Stink of crime hangs over Vietnam chemical plantAFP, LAO CAI, VietnamGray and white smoke around the clock, dust-covered trees and nonstop noise — residents living next to Vietnam’s biggest chemical production complex coexist with toxic fumes from the factories. Smoke and dust surrounds the Duc Giang Lao Cai chemical plant in the Tang Loong industrial Park, Vietnam, on March 19. Photo: AFPAmong the largest of several firms at the industrial park is Duc Giang Chemicals Group (DGC), whose giant facilities produce yellow phosphorus and phosphoric acid. “There normally is a political reason why certain big domestic companies or company executives are targeted in Vietnam’s political economy,” said Miguel Chanco, an economist focused on Asia at Pantheon Macroeconomics. Tang Loong illustrates the trade-off in many developing nations between growth and the environment.

Japan’s Chinese population growing amid souring tiesROCKY RELATIONS: The figures on residents come as Chinese tourist numbers drop following Beijing’s warnings to avoid traveling to Japan The number of Chinese residents in Japan has continued to rise, even as ties between the two countries have become increasingly fractious, data released on Friday showed. As of the end of December last year, the number of Chinese residents had increased by 6.5 percent from the previous year to 930,428. Chinese people accounted for 22.6 percent of all foreign residents in Japan, making them by far the largest group, Japanese Ministry of Justice data showed. Beijing has criticized Tokyo in increasingly strident terms since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi last year suggested that a military conflict around Taiwan could

Airoha seeking to expand product portfolio this yearBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterAiroha Technology Corp (達發科技) yesterday said it would expand its broadband chip portfolios this year to bolster its position in the global open-source broadband chip market. The Airoha Technology Corp logo is pictured at a trade show in Taipei in an undated photograph. Airoha said that this year it would add three higher-speed 10G-PON SoC chips and one G-PON SoC chip to its prplOS-ready portfolio. We look forward to working with more ecosystem partners to promote the global proliferation of fiber-to-the-home services,” Airoha executive vice president M.H. The company’s infrastructure business including broadband chips, Ethernet chips and optical fiber chips contributed about 45 percent to its revenue last year, up from 35 percent in 2024.

Yuanta raises GDP forecast to 8.72%PRESSURE: Rising oil prices would directly reduce GDP by 0.43 percentage points due to increasing consumer expenditure on fuels and production costs, Yuanta saidBy Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterTaiwan’s economic activity this year would gain support from firms’ inventory replenishment and artificial intelligence (AI)-related demand, even though the ongoing Middle East conflict threatens to push inflation higher, Yuanta Securities Investment Consulting Co (元大投顧) said yesterday. The nation’s GDP is forecast to grow 8.72 percent year-on-year this year, up from the 5.3 percent expansion estimated in January, while consumer price index (CPI) is projected to increase to 1.83 percent from 1.59 percent, Yuanta said in a report. Regarding its lifting CPI growth forecast by 0.24 percentage points to 1.83 percent, Yuanta said the upward revision is primarily due to imported inflation caused by the conflict in the Middle East and soaring international oil prices. Rising energy prices would directly reduce GDP by 0.43 percentage points by increasing consumer expenditure on fuels and raising production costs, it said. Indirectly, they would trim GDP by another 0.15 percentage points by slowing down global demand and affecting Taiwan’s exports, it added.

Taiwan economic indicator index hits 4-year high: NDCStaff writer, with CNATaiwan’s economic monitoring indicator flashed a red light for the third straight month last month, with the composite score rising to its highest level in more than four years, the National Development Council (NDC) said yesterday. The composite index climbed one point from a month earlier to 40, the highest since July 2021, remaining in the red zone that signals an overheating economy. The overall monitoring indicator for the business cycle showed a “red” growth signal for a third consecutive month last month, with the overall economy maintaining positive momentum, the National Development Council said yesterday. NDC Department of Economic Development Director Chen Mei-chu (陳美菊) said last month’s score was the highest in over four years, mainly due to a surge in overtime hours, which swung from a 0.7 percent decline in January to a 13.9 percent increase. Chen said both the index of leading indicators and the coincident index, summarizing existing economic conditions, have continued to rise for eight and 16 consecutive months, respectively, signaling sustained momentum.

Maternity care payments to rise: ShihOB-GYN CRISIS: Higher public payments for child deliveries and guaranteed access to maternity health services in remote areas could be implemented later this yearBy Hou Chia-yu and Lin Chih-yi / Staff reportersThe government is planning to significantly increase public payments to maternity health services to stabilize frontline medical capacity, with the new regulations expected to take effect as early as the second half of this year, Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said yesterday. Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang speaks at an event in Taipei yesterday. The association has suggested that the government increase delivery fees to help maternity clinics continue operating and ensure that residents in rural areas have access to maternity care, he said. The association has made its suggestions to the health ministry and looks forward to a positive outcome, he added. The mechanism ensures that even in areas with low birthrates, maternity clinics’ basic operations can be maintained, so that expectant mothers in remote areas would have access to essential maternity care, he said.

Plastics suppliers asked to prioritize medical sectorDISRUPTION: Most of the medical devices can be made domestically, so as long as the supply of raw materials is maintained, people do not have to worry, an official said Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) yesterday said that the ministry is working with the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) to ask local plastic material suppliers to prioritize healthcare-related manufacturers to avoid a shortage. The minister was responding to reporters’ questions about concerns regarding the war in the Middle East having disrupted petrochemical supplies and driving up plastic packaging costs at the legislature’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee in Taipei yesterday. Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital deputy superintendent Hung Tzu-jen (洪子仁), who is also director of Taiwan College of Healthcare Executives, on Sunday said that he has heardBy Lee I-chia

US support for Taiwan strong: senatorsSIGNIFICANT TO THE WORLD: The delegation’s visit aims to send a clear message that bipartisan support for Taiwan is consistent, US Senator Jeanne Shaheen saidBy Chen Yun and Esme Yeh / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe US Senate’s bipartisan support for Taiwan remains strong and Taiwan-US ties would continue for decades to come, a US Senate delegation said in Taipei yesterday, while calling on the legislature to swiftly pass a special defense budget bill. The other senators of the delegation included Senate Taiwan Caucus cochair Thom Tillis and Senate Committee on Armed Services senior member Jacky Rosen. Cross-strait peace and stability is vital to the global economy, and the prosperity of Taiwan and the US, she added. Members of a US Senate delegation attend a guided tour of the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology in Taoyuan yesterday. In his meeting with the delegation, Lai expressed his gratitude to the visiting senators for demonstrating the US’ bipartisan support for Taiwan and its deep friendship.

Taichung mayor proposes defense shiftStaff writer, with CNAAn alternative to the Executive Yuan’s special defense budget should prioritize drones over submarines and range from NT$800 billion to NT$1 trillion (US$25 billion to US$31.25 billion), Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) said yesterday. Speaking to reporters ahead of a Taichung City Council meeting, Lu said her proposal differs from the Cabinet’s NT$1.25 trillion proposal, which includes the purchase of eight submarines and 200,000 drones. Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen, center, speaks to reporters in Taichung yesterday. She emphasized that her views are personal and based on her experience serving on the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee. Cheng said they discussed many issues, including the defense bill, before Lu set off on an 11-day trip to the US earlier this month.

CAA pledges to speed up Taichung airport projectsBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterThe Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday vowed to speed up the construction projects at Taichung International Airport in light of significant growth of air passengers in central Taiwan. Civil Aviation Administration Director-General Ho Shu-ping attends a Starlux Airlines event at Taichung International Airport yesterday. “Taichung airport serves as the international gateway for central Taiwan. The international terminal at Kaohsiung International Airport opened in 1997, with a design capacity of 6.09 million passengers per year, Aviation Police Bureau Kaohsiung Branch Chief Tien Wei-ren (田偉仁) said. The third-floor check-in area of the international terminal has four island counters with 88 check-in desks and 16 self-service check-in kiosks, Tien said.

Hotel occupancy, inbound tourism show promiseBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterThe average hotel occupancy rate during the first three days of the upcoming Tomb Sweeping and Children’s Day holiday is estimated to reach 52.52 percent, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taipei surpassed other cities and counties with an average hotel occupancy rate of 68.19 percent, followed by 61.33 percent in Lienchiang County (Matsu) and 57.53 percent in Tainan. Yunlin County’s average hotel occupancy on Saturday — Children’s Day— was 78.46 percent, the highest in the nation. Long-haul travel markets are gaining share and are characterized by longer stays and higher spending, serving as a key driver of tourism value, the Tourism Administration said. Taiwan has succeeded in diversifying its sources of inbound tourism, reducing its reliance on any single market and reinforcing the resilience of the tourism industry, it said.

China sanctions Japan lawmaker over Taiwan tripsAFP, BEIJINGChina yesterday announced sanctions against a Japanese lawmaker over his visits to Taiwan, as Beijing and Tokyo locked horns in a months-long diplomatic row. Relations between China and Japan have deteriorated since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested in November last year that Tokyo could intervene militarily in any attempt by Beijing to seize Taiwan. Japanese lawmaker Keiji Furuya is interviewed at the parliament in Tokyo on March 18. People and groups in China are also banned from engaging with the Japanese lawmaker. “The fact that they are imposing sanctions on something like this really makes me think: ‘That’s typical of China,’” he told reporters.

Koo confirmed that the first payment for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) could be postponed beyond yesterday’s deadline, likely to about May when the US expects to finalize a contract with a supplier for the US$4.05 billion sale. The military was also in talks with the US for payment deferrals for three other weapons systems also approved for sale to Taiwan, but similarly facing budget issues, he said. An LOA is a binding document confirming that a foreign government agrees to purchase military equipment under a regulated US program. It also authorizes the US government to contract with defense manufacturers to procure the systems. The legislature authorized the Cabinet to sign the LOAs just before the March 15 deadline, even though funding for the first payment had yet to be secured.

The council issued the statement after the KMT and China’s state-run Xinhua news agency said that Cheng had accepted an invitation from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to visit China next week. The CCP’s ambition to eliminate the Republic of China (ROC) and annex Taiwan would not change, regardless of any exchanges with Taiwanese parties or individuals, the MAC said. Taiwanese flags are positioned behind a podium at the Mainland Affairs Council in Taipei in an undated photograph. “The consensus of Taiwanese is that the ROC and the People’s Republic of China are not subordinate to each other,” Lin said. DPP policy committee executive director Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) added that in pursuit of a meeting with Xi, Cheng is willing to say anything.

Verstappen mulls retirement amid unhappy seasonAP, SUZUKA, JapanFour-time world champion Max Verstappen has not ruled out retiring at the end of the Formula 1 season, saying he is trying “very hard” to enjoy racing under the new changes. “Privately, I’m very happy,” Verstappen said after the race. Seeing my friends more when you’re not enjoying your sport?”Max Verstappen talks ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka on Satuday. Photo: ReutersThe 28-year-old Verstappen said “That’s what I’m saying” when asked if this could be his last season. I’m trying.