Water Resources Agency said that rain forecast for this weekend might arrive in time to avoid additional restrictions in Hsinchu CountyBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterA “true monsoon” is on its way this weekend, Water Resources Agency Deputy Director-General Wang Yi-feng (王藝峰) said yesterday, citing Central Weather Bureau predictions. However the rain so far has been from “summer storms” that do not compare in magnitude to a true monsoon, Wang said. “As the plum rain season lasts from May to June, we have gotten into the habit of calling all rainfall in that period ‘monsoon rain,’ but a true monsoon is a specific meteorological phenomenon that is far more powerful and sustained than summer storms,” he said. It would be “no problem” for the monsoon to boost that to 100mm, Wang said. Taichung, Miaoli County and northern Changhua County are under a “red” alert, meaning that the agency provides households and businesses with water for five days per week.

Employing multiple approaches to purchase vaccines from the US should be prioritized, with possible support from the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT). On April 14 last year, an advertisement in the New York Times coined the slogan “Taiwan can help” amid a COVID-19 outbreak in the US. The AIT should also assist Taiwan to purchase vaccines from the US. In the meantime, Taiwan desperately needs help from all available sources, especially the AIT, to purchase vaccines from the US. As COVID-19 has spiked so quickly and pervasively in Taiwan, acquiring enough vaccines for all residents is a national mission that cannot be ignored.

At this stage, it is premature to say how big the impact will be,” Yulon Nissan spokesman Joseph Hsiung (熊金鐸) told an online investors’ meeting. Yulon Nissan Motor Co said it plans to introduce more electric models, including the second-generation Leaf model, this year. Photo: Amy Yang, Taipei TimesThe nationwide soft lockdown has reduced the number of showroom visitors and vehicle sales this month, Yulon Motor Co (裕隆) vice president Lee Chien-hui (李建輝) said. The issue at stake is the increase in manufacturing costs caused by price hikes of key components and raw materials, including precious metals, and higher shipping costs, Yulon Nissan said. The company is also looking to introduce more electric models, including the second-generation Leaf model and hybrid system developed by Nissan, Hsiung added.

FSC says insurance companies need to protect rights of COVID-19 policyholdersBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterThe Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) on Tuesday called on property insurance companies to safeguard the rights of policyholders at a time when Taiwan faces a surge in COVID-19 infections. Since late last year, several insurers have launched COVID-19 policies, which would require them to compensate policyholders who are infected with the virus and given medical treatment. People line up outside the headquarters of Taiwan Fire & Marine Insurance in Taipei’s Zhongzheng District on Jan. 25 to purchase its COVID-19 insurance. This prompted the Consumers’ Foundation earlier on Tuesday to raise the concern of whether insurers would compensate policyholders in such circumstances. As of Monday, insurance companies had paid out NT$64.75 million (US$2.33 million) to 880 policyholders.

The ceremony for the 32nd Golden Melody Awards, originally scheduled to be held at the Taipei Arena on June 26, has been postponed, the Ministry of Culture said yesterday. Details, including when and how the ceremony would be held, are to be announced at a later date, it said. Musicians hold their nomination trophies at a preliminary ceremony for the 30th Golden Melody Awards in Taipei on May 12. All schools have also been asked to either cancel their graduation ceremonies or hold them online, the education ministry said. Indoor gatherings of more than five people and outdoor gatherings of more than 10 people are prohibited under level 3 restrictions.

TAIEX up slightly as interest in tech sector declinesStaff writer, with CNAShares in Taiwan moved into consolidation mode yesterday, closing slightly higher after a lackluster overnight performance by US markets. The TAIEX closed up 48.02 points, or 0.29 percent, at 16,643.69, on turnover of NT$425.761 billion (US$15.3 billion), Taiwan Stock Exchange data showed. On Tuesday, the TAIEX surged 1.58 percent after the tech sector soared 2.28 percent. It was no surprise that the TAIEX failed to make a breakthrough today,” Tsai said. “As interest in the tech sector faded, buying rotated to old-economy stocks, in particular in the shipping and steel sectors,” he said.

U-Ming bullish on global recovery, rise in iron oreBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterU-Ming Marine Transport Corp (裕民航運), a bulk shipper and member of Far Eastern Group (遠東集團), is upbeat about the bulk shipping business in the coming quarters on expectations of a recovery in the global economy, a rise in iron ore production and an expansion of grain exports from the US, the company said yesterday. Revenue increased 47 percent year-on-year to NT$3.6 billion for the first four months of the year, company data showed. The sign and logo of U-Ming Marine Transport Corp are pictured on the Taiwan Stock Exchange’s Web site yesterday. “As 70 percent of our fleet deliver as a spot charter, the rising BDI has a positive correlation with our revenue,” Chang said. Global demand for steel this year is expected to increase 4.1 percent, after a decline of 2.4 percent last year, and major miners expect to see a stable rise in iron ore production, so U-Ming expects strong demand for iron ore transport this year, he said.

The Kinmen and Matsu challengeBy Jerome KeatingChiseled into rock in Kinmen County’s Jinhu Township (金湖) are the Chinese characters for one of Chiang Kai-shek’s (蔣介石) favorite memes. The CCP never captured Kinmen and Matsu, which allows them to be considered the KMT’s “city of Ju” for the ROC. As for Kinmen and Matsu, technically the Chinese Civil War has never ended. In the Treaty of San Francisco, Japan simply surrendered its sovereignty over Taiwan, but Kinmen and Matsu are different. A decision on Kinmen and Matsu would force all sides to expose their spurious hegemonic wishes and claims.

Taiwan tire suppliers face US anti-dumping tariffsStaff writer, with CNASuppliers of automobile and truck tires from Taiwan and three other countries are facing anti-dumping tariffs after US authorities upheld a preliminary ruling accusing them of selling products at unfairly low prices in the US. The decision by the US Department of Commerce released on Monday states that anti-dumping tariffs of 14.62 to 101.84 percent would be imposed on tire makers from Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam, with Taiwan facing the highest penalties. Cheng Shin Rubber Industry Co (正新橡膠) and Nankang Rubber Tire Corp (南港輪胎), the two mandatory Taiwanese respondents, face anti-dumping tariffs of 20.04 percent and 101.84 percent respectively, while other Taiwanese exporters face an 84.75 percent penalty. Another step is required before the anti-dumping tariffs can take effect. Cheng Shin said that passenger vehicle and light truck tires account for less than 2 percent of its total sales.

A 2011 conference paper Chen co-authored for the East and Southeast Asia Federation of Soil Science Societies describes three soil remediation techniques. Turnover and dilution — mixing surface soil with subsoil to reduce the concentration of heavy metals in the former — is cheap and fast. Chemical treatments aim to stabilize heavy metals in a form where they’re less likely to enter food crops via their roots. The third approach is phytoremediation, the use of particular plant species and associated microorganisms to clean up contaminated soil. However, using such agents — which boost the solubility and leaching of heavy metals — also increases the risk of groundwater contamination.

COVID-19: Doctor offers tips on how to differentiate symptomsBy Kayleigh Madjar / Staff writerCold and allergy symptoms, while similar to those of COVID-19, have some differences that could help determine the cause, a physician said on Sunday as he shared tips on how to differentiate between them. To help ease concerns, Tsui shared on Facebook on Saturday ways to differentiate between a cold, allergies and COVID-19. Photo: CNAHowever, he said that each person’s symptoms are different and clinical advice should be sought if there are any doubts. These are very similar to COVID-19 symptoms, he said. However, due to its variability, with some cases not displaying any symptoms at all, COVID-19 can be difficult to diagnose, Tsui said.

E.Sun Financial posts net fee income of NT$5.27bnPROFITABLE UNIT: E.Sun Securities’ net fee income contributed to 16.3% of its parent company’s total in the first quarter, and rose 52.5% year-on-yearBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterE.Sun Financial Holding Co (玉山金控) on Monday reported net fee income of NT$5.27 billion (US$189.1 million) for the first quarter of this year, the highest quarterly figure in its history, thanks to contributions from E.Sun Securities Co (玉山證券) as more investors participated on the local stock market. E.Sun Securities’ net fee income increased 52.5 percent year-on-year to NT$840 million in the first quarter, accounting for 16.3 percent of the holding company’s net fee income, E.Sun Financial said in a statement. As of the end of last year, the securities unit’s fee income contributed 12.4 percent to its parent company’s total fee income. Photo: Kelson Wang, Taipei TimesThe growth in fee income boosted E.Sun Securities’ net profit by 274 percent from a year earlier to NT$416 million in the first quarter. The two divisions contributed to two-thirds of E.Sun Financial’s total net fee income, company data showed.

COVID-19: Schools urged to ensure quality educationBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterThe National Federation of Teachers’ Unions yesterday urged education authorities to pay attention to the quality of online classes offered to students with disabilities. The quality of learning for students with disabilities, specifically those with visual impairments, should not be compromised because of the COVID-19 situation in Taiwan, the union said. As with in-person learning, students with visual impairments need audio descriptions when learning online, it said. Someone needs to describe the images in the livestream in spoken language so that students with visual impairments can understand them, it said. The Ministry of Education should require schools to reduce the impact of long-term use of electronic devices on students’ eyesight while carrying out online teaching, it said.