Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) yesterday praised state-owned Taiwan Tobacco & Liquor Corp (TTL, 台灣菸酒公司) for sponsoring the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, to the tune of NT$400 million (US$12.29 million).
“When I heard about the plan, I approved without hesitation because it offers tremendous benefits: The tasty Taiwan Beer will sweep the mainland and the brand will promote the ‘Taiwan concept’ and Taiwan’s excellence. It could also generate extra revenue of NT$30 billion a year,” Wu said.
TTL president Duan Wei (韋伯韜) signed the sponsorship deal with the 16th Guangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee in Beijing on Monday and announced the launch of corporate offices in Beijing and Shanghai.
The Games are scheduled for next November.
Wei and a group of businesspeople awarded for their excellent performance met the premier.
TTL has sought to register the Taiwan Beer brand as a trademark in China since 1999, but Beijing did not approve the registration until in May, objecting to the use of the word “Taiwan.”
TTL’s operations are expected to contribute approximately NT$20 billion in tax revenue this year, Wei said, and attributed the growth in sales to the Chinese market.
“Tax revenue from sales of tobacco and alcohol between January and September this year fell 7.2 percent, but exports soared, especially in China, where sales grew 30-fold in July and August compared with previous months,” Wei said.
Wei said that exploring the Chinese market would help TTL double its annual revenue and create 1,000 job opportunities in Taiwan.
The Democratic Progressive Party lashed out at TTL for sponsoring the Games with NT$400 million, after it gave only NT$400,000 to the Deaflympics in Taipei and nothing to the World Games in Kaohsiung.
SEND A MESSAGE: Sinking the amphibious assault ship, the lead warship of its class, is meant to show China the US Navy is capable of sinking their ships, an analyst said The US and allied navies plan to sink a 40,000-tonne ship at the latest Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise to simulate defeating a Chinese amphibious assault on Taiwan. This year’s RIMPAC — the 29th iteration of the world’s largest naval exercise — involves the US, 28 partners, more than 25,000 personnel, 40 warships, three submarines and more than 150 aircraft operating in and around Hawaii from yesterday to Aug. 1, the US Navy said in a press release. The major components of the event include multidomain warfare exercises in multiship surface engagements, anti-submarine warfare and multi-axis defense of a carrier strike
Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China when traveling in countries with close ties to Beijing, Taiwan Association of University Professors deputy chairman Chen Li-fu (陳俐甫) said on Friday. Chen’s comments came after China on Friday last week announced new judicial guidelines targeting Taiwanese independence advocates. Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Djibouti are among the countries where Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China, he said. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday elevated the travel alert for China, Hong Kong and Macau to “orange” after Beijing announced its guidelines to “severely punish Taiwanese independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession.” Extradition treaties
The airspace around Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) is to be closed for an hour on July 25 and July 23 respectively, due to the Han Kuang military exercises, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The annual exercise is to be held on Taiwan proper and its outlying islands from July 22 to 26. During last year’s exercise, the military conducted anti-aircraft landing drills at the Taoyuan airport for the first time, for which a one-hour no-fly ban was issued. Based on a live-fire bulletin sent out by the Maritime and Port Bureau, the nation’s
Taiwan and Thailand have signed an agreement to promote and protect bilateral investment and trade, the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN) said on Friday. The agreement on “Promotion and Protection of Investments” was signed by Representative to Thailand Chang Chun-fu (張俊福) and Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei executive director Narong Boonsatheanwong on Thursday, the OTN said in a news release. Thailand has become the fifth trading partner to sign an investment agreement with Taiwan since 2016, following earlier agreements with the Philippines, India, Vietnam and Canada, the OTN said. The deal marks a significant milestone in the development of