Tsai praises efforts of Taiwanese to promote the nation
Tsai praises efforts of Taiwanese to promote the nationStaff writer, with CNAPresident Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday highlighted efforts by overseas-based Taiwanese to promote the nation, during the first Overseas Community Affairs Council conference held online. President Tsai Ing-wen, left, delivers a speech by video yesterday on the opening day of the first Overseas Community Affairs Council conference. The organization seeks to increase the visibility of investment opportunities in Taiwan, Tsai said, adding that she thought these efforts could also be adopted in other countries. Overseas Taiwanese have also advocated for Taiwan’s international participation and raised the nation’s global visibility, Tsai said. Through the work of overseas Taiwanese, Taiwan can continue to enhance cooperation with other countries in fields such as trade and technology, Tsai said.
Source:Taipei Times
November 16, 2020 15:56 UTC
Cathay Life recurring yield falls on cautious approach
Cathay Life recurring yield falls on cautious approachBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterCathay Life Insurance Co (國泰人壽) yesterday reported a recurring yield of 3.29 percent as of the end of September, down from 3.8 percent a year earlier, as it takes a more cautious investment strategy amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Recurring yield is a financial measure that shows how much a company earns from its investment on a regular basis. Cathay Life registered recurring yields from a range between 3.47 and 3.8 percent during the January-to-September period over the past four years, company data showed. Cathay Life preferred investment targets with higher credit ratings to avoid risks and disposed of those with ratings lower than triple B, which also reduced its recurring yield by 6 basis points, Lin said. A lower interest rate environment was also responsible for the drop in its recurring yield, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
November 16, 2020 15:56 UTC
EY spokesman steps down after beef noodle gaffe
EY spokesman steps down after beef noodle gaffeStaff writer, with CNATing Yi-ming (丁怡銘) has resigned as Executive Yuan spokesman after wrongly claiming that an award-winning beef noodle soup restaurant serves meat that contains ractopamine. Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) late on Sunday approved Ting’s resignation with immediate effect, Executive Yuan Secretary-General Li Meng-yen (李孟諺) said yesterday. From left, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City councilors Wang Hung-wei, KMT Taichung City Councilor Lo Ting-wei and New Party Taipei City Councilor Ho Han-ting yesterday ring the bell at the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office to file a lawsuit against former Executive Yuan spokesman Ting Yi-ming. Ting, at a news conference held following the Executive Yuan’s weekly meeting on Thursday, said that the winner in this year’s Taipei International Beef Noodle Festival uses imported US beef containing the leanness enhancer. The statement was condemned by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), which accused Ting of spreading false information as a government spokesman and called on him to resign.
Source:Taipei Times
November 16, 2020 15:56 UTC
No post-US poll policy changes: MOFA
Tseng was among the officials asked to report on the post-US election prospects for Taiwan-US economic and trade relations at a meeting of the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee. Taiwan and the US have a long-term and close economic and trade relationship, Tseng said, adding that last year the US was the nation’s second-largest trade partner, its second-largest export market and its third-largest source of imports. Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Tseng Wen-sheng, second right, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Harry Tseng, third right, and other officials attend a meeting of the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday. Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei TimesTotal bilateral trade volume last year was more than US$81.08 billion, an increase of 11.7 percent from 2018, he said. Several top US companies this year have announced plans to increase investment in Taiwan, and the US administration and Congress have also taken actions to enhance the Taiwan-US economic and trade relationship, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
November 16, 2020 15:56 UTC
Number of staff on furlough falls by 379: ministry
Number of staff on furlough falls by 379: ministryStaff writer, with CNAThe number of furloughed workers in the nation last week continued to fall, declining by nearly 380 from the previous week to 11,317, the lowest level since late June, the Ministry of Labor said yesterday. As of Friday last week, 467 companies had implemented unpaid leave programs, up 12 from a week earlier, with a total of 11,317 workers on furlough, down 379 from a week earlier, data compiled by the ministry showed. Large crowds of middle-aged and elderly people attend a job fair at the Taipei Flora Expo Park on Saturday. Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei TimesMost of the decline last week came from two medium to large manufacturers. The programs typically last less than three months and involve employees taking five to eight days of unpaid leave per month, the ministry said.
Source:Taipei Times
November 16, 2020 15:56 UTC
Taiwanese seen as identifying with Taiwan, poll finds
Taiwanese seen as identifying with Taiwan, poll findsBy Rachel Lin and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerA majority of respondents in a survey on civic and national consciousness said that Taiwanese generally demonstrate a sense of identification with Taiwan, the Professor Huang Kun-huei Education Foundation said yesterday. The survey found that 89.1 percent said it was important for citizens to “be proud of being Taiwanese,” and 74.4 percent felt Taiwanese generally showed such behavior. The survey found that 89.8 percent felt it is important for Taiwanese to see Taiwan as a sovereign nation and not part of another country, and 73.2 percent felt that Taiwanese generally demonstrated such an understanding. The online poll surveyed 4,000 people, of which 1,848 completed the survey, foundation poll committee convener Kuo Sheng-yu (郭生玉) said. “While the respondents felt that Taiwanese largely identified with a national consciousness, they also felt that Taiwanese are not living up to their responsibilities as citizens.
Source:Taipei Times
November 15, 2020 16:00 UTC
Forex losses dim BizLink’s record profit
Forex losses dim BizLink’s record profitMIXED BALANCE SHEET: Surging revenue thanks to product mix improvement was canceled out by the New Taiwan dollar’s strong appreciation against the greenbackBy Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterBizLink Holding Inc (貿聯控股) on Friday posted lower-than-expected net profit for last quarter due to foreign exchange losses, although its operating profit was the highest for a single quarter in the wiring harness maker’s history. Third-quarter profit declined 0.7 percent quarter-on-quarter and 5.4 percent year-on-year to NT$499.58 million (US$17.32 million), or earnings per share of NT$3.83, the company said in a statement. Consolidated revenue in the July-to-September period rose 14.8 percent quarterly and 4.95 percent annually to NT$6.05 billion, while gross margin and operating margin stayed firm at 26.27 percent and 12.35 percent respectively, it said. Bizlink Holding Inc chairman Roger Liang is pictured at a media gathering in Taipei on March 27 last year. Gross margin improved to 25.56 percent, from 23.76 percent, and operating margin also rose to 10.57 percent, from 9.7 percent.
Source:Taipei Times
November 15, 2020 15:56 UTC
FEATURE: Exploring the sights behind Taipei’s sights
Mica, a multi-purpose space in Daan District, is to be part of Open House Taipei on Saturday and Sunday next week. PLANNING REQUIREDTo anyone thinking of taking part in Open House Taipei, organizers have two words of advice: Plan ahead. “Open House can be exhausting if you try and do too much,” Milliner said, reminding visitors to factor in transportation time, and to schedule breaks. “There’s a little bit of something for everybody no matter what they’re interested in,” she said about Open House events. Already on pace to become a staple in the city’s cultural calendar, Open House Taipei might just prove architecture to be one of Taipei’s best-kept secrets.
Source:Taipei Times
November 15, 2020 15:56 UTC
China’s BRI at odds with Russian strategy: pundit
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei TimesRussia has complicated feelings about Xinjiang, Lu said. For Russia, the region is already being effectively controlled by China and as a result, in terms of Russia’s China strategy, Xinjiang is a place that no longer holds much “obvious strategic value,” he said. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s formation in 2010 of a customs union among Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan was aimed at curtailing China’s influence, Lu said. He said he does not think China’s economic strategy will last long due to the country’s internal socioeconomic problems and the US-China trade dispute. The development of the Belt and Road Initiative will “determine the fate of Uighurs in Xinjiang,” he said.
Source:Taipei Times
November 15, 2020 15:56 UTC
Taiwan pushing to join the CPTPP
Taiwan pushing to join the CPTPPEXPLORING OTHER OPTIONS: As the RCEP free-trade deal is led by China, Taiwan would find it challenging to join the partnership, the foreign ministry saidBy Lu Yi-hsuan and Lin Liang-sheng / Staff reportersTaiwan would strive to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), as it would be challenging for the nation to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) given China’s dominance in the latter, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. The RCEP was signed by 15 Asia-Pacific nations on the last day of the virtual ASEAN summit yesterday, becoming the world’s largest free-trade agreement. The logo of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is pictured at the ministry in Taipei on March 3. Taiwan would strive to initiate informal consultations, in preparation for joining the CPTPP, the ministry said, adding that it would continue to seek economic and trade cooperation opportunities with New Southbound Policy partner nations, the US, Japan and other like-minded nations. Separately yesterday, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) accused the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government of not proactively trying to join the RCEP over the past four years, and declaring failure without even trying.
Source:Taipei Times
November 15, 2020 15:56 UTC
Typhoons to halve by century’s end
The main entrance to the Academia Sinica building in Taipei’s Nangang District is pictured on Tuesday. The team discovered that a weakening of atmospheric circulation during winter would contribute to a reduction in rainfall in winter and spring, he said. Reduced winter rainfall would affect farmers’ ability to sow rice in the spring, he added. For northern Taiwan, springtime southwesterly winds are an important annual source of rain, he said. Typhoons that do occur at latitudes above 20 degrees north latitude would become stronger, and those south of that latitude would become weaker, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
November 14, 2020 15:56 UTC
Older people should return to workforce: Ko Wen-je
Older people should return to workforce: Ko Wen-jeBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterAs Taiwan is soon set to become a super-aged society, more older people should return to the workforce to make up for labor shortages, and the government should offer incentives to encourage young people to marry, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said yesterday. Ko was speaking at an employment fair for middle-aged and elderly people, held by the Taipei City Department of Labor at the Taipei Flora Expo Park. Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je beats a drum at a job fair for middle-aged and senior jobseekers in Taipei yesterday. “How can the nation support you for 20 years, with you not working?”The Taipei City Government has subsidized companies that offer development courses aimed at teaching middle-aged and older people skills to help them return to the workforce, he said. The fertility rate among married couples has not significantly declined, but the percentage of single people has increased, so as local governments consider “baby bonuses” to encourage childbirth, they should start with offering incentives to encourage young people to marry, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
November 14, 2020 15:56 UTC
Tainan baseball fans out in force for Lions’ parade
Tainan baseball fans out in force for Lions’ paradeBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterThere was a festive atmosphere as Taiwan’s pro baseball champions, the Uni-President Lions, paraded through the streets of Tainan yesterday. Large crowds greeted the Lions players and coaches at the start of their victory parade at the team’s home park, Tainan Municipal Stadium. Tainan residents cheer their home baseball team, the Uni-President Lions, as they ride a bus through the city yesterday to celebrate winning this year’s Taiwan Series. Many Lions fans followed the buses on their scooters and cars; my teammates and I felt very honored by their devotion and their passion,” he said. “The biggest winners are the baseball fans who have followed the teams for so many years...
Source:Taipei Times
November 14, 2020 15:56 UTC
DPP legislators mulling party logo rule update
The national emblem — which was adopted in 1947 and depicts a white sun in a blue sky — was derived from the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) emblem. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) emblem is displayed at the party’s national congress at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei on Sept. 6. Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei TimesIn the KMT emblem, the sun is larger and its 12 rays touch the outer edge of the blue circle that encompasses them, but it is otherwise identical to the national emblem, they said. Everything it does as a political party should put the nation first,” Chen said. “The KMT established the state, and the national emblem was modeled after that of the KMT.
Source:Taipei Times
November 14, 2020 15:56 UTC
KMT’s Lin weighs session boycott over beef noodle rift
Cabinet spokesman Ting Yi-ming, left, Premier Su Tseng-chang, second right, and others on Friday eat at the restaurant that won this year’s Taipei Beef Noodle Championship. Li has said that the winning dish at the Taipei Beef Noodle Festival last month used US beef containing ractopamine residue, Lin said. While Ting and Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) after the controversy ate at the restaurant and apologized, they did not compensate for the damage done to its reputation and that of other beef noodle restaurants, Lin said. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration is abusing the beef noodle industry for their own gain, as it wants to legitimize its plan for easing restrictions on the import of US pork containing the feed additive, he said. Ting’s behavior jeopardizes the trust between the central and local governments, and the reputation of beef noodle restaurants, Chiang said.
Source:Taipei Times
November 14, 2020 15:56 UTC