The European Chamber of Commerce Taiwan yesterday released its annual position paper, calling on the government to further relax labor rules and liberalize the energy market.
“While the world has grown increasingly volatile, uncertain and complex, social trends and advances in technology are opening up new golden opportunities,” chamber chairman Giuseppe Izzo said at the release of the paper.
Taiwan lacks skilled and unskilled workers, and the shortage is weighing down its ability to capitalize on economic opportunities, the paper said.
Photo: CNA
The trade group recommended further labor law reforms to develop, attract and retain talent to address the issue.
Further flexibility is needed in work hour rules, and the wind energy sector in particular should be included in the list of industries that are exempted from observing the weekly regular leave day requirement so that work schedules could meet the requirements for offshore construction work, it said.
The chamber also called for less stringent visa requirements for foreign professionals, allowing more foreign employees in the service sector and improving the protection of foreign workers.
Transitioning from fossil fuels to low or zero-emission alternatives is crucial to address climate change and represents a golden opportunity for Taiwan given its perfect conditions to tap into abundant alternative energy sources, the chamber said.
However, more needs to be done to promote renewable energy, including deregulating the energy market to allow multiple business models for the installation, sales and use of electricity generated from renewable energy sources, the group said.
The chamber called for increased public investment in grid infrastructure to accommodate renewable energy capacity.
It also called for changes to standard power purchase agreements signed between Taiwan Power Co (台電) and wind developers, as well as to administrative contracts between wind developers and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, to deal with curtailments in the event of delays in ensuring grid connections.
The group called for the opening of coastal areas, highways, railways, harbors and industrial parks to the installation of onshore wind turbines and urged new repowering rules to allow developers to replace old turbines without repeatedly having to go through the approval processes.
Authorities have deviated from international standards and best practices, which is hampering the ability of the electrical engineering and equipment industry to upgrade to products and services that are safer and of a higher quality, the chamber said.
There also remain instances of a lack of transparency as well as inconsistencies in the implementation of regulations and procedures, it said, referring to different levels of commodity taxes on products.
US SANCTIONS: The Taiwan tech giant has ended all shipments to China-based Sophgo Technologies after one of their chips was discovered in a Huawei phone Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) suspended shipments to China-based chip designer Sophgo Technologies Ltd (算能科技) after a chip it made was found on a Huawei Technologies Co (華為) artificial intelligence (AI) processor, according to two people familiar with the matter. Sophgo had ordered chips from TSMC that matched the one found on Huawei’s Ascend 910B, the people said. Huawei is restricted from buying the technology to protect US national security. Reuters could not determine how the chip ended up on the Huawei product. Sophgo said in a statement on its Web site yesterday that it was in compliance with all laws
SPEED OF LIGHT: US lawmakers urged the commerce department to examine the national security threats from China’s development of silicon photonics technology US President Joe Biden’s administration on Monday said it is finalizing rules that would limit US investments in artificial intelligence (AI) and other technology sectors in China that could threaten US national security. The rules, which were proposed in June by the US Department of the Treasury, were directed by an executive order signed by Biden in August last year covering three key sectors: semiconductors and microelectronics, quantum information technologies and certain AI systems. The rules are to take effect on Jan. 2 next year and would be overseen by the Treasury’s newly created Office of Global Transactions. The Treasury said the “narrow
TECH TITANS: Nvidia briefly overtook Apple again on Friday after becoming the world’s largest company for a short period in June, as Microsoft fell to third place Nvidia Corp dethroned Apple Inc as the world’s most valuable company on Friday following a record-setting rally in the stock, powered by insatiable demand for its specialized artificial intelligence (AI) chips. Nvidia’s stock market value briefly touched US$3.53 trillion, slightly above Apple’s US$3.52 trillion, London Stock Exchange Group data showed. Nvidia ended the day up 0.8 percent, with a market value of US$3.47 trillion, while Apple’s shares rose 0.4 percent, valuing the iPhone maker at US$3.52 trillion. In June, Nvidia briefly became the world’s most valuable company before it was overtaken by Microsoft Corp and Apple. The tech trio’s market capitalizations have been
Two scoops of pistachio, one of corruption. For years holidaymakers have guzzled Sicilian gelato at famous parlors in Palermo, unaware that the booming businesses were controlled by organized crime. The fraud was a textbook case for detectives trained to sniff out dirty money, but even with three mobster classics — a suspicious bankruptcy, a front man and a scheming “Godfather” — it took years for investigators to shut the operation down. The Brioscia brand, made up of two ice cream parlors, was thriving at the end of the 2010s, attracting locals and foreign visitors alike with its glittering gold stars on travel
RSS