Investigation of seats shows all tour buses should be inspected, TTSB saysBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterThe Ministry of Transportation and Communications should inspect all tour buses across the nation to ensure that passenger seats were properly installed, following several major bus accidents, the Taiwan Transportation Safety Board (TTSB) said in a safety notice yesterday. Photo: Cheng Wei-chi, Taipei TimesInvestigators found that several passenger seats detached due to the impact, which they said was unusual. “Current safety inspections only test the structural strength of the passenger seats and whether a seat can adequately absorb impacts,” the board said. There are no specifications for the installation of seats and no standards for the inspection of modified passenger seats, it added. Board Chairman Young Hong-tsu (楊宏智) said in an interview yesterday afternoon that the three accidents presented a universal issue with the installation and fastening of passenger seats.

KMT demands action to address water shortageBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterThe Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday accused the government of not being proactive enough in addressing the water shortage and said that the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program failed to prevent the situation. The project’s aim is to build an environment without water shortages or flooding, where people have access to quality drinking water and water is a part of public recreation, it said. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Culture and Communications Committee director-general Alicia Wang accuses the government of mishandling water shortages at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Since August last year, there have been warning signs of tightening water supplies, committee deputy director-general Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇) said. The government has not put enough effort into solving the water shortage, Alicia Wang said, adding that the president should personally direct the government’s response.

Hon Hai’s EV platform to become independent in JulyBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterHon Hai Precision Industry Co’s (鴻海精密) MIH platform for electric vehicles (EVs) is to become an independent business unit in July, the company said at the first MIH Open Platform Alliance membership meeting in Taipei yesterday. More than 1,200 companies in the EV supply chain have joined the alliance since its inception in October last year. “In the future, you will be able to develop 80 percent of an EV’s functions on the cloud,” Hon Hai chief technology officer William Wei (魏國章) said. Lin said that through flexibility in EV development, a whole new mobility market would emerge. The MIH platform can accommodate vehicles as diverse as busses and microvehicles, he said.

CEC marks 75 years with tech showBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterContinental Engineering Corp (CEC, 大陸工程) yesterday showcased its technological applications at the construction site of a public housing project in Taipei’s Nangang District (南港). Vehicles drive past the construction site of a public housing project in Taipei’s Nangang District yesterday. Continental Engineering Corp chief executive officer Simon Buttery poses for a photograph at a media briefing in Taipei’s Nangang District yesterday. Photo courtesy of Continental Engineering CorpThe project, featuring two 27-floor buildings, is to have more than 1,400 apartments with one to three bedrooms, Continental said. Its parent company, Continental Holdings Corp (欣陸投控), reported NT$1.54 billion in net profit last year, the second-highest profit in the company’s history.

Annette Lu floats ‘one Chinese’ frameworkBOOK LAUNCH: Taiwan and China could launch discussions on integration, rather than unification, to establish an integration program similar to ASEAN, Annette Lu said Former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) yesterday suggested breaking the impasse between Taiwan and China by using the phrase “one Chinese” (一個中華), instead of “one China” (一個中國) and “integration” instead of the “unification” of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. Ahead of the launch of her new book on how to settle old scores between the two sides of the Strait, Lu introduced a third way beyond unification and independence to deal with cross-strait relations. She suggested that Beijing change its “one China” principle into a broader “one Chinese” principle, which she said would be more acceptable to Taiwan.

Annette Lu floats ‘one Chinese’ frameworkBOOK LAUNCH: Taiwan and China could launch discussions on integration, rather than unification, to establish an integration program similar to ASEAN, Annette Lu said Former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) yesterday suggested breaking the impasse between Taiwan and China by using the phrase “one Chinese” (一個中華), instead of “one China” (一個中國) and “integration” instead of the “unification” of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. Ahead of the launch of her new book on how to settle old scores between the two sides of the Strait, Lu introduced a third way beyond unification and independence to deal with cross-strait relations. She suggested that Beijing change its “one China” principle into a broader “one Chinese” principle, which she said would be more acceptable to Taiwan.

Yuanta-Polaris Research Institute president Liang Kuo-yuan speaks to reporters in Taipei yesterday after the institute raised its GDP growth forecast for Taiwan this year to 4.4 percent. Photo: Wu Chia-ying, Taipei TimesExports might grow 5.16 percent this year, up from the previous forecast of 5 percent, while imports might increase 3.97 percent, down from 4.07 percent, the Taipei-based think tank forecast. With projected GDP growth of 4.4 percent, Taiwan would rank somewhere in the middle worldwide, behind major economies such as the US and China, explaining why the NT dollar has lost some momentum against the greenback, it said. Yuanta-Polaris expects the NT dollar to trade at an average of NT$28.5 this year versus the greenback. Taiwan’s robust exports would continue to bolster its current account surpluses and countries with strong trade surpluses are unlikely to have a weak currency, Liang said.

The MV Ever Given — a so-called “megaship” at 220,000 tonnes and 400m long — which ran aground in the southern part of the canal in Egypt, had been partially moved and is alongside the bank, said Ahmed Mekawy, deputy manager of the Suez Canal for GAC Group, a provider of port-agent services. The vessel was soon expected to be refloated, Mekawy said, adding that the Suez Canal Authority would then work on resuming transit for all waiting ships. The MV Ever Given container ship blocks the Suez Canal in Egypt yesterday. Efforts to free the ship had so far proceeded faster than initial warnings that traffic could be choked off for days. The 193km-long Suez Canal is among the most trafficked waterways in the world, used by tankers shipping crude from the Middle East to Europe and North America.

Taiwan, India discuss AI technology cooperationTACKLING RISKS: Academic institutions from Taiwan and India have worked on a pandemic prevention system, and now plan to develop a tool to detect fabricated videosBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterAcademics and officials from Taiwan and India yesterday held an online meeting to promote a “smart pandemic prevention system” to advance bilateral cooperation in the development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology. The meeting was also joined by Indian Department of Science and Technology International Cooperation Division Director Chadaram Sivaji. In May, the universities plan to start another project to use AI tools to detect fabricated faces and voices in videos, Hsiung said. Hsiung was born in India and moved to Taiwan to study mathematics at National Taiwan University. Taiwan-India cooperation in technology focuses on engineering, information technology and sciences, said Wang Chin-tsan (王金燦), director of the Science and Technology Division at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India, who also joined the conference.

About 60% say property prices likely to rise: pollBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterAbout 60 percent of people expect housing prices to pick up next quarter, and many believe it wise to enter the market this year as tightened measures are driving out speculators, a survey by Evertrust Rehouse Co (永慶房屋) found yesterday. “That is because selective credit controls and harsh tax terms would not affect first-time home buyers or people who live in their own houses for a long time,” Hsieh said. He declined to bet on full-year figures because of concerns that developers might become more conservative if property tax changes clear the legislature, as it would take more time for developers to make a profit. The government seems serious about property tax revisions and people intent on saving taxes could embark on a sell-off, as policymakers aim to make the new tax terms retroactive, he said. The finance ministry has said property tax revisions are its top priority for the current legislative session.

Wu confirms military gear gifts to ParaguayBy Lu Yi-hsuan and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerMinister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) yesterday confirmed that Taiwan has gifted Paraguay a retired military helicopter and other equipment, and denied rumors that Taiwan’s relations with Paraguay are being undermined by Beijing. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Wu Sz-huai (吳思懷) had asked Joseph Wu whether the Ministry of National Defense had made the gifts to the government in Asuncion. “There is an evident discrepancy between what China promises and what it can deliver,” Joseph Wu said. Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccines have not been approved by the WHO, and countries shouldthink carefully before inoculating their citizens with the vaccines, Joseph Wu said. Regarding concerns over whether Paraguay would switch recognition to Beijing, Joseph Wu said that Asuncion was aware that Beijing was stirring unrest in the region and Paraguay is “definitively not pro-Beijing.”Taiwan-Paraguay relations remain solid, Joseph Wu said.

Cooperation on air crash probes urgedLEGAL AMENDMENT NEEDED? The board should be involved in the investigation of all military aircraft incidents, as this would make the investigations more transparent, Hung said. This exposes a security loophole that arises from insufficient investigations of military aircraft incidents, Lin said. Investigation by the military showed that the crash was caused by the area’s unknown topography, weather and human errors, Lin said. However, military personnel should know the topography ahead of a mission, and military aircraft should be able to operate in all kinds of weather, he said.

Cathay increases economic growth forecast to 4.2%LOOKING UP: The firm raised its forecast for private investment growth to 3.7%, as TSMC has raised its capital expenditure to between US$25bn and US$28bnBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterCathay Financial Holding Co (國泰金控) yesterday raised its forecast for the nation’s economic growth this year to 4.2 percent, up from the 3.2 percent it predicted in December last year, due to stronger-than-expected private investment and the improving global situation, it said. The firm raised its prediction for private investment growth to 3.7 percent, as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, in January raised its capital expenditure to between US$25 billion and US$28 billion, it said. Cathay Financial previously expected private investment to slow this year and grow 2.5 percent in light of a high comparison base last year. Taiwanese firms would continue to benefit from strong demand for new technology applications and devices required to maintain a low-contact economy, Hsu said. Cathay Financial forecast that the central bank would keep benchmark interest rates unchanged this year, as the nation’s inflation is expected to remain mild, Hsu said.

World democracies should uniteBy Huang Tien-lin 黃天麟There is some good news to report. The Quad, and related regional institutions, are closely bound up in US-China and Taiwan-China relations, as well as the security and continued survival of Taiwan. Within the next six years, the government should transform Taiwan into an economic, military and legal fortress of comprehensive and robust national security legislation. One can clearly see that the club of democracies would hold decisive market advantage. Huang Tien-lin is a former advisory member of the National Security Council and a national policy adviser to the president.

New Zealand and Australia yesterday welcomed the measures, but both stopped short of introducing their own on China, a major export market for their goods. “Frankly ... we are not worried at all,” Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying (華春瑩) told reporters. Reinhard Butikofer, a German legislator targeted by the sanctions, said the response was “brazen and ridiculous”. The EU faces a delicate balancing act over relations with China, as it treats Beijing as a rival, but also a potential economic partner. Late last year, Brussels sealed a major investment accord with China after seven years of negotiations.