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China’s Vice Premier Liu to sign trade deal in US

NOT JUST HYPE?No version of a text for any agreement has been made public and Chinese officials have yet to publicly commit to key points, such as raising US imports
Chinese Vice Premier Liu He leaves trade talks at the offices of the US Trade Representative in Washington on May 10 last year.Photo: EPA-EFE
Chinese Vice Premier Liu He (劉鶴), head of the country’s negotiation team in trade talks with the US, is to sign a “phase 1” deal in Washington next week, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said yesterday.

Liu is to visit Washington from Monday to Wednesday next week, ministry spokesman Gao Feng (高峰) told reporters at a regular briefing.

Negotiating teams from both sides remain in close communication on the particular arrangements of the signing, he said.

The phase 1 deal with China would be signed on Wednesday at the White House, US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday last week.

Trump also said that he would sign the deal with “high-level representatives of China,” and that he would later travel to Beijing to begin talks on the next phase.

The US launched the trade dispute with Beijing a year-and-a-half ago over allegations of unfair trade practices, such as theft of US intellectual property and subsidies that unfairly benefit Chinese state-owned companies.

The phase 1 deal reached last month is expected to cut tariffs and boost Chinese purchases of US farm, energy and manufactured goods, while addressing some disputes over intellectual property.

However, no version of the text has been made public and Chinese officials have yet to publicly commit to key points, such as increasing imports of US goods and services by US$200 billion over two years.

China would not increase its annual low-tariff import quotas for corn, wheat and rice to accommodate stepped-up purchases of farm goods from the US, local media group Caixin quoted Chinese Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Han Jun (韓俊) as saying on Tuesday.

The move could make it more difficult for Beijing to meet import commitments in the trade deal due to be signed next week.

The agreement would likely double China’s US$24 billion in pre-trade dispute purchases to between US$40 billion and US$50 billion annually, US President Donald Trump said last month.

When asked if China would have to reduce grain imports from other countries to meet its US commitments, Gao said that China would continue to improve the administration of tariff quotas for wheat, corn and soybeans in accordance with WTO commitments, and would make full use of quotas according to market conditions.

This is not inconsistent with expanding agricultural imports from the US, Gao said.

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Louisiana approves permits for complex proposed by Formosa Plastics subsidiary

The state of Louisiana has issued a series of key air quality permits for a proposed petrochemical complex that would about double toxic emissions in the local area and, according to environmentalists, become one of the largest plastics pollution-causing facilities in the world.

The US$9.4 billion facility, owned by Formosa Plastics Corp (台塑), would consist of 14 separate plastics plants across 930 hectares of land in St James Parish, a largely African-American community in the already heavily polluted area in southern Louisiana.

Environmentalists have said that the plant could release 13 million tonnes of greenhouse gases a year, the equivalent of three coal-fired power plants, and would emit thousands of tonnes of other dangerous pollutants.

The facility has been forcefully opposed by environmental groups and certain local campaigners.

The 16 permits issued by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality allow Formosa to begin construction, department spokesman Greg Langley said.

A spokeswoman for Formosa, which is operating the project under a subsidiary, FG LA, said that the company would start “site preparation activities” in the first quarter of this year.

This first phase, including soil testing, could take up to a year to complete, she added.

The announcement was met with derision by local environmentalists.

“We are fighting to protect our homes and our families from this monster, Formosa. We are not going to stop because of this bad decision by the state to grant air permits,” Rise St James president Sharon Lavigne said in a statement.

Environmental advocates on Tuesday said that they would continue to oppose the project, but withheld details of what their next steps would be until the permits were made publicly available.

“The state of Louisiana is wholly unprepared to provide proper oversight of this monster,” Louisiana Bucket Brigade founding executive director Anne Rolfes said. “This approval signals that our state government is willing to sacrifice our health, our clean air and water to cheap plastics. The good news is that we, the people, do not accept this decision. The fight has just begun.”

The project has been endorsed by a number of senior Louisiana officials, including by Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, citing job creation and tax revenues. It is expected to create 1,200 new permanent jobs, along with 8,000 temporary construction jobs.

“FG is pleased to have completed the rigorous environmental permitting process,” FG LA community and government relations director Janile Parks said. “Our team has worked diligently to design a facility that meets state and federal standards that protect the health and safety of our employees, community and the environment.”

The project would generate US$362 million of taxes for state and local governments during construction, with about US$207 million being “collected in the St James area,” Parks said.

However, local campaigners have said that the financial rewards should be seen as secondary to the project’s environmental impact.

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people: 馬英九 韓國瑜 蔡英文

title: Cost of travel worth it for elections

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Many of my young colleagues in Taipei are wrestling with whether to return home to Kaohsiung to vote. A round-trip high-speed rail ticket between Taipei and Zuoying (左營) costs NT$2,980 (US$99), while a round-trip intercity bus ticket with Kuo-Kuang Motor Transportation is NT$1,060.

They hesitate because the Lunar New Year holiday begins only 12 days after tomorrow’s presidential and legislative elections, and it does not make “good economic sense” to go home to vote and then return less than two weeks later.

I tease them, asking what happened to all the enthusiasm they had before the 2018 nine-in-one elections, when they took the high-speed rail home to vote.

Embarrassed, some said: “I felt totally defeated having been taken in by that country bumpkin” or “I have become a joke to my classmates.”

I pat them on the shoulder, consoling them, and consider how not returning home to vote — whether on a NT$2,980 high-speed rail ticket or a NT$1,060 bus ticket — makes “good economic sense” if it is for a hard-working candidate.

The hourly minimum wage has grown 32 percent over the past three years, from NT$120 to NT$158, surpassing former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) eight-year presidency, when it grew 26 percent, from NT$95 to NT$120.

The basic monthly wage has increased nearly NT$4,000 per month, from NT$20,008 to NT$23,800, again outperforming Ma’s presidency, when it increased NT$2,728, from NT$17,280 to NT$20,008.

More importantly, when the basic wage increases, retirement payments and the scope of salaries also increase.

Under President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) leadership, the nation’s economy has continued to improve. Annual GDP growth for last year was the strongest of the four Asian Tigers and stock market capitalization reached more than NT$30 trillion, as the TAIEX reached a 29-year high of 12,110 on Jan. 3.

If last year’s stock market growth were equally distributed, every TAIEX investor would have gained NT$750,000.

Last year, the government’s pension and labor insurance funds — which mean quite a bit to Taiwanese — earned nearly NT$500 billion. If that profit were equally distributed, every laborer would receive NT$32,000.

Apart from the salary hike, last year’s standard income tax deduction had more of an impact than any deduction in the past few years, with more than NT$6,000 deducted on average per taxpayer.

Tsai’s leadership should be credited for achieving this outstanding performance amid the sluggish global economy, an outcome of the US-China trade dispute.

By comparison, Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, confessed that his grades fell behind those of his classmates in junior-high school because he was distracted by the legs of the girl sitting in front of him.

Han has himself said that he was unemployed for 17 years after losing his legislative seat in 2001. After winning the Kaohsiung mayoral election with 892,545 votes, he frequently sleeps in, arriving late at the office, or often takes days off.

Han has been in office for more than a year, but high-level city government positions remain vacant and none of his major election pledges has materialized.

People should learn from history. In the unfortunate event that Han is elected president, the public’s perception of him as a “country bumpkin” and the KMT’s poor track record would seem to point to fewer salary increases over the next four years, and a Han administration would struggle to match the economic achievements of Tsai’s watch.

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title: Developer seeks big sales as buyer interest climbs

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Major developer Shining Building Business Co (鄉林建設) aims to improve its profits this year as buyer interest picks up, aided by low interest rates and capital repatriation.

The Taichung-based builder, which owns luxury hotel brand Lalu (涵碧樓) in Taiwan and China, posted revenue that soared 2.4 times to NT$2.69 billion (US$89.64 million) in November last year, easing to 4.9 percent a cumulative decline to revenue over the first 11 months, from more than 30 percent in the prior months, company data showed.

This means that the company had losses of NT$0.91 per share in the first three quarters of last year, even though two presale projects, in Taichung and New Taipei City’s Sinjhuang District (新莊), sold out last year, Shining chairman Lai Cheng-yi (賴正鎰) said.

“We have turned over a substantial number of unsold houses, with less than 10 percent on hand in various parts of Taiwan,” Lai told a media briefing in Taipei.

Builders and developers cannot realize profits until new projects are completed and turned over to customers.

Presale and new housing projects last year rose to a record NT$1.45 trillion nationwide and could climb 6 percent higher this year, as economic fundamentals improve and borrowing costs remain low, said Lai, who is also chairman of the General Chamber of Commerce (全國商業總會).

“We expect the market to receive support from companies and investors wiring retained earnings and other funds home, as stricter accounting rules abroad might mean heavier income taxes,” Lai said.

Local firms returning from China as part of a supply-chain realignment should buoy the residential property market, in addition to demand for office and factory space, Lai said.

Housing prices have recovered from years of corrections, which once ran as deep as 15 percent, Lai added.

The company is seeking to take advantage of the uptrend and to introduce new housing projects in Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan and Taichung valued at a combined NT$22.1 billion over the next three years, Lai said.

Shining also aims to launch NT$47 billion of projects in China, as the company increasingly shifts its focus across the Taiwan Strait, he said.

Liu An-kong (劉安康), who is responsible for the market in northern Taiwan, said that prospective buyers have regained interest in apartments of 30 to 60 ping (99m2 to 198m2) since the second half of last year as they seek to accommodate family needs.

Small apartments of at most 20 ping dominated the market over the past few years due to investors seeking rental income and other buyers’ lack of confidence, Liu said.

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2020 Elections: TV stations must give sources of vote counts: NCC

Television stations should clearly indicate the sources from which they obtain vote counts during tomorrow’s elections, the National Communications Commission (NCC) said on Wednesday.

“We want to remind TV stations that they are responsible for verifying the information and reporting vote counts based on their cited sources. We would also ask them to explain if we receive the complaints from viewers about discrepancies in the vote counts,” the commission said.

The Satellite Television Broadcast Association last month announced the ethical guidelines governing cable news channels’ reports of vote counts on election day, the commission said.

Based on the guidelines, the channels are to stop airing or replaying election-related news and political talk shows produced before 12am tomorrow, the association said.

All cable news stations tomorrow should cover the presidential and legislative elections in a fair manner to avoid campaigning for a certain candidate or party.

Vote counts displayed on TV screens should be real and come from reliable sources, and viewers should be able to verify the authenticity of the vote counts, the association said.

TV stations should clearly cite the sources for vote counts if they do not get the information from the Central Election Commission (CEC), including the votes counted by political parties, candidates’ campaign headquarters and temporary field staff hired by TV stations to monitor elections nationwide, the association said.

Should candidates unilaterally announce that they have won their race, the news channels should remind viewers that they need to consult the CEC for final vote counts and results, it said.

If technical errors occur when reporting the votes, TV stations should quickly offer verbal and written corrections, it said.

They should also quickly clarify if the screenshots of the erroneous vote counts have also been circulated over the Internet, the association said.

TV stations should keep files of information related to vote counts, including the reports from their field staff, it added.

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people: 王婉諭 鄧惠文

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2020 Elections: ‘Biased’ banners slammed by LGBT groups, candidates

Green Party Taiwan and the New Power Party (NPP) legislator at-large candidates on Wednesday joined LGBT rights groups in condemning the use of campaign banners they said were aimed at attracting votes by “selling discrimination and fear” against families with LGBT parents.

Jovi Wu (吳少喬), who raises her seven-year-old daughter with her same-sex partner, told a news conference in Taipei, that the Stabilizing Force Alliance and some Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidates have put up banners with messages such as: “I want to have grandchildren” and “Continue the family line.”

“Our child has never been bullied in school,” but the banners’ messages of discrimination, bullying and harm against LGBT families have hurt her daughter “like knife blades,” she said.

“Every child has the right to grow up safely and healthily and to not suffer bullying, to not suffer discrimination,” she said, calling for anti-discrimination legislation.

Despite pressure from conservative forces, the NPP has continued to fearlessly support and defend marriage equality, NPP candidate Claire Wang (王婉諭) said.

“We do not want any children or any person to suffer discrimination or bullying, or even lose their lives,” she said.

Green Party Taiwan Deputy Secretary-General Rita Jhang (張竹芩), another candidate, said the party has proposed two LGBT-related policies: Opening assisted reproductive technology to all adults, regardless of their sexual orientation or marital status; and allowing legally registered same-sex partners to adopt children together.

“There is already too much divide in Taiwan’s society,” Green Party Taiwan candidate Teng Hui-wen (鄧惠文) said.

There are many reasons — including financial and psychological — for some people not marrying or giving birth, she said.

Her party condemns other parties that would, having “nothing better to push,” use the suppression of LGBT groups as a way to get votes, she said.

There needs to be better communication and understanding between family members of different generations, she said.

Marriage Equality Coalition Taiwan chief coordinator Jennifer Lu (呂欣潔) asked whether anti-LGBT groups and unfriendly candidates even know how to campaign without discriminating, smearing minorities or spreading false information

“We hope…this kind of malicious campaign culture can end with our generation,” she said.

Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights secretary-general Chien Chih-chieh (簡至潔) said she hardly ever attended weddings in the past, or cried at the ones she did go to, but since same-sex marriage was legalized last year she has been moved to tears several times.

It seems that the Stabilizing Force Party and some KMT candidates “imagine they can, through these elections, pull Taiwan’s society back to that patriarchal, feudal society,” she said.

“Many observers have said we are fighting a very serious reactionary and conservative force in these elections,” she said. “This force only allows for the existence of one kind of family and one kind of woman in Taiwan.”

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taiwan-subdivisions: 烏來 蘭嶼 恆春

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On Thursday last week, Black Hawk helicopter No. 933 of the Republic of China Air Force Air Rescue Group made a forced landing in the Tonghou Stream (桶後溪) ravine in New Taipei City’s Wulai District (烏來). The helicopter was carrying 13 military officers, eight of whom, including Chief of the General Staff General Shen Yi-ming (沈一鳴), were killed in the crash, while five others sustained injuries, but were rescued.

The crash happened just nine days before tomorrow’s presidential and legislative elections, but in view of the tragic loss of life, election campaign events were partially suspended and President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) ordered flags to be flown at half-mast nationwide.

NOT THE FIRST TIME

There have been 25 military aircraft crashes in Taiwan over the past two decades. In the past 10 years, three Black Hawk helicopters, which are expensive aircraft, have crashed.

Two years ago, a Black Hawk crashed into the sea while transferring a patient from Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) for medical treatment, resulting in the deaths of six people.

AN UPHILL TASK

Restricted as it is by an ever-changing international situation, Taiwan faces great difficulties in buying weapons from abroad. Especially when it comes to precious armaments such as airplanes and submarines, trying to obtain them is an uphill task.

Taiwan faces troublesome conditions imposed by arms sellers, as well as a hostile state’s strenuous efforts to block arms sales.

The few military aircraft that Taiwan does possess are a precious resource, so when they crash it has a significant effect on their availability.

More important still is the difficulty of replacing lost personnel.

Electronic gadgets have done so much harm to young people’s eyesight that it is hard to find anyone who is not nearsighted and would be fit to be trained as a military pilot.

READINESS IS KEY

Military aircraft must be ready and available to take part in defense and rescue missions. However, their availability came under stress on New Year’s Day, when government activities were not just limited to flag-raising ceremonies and organized walks. The military was also called upon to cooperate with city and county governments’ efforts to boost tourism.

The air force dispatched warplanes including Indigenous Defense Fighters, Mirage 2000s and F-16s to fly in formation over Longpan Park (龍磐公園) in Pingtung County’s Hengchun Township (恆春), the square in front of Hsinchu City Hall and Hualien City’s Pacific Park.

Taiwan faces a hostile state whose military might is growing ever stronger, and which frequently tries to intimidate Taiwan by crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait and flying around the perimeter of the nation’s airspace.

In view of this threat, entertainment-oriented flyover missions should be kept to a minimum, so that the nation’s precious military aircraft would be available to perform their core duties.

This would ensure that Taiwan’s defense equipment remains in optimal condition, as planned, to prevent enemies from making irrational provocations and incursions whenever they feel like it.

Lai Ming-huang is an engineer with a doctorate from National Cheng Kung University and a former regional engineering department head of the Directorate-General of Highways.

Translated by Julian Clegg

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title: Aircraft should be reserved for combat


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The moon, Mars and beyond — the space race in 2020

Not since the 1960s have we witnessed such appetite for space missions. Here is what to expect in the year ahead, from commercial launches to Chinese ambitions
Space missions of a startling variety and ambition are scheduled for launch this year. Indeed, space engineers have not planned so much activity — for both crewed and robot projects — since the heady days of the space race between the US and the Soviet Union in the 1960s. At last, humanity is returning to explore the heavens with renewed vigor.

However, it is not just the US and Russia that are dominating this year’s space agenda. India, Japan and China are all planning complex programs and are vying to become space powers in their own rights.

Their plans for this year include missions to the moon, Mars and the asteroids.

At the same time, the US will inaugurate its Artemis program, which will eventually lead to a series of manned deep-space missions and a space station that will orbit the moon later in the next decade. Europe will be closely involved in Artemis and will also send its first robot rover to Mars this year.

For good measure, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) plans to become a space power this year, with its own robot mission to the red planet.

THE MOON

China aims to become the third nation to bring samples of lunar soil back to Earth in the wake of US and Soviet successes decades ago. Its Chang’e 5 robot mission is scheduled to blast off from the Wenchang satellite launch center in Hainan later this year.

The purpose of the project — named after the Chinese moon goddess, Chang’e — is to collect about 2kg of lunar rocks and return them to Earth.

A robot lander will scoop samples into an ascent vehicle, which will be blasted into space to dock automatically with a probe circling the moon. The samples will then be transferred to a capsule and fired back to Earth.

It will be a highly complex business involving several dockings and maneuvers in orbit. By contrast, the last robot lunar sample return — accomplished by the Soviet Union’s 1976 Luna 24 mission — did so using a much simpler direct return.

Chang’e 5’s more adventurous route is considered by many to be evidence that the Chinese are using the mission as a dress rehearsal for manned lunar landings in the near future.

US scientists are also planning a moon mission late next year — but on an even grander scale.

The first of the country’s Orion capsules is scheduled for launch as part of an uncrewed Artemis program test flight.

Orion is to spend about three weeks in space, including six days orbiting the moon. The craft will have a complete life-support system and crew seats, but no crew.

A European-built service module will play a key role in all Artemis missions. It will power Orion capsules after their launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

However, future Artemis missions are to be crewed, with the ultimate aim being to land “the first woman and the next man” on the moon by 2024.

A crewed space station in lunar orbit, called Lunar Gateway, is also planned.

In addition, India is to send a new lander mission to the moon in November: Chandrayaan-3. It is to attempt what its predecessor failed to achieve. Chandrayaan-2 was India’s first attempt at a lunar touchdown, but its main lander craft and robot rover crashed after a communication failure.

MARS

The fourth rock from the sun will become a focus of attention for space engineers this year. In July and early August, Earth and Mars will be in their best positions for craft to be sent to the latter.

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Australia, Russia storm into Cup semis

SPARK PLUG:Nick Kyrgios dominated the first singles match and his powerful serves provided the catalyst for Australia’s rally in the doubles to eliminate Britain
Australia’s Nick Kyrgios, bottom, carries teammate Alex de Minaur in celebration of their ATP Cup men’s doubles victory over Britain’s Jamie Murray and Joe Salisbury in Sydney yesterday.Photo: AFP
A dynamic Nick Kyrgios and dogged Alex de Minaur yesterday powered Australia into the ATP Cup semi-finals with an epic 2-1 win against Tim Henman-led Britain, where they were joined by Russia, who overpowered Argentina.

The hosts clinched the tie after an 18-16 third-set tiebreaker in the doubles to set up a potential blockbuster last-four clash against Rafael Nadal’s Davis Cup-winning Spain, who are to face Belgium today.

Russia, spearheaded by world No. 5 Daniil Medvedev, won both their singles to sweep past Argentina.

Their reward is a semi-final against either Novak Djokovic’s Serbia or Canada.

Kyrgios crushed Cameron Norrie in the opening singles 6-2, 6-2 before Dan Evans came through a memorable showdown against De Minaur 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 7-6 (7/2) to set up the decisive, winner-takes-all doubles match.

Australia captain Lleyton Hewitt took a huge gamble by dropping regular doubles pair John Peers and Chris Guccione in favor of Kyrgios and De Minaur, and it looked a poor decision when they lost the first set 6-3.

However, spurred by Kyrgios’ booming serve, they took the next set 6-3 before a nail-biting tiebreaker that lasted more than a half-hour.

Jamie Murray and Joe Salisbury had four match points, which were all saved, with Australia finally converting on their fifth match point, sparking jubilant scenes.

“That was incredible tennis. All three matches today everyone gave 100 percent and left it all out on the court,” Hewitt said.

“Really proud of the boys, the way they were able to turn it around... It could have gone either way,” he added.

In the second quarter-final, Karen Khachanov continued his hot run of form and got the ball rolling for Russia by beating an out-of-sorts Guido Pella 6-2, 7-6 (7/4).

The world No. 17 has won all four of his matches this season and was in control throughout against the Argentine, who appeared on the verge of tears in the opening set.

Medvedev, also unbeaten, quickly took charge of his showdown with world No. 13 Diego Schwartzman, but lost focus in the second and was slapped with a point penalty for twice smashing his racket into the umpire’s chair during an argument with the official.

He regrouped to race through the third set for a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 win.

“The second set and third one [of Medvedev’s match] was high-class tennis from both sides,” Russia captain Marat Safin said, adding that he was “very proud” of his team.

“It was important for him [Medvedev] to stay mentally strong, maintain his calm and see what’s going to come,” he said.

The Australia-Britain tie was notable for Evans’ clash with world No. 18 De Minaur, a three-hour, 23-minute contest that is a contender for match of the tournament.

After Evans took the opening set in a tense tiebreaker, De Minaur fought back to grab the second.

He went 4-2 behind in a see-saw third, but rallied again as they exchanged service breaks, with the Australian showing nerves of steel to save four match points and take it to another tiebreak — which the exhausted Briton finally won.

“That’s about as good as I’ve got really, and I only got through by the skin of my teeth,” said Evans, ranked 42.

A composed Kyrgios on Tuesday beat world No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas and carried that momentum into his clash against Norrie.

The mercurial Australian has been a model of concentration and focus at the ATP Cup, thriving in the team environment.

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title: Australia, Russia storm into Cup semis


content_text:
More firms get green light to invest

LOCAL JOBS:The four firms plan to invest as much as NT$2.7 billion at home, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said, adding that about 90 firms await review
The government, after giving four new projects a green light, has secured NT$854.7 billion (US$28.48 billion) in pledged investments from local firms through three government subsidy programs, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday.

The four companies plan to invest as much as NT$2.7 billion at home, the ministry said, adding that it has yet to review applications from about 90 companies seeking to participate in the subsidy programs.

Automotive lighting module maker Laster Tech Co Ltd (麗清科技) plans to invest NT$800 million to set up a smart production facility in Taoyuan City’s Guanyin Industrial Park (桃園觀音工業區) so that it can meet the requirements of customers seeking to avoid US tariffs on China-made products.

Laster aims to install automated equipment in the plant to produce controllers for vehicle headlights, the ministry said, adding that the investment would generate 142 job opportunities.

Optical lens and components maker Kinko Optical Co Ltd (今國光學), which counts Japanese firms Canon Inc, Nikon Corp, Sony Corp and Tamron Co Ltd among its end customers, aims to invest more than NT$600 million to expand its existing plant in Taichung City’s Wuqi District (梧棲), as it seeks to minimize the impact of US tariffs on its business.

The firm plans to expand its capacity to produce high-precision optical modules, while lowering module production costs, the ministry said.

Under a separate program launched last year, the ministry has approved the applications of Anderson Industrial Corp (恩德科技) and Chi Deh Crane Engineering Co Ltd (啟德機械).

Facing capacity saturation at its existing production facilities, Anderson, a computer numerical control machinery manufacturer, aims to invest more than NT$400 million to set up new plants in Miaoli County’s Houlong Township (後龍) and Taichung’s Wuci District (梧棲).

The investment would generate 42 jobs, the ministry said.

Chi Deh, a high-precision machinery transportation and installation specialist, plans to invest more than NT$800 million to purchase smart equipment for its plant in Taichung’s Qingshui District (清水) to expand production capacity.

The company needs to expand local capacity as most of its customers move production back to Taiwan, the ministry said, adding that the company also seeks to import German-made cranes to upgrade its services.

Chi Deh’s clients include flat-panel makers AU Optronics Corp (AUO, 友達光電) and Innolux Corp (群創), as well as memorychip maker Micron Technology Inc and China Steel Corp (CSC, 中鋼).

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title: More firms get green light to invest

taiwan-subdivisions: 梧棲 清水 桃園 後龍 觀音


people: 蔡英文 蘇貞昌

content_text:
Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Lin Chuan-neng speaks during a news conference at the Executive Yuan in Taipei yesterday.Photo: CNA
A new youth entrepreneurship program unveiled last month by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) last month could materialize in March at the soonest, Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Lin Chuan-neng (林全能) said yesterday.

The program aims to have the government act as guarantor to help applicants secure loans totaling up to NT$60 billion (US$2 billion), or NT$1 million per applicant, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said.

Young people planning to establish a company would be required to fill out a form at a dedicated window instead of presenting a proposal and would then be put through an accelerated evaluation process that would allow them to receive funds within seven days, with the government would pay interest of up to 1.67 percent on the loans for the first five years, it said.

The government has been talks with banks that have expressed a willingness to undertake the program to discuss the possibility of establishing a dedicated window at bank branches nationwide to start receiving applications in March or April, Lin told a news conference at the Executive Yuan in Taipei.

The ministry said that it would also establish a homegrown youth incubator to aid young people returning to their hometowns to set up companies.

It hopes to replicate the success of the Start-up Terrace in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口) and create a similar cluster of innovative start-ups in Tainan’s Shalun (沙崙) area, the ministry said.

While such hubs are currently concentrated in the six special municipalities, Lin said that he hopes incubators could be decentralized and established in townships.

Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said he has asked MOEA staff to act as undercover customers to test the banks’ progress on introducing such programs.

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title: March eyed for entrepreneur program


content_text:
Tsai convenes security meeting on Middle East tensions

HIGH-LEVEL BRIEFING:The foreign ministry was ordered to prepare an evacuation plan for Taiwanese expatriates and travelers in the region in case one is needed
Rising US-Iran tensions prompted President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday to convene a high-level national security meeting to discuss the government’s responses, Presidential Office spokesman Alex Huang (黃重諺) said.

Cabinet ministers and agency heads briefed Tsai on the impact of a potential escalation of the crisis and the president ordered officials to take steps to safeguard the nation’s financial system, energy supply, Taiwanese in the Middle East and peace in the Taiwan Strait, Huang told a press conference.

She also decided to raise the alert level for the military ahead of tomorrow’s elections, he said.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Financial Supervisory Commission and the central bank were told to closely monitor the stock and currency markets, ensure their basic operational capabilities and take measures to stabilize the nation’s finances if necessary, Huang said.

“Taiwan has a solid economic base and such measures are aimed at possible short-term effects” from the potential deterioration of US-Iran relations, he cited Tsai as telling the meeting.

The president said that national crude reserves could provide energy for more than 100 days, so the public should not worry, as the authorities would ensure that prices remain balanced and that people’s daily lives would not be affected, Huang added.

Tsai told the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to monitor developments, ensure that it can contact Taiwanese residents and travelers in the region and draw up a contingency plan for their evacuation, if necessary, he said.

The Ministry of National Defense was told to closely monitor the Strait to prevent China from making any moves while the US’ attention is focused on the Middle East, he said.

The security meeting was attended by Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), National Security Council (NSC) Secretary-General David Lee (李大維), Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), Minister of National Defense Yen De-fa (嚴德發), Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chen Ming-tong (陳明通), Minister of Economic Affairs Shen Jong-chin (沈榮津), National Security Bureau Director-General Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正), NSC Deputy Secretary-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) and NSC Adviser Shih Jun-ji (施俊吉).

The foreign ministry late on Wednesday night issued a red travel alert for Iraq and four Iranian provinces, its highest level alert.

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people: 嚴德發 陳明通 沈榮津 邱國正 蘇貞昌 吳釗燮 施俊吉 蔡英文


title: Novel coronavirus likely in Wuhan: CDC

content_text:
Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang speaks at a news conference in Taipei yesterday.Photo: CNA
China has identified a new type of coronavirus as the likely cause of an outbreak of a pneumonia-like illness, but the disease has a low chance of person-to-person transmission, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday.

Chinese scientist Xu Jianguo (徐建國) told Xinhua news agency that experts had “preliminarily determined” a new type of coronavirus was behind the outbreak, which was first confirmed on Tuesday last week in Wuhan, a central Chinese city with a population of more than 11 million.

Evidence suggests that the new virus’ primary mode of transmission is animal-to-human, with a much lower chance of person-to-person transmission, CDC physician Huang Wan-ting (黃婉婷) told a news conference in Taipei, adding that people should not panic, as it does not resemble measles, which can spread easily through contact with an infected person.

There are more than 10 known coronaviruses, six of which affect humans, she said.

Some cause mild respiratory and gastrointestinal infections, while others can lead to severe diseases such as SARS and Middle East respiratory syndrome, she added.

Coronaviruses are common, with mammals, including humans, being their main hosts, Huang said, adding that they are usually transmitted through bigger saliva droplets and a few through airborne particles.

However, the new virus likely responsible for the Wuhan epidemic is different from known coronaviruses, she said, adding that while the evidence indicates that it poses a lower risk to humans, further scientific research is still required to fully understand it.

The global community needs China to disclose more data to help other nations identify the exact hosts of the new virus and conduct accurate risk assessments, she said.

A total of 10 people traveling on flights between Wuhan and Taiwan have been identified as possibly infected, CDC officials said, adding that while one person was hospitalized after exhibiting a fever, coughing and a runny nose, the rest are stable and do not need to be hospitalized.

Local health bureaus would follow up on the other nine, they said.

Additional reporting by AFP and AP

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content_text:
Commercial airlines are rerouting flights throughout the Middle East to avoid potential danger during heightened tensions between the US and Iran.

Jumbled schedules could affect as many as 15,000 passengers per day, lengthen flight times by an average of 30 to 90 minutes, and severely bruise the bottom line for airlines, industry analysts said.

There is anxiety that the conflict between the longtime foes could intensify following Iranian ballistic missile strikes on Wednesday on two Iraqi bases that house US troops. The attacks were retaliation for the US killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike near Baghdad last week.

“In a war situation, the first casualty is always air transport,” said Dubai, United Arab Emirates-based aviation consult Mark Martin, citing airline bankruptcies during the Persian Gulf war.

At least 500 commercial flights travel through Iranian and Iraqi airspace daily, Martin said.

A Ukrainian passenger jet on Wednesday crashed shortly after taking off from Iran’s capital, killing 167 passengers and nine crew members just hours after Iran’s ballistic missile attack, but Iranian officials said that they suspected a mechanical issue brought down the three-year-old Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

Poland’s national carrier, PLL LOT, on Saturday said that it was changing routes to bypass Iran’s airspace.

A suite of other European carriers followed on Wednesday, and the restrictions are expected to “further depress” air travel between Iran and western Europe, which saw strong growth after the Iran nuclear deal, but a sharp dive when US President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the agreement and reimposed sanctions, the Sydney-based consultancy Center for Aviation said.

On Wednesday, Air France and Dutch carrier KLM both said that they had indefinitely suspended all flights over Iranian and Iraqi airspace.

Deutsche Lufthansa AG and two of its subsidiaries also canceled flights to Iraq.

The Indian Directorate-General of Civil Aviation advised commercial carriers to avoid Iranian, Iraqi and Persian Gulf airspace.

“In light of the tensions within the Iranian airspace a decision to temporarily reroute flights of Air India and Air India Express overflying Iran has been taken,” Air India spokesman Dhananjay Kumar said.

Travel times would increase by as much as 40 minutes for flights in the region, the airline said.

Buta Airways, an Azerbaijani low-cost carrier, said that it was not planning to suspend or reroute daily flights between Baku, the country’s capital, and Tehran.

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title: Airlines alter flight paths due to US-Iran tensions


content_text:
2020 Elections: DPP accuses KMT of ‘intimidation’

TSAI VERSUS SPY?The Ministry of Justice said William Wang Liqiang told police that Alex Tsai made threats against him, while Tsai said the DPP’s Chiou I-jen was involved
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential campaign office spokeswoman Chien Shu-pei, center, speaks at a news conference alongside DPP legislators Kuan Bi-ling, left, and Chuang Jui-hsiung in Taipei yesterday.Photo: Chen Yu-fu, Taipei Times
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) members yesterday accused Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Deputy Secretary-General Alex Tsai (蔡正元) and a Chinese businessman of attempting to bribe and intimidate self-professed Chinese spy William Wang Liqiang (王立強), while the Ministry of Justice confirmed that Australian authorities had sought Taiwan’s assistance to investigate an alleged threat to Wang’s life.

DPP presidential campaign office spokeswoman Chien Shu-pei (簡舒培) said at a news conference in Taipei that the issue was “an international scandal.”

“It is repugnant for a top official to use intimidation and enticement to press Wang to recant his statement about spying, and then say he was bought off by the DPP for a large amount of money,” Chien said.

“Wang Liqiang, who is currently in Australia, reported to police that Alex Tsai and another man had made threats against him,” Deputy Minister of Justice Chen Ming-tang (陳明堂) told the news conference in Taipei. “Australian police then contacted us with a request for information on Mr Tsai.”

The ministry confirmed Tsai’s position as KMT deputy secretary-general, but did not divulge further information on him, Chen said, adding that the case is being investigated by Australian police and the two sides are communicating through their respective judiciaries.

While Tsai said that former DPP secretary-general Chiou I-jen (邱義仁) had visited Australia and offered Wang money, DPP Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said that Chiou had not traveled there to meet Wang.

The reports in Australian newspapers did not say that Wang spoke with Chiou, Kuan said.

Separately yesterday, Chiou said in a statement that “the KMT has resorted to rumors, conjecture and false accusations.”

“I have not visited Australia in my whole life,” Chiou said. “The other allegations are pure fabrications. I have the legal right to sue [people for false accusations] and we hope such misunderstandings end here so that Taiwan’s democracy is not harmed.”

“Tsai’s actions are to interfere with the elections to tilt them in the KMT’s favor,” he said. “They were also aimed at rescuing [Hong Kong-based China Innovation Investment (中國創新投資) executive director] Xiang Xin (向心),” Kuan said.

“Tsai is attempting to frame the DPP and make it appear that Wang made up a spy story to fool the Australian authorities,” he said.

On Wednesday, Australian newspapers reported that police there were investigating.

“The Australian Federal Police is treating seriously alleged threats to Mr Wang, with sources confirming they opened an investigation in the hours after the first message was received on Christmas Eve,” The Age reported.

Wang “was told in a series of messages that his family would be spared punishment and his debts would be repaid if he gave a public statement retracting his claims about spying for China,” the newspaper reported, adding that the messages came from Tsai and Chinese businessman Sun Tianqun (孫天群).

“Mr Wang was provided with a script and told to record a video message in which he would falsely claim that Taiwan’s democratically elected governing party, the Democratic Progressive Party, had bribed him to lie by offering him a large sum of money,” The Age reported.

Such a video would have been a controversial intervention in tomorrow’s presidential election amid accusations that the Chinese Communist Party has attempted to influence the vote.

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people: 蔡正元 管碧玲


content_text:
Bank, insurance unit fined for lax internal controls

The Financial Supervisory Commission on Tuesday fined Taichung Commercial Bank (台中商銀) and its insurance unit, Taichung Bank Insurance Brokers Co Ltd (台中銀保險經紀人), a total of NT$10.8 million (US$359,904) for lax internal controls.

The insurance company was fined NT$4.8 million after the commission conducted an inspection in 2018 and found that the firm had squandered entertainment fees, ignored client complaints and given bonuses to sales personnel with poor performance.

“Although the insurance company clearly recorded the entertainment expenses, it could not elaborate on who could spend the fees or employees’ expense limits,” Insurance Bureau Deputy Director-General Chang Yu-hui (張玉輝) said.

“In short, it had not established an internal control protocol,” Chang said, adding that insurance companies should have internal controls to govern spending.

Chang declined to disclose how much Taichung Bank Insurance Brokers had spent in entertainment expenses over the past few years.

The insurance company could not explain why it rewarded sales personnel who had not sold any products, Chang said, adding that the practice breached the Insurance Act (保險法) and Regulations Governing Insurance Brokers (保險經紀人管理規則).

The bureau told the firm that it had one month to fix the blunder, he said.

The commission fined the insurer’s parent company, Taichung Commercial Bank, NT$6 million for its failure to detect the unit’s regulatory breaches, Banking Bureau Deputy Director-General Huang Kuang-hsi (黃光熙) said.

“It was strange that the bank could not detect the unit’s breach, even though it inspected the insurer two times per year,” Huang said.

The commission decided to impose a stricter fine on the parent company for failing to supervise and monitor its subsidiary, Huang added.

Some of the bank’s staff privately took care of clients’ money, which was inappropriate, so the bureau has prohibited the bank from applying to set up new branches until it improves its management, Huang said.

Taichung Commercial Bank on Wednesday reported NT$1 billion in revenue for last month, down 17.2 percent from a year earlier, saying that cumulative revenue increased 3 percent year-on-year to NT$12 billion.

The company last month posted pretax profit of NT$561 million, down 1.46 percent from a year earlier, while cumulative pretax profit rose 9.5 percent year-on-year to NT$5.2 billion, the company said.

For the whole of last year, earnings per share were NT$1.16, up 7.41 percent from a year earlier, the company added.

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content_text:
2020 Elections: PFP confident of winning 10 legislative seats

The People First Party (PFP) is confident of winning 10 legislative seats and would work with other parties to pass bills that affect people’s lives, party spokeswoman Belle Yu (于美人) said yesterday.

About 30 percent of moderate voters have been silent about whom they are going to vote for in the presidential election, she said.

“When we were canvassing for votes on the streets, many told us that they are moderate voters who chose to support their candidates without saying anything. This has moved us and inspired us. Whatever happens, we should do much better than last time,” she said, referring to the 2016 elections.

At least three of its legislative candidates could be elected and the party is trying to win enough party votes that seven of its legislator-at-large nominees would be able to take seats, she added.

Asked how the PFP would work with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to introduce and pass bills if the results are what it expects, Yu said that small parties are expected to gain ground this year.

“We have said that we want the legislature to be a more ‘colorful’ place, not just blue [KMT] and green [DPP]. The two major parties have often taken positions on bills simply because they were the opposite of what the other party said, regardless if it whether it was a good bill, which meant that bills that were actually good for the nation and the public often failed to pass,” Yu said.

“Even though we had only three legislators and an independent lawmaker who worked with us in the recent legislative term, we actually got more bills passed than any other party, because we were not judging the bills by their color or using political ideology to determine if we should support a bill,” she said.

“As long as a bill was good for the public or was about something everyone could agree on, the PFP tried everything to get it passed,” she added.

The party has arranged for Hong Hai Precision Industry Co founder Terry Gou (郭台銘) to attend tonight’s pre-election rally in Taipei and it hopes that he would not get stuck in traffic, Yu said.

“We want the rally to demonstrate the power of average voters, whose existence has helped stabilize the nation. In the past 20 years, [PFP] Chairman [James] Soong (宋楚瑜) has heard the voice of the people and knows what they want. It was not that the people did not elect him, but it was that they never gave up on him and kept wanting him to run in elections,” she said.

The party has also invited some top singers to perform at tonight’s rally, Yu said.

“One thing I can guarantee you is that Soong will not be singing at the rally,” she said.

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title: Library to launch Sinology center

content_text:
National Central Library Director-General Tseng Shu-hsien, second left, and Tel Aviv University vice president Raanan Rein, second right, pose for a photograph at the National Central Library in Taipei yesterday.Photo courtesy of the National Central Library
The National Central Library on Wednesday launched the Taiwan Resource Center for Chinese Studies at Israel’s Tel Aviv University.

The library said that it is the first such center it has established in the Middle East.

The library selects key universities or research institutes abroad to establish the centers, National Central Library Director-General Tseng Shu-hsien (曾淑賢) said.

The centers aim to strengthen cooperation with Sinology research units overseas; promote academic exchanges in the field of Sinology in Taiwan and abroad; and spread Taiwan’s academic accomplishments in the field, she said.

The centers not only increase interaction between the library and overseas research institutes and open up more opportunities for cooperation, but also allow more people to interact with and utilize Taiwan’s electronic resources related to Sinology and increase Taiwan’s international visibility and influence, she added.

Founded in 1956, Tel Aviv University is Israel’s largest university, library International Cooperation Division head Fan Yun-feng (繁運豐) said.

The university is an important center for East Asian studies in Israel due to its deep explorations of the Chinese, Indian and Japanese civilizations, as well as the interactions between them, he said.

The library said that it has provided the new center 214 books related to Sinology and Taiwan studies and would continue adding books each year.

It has also provided electronic resources for professors and students at the university to use as references in their research, it said.

Under a cooperation agreement, the library is also to host Sinology lectures, conferences and exhibitions, it added.

At the launch ceremony, Tseng gifted the university reprints of Dongpo’s Poetry (註東坡先生詩) and the Diamond Sutra as a witness to the cooperation, the library said.

University vice president Raanan Rein thanked the library for enriching the research resources available to the school and East Asian Studies Department chair Ori Sela expressed the hope that this would be the first step in a long-term cooperation between the two organizations, the library added.

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content_text:
Largan posts record NT$28bn net profit

ROBUST DEMAND:Sales last quarter increased 47.69 percent on an annual basis to NT$18.36 billion, but declined 0.68 percent quarter-on-quarter, company data showed
Largan Precision Co (大立光), which supplies camera lenses to Apple Inc, yesterday posted record-high net profit of NT$28.26 billion (US$941.75 million) for last year, thanks to robust customer demand and a higher gross margin.

The company’s net profit increased 16 percent year-on-year from NT$24.37 billion in 2018. Earnings per share last year climbed to NT$210.69 from NT$181.67 in 2018.

Cumulative revenue reached NT$60.75 billion, up 22 percent from NT$49.95 billion in 2018, while gross margin inched up to 69.04 percent from 68.76 percent in 2018.

Net profit in the fourth quarter of last year grew 24.91 percent year-on-year to NT$8.09 billion, or earnings per share of NT$60.32, while fourth-quarter gross margin rose to 71.13 percent from 69.12 percent in the third quarter, thanks to an improved product mix, the company said.

Sales last quarter increased 47.69 percent year-on-year to NT$18.36 billion, but declined 0.68 percent on a quarterly basis, a company financial statement showed.

Revenue this month is expected to fall somewhat from last month due to the Lunar New Year holiday, but revenue next month should trend upward, Largan CEO Adam Lin (林恩平) told investors in an earnings conference.

“The proportion of high-end products shipped increased last quarter,” Lin said, attributing last year’s strong growth to higher shipments of eight-piece plastic lenses, which allow larger apertures and higher resolutions.

Orders of high-end lenses are expected to remain high this year, Lin said, adding that the company has started to design nine-piece lenses to accommodate customer demand.

Largan is still developing glass-and-plastic periscope lenses, a solution to overheating in plastic lenses.

The company still outsources the production of glass components, but is mulling manufacturing the components in-house, Lin said.

Production capacity at the company’s existing plants could still be increased, Lin said, addressing investors’ concerns.

“Our new plant will be ready by 2023, as construction is to begin this year,” Lin added.

The company has searched far and wide, but been unable to find a plot of land that is suitable for production expansion, Lin said when pressed by investors about capacity, adding that the company might rent a facility.

Investors raised concerns over an apparent shortage of raw materials this quarter, but Lin reassured them, although he admitted that suppliers could use more time to expand production.

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title: Largan posts record NT$28bn net profit


content_text:
China said it aims to open up oil and gas exploration to private and foreign firms, offering further details of a policy that would help assuage concerns over access to the industry ahead of next week’s signing of an interim trade deal with the US.

Companies with net assets of at least 300 million yuan (US$43.15 million) can apply for licenses as part of “a major reform,” the Chinese National Energy Commission (NEC) said at a briefing yesterday.

Previously, only state-owned firms were eligible for permits, an approach that retarded efforts to expand domestic production and cut its enormous import bill.

China has in the past two years adopted a substantial number of measures to help ease commercial frictions with the US, including opening up its financial sector to foreign ownership and taking steps to ban forced technology transfers.

Oil and gas was one of the sectors removed from the list of industries that restrict overseas investment in July last year.

The latest details from the NEC helped lift the stocks of a swathe of firms that service exploration and production in China.

While the nation’s three major state oil firms have raised spending to boost output, China’s crude imports have continued to break records.

Its gas imports have also grown apace, as the nation seeks to swap out dirty coal for the cleaner burning fuel across residences and industry.

“The sluggish growth of oil and gas production in China was partly due to the monopolistic nature of the upstream segment,” said Dennis Ip (葉捷賢), a power sector analyst at Daiwa Capital Markets Hong Kong. “The government’s intention is to introduce competition and encourage technological innovation in the E&P [energy and power] segment, and we believe this can help to lower the production costs of upstream players over the long run.”

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title: China touts foreign access to oil ahead of US deal


content_text:
US President Donald Trump speaks in the Grand Foyer of the White House in Washington on Wednesday.Photo: AFP
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday signaled that he would not retaliate militarily for Iran’s missile strikes on Iraqi bases housing US troops, although US forces in the region remained on high alert and Trump vowed to add to sanctions on Tehran.

“Iran appears to be standing down, which is a good thing for all parties concerned and a very good thing for the world,” Trump said at the White House.

On Dec. 27, Iranian proxies launched an attack that killed a US contractor and last week Iranian-backed militia besieged the US embassy in Baghdad.

Trump last week authorized the killing of Iran’s top general, Qassem Soleimani.

Tehran on Wednesday responded with its most direct assault on the US since the 1979 seizure of the US embassy in Tehran, firing more than a dozen missiles at two installations in Iraq.

The Pentagon said that it believed Iran fired the missiles with the intent to kill.

Hours after Trump spoke, an “incoming” siren was heard in Baghdad’s Green Zone after what seemed to be small rockets “impacted” the diplomatic area, a Western official said.

There were no reports of casualties.

Trump pledged to add to his “maximum pressure” campaign of economic sanctions.

New, unspecified sanctions would remain in place “until Iran changes its behavior,” he said.

Trump, in his nine-minute, televised address, spoke of a robust US military with missiles that are “big, powerful, accurate, lethal and fast.”

However, “we do not want to use it,” he added.

He said that the US was “ready to embrace peace with all who seek it.”

Iran for days had been promising to respond forcefully to Soleimani’s killing, but its limited strike on two bases — one in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil and the other at Ain al-Asad in western Iraq — appeared to signal that it, too, was uninterested in a wider clash with the US.

Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed Javad Zarif tweeted that the country had “concluded proportionate measures in self-defense.”

Members of the US Congress were briefed on the Iran situation at closed-door sessions on Capitol Hill in Washington, where some expressed dissatisfaction with the administration’s justifications for the drone strike on Soleimani.

US Senator Mike Lee said it was “probably the worst briefing I’ve seen, at least on a military issue, in the nine years I’ve served in the United States Senate.”

He said it was “distressing” that officials suggested it would only embolden Iran if lawmakers debated the merits of further military action.

He and US Senator Rand Paul announced their support of a largely symbolic war powers resolution to limit Trump’s military action regarding Iran.

US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced after the briefing that the House was to vote yesterday on a war powers resolution of its own.

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title: US-Iran crisis diminishes


content_text:
2020 Elections: KMT’s Alex Tsai denies coercion of ‘spy’ William Wang

At a news conference in Taipei yesterday, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Deputy Secretary-General Alex Tsai holds a time line of discussions with self-professed Chinese spy William Wang Liqiang.Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Deputy Secretary-General Alex Tsai (蔡正元) yesterday said that the party did not offer self-professed Chinese spy William Wang Liqiang (王立強) residency in Taiwan in exchange for a public retraction of his story.

The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald on Wednesday reported that Wang, who is seeking to defect to Australia, on Dec. 24 received messages that he could face retaliation unless he recanted statements about working for Chinese intelligence agencies and benefits if he did so.

Wang received directives to record a video message before tomorrow’s presidential election retracting spy allegations about Hong Kong-based China Innovation Investment (中國創新投資) executive director Xiang Xin (向心) and stating that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) had paid him “a large sum of money” to lie, the Australian newspapers said.

Wang was told that he would be able to live in Taiwan or China, and would receive financial benefits if he complied, but faced death if he refused to cooperate, the reports said.

The directives were coordinated by Tsai and China-based businessman Sun Tianqun (孫天群), the newspapers reported, adding that one of the messages sent to Wang said: “The KMT has agreed that they can let him freely settle in Taiwan.”

At a news conference at KMT headquarters in Taipei yesterday, Tsai said that he had spoken with Wang over the telephone several times, but denied promising him any reward for retracting his story.

He began communicating with Wang at about Christmas last year after Sun introduced them, Tsai said.

Sun was trying to save Xiang, the two of whom are friends, from national security officials, Tsai said.

Xiang and his wife, China Innovation Investment acting director Kung Ching (龔青), were detained by authorities in Taiwan on Nov. 24 last year after Wang accused them of being Chinese intelligence officers. They have been barred from leaving Taiwan.

“Wang is not a spy and Xiang is not the leader of a spy ring,” Tsai said, adding that he and Sun were urging Wang to tell the truth.

“Wang did not receive any threats,” Tsai said, adding that he might have invented the story after an argument with Sun over money.

Wang told Sun that he would retract the story if he was paid, Tsai said, adding that the two had not agreed on an amount.

“No threats were involved,” Tsai said. “It was just a friend trying to protect Xiang. It had absolutely nothing to do with Taiwan’s presidential election.”

Tsai also played a voice recording of The Age’s interview with Sun.

In the interview, Sun told the newspaper that Wang had admitted to him in a private conversation that he received money from former DPP secretary-general Chiou I-jen (邱義仁) to lie about being employed by Xiang to work for Chinese intelligence.

Sun said in the recording that he has no ties to Chinese intelligence and he had not been instructed by the KMT to contact Wang.

Sun’s actual conversation with The Age was “very different” from the report published on Wednesday, Tsai said.

The Age is “very biased, just like some Taiwanese newspapers, focusing only on the things it wants,” he said.

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people: 卓榮泰 韓國瑜 陳歐珀 蔡英文

content_text:
2020 Elections: First-time voters choose wisely: Lin

HONG KONG MESSAGES:Actor Chapman To sent him a video calling on Taiwanese to safeguard their democracy and liberties, the DPP’s deputy secretary-general said
By Chen Yu-fu, Chang Yi-chen and Jake Chung  /  Staff reporters, with staff writer
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan, center, and young DPP members hold signs at a news conference in Taipei yesterday reminding young voters that every vote counts to ensure a DPP victory tomorrow.Photo: Chen Yu-fu, Taipei Times
Tomorrow’s presidential election is one in which voters will select the future they want for the nation, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) said yesterday, calling on 1.18 million first-time voters to carefully consider their votes.

“Do we want to enjoy fleeting economic benefits by choosing to be friendly with China, or choose not to bow to Chinese oppression and in so doing, strengthen the foundation for Taiwan’s economy, society and nation?” Lin said. “That is the decision you are making on Jan 11.”

He said he had received a video from Hong Kong actor Chapman To (杜汶澤) yesterday morning, who said: “I hope this video could help. Taiwan must not lose.”

Taiwanese must safeguard their own democracy and voters should not frivolously give up their vote, To said in the video.

“The freedom and liberties of democracy in Taiwan are a basic right, but for many Hong Kongers and their children, they are distant things and unattainable, even with blood,” To added.

Lin said he received the video with a heavy heart.

In the past few days he has seen videos made by Hong Kong Legislator Eddie Chu (朱凱迪) and democracy advocate Joshua Wong (黃之鋒) expressing the same sentiments, Lin said.

“They harbor the hope that Hong Kong could, in the future, become like modern Taiwan,” he said.

Statistics show that turnout of young voters over the past few years has decreased, with only 56 to 57 percent of young voters, defined as between 20 to 29, turned out to vote in 2018, he said.

Older voters turned out in greater numbers in the last major election, so the DPP could not afford to be optimistic about tomorrow’s elections, he said.

“While the DPP is not perfect, we do reflect upon our mistakes,” he said, adding that Taiwanese have given the party many chances.

The people are leading the DPP in making the reforms, he added.

In Yilan County yesterday, where DPP Chairman Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) was stumping for DPP Legislator Chen Ou-po (陳歐珀), Cho said President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) deserved re-election precisely because she is running against Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) candidate

“We must show the world that we can elect a decent president, instead of a frivolous and flippant candidate,” Cho said.

If the DPP fails to achieve legislative majority again, Tsai would become a “lone reformer,” Cho said.

Voters should cast their political party votes for the DPP so it can carry out its policies, he said.

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people: 連戰 韓國瑜 盧秀燕 馬英九 朱立倫 侯友宜 吳敦義 蔡英文

title: 2020 Elections: Huge crowd rallies to support Han

content_text:
Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu, center, the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, speaks at a rally on Katagalan Boulevard in Taipei yesterday, accompanied by his wife, Lee Chia-fen, front fifth right, KMT vice presidential candidate Simon Chang, third left, KMT Chairman Wu Den-yih, front third right, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi, right and Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen, second left.Photo: CNA

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Hundreds of thousands of people yesterday rallied on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in support of Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) at his final large-scale campaign event in the capital before tomorrow’s presidential election.

Han, the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, told the rally that since assuming power in 2016, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has deviated from its ideals and become corrupt.

The DPP has accused the KMT of interfering with judicial independence and cracking down on the freedom of the press, but since taking power, the DPP has done those things, proving that “it is a big bad wolf instead of a pure little rabbit,” Han said.

The DPP has bribed 90 percent of the nation’s media, interfered with judicial processes and used tax funds to launch online influence campaigns, he added.

“I do not believe that evil can conquer good and that people will continue to be fooled by the DPP,” Han said.

The DPP is leaving Taiwanese with no choice but to seek change, he said, urging people to support him and the KMT in the presidential and legislative elections.

The event in front of the Presidential Office Building began at 5pm and attracted more than 300,000 people in about an hour, organizers said.

By 8:36pm, the turnout had exceeded 900,000 people, they said.

Many supporters wore red and blue, the colors of the Republic of China flag, while many also carried the national flag.

Former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九); KMT Chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義); former New Taipei City mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫), who is head of Han’s campaign headquarters; former vice president Lien Chan (連戰); and former KMT chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) attended the event.

Fifteen KMT mayors and county commissioners, including New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) and Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕), as well as many of the party’s legislative candidates, also attended.

Former premier Simon Chang (張善政), Han’s running mate, asked supporters if they had ever seen so many national flags before and how many they expected to see at President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) rally at the same location tonight.

“Zero,” he said, urging people to vote for Han, “the man who loves the national flag the most.”

“Protecting the national flag is protecting the nation,” Chang said.

Tomorrow is not just any election, but “a key battle that will determine the survival of the Republic of China,” Wu Den-yih said.

Voters would decide if the nation is to move toward prosperity or hardship, face cross-strait peace or standoff, he said.

If the KMT can win the presidential race and regain a legislative majority, it would “reverse the fate of the Republic of China” and help the nation “regain its glory,” he said, adding that the party hopes to secure at least 60 legislative seats.

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taiwan-subdivisions: 花壇 萬華

content_text:
Comic focuses on father of Taiwanese folk music

CULTURE IN FOCUS:A National Taipei University of Technology exhibit showcases student art that draws inspiration from Taiwanese musical and literary figures
National Taipei University of Technology student Huang Yu-ting holds up her comic artwork Spring Breeze, Strings’ Talk in an undated photograph.Photo courtesy of National Taipei University of Technology via CNA
A comic on the songwriting process of the father of Taiwanese folk music, Teng Yu-hsien (鄧雨賢), is to be featured at a National Taipei University of Technology exhibit starting on Sunday, the university said yesterday.

The Cultural Vocation Department’s graduation exhibition “Re-creation,” which runs until Jan. 19 at the Bopiliao Historic Block (剝皮寮歷史街區) in Taipei’s Wanhua District (萬華), includes the comic art from student Huang Yu-ting (黃郁婷), as well as 33 additional pieces from other students, the school said.

The exhibition’s theme is the endless flow of life, and would showcase everyday objects, craftsmanship and various forms of human interactions, university president Wang Hsi-fu (王錫福) said.

Huang’s comic work Spring Breeze, Strings’ Talk (春風弦語) drew inspiration from Teng, whose popular songs, such as Spring Breeze (望春風) and Flowers in the Rainy Night (雨夜花), are sung in Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese).

To understand his songwriting process, Huang interviewed Teng’s family and folk music experts, reviewed research papers, watched TV dramas and studied the process of making vinyl records, she said.

Writing the script was the most time-consuming part of the project, as she wanted to capture the personality, emotion and conversations of the characters, which were difficult to find in research papers, she said.

Students Liu Man-ling (劉曼菱) and Tang Wei-chen (唐惟真) drew inspiration for their bamboo weaving project from the works of Taiwanese writer Lin Hai-yin (林海音), they said.

They studied with bamboo-weaving master Chang Hsien-ping (張憲平), and used bamboo-woven lights to embody the social restrains put on women living during the end of the Qing Dynasty through the beginning of the Republic of China, they said.

Women in this period showed courage to break free from a male-dominated society and demanded rights for themselves, they added.

Student Tseng Yu-fang (曾郁芳) combined the local culture of her hometown — Changhua County’s Huatan Township (花壇), famous for its brick production — in her design of the traditional “four treasures of the desk”: the brush, ink, paper and ink stone.

Red bricks are a vintage building material that gives off a sense of warmth, Tseng said, adding that she created a paperweight with the words “groom” and “bride” written in oracle bone script, a form of ancient Chinese characters.

The work combines red brick carvings and traditional motifs, and has cultural, aesthetic and functional meanings, she said.

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people:
施能傑
蘇貞昌
Kolas Yotaka

title: Lunar New Year break extended a day

content_text:
The Lunar New Year holiday is to start a day earlier than in previous years, to give people more flexibility when making travel plans, ease the strain on traffic and boost tourism, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said yesterday.

The plan from the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration, the holiday would begin on Jan. 23, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve, Su said, adding that a compensatory working day would be announced to make up for it.

The longer holiday is intended to ease traffic congestion and encourage more people to travel, increasing business for hotels and bed and breakfasts, and spurring economic growth, he said.

The concept came about after a lawmaker asked Su to provide a longer Lunar New Year holiday just as other nations have long New Year holidays, he said.

He then told Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Minister Jay Shih (施能傑) to formulate a plan to extend the break, which was approved in April last year, Su said.

The agency’s plan would continue starting the Lunar New Year holiday on the night before Lunar New Year’s Eve until 2030, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka said.

That means that during the break, people would have at least seven days off for the Lunar New Year holiday, with the longest one lasting for 10 days in 2023, she said.

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title: iPhone shipments in China up 18.7%

content_text:
Apple Inc last month bagged a significant smartphone shipment jump in China as the world’s largest consumer electronics market heads into the Lunar New Year holiday, official data showed.

The iPhone maker’s shipments in China last month grew 18.7 percent year-on-year to about 3.18 million units, according to Bloomberg calculations based on government data of overall shipments and Android device shipments.

The increase marked an acceleration from prior months, which were buoyed by the iPhone 11’s release in September last year.

The numbers come from the China Academy of Information and Communication Technology (CAICT), a government think tank.

Apple made major strides in increasing battery life in its iPhone 11 and 11 Pro devices, while lowering the starting price by US$50.

After years of stagnation in cameras, the company last year overhauled the iPhone’s image quality, catching up to category leaders Google and Huawei Technology Co (華為). This approach drew an overwhelmingly positive reception from critics.

The surge in shipments gives reason for optimism around Apple’s smartphone sales in the buildup to the Lunar New Year, which falls later this month.

China’s overall smartphone shipments last month fell short of 30 million units, a 13.7 percent decline from the same period in 2018, CAICT said.

Apple is fighting an uphill battle against a group of local vendors led by Huawei, which last year gained a dominant position, despite facing sanctions and struggles abroad.

As the year progresses, the company’s lack of 5G-enabled devices and inability to get its full range of online services past Chinese censors would make sustaining the initial shipment improvement an uncertain task.

Apple shares on Wednesday hit a high after the firm said that customers spent a record amount in its App Store during the final days of the Christmas holiday season.

App Store spending reached US$1.4 billion between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, up 16 percent from the same period in 2018, a company blog post said.

The stock rose as much as 1.6 percent, pushing its gains since the end of 2018 to 92 percent.

Rising spending on apps highlights Apple’s ability to generate revenue, despite sluggish iPhone growth, Wedbush Securities analyst Daniel Ives said.

That “speaks to the underlying strength that Cupertino is having monetizing its golden jewel installed base of 925 million iPhones worldwide,” he wrote in a research note.

Gene Munster, a veteran Apple analyst and founder of Loup Ventures, said that the App Store data are more evidence that Apple’s services expansion is not directly linked to iPhone sales, supporting his argument that the company’s shares should trade at a higher price-to-earnings multiple.

Apple also said that App Store spending on Wednesday last week reached US$386 million, a single-day record and a 20 percent increase from a year earlier.

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companies: Google Apple


content_text:
Scientists optimistic about using fake rubber hands, feces to help treat OCD

A new type of therapy combining feces and fake rubber hands might be able to help people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) overcome their fears of touching contaminated surfaces, according to new research.

“OCD can be an extremely debilitating condition for many people, but the treatments are not always straightforward,” said Baland Jalal, a University of Cambridge neuroscientist who was part of a team assessing if rubber hands could be a potential new type of exposure therapy.

Traditional exposure therapy often involves instructing OCD patients to touch contaminated surfaces, such as a toilet seat, and not wash their hands. It aims to help patients control their fears in a safe, managed environment, but many find it too difficult and cannot even begin therapy.

The British-US trial involved patients holding a fake hand and watching it being stroked until they developed a sensation that it was their own.

The rubber hand was then smeared with feces while their real hand was dabbed with damp tissue to mimic the feeling of feces touching their skin.

The patients were asked to rate their disgust and anxiety levels, and the strength of the urge to wash their hands.

“Exposure therapy can be very stressful and so is not always effective or even feasible for many patients,” Jalal said.

“If you can provide an indirect treatment that’s reasonably realistic, where you contaminate a rubber hand instead of a real hand, this might provide a bridge that will allow more people to tolerate exposure therapy or even replace [it] altogether,” he added.

OCD is a psychiatric condition that affects as many as one in 50 people worldwide. It can have serious effects on people’s lives, mental health, relationships and ability to hold a job.

OCD comes in various types, one of which is characterized by severe contamination fears — even from touching everyday things like switches or door handles — leading to excessive washing.

The results of the rubber hand study, which were published on Thursday in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, suggest fake hand contamination might help, Jalal said.

“The rubber hand illusion often makes people laugh at first, helping put them at ease,” Jalal said. “It’s also straightforward and cheap compared to virtual reality, and so can easily reach patients in distress no matter where they are.”

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title: EDITORIAL: Possible interference exposed

content_text:
With the polls consistently favoring a second-term majority government for President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), it was inevitable that China would seek to ramp up its disinformation campaign with a piece of dramatic news designed to sway voters ahead of tomorrow’s elections.

In a joint report on Wednesday, Australia’s The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald revealed Beijing’s plan — a scheme that appears to have backfired.

The plot centered around William Wang Liqiang (王立強), a “middleman” working with Chinese intelligence operatives, who defected to Australia last year and in November went public with explosive allegations of a Chinese espionage ring interfering in the domestic politics of Taiwan, Hong Kong and Australia.

Speaking to Australian media, Wang claimed that Chinese spies had infiltrated Taiwanese media, temples and grassroots organizations as part of a major operation to meddle with Taiwan’s democracy, including local elections in November 2018 — which saw the surprise election of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) politician Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) as Kaohsiung mayor.

Wang claimed to have helped funnel campaign donations to Han’s mayoral campaign and described his election as a “huge win” and a “glorious record” for his team. Han has denied receiving funds from China.

Wang said that before he defected, he was assigned to travel to Taiwan to work on unseating Tsai. Beijing dismissed all of Wang’s claims, including that he was a Chinese spy, claiming that he was a fugitive on the run from the police.

The newspapers revealed that KMT Deputy Secretary-General Alex Tsai (蔡正元) and a Chinese businessman named Sun Tianqun (孫天群) contacted Wang over the Christmas holiday. Using messaging apps, Alex Tsai and Sun attempted to coerce Wang into filming, and then releasing online, a prepared video statement in which he would have retracted all of his previous allegations and claimed that the DPP had offered him a large sum of money to spread lies about Chinese espionage in Taiwan.

Sources from within the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation shared screenshots of the messages with the newspapers, which show a series of threats and inducements made to Wang, beginning on Dec. 24. The messages appear to include Alex Tsai offering Wang safe passage to Taiwan, arranged by the KMT, while Sun threatened Wang with extradition to China and the punishment of his family if he failed to cooperate.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) is treating the alleged threats to Wang seriously and has launched an investigation. The Central News Agency has also obtained a screenshot of the messages, which appear to show Alex Tsai and Sun discussing how to deal with Wang.

Alex Tsai yesterday held a news conference during which he released a video conversation with Wang, denied threatening him and claimed that the DPP had offered Wang a “large sum of money,” but did not provide evidence to substantiate the claim.

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Justice Chen Ming-tang (陳明堂) confirmed that he has received a letter from the AFP requesting information on Alex Tsai.

China, aided by Alex Tsai, appears to have been trying to falsely implicate the DPP in a bribery scandal to influence the outcome of tomorrow’s elections. This is serious stuff.

The government should instruct Taiwan’s security agencies to share all available intelligence, including Alex Tsai’s telephone records, with the AFP to assist with their investigation.

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people: 韓國瑜 蔡英文 蔡正元


title: Qualifier Brady stuns Barty in Brisbane

content_text:
World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty yesterday suffered a surprise 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) defeat to American qualifier Jennifer Brady, who claimed the first top-10 win of her career to advance to the Brisbane International quarter-finals.

With the tournament moving into the Pat Rafter Arena at the Queensland Tennis Centre following the end of the ATP Cup group stage, Brady had to contend with not only the Australian top seed, who was given a bye to the last 16, but also a vociferous home crowd.

Barty, who had never dropped a set to Brady in two encounters last year, was unable to muster a single break point, while the American needed only one break of serve in the opening set before sealing the result in the second-set tiebreak.

Barty, who exited the tournament in the first round in 2018, struck more winners than Brady, but 16 unforced errors opened the door for her American opponent, who wrapped up the match in 91 minutes.

Despite losing her season opener, Barty remained upbeat about her Australian Open preparations and said that she does not feel any extra pressure because of her top ranking.

“It doesn’t change the way that I practice. It doesn’t change me as a person,” she told reporters. “I think that you guys [journalists] enjoy the fact that you get something to write about and you have something to talk about.”

“So hopefully I make it interesting for you, but I don’t look at it beyond that,” she added.

Brady, who beat Maria Sharapova in the first round after coming through three qualifiers, is next to face fifth seed Petra Kvitova.

Kvitova, a finalist at last year’s Australian Open, raced past Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova 6-3, 6-2 in 61 minutes.

Second seed and defending champion Karolina Pliskova had to work hard to avoid the same fate as Barty, as she overcame a mid-match blip to secure a 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1 win over Ajla Tomljanovic.

Third seed Naomi Osaka also had a difficult outing, as she came back from a set down to beat American Sofia Kenin 6-7 (3/7), 6-3, 6-1.

ASB Classic

Reuters, WELLINGTON

Top seed Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniacki yesterday ensured that the ASB Classic retained its two main draw cards as they battled to second-round victories, although promising teenager Coco Gauff was knocked out.

Williams needed two hours to outlast fellow American Christina McHale with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory, while Wozniacki, who is playing her penultimate tournament, fought back to overcome a tenacious Lauren Davis 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.

However, Gauff was upset by Germany’s Laura Siegemund 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 in a two-hour, 14-minute match that opened yesterday’s action on Center Court at the Auckland Tennis Centre.

Siegemund will now meet Williams, who struggled against the 86th-ranked McHale, who had not beaten the 23-time Grand Slam champion in their three previous matches.

McHale kept the 38-year-old off balance with clever use of angled returns and chased down everything hammered back at her.

Williams only seized control of the match in the fifth game of the decider when she broke serve.

She later told reporters that she had been angry with her play and was determined not to repeat her early Auckland exit in 2017.

“I think today I just got mad,” Williams said of what had sparked her turnaround. “Honestly, I said I wanted to win more than one match here in New Zealand.”

“I literally thought about that [2017 tournament] and sometimes it’s the craziest things that get you motivated,” she added.

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content_text:
Brazil would not bow to any pressure from the US over whether to allow Huawei Technologies Co Ltd (華為) to bid for its 5G network, Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation and Communications Marcos Pontes said.

“A good partner always understands the needs of the other,” Pontes said in an interview in his office in Brasilia. “Just as Brazil makes no claim over what business the US does with China, and whether or not this affects our agribusiness.”

Pontes, responsible for establishing the criteria for the construction of the latest generation of ultra-fast Internet, said that he would not veto any company from the bidding process and that the final decision would be based on merit.

“With technical criteria, it’s hard to see how some of these big companies won’t have the capacity to participate,” he said.

Scheduled initially for March and then postponed until the second half of the year, a 5G auction could be delayed until next year, Pontes said.

That is due to a technical problem as the new network would interfere with transmissions from the satellite dishes that relay TV signals in the country.

The government is studying two alternatives: putting filters on the satellite dishes or changing the transmission frequency used by the country’s TV providers.

On top of this, the agency that regulates the telecommunications sector was slow to publish the official notice announcing the auction.

Pontes said that he prefers to move cautiously, adding that the delay benefits Brazil by allowing it to learn from the mistakes and successes of other countries acquiring their new 5G networks.

The proximity between the governments of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and US President Donald Trump gives Brazil much to gain in the area of science and technology, Pontes added.

He is currently seeking US cooperation in the fields of artificial intelligence, biotechnology, intelligent cities and the use of advanced materials.

However, there are also ongoing discussions on similar issues with China.

“Science and technology works as an excellent component of diplomacy,” he said.

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title: Brazil to reject US dislike of Huawei 5G bid: official


content_text:
Athletes competing at the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games are to sleep on bed frames made from recyclable cardboard and mattresses formed of polyethylene materials that would be reused for plastic products after the Games.

The environmentally conscious sleeping arrangements were yesterday put on display for the media for the first time at a mock apartment in the Tokyo Games headquarters, although construction of residential sections of the Olympic and Paralympic village were completed last month.

In all, 18,000 beds will be required at the village, nestled in Tokyo Bay and in sight of the iconic Rainbow Bridge, during the Olympics, which begin on July 24.

Only 8,000 would be needed for the Paralympics.

At 2.10m long, the beds should be suitable for all but the very tallest athletes, and the manufacturer, Airweave, is confident that they can bear a weight of about 200kg, which is more than any athlete weighed at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.

Construction of some communal areas of the Olympic village, like the main dining hall and the village plaza, is still under way. After the Games, its apartment units are to be sold privately, with prices starting from a little more than ￥50 million (US$457,300).

Organizers have been making a concerted effort to reduce carbon emissions generated by the Games, said Junichi Fujino, an environmental researcher on the city’s task force.

All medals will be made from metal extracted from recycled consumer electronics, including about 6.2 million used mobile phones.

The Olympic torch is made from waste aluminum, and the podiums from recycled household and marine plastic waste.

Electricity for the Summer Games is to come from renewable sources.

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title: Tokyo organizers unveil Olympians’ eco-friendly beds