Man fined NT$50,000 for heated tobacco from abroadBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterA man was fined NT$50,000 (US$1,609) for attempting to bring heated tobacco products (HTPs) purchased abroad into Taiwan, the first such fine imposed under rules passed earlier this year, the Health Promotion Administration said. The Health Promotion Administration on Tuesday said that as no HTPs have passed the assessment, none can be bought in Taiwan or imported. A heated tobacco product is pictured in an undated photograph. After the man explained the situation to the local health department, he was fined NT$50,000 for contravening articles 15 and 26 of the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act, she said. As of June 14, customs officers have reported to local health departments 69 cases of travelers bringing in HTPs from abroad, Liu said.

Mandarin education meet to be held in Taipei next monthBy Liu Tzu-hsuan / Staff reporterThe Overseas Community Affairs Council is to hold the International Summit on Mandarin Education in Taiwan next month to help promote Taiwan’s Mandarin-language education sector. A Web page promotes the Overseas Community Affairs Council’s International Summit on Mandarin Education in Taiwan. The council is working with the American Institute in Taiwan to bolster cooperation in language education based on the US-Taiwan Education Initiative with Taiwan, which was signed in December 2020, the council said. The students are to complete the one-year Mandarin course in the eight-week program in Taiwan, it said. Another 15 university students from the US began an eight-week Mandarin course at NCKU under the Taiwan Intensive Summer Language Program on Monday last week, it said.

More than 1,000 civilians killed under Taliban government‘REPREHENSIBLE’: A UN report said that a rise in IED attacks in populated areas, such as places of worship, has resulted in heavy casualtiesAP, ISLAMABADThe UN yesterday said it has documented a significant level of civilians killed and wounded in attacks in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover, despite a stark reduction in casualties compared with previous years of war and insurgency. That compares with 8,820 civilian casualties — including 3,035 killed — in just 2020, according to an earlier UN report. Photo: ReutersThree-quarters of the attacks since the Taliban seized power were with improvised explosive devices (IED) in “populated areas, including places of worship, schools and markets,” the report said. “These attacks on civilians and civilian objects are reprehensible and must stop,” said Fiona Frazer, head of UNAMA’s Human Rights Service. The report also expressed concern about “the lethality of suicide attacks” since the Taliban takeover, with fewer attacks causing more civilian causalities.

“The invisible barriers put up by some people in recent years are becoming widespread and pushing the world into fragmentation and even confrontation,” China’s No. 2 official said at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Tianjin, China. Chinese Premier Li Qiang speaks at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Tianjin, China, yesterday. He added that the nation would “roll out more practical and effective measures” on expanding domestic demand and stimulating market dynamism. “China seems to be rather confident in terms of maintaining its growth target,” Natixis SA senior economist Gary Ng (吳卓殷) said.

New China export curbs soon: ASMLExport limits: Following US pressures on Dutch chipmaker ASML, new export controls are to be published as soon as 30 June to limit Chinese high-tech advances The Dutch government is planning to publish as soon as next week new export controls that would restrict more of ASML Holding NV’s chipmaking machines from being sent to China, sources said. The measures, which the government previously pledged to publish before the summer, would not mention China or ASML. However, they are designed to restrict the shipments of three models of the company’s machines to the Asian country, Bloomberg previously reported. Lawmakers crafted the export-control regulation as a blueprint that can be used by other EU member states and aim to publish it as soon as next week or in the

Japan to put South Korea back on trade ‘white list’AFP, TOKYOJapan is next month to restore South Korea to a list of trusted trade partners, the government said yesterday, reversing its 2019 removal during a dispute over historical forced labor. The move, which reciprocates Seoul’s reinstatement of Japan to its own trade “white list” earlier this year, is the latest step in efforts by the neighbors to thaw ties. Trade with South Korea would again enjoy a fast-track approval process from July 21, the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said. However, since South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol came to power last year, he has worked to quickly bolster ties with Japan in the face of North Korean threats. Also this year, Japan ended export controls on materials for semiconductors destined for South Korea, while Seoul dropped a WTO complaint against Japan and has moved to normalize a military intelligence-sharing pact.

New China export curbs soon: ASMLExport limits: Following US pressures on Dutch chipmaker ASML, new export controls are to be published as soon as 30 June to limit Chinese high-tech advances The Dutch government is planning to publish as soon as next week new export controls that would restrict more of ASML Holding NV’s chipmaking machines from being sent to China, sources said. The measures, which the government previously pledged to publish before the summer, would not mention China or ASML. However, they are designed to restrict the shipments of three models of the company’s machines to the Asian country, Bloomberg previously reported. Lawmakers crafted the export-control regulation as a blueprint that can be used by other EU member states and aim to publish it as soon as next week or in the

EDITORIAL: Taiwanese firms need to changeTaiwanese businesses need to come up with new ideas to manage their overseas employees, as they face risks to their competitive edge and profit base amid increasing globalization. There have been reports of its US employees complaining about long working hours, rigid management and unfair treatment. The chipmaker has said it has sent a human resources team to Europe to prepare for recruitment and comprehend the labor culture there. It has said one of its major challenges abroad has been negotiating with workers’ unions, an area Taiwanese companies are unfamiliar with. Most Taiwanese companies have to respect the differences in workplace culture and learn how to handle possible issues before they can profit from globalization.

Clock tells story of Indian populationAFP, MUMBAIIndia’s first population clock, made up of 10 white numbered cards on a large green metal board, attracts curious passersby who watch it record the story of the world’s most populous nation. A pedestrian walks past a population clock outside the International Institute for Population Sciences in Mumbai, India, on June 2. Photo: AFP“An extra slot had already been made in the clock, expecting that we were going to cross 1 billion,” International Institute for Population Sciences professor Chander Shekhar said in Mumbai, where the clock is. However, it was a controversial enforced-sterilization push in the 1970s that sparked public debates and spurred the institute to create the clock, Shekhar said. “We feel good when we update the board, as passersby can also see the growing population numbers,” 56-year-old security supervisor Salunkhe V.V.

New China export curbs soon: ASMLExport limits: Following US pressures on Dutch chipmaker ASML, new export controls are to be published as soon as 30 June to limit Chinese high-tech advances The Dutch government is planning to publish as soon as next week new export controls that would restrict more of ASML Holding NV’s chipmaking machines from being sent to China, sources said. The measures, which the government previously pledged to publish before the summer, would not mention China or ASML. However, they are designed to restrict the shipments of three models of the company’s machines to the Asian country, Bloomberg previously reported. Lawmakers crafted the export-control regulation as a blueprint that can be used by other EU member states and aim to publish it as soon as next week or in the

Could Ko’s push for a renewed services pact change their minds? STRUCTURE OF TRADE PACTMany have forgotten how the services pact was structured. The agreement opened only services in Fujian Province to Taiwan competition (but all of Taiwan was opened), making Taiwan in effect a territory of Fujian. Ko’s insistence that the “cross-strait agreement supervisory act” be passed was probably intended to blunt criticisms that the services pact was undemocratic. The services pact was backed by big business and big finance.

Taiwanese Lin, Chen win WTT doubles in TunisStaff writer, with CNATaiwanese paddlers Lin Yun-ju and Chen Szu-yu yesterday won the mixed doubles title at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Contender Tunis, beating South Korea’s Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yubin 11-6, 13-11, 11-9 in just under 29 minutes. Although Lin and Chen started the third game strong, at one point boasting a 7-4 lead, Lim and Shin were determined to keep their title hopes alive, with the pairs eventually equalizing at 7-7 and then 9-9. Taiwanese table tennis star Chen Szu-yu, left, poses for a selfie with partner Lin Yun-ju after they won the mixed doubles final at the World Table Tennis Contender Tunis yesterday. Photo: screen grab from the World Table Tennis Web siteA strong forehand strike ended the game 11-9, handing Lin and Chen the victory. The title in Tunis was the second won by the duo, who also won in their debut together at the WTT Contender Almaty in September last year.

F-16s, Hercules to use civilian airport in drillsHAN KUANG EXERCISES: Military runways might be attacked during wartime, so civilian airports would play a critical role, a retired air force officer saidStaff writer, with CNAF-16 jets and C-130H Hercules transport aircraft are to take part in an emergency landing and takeoff drill next month held for the first time at a civilian airport, a military source said on Friday. An F-16V takes off from Hualien Jiashan Air Force Base during live-fire exercises on March 20. Taitung Fengnian Airport was ideal for the exercises, as it would be difficult to practice such drills at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) or Kaohsiung International Airport given how busy they are, Chang said. The runway is only 400m shorter than the one at the Air Force Academy in Kaohsiung’s Gangshan District (岡山), he said. The landing distances for a F-16V Block 20 and Mirage 2000 are 810m and 610m respectively, he said.

The war has almost entirely halted the workings of Ukraine’s insurance market, which must be unlocked to private investors if its economy is to recover from the ravages of the conflict, the ministry said. Photo: Yang Cheng-yu, Taipei TimesTaiwan, Ukraine and other partners agreed that the ERBD should establish the Ukraine Recovery Guarantee Facility to make insurance products available in Ukraine while reducing risks to private insurers involved in the effort, the ministry said. The nation’s signing of the joint statement attested to Taiwan’s commitment to helping Ukraine, it said. In aiding Ukraine’s economic recovery Taipei is demonstrating once again that Taiwan can help, it said. The nation strives to be a force for good and Taipei is dedicated to providing aid to maintain Ukraine’s economy during the war and post-war reconstruction, it said.

TPP seeks presidency by splitting electorateBy Pan Wei-yiu 潘威佑Looking at this year’s presidential and legislative nomination process, the national development planning of the candidates and their pan-blue, green and white camps can be seen. Within the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), there has been a dispute over its nomination mechanism, as Hon Hai Group founder Terry Gou (郭台銘) again sought the party’s presidential nomination. Although the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), the main party in the pan-white camp, was expected to ally with the KMT, the rise of pan-blue camp support was seen as unfavorable to the TPP, which has gradually been marginalized. A TVBS poll released last month said that support for the KMT, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the TPP was 23, 22 and 12 percent respectively. A surprise surge such as that by the TPP and its candidate is rarely seen, and the phenomenon deserves attention.