India to work with Taiwan for peace and prosperity in Indo-PacificStaff Writer, with CNAIndia is looking forward to working with Taiwan to promote regional peace and stability, the country's top envoy to Taipei said yesterday at an event to celebrate the upcoming Indian Republic Day on January 26. Last year was one of rich engagement between India and Taiwan, with the gradual resumption of in-person exchanges and the visits of several senior delegations in both directions. The positive momentum of Taiwanese investment in India spread to new areas like semiconductors, e-vehicles, and green energy," Das said. India Taipei Association Director-General Gourangalal Das, center, Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, 5th right, and guests celebrate the Republic Day of India in Taipei yesterday. "As one of the world's top five economies, as the emerging engine of the world economy, and as Chair of the Group of Twenty for this year, India looks to work with partners around the world, including Taiwan, to serve as a pillar of peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and the world at large," Das added.

Taiwan, India need to keep talkingBy Sana Hashmi 胡莎娜There is a constant debate regarding countries’ responses to a potential “Taiwan contingency,” but relatively little discussion on how to deter China from invading Taiwan. For India, Taiwan is not a pawn in a game of geopolitical chess. Its perception of Taiwan is driven by its economic interests and that Taiwan is a like-minded country in the Indo-Pacific region. Additionally, India does not want the China factor or its relations with Beijing to shape its Taiwan policy. As much as it is hard to separate India’s Taiwan policy from India-China relations, New Delhi has been relatively successful in achieving this.

US anti-tank deal heeds mine ban: armyUN TREATY RESPECTED: The mines would be deployed only on beaches to halt amphibious landings, and could not be triggered by stepping on them, the army saidStaff Writer, with CNAArmy Command Headquarters yesterday said that only anti-tank munitions would be included in a proposed purchase of US Volcano mine-dispensing systems, and the deal does not breach international laws banning anti-personnel mines. The statement came after independent Legislator May Chin (高金素梅) expressed concern that the proposed purchase risked creating a “landmine hell” similar to that experienced by post-war Cambodia. The US Army in the 1980s developed the M136 Volcano automated mine delivery system, which can be mounted on ground vehicles or helicopters. Called a Ground Volcano when fitted to land-based vehicles, it uses prepackaged mine canisters that contain multiple anti-personnel or anti-tank mines that can be placed across a vast area. Taiwan would only deploy the Volcano anti-tank system to a few beaches on which an amphibious landing could be made, Su said.

Bureau probing secret files for sale on Web siteCLASSIFIED DATA? A posting on a Web site asking for US$150,000 for 10 gigabytes of Taiwanese intelligence data is pictured yesterday. The seller is asking for US$150,000 for 10 gigabytes of classified data, the report said. The bureau yesterday said it is aware of the situation and is investigating the advertisement, but that it could not disclose details of an ongoing probe. DPP Legislator Liu Shih-fang (劉世芳) called for answers to a few questions, including why national intelligence information was posted on a foreign Web site in the first place.

Hsinchu official resigns over affair allegationsBy Hung Mei-hsiu, Huang Ching-hsuan and Liu Tzu-hsuan / Staff reporters, with staff writerHsieh Po-hung (謝泊泓) yesterday resigned as director of the Hsinchu City Department of General Affairs following media allegations that he was having an extramarital affair with a fellow Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) member. Former Hsinchu City Department of General Affairs director Hsieh Po-hung is pictured in an undated photograph. He took up the post of Department of General Affairs director after Kao was sworn into office on Dec. 25. The TPP staffer Lin Yi-hsuan , who was a model and appeared in a pop music video ,is alleged for an extramarital affair with the director of Hsinchu City Government’s Department of General Affairs . As for his private life, the party had no prior knowledge of the affair and respects his handling of the situation, it said.

Remove the incentives that breed plagiarismBy Wen Shun-te 溫順德Two of the most debated issues within the nation’s higher education system in the past few months have been plagiarism and degree programs. First, the Degree Conferral Act (學位授予法) should be amended to better meet the needs of students in professional practice master’s programs to deter cheating. Second, master’s degree diplomas and those of other graduate-level programs should be clearly distinguished. It is truly pathetic that we can no longer find academic ethics within Taiwan’s higher education system. The agencies responsible for educational affairs must address plagiarism immediately, right the wrongs and restore the value of diplomas.

Hydropower currently accounts for about 13 percent, or 47 gigawatts, of the country’s total power generation capacity. Uttarakhand, which is prone to flash floods and landslides, has more than 10 operational hydropower projects, with another 75 being built — among them NTPC’s Tapovan Vishnugad Hydropower Plant — officials at the state’s renewable energy department said. Photo: AFP“Ninety percent of this problem is because of hydropower projects. “India needs to do a rethink and hydropower projects in the Himalayan region should be stopped,” said Prakash, who is also an author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports in 2019 and last year. Experts have warned for years that large-scale construction work, including hydropower projects, in and around Joshimath could lead to land subsidence — the sinking or settling of the ground surface.

Taiwan, US officials start new trade talks in TaipeiStaff writer, with CNATaiwanese and US trade officials began a second round of talks in Taipei on Saturday under a recently launched trade initiative aimed at improving the overall bilateral trade environment. Leading the two sides in the talks under the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade are US Assistant Trade Representative Terry McCartin and Office of Trade Negotiations Deputy Trade Representative Yang Jen-ni (楊珍妮). US Assistant Trade Representative Terry McCartin, second left, is pictured ahead of trade talks in Taipei yesterday. Minister Without Portfolio John Deng waves before boarding an elevator ahead of trade talks in Taipei yesterday. The meeting room for the second round of talks under the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade is pictured in Taipei in this undated photograph.

Tsai also toured the Second Tactical Fighter Wing and the Hsinchu branch of Taoyuan Armed Forces General Hospital. President Tsai Ing-wen, second right, speaks to Mirage-2000 pilots during her visit to an airbase in Hsinchu on Friday. Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, EPA-EFEThe military thoroughly monitors and calmly responds to Chinese military activity in the waters and airspace surrounding the nation, while continuing to train and prepare for its defense, she said. The Ministry of National Defense is increasing the facilities, capacity and quality of military training to boost the effectiveness of the armed forces, she said. Chinese jets additionally conducted menacing flights from the north using air lanes Taiwan reserves for special purposes, the person added.

Kuldeep leads India to series victoryAFP, KOLKATA, IndiaWrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav’s inspired bowling and an unbeaten half-century by K.L. Rahul on Thursday helped India down Sri Lanka by four wickets to clinch a series victory in the second one-day international. Rahul plays a shot against Sri Lanka in the second one-day international in Kolkata, India, on Thursday. Kuldeep struck twice in two overs, including Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka, bowled for 2. Sri Lanka slipped to 152-7 when tearaway quick Umran Malik cut short Wanindu Hasaranga’s breezy knock on 21.

Court rejects appeal to detain suspect in vote-buying probeStaff writer, with CNAThe High Court on Tuesday rejected a second appeal by prosecutors to detain Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Central Standing Committee member Hsiao Ching-tien (蕭景田), who is suspected of vote-buying in the local elections in November last year. The Shilin District Court first rejected a request by prosecutors to detain Hsiao on Tuesday last week, when it set Hsiao’s bail at NT$8 million. The High Court’s Criminal Appeals Division in Taipei is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo: Yang Kuo-wen, Taipei TimesProsecutors appealed the ruling, resulting in the court’s decision on Saturday last week to increase the bail amount, but prosecutors appealed to detain Hsiao and hold him incommunicado, a request the High Court rejected. They allegedly paid NT$6,000 to NT$10,000 to the borough warden candidates to gain their support and promote Lin’s candidacy, Chinese-language media reported.

Some of the Sun Wukong effigies and artifacts collected by Taipei-based Journey to the West enthusiast Jim McClanahan. Jim McClanahan shows off his forearm tattoo of one of the Monkey King’s alternative names, Great Sage Equaling Heaven. The first icon McClanahan purchased after relocating to Taiwan in 2017 features Lei Gong (雷公, “Sire Thunder”) and Dian Mu (電母, “Mother of Lighting”). Photo: Steven CrookSince then, McClanahan’s collection has steadily grown. Of his 40-plus religious statues, 17 depict the Monkey King, while several are of Hindu deities.

Largan’s gross margin rises on scale expansion and better product mixOVER 55 PERCENT: Q4 was the best quarter of last year in terms of gross margin, but net profit was lowest due to more than NT$2bn in foreign exchange lossesBy Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterLargan Precision Co’s (大立光) gross margin improved in the fourth quarter of last year thanks to an expanded business scale and an improved product portfolio, the smartphone camera lens maker said yesterday. Gross margin rose to 55.85 percent, up 2.15 percentage points from 53.7 percent in the third quarter of last year, marking the highest quarterly gross margin of the year, said the leading maker of optical lens modules, which also produces voice coil motors and sleep monitoring systems. In the fourth quarter of 2021, gross margin was 55.85 percent, company data showed. Photo: CNADespite the improvement in gross margin, the Taichung-based firm’s net profit last quarter fell to the lowest in six quarters due to higher foreign exchange losses. The company booked foreign exchange losses of NT$2.42 billion last quarter, Largan said.

BYD plans push into India’s burgeoning EV marketBloombergChinese automaker BYD Co (比亞迪) is planning a bold push into India’s electric vehicle (EV) market, joining a rush of foreign peers jockeying for a bigger share of the world’s fourth-biggest vehicle market. Billionaire investor Warren Buffett-backed BYD is seeking to capture 40 percent of India’s EV market by 2030, Sanjay Gopalakrishnan, senior vice president of its local unit, said in an interview at the India Auto Expo on the outskirts of New Delhi. A BYD HAN electric vehicle is pictured in Toluca, Mexico, on Nov. 29 last year. While India is a value-conscious market, BYD will prioritize introducing higher priced vehicles to showcase its “premium” technology, and then slowly work toward mass-market vehicles, he said. BYD has invested US$200 million in its electronics and vehicle factories in India, he said.

Reopen Taoyuan Air Base, lawmaker saysSPEED MATTERS: If Taiwan’s fighters flew out of the Taoyuan base they would take six minutes to reach the area of intrusion as opposed to 15, the TPP’s Chiu Chen-yuan saidBy Huang Ching-huan, Tu Chu-min and Jason Pan / Staff reportersThe shuttered Taoyuan Air Base should be reopened to meet the challenges posed by China’s increased incursions into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Legislator Chiu Chen-yuan (邱臣遠) said yesterday. “If our fighter jets were launched from the Taoyuan base, they would only need six minutes to reach our air defense zone’s northeast sector,” he said. “We urgently need to bolster air defense capacity for northern Taiwan, so the Taoyuan Air Base must be reopened.”Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Chiu Chen-yuan speaks to reporters in Taipei on Dec. 15 last year. Situated southeast of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan Air Base dates back to 1944. The air force stopped using it in 2007, when it became the Taoyuan Naval Base.