The New Power Party (NPP) yesterday accused the Investment Commission of negligence for allegedly not investigating whether a firm that controls the logistics services of Taiwan’s two main science parks is funded by Chinese investors.
The party held a news conference after former NPP legislator Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) last week said that China Airlines’ sale of a stake in Science Park Logistics in 2017 had given Kerry TJ Logistics Co the opportunity to seize ownership of the company in 2018.
Huang said that Kerry TJ was funded by Chinese investors after it announced an equity transaction with China’s SF Holding Co in February.
Photo copied by Wu Shu-wei, Taipei Times
At a news conference yesterday also attended by representatives from the state-owned Taiwan Sugar Corp and the Investment Commission, NPP caucus whip Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智) said that Science Park Logistics was established in 1998, and owned by China Airlines and Taiwan Sugar, with each holding a 50 percent stake.
By 2017, Taiwan Sugar and China Airlines each had a 26 percent stake, but the airline sold its stake to HCT Logistics, he said.
HCT Logistics in 2018 sold its 55 percent stake in Science Park Logistics to Kerry TJ, he added.
“Many people are concerned about Kerry TJ’s funding from China, as the firm in February announced an equity transaction with SF Holding Co, which is based in Shenzhen, China,” Chiu said.
NPP Chairwoman Chen Jiau-hua (陳椒華) said that the party received a tip-off that President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) national policy adviser Chin Chia-hung (秦嘉鴻) had met with senior management from China Airlines and Taiwan Sugar at the headquarters of the Democratic Progressive Party ahead of the 2017 sale.
Taiwan Sugar did not exercise its right of first refusal when it learned that China Airlines was selling its stake, Chen said.
Chen questioned the lack of any minutes of the meeting and why Taiwan Sugar informed the State-Owned Enterprise Commission about it in an unofficial document.
Investment Commission Vice Executive Secretary Lu Cheng-hui (呂貞惠) said that Kerry TJ reported its equity transaction in February.
In April and May, the commission investigated the firm’s structure, Lu said, adding that it has yet to find any substantial evidence of funding from China.
“As the transaction is not complete yet, we have reminded the firm that it needs to disclose information of any Chinese shareholders voluntarily. We could also launch an investigation into the deal without having to wait for it to complete,” Lu said.
Taiwan Sugar vice president Ku Hsiao-jou (顧孝柔) said that the company decided not to buy China Airlines’ stake in Science Park Logistics in 2017 following a market analysis.
“We consulted the Southern Science Park Administration, which told us that Science Park Logistics does not have to be more than 50 percent owned by state-owned corporations,” she said.
Kerry TJ has denied being funded by Chinese investors.
A decision to describe a Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement on Singapore’s Taiwan policy as “erroneous” was made because the city-state has its own “one China policy” and has not followed Beijing’s “one China principle,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Chung-kwang (田中光) said yesterday. It has been a longstanding practice for the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to speak on other countries’ behalf concerning Taiwan, Tien said. The latest example was a statement issued by the PRC after a meeting between Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on the sidelines of the APEC summit
Taiwan’s passport ranked 34th in the world, with access to 141 visa-free destinations, according to the latest update to the Henley Passport Index released today. The index put together by Henley & Partners ranks 199 passports globally based on the number of destinations holders can access without a visa out of 227, and is updated monthly. The 141 visa-free destinations for Taiwanese passport holders are a slight decrease from last year, when holders had access to 145 destinations. Botswana and Columbia are among the countries that have recently ended visa-free status for Taiwanese after “bowing to pressure from the Chinese government,” the Ministry
‘SIGN OF DANGER’: Beijing has never directly named Taiwanese leaders before, so China is saying that its actions are aimed at the DPP, a foundation official said National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) yesterday accused Beijing of spreading propaganda, saying that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) had singled out President William Lai (賴清德) in his meeting with US President Joe Biden when talking about those whose “true nature” seek Taiwanese independence. The Biden-Xi meeting took place on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Peru on Saturday. “If the US cares about maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait, it is crucial that it sees clearly the true nature of Lai and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in seeking Taiwanese independence, handles the Taiwan question with extra
HEALTHCARE: Following a 2022 Constitutional Court ruling, Taiwanese traveling overseas for six months would no longer be able to suspend their insurance Measures allowing people to suspend National Health Insurance (NHI) services if they plan to leave the country for six months would be abolished starting Dec. 23, NHIA Director-General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said yesterday. The decision followed the Constitutional Court’s ruling in 2022 that the regulation was unconstitutional and that it would invalidate the regulation automatically unless the NHIA amended it to conform with the Constitution. The agency would amend the regulations to remove the articles and sections that allow the suspension of NHI services, and also introduce provisional clauses for those who suspended their NHI services before Dec. 23, Shih said. According to
RSS