Manufacturing business monitor signals a downturnBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterThe business climate monitor for the manufacturing industry turned “blue” in March, from a revised “yellow-blue” in February, as demand, selling prices and operating conditions weakened, the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER, 台灣經濟研究院) said yesterday. The business composite index compiled by the Taipei-based think tank shed 0.56 points to 10.41, reflecting listless manufacturing activity, as global clients continued to adjust inventory amid poor sales. TIER uses a five-color spectrum to capture the industry’s movements, with “red” indicating a boom, “green” suggesting steady growth and “blue” signifying a downturn. Plastic and rubber product makers saw business shrinking by a similar amount, despite the peak season starting, the institute said. Vehicle sales picked up after chip shortages came to an end, enabling local suppliers of auto parts to report steady business growth, it said.

US special forces simulate defense of Taiwan in firstBy Yang Fu-yi and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe US Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) for the first time simulated the defense of Taiwan against an invasion by China, the Military.com Web site reported on Sunday. The report, titled “Defending a Mock Invasion of Taiwan Signals Shift for Army Special Operations After Years of Counterinsurgency,” said that during its annual combat exercise last week, the USASOC landed Chinook helicopters on a concrete structure representing Taiwan, at the Range 68 training site in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Members of the US’ 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment take part in an exercise in an undated photograph. During the exercise, soldiers also demonstrated intermediate to advanced command of Mandarin or Russian, the report said. The exercise included the firing of Carl Gustaf recoilless rifles, sabotaging of tunnels and use of AeroVironment Switchblade drones.

Prosecutors deny politics involved in ex-lawmaker’s caseBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterProsecutors yesterday rejected accusations of political persecution by former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator Yen Kuan-heng (顏寬恒) following his indictment. The matter is now in the hands of the court,” Taichung District Prosecutors’ Office Deputy Chief Prosecutor Chan Chang-hui (詹常輝) said. Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator Yen Kuan-heng speaks to reporters in Taichung yesterday. They have been accused of fabricating documents and receipts to pocket the wages of an office assistant when Yen served as KMT legislator from 2016 to 2020. Yen told the news conference in Taichung that he was facing “trumped-up charges” and was targeted by the prosecutors for political persecution.

Tech, AI driving job changes for nearly 1/4 of all workersLABOR SHIFT: About 75 percent of firms said they expect to adopt new tech that would cut up to 26 million record-keeping and administrative jobsBloombergGlobal labor markets are poised for a new era of turbulence as technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) accelerate the decline of clerical work, while simultaneously increasing demand for technology and cybersecurity specialists. About 69 million jobs would be created and 83 million eliminated by 2027, resulting in a net decrease of 2 percent of current employment, the Future of Jobs report said. Photo: BloombergThe survey is based on input from about 800 companies employing more than 11 million workers across 45 economies and uses a dataset of 673 million jobs. About 75 percent of surveyed companies said they expect to adopt AI technologies over the next five years, which they predict would eliminate up to 26 million jobs in record-keeping and administrative positions — such as cashiers, ticket clerks, data entry and accounting. For now, AI remains a smaller threat to labor prospects than other macroeconomic factors such as slower economic growth, supply shortages and inflation, the report said.

From left, Taiwan People’s Party Taipei City Councilor Chang Chih-hao, and lawmakers Jang Chyi-lu and Lai Hsiang-ling attend a news conference at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei TimesTPP caucus director-general Jang Chyi-lu (張其祿) told a news conference in Taipei yesterday that national fire regulations are insufficient to keep people safe. The TPP caucus supports amending the act through public-private collaboration to bolster fire prevention management, improve safety standards, encourage public reporting and increase penalties, he said. Meanwhile, a separate firefighting equipment bill has languished in procedural process for 24 years, TPP caucus deputy convener Lai Hsiang-ling (賴香伶) said. A stalemate has formed on their intended roles, and the two main parties have yet to reach a consensus, she added.

Bolton lauds expanding US-Taiwan relationsBy Liu Tzu-hsuan / Staff reporterTaiwan’s friendly relationship with members of the US Congress provides a good foundation for expanding cooperation between the two sides, former US national security adviser John Bolton said yesterday. President Tsai Ing-wen, rights, meets former US national security adviser John Bolton at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday. Taiwan’s active diplomatic engagement in the US and friendly relations with US lawmakers have opened up more opportunities for cooperation, he said. Tsai thanked Bolton for showing his support for Taiwan through the visit and for his long-term contributions to deepening Taiwan-US ties. While serving as the White House national security adviser, Bolton supported US arms sales to Taiwan and Taiwan’s international participation, he said.

EDITORIAL: China is losing its economic lusterPublicly listed firms repatriated NT$114.4 billion (US$3.72 billion) of investment gains from China last year, a 175.7 percent surge from NT$41.5 billion in 2021 and the most since 2013, data released last month by the Financial Supervisory Commission showed. Previously, listed firms rarely repatriated their investment gains from China, as Beijing imposes strict foreign-exchange controls to curb capital outflows. Taiwanese firms also tend to keep most of their profits in China for further investments. There are three main reasons for Taiwanese listed firms to repatriate their investment gains. Third, China’s economic outlook has become more worrying for Taiwanese businesses, and nervousness over geopolitics has limited their investments there.

Occupied Ukrainian city under fire after Russia kills 26AFP, UMAN, UkraineRussian occupational authorities in southern Ukraine yesterday said that Ukrainian forces were subjecting the city of Novaya Kakhovka to “intense artillery fire” that had cut off electricity. Rescuers and residents search for survivors in the rubble next to a residential building that was hit by a missile in Uman, Ukraine, on Friday. Novaya Kakhovka fell to Russian forces on the first day of their offensive in Ukraine on Feb. 24 last year. On Friday, Russian strikes battered cities across Ukraine, killing 26 people, including five children. The barrage of almost two dozen missiles ended a weeks-long pause following the repeated Russian strikes that had aimed to paralyze Ukraine’s energy grid during the winter months.

The two policies are examples of how the ministry is trying to better meet the needs of families in need of care services. The Long-term Care Plan 2.0 was launched in 2017 to create an affordable and accessible long-term care system, and ensure that elderly and disabled people receive better care. It includes subsidies for in-home or facility care services, shuttle bus services, assistive devices, transforming people’s homes into a barrier-free environment and respite care services. Government data showed that only 5 percent of eligible families booked respite care services last year. It should also enhance cross-ministerial efforts to integrate services offered by migrant workers into Taiwan’s long-term care architecture.

Ma’s title changed by forum again by ‘malicious forces’Staff Writer, with CNAA Greek forum was allegedly urged by outside forces to repeatedly downplay the designation of former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on its Web site, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. The Delphi Economic Forum, which began on Wednesday in the Greek city of Delphi and ends today, was pressured by “malicious” forces to change Ma’s title in its online materials several times over the past few days, the ministry said. The Delphi forum on Friday last week changed Ma’s title from “former president of Taipei” to “former president of Taiwan” following calls from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ma’s office about the error. Ma’s title was later revised to “Former Leader of Taipei” until it was changed again to its current wording. Ma had participated in the forum’s opening ceremony and in closed-door dinners over the past two days, and his allocated seats were labeled “President Ma,” the statement said.

China to maintain policy support for economy as it seeks to boost demandReuters, BEIJINGChina is to maintain support for the economy, focusing on domestic demand which remains inadequate, the Chinese Communist Party Politburo said yesterday, Xinhua news agency reported. “Market demand has gradually recovered, economic development has shown an upward trend and the economic operation has achieved a good start,” Xinhua said, citing the Politburo. “The current improvement in China’s economic performance is mainly restorative, with weak momentum and insufficient demand,” the politburo said. The government would also reinforce confidence among businesses, guide state investment, stimulate private investment and attract foreign investment, it added. The politburo also reiterated its policy to support demand for improved housing and ensure property developers deliver.

EV maker BYD’s profit surges over 400 percent in Q1BloombergBYD Co (比亞迪) reported another stellar quarter of earnings on the back of booming electric vehicle (EV) sales that propelled it past Volkswagen AG to become China’s top-selling vehicle brand. Operating revenue rose 80 percent to 120.2 billion yuan, while gross margin was 17.9 percent, up about 5.5 percentage points. Volkswagen sold 427,247 vehicles under its brand in the country in the first quarter, with EVs accounting for only 6 percent. BYD, whose biggest investor is Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc, aims to deliver 3 million to 3.7 million EVs this year, Bloomberg Intelligence estimates. The company sold 1.86 million EVs last year, more than the previous four years combined.

Identifying Taiwan’s true friendsBy Emilian KavalskiIt seems that Taiwan is not the only country whose international status is contested by the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia were prompt to issue a coordinated response demanding clarification and an explanation by the PRC. With a combined territory of just over 175,000km2 and a combined population of a little more than 6 million, the three Baltic states are considered small, and not just by European standards. Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine, the three Baltic states have been the top three aid providers to Kyiv when measured as a percentage of GDP. And while the job of Taiwanese diplomats is becoming ever more challenging, it seems that statements such as Lu’s offer an unexpected helping hand in identifying Taipei’s true friends.

Yunlin produceYunlin County Commissioner Chang Li-shan, left, cooks at the Taiwan Vegetable Festival at a supermarket in Singapore yesterday to promote home-cooked dishes using ingredients from Yunlin. Singapore-based supermarket NTUC FairPrice organized the festival, which ends on Wednesday next week. Keep comments relevant to the article. Remarks containing abusive and obscene language, personal attacks of any kind or promotion will be removed and the user banned. Final decision will be at the discretion of the Taipei Times.

Five in funeral probe out on bailCUTTING IN: Some employees at New Taipei City-run cremation and funeral services allegedly receive regular monthly bribes from private proprietors to expedite servicesBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterFive New Taipei City Crematorium employees were yesterday released on bail of NT$50,000 (US$1,628) each after being questioned about allegations of accepting bribes from private funeral service operators. Seven private funeral service proprietors were also questioned and released. A New Taipei City crematorium section head surnamed Hsi is escorted by investigators in January. Photo: Wang Ting-chuan, Taipei TimesThe New Taipei City Crematorium is a unit of the government-run New Taipei City Funeral Parlor in Banciao District (板橋). Hsi was released on bail of NT$200,000, while most of the other staff posted bail of NT$100,000 each, Lee said.