Formosa Plastics Group (FPG, 台塑集團) yesterday confirmed its chairman, William Wong (王文淵), has been invited to join a deal to acquire the Taiwanese media outlets of Hong Kong-listed Next Media (壹傳媒集團).
The group’s confirmation came after several media outlets reported on Monday that Chinatrust Charity Foundation chairman (中信慈善基金) Jeffrey Koo Jr (辜仲諒) had invited Wong and a Singapore-based private equity fund to jointly bid for the Chinese-language Apple Daily, Next Magazine and Next TV (壹電視) for NT$17.5 billion (US$600 million).
“We did receive the invitation [to participate in the investment],” an official at FPG’s general administration office told the Taipei Times by telephone yesterday.
Photo: CNA
The official, who declined to be named, said the conglomerate was still evaluating whether the investment would be made in Wong’s name or through one of the group’s companies.
The group will not comment on the issue if it is an individual investment by Wong himself, the official said.
However, if the group decides to invest in the deal in the name of one of its units or via the group itself, it will need to hold a board meeting to approve the investment plan, he added.
The official did not specify when the company will complete the evaluation, nor how much Wong or the group will invest in the deal.
He said the group would make a formal announcement to the Taiwan Stock Exchange once there was some progress.
“Nothing is concrete at this point,” he said.
Earlier yesterday, shares in Next Media were suspended on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange after the company announced a halt to trading starting at 9am until the publication of “price-sensitive information” on the company’s shares.
No announcement had been issued as of press time and Next Media’s Hong Kong headquarters has not commented on the reported deal proposed by Jeffrey Koo Jr, who is the eldest son of Chinatrust founder and chairman Jeffrey Koo (辜濂松).
Chinatrust Financial Holding Co (中信金控) yesterday maintained that it could not comment on Koo Jr’s personal investment plan, a Chinatrust Financial official said by telephone.
Next Media shares closed at HK$1.12 on Monday.
The share price of the company controlled by Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai (黎智英) has doubled since reports emerged in late last month that it would sell off its media operations in Taiwan.
On Oct. 1, Next Media Group announced it would sell Next TV Broadcasting (壹傳媒電視廣播) to Taiwan’s ERA Communications (年代集團) for NT$1.4 billion after the group had signed a memorandum of understanding with ERA chairman Lien Tai-sheng (練台生).
Next Media Group executive director Cassian Cheung (張嘉聲) said the group hoped the transaction would take effect on Jan. 1.
Because Lien made a NT$140 million downpayment, a new deal would mean that Next Media Group would not only have to return the downpayment, but also pay compensation of about NT$140 million for breaking the contract, according to sources familiar with the deal. Lien has not yet commented on the situation.
Lai will retain his flagship Hong Kong newspaper, also called the Apple Daily.
ENDEAVOR MANTA: The ship is programmed to automatically return to its designated home port and would self-destruct if seized by another party The Endeavor Manta, Taiwan’s first military-specification uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) tailor-made to operate in the Taiwan Strait in a bid to bolster the nation’s asymmetric combat capabilities made its first appearance at Kaohsiung’s Singda Harbor yesterday. Taking inspiration from Ukraine’s navy, which is using USVs to force Russia’s Black Sea fleet to take shelter within its own ports, CSBC Taiwan (台灣國際造船) established a research and development unit on USVs last year, CSBC chairman Huang Cheng-hung (黃正弘) said. With the exception of the satellite guidance system and the outboard motors — which were purchased from foreign companies that were not affiliated with Chinese-funded
PERMIT REVOKED: The influencer at a news conference said the National Immigration Agency was infringing on human rights and persecuting Chinese spouses Chinese influencer “Yaya in Taiwan” (亞亞在台灣) yesterday evening voluntarily left Taiwan, despite saying yesterday morning that she had “no intention” of leaving after her residence permit was revoked over her comments on Taiwan being “unified” with China by military force. The Ministry of the Interior yesterday had said that it could forcibly deport the influencer at midnight, but was considering taking a more flexible approach and beginning procedures this morning. The influencer, whose given name is Liu Zhenya (劉振亞), departed on a 8:45pm flight from Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) to Fuzhou, China. Liu held a news conference at the airport at 7pm,
Taiwan was ranked the fourth-safest country in the world with a score of 82.9, trailing only Andorra, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in Numbeo’s Safety Index by Country report. Taiwan’s score improved by 0.1 points compared with last year’s mid-year report, which had Taiwan fourth with a score of 82.8. However, both scores were lower than in last year’s first review, when Taiwan scored 83.3, and are a long way from when Taiwan was named the second-safest country in the world in 2021, scoring 84.8. Taiwan ranked higher than Singapore in ninth with a score of 77.4 and Japan in 10th with
GRIDLOCK: The National Fire Agency’s Special Search and Rescue team is on standby to travel to the countries to help out with the rescue effort A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand yesterday, killing at least three people in Bangkok and burying dozens when a high-rise building under construction collapsed. Footage shared on social media from Myanmar’s second-largest city showed widespread destruction, raising fears that many were trapped under the rubble or killed. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, with an epicenter near Mandalay in Myanmar, struck at midday and was followed by a strong magnitude 6.4 aftershock. The extent of death, injury and destruction — especially in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war and where information is tightly controlled at the best of times —
RSS