DHL to hike rates a fourth straight year

MARKET VOLATILITY: The 4.9% rate rise stems from unpredictable foreign exchange rates and inflation, as the company lifts prices in other countries by the same or more DHL Express Taiwan Corp (洋基通運) plans to raise its average freight rates by 4.9 percent next year due to inflation, volatility in currency exchange rates and administrative costs, with the price adjustment taking effect on Jan. 1, the company said in a statement yesterday. The local subsidiary of Deutsche Post DHL Group, one of the world’s leading mail and logistics service groups, has increased its freight rates by 4.9 percent each year since 2018, corporate data showed. The price adjustment was proposed by the local unit, though approved by the parent company, DHL Express Taiwan said by telephone. Price adjustments vary from country to country as different units make separate decisions, it added. The price rise in Taiwan matches that of DHL Express New Zealand & Pacific Islands, but lower than the 6.9 percent approved by DHL Express India next year, DHL Express’ Web site and foreign news reports showed. DHL Express Taiwan, which concentrates on transporting packages by air, yesterday said that its decision to hike prices did not stem from the rise in air cargo rates in the past few months, but was based on inflation, foreign exchange volatility and costs related to regulatory and safety measures. The price hike is to apply to all customers whose contracts allow the adjustment, it said. The price rise would allow the company to invest in infrastructure networks, strengthen its ability to fight crises and expand its freight capacity according to demand, it said in a statement. “We strive to deliver excellent service to our customers and will invest regularly to enhance our services. We will also ensure that our clients’ business can continue growing even in times of global crises,” DHL Express Taiwan managing director Yung C. Ooi (黃湧君) said in a statement. Meanwhile, Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp (陽明海運), the nation’s second-largest container shipper by fleet size,

Innolux cutting output on weak demand, prices

Innolux Corp (群創), which makes flat panels used in TVs and computers, yesterday said it is cutting production amid weakening demand and slumping prices. The Miaoli-based flat-panel maker’s comments came as demand began losing steam last month after experiencing the industry’s longest boom of one-and-a-half years. “The flat-panel industry is cyclical by nature. After a long period of upticks, it is normal to see price adjustments,” Innolux chairman Jim Hung (洪進揚) told reporters on the sidelines of a media briefing in Taipei. Asked whether the company plans to cut its financial forecasts for the third quarter, Hung said: “We might see a slight adjustment in prices.” Innolux might cut its estimate of a low-single-digit percentage increase in prices for the current quarter, he said. The company kept unchanged its estimate of a low-single-digit percentage sequential increase in shipments of TV and PC panels this quarter. “Shipments might be adjusted in the fourth quarter,” Hung added. Innolux plans to idle certain manufacturing equipment for maintenance and might adjust its product portfolio, such as reducing TV panel shipments to align with changes in market demand, he said. Innolux has seen lower demand for Chromebooks for students, but corporate demand for notebook computers is picking up and is expected to fill the void for the second half of this year, Hung said. Innolux also attributed supply-chain disruptions, international port congestion and key component shortages to the already falling demand. The company aims to reduce its dependence on TV panels by reducing its revenue contribution to 30 percent in the long run, from a hefty 40 percent last quarter, Hung said. Flat panels used in notebook computers, monitors and mobile phones account for a third each, he added. Overall, Innolux remains optimistic about the flat-panel industry’s long term outlook, as most panel makers have given up racing for capacity and are

INTERVIEW: Creativity helps Formosa Group survive difficult times

Taipei Times: How has Formosa International Hotels Group (FIH) fared this year with a local COVID-19 outbreak and its lingering containment measures? Steve Pan (潘思亮): Our revenue increased 40 percent in August from July, but our room revenues still tumbled 50 percent from last year, and down by 75 percent from 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. The government continues to ban the arrivals of foreign tourists. Other international tourist hotels fared worse with business plunging 85 percent. That is how bad things are. Our domestic resort under the Silks Places (晶英酒店), Just Sleep (捷絲旅) and Wellspring by Silks (晶泉丰旅) brands are pretty much back to normal since August. The earlier level 3 alert drove those businesses to a stop, but they quickly recovered. The international tourist hotels have been a completely different story. Their business is still down 80 percent. Our flagship property, Regent Taipei, has been a victim of border controls due to its heavy dependence on international tourists. TT: How did the group manage when the government in May raised the virus alert to level 3 and banned all dine-in services? Pan: The move took away our major income sources, so we decided to provide food takeout and delivery. We created the “Take Regent Home” Web site. Today, it is the top food takeout brand in terms of revenue among all hotels. Our revenue is double that of the second runner-up. The Web site is doing very well, even though it only generates 50 percent of the revenue we had before the level 3 alert. It is likely a record of some sort to maintain 50 percent of dinning revenue amid a soft lockdown. FIH is the only international tourist hotel group that did not lay off employees or cut staff hours, in keeping with our “no layoff” policy. Our peers have

EDITORIAL: The KMT’s wasted opportunity

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) on Sept. 4 held a televised debate between candidates for its chairperson election. The four candidates for the vote, to be held on Saturday next week, represent a wasted opportunity for the KMT, which continues to be out of touch with public opinion on key issues, particularly on the nation’s sovereignty and the identity of Taiwanese. During the debate, the four candidates emphasized relations with China, with former Changhua County commissioner Cho Po-yuan (卓伯源) claiming that he would invite Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to visit Taiwan and hold a cross-strait political summit, assuming the party wins the presidency in 2024. Chinese military threats toward Taiwan have over the past year increased to such a degree that they have become the focus of international policy discussions in Japan, the US, Australia and throughout western Europe. The KMT could not have picked a worse time to propose friendliness toward China. If the party has the delusion that a majority of Taiwanese would welcome such a policy, it needs look no further than a Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation survey on June 24, which showed that public support for the KMT had declined to 18.4 percent, despite support for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) reaching a five-year low of 22.6 percent. There are two possible reasons for the decline in KMT support: the party’s continued emphasis on the so-called “1992 consensus” and its opportunistic criticism of the DPP for criticism’s sake, even when facts negate its claims. For example, when Medigen Vaccine Biologics Co’s domestically developed COVID-19 vaccine was given emergency use authorization, the KMT claimed that the government was using the public as “guinea pigs” to test an “unsafe” vaccine that had only completed phase 2 clinical trials. However, according to WHO standards, the safety of a vaccine

China’s true fears in Afghanistan

With the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan, China has remarketed its East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) concerns. Beijing urged the Taliban to make a clean break with the movement and asked the US to blacklist it again. While some are still debating whether the movement exists, it is not the core of the matter because its existence neither justifies China’s Uighur policy nor sheds light on its concerns after the withdrawal of the US from Afghanistan. Is China really worried, and if so, is it because of the movement? This question needs to be answered. When Chinese officials first acknowledged the existence of forced labor camps in East Turkestan (the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region) in October 2018, they celebrated the results of the camps by saying: “There has been no single terrorist violence in Xinjiang for two years.” Chinese authorities have repeated the statement every time they have had to defend the camps. Most recently, Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) said: “No violent terrorist incident has taken place in Xinjiang over the past four years.” This statement is one more proof that more than 3 million Uighur Muslims are in the camps. Through this statement, China has indirectly acknowledged that all members of the Uighur community who were able to bear arms had been arrested. No foreign-based separatist organization can act without the help of the people of its homeland. The main task of such organizations is to play a role in a region’s struggle for independence by guiding or organizing its own people in the homeland. Assuming that the ETIM exists, with whose help would it operate in East Turkestan? Who would lead it? Today, not only Uighur activists, but even the most cautious and China-loyal Uighurs are deprived of the opportunity to communicate with their mothers,

Options to transform the Chiang memorial

The Transitional Justice Commission last week announced a plan to transform the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei, triggering debate at home and abroad. Yoshiyuki Ogasawara, a professor at Tokyo University, wrote an article, published in the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) on Sunday, in which he advocated maintaining the hall’s large bronze statue of former president Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), along with the Republic of China Honor Guard, to preserve the atmosphere of the era to which they belong. Ogasawara also argued that from the perspective of a foreign visitor to Taiwan, the memorial hall provides an excellent educational opportunity about Taiwan’s democratic transition. The hall’s design and construction is all about the veneration of authoritarianism: from its location right at the heart of the nation’s capital city to its groundbreaking ceremony coinciding with Chiang’s birthday and the oversize bronze statue in the main hall, to which the visitor has to climb 89 steps — the age at which Chiang died. In addition, the decorative stone carving that runs through the center of the steps is evocative of traditional Chinese imperial architecture, and the main boulevard that runs through the park encourages visitors to raise their heads toward the heavens: All of these are authoritarian symbols. It is entirely proper that, in accordance with the legal remit of the commission, all authoritarian symbols in the complex should be amended. Removing these symbols — including the statue of Chiang — is not the only way. Rather than discussing whether to remove them, the discussion should be about how best to achieve “a lifting of martial law” in the spatial environment, in a way that simultaneously reminds Taiwanese of the damage caused by authoritarian rule and demonstrates the nation’s resolve to implement transitional justice. Here are some suggestions for how to combine

Race to be Japan’s new PM commences

FREE-FOR-ALL CONTEST: Taro Kono’s popular support means that he ‘probably has the edge, but if he has a lead, it’s a very vulnerable one,’ an Asia expert said The campaign to become Japan’s next prime minister began yesterday, with four candidates vying for leadership of the ruling party in an unusually close race. In televised speeches, the candidates set out their priorities, from boosting Japan’s digital prowess to addressing the falling birthrate. Among them are two women hoping to lead a nation that has never had a female prime minister, although both are considered long shots. The race follows Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s shock announcement that he would not run for head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Whoever the party picks in a Sept. 29 vote is to contest a general election that has to be held by late November. As the LDP is expected to retain power, its leader is likely to be the person leading the world’s third-largest economy in the coming years, and would face challenges from dealing with China to tackling climate change. “We find ourselves in a time of climate crisis... We must exert maximum effort, by making renewable energy a priority,” said Japanese Minister for Administrative Reform and Regulatory Reform Taro Kono, who is in charge of overseeing the nation’s COVID-19 vaccination program and leads public opinion polls on the nation’s next leader. “It is not a pipe dream to power this country with 100 percent renewable energy,” Kono said. His main competition is expected to come from former Japanese minister of foreign affairs Fumio Kishida, who heads a large LDP faction that is to back him in the race. Two of the few women at the top of Japanese politics — divisive right-winger Sanae Takaichi and former Japanese minister for gender equality Seiko Noda — are also standing. The race is hard to predict because factions that often vote as blocs are this time largely leaving members to vote as they choose. “Given that the factions aren’t endorsing anyone

Bangladesh’s transgender tycoons create safe work

Simran Snigdha was begging when a chance encounter helped get her off Bangladesh’s streets and realize her artistic dreams — one of a growing number of transgender people securing formal employment as the government boosts support for the marginalized community. The Muslim-majority nation’s roughly 1.5 million transgender people have long faced discrimination and violence. Kicked out from homes and communities, cut off from education and shunned by many employers, they often turn to begging, the sex trade or crime. “I didn’t get the opportunity — I had to extort people ... and did prostitution,” Snigdha said at a garment factory in Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka. The Bangladeshi government has implemented new laws, such as tax breaks, for firms hiring transgender people, helping pave the way for their integration into society. Snigdha now works for a firm owned and run by another transgender woman, while pursuing her dreams of being a painter. “I can now pursue my favorite work,” the 32-year-old said as she painted. While she has found safety, Snigdha said there were scores more transgender artists in need of help. “I pray they don’t go back to begging even for another day,” she said. Like many of her peers, Snigdha fled her rural home in central Bangladesh for a transgender commune in Dhaka at 15 after facing abuse and rejection. She lived under the protection of a guruma — a politically and socially connected transgender person who grants some economic security, but who can force residents into the sex trade, extortion or prevent them from getting an education. Snigdha’s life changed in 2019 when she peered into a car window at a road crossing. Staring back was transgender factory owner Siddik Bhuyan Synthia — who asked her to join the business. “In the past ... bullying [of transgender people] was the order, but [the] majority of the society are now our well-wishers,”

Indonesian ministry to appeal Jakarta air pollution verdict

The Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry yesterday said that it would appeal a Jakarta court ruling that found Indonesian President Joko Widodo, several ministries and top local officials guilty of environmental negligence over chronic air pollution. Ruling on a citizen lawsuit on Thursday, judges found senior officials were culpable in failing to prevent, monitor and control unhealthy pollution levels in and around the capital. Jakarta, a sprawling metropolis of more than 30 million people, is Southeast Asia’s most polluted city, according to a report last year by the air quality monitoring organization IQAir. Indonesian Air Pollution Management Director Dasrul Chaniago confirmed that an appeal would be made against the decision. He said the court ordered the ministry to monitor air quality and emissions, actions that he said had been undertaken since 2011 in Jakarta and other cities, such as Banten and Bandung. Widodo’s spokesman Fadjroel Rachman said that his office would defer to the ministry on whether to appeal. Lawyers for the 32 plaintiffs had argued that authorities had failed to protect citizens, pointing to scientific research that air pollution could cause asthma and heart disease, and lower life expectancy. Rapid urbanization and chronic congestion in Jakarta, plus nearby coal-fired power plants, have contributed to the poor air quality, the Center on Energy and Clean Air said. The verdict was welcomed by Jakarta authorities. “We understand the lawsuit is part of citizens’ rights to a healthy environment and part of collaborative action to work together for better air quality,” said Irvan Pulungan, a climate change adviser to Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan. “We honor the verdict and will continue working on our efforts, and working with the plaintiff and all stakeholders,” he said.

‘Ghost kitchens’ boom in Asia as pandemic sparks huge demand

In an industrial unit on the outskirts of Taipei chefs are plating meals that will never be served in a restaurant: welcome to the world of “ghost kitchens.” Even before the pandemic sent an earthquake through the global restaurant trade, the “Amazonification” of commercial kitchens was well underway, but coronavirus lockdowns and restrictions have fueled explosive growth in Asia. The recent boom in food delivery apps meant customers were already used to having restaurant quality meals quickly delivered to their homes. To meet that demand a growing number of restaurants set up delivery only kitchens — also known as “cloud kitchens” — or rented space in ones. Then the pandemic struck, ending dining out for billions. “It really drove the whole industry into sort of hyper growth, so that really helped us,” said Jason Chen, the chief executive officer of JustKitchen. JustKitchen started operating Taiwan’s first ghost kitchen early last year — now it runs 17 across the island, as well as one in Hong Kong and is aiming to expand into the Philippines and Singapore by the end of this year, he said. Regional delivery giants like Singapore-based Grab and Indonesia’s GoJek have also jumped on the trend. Grab opened 20 new cloud kitchens in Southeast Asia last year, up from 42 before the pandemic. The global ghost kitchen industry is expected to grow more than 12 percent each year to be worth some US$139.37 billion by 2028, according to a report by Researchandmarkets.com. Asia Pacific, home to 4.3 billion people, already accounts for some 60 percent of the international market. For many in the region’s densely populated cities, where living space is at a premium, eating daily from cheap restaurants or food stalls is more affordable and viable than cooking at home. CULINARY GOLD RUSH Research group Euromonitor estimates there are some 7,500 cloud kitchens now operating

‘This is how we dress:’ Afghan women overseas pose in colourful attire

Afghan youth rights activist Wazhma Sayle says she was shocked to see a photograph online, apparently of women dressed in black all-enveloping niqabs and gowns, staging a demonstration in support of the country’s new Taliban rulers at Kabul University. The 36-year-old, who is based in Sweden, later posted a photograph of herself on Twitter dressed in a bright green and silver dress captioned: “This is Afghan culture & how we dress! Anything less then this does not represent Afghan women!” “It’s a fight for our identity,” Sayle said in a telephone interview. “I don’t want to be identified the way Taliban showed me, I cannot tolerate that. These clothes, when I wear them, speak for where I come from.” Other Afghan women overseas have posted similar pictures, striking a chord in Kabul. “At least they are able to tell the world that we, the women of Afghanistan, do not support the Taliban,” said Fatima, a 22-year-old in the Afghan capital. “I cannot post such pictures or wear those kind of clothes here anymore. If I did, the Taliban would kill me.” Many women said they believed the purported protest, which has appeared on social media and in Western media, was staged and that several people dressed in the head-to-toe black burqa gowns were men. Reuters has not verified the authenticity of the pictures. “It is good our women (overseas) were able to protest about it,” said Khatima, another young woman in Kabul. “The reality is, the burqa is not representative of women in Afghanistan.” When the Taliban was in power two decades ago, women had to cover themselves from head to toe. Those who broke the rules sometimes suffered humiliation and public beatings by the Taliban’s religious police. While the new Taliban regime has promised to allow women more freedoms, there have been reports of women being barred

Up the creek in Kaohsiung

As we packed up our riverbed camp on a sunny Sunday morning, we looked upstream to the unknown terrain ahead, wondering what surprises lay there. Would we come out on the other side? Or would we be forced to turn around and return to the start, heads hanging low? We had come to the end of the road and were now about to blaze our own trail through over 40km of wilderness to the foot of Jade Mountain. The day before we had gotten a ride up Provincial Highway 29, which follows the Nanzihsian River (楠梓仙溪) through rural Kaohsiung all the way until it dead ends at an Aboriginal village, Tangaanua, in Namasia District (那瑪夏區). Anyone who has hiked Jade Mountain has seen this river up near its source: it is on the right side of the trail all the way up to the peak. We would attempt to follow this river from the end of the road up to the Jade Mountain trailhead, praying all the way that we would not encounter any slot canyons, waterfalls or other insurmountable obstacles that would force us to turn back. This was above all an experiment, and I was thankful to have my trusty hiking partner Cory along for the walk. The going was easy at first, as the riverbed was over 200 meters wide and the grade nearly flat. Originally, Provincial Highway 29 was intended to continue through this valley to Provincial Highway 21, connecting Kaohsiung with Sun Moon Lake and Puli. This is more obvious on old maps, where Highway 29 is actually numbered as 21. When the dream of connecting the two parts of 21 was abandoned, the southern section was finally renumbered as 29 and the river valley left undeveloped. Despite there being no roads or villages back here, we still

Photo News 從照片看新聞: MET Gala makes big return after pandemic delay 時尚界奧斯卡 「MET慈善晚宴」強勢回歸

SPEAK UP ! 雙語會話

B: Did your niece receive the birthday card? A: I have no idea. It’s been over two weeks, so I assume it has arrived, although there are still postal delays due to the pandemic. B: She must have got it. Since you made the effort to go and buy the card, include a handwritten message and send it, she could at least have shown some appreciation. She could have e-mailed or phoned. If I were you, I wouldn’t put myself through the trouble on her behalf next year. A: Give her a break. She’s only three. B: 你的姪女收到生日卡了嗎？ A: 我不知道，已經兩星期了。雖然郵件還是會被疫情延誤，我猜應該寄到了吧。 B: 她一定收到了，既然你特別去買卡片，親筆寫上賀詞才寄出，她至少也該表達謝意，寫封電子郵件或打通電話給你。像她這種表現，我要是你的話，明年才不會這麼麻煩寄生日卡給她咧。 A: 她才三歲，你就饒了她吧。 （Paul Cooper, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩譯） Audio recordings for Speak Up! dialogues will be suspended until further notice due to the pandemic.

Couldn’t you afford the price of a stamp? (4/5) 難道你買不起郵票啊？（四）

A: Hey, will you look at this Web site? I’m choosing a card. They have options for all occasions! B: Wow, they have all bases covered, don’t they? Let me see: they have cards for father’s day, mother’s day, passing your driving test, passing exams and graduation. A: Yes, and also for other major occasions in your life, like congratulating you on the arrival of a baby or retirement. A: 嗨，你能過來看一下這個網站嗎？我在挑選卡片，所有場合的卡片他們都有喔！ B: 哇，真是應有盡有，不是嗎？讓我看看︰有慶祝父親節的、母親節的、考到駕照的、考試及格的，還有畢業的卡片。 A: 對，還有其它人生大事呢，像是祝賀第一個寶寶出生，或退休。 （Paul Cooper, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩譯）