Washington and Beijing earlier this month announced a “phase pne” trade deal, de-escalating their nearly two-year trade dispute as Trump reduced or canceled some tariffs while Beijing promised to adopt trade reforms and buy more US farm exports. “I will be signing our very large and comprehensive Phase One Trade Deal with China on January 15,” Trump tweeted. While the detente put a stop to further deterioration in the trade dispute, it leaves many of the barriers erected so far in place. The two economic powers have been locked in a bruising trade dispute since the first half of 2018 that has roiled the global economy and helped send the manufacturing sector into decline. Observers say in that time, the trade dispute might have ushered in a long-term decoupling of trade relations between the world’s two largest economies.

AFP, TOKYOThe usually staid Japanese media yesterday criticized “cowardly” former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn after the tycoon jumped bail and fled to Lebanon to avoid trial in Japan. Ghosn is facing multiple charges of financial misconduct — all of which he denies. “Running away is a cowardly act that mocks Japan’s justice system,” the Yomiuri Shimbun said. The Tokyo Shimbun also said that Ghosn’s actions had made a mockery of the Japanese justice system. “The defendant Ghosn insists he escaped political persecution ... but traveling abroad without permission is against the conditions of his bail and mocks the Japanese justice system,” it wrote.

The defense, which had long denied he wrote the note, said they still plan to challenge that ruling on appeal. Robert Durst was shown the note written in block letters that only included the address of Berman’s house and the word “cadaver.”He denied writing the note, but said that “only the killer could have written” it. “I wrote this one, but I did not write the cadaver one,” Robert Durst said. The interview then ended and Robert Durst walked into a bathroom unaware he was still wearing a live microphone. After Berman’s death, Robert Durst went into hiding in Galveston, Texas, where he disguised himself as a mute woman in a boarding house.

Washington was swift to respond, with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urging Kim to “take a different course,” adding that the US wanted “peace not confrontation” with North Korea. Pyongyang has previously fired missiles capable of reaching the US mainland and has carried out six nuclear tests, the last of them 16 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb, according to the highest estimates. “The world will witness a new strategic weapon to be possessed by the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] in the near future,” he added. The full meeting of the central committee of the Workers’ Party was an indication of a major policy shift. Washington had “conducted tens of big and small joint military drills which its president personally promised to stop,” and sent high-tech military equipment to South Korea, he said.

The two have traveled at least five times to China and other countries, sometimes with Han’s friend Chao Tung-chou (趙東洲), the magazine said, citing an anonymous source. Han sometimes spends the night at her apartment because he is tired from playing mahjong with her and friends, she said. The two have joint investments, as the campaign office explained after a previous report about Han giving the woman NT$6 million to purchase the apartment, she said. Han in June last year filed charges against My-Formosa.com president Wu Tsu-chia (吳子嘉) for falsely accusing him of adultery, meaning the prosecutor considered the allegation as defamation, Anne Wang said. Asked about his trips with the woman, Han left without answering.

AFP, NEW YORKWorld stocks on Tuesday closed out a notably profitable year, with Wall Street recording its best annual performances since 2013, boosted by hopes for a US-China trade deal. Key European markets showed increases of 25 percent or more for last year, partly thanks to late surges on receding recession fears and easing China-US trade tensions. However, Brexit-hit London trailed its peers with a 12 percent annual rise, less than half the percentage increase managed by Paris, Frankfurt and Milan. Prudential Financial Inc market strategist Quincy Krosby told reporters that the US-China detente could help decide the direction of the global economy next year. “Much of the enthusiasm in the market is based on the idea that global growth is going to begin to accelerate, albeit slowly,” she said.

“You would know what martial law is like, Mr Ma... Taiwan suffered much during martial law under the regimes of the two Chiangs [Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) and his son, Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國)] and you know well how harshly they dealt with dissidents,” Yu said. “How can you compare the passage of the Anti-infiltration Act with living under martial law?”“Ma has distorted the facts so much,” Yu added. Martial law was used to prosecute and oppress internal dissidents. “Ma, do you really know what martial law was like? “The KMT has over the past year stood with with China on the protests in Hong Kong, amendments to the National Security Act (國家安全法) and deliberations on the Anti-infiltration Act,” Lim said.

AFP, SAN FRANCISCORide-hailing giant Uber Technologies Inc and delivery company Postmates Inc have filed a lawsuit against the state of California, claiming a new law that would treat gig-economy freelancers as employees is unconstitutional. This would include drivers for Uber and Postmates. Uber warned earlier that it would oppose any change of status for its drivers, which would cost the company extra in social security costs. In the suit, Uber and its co-plaintiffs argue that the law targets independent service providers, while exempting direct salespeople, travel agents, construction truck drivers and commercial fishers. That came as a big blow to Uber, which has about 3.5 million customers and about 50,000 drivers in the British capital.

To protect farmers’ rights, the central government should increase tariffs on imported peanuts, and ensure that the production and sale of local peanuts are balanced, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) member said when visiting farmers in Shueilin Township (水林). The county government is to ask the council to extend the period of purchasing peanuts at guaranteed prices, she said. Many farmers have complained that peanuts harvested at later dates have not yet been purchased, Yunlin County Councilor Huang Wen-hsiang (黃文祥), an independent who used to be Chang’s aide, said. Nearly 300 tonnes of peanuts grown by 200 farmers across the county have not yet been purchased, Yunlin County Agriculture Department Director-General Wei Sheng-te (魏勝德) said. The agency has paid NT$290 million in loans to peanut farmers and would request that farmers’ groups pay loans to farmers who file applications at later dates, it said.

Staff writer, with CNAA new program to encourage manufacturers to directly hire Indonesians rather than use brokers has already placed workers, an Indonesian official said on Monday. National Board for Placement and Protection of Indonesian Overseas Workers head Tatang B. Razak said that 11 Indonesians hired under the plan are already in Taiwan. Another official said 14 others found jobs last year and were headed to Taiwan, while about 100 workers would be eligible for the scheme this year. The number of Indonesians benefiting from the scheme was limited, because most Indonesian workers are caregivers or domestic helpers and were not eligible for it, but it is “the first step” in the right direction, he said. Last month, hundreds of migrant workers from Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam took to the streets of Taipei to demand that the brokerage system be abolished in favor of a mandatory government-to-government hiring system.

In Keelung in the morning to stump for Tsai Shih-ying (蔡適應), Lai met with the public while visiting the city’s temples, traditional markets and commercial areas. He was accompanied by Keelung Mayor Lin Yu-chang (林右昌), another rising star that the DPP is depending on going into the presidential and legislative elections on Saturday next week. “It has not been easy for the Wu family to pass on the business — the skills needed to prepare and cook the dishes — for three generations,” Lai said. Asked about the presidential race, Lai said: “President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is the only candidate who presented a policy platform to the public. Asked about the passage of the Anti-infiltration Act (反滲透法), DPP legislative candidate Tsai Shih-ying said: “Taiwan needs this law right now.

By Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe third phase of government-funded flu vaccinations started yesterday, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said, urging pregnant women, government health workers and others who are eligible for the free vaccinations to get their shots before the Lunar New Year holiday. People with rare diseases, catastrophic illness, high-risk chronic diseases or a body mass index of 30 and more, are also eligible, it added. The first round of shots focused on elementary to high-school students and medical professionals, and the second phase expanded to include preschool children and older people. Records showed that middle-aged people have lower vaccination rates, but are also at risk of serious complications from the flu, he said. “People with mild cold symptoms who do not hav a fever are still advised to get vaccinated.”As of Sunday, about 3.38 million government-funded vaccines have been administered, with about 1.24 million vaccines unused, and the last batch of about 1.42 million vaccines would be dispatched to local healthcare facilities today, he added.

During testing of the app, only local governments would be able to see where its users are located, the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) said yesterday. Only approved UAV models are allowed to fly in yellow zones and only during set periods in daytime, it added. Future versions would allow users to know each other’s location to prevent incidents, such as collisions, from occurring in red zones, it added. The app is being developed in anticipation of the March 31promulgation of amendments to the Civil Aviation Act (民用航空法). Drones weighing more than 250g must be registered and users require a license to operate a UAV of more than 1kg, the amendments say.

By Natasha Li / Staff reporterMr Brown Coffee (伯朗咖啡) would close up to 10 of its coffeeshops nationwide, Chinese-language media reported yesterday, citing its operator, King Car Group (金車). King Car would close the stores when their leases expire due to lower-than-expected profits, the United Daily News and Commercial Times reported. The company launched its series of canned Mr Brown Coffee products in 1982 and opened its first coffeeshop in 1998. Convenience stores, which are constantly changing their marketing strategies, offer strong competition and might be another reason for the closure of Mr Brown Coffee shops, Knight Frank Taiwan researcher Andy Huang (黃舒衛) said. King Car has sought to reposition itself in the domestic coffee shop market and slowly transformed Mr Brown stores to offer more food options such as light meals and snacks.

By Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterShares of Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC, 台灣高鐵) outperformed the broader market last year as the company offered solid fundamentals and a good dividend yield. THSRC shares ended last year with an annual gain of 25.7 percent, closing at NT$38.4 on Tuesday. That was better than a 4.01 percent rise on the transportation sub-index and the TAIEX’s 23.33 percent advance for the whole of last year, Taiwan Stock Exchange data showed. THSRC on Tuesday announced that it is to increase the number of services by 436, or 34 percent, from Jan. 21 to Jan. 30 to meet increased demand over the Lunar New Year holiday, according to the company’s Web site. The company posted cumulative revenue of NT$43.3 billion (US$1.44 billion) in the first 11 months of last year, up 4.81 percent from NT$41.32 billion the previous year.