Guatemalan minister reaffirms support for Taiwan
Guatemalan minister reaffirms support for TaiwanStaff writer, with CNAGuatemalan Minister of Foreign Affairs Mario Bucaro yesterday reaffirmed his country’s support for Taiwan while encouraging dialogue between Taipei and Beijing to ease tensions. During a meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Bucaro said that his five-day visit to Taiwan is testament to Guatemala’s support for the nation in an increasingly volatile world. President Tsai Ing-wen, right, meets Guatemalan Minister of Foreign Affairs Mario Bucaro at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday. Photo: CNAHe also encouraged Taipei to engage in dialogue with Beijing, saying that the Guatemalan government firmly believes that talks are necessary to defuse tensions. Guatemala will “always support Taiwan” and has showed solidarity with Taiwan since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1933, Bucaro said.
Source:Taipei Times
August 31, 2022 02:23 UTC
Anniversary lineup
Micron seeks US tax breaks for US$160bn chip plantMicron Technology Inc is considering to spend as much as US$160 billion on a new semiconductor factory in central Texas. The company filed applications with the Texas Comptroller’s office to lock down property-tax breaks in exchange for a potential new facility near Lockhart, an exurb 48km south of Austin. It would be built in eight phases with construction beginning in January next, the application showed. There is no guarantee that Micron will make an investment of that magnitude, and a company spokeswoman declined to comment on the potential spending. However, companies like Micron are rushing to file applications before a tax-break program
Source:Taipei Times
August 31, 2022 01:57 UTC
China irate over Kyiv pro-Taiwan group
China irate over Kyiv pro-Taiwan groupDISPUTE BREWING: Beijing is worried Kyiv’s defense against Russia could become a model for Taiwanese resistance against China, Ukrainian lawmaker Inna Sovsun saidBy Liu Tzu-hsuan / Staff writer, with CNAThe Chinese embassy in Ukraine attempted to thwart the Ukrainian parliament’s plan to establish a pro-Taiwan group, Newsweek magazine reported on Saturday. Newsweek reported that “a diplomatic dispute is brewing between Ukraine and China” as Beijing lodged a protest against the newly established group at the Ukrainian embassy in China last week. Ukrainian lawmaker Inna Sovsun, another member of the group and a long-term supporter of Taiwan, said that “China is worried Ukraine’s defense against Russia could become a model for Taiwanese resistance against China,” the magazine reported. She said that group members “coordinated the creation of the group through different layers of government” so as not to cause trouble for the executive. What we want from them is not to help Russia,” Sovsun was quoted by Newsweek as saying.
Source:Taipei Times
August 30, 2022 04:04 UTC
Visiting Guatemalan minister pledges commitment
Visiting Guatemalan minister pledges commitmentSUPPORT: Mario Bucaro, who is to meet with the president and other top officials, said it was no coincidence that his trip came during ‘sensitive times in the region’Staff writer, with CNAVisiting Guatemalan Minister of Foreign Affairs Mario Bucaro yesterday said his trip is aimed at showcasing his country’s commitment to Taiwan amid increased tensions across the Taiwan Strait. Guatemalan Minister of Foreign Affairs Mario Bucaro, left, shakes hands with Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Yui upon arriving at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday. The visit is Bucaro’s first trip to the country, and he plans to meet with high-ranking officials, including President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. They would head south to Kaohsiung Software Park (高雄軟體園區) before concluding their visit and leaving Taiwan on Friday, it said. Bucaro’s visit comes two months after Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei pledged to maintain ties with Taipei, amid increasing efforts by Beijing to poach Taiwan’s 14 remaining diplomatic allies.
Source:Taipei Times
August 30, 2022 04:04 UTC
BizLink profit surges on record sales
BizLink profit surges on record salesBy Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterBizLink Holding Inc’s (貿聯控股) second-quarter profit surged from a year earlier and the previous quarter as sales hit a record high driven by demand for factory automation, capital equipment, high-performance computing and electric vehicles, the interconnect solutions provider said in a statement on Friday. Net income last quarter grew 112.72 percent year-on-year and 109.58 percent quarter-on-quarter to NT$1.17 billion (US$38.72 million), or earnings per share (EPS) of NT$7.68, BizLink said. The logo of BizLink Holding Inc is pictured at the company’s Taipei office in an undated photograph. However, BizLink’s ability to address customer needs quickly was key to our performance in the second quarter,” Teng said. In the first half of the year, net income was NT$1.73 billion, up 101 percent from a year earlier, or EPS of NT$11.46, while revenue rose 94.9 percent to NT$25.63 billion, BizLink said.
Source:Taipei Times
August 29, 2022 04:15 UTC
Stephen M. Young On Taiwan: US-Taiwan relations after Pelosi’s visit
Stephen M. Young On Taiwan: US-Taiwan relations after Pelosi’s visitThe controversy in the US and with China over House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan thrust my favorite island-state into the world’s headlines. Despite there being clear precedent for such a visit, Beijing decided to overreact and top it off with missile tests on, around, and over Taiwan. Speaker Pelosi’s trip was followed by a visit from a second congressional delegation headed by Massachusetts Senator Edward Markey. President Biden and his advisers maintained their cool and provided the necessary logistical support for Speaker Pelosi’s visit, including a US Government plane to carry her delegation there and back. Speaker Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, though controversial in some circles, reinforces American support for Taipei and its strategic position in East Asia.
Source:Taipei Times
August 29, 2022 04:15 UTC
Energy crisis spurs nuclear power revival in Asia
Energy crisis spurs nuclear power revival in AsiaBloombergAsia is giving the once-shunned nuclear power industry a second lease on life, thanks to the global energy crisis. Photo: AFPThat is making clean and reliable nuclear power attractive for policymakers and utilities eager to rein in inflation, achieve renewable energy goals and curb dependence on overseas energy suppliers. China has nearly 24 gigawatts of nuclear power capacity under construction, while another 34 gigawatts is planned, WNA data showed. If all of that comes to fruition, China would become the world’s top nuclear power producer. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s expansion into atomic energy is also gaining momentum as India’s largest power producer looks to develop two massive nuclear power projects.
Source:Taipei Times
August 28, 2022 20:50 UTC
Afghanistan demolish Sri Lanka in Asia Cup opener
Afghanistan demolish Sri Lanka in Asia Cup openerAFP, DUBAI, United Arab EmiratesAfghanistan skipper Mohammad Nabi on Saturday said his team would not be pushovers in the Asia Cup Twenty20 tournament after a crushing eight-wicket win over five-time champions Sri Lanka in the opening match. Fast bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi returned figures of 3-11 to help bundle out Sri Lanka for a paltry 105 — a total their batsmen overhauled in 10.1 overs in Dubai. Afghanistan’s Fazalhaq Farooqi, left, bowls, while Sri Lanka’s Bhanuka Rajapaksa looks on during their Asia Cup Twenty20 match in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Saturday. Photo: APAfghanistan, in Group B with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, have made a thumping start to their campaign in the six-nation tournament that acts as a tune-up to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which starts in October in Australia. We have properly worked on this tournament,” Nabi said after being about Afghanistan creating shock wins.
Source:Taipei Times
August 28, 2022 16:37 UTC
Defense talks with US to be held in November: source
Defense talks with US to be held in November: sourceBy Su Yung-yao and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerDefense review talks between Taiwan and the US could be held as soon as November, focusing on views on arms sales and defense strategies that might have changed since the Chinese military drills around Taiwan early this month, senior officials at the Ministry of National Defense have said. Photo: ReutersNational Security Council Secretary-General Wellington Koo (顧立雄) might attend the review talks, after his deputy attended last year’s edition of the annual event, they said. The review talks would be held “sometime around November,” as it was last year, the source said. There have always been differing views on US arms sales to Taiwan, with some calling for the acquisition of larger weapons platforms, the source said. However, obtaining HIMARS is in line with Taiwan’s asymmetrical warfare strategy, the source said.
Source:Taipei Times
August 28, 2022 04:05 UTC
Independence day sprint
Japan delegation urges border openingFOR EXPERTS, STUDENTS: People should be allowed to see free and open Taiwan for themselves, especially as many are concerned for the nation’s safety, a lawmaker said Taiwan should quickly reopen its borders for East Asian political experts and Chinese-language students so that they can see the free and open country for themselves, a delegation from the University of Tokyo’s cross-strait relations research group told President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) at a meeting at the Presidential Office yesterday. Some members of the delegation comprising Japanese and Taiwanese researchers had to obtain visas in advance, as Taiwan has not reinstated a visa-waiver program for Japanese that was suspended early in the COVID-19 pandemic, said politics professor Yasuhiro Matsuda, who led the delegation. Like Japan, Taiwan is grappling with howBy Shelley Shan
Source:Taipei Times
August 28, 2022 02:34 UTC
Cabinet rebuts claims of nepotism at digital ministry
Cabinet rebuts claims of nepotism at digital ministryBy Lee Hsin-fang and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerCandidates to work at the Ministry of Digital Affairs would not be selected based on their personal ties with other government officials, the Executive Yuan said yesterday. The ministry, which was officially established yesterday, is planning to hire 300 contract workers, and the process would be in line with government regulations, the Cabinet added. President Tsai Ing-wen, third right, Premier Su Tseng-chang, second right, and others attend the inauguration ceremony for the Ministry of Digital Affairs in Taipei yesterday. A Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that half of the ministry’s staff would be contract workers. The legislature last year passed the organization act of the ministry alongside two related pieces of legislation — the Organization Act for the Ministry of Digital Affairs’ Information Security Bureau (數位發展部資通安全署組織法) and the Organization Act for the Ministry of Digital Affairs’ Digital Industry Bureau (數位發展部資通安全署組織法).
Source:Taipei Times
August 27, 2022 22:03 UTC
Apache, Black Hawk ammunition part of US deal
The army and the American Institute in Taiwan signed the deal for weapons, ammunition and parts to be implemented from last month to December 2028, according to the contract notice published on Friday last week. The contract came amid Western media reports that China’s military drills in waters around Taiwan spurred US President Joe Biden to increase military aid to the nation. South Korean Army Apache attack helicopters take off during a large-scale drill in Icheon, South Korea, on July 25. Taiwan and the US have signed a six-year contract for ammunition and parts for Apache and Black Hawk helicopters. China’s military drills have put Washington on edge, but not enough to spur an immediate increase in weapons sales to Taiwan, Reuters reported.
Source:Taipei Times
August 27, 2022 08:24 UTC
KMT dubs Chen ‘king of nonsense’ in latest card set
KMT dubs Chen ‘king of nonsense’ in latest card setBy Shih Hsiao-kuang and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has released the latest set of its playing card series that feature “ridiculous” quotes from members of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The KMT has issued the card sets every two years since 2018 to coincide with local and general elections. This year’s set includes quotes from the DPP’s mayoral candidates Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) in Taipei, Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) in New Taipei City and Cheng Yun-peng (鄭運鵬) in Taoyuan. Aside from Chen as the king of nonsense, the set also includes several “queens of nonsense,” including Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) and DPP legislators Fan Yun (范雲) and Michelle Lin (林楚茵). “Chen often said in the past that he has a ‘poker face,’ so we helped him make a set of cards,” said Kang Chin-yu (康晉瑜), spokesman for KMT Taipei mayoral candidate Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安).
Source:Taipei Times
August 27, 2022 02:38 UTC
House loans hit record, despite slowing growth
House loans hit record, despite slowing growthBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterThe nation’s house loans and land financing last month climbed to record highs, but at the weakest pace in 19 months and 33 months respectively, as developers and buyers turned cautious amid interest rate hikes and economic uncertainty, the central bank said on Thursday. Home loans increased by NT$41.88 billion (US$1.39 billion), or 8.64 percent, from a year earlier, the central bank told an online news conference. Interest rate hikes, selective credit controls and unfavorable tax terms weighed on sentiment, the officials said. Similarly, land financing last month grew 12.53 percent year-on-year, mitigating for the past one to two years, the central bank said. Developers grew increasingly apprehensive over spiking construction costs and labor shortages, and many slowed the pace of construction and product launches, the central bank said.
Source:Taipei Times
August 26, 2022 22:43 UTC
Two former TPP members to run under NPP flag
Two former TPP members to run under NPP flag‘THIRD FORCE’: In making the switch, Chu Che-cheng lauded the ideals and persistence of the NPP, while Lin Chih-hao said the TPP lacked integrityBy William Hetherington / Staff writer, with CNAThe New Power Party (NPP) yesterday announced two candidates for the Nov. 26 local elections — Chu Che-cheng (朱哲成) and Lin Chih-hao (林志豪) — both of whom are former members of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). Members of the New Power Party hold a news conference in Taipei yesterday to announce its candidates for the November local elections. Photo: CNAAsked the same question, Lin said he made the decision to come to the NPP because he felt the TPP lacked integrity. Chu is to run for Taoyuan city councilor, while Lin is to run for Miaoli county councilor, NPP Chairwoman Chen Jiau-hua (陳椒華) told a Taipei news conference. Lin said he had been inspired by the youthful NPP Miaoli County Councilor Sang Kok-ting (宋國鼎), who has fought against corruption in the county.
Source:Taipei Times
August 26, 2022 22:43 UTC