Taiwan defeated in Asian Cup openerTOUGH RIVALS: Taiwanese goalkeeper Wang Yu-ting produced a superb performance as Japan attempted 30 shots and enjoyed almost 90 percent of possessionAFP, PERTH, AustraliaBayern Munich midfielder Momoko Tanikawa yesterday finally cracked a dogged Taiwan as powerhouse Japan won their AFC Women’s Asian Cup match in Perth, Australia, 2-0. Taiwan’s Wang Yu-ting, left, makes a save during their AFC Women’s Asian Cup Group C match against Japan at HBF Park in Perth, Australia, yesterday. Photo: EPATaiwan, who reached the last eight in the last edition in 2022, fought gamely with goalkeeper Wang Yu-ting producing a superb performance. Taiwan were clinging on against the odds with Wang pulling off a spectacular save to deny a bullet from Mina Tanaka. Tanikawa then hit the left post as Japan had an astonishing 13 shots within the opening 15 minutes.

EDITORIAL: China pros do not outweigh the consThe Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Saturday warned Taiwanese businesspeople operating in China to reassess mounting economic and political risks. At the same time, European nations and Japan have accelerated “de-risking” strategies aimed at reducing reliance on the Chinese market and diversifying supply chains. Many Taiwanese businesses produce components embedded in China’s industrial ecosystem or sell directly to Chinese consumers. The lure is the size of the Chinese market. Beijing’s industrial policies favor domestic champions.

Is Takaichi’s win good for Taiwan? Tokyo’s expanding military posture is likely to heighten Beijing’s skepticism, but mounting tensions with China would likely consolidate domestic support for Takaichi’s security ambitions. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Wu Chih-chung (吳志中) said Takaichi’s statement should not be interpreted as a direct commitment to defending Taiwan militarily. In the same vein, speculation about a quasi-military alliance between Taiwan and Japan, or Taiwan being integrated into the US-Japan security structure, appears somewhat optimistic. Thus, Japan’s assertive stance toward China during Takaichi’s tenure might not bode well for Taiwan.

Export orders surge 60% year-on-year, data showBy Meryl Kao / Staff reporterExport orders in January expanded 60.1 percent year-on-year to US$76.9 billion, the 12th straight month of double-digit percentage growth and the highest for a single month, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. January’s growth was mainly driven by strong momentum in the information and communications technology (ICT) industry, with strong orders for servers and other high-tech products, Huang said. Export orders for last month are estimated to rise 9 to 12.9 percent year-on-year to between US$56.3 billion and US$58.3 billion, Huang said. In January, export orders rose 78.6 percent year-on-year for electronic components, surged 102 percent for ICT products, increased 40.6 percent for machinery products and climbed 18.6 percent for optoelectronic products, ministry data showed. Orders also rose across traditional industries in January, increasing 13.9 percent year-on-year for plastic and rubber products, 8.8 percent for base metals and 10.4 percent for chemical products, ministry data showed.

DRAM shortage to last through 2028: NanyaBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterNanya Technology Corp (南亞科技) yesterday said the DRAM supply crunch could extend through 2028, as the artificial intelligence (AI) boom has led the world’s major memory makers to dramatically reduce production of standard DRAM and allocate a significant portion of their capacity for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips. The most severe supply constraints would stretch to the first half of next year due to “very limited” increases in new DRAM capacity worldwide, Nanya Technology president Lee Pei-ing (李培瑛) told a news briefing. Nanya Technology Corp president Lee Pei-ing poses for a photograph at the company’s headquarters in New Taipei City’s Taishan District yesterday. Nanya Technology said it expects HBM chips to account for 10 percent of the world’s total DRAM output this year, up from 7 percent last year and 4 percent in 2024. The company expects DRAM chip prices to jump further in the second quarter sequentially and the uptrend is to sustain through the end of this year, as demand continues to surpass supply, Lee said.

Israel targeted the Iranian leadership and security forces, while the Islamic Republic responded with missile barrages and drone attacks on Israel, and across the region. Smoke rises from the site of an airstrike in al-Lailaki neighborhood in Beirut yesterday as Israel launched fresh strikes on Iran and Lebanon. The Israeli military said one of its F-35 stealth jets shot down a piloted Iranian Air Force YAK-130 fighter over Tehran. It also said that Israeli air defenses were activated to intercept Iranian missiles fired at targets across the country, while explosions were heard across Jerusalem. Meanwhile, an Iranian naval frigate was reported in distress off the coast of Sri Lanka, prompting authorities there to respond and rescue 32 people, Sri Lanka officials said.

US Undersecretary of Defense Elbridge Colby speaks during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in Washington on Tuesday. “We are also focused on delivering military hard power readiness, not only to US forces, but also to allies and partners, with less focus on significant rhetorical statements,” Colby said. “Hence deterring a conflict over Taiwan, ideally by preserving military overmatch, is a priority,” he said. “We will also maintain our long-standing declaratory policy on Taiwan, meaning that the United States does not support any unilateral change to the status quo in the Taiwan Strait,” he added. The US Congress has played an important role over the past year in facilitating significant arms sales to Taiwan, and that this was an important part of the Trump administration’s policies, Colby said.

TAIEX records third-largest daily fallIRAN EFFECT: If irrational selling or market disruptions persist, the National Stabilization Fund would convene an emergency meeting, the executive secretary of the fund saidBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterThe TAIEX yesterday tumbled 1,494.77 points, or 4.35 percent, to close at 32,828.88, marking the third-largest single-day decline on record as escalating tensions in the Middle East fueled a broad market sell-off. Institutional investors largely moved to the sidelines yesterday, with foreign investors selling a net of NT$96.47 billion, the third-largest daily net sale on record. Journalists work in front of an electronic stock board at the Taiwan Stock Exchange in Taipei yesterday. Photo: CNAProprietary trading firms deepened net sale to NT$40 billion, while domestic investment trust companies showed net purchases of NT$6.73 billion, exchange data showed. The TAIEX has outperformed regional peers in the past few years, gaining 25.7 percent last year, thanks to the ongoing artificial intelligence boom.

First flight from Mideast since US-Israeli strikes arrivesBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterAn Emirates flight from Dubai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport this afternoon, marking the first service since the US and Israel launched a preemptive strike against Iran on Saturday. As of 3:40pm, the airport’s schedule for arrivals showed that EK366 flight was to arrive at 3:58pm. According to airport data, the flight arrived at 4:08pm. An Emirates Airlines Airbus A380-800 takes off from Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates on Feb. 15, 2019. “Emirates continues to operate a limited number of passenger repatriation and freighter flights on March 3 and March 4.

Taiwan pineapples to be exported to US for first timeBy Sam Garcia / Staff writer, with CNATaiwan pineapples are to be exported to the US for the first time later this year, after the US yesterday announced importation requirements, the Ministry of Agriculture said today. The US Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service yesterday published a draft of requirements to import Taiwanese pineapples, with a 62-day comment period, the ministry said in a news release. Pineapple is a flagship export fruit for Taiwan, the ministry said. Taiwanese pineapples come in many varieties and are supplied year-round, as farmers utilize different varieties and production methods, it said. Last year 16,892 tonnes of pineapples worth NT$750 million (US$23.62 million) were exported, it added.

CDC warns of infectious disease risk in Japan ahead of WBCStaff writer, with CNAThe Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday advised fans traveling to Tokyo for the upcoming World Baseball Classic (WBC) to take precautions against measles, influenza and infectious gastroenteritis, citing elevated disease activities in Japan. Influenza activity in Japan remains at a high level, with influenza B the dominant strain, Lin said. Norovirus was the main pathogen driving the ongoing rise in gastroenteritis cases, he said. For influenza, the agency advised getting vaccinated as early as possible, washing hands regularly with soap and wearing a mask when needed. To prevent infectious gastroenteritis, the CDC recommended proper hand hygiene before eating and after using the toilet, thoroughly washing fruits and vegetables, avoiding raw food and using serving utensils when sharing food with others.

Yilan County Council secretary goes missingBy Wang Chun-chi and Hollie Younger / Staff reporter, with staff writerYilan County Council Secretary Huang Yu-heng (黃毓恒), 51, has been reported missing along with his wife and son. Yilan County Council Secretary-General Kuan Shen-ke holds up a signed resignation letter from Yilan County Council Secretary Huang Yu-heng today. After undergoing surgery last year for a pancreatic cyst, he suffered from poor health and began taking leave in the second half of last year, Yilan County Council Secretary-General Kuan Shen-ke (官伸科) said. The school reported there were no irregularities in his performance and behavior, Yilan County Education Department Director Chen Jin-chi (陳金奇) said. The council also contacted Huang’s father, who also did not know the whereabouts of the family of three.

62 indicted for laundering over NT$10.7bn for Cambodia scam centersBy Hollie Younger / Staff writer, with CNAProsecutors today indicted 62 people and 13 companies for allegedly laundering more than NT$10.7 billion (US$336.58 million) in illicit funds through Taiwan. The funds were linked to the Cambodia-based Prince Holding Group, which the US alleges is a front for a multibillion-US-dollar online fraud and money laundering operation. Photo: CNAHe faces charges involving money laundering, conspiracy, gambling, document forgery and contraventions to the Business Entity Accounting Act (商業會計法). The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office today completed its investigation that began on Oct. 15 last year, which entailed eight search operations and resulted in the detention of nine people. Starting in 2016, he worked with a number of companies in Taiwan to establish a money laundering network, prosecutors said.

Dozens injured in Lantern Festival folk eventsStaff writer, with CNAAt least 47 people were injured this week in Lantern Festival-related folk events in Tainan and Taitung, in which participants formed processions and braved dense barrages of bottle rockets or firecrackers. A person standing in as the deity Han Dan is pelted by firecrackers in Taitung City on Monday evening. The Yanshui Beehive Festival, a tradition with more than 100 years of history, is held on the 14th and 15th days of the first month of the lunar calendar to celebrate the Lantern Festival. Meanwhile in Taitung, 11 people were taken to MacKay Memorial Hospital yesterday after sustaining injuries on the first day of the Bombing of Master Han Dan Festival. In the Bombing of Han Dan Festival, shirtless men playing the role of the deity Han Dan are paraded through the streets on a sedan chair, while spectators throw lit firecrackers at them.

Acer Gaming, which is about 70 percent owned by Acer, reported revenue of NT$5.52 billion (US$174.63 million) last year, up 28.4 percent year-on-year. Acer Gaming Inc chairman Jerry Kao, left, and president James Hsu pose for a photograph in Taipei yesterday. In its game distribution segment, hardware accounted for about 80 percent of total revenue, while software contributed the remaining 20 percent, he added. Acer Gaming is confident about its business prospects, driven by increasing economies of scale, rising gaming software revenue and improved earnings from game art outsourcing, Hsu said. Europe and the US are its biggest markets, accounting for about 30 percent of its total revenue, he added.