US ignores Russia warning on arms
Meanwhile, the head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group said its forces had “practically encircled” the eastern Ukraine city of Bakhmut, which has seen the fiercest fighting of Moscow’s invasion. He has said in the past few weeks that his fighters have seized three villages north of Bakhmut — Yagidne, Berkhivka and Paraskoviivka. Ukraine has said it will defend “fortress Bakhmut” for as long as possible, but this week officials said the situation was difficult. Russia is determined to seize Bakhmut — a now-destroyed city once known for its sparkling wine — as part of its wider aim of capturing the entire Donetsk region. Ukrainian troops have held out for months, fighting brutal trench warfare and artillery battles that have flattened large portions of the city.
Source:Taipei Times
March 04, 2023 22:05 UTC
Militarization of waters around China concerns Quad
Militarization of waters around China concerns QuadAFP and Reuters, NEW DELHIThe US, Japan, India and Australia yesterday expressed concern over the militarization of the East and South China seas on the heels of a flare-up in tensions between Washington and Beijing. From left, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Yoshimasa Hayashi, Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Penny Wong and Indian Minister of Foreign Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar attend a panel discussion in New Delhi yesterday. China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, through which massive amounts of trade passes annually. However, China has no reason to fear the Quad, Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Yoshimasa Hayashi said. Meanwhile, the Quad allies yesterday released another statement saying that Russia cannot be allowed to wage war with impunity.
Source:Taipei Times
March 03, 2023 22:26 UTC
Biden, Scholz to discuss Ukraine war, China in Washington
Biden, Scholz to discuss Ukraine war, China in WashingtonReuters, BERLIN and WASHINGTONGerman Chancellor Olaf Scholz was yesterday scheduled to hold confidential talks in Washington with US President Joe Biden about the war in Ukraine amid growing concerns that China might provide weapons to Russia as its invasion grinds into a second year. US President Joe Biden, left, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrive at a G7 welcoming ceremony in Kruen, Germany, on June 26 last year. Scholz arrives as the US is consulting with allies about the possibility of imposing sanctions on China if it provides military support to Russia for its war in Ukraine, according to four US officials and other sources. “The Biden administration will use the Scholz visit to try to shift Germany’s balance in the direction of stronger pushback,” he said. Critics said the measure is a slap in the face to Europe from its biggest ally at a time when Europe is struggling with sharply higher energy prices due to the Ukraine war.
Source:Taipei Times
March 03, 2023 16:48 UTC
Welcome to Taiwan
Okinawa to hold drill for possible conflictFIRST TIME EVER: A preliminary plan envisages the evacuation of 120,000 people from the Sakishima Islands in the event of a cross-strait conflict, a newspaper said Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture is to hold an evacuation drill next month to prepare for a possible conflict in the Taiwan Strait, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Saturday. It would be the first such drill in Okinawa, the Japanese prefecture closest to Taiwan. An estimated 17,500 people per day could be evacuated by airlift and 3,000 could be evacuated by sea, the newspaper said, citing a preliminary plan, adding that it would take six days to complete the evacuation. People on the Sakishima Islands, which lie between Taiwan proper and Okinawa’s main island, would be evacuated to Kyushu in the event of a cross-strait
Source:Taipei Times
February 26, 2023 01:00 UTC
Nation to launch first low Earth orbit satellite in 2025
Nation to launch first low Earth orbit satellite in 2025By Wu Po-hsuan and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerTaiwan plans to launch its first low Earth orbit communications satellite as soon as the middle of 2025, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. A model of a low Earth orbit communications satellite is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo provided by the Taiwan Space AgencyThroughout Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, satellites have greatly benefited Ukrainian forces, which has generated global interest in satellite research, the council said. The agency would also assist private companies with the launch of four satellites aimed at enhancing the nation’s mobile-communications industry, it said. The Ministry of Economic Affairs was also offering subsidies to spur the development of the nation’s space industry, it said.
Source:Taipei Times
February 26, 2023 00:58 UTC
Taiwan Mobile in negotiations for Taiwan Star deal
Taiwan Mobile in negotiations for Taiwan Star dealBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterTaiwan Mobile Co (台灣大哥大) said it is negotiating a lower acquisition bid for Taiwan Star Telecom Corp (台灣之星), as the regulator’s ruling last month curtailed Taiwan Mobile’s access to the 5G spectrum owned by Taiwan Star. Taiwan Mobile seeks to slash about 72 percent of its offering to absorb financially strapped Taiwan Star through a share swap. Taiwan Mobile’s board of directors yesterday approved an exchange of one Taiwan Star share per 0.0326 Taiwan Mobile shares, compared with 0.04508 shares agreed in December 2021, according to a company filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange last night. Taiwan Mobile expects its revenue to grow this year, without counting the contribution from Taiwan Star, Lin said. Taiwan Mobile said it plans to boost capital spending this year to NT$12.8 billion, from NT$9.63 billion last year.
Source:Taipei Times
February 25, 2023 06:59 UTC
Jovicevic hails ‘victory for Ukraine’
Jovicevic hails ‘victory for Ukraine’AFP, RENNES, FranceShakhtar Donetsk on Thursday qualified for the knockout stages of the UEFA Europa League, with coach Igor Jovicevic hailing the win at French side Stade Rennais as a “victory for Ukraine.”Shakhtar defeated Rennes 5-4 in a penalty shoot-out after their playoff had ended 3-3 on aggregate and then went to extra-time. The win came a day before the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This match was for you, Ukraine, it was for our country, for Ukraine,” said Croatian coach Jovicevic, who has worked in Ukraine for more than 20 years. “Respect to my players, I’m proud of them,” said Jovicevic, who praised the “magnificent atmosphere” of Rennes’ Roazhon Park. “It’s already a very difficult situation to live to the rhythm of the bombardments, the sirens,” Jovicevic said.
Source:Taipei Times
February 25, 2023 06:52 UTC
Migrants face obstacles in re-entry: rights groups
Migrants face obstacles in re-entry: rights groupsHARDSHIP: Migrant workers need to apply for a re-entry permit with immigration authorities, which is valid only for a limited time, the Domestic Caretakers Union saidStaff writer, with CNAMigrants’ rights groups yesterday rallied outside the Executive Yuan in Taipei to demand that the government overturn what they say are discriminatory obstacles for workers who vacation in their home countries. Stop discrimination against blue-collar migrant workers,” the crowd of about 50 shouted. The groups said the regulations are discriminatory and do not respect the hard work that migrant workers do for Taiwanese. Discrepancies between the policies covering migrant workers and ARC holders are in the purview of the National Immigration Agency, it added. As of the end of December, 728,081 migrant workers were in Taiwan, the labor ministry said.
Source:Taipei Times
February 21, 2023 04:14 UTC
Vietnam shoemaker for Nike, Adidas to slash jobs
Women shop for shoes in a store at a market in Pleiku, Vietnam, on Jan. 2. Shoe manufacturer PouYuen Vietnam Co Ltd is planning to cut thousands of jobs at the end of the month. Photo: BloombergPouYuen is commercial capital Ho Chi Minh City’s largest employer, with about 50,000 staff. The layoffs come after PouYuen put 20,000 of its workers on paid leave in rotation at the end of last year. More than 630,000 workers lost their jobs or had their hours cut in Vietnam last year, the Vietnamese Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs said.
Source:Taipei Times
February 21, 2023 04:14 UTC
Onshore yuan-denominated deposits experience largest drop since 2013
Onshore yuan-denominated deposits experience largest drop since 2013By Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterOnshore yuan-denominated deposits last month dropped for the sixth consecutive month to 186.047 billion yuan (US$6.12 billion), a 4.69 percent decline from a month earlier and the lowest in nearly nine years, data released by the central bank on Wednesday showed. The monthly decrease of 9.158 billion yuan from 195.205 billion yuan in December last year also marked the largest decline since local banks began accepting yuan deposits in 2013, an indication that investors have lost interest in the Chinese currency. Onshore yuan deposits include those at local banks’ domestic banking units (DBUs) and those at offshore banking units (OBUs) in Taiwan. Photo: BloombergCentral bank data showed that yuan deposits at DBUs decreased 5.3 percent from the previous month to 157.693 billion yuan, while those in OBUs fell 1.14 percent to 28.354 billion yuan. The US Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes have led to US dollar deposits gaining appeal over yuan deposits for institutional and individual investors given the widening interest spreads, the Liberty Times reported, citing the central bank.
Source:Taipei Times
February 20, 2023 16:24 UTC
Manufacturing output drops 4 percent
Last quarter’s decline in manufacturing output ended eight consecutive quarters of annual increase, compared with an increase of 3.75 percent in the previous quarter, which the ministry attributed to poor market conditions in traditional industries. In the electronic components industry — the manufacturing sector’s most important segment — output expanded 7.76 percent to NT$1.37 trillion last quarter. However, LCD panelmakers continued to register declining output due to weakening demand for consumer electronics and inventory depletion in the supply chain. Their output grew 17.32 percent year-on-year to NT$296.6 billion, compared with an expansion of 26.54 percent to NT$301.5 billion in the third quarter, it added. However, global inflation and monetary tightening by central banks, as well as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and US-China technology disputes, could continue to weigh on global economic growth and affect local manufacturing output, the ministry said.
Source:Taipei Times
February 20, 2023 16:24 UTC
US urges Beijing not to interfere in Taiwan visits
US urges Beijing not to interfere in Taiwan visitsReuters, WASHINGTONThe US hopes China will not use any visits by US lawmakers to Taiwan as an excuse for military action, a senior US diplomat said on Wednesday, adding that all countries should warn Beijing against conflict over the nation. US-China relations were rocked in August last year by a visit to Taiwan by then-US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi. Since then, several US lawmakers have visited Taiwan, and speculation has swirled that Pelosi’s successor, Kevin McCarthy, could visit Taiwan in the spring or summer. “The same would be true of a conflict in the Taiwan Strait,” Sherman said. “That’s going to create a lot of problems for those who are supporting this unholy invasion going forward,” she said.
Source:Taipei Times
February 17, 2023 00:26 UTC
China-US tensions soar as Wang Yi visits Europe
China-US tensions soar as Wang Yi visits EuropeBloomberg and AP, PARISChina yesterday questioned whether the US genuinely seeks to repair ties damaged by a dispute over a spy balloon as the two nations’ top diplomats head to a security conference in Germany, where they might meet on the sidelines. Chinese Central Foreign Affairs Commission Director Wang Yi (王毅) is to attend the conference as part of a visit to several European countries. Chinese Central Foreign Affairs Commission Director Wang Yi, left, shakes hands with French Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Catherine Colonna in Paris on Wednesday. Wang was yesterday scheduled to participate in a session of a French-Chinese strategic dialogue with Macron’s top diplomatic adviser to discuss bilateral projects. “The US cannot ask for communication and dialogue on the one hand while sharpening differences and escalating crises on the other,” Wang Wenbin said yesterday.
Source:Taipei Times
February 17, 2023 00:17 UTC
Finance worker stuns in ATP Tour main draw debut
Finance worker stuns in ATP Tour main draw debutReutersMatija Pecotic should perhaps consider giving up his day job after the full-time finance professional on Tuesday stunned former world No. 8 Jack Sock on his ATP Tour main draw debut at the Delray Beach Open. Pecotic sealed the win in front of his boss, who is a long-time friend of his coach, Dominik Hrbaty. I’m going to have to ask for another day off tomorrow.”The world No. “This is a former top 10 guy with an incredible amount of tennis experience and a huge serve.
Source:Taipei Times
February 16, 2023 04:11 UTC
Xi expresses support for Iran amid visit by Raisi
Xi expresses support for Iran amid visit by RaisiAP, BEIJINGChinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on Tuesday expressed support for Iran during a visit by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi as Tehran tries to expand relations with Beijing and Moscow to offset Western sanctions over its nuclear development. The official Chinese account of Xi’s meeting with Raisi gave no indication of whether they discussed Russia’s war in Ukraine. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, left, shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Tuesday. Xi and Raisi attended the signing of 20 cooperation agreements, including on trade and tourism, the Chinese government said. Xi said that Beijing “opposes external forces interfering in Iran’s internal affairs and undermining Iran’s security and stability,” the government statement said.
Source:Taipei Times
February 16, 2023 03:20 UTC