NPP caucus unveils 28 bills, amendments on to-do listBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterThe New Power Party (NPP) legislative caucus yesterday listed 28 bills and amendments that it aims to help pass during the new legislative session, adding that it would focus on a “vacant home tax act” and amendments to laws governing investment from China. Legislators need to review the draft of the vacant home tax act, which is backed by the Democratic Progressive Party, NPP caucus whip Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智) said. Taiwan had 1.66 million vacant homes last year, up from 1.23 million in 2000, Chiu said, citing Ministry of the Interior data. From left, New Power Party (NPP) legislators Claire Wang, Chiu Hsien-chih and Chen Jiau-hua introduce the NPP caucus’ priority bills for the new legislative session at a news conference at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday. “We have seen a rise in funding from China disguised as investments from other countries to avoid scrutiny by the Investment Commission.

Five-star hotels’ buffet restaurants offering discountsSALES BOOST: Top hotels are expecting business to pick up next month, when the Quintuple Stimulus Vouchers program is rolled out to invigorate demand Taipei’s five-star hotels have reopened their buffet restaurants at discounted charges to boost food sales after authorities last month gave the green light to conditional dine-in services. Buffet restaurants, the main driver of hotels’ food revenue, have continued to be hit hard by social distancing requirements that ban guests from picking up food on their own to their heart’s content. Rather, waitstaff put the food on customers’ plates or customers place an order and waitstaff deliver to their table. Shangri-La’s Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Taipei (台北遠東國際大飯店) yesterday reopened its buffet restaurant Cafe (遠東Cafe) and adopted the former style. It also givesBy Crystal Hsu

COVID-19: Vaccine donation arrives from JapanStaff writer, with CNAA batch of 64,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine donated by Japan arrived in Taiwan yesterday afternoon, the fourth such donation made by Tokyo. A driver transports Japan’s donation of 64,000 AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday. Japan first donated 1.24 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Taiwan on June 4, followed by 1.13 million doses on July 8 and 970,000 doses on July 15. To date, Taiwan has taken delivery of approximately 13 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, about 6 million of which were donated by other nations. The US is the second-largest vaccine donor to Taiwan after Japan with a donation of 2.5 million doses of the Moderna vaccine, followed by Poland, which donated 400,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Allianz faces a new probe by regulator in GermanyBloombergThe German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) has started its own investigation into Allianz SE’s Structured Alpha Funds, which are at the center of lawsuits and probes in the US following steep losses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reuters reported on the BaFin probe earlier. Officials for Allianz and BaFin declined to comment. Allianz last month disclosed that the US Department of Justice had started a probe into the funds and warned that the matter could “materially impact” future earnings, sending shares of the insurer tumbling. Allianz told a Manhattan federal judge in February that the plaintiffs are sophisticated investors that chose high-risk private funds with their eyes open.

CPI rise linked to transport costs, rainQ4 SUBSIDENCE? Food costs alone pushed the CPI reading up by 0.59 percentage points, Tsao added. Food and transportation prices combined accounted for 60 percent of the growth in the CPI, Tsao said. Garment prices rose 2.04 percent, while living costs increased 1.25 percent due to higher house repair and rent costs, the report said. The wholesale price index (WPI), a measure of commercial production costs, increased 11.88 percent, as healthy demand boosted prices for raw materials and oil products, it said.

Listed firms report record profit from investmentsBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterListed firms in Taiwan reported record combined profit of NT$243 billion (US$8.78 billion) from investments in China and NT$576.3 billion from investments in other overseas markets in the first half of this year, with the electronics, semiconductor and shipping sectors contributing the most, the Financial Supervisory Commission said yesterday. Commission data showed that as of the end of June, 1,196 listed companies, or about 73 percent of the nation’s 1,629 listed firms, had investments in China. Semiconductor firms were third, with a combined profit of NT$22.4 billion, up 62 percent, the commission said. Listed firms reported combined profit of NT$576.3 billion from overseas investments, excluding China, up 275 percent from NT$209.3 billion a year earlier, it said. Computer suppliers and semiconductor firms were second and third respectively, with combined profit of NT$53.6 billion and NT$48.7 billion, the commission added.

COVID-19: AstraZeneca shipments land in TaiwanRELIABLE PARTNER: Poland’s donation of 400,000 doses makes it the nation’s third-largest vaccine donor, while 410,400 doses were received from the COVAX programBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterTwo shipments of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, each containing about 400,000 doses, arrived in Taiwan yesterday, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday, adding that one was donated by Poland and the other was from the COVAX global vaccine distribution program. Earlier this year, Japan donated 3.34 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Taiwan and the US donated 2.5 million doses of the Moderna vaccine. Workers offload a batch of 400,000 AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses donated by Poland from a plane at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday morning. Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei TimesThe third shipment of COVID-19 vaccines from COVAX — a batch of 410,400 AstraZeneca vaccine doses — arrived in Taiwan yesterday afternoon. Chen said the AstraZeneca vaccine doses that arrived yesterday would be offered mainly to people who have received a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Pandemic, climate cast a shadow over IAA openingSEARCH FOR MOMENTUM: The auto show, relocated to Munich, comes amid a looming legal battle over when German automakers should phase out gasoline enginesAFP, MUNICH, GermanyGermany’s revamped IAA auto show, one of the world’s largest, is to open in Munich tomorrow for a celebration of all things vehicle-related, but climate concerns and COVID-19 pandemic woes threaten to spoil the party. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, center, talks to then-Volkswagen AG chairman Matthias Mueller, right, and other Volkswagen officials at the IAA auto show in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, on Sept. 14, 2017. Climate campaigners have vowed to disrupt the IAA by staging protests on Friday and Saturday, when the general public is invited. The plaintiffs want the German vehicle giants to stop producing diesel or gasoline engines by 2030, saying that their current pledges for electrification are vague and nonbinding. BMW plans to present a hydrogen-powered SUV, as well as its vision for a fully recyclable electric vehicle made entirely from recycled material and renewable resources.

COVID-19: No new cases from pilots’ families, contacts: CECCTHOUSANDS TESTED; A pilot’s son is the only comfirmed case from the airline cluster, as the student body at the boy’s school has tested negative, the CECC saidBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported two locally transmitted COVID-19 infections, four imported cases and no deaths, adding that no new cases linked to an aircrew cluster have been found. The man began experiencing a fever, headache, fatigue and coughing on Wednesday last week, sought treatment on Saturday and tested positive for COVID-19, he said. Meanwhile, Chen said that testing on 315 close contacts of two previously confirmed vaccine breakthrough infections — Taiwan-based airline pilots who tested positive on Friday — has been completed. One of the pilot’s sons tested positive last week, while 269 others tested negative and 45 are waiting for results, Chen said. All 224 close contacts of the son and 2,656 students at his school also tested negative, he said.

Green bond record month expectedBloombergThe green bond market is heating up again with investors bracing for a potential record month of sovereign sales. That is in addition to established issuer Germany, which is to auction a new 10-year green bond next week. “Based on the way the pipeline is building, we could see a month for record issuance,” Deutsche Bank AG environmental, social, and governance advisory head Trisha Taneja said. Since the first sovereign green bond was issued by Poland in 2016, momentum has grown with more issuers coming on board. The biggest deal this month is a British green gilt bond maturing in 2033.

UMC, Chipbond tout share swapSEEKING EXPANSION: Making inroads into the IC testing market, UMC is following a similar move by TSMC, but under a different strategy than its bigger chipmaking rivalStaff writer, with CNAUnited Microelectronics Corp (UMC, 聯電), Taiwan’s second-largest contract chipmaker, is to set up a strategic partnership with IC packaging and testing services provider Chipbond Technology Corp (頎邦科技) through a share swap, the company said on Friday. Aiming to acquire a 9.09 percent stake in Chipbond, the chipmaker said that shares would be swapped at a rate of one common UMC share for 0.87 common shares of Chipbond. The deal would result in the IC packaging and testing firm holding a 0.62 percent stake in UMC, it said. The agreement includes the issuance of 61.11 million new UMC shares, it said. Those shares, as well as 16.08 million UMC shares held by its subsidiary Fortune Venture Capital Corp (宏誠創投), would be exchanged for 67.15 million newly issued Chipbond shares, it added.

COVID-19: Military conscripts to be tested for COVID-19Staff writer, with CNAMilitary conscripts are to be tested for COVID-19 before reporting for duty, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said on Thursday. Men in Taiwan over the age of 18 must undergo four months of mandatory military training. No new conscripts have reported for duty since June, after Taiwan experienced an outbreak of COVID-19 in May. To prevent COVID-19 transmission, new conscripts are to take an antibody test within three days before reporting fof duty, Chen said. Substitute service conscripts would be given COVID-19 tests after arriving at Taichung’s Chenggong Ling (成功嶺) military training camp, he said.

The delivery of 400,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Taiwan yesterday morning, making Poland Taiwan’s third-largest vaccine donor, after Japan and the US. “Thank you” and Poland’s national flag light up the Taipei 101 building last night to express Taiwan’s appreciation to Poland for its donation of 400,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. “Thank you to Poland for providing Taiwan with 400,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses. Poland’s expression of warmth to Taiwan, which is in need of vaccines, demonstrates a “virtuous cycle,” Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said, as he voiced his thanks to Poland. The arrest and prosecution of a senior Huawei employee allegedly involved in spying in Poland has also triggered controversy, he said.

Gasoline prices to increase by NT$0.2By Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterCPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) and Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) yesterday announced that they would raise gasoline prices by NT$0.2 per liter, but lower diesel prices by NT$0.1 per liter, effective today. Both firms last week raised gasoline prices by NT$0.4 per liter and diesel prices by NT$0.1 per liter. After this week’s adjustment, gasoline prices at CPC stations would be NT$28.2, NT$29.7 and NT$31.7 per liter for 92, 95 and 98-octane unleaded gasoline respectively, while the price of premium diesel would fall to NT$25.5 per liter, the company said. Prices at Formosa’s stations would climb to NT$28.2, NT$29.6 and NT$31.7 per liter for 92, 95 and 98-octane unleaded gasoline respectively, while the price of premium diesel would drop to NT$25.3 per liter. CPC said in a statement that based on its floating oil price formula, the cost of crude oil last week increased 1.49 percent from a week earlier.

The center placed hundreds of people under quarantine following breakthrough COVID-19 infections involving three EVA Airways pilots. They were all asked to take disease prevention buses to quarantine facilities arranged by the government. Quarantine facilities were also not thoroughly cleaned when they checked in, they said. Rather than N95 masks, passengers should be required to wear surgical masks, the groups said. All passengers should have their blood oxygen levels and temperatures measured before embarking on bus trips to quarantine facilities, the groups said, adding that ambulances should stand by in case of emergencies.