Taiwan-Japan visits set new record of 8.213mBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterMutual visits between Taiwan and Japan reached a record-high 8.213 million last year, with visits by members of Japan’s ruling and opposition parties also setting a new record at 120, the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association said yesterday. Japanese lawmakers made more than 120 visits last year, demonstrating how much they value and support Taiwan, she added. Taiwan-Japan Relations Association Deputy Secretary-General Lin Yu-hui speaks at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. “Last year, bilateral trade totaled more than US$84.85 billion and bilateral investment reached more than US$3.031 billion, also demonstrating the close and friendly economic and trade exchanges between the two sides,” she said. “Steadily advancing Taiwan-Japan relations is the Japanese government’s basic stance and a social consensus,” she added.

Brickmaking is a notoriously carbon-intensive activity, contributing little to GDP yet generating considerable greenhouse gas emissions. EXTERNAL PRESSURESTaiwan doesn’t pour as much concrete as it did in the 1980s and 1990s, but construction remains a significant source of carbon emissions. Despite shuttering its nuclear power plants, Taiwan has managed to reduce both total greenhouse gas emissions and the carbon intensity of its economy. Since the start of this year, certain Taiwanese enterprises have been required to pay carbon fees based on their greenhouse gas emissions last year. Rising consumption of coal (up by 15 percent) and oil (up 10 percent) inflated the sector’s greenhouse gas emissions.

TSMC reports sales hit record high last monthPROJECTION: TSMC said it expects strong growth this year, with revenue in US dollars projected to grow by about 30 percent, outperforming the industryStaff writer, with CNATaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday reported consolidated sales last month reached NT$317.66 billion (US$9.98 billion), the highest ever for the month of February, driven by robust demand for chips built using the company’s advanced 3-nanometer (3nm) process. For the first two months of the year, TSMC posted cumulative sales of NT$718.91 billion, up 29.9 percent from a year earlier. Photo: Daniel Ceng, APAnalysts attributed the growth to sustained global demand for artificial intelligence (AI) products using TSMC’s 3nm chips. AI chip giant Nvidia Corp has become a key driver of TSMC’s revenue, contributing NT$726.9 billion, or about 19 percent, to TSMC’s total sales last year, making it the company’s largest customer. Shares in TSMC, which accounts for more than 40 percent of the local main board’s total market value, rose 2.21 percent to close at NT$1,850 yesterday.

PCs, portfolio, servers lift Asustek profitBy Meryl Kao / Staff reporterAsustek Computer Inc (華碩) yesterday reported that net profit last quarter grew 8 percent sequentially to NT$11.4 billion (US$358.2 million). Earnings per share increased to NT$15.4, from NT$14.21 in the previous quarter and NT$2.21 a year earlier. Photo: ReutersThe company attributed the profit growth to strong sales of its core PC products, an improved product mix and growth in its server business. The scope of price adjustments depends on regional market competition, supply and demand conditions, and product competitiveness, he added. Server revenue is expected to increase 50 to 100 percent sequentially this quarter and grow four to fivefold from a year earlier, Hsu said.

Taiwan mulls selling debt, sources sayDIPLOMATIC MANEUVER: A new source of funding for overseas ventures would give Taiwan more financial muscle to counter Beijing’s efforts to isolate the nationBloombergTaiwan is considering selling debt for the first time to finance overseas investments as it intensifies efforts to resist the diplomatic isolation imposed by China, officials familiar with the matter said. Photo: I-hwa Cheng, AFPA new source of funding for overseas ventures would give Taipei more financial muscle to counter Beijing’s efforts to isolate the nation. In response to a request for comment, the fund’s spokesperson said the option of borrowing is still under discussion and has not been finalized. The scope of its development projects has recently been expanding to fields such as AI applications, including in countries without official diplomatic ties with Taiwan — with the Philippines being one such example. Taiwan has also backed a plan to build an AI computing center in Paraguay, one of the officials said.

Apple makes about 25% of iPhones in India after China pivotBloombergApple Inc increased iPhone production in India by about 53 percent last year and now makes a quarter of its marquee devices there, reflecting the US company’s efforts to avoid tariffs on China. Apple makes about 220 million to 230 million iPhones a year globally, with India’s share of the total increasing rapidly. The subsidies have helped offset some of the structural cost disadvantages that manufacturers face in India, including the lack of a China-like robust supply chain and logistics challenges. Cupertino, California-based Apple currently assembles all versions of the latest iPhone 17 lineup in India, including the high-end Pro and Pro Max models. Beyond manufacturing, Apple is targeting market share gains in a region where sales have surged past US$9 billion.

US mulls regulatory framework for AI chip exportsRATIONING: The proposal would give the Trump administration ample leverage to negotiate investments in the US as it decides how many chips to give each country US officials are debating a new regulatory framework for exporting artificial intelligence (AI) chips and are considering requiring foreign nations to invest in US AI data centers or security guarantees as a condition for granting exports of 200,000 chips or more, according to a document seen by Reuters. The rules are not yet final and could change. They would be the first attempt to regulate the flow of AI chips to US allies and partners since US President Donald Trump’s administration said it rescinded its predecessor’s so-called AI diffusion rules. Those rules sought to keep a significant amount of AI

Innolux selling factory in Tainan to ChipMOSBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterInnolux Corp (群創) yesterday said it would sell a panel module assembly facility in Tainan to chip testing and packaging service provider ChipMOS Technologies Inc (南茂科技) for NT$880 million (US$27.65 million), the latest turnaround efforts made by the flat panel maker through asset rejuvenation. Innolux Corp chairman Jim Hung poses for a photograph at the company’s headquarters in Miaoli County on May 31 last year. Innolux closed Fab5 fab, a large-scale 5-generation fab, in summer last year in preparation for potential disposal. Non-operating income shrank to NT$56 million last quarter from NT$1.36 billion in the previous quarter and NT$14.5 billion a year earlier after selling a 5.5-generation plant to TSMC. Last year as a whole, Innolux’s revenue increased 4.7 percent to NT$226.72 billion from NT$216.51 billion in 2024.

Machine exports increase 20.6 percent: associationBy Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterThe nation’s machinery exports in the first two months of the year grew 20.6 percent year-on-year to US$5.298 billion, driven mainly by strong growth in semiconductor machines and electronic devices, the Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry said yesterday. Machinery exports in the first two months reached NT$167.133 billion (US$5.25 billion), 15.9 percent higher than a year earlier, the association said in a report. Photo: Wu Chun-feng, Taipei Times“Machinery exports grew more than 20 percent in the first two months, indicating a recovery and stable growth in the overall machinery industry,” the association said. Over the same period, shipments of machine tools also increased 5.2 percent to US$287 million. The US, China and Japan remained the three largest buyers of Taiwanese machinery products in the first two months at US$1.453 billion, US$991 million and US$415 million respectively, the association said.

Five Iran soccer players granted asylum in AustraliaAFP, GOLD COAST, AustraliaFive players in Iran’s women’s soccer team have taken asylum in Australia over fears of persecution at home for not singing the national anthem before a match, the Australian government said yesterday. The Iranian players’ silence during the anthem ahead of a Women’s Asian Cup match in Australia last week was widely seen as an act of defiance against the Islamic Republic. Five players escaped the team hotel on Australia’s Gold Coast overnight, holing up in a “safe location” while lodging their claims for asylum, Australian Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke said. From left, Iran players Atefeh Imani, Fatemeh Pasandideh and Sana Sadeghi react during their national anthem ahead of their Women’s Asian Cup Group A match against the Philippines on the Gold Coast, Australia, on Sunday. A presenter on Iranian state TV had branded the players “wartime traitors” after they stood motionless during the anthem before their match against South Korea.

Diabolo champion’s 10.5-year espionage sentence upheldBy Yang Hsin-hui and Hollie Younger / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe High Court today upheld a 10-and-a-half-year prison sentence for a former diabolo champion who developed a Chinese-funded espionage organization in Taiwan with active-duty and retired military personnel. Lu was indicted in November 2023 and was sentenced in a retrial at the Taipei District Court in June last year for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法). Republic of China Diabolo Federation board member Lu Chi-hsien, right, appears at the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office on July 21, 2023. Chinese national Tian Xi (田曦), who used underground remittances to send funds to Lu, also had his sentence reduced today, from eight years, to seven years and two months. In the first trial, the Taipei District Court sent the case to the High Court as it involved state secrets.

The deep and diverse importance of wetlandsBy Yang Chih-chiang 楊智強The results of a survey on black-faced spoonbills are in: A total of 4,514 birds were counted, an increase of 410 from last year. It is an administrative and procedural matter, but also a key test of whether Taiwan is meaningfully upholding the principles of the Wetland Conservation Act (濕地保育法). Wetland assessments are rooted in ecological value and biological importance, for which the Cieding Wetland has long met the standards of national importance. By measure of black-faced spoonbills alone, the Cieding Wetland is already well within this threshold. In keeping with the “wise use” principle of the Wetland Conservation Act, it would be a win-win for conservation, and disaster prevention and mitigation.

An AI bubble will not trigger a financial crisisThe difference in the investment priorities leading up to the dotcom collapse and the 2008 financial crisis show why an AI correction will not be too badBy Lenny Mendonca and Martin Neil BailyA familiar anxiety has returned to financial markets. With artificial intelligence (AI) investments running into the trillions, are we witnessing a bubble and what will happen if it bursts? Our experience tells us that even if an AI correction comes, it will not trigger the kind of financial crisis that devastated the economy in 2008 and 2009. Understanding that AI speculation is unlikely to trigger a financial crisis means that policymakers should get their priorities right. The 2008 financial crisis taught policymakers to be vigilant about financial-stability risks, but there are important differences between asset classes and financing structures.

The launch was proof that arming ships with nuclear weapons was “making satisfactory progress,” he said. However, the test, and Kim’s mildly upbeat appraisal, were designed to reverberate well beyond the deck of the 5,000-tonne destroyer-class vessel the Choe Hyon — the biggest warship in the North Korean fleet. North Korea is several years into a nuclear weapons program that has gathered momentum despite UN sanctions and Trump’s attempts to use diplomacy to rid the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons. The North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ response to the war in Iran has been nuanced. That leaves the door open to a potential resumption of nuclear talks, contingent on Washington dropping its demand that Pyongyang abandon its nuclear weapons and accepting it as a legitimate nuclear state.

Man questioned for inciting WBC match fixing rumorBy Hollie Younger / Staff writer, with CNAA man was taken in for questioning this afternoon after alleging that Team Taiwan had admitted to throwing games in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) tournament, police said. The Criminal Investigation Bureau notified the man, surnamed Chang (張), to appear for questioning at 1pm. Tsai personally replied to the post, saying: “The matter has already been forwarded to the Criminal Investigation Bureau.”The screenshot has amassed more than 16,000 likes. Team Taiwan was eliminated in the preliminary round of the WBC tournament last night, after South Korea beat Australia 7-2 and won the tiebreaker with Australia and Taiwan. They nevertheless secured a tournament record by defeating South Korea for the first time in WBC history.