Sat, May 28, 2022
China is today to hold naval exercises in the South China Sea, its maritime authority said, as China’s foreign ministry yesterday accused US Secretary of State Antony Blinken of “smearing” the country. The exercises, set to take place less than 25km off Hainan Province, follow US-led warnings over China’s growing military and economic presence in an area spanning from the South China Sea to the Pacific islands. “Military exercises will be held and entry is prohibited,” the Chinese Maritime Safety administration said in a statement on Thursday, warning that an area of about 100km2 would be closed off to maritime traffic for five hours. China routinely conducts similar drills in waters near its shores, with an exercise in another area of the sea near Hainan scheduled for next week, as well as multiple others along the country’s eastern coastline. The latest exercises are to start as Beijing faces a growing chorus of warnings from the US and Western allies over its naval ambitions, which critics say are a beachhead for a wider attempt to change the regional balance of power. “Beijing has engaged in increasingly provocative rhetoric and activity” near Taiwan, Blinken said on Thursday, as he called for efforts to counterbalance China’s “intent to reshape the international order.” He also said that Beijing has “cut off Taiwan’s relations with countries around the world and [is] blocking it from participating in international organizations.” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Wang Wenbin (汪文斌) told reporters in Beijing that the US “spreads false information, exaggerates the China threat, interferes in China’s internal affairs and smears China’s domestic and foreign policies.” He added that China “firmly opposed” Blinken’s comments, which showed that Washington sought to “contain and suppress China’s development and maintain US hegemony and power.”
NEW APPROACH: The talks came after the US announced that Taiwan would not be a part of its IPEF, after some of the participants said they feared retribution from Beijing Taiwan and the US are planning to announce negotiations to deepen economic ties, people familiar with the matter said, as Beijing cautioned Washington against getting too close to Taipei. The talks would focus on enhancing economic cooperation and supply-chain resiliency, falling short of a traditional free-trade agreement, the people said. The deal is likely to include areas of trade facilitation, supply-chain work and trade in agricultural products, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of a public announcement. Those elements are similar to the pillars in the 13-member Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) that US President Joe Biden announced on Monday during his visit to Tokyo. While a bipartisan group of lawmakers wanted Taiwan in that group, it was excluded because some nations that agreed to join refused to have Taipei included over fear of retribution from Beijing, people familiar with the process said. The talks are an effort to elevate the US-Taiwan economic relationship, the people said, and would go beyond existing discussions under a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement between the two governments. A US Trade Representative spokesman declined to comment on the plans for talks on deepening bilateral economic engagement. A spokesperson for the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US did not respond to a request for comment. US Trade Representative Katherine Tai (戴琪) told Bloomberg TV this week that she and her Taiwanese counterpart, Minister Without Portfolio John Deng (鄧振中), had “very positive conversations” when they met in Bangkok last Saturday. “We are committed to deepening and enhancing the bilateral trade and economic relationship, and we instructed our teams to work over the course of the next couple of weeks on that deepening and enhancement,” Tai said. The two agreed to meet again in the coming weeks to discuss the path forward, the US Trade Representative said in a readout. A large Taiwanese government
The COVID-19 pandemic has reached a plateau, with cases at a high but stable level, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday, as it announced single-day records of 94,808 domestic infections and 126 deaths. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said that infections could stay near the current level for another two weeks before declining. “Overall, daily cases have remained stable,” he told the CECC’s daily news conference. “They have plateaued in the past week or so. We hope this peak will soon pass.” Hospital beds earmarked for COVID-19 patients were at 59 percent occupancy and the load on medical resources remained stable, Chen said, although he added that the government was closely watching the number of fatalities. “We are on high alert and watching this number closely,” he said, urging hospitals to allocate enough intensive care units for COVID-19 patients. Children aged up to 6 would receive five free rapid testing kits from Wednesday to June 30, the CECC said. Allocation would be made based on the last digit of the recipient’s national identification card or Alien Resident Certificate, with odd numbers able to pick up test kits on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and even numbers on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, it said. Anyone can pick up test kits on a Sunday. However, the kits cannot be used on children aged 2 or younger, the center said, adding that their allocations could be used by parents or caregivers. Meanwhile, the Sports Administration yesterday said that people who have not had three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine could return to gyms, as long as they wear a mask at all times. Asked whether the policy would extend to other venues with the restriction, Chen said that “it is best if not.” The announcement followed another policy change on Thursday for incoming migrant workers, who
The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) yesterday trimmed its forecast for the nation’s GDP growth this year to 3.91 percent, from 4.42 percent previously, as energy price hikes constrain global economic activity. “Though unable to achieve 4 percent growth, Taiwan would outperform the world, with global growth estimated at 2.9 percent,” DGBAS Minister Chu Tzer-ming (朱澤民) said, citing global research body IHS Markit. Inflationary pressures proved worse than expected following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, while China’s COVID-19 lockdowns of major industrial and commercial cities last month were another blow, Chu said. Major Taiwanese firms have opened manufacturing facilities in China to take advantage of relatively cheap labor and land costs, he said. The US Federal Reserve and other major central banks have raised interest rates to combat inflation and thus rocked global financial markets, as seen in ongoing stock and bond price corrections, he said. A negative wealth effect would weigh on consumer spending in Taiwan, which is already being affected by a domestic COVID-19 outbreak, Chu said. People have stayed home to avoid getting infected, as business slumps at retailers, hospitality service providers, travel agencies and recreational facilities, the statistics agency said. That prompted the DGBAS to slash annual growth for private consumption to 3.1 percent this year, a significant decrease of 2 percentage points from three months earlier. The COVID-19 outbreak could remove 0.5 to 0.7 percentage points from GDP growth, Chu said. Private investment, a main growth driver due to aggressive capacity expansions by local semiconductor firms, is forecast to advance 4.61 percent, down by 1.04 percentage points due primarily to price adjustments, the DGBAS said. Consumer prices are expected to pick up 2.67 percent, an upward revision of 0.74 percentage points, given that Taiwan relies on imports to meet more than 90 percent of its energy needs. Chu said that the projected inflation
TRAGIC LOSSES: Among yesterday’s 104 reported deaths were a one-year-old girl who died of septic shock and a four-year-old who had developed encephalitis, the CECC said The government is to provide free COVID-19 antigen rapid test kits to middle and low-income households, as well as long-term care facility residents, Executive Yuan spokesman Lo Ping-cheng (羅秉成) said yesterday, as the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) reported a record death toll for the second consecutive day. Every member of a middle or low-income family is to receive five COVID-19 rapid test kits for free, and each resident of a long-term care facility would receive three, Lo told reporters after the Cabinet’s weekly meeting. Providing the tests would help ease the financial burden of the pandemic for about 800,000 people, Lo cited Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) as telling the Cabinet. Meanwhile, despite the wide availability of rapid test kits at pharmacies and convenience stores, the government would continue to supply the kits to local governments and schools, Lo said. Su told the Cabinet that the priority at this stage is to preserve hospitals’ capacity to treat people who have developed moderate or severe symptoms. After being briefed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare at the meeting, Su told the Cabinet that the domestic outbreak has begun to plateau, with 99.8 percent of confirmed cases being asymptomatic or mild, Lo said. The announcement came as the CECC reported 81,907 new cases — 81,852 domestic infections and 55 imported — and a daily record 104 deaths. The nation’s previous daily record for deaths was 76 on Wednesday. Yesterday’s reported deaths ranged in age from 1 to older than 90, including 97 people who had chronic illnesses or other severe diseases, the CECC said. Among the fatalities were two girls under the age of 5 — a one-year-old who died of septic shock after contracting COVID-19, and a four-year-old who had developed encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain, and had multiple organ failure, it said. The CECC said that 91 people
BIG EFFORT: After a probe in March, the Investigation Bureau teamed up with prosecutors’ offices in five areas to search firms for suspected talent poaching Authorities this week raided 10 Chinese firms and questioned more than 70 people as part of a crackdown on suspected poaching of talent from Taiwanese semiconductor and high-tech sectors, the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau said yesterday. From Monday to yesterday, the bureau performed a series of unannounced raids in coordination with prosecutors in Hsinchu, New Taipei City, Taipei and Taoyuan, it said in a statement. “The illegal poaching of Taiwan’s high-tech talent by Chinese companies has badly impacted our international competitiveness and endangered our national security,” the bureau said in a statement. Taipei prosecutors earlier announced that they on Tuesday raided the local unit of GigaDevice Semiconductor (HK) Ltd (香港商香港商芯技佳易微電子) on suspicion of illegal recruitment. On March 9, the bureau began investigating talent poaching, finding legal contraventions by 11 firms, it said. “The Chinese firms have been found to have circumvented our nation’s laws and restrictions, by concealing their actual ownership and financial sources, by individuals registering as locations as personal offices and by Chinese firms registering in Taiwan as an investment through a third country,” it said. That investigation led the bureau to start the most recent probe and resulting raids, involving more than 100 bureau personnel intent on determining the full extent of Chinese recruitment operations in Taiwan, it said. Working with the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office, the bureau raided four offices in and around Taipei, serving summonses to owners and executives of the Chinese-backed firms, including XEPIC Corp (芯華章科技), the parent of which is based in Nanjing, China, and is focused on electronic design automation software. The others were Lianchuang Innovation Co (聯創創新), a Shenzhen company specializing in Internet of Things products, and the local unit of GigaDevice Semiconductor (Beijing) Inc (北京兆易創新科技), it said, adding that it was questioning GigaDevice’s Taiwan director Wang Wen-hao (汪文浩). In New Taipei City, investigators searched Joulwatt Semiconductor Co (杰華特微電子),
COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE: The large local outbreak makes travel restrictions ineffective, the health minister said, while travel agents are asking for a reopening policy Reopening the borders “is just a matter of time,” the Central Epidemic Command Center said yesterday, after Japan announced that Taiwanese travelers would soon be able to visit the country in package tours. Japan on Thursday said that its borders would reopen gradually, starting with travelers from 98 countries and regions on its “blue” list, which represents places with the lowest risk of infection, including Taiwan. On-arrival COVID-19 tests and quarantine requirements are being waived for travelers from a blue-listed country or region, Japanese officials said. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, told a daily news conference that officials have yet to finalize a reopening policy. Taiwan had been cautious about relaxing travel restrictions due to the country’s relatively low rate of COVID-19 infections, but the distinction no longer exists amid the current local outbreak, Chen said. About 6 percent of Taiwanese have been recorded as official COVID-19 cases, while about 4 to 6 percent of inbound travelers tested positive in rapid tests performed at border crossings, Chen said, adding that it can be concluded that overseas travel would have no effect on the spread of COVID-19 in Taiwan. Separately, the Tourism Bureau said that Taiwanese tour groups would not be able to travel in Japan until Taipei relaxes its travel restrictions. Tourism agencies have been barred from offering package tours in Japan since March 2020, when a ban was implemented to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Contravening the regulation could result in a warning followed by a fine of between NT$5,000 and NT$10,000, it said, citing the Regulations Governing Travel Agencies (旅行業管理規則). Several travel agencies in February submitted a bid to organize package tours in Japan with EVA Airlines before the plans were halted by the bureau, it said. The government should lift pandemic border restrictions including on-arrival tests and quarantine starting
DAUGHTER’S TESTIMONY: The eight-year-old girl spent a year in Italy before being brought back to Taiwan, where a court heard her plea and awarded her mother custody The Constitutional Court has given a Taiwanese mother, surnamed Chan (詹), custody of her eight-year-old daughter, after litigation initiated by the girl’s Italian father. The ruling overturned earlier decisions by the Taipei District Court and the Supreme Court, the latter made in February, which gave custody to the father, who planned to raise the girl in Italy. Chan appealed to the Constitutional Court, which granted a provisional injunction on March 18 to prevent the daughter from being taken from Taiwan. The appeal to the Constitutional Court was based on the lower court judges not hearing the girl’s testimony, along with the argument that there were errors in the litigation process. The case attracted attention when the girl wrote a widely publicized letter to President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), saying in her own handwriting that she was happy living in Taiwan and did not want to live in Italy, while asking Tsai to help. The Constitutional Court said that the Supreme Court trial should have included the girl’s testimony, and should have informed her of what changes would take place in her life upon residing in Italy, meaning that the girl did not receive due process according to the Constitution. The court also said that because the girl has lived in Taiwan since December 2017, and had only resided in Italy for one year, Taiwan should be considered her place of residency. The Constitutional Court found the Supreme Court in error by not taking length of residency into account, which would have been “in the best interest of the child,” it said. Chan met the girl’s father in 2007 while she was working as a flight attendant, and they had a relationship in Taiwan, where the daughter was born in 2014, according to court documents. The relationship ended and the father took the girl to Italy in 2017. The mother
Taiwanese manga artist Gao Yan (高妍) on Wednesday launched a standalone edition of the manga series Lu Zhih Ge (綠之歌) in Taiwan and Japan. Gao has worked at manga artistry since childhood, and was working as an illustrator in 2018 when she published the critically lauded Lu Zhih Ge as a short story, the 25-year-old creator said at a book launch in Taipei. “It is because of Lu Zhih Ge that I found my path as a manga artist,” she said. The story — Gao’s first manga to be published — revolves around a young Taiwanese woman surnamed Lu (綠) and the real-life Japanese lyricist and musician Haruomi Hosono, who fronted the band Happy End, she said. The independently published work garnered applause after Takashi Matsumoto, a member of the band, wrote a glowing review on social media. The next year, Hosono traveled to Taiwan and invited Gao to join a production of No Smoking, a biographical documentary on Hosono that screened later that year. Gao was also featured in several high-profile international exhibitions of manga art, and illustrated the cover for acclaimed novelist Haruki Murakami’s literary self-portrait Abandoning a Cat, When I Talk About My Father. Gao last year developed Lu Zhih Ge into a full-length manga that was serialized in the Japanese-language magazine Comic Beam before publishing the series in a standalone of two volumes. “I am just a regular Haruomi fan,” she said. “I never imagined Lu Zhih Ge would catch Takashi’s eye.” She said that the story’s protagonist, Lu, is an homage to a character from the Murakami novel Norwegian Wood, whose given name contains the kanji that is rendered Lu (綠) in Chinese. “I did not expect to draw my first real commercial illustration for Haruki either,” she added. “I believe that Lu Zhih Ge has a power in its clumsy honesty that drew
Animal rights advocates on Thursday called on the government to consider the needs of land crabs before planning construction projects or maintenance work, as crabs in Kenting National Park (墾丁國家公園) are often at risk when they cross Provincial Highway 26 to lay eggs in the ocean. New Power Party Chairwoman Chen Jiau-hua (陳椒華) held a news conference to warn about the issue as the land crab breeding season approaches. “Ecological assessment has been taken more seriously than before for road and river improvement projects, but still has room for improvement,” Chen said. For instance, a road construction project led by the Directorate-General of Highways Third Maintenance Office this year blocked the crabs’ migration route, she said. Former Taiwan Environmental Protection Union Pingtung office director Hung Hui-hsiang (洪輝祥) said that Kenting is the habitat of most species of land crabs, but it has been ruined by the highway. Studies conducted by Liu Hung-chang (劉烘昌), a Taiwanese land crab specialist, showed that between October 2018 and October 2019, 3,210 land crabs died on the 4km section between Banana Bay (香蕉灣) and Shadao (砂島). Forty-five percent of those killed were female crabs carrying eggs. Hung said that the retaining walls and gutters along the highway, the highest rising 4m, built by the Directorate-General of Highways were “ridiculous” since they were short and easily crossed by the crabs. Environmental groups are hoping the Banana Bay and the Gangkou River (港口溪) estuary sections of the highway can be elevated to create ecological corridors for the crabs, Taiwan Animal Protection Monitor Network secretary-general Ho Tsung-hsun (何宗勳) said, adding that it would not be too expensive. However, elevating the highway would only have limited effect, as local residents still need to use the road daily, Liu said. Even the ecological corridors built for the famous red crabs on Christmas Island, an Australian territory northwest of the
TA-RA TRA: The act ‘made history’ by passing a third reading with the support of the president, the Cabinet and the legislature, the transportation minister said The Legislative Yuan yesterday passed the third reading of the State-run Taiwan Railways Corporation Act (國營台灣鐵路股份有限公司設置條例) that would corporatize the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) and transform it into state-owned Taiwan Railways Corp. The Executive Yuan is to set the date on which the new act is to take effect as the implementation of some of its regulations would take time to prepare. Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) hailed the passage of the act as a great start to reforming the TRA, and promised to continue improving its safety and operating efficiency. Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said the act “made history” by passing a third reading with the support of the president, the Cabinet and the legislature. A cross-agency task force is to be established to review the act and determine the organizational structure by the end of this year, he said, adding that the company is scheduled to begin operations in January next year. The legislature yesterday reviewed the proposed act and voted on the six articles discarded during cross-caucus negotiations. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus, the Taiwan People’s Party caucus and the New Power Party caucus all proposed motions to amend the articles. The motions of the DPP caucus passed. Under the act, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications is to establish Taiwan Railways Corp and to run a sound railway business through enterprise management. The act defines the company’s business scope as the operation of rail transport, related affiliated businesses stipulated in the Railway Act (鐵路法), investment, reinvestment or operation of railway-related businesses, and other businesses commissioned or approved by the ministry. The company can set up branches in Taiwan or abroad based on its business needs, it says. The company should establish a board of 11 to 15 members and three to five supervisors, it says, adding that
‘LIES BY THE WEST’: The former KMT chairperson accused Western nations of fabricating lies about Chinese repression of Uighurs in Xinjiang Workers’ groups and the Taiwan Statebuilding Party (TSP) yesterday condemned remarks by former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) praising China’s Xinjiang policy. The Taiwan Labor Front, in a news release, called on the government to ban cotton and other agricultural products made by forced labor in Xinjiang, and urged the Ministry of Economic Affairs to check imports of Xinjiang cotton by Taiwanese textile and garment companies. It condemned Hung’s remarks that the US and other countries had fabricated lies about Chinese repression of Uighurs in Xinjiang. Hung made the remarks while on a Chinese government-sponsored visit to Xinjiang this week. The Taiwan Statebuilding Party also issued a statement denouncing Hung’s whitewashing of Beijing’s actions, describing it as a renewed cooperation between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the KMT to exterminate Uighur Muslims — similar to the atrocities the two parties had committed in the past. “We would like to ask the KMT: Do you support China committing genocide against Uighurs?” the statement said. As a former KMT chairperson, Hung still represents the voice of the party’s conservative faction, it said. “Hung’s remarks endorsing Beijing’s conduct and programs in Xinjiang have been played up by Chinese state media to cover up Chinese atrocities and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang,” it said. The statement also asked KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) whether the KMT holds the same view as Hung. “Does the KMT also think that the internment camps in Xinjiang are fabrications by Western countries?” it said. “Foreigners who are not familiar with Taiwan’s history and the political situation between Taipei and Beijing might think that Hung’s stance is representative of Taiwan’s largest opposition party to support China’s policy in Xinjiang,” the statement said. “So we are seeing the KMT walk in lockstep with China, and closely identifying with the values and political ideology of Chinese
The National Police Agency (NPA) has established dedicated taskforces to handle stalking and harassment cases, the Ministry of the Interior said on Thursday, with a new anti-stalking law set to come into force next month. The NPA has formed “emergency response teams” at the central and local government levels to respond to reports of stalking and harassment in a more timely manner, Minister of the Interior Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) said in a news release. The teams were established in response to the Stalking and Harassment Prevention Act (跟蹤騷擾防制法), which is to take effect on Wednesday next week, he said. The ministry will also bring together a team of government officials, experts and representatives from civic groups to regularly review the way in which police handle stalking and harassment cases, Hsu said. It has also introduced new regulations in accordance with the law, increased the number of law enforcement officers and provided police training, with the aim of ensuring all reports of stalking and harassment are properly handled, the statement said. The Stalking and Harassment Prevention Act (跟蹤騷擾防制法) was signed into law late last year to increase punishments for such behavior and offer more protection to victims. Under the act, stalking and harassment are defined as continuous or repeated actions related to sex or gender that frighten the victim and have a negative impact on their daily lives. The act lists eight types of behavior as constituting stalking and harassment, including spying on and trailing, following and approaching, threatening and insulting, and online harassment. It also includes pursuing a relationship in an inappropriate manner, sending messages, delivering video clips or other objects by mail to another person, tarnishing someone’s reputation or using their identity to buy goods. Senior NPA official Shen Ping-hsin (沈炳信) told a news conference on Thursday that the act not only provides stricter punishments, but also
The Executive Yuan on Thursday approved a bill to establish a national sports science center that, if ratified by the legislature, would give a legal basis to establish a non-departmental public body (NDPB) called the “national sports science center,” with the aim of supporting the nation’s top coaches and athletes. The designation of the center as an NDPB is meant to utilize such an organization’s relatively liberal organization to build a professional support system offering national teams and coaches a full range of science-based training regimens. Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said the success of professional and science-based training regimens implemented by the National Sports Training Center over the past few years was the basis for the establishment of such a center. Su cited Lin Yu-ting (林郁婷) winning gold at the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in Istanbul, Turkey, and Tai Tzu-ying (戴資穎) winning the badminton women’s singles final at this year’s Thailand Open to illustrate his point. He instructed the Sports Administration to work with the legislature as much as possible to expedite the passage of the bill. Taiwanese athletes competing in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics also achieved the best Taiwanese sports performances ever, the Sports Administration said. The coaches’ and the athletes’ hard work is, of course, the main reason for these successes, but government policy and science-based training regimens have also contributed, it said. Furthermore, coaches, experts and legislators have all urged the government to establish a national-level sports science center that would help athletes and coaches, and the general development of the nation’s sports sector, it added. The establishment of the center would hopefully help Taiwan’s competitive sports perform even better in international sports competitions and events, the agency said.
Legislators on Thursday debated changing legal limits on name changes, after some of the hundreds of people who legally altered their name to “Salmon” in return for free sushi reportedly became stuck with it. In March last year, restaurant chain Sushiro ran a promotion offering free all-you-can-eat sushi for a whole table to anyone with the Chinese characters for salmon, gui yu (鮭魚), in their name. In what was later dubbed “salmon chaos,” 331 people took part, paying a nominal administration fee to legally call themselves names including “Salmon Dream” and “Dancing Salmon.” At the time the government was critical of the promotion, asking people to be “rational” and saying the stunt created pointless extra work for the paperwork-heavy bureaucracy. Some participants built social media followings off the international media attention, while others ran small businesses taking friends to the restaurant for a fee. Once the two-day promotion ended, most returned to their normal names, but more than one year on some have hit a roadblock — the government only allows people to change their names three times. Legislators debated proposed amendments to the names ordinance to help those stuck as Salmons, or to prevent another “salmon chaos.” “After the salmon chaos incident some people had already changed their name three times and now have no way to change them back,” New Power Party Legislator Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智) said, suggesting other measures including fee changes and cooling-off periods. Some Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers called for it to be made more difficult. “Our trust in civic rationality is too low,” DPP Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲), opposing an increase to restrictions as an intrusion into people’s daily lives. On social media people were scathing of the debate, saying adults should be more responsible, and that this was a waste of the legislature’s time. “How can
‘WORRYING’ DEVELOPMENT: Retail, wholesale and restaurant sales would take a dive this month amid concern over the COVID-19 situation in Taiwan, an official said Taiwan’s business climate monitor last month was green for a second consecutive month, suggesting steady growth, but downside risks are gathering strength amid China’s COVID-19 lockdowns and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the National Development Council (NDC) said yesterday. The total score of the nine subindices lost 3 points to 28, with the values on business confidence, local share prices as well as retail, wholesale and restaurant sales subsiding, while the five other gauges held steady, NDC research director Wu Ming-huei (吳明蕙) said. Exports, a main growth driver, remained strong with double-digit percentage growth last month, thanks to digital transformations and demand for innovative technology applications, Wu said. The council uses a five-color system to capture the nation’s economic state, with “green” indicating steady growth, “red” suggesting a boom and “blue” signaling a recession. Dual colors indicate a shift to a stronger or weaker state. The war in Ukraine is driving up international energy and commodity prices, which is unfavorable for corporate profitability and consumer spending, Wu said. Global monetary tightening is rocking financial markets worldwide, while China’s lockdowns of key industrial and commercial cities is negatively affecting supply chains, she said. Local suppliers of components used in smartphones, laptops and TVs have given conservative guidance for their shipments and selling prices for this quarter, she said. The index of leading indicators, which is intended to project the economic scene in the following six months, fell 0.33 percent to 100.19, the council said. Almost all subindices displayed negative cyclical movements, except for the reading on new construction, which posted a gain, it said. The index of coincident indicators, which reflects the current economic situation, posted a 0.09 percent increase to 102.34 percent on the back of improving exports, non-farm payrolls, and imports of machinery and electrical equipment, it said. Retail, wholesale and restaurant sales would take a dive this month, as
VEHICLES DRIVER: The chipmaker’s CEO said increasing electric vehicles on the market and chip use in gasoline-powered vehicles are expected to drive demand Macronix International Co (旺宏電子), the world’s biggest supplier of NOR flash memory chips, yesterday gave an upbeat outlook for the second half of this year, citing voracious demand for memory chips used in vehicles, medical and industrial devices, and servers. The Hsinchu-based chipmaker’s optimism went against a downward correction that a wide range of local electronics manufactures face due to sluggish demand for computers amid increasing global inflation and supply chains disruptions mainly due to COVID-19 lockdowns in China. “About 80 percent of our business is not related to PCs and that business is stable,” Macronix chairman and chief executive officer Miin Wu (吳敏求) told a virtual media briefing. “We feel that our customers are doing quite well, based on input from customers in Europe, the US and Japan.” With the high season approaching, Macronix is in talks with customers about new orders and expects NOR flash chip prices to be flat or to rise next quarter, extending the trend this quarter, Wu said. Macronix is adjusting its customer portfolios, diverting away from consumer electronics and mass market products as it seeks to improve its revenue and margins, Wu said. The company’s strong financial results over the past few quarters have proved that the strategy is working, he said. Growth last quarter was the fastest in Macronix’s automotive business at 75 percent from the same period last year, boosting automotive revenue contribution to 16 percent last quarter from 13 percent in the first quarter last year, company data showed. With more electric vehicles coming to the market, demand for memory chips for such vehicles would continue to grow rapidly, Wu said. Moreover, chip use in gasoline-powered vehicles is expected to keep increasing as automakers add applications to them, he said. Macronix supplies NOR flash memory chips to the world’s top-tier makers of electric vehicles, including firms in the US
Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp (陽明海運) is not considering conducting a capital reduction in the short term, but might evaluate the possibility of retiring some stock repurchased from the market, company chairman Cheng Cheng-mount (鄭貞茂) told an annual shareholders’ conference in Keelung yesterday. Cheng’s comment came after several minor shareholders suggested that Yang Ming Marine Transport should reduce its capital and return cash to shareholders, following the example of its local peer Evergreen Marine Corp (長榮海運). The shareholders also complained about Yang Ming Marine Transport’s low payout ratio. The company proposed paying a cash dividend of NT$20 per share, a payout ratio of just 41 percent, lower than those of its local peers, despite it having cash and cash equivalents totaling more than NT$100 billion (US$3.41 billion). State-owned companies such as China Steel Corp (中鋼) delivered a payout ratio of 77 percent, a shareholder said. Yang Ming Marine Transport is not considering such an approach to boost shareholders’ returns during his tenure as chairman, but it would mull retiring some stocks, Cheng said. Retiring bonds is usually considered a better approach to help prop up a company’s share price than buying back shares, as it reduces the chances of earnings dilution, he said. Although the company’s profit grew for a second consecutive year last year, the shipping industry is prone to volatility, Cheng said. It is conservative about setting dividend payments, he said, adding that the company wants to conserve earnings and capital for the investments, such as buying new or second-hand ships. Yang Ming Marine Transport would not pursue a higher market share, but a better gross margin, he added. The company would not irrationally expand its fleet, as the costs of news vessels and containers have been rising, Cheng said. Shareholders yesterday approved the company’s plan to distribute a cash dividend of NT$20 per share. It is the
The Ministry of Justice on Monday said that it might propose a law that targets hate crimes and hate speech, in response to a shooting targeting a Taiwanese congregation in California. It is an odd move for the ministry to consider new legislation in response to a crime that occurred in another nation. It might be understandable if there had been concern about a rise in hate crimes within Taiwan’s borders, but hate crimes are unlikely in Taiwan. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a hate crime as “typically one involving violence, that is motivated by prejudice on the basis of ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or similar grounds.” Roughly 98 percent of Taiwanese identify as “Han Chinese,” according to official statistics. While there has historically been violence between those already in Taiwan and new arrivals from China (so-called waishengren, 外省人), as well as historical conflicts between Han settlers and indigenous people, violence on such grounds is exceedingly rare today. There is also no endemic problem of religious strife or systemic violence toward those of the LGBTQ community, and mass shootings do not occur in Taiwan, which has strict gun laws. If the ministry is to propose new legislation to target hate crimes, it should define the crimes it is concerned about. The suspect in the California church shooting has been linked to an organization connected with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and it is known that the CCP is working to create social strife within Taiwan, but its activities in Taiwan might already be addressed by existing laws. For example, the dissemination of fake news and the poaching of Taiwanese talent are addressed by laws such as the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例). Taiwan already criminalizes defamation and it could introduce a hate speech law as an extension
One reason that European culture is so vibrant is that many local languages are well preserved and continue to thrive. Some small European countries actually have more official languages than the larger ones. Switzerland, for example, has four, despite a population that is one-third the size of Taiwan’s. The land is divided into German, French, Italian and Romansh zones, in which the central government respects all languages equally without discrimination. If one writes to the central government in one of these languages, a reply would come in the same language. However, in-person services are delivered within a region’s dominant language. Belgium has almost the same land mass as Taiwan, yet its population is only half the size. Surrounded by the Netherlands, France and Germany, it has adopted several official languages. In Brussels, its capital, French and Dutch are the official languages. To promote globalization in Taiwan, the government has established new policies looking to make English the second official language after Mandarin. This is quite absurd considering that Taiwan has never been colonized by any English-speaking nations, especially as learning native languages in Taiwan such as Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese) or Hakka actually benefits people more. These languages have more tones than Mandarin, and this builds a solid foundation for Taiwanese to learn and speak foreign languages upon mastery. Without these native languages and mother tongues, not only does one lose an edge in language learning, one also loses something more essential — a sense of belonging. With the prospect of information warfare at our doorstep, if every time the government broadcasts its messages with Hoklo, Hakka and indigenous languages alongside Mandarin, it would reduce the amount of fake news in our community. Why is it that we put English over our own mother tongues when globalization is just at our fingertips? According to the
Five thousand miles from Ukraine, an island nation with a population of 23.9 million is closely watching Russia’s devastating war in Ukraine. As the rhetoric “Ukraine today, Taiwan tomorrow” resonates across Taiwanese and international social media, many international relations pundits have reflected upon the likelihood of China launching a military invasion of Taiwan. For those with a less pessimistic viewpoint, Beijing is more likely just going to step up its intimidation of Taipei. Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leaders’ calculations about attacking Taiwan “are political decisions that Moscow’s actions will not influence,” said David Sacks, a research fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. Russia’s colossal missteps in Ukraine are unlikely to reduce Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) determination to annex Taiwan. To Xi and the CCP, China’s unification with Taiwan has been framed as a “historic mission and unshakable commitment” on which Chinese leaders would never make any concessions. Meanwhile, China is closely monitoring the war in Ukraine and Russia’s countermeasures to the West’s sanctions on Moscow. The flashpoints in Ukraine and Taiwan are not identical, but China might have learned invaluable lessons about Russia’s military tactics and its blunders as it faced Ukraine’s strong determination and heroic resistance. Yet one should not downplay the scenario of a cross-strait conflict. China’s reining in of Hong Kong and its strong will to reinforce Sino-Russia ties with “no limits” have compounded the fears in Taiwan, presenting “the danger of a more immediate crisis over the Taiwan crisis than one might expect,” said Steven Goldstein of Harvard University’s Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies. If Beijing launches a war against Taiwan, economic sanctions, reputational costs, military support and diplomatic boycotts would likely have a seismic effect on China’s reputation and economic strength. Nevertheless, China has extensive experience in bearing these costs, especially with its repression of people in
STAR TURN: Game 5 was time for Klay Thompson to shine, leading the way with eight three-pointers for a record-setting fifth time in his playoff career Klay Thompson drained the three-pointers, Draymond Green anchored the defense and even chipped in on the offensive end for a change, while Stephen Curry capped off an Most Valuable Player (MVP) performance as the Golden State trio on Thursday put the Warriors in position for another title after advancing to the NBA Finals with a 120-110 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. “Like I’ve said over and over again, I’m going to keep saying it: No one has proven that they can move us off that spot,” Green said. “That’s the mindset we come into this thing with. We understand what it takes to win a championship.” The triumvirate of Curry, Thompson and Green is in rarefied air in NBA lore as the core of a team who have made it to six NBA Finals in eight years. It is an accomplishment only the greatest groups have reached, with Bill Russell’s Celtics of the 1950s and 1960s, Magic Johnson’s Lakers in the 1980s and Michael Jordan’s Bulls of the 1990s doing it. Now the Warriors hope to add a fourth title to the ones they captured in 2015, 2017 and 2018 when the Finals start on Thursday against either Boston or Miami. The Celtics were leading the series 3-2 heading into yesterday’s Game 6. “We’re happy to be here, but it would help our legacy a lot if we completed the mission and won the whole thing,” Thompson said. “We can be happy tonight, and we will be, I’ll celebrate tonight, but tomorrow [Friday] when this Game 6 comes on, I’m turning the page and I’m scouting because we want to finish this thing off the right way.” The previous time the Warriors made it to the NBA Finals, they fell short, starting a two-year spiral filled with losing and injuries. Thompson tore his left anterior cruciate
Simona Halep on Thursday said she would have to learn to put less pressure on herself after a panic attack interrupted her loss in the second-round at the French Open. The former world No. 1 and 2018 French Open champion called for a doctor during the third set of her loss to Chinese teenager Zheng Qinwen on Court Simonne Mathieu. “It was just a panic attack. It happened,” she told reporters with a smile afterward. “I didn’t know how to handle it, because I don’t have it often. I don’t really know why it happened, because I was leading the match, I was playing well.” “I lost it. I couldn’t focus,” she said. “After the match was pretty tough, but now I’m good. I’m recovered and I will learn from this episode. Nothing like dangerous, in my opinion.” Halep, who lost three Grand Slam finals before winning majors at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, last year said she sometimes struggled to handle the pressure of being an elite athlete. The 30-year-old Romanian said she had been given the all clear by doctors after her panic attack and was determined to learn from the experience. “It’s just a tennis match, so I have to [be] a little bit more relaxed,” she said. “I probably put pressure on myself too much, because I really wanted to do well.” Zheng is to play France’s Alize Cornet, who defeated Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-0, 1-6, 6-3. Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching had a win and a loss in her opening matches in the women’s and mixed doubles. In the first round of the women’s doubles, she and partner Shuko Aoyama of Japan fell 6-3, 7-5 against Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania and Colombia’s Maria Camila Osorio Serrano. In the mixed doubles, she advanced to the quarter-finals with a 6-3, 6-3 victory alongside Ben McLachlan of Japan, eliminating
Should he win one of auto racing’s crown jewel races, Conor Daly would gladly take the seven-figure payout awarded to the Indianapolis 500 champion and deposit cash straight in his bank account. Oh, and throw in some digital dollars, too. “We have bitcoin bonuses in our contract, so [if] we win, then there will be some bitcoin floating my way,” Daly said, smiling. The IndyCar driver is among a growing number of athletes getting in the crypto game. At Indy, where culture is traditionally steeped in bricks more than bitcoin, the shift to cryptocurrency sponsorship might still be a curious concept to the almost 300,000 fans who are expected at the track tomorrow, but inside the paddock — and locker rooms around the sports world — new forms of digital money help pay the bills and salaries for teams and athletes. Team owner Ed Carpenter is a staunch advocate for cryptocurrencies. Ed Carpenter Racing is better known in the paddock during May as the Bitcoin Racing Team, because Daly and Rinus VeeKay drive Chevrolets sponsored by BitNile, which owns and operates a data center at which it mines bitcoin. Drivers in auto racing series around the globe hope sponsorships and paint schemes can stir interest for fans to educate themselves about the often-complicated, almost mythical, digital currency. The more fans who dip into the cryptomarket, the thinking goes, the more apt those companies are to invest in racing. Cryptocurrencies are a digital asset that can be traded over the Internet without relying on the global banking system. They have been promoted as a way for those with limited means to build wealth by investing in the next big thing. They are also highly speculative and often lack transparency, which substantially increases risk. Bitcoin and ethereum, the most popular cryptocurrencies on the market, plunged in value this month, leaving skeptics to
Karmila Purba revs her motorbike under the lights of an Indonesian night carnival and rides up horizontally inside a wooden cylinder called Satan’s Barrel, drawing gasps from spectators looking down into the drum. With a smile on her face, Purba delights onlookers as she fearlessly pings around the bowl in Bogor, West Java, spreading her arms to collect tips waved by those above. The gravity-defying daredevil is among a handful of women that perform the stunt in Indonesia, zipping around a structure more commonly known as the Wall of Death. Women becoming Wall of Death riders is “extremely rare,” the 23-year-old said before the show. “When I started there was no one else ... so I wanted to be something different, doing something that no one else was doing,” she said. For decades, the Satan’s Barrel has been the main attraction at traveling funfairs in Indonesia, particularly in rural areas where there are few options for affordable entertainment. Using centripetal force, riders sling their bikes around the motordrome at high speeds without protective gear as the smell of rubber fills the air. Purba came from humble beginnings, earning a meager living as a street busker on the island of Sumatra in western Indonesia before switching jobs eight years ago for a better income of about 6 million rupiah (US$412) a month. She can also earn up to 400,000 rupiah in tips on a good day. However, at the beginning of her daredevil journey, she faced questions about her career choice. “People were saying to me: ‘You are a woman, why do you do something like that? It’s not for females,’” she said. “There was a lot of criticism.” Fans eventually began to praise Purba, giving her the nickname “Princess of the Wall of Death.” Now she is one of the star acts of the carnival. A “female wall of death rider is very
‘CEASELESS’ SHELLING: Moscow was carrying out ‘genocide’ in Donbas, and the bombardment could leave the entire region uninhabited, Zelenskiy said Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv yesterday reeled from a deadly onslaught of Russian shelling as Moscow pressed its offensive to capture key points in the eastern Donbas region with more bombing of residential areas. The pounding of Kharkiv, which local officials said left at least nine people dead, raised fears that Russia had not lost interest in the city even after Ukraine took back control after fierce battles. Over three months after Russia launched its invasion on Feb. 24 — and which has left thousands dead on both sides and displaced millions of Ukrainians — Moscow is focusing on the east of Ukraine after failing in its initial ambition to capture Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Thursday reiterated accusations that Moscow is carrying out a “genocide” in Donbas, saying its bombardment could leave the entire region “uninhabited.” Kharkiv Governor Oleg Sinegubov said that nine civilians had been killed in the Russian shelling on Thursday. A five-month-old child and her father were among the dead, while her mother was gravely wounded, he said on social media channels. An Agence France-Presse reporter in the city said that the northern residential district of Pavlove Pole was hit and saw plumes of smoke rising from the area. The journalist saw several people wounded near a shuttered shopping center, while an elderly man with injuries to his arm and leg was carried away by medics. Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov said the northeastern city’s metro, which resumed work this week after being used mainly as a shelter since the Russian invasion, would continue operating, but also offer a safe space for residents. In Donbas, Russian forces were closing in on several cities, including strategically located Severodonetsk and Lysychansk which stand on the crucial route to Ukraine’s eastern administrative center in Kramatorsk. Pro-Russian separatists said they had captured the town of Lyman, which lies between Severodonetsk and
FATAL METHODS: A man suffocated to death after officers shoved him inside a car trunk filled with smoke, apparently from a tear gas canister, a video showed Bodies from a Rio de Janeiro police raid that left more than 20 alleged drug traffickers dead show signs of torture and summary execution, a senior lawyer said on Thursday, the latest incident of suspected police brutality to shock the South American nation. Police said they encountered heavy gunfire when they carried out a raid in the Vila Cruzeiro neighborhood on Tuesday, an operation aimed at tracking down gang leaders who were allegedly hiding out there. Evidence from the scene has raised concerns that some of the dead were tortured and killed in cold blood, said Rodrigo Mondego, the head of the human rights commission at the Rio de Janeiro chapter of the Brazilian Bar Association. “We saw one body with a white powder that looked like cocaine covering its face,” he said. “Whoever killed this person smeared it all over his face and may have forced him to eat it. It’s an act of torture.” Mondego said that there were suspicions of “a large number of summary executions.” “Witnesses have told us men who had surrendered to the police were then shot in the woods” above the hillside slum, he added. The operation left at least 26 people dead, including a hairdresser hit by a stray bullet, the latest toll from health authorities showed. Police put the death toll at 23. Mondego said the number raised concerns about possible summary executions. “If you look at statistics from around the world, you’ll never see a firefight where more than 20 people are killed on one side and none on the other,” he said. Brazilian prosecutors have opened an investigation into possible human rights violations during the operation. It was the second-deadliest such raid in Rio history, after another in May last year that left 28 people dead — 27 alleged drug traffickers and one police officer — in Jacarezinho neighborhood. Brazilian President
China’s foreign minister yesterday arrived on the Pacific nation of Kiribati, where the future of a vast fishing ground is at stake. The planned four-hour visit by Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) was his second stop on an eight-nation tour amid growing concerns about Beijing’s military and financial ambitions in the South Pacific region. Kiribati closed its borders this year as it tries to stamp out an outbreak of COVID-19, but its government made a rare exception to allow Wang and his 20-person delegation into the country for face-to-face discussions. At stake in Kiribati is the future of the Phoenix Islands Protected Area, a stretch of ocean the size of California that is a UNESCO World Heritage site. In November last year, Kiribati President Taneti Maamau announced the government planned to end the commercial fishing ban that had been in place since 2015 and begin to sustainably fish the area. Anna Powles, a senior lecturer in security studies at New Zealand’s Massey University, said she expected there would be some fisheries agreements between China and Kiribati that would come from Wang’s visit. Powles said China, which already dominates fishing in the region, had offered to upgrade an airport runway and causeway in the Phoenix Islands. “The worry is that this would essentially obliterate the fish stock,” she said. “That it would severely damage fish stocks that are already under pressure.” She said there were also concerns that any kind of base for Chinese commercial fishing fleets in Kiribati could also be used as an additional hub for Beijing’s surveillance activities. Kiribati’s president said that Wang would visit his residence for bilateral discussions during the visit, and emphasized the health protocols that were in place. Maamau said in a statement that the Chinese delegation would need to take polymerase chain reaction tests before arriving and stay in a
Mothers hosting playdates near cordoned-off parks, mahjong maestros huddled in streets and youngsters slugging night-time beers on barricaded sidewalks — Beijingers are making the most of the small spaces available as China’s COVID-19 controls close in. Meanwhile in Shanghai, a growing number of residents are being allowed to briefly venture outside as the city gradually eases out of an extended lockdown, celebrating their first hours outside in weeks with champagne and roadside picnics. China is hitched to a zero-COVID policy that triggers mass lockdowns, routine tests and movement restrictions whenever infection clusters emerge — the last major economy to do so in a world now living with the coronavirus. Beijing, a city of 22 million people, looked on in horror as Shanghai entered a slow-motion lockdown last month, with millions still under stay-at-home orders. The capital has recorded just dozens of cases each day but has also gone quiet since the beginning of the month with schools closed and everyone — other than doctors and a few essential workers — told to work from home. Now the city is watching and waiting to see which way the virus trends. Hundreds of thousands of people have been restricted to their homes, still well short of a full lockdown but enough to leave only the brave and the rebellious out on the streets of a pandemic-weary city. “Everything is closed! Cinemas, museums ... football pitches,” said Eric Ma, a programmer sharing a few beers with friends around the Liangma River in downtown Beijing. “It feels claustrophobic. We have to find creative ways to have fun.” CAT-AND-MOUSE Those, like Ma, who venture out face a cat-and-mouse game with police and city authorities enforcing strict virus rules and sealing off access to riverbanks and other gathering spots. A large blue sign near the river captured the authorities’ approach: “Be patient to enjoy the sunshine
Acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda is back in competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, with his first South Korean film which explores the country’s controversial practice of “drop boxes” for unwanted babies. The movie is one of two South Korean pictures competing for the Palme d’Or along with Park Chan-wook’s Decision to Leave, after Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite became the country’s first film to win the coveted honor in 2019. Since then, more Korean-language productions have enjoyed explosive global success, from Netflix’s Squid Game to Apple TV+’s Pachinko. Kore-eda, who won the top prize at Cannes in 2018 for his family drama Shoplifters — about a group of Tokyo misfits and crooks who form a kind of alternative family — is back with another tale delving into similar themes. His new South Korean-produced film Broker looks at so-called baby boxes where mothers can anonymously abandon their newborns to avoid the stigma and hardship of being a single mother in a patriarchal society. While researching the project, the Japanese film-maker, who has been lauded for his sensitive, contemplative explorations of complex family relationships, met children at orphanages. The youngsters, Kore-eda said, questioned whether, as unwanted babies, it would have been better not to be born. Their question became the focus of the film, Kore-eda said. “Baby boxes exist in Japan as well,” Kore-eda said at a press conference in Seoul earlier this month, which he attended virtually. “I wanted to portray the journey of a group of people — some with good intentions and some with malice — with various stories surrounding a baby who was left in a baby box.” ’NATURALISTIC’ The film is a collaboration between Kore-eda and a South Korean all-star cast, including top actors Song Kang-ho (Parasite), Gang Dong-won (Peninsula) and K-pop megastar Lee Ji-eun. “It is a massive ensemble cast — hard to think of a recent
Tourism is a lopsided industry in most countries, and Taiwan is no exception. On some days, certain places are packed out with visitors, while others hardly ever see an excursionist. It’s probably true to say that tourism is even more uneven in Changhua County than in other counties or municipalities. Almost everyone has toured the famous temples and old streets of Lukang (鹿港), but how many readers of the Taipei Times have set foot in Jhutang (竹塘) or Sijhou (溪州), rural townships on the north bank of the Jhuoshuei River (濁水溪)? Not many people live in Jhutang — fewer than 14,600 according to recent Household Registration data — and on the Sunday morning we visited, the only place that appeared at all lively was 4km southeast of the township’s modest downtown. SACRED BANYAN TREE Clusters of retirees and middle-aged folks were relaxing beneath the boughs of Jiulong Giant Banyan (九龍大榕樹), an immense sacred tree that could be 300 years old. Some visitors were picnicking. Two vendors were doing brisk business, and during our visit the karaoke machine didn’t once fall silent. There are basketball hoops and bathrooms. The banyan’s size (more than 3,000 ping, or over 1 hectare) and shape are in part a consequence of natural disasters. Typhoon gales have caused it to grow sideways rather than upward. The Aug. 7 floods of 1959 added a thick layer of fertile soil to the area, after which the tree’s canopy grew even larger. Some of those living in the neighborhood reported spooky happenings in the months following that calamity. This, it was eventually decided, was because they hadn’t correctly handled the remains of Liao Jhu-che (廖竹車), a native of Jhushan (竹山) in Nantou County who perished in the flooding and was washed up near the banyan. To rectify their errors, villagers established a
The Taipei Times bilingual pages are having a makeover, with professionally curated content for both English and Chinese learners of all levels, starting this month. With our new partners Ivy English, English OK and others, Taipei Times readers can improve their language studies while keeping abreast of important issues in Taiwan and abroad. A new departure for us is the addition of a Chinese-language learning module, with content provided by the National Taiwan Normal University “Mandarin Teaching Center.” Watch this space! 《台北時報》雙語版最優質的中英文內容，多年來一向受到讀者們的喜愛。本月起版面全新升級！每週和《常春藤解析英語》、《English OK中學英閱誌》……等專業英語機構合作，提供豐富多元且實用的英語學習內容，不但適合各種程度學生及上班族自修，老師、家長用它當教材也超便利。原先頗受歡迎的雙語新聞則予以保留，持續帶領大家了解國內外之重要議題。 而此次改版除了英語學習以外，本報特別和台灣師範大學「國語教學中心」聯手，即將為外國讀者們推出華語學習單元，打造最強全方位中英文雙語版，精彩內容在網站上也看的到唷！
This is an advertisement about a restaurant’s lunchtime delivery service. 這是餐廳有關午餐外送服務的廣告。 必備單字 1. sandwich n. 三明治（國中基本1200字） 2. deliver v. 遞送、傳送、運送 （國中挑戰800字） 實用字詞 1. delivery service 運送服務 2. on weekday(s) 在平日時、非假日時 閱讀技巧： 將長句分成短字詞，以利閱讀 Starting this month, we are launching a lunchtime delivery service. 自本月起，／我們將展開／午餐外送服務。 斷句練習： And we deliver /from 11:00 A.M. to 2:30 P.M. /on weekdays. 解答： And we deliver from 11:00 A.M. to 2:30 P.M. on weekdays. 我們提供外送／中午十一點到下午兩點半／在平日時。 考題練習： TOEIC Bridge測驗X國中會考題型 1. What will ABC Sandwiches deliver? (A) Breakfast (B) Lunch (C) Dinner 2. When will the delivery begin? (A) Last month (B) This month (C) Next month 3. When is the service available? (A) On weekdays (B) On weekends (C) Every day 解答： 1. (B) 2. (B) 3. (A) 文章由 English OK 授權使用: www.englishok.com.tw
The Taipei Times bilingual pages are having a makeover, with professionally curated content for both English and Chinese learners of all levels, starting this month. With our new partners Ivy English, English OK and others, Taipei Times readers can improve their language studies while keeping abreast of important issues in Taiwan and abroad. A new departure for us is the addition of a Chinese-language learning module, with content provided by the National Taiwan Normal University “Mandarin Teaching Center.” Watch this space! 《台北時報》雙語版最優質的中英文內容，多年來一向受到讀者們的喜愛。本月起版面全新升級！每週和《常春藤解析英語》、《English OK中學英閱誌》……等專業英語機構合作，提供豐富多元且實用的英語學習內容，不但適合各種程度學生及上班族自修，老師、家長用它當教材也超便利。原先頗受歡迎的雙語新聞則予以保留，持續帶領大家了解國內外之重要議題。 而此次改版除了英語學習以外，本報特別和台灣師範大學「國語教學中心」聯手，即將為外國讀者們推出華語學習單元，打造最強全方位中英文雙語版，精彩內容在網站上也看的到唷！
| New Taipei City | 23-30 | 20% |  |
| Hsinchu County | 23-30 | 20% | |
| Hsinchu City | 23-29 | 20% | |
| Taipei City | 23-30 | 40% |  |
| Miaoli County | 24-31 | 30% | |
| Taoyuan City | 22-30 | 20% | |
| Keelung City | 23-27 | 20% | |
| Yunlin County | 24-33 | 30% | |
| Taichung City | 25-33 | 30% | |
| Nantou County | 24-33 | 30% | |
| Changhua County | 24-32 | 20% | |
| Chiayi County | 24-32 | 30% | |
| Chiayi City | 24-34 | 30% | |
| Tainan City | 26-31 | 20% |  |
| Kaohsiung City | 26-32 | 20% | |
| Pingtung County | 24-32 | 20% | |
| Yilan County | 23-30 | 50% | |
| Hualien County | 24-29 | 10% | |
| Taitung County | 24-31 | 10% | |
| Kinmen County | 22-27 | 30% | |
| Penghu County | 25-29 | 10% | |
| Lienchiang County | 19-24 | 30% | |
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