title: 報告：武漢肺炎影響500萬家公司

content_text:
一項新研究表明，武漢肺炎爆發可能影響到全球500多萬家企業。圖為示意圖。（NHAC NGUYEN/AFP via Getty Images）
【記者王祥、戴芙若／綜合編譯】武漢肺炎已衝擊中國經濟，一項新研究表明，還可能影響到全球500多萬家企業。

全球商業研究公司鄧白氏（Dun＆Bradstreet）最新簡報分析了受武漢肺炎影響最嚴重的中國省份及地區，發現這些地區跟全球商業網絡存在錯綜複雜的關係。

報告稱，截至2月5日，疫情最嚴重的地區覆蓋中國九成企業，同時還有約4.9萬家外國公司的分支機構和子公司位於這些地區。

研究人員發現，全球至少5萬1千家公司——其中163家名列《財富》1000強企業——在疫區擁有一個或多個直接或「一級」供應商；全球至少有500萬家公司——包括《財富》排名1000強企業中的938家——在疫區擁有一個或多個「二級」供應商。

鄧白氏的報告指出，服務業、批發貿易、製造業、零售業和金融服務業是前五個主要備受疫情衝擊的行業，這些行業在疫區約占80%以上。報告還假設，中國國內就業和銷售的很大一部分也來自這些受影響地區。

受疫情影響的省份，例如廣東、江蘇、浙江、北京和山東占中國經濟總就業人數的一半（50%），也占中國經濟總產量的48%。

中國經濟約占全球GDP的20%，分析家估計，如果疫情控制時間推遲到夏天以後，武漢肺炎的「連鎖效應」可能會拖累全球GDP成長約1個百分點。

報告說：「無論哪種情況出現，湖北、中國和全球經濟都將在短期內看到商務人口流失，以及就業和收入增長低迷。」

全球評級公司穆迪週一（2月17日）已將其全球增長預期下調了0.2個百分點，預計G20今年的年均增速為2.4%，而中國經濟的增速將下滑至5.2%。

這裡最樂觀的基準預測是第一季度末時遏制病毒傳播、第二季度恢復「正常經濟活動」。但是，如果感染率和死亡人數不減緩，那麼伴隨國際供應鏈中斷、對全球經濟的衝擊將是「嚴重的」。

美商會調查：在中美企步履艱難

路透社報導，上海美國商會進行的一項民意調查顯示，近半數在中國的美國公司表示，由於武漢肺炎爆發，其全球業務已經受到影響。

約有78%的受訪者表示，他們在中國的工廠沒有足夠的員工來恢復全面生產，因為武漢肺炎造成的公共衛生限制，工人也很難重返工作崗位。

該調查稱，有48%的受訪者表示，工廠停工已影響了其全球供應鏈產業，而幾乎所有其他受訪者均預期下個月會受到更大影響。

美國商會主席季愷文（Ker Gibbs）說，「最大的問題是缺乏工人，因為他們受到旅行限制和隔離的影響。來自本地區以外的任何人都將接受14天的隔離。因此，即使可以開工，大多數工廠仍然嚴重缺乏工人。這將對全球供應鏈產生嚴重影響，而這只是開始。」

美國商會的調查還顯示，1/3的公司計畫在工廠無法開工的情況下，將業務遷出中國，而近2/3的企業預計產品需求將低於正常水準。

受調查者還談到物流問題以及尋找替代用品的需求，這是未來2到4週內業務面臨的最大挑戰。◇


title: 【國際瞭望】與中共分享學術研究成果很致命

countries: 哥倫比亞 以色列 俄羅斯 美國 伊朗 古巴 中國 北韓

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中國共產黨已經簽署了《生物武器公約》 （Biological Weapons Convention），但他們對這一點不是很在意。中共政權正在研發生物（細菌）武器，來自中國的致命病毒或許可以證明這一點。

關於這一點，毛思迪（Stephen Mosher）在英文《大紀元時報》發表的一篇專欄文章中寫道：

「中國軍事醫學科學院副院長賀福初就曾在2015年公開表示，生物材料是新戰爭的『戰略制高點』。」

「中共解放軍的將軍、前國防大學校長張仕波上將在他2017年的著作《戰爭新高地》（War’s New High Land）一書中則更進一步聲稱：『現代生物技術的發展正逐漸顯示出它擁有強大進攻能力的特徵』，包括潛在的『針對特定民族基因的攻擊』。」

「非常清楚的是，張將軍所說的就是能殺死其他種族的生物武器，同時使自己的族群能夠對之獲得先天或者後天的免疫力。」

中共聲稱對所有祖上與中國大陸有關係的人擁有領導權。同時，在近年來，這個共產黨政權僱傭更多與中國大陸並沒有任何民族、血緣關係的人士。美國哈佛大學化學系主任李柏（Charles Lieber）教授就是典型的例子。

李柏被形容為「我們這個時代最傑出的科學家之一」。但執法部門針對他的起訴書中寫道，李柏同意於2012年至2017年間在武漢工程大學擔任「戰略科學家」後，他私下收到中共支付的7位數報酬。

對李柏的起訴是與針對另一名中國學者鄭早松（Zaosong
 Zheng，音譯）的起訴同時宣布的。鄭早松於2018年，獲准在美國波士頓的貝斯以色列女執事醫學中心（Beth Israel Deaconess
Medical Center）進行癌症研究。第二年，他因試圖將研究樣品走私出境而在美國被捕。

此外，還有一起向中共走私美國半導體晶片的陰謀被破獲。這個竊取計畫是由美國加州大學洛杉磯分校（UCLA）工程學系兼任教授石怡馳（Yi-Chi

Shih，音譯）策劃的。他很清楚知道，這種晶片在軍事飛彈及戰鬥機方面用途巨大。在2019年的一份聯邦起訴書中，石怡馳被控犯下18項罪行，面臨法定最高刑期219年的監禁。

為了竊取美國的研究和技術，中共策劃了眾多陰謀，而且仍有眾多中共間諜正在為此行動。為了維持我們高等教育體系僅剩的殘餘輝煌形象，我們的大學高層主管對外誇耀，他們是如何對敵人的滲透敞開大門。

這些大學校長們喜歡吹噓整個科學研究系統的開放性，以懷疑的眼光看待任何、限制接觸祕密研究領域人士的企圖。

加州理工學院院長羅森鮑姆（Thomas
 Rosenbaum）在接受NBC新聞頻道採訪時聲稱：「我們最大的優勢就是我們的開放性。」而威爾遜中心（Wilson
Center）中國問題研究所（Kissinger Institute on China）負責人戴博（Robert
Daly）把對中共間諜活動的警惕和懷疑，比作是麥卡錫主義。

此外，哥倫比亞大學校長包林格（Lee
Bollinger）還撰寫了一篇專欄文章，認為儘管美國維持對網路安全和生物恐怖主義等領域研究的控制是重要和正確的，但「學術研究的目的就是共享」。因此，美國追捕留學生間諜就是錯誤的，中共可以利用偷來的美國學術研究成果，但美國大學把這些成果留給美國自己就是不對的。

儘管也有關於俄羅斯、古巴、伊朗和北韓在美國由政府資助的研究設施中，尋找目標的類似間諜事件，但中共是最引人注目的案例，美國大學只是其實施無數間諜活動的目標之一。

中共的間諜行動最需要受到重視，因為他們完全掌控了自己的體制，並且他們手段超群。與此相比，伊朗人甚至都無法將火箭送入軌道。他們剛剛完成了連續3次的火箭發射，而且連續3次失敗。

另一方面，儘管我們曾花了近80年的時間來同克格勃（俄羅斯國家安全委員會）和格魯烏（俄羅斯軍事情報總局）進行對抗，但現在，我們好像已經不會開展反間諜工作了。這是怎麼回事？我們最好把這個工作重新做好。否則，我們將不得不去面對中國共產主義政權所爆出的生物武器，而且我們的大學研究體系還正在為他們服務著。

學術研究成果並非一定要分享給所有人，起碼不是全部都要進行分享。◇

──作者萊丁是「保衛民主基金會」（FDD）的自由學者。他曾擔任美國國家安全委員會、國務院、國防部的顧問及美國國務卿的特別顧問，有35本著作。本文「Sharing
 Academic Research Could Be Deadly, as China Develops
Bioweapons」刊登於英文《大紀元時報》。本文僅代表作者觀點。


title: 與中車抗衡！法阿爾斯通收購龐巴迪

countries: 德國 日本 歐盟 法國 中國

content_text:
法國火車製造商阿爾斯通集團（Alstom）的工廠。（PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP via Getty Images）
【記者賴意晴／綜合編譯】法國火車製造商阿爾斯通集團（Alstom）週一（2月17日）同意以58到63億歐元（約新台幣1,887億至2,017億元）收購對手龐巴迪公司（Bombardier）的鐵路業務，此舉將催生出一家專注於歐洲市場的火車產業龍頭，得以與世界第一大鐵路設備公司中國中車（CRRC）抗衡。

《金融時報》週一報導，龐巴迪發布的聲明表示，阿爾斯通將會以74.5億歐元收購龐巴迪，其中包括債務；阿爾斯通則表示，將以58到63億歐元現金加股票收購龐巴迪鐵路業務子公司的所有股份，並承擔債務。

法國阿爾斯通集團曾謀求與德國西門子公司合併鐵路事業，組成鐵路巨擘，但在去年2月遭歐盟監管官員以「避免導致信號系統和下一世代高速鐵路的價格上漲」而否決。

事情過了一年，阿爾斯通執行長普帕爾—拉法齊（Henri Poupart-Lafarge）週一表示，這次合併是為了增強阿爾斯通的全球影響力，並因應歐洲鐵路交通成長的需求，「這只是使阿爾斯通更強大的一筆交易」。

尋求降低債務負擔的龐巴迪已接近完成5年的重建計畫，該公司表示，這筆收購案能讓公司完全專注於航空事業。

德國鐵路產業策略諮詢公司「SCI Verkehr」分析，與龐巴迪合併後，阿爾斯通的鐵路業務年銷售額估將達到155億歐元，將成為世界第二大鐵路設備集團，超越德國西門子和日本日立，被認為能與掌握全球2/3鐵路產業的中國中車相互抗衡。

中國中車2018年的年營收近210億歐元，而阿爾斯通和龐巴迪鐵道事業2018年的營收加起來為153億歐元。

阿爾斯通與龐巴迪的交易仍需要通過歐盟監管部門的審核。分析師預測，本案受到的審核可能比去年少。阿爾斯通則表示收購案預計於2021年上半年完成。

週一的巴黎股市，阿爾斯通的股價上漲了3.5%。◇


title: 頂著疫情攻蛋發片 萬芳感謝醫護與媒體

content_text:
【記者鄭宜芬／台北報導】歌手萬芳出道30年，18日舉辦「萬芳30台北小巨蛋演唱會售票 暨 加盟何樂音樂 記者會」，宣告將於6月13日在台北小巨蛋二度開唱。

適逢武漢肺炎疫情持續延燒，現場仍吸引大批媒體到場採訪，萬芳充滿感激：「在這個非常時期，非常謝謝所有媒體朋友來到現場，但今天也是平凡的一天，能夠在這裡相聚，非常謝謝在第一線防疫的醫護人員」

不過民眾因擔憂肺炎減少出門、是否會擔心票房？萬芳表示：「希望我沒有搶票成功，因為被大家買光光！因為這次疫情關係，對於演出票房會有壓力，但還是順其自然，希望有緣的人都能夠來相聚！」

談及二度攻蛋，萬芳分享心情：「經過這次疫情能夠相聚是更多的珍惜，每次都當作最後一次的心情在對待，二次舉辦演唱會心情是更不容易的！」

開場精心剪輯「30首專屬萬芳好歌」，第30首時她登台獻聲《自己照顧自己》傳遞溫暖力量，也帶有「罩」顧自己的意義。

除了演唱會，萬芳現場也宣布將於5月推出新輯、正式加盟新東家何樂音樂。 主持人黃子佼問及30年來最大的改變？萬芳思考後笑著回應：「也許比較開心！」◇


title: 世衛受中共操控？武漢肺炎引爆質疑

content_text:
【記者李凡／綜合報導】新冠病毒危機持續延燒，外媒近期多次披露中共控制疫情的相關訊息，但世界衛生組織（WHO）反倒讚揚北京對病毒危機的回應及透明度，使批評者質疑兩者之間的關係。

世衛祕書長譚德塞（Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus）在宣布新型冠狀病毒是全球公共衛生緊急事件前到訪中國大陸，先後獲中國國家主席習近平和總理李克強接見。

他之後召開記者會多次讚賞中共處理疫情的表現和透明度，但完全沒有提到中共官員在武漢肺炎爆發初期試圖淡化疫情，並控制資訊流通，甚至威脅要抓捕那些披露疫情的「散布謠言者」。

美國有線電視新聞網（CNN）報導，儘管在習近平干預之後，中共迅速將幾個主要城市封鎖，但北京仍嚴格控制有關該病毒的訊息。然而，世衛卻在讚賞中共的透明度，CNN稱，這導致外界開始質疑世衛和中共之間的關係。

撒錢國家有龐大影響力

世衛仰賴成員國的資金與合作來運作，像中共這樣撒錢的國家，因此擁有龐大影響力。CNN稱，中共能夠左右世衛最顯著的例子就是其成功阻止台灣進入該組織。

世衛成立於72年前，其對中共的立場長期以來一直備受質疑，外界擔心世衛無法完全獨立於中共執行任務。

過度政治化 損害世衛信譽

世衛的任務是協調國際衛生政策，特別是針對傳染病。世衛曾有許多成就，例如根除天花、減少99%的小兒麻痺症病例及致力於預防慢性病等。

不過，70年來，批評世衛的聲音鮮少中斷。

前世衛顧問克利夫特（Charles Clift）在2014年的報告中寫道，大多數觀察人士，包括很多前內部員工都認為該組織「過於政治化，過於官僚化，醫務人員尋求解決方法時，太過於顧慮社會和經濟的問題，在處理有爭議問題時太膽小，在適應變化時又顯得太慢」。

克利夫特說：「世衛既是一個技術機構，也是一個決策機構。技術工作加入過度政治考量，可能會傷害其作為健康標準制定者的權威和信譽。」

世衛無法獨立蒐集訊息

與無國界醫生組織（MSF）不同，世衛通常沒有自己的團隊可實地蒐集訊息，而是依靠成員國提供數據，這些數據是經由區域組織過濾的。這意味世衛獲得的資訊要依賴成員國希望提供多少。假使一個有流行病的國家不分享數據，世衛幾乎無能為力。

因為無法與臭名昭著的中共政府對抗，所以譚德塞想要世衛了解在中國發生的事情，並對該國處理疫情的方式施加影響是不太可能的事。庫普費施密特（Kai
 Kupferschmidt）在近期的《科學》雜誌上寫道：「儘管很明顯，該國在疫情的早期階段並不夠透明，也許現在仍然如此。」◇

events: 武漢肺炎 新冠病毒 冠狀病毒

countries: 中國 美國 台灣


countries: 日本 台灣 哥倫比亞 美國

content_text:
台大醫學院助理教授兼任醫師潘明楷（右3）與哥倫比亞大學醫學中心的郭昇翰醫師組成跨國團隊，找出第一個顫抖症的致病機轉。（科技部提供）
【記者袁世鋼／台北報導】據統計，20%的老年人會出現不受控制的手抖症狀。台大醫學院助理教授兼任醫師潘明楷表示，此為原發性顫抖症常見病症，但病因不明，藥物治療效果不佳。不過，科技部18日指出，潘明楷與美國哥倫比亞大學的醫師成立的跨國團隊，已找出全球第一個顫抖症致病機轉。

潘明楷表示，原發性顫抖症是常見的動作障礙疾病，患者會出現活動中的手抖、頭抖或聲音抖等症狀，超過4%的成年人會罹患此病，老年人罹病率更接近20%，是帕金森氏症的5倍。但由於病因不明，藥物開發相當困難，現在經美國FDA（食品藥物管理局）核准的2個藥物，有效率皆低於50%，即使是侵入性的治療，在數年後，療效也會慢慢減弱。

不過，在科技部「以疾病為導向之腦與心智科學專案研究計畫」及「台灣腦科技及國際躍升計畫」支持下，潘明楷與哥倫比亞大學醫學中心的郭昇翰醫師組成跨國團隊，找出第一個顫抖症的致病機轉。潘明楷說，顫抖症病患的小腦細胞中，控制神經連結的GluRδ2蛋白會減少，導致小腦神經纖維過度增生，使小腦細胞產生過強連結，造成小腦神經過度共振而產生顫抖症狀。

潘明楷指出，小腦神經的共振異常，更可成為檢測原發性顫抖症的第一個生物標記，有助於臨床診斷及藥物開發。研究團隊結合哥大的完整腦庫、病理專長及台大的活體動物研究及先進光電技術，觀察到顫抖症特有的小腦結構及分子變化，並依此建立動物模式，並進一步開發小腦腦波的臨床電生理新技術，真正在顫抖症病患上確認小腦共振異常。

此研究成果，於今年初發表在國際頂尖轉譯醫學期刊《Science Translational Medicine》 ，且已有美國及日本等數個國際藥廠與潘明楷團隊合作，利用新開發的動物模式及小腦腦波新技術，進行顫抖症的藥物開發及試驗，並針於GluRδ2蛋白設計基因治療方法，逆轉GluRδ2蛋白的缺損。潘明楷也成為世界動作障礙學會（Tremor Study Group）的台灣代表，共同制定顫抖症相關的國際診斷治療準則。◇

title: 小腦神經蛋白作祟 台美合作找出手抖首因


countries: 美國 中國 日本 越南 韓國

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【記者張東光／綜合報導】大陸武漢肺炎疫情持續肆虐，影響各地工廠開工，許多代工廠2、3月營收恐下降三成以上，讓國際知名電子品牌大廠如坐針氈，擔心近幾個月供貨可能斷炊。日本遊戲機大廠任天堂表示，該公司遊戲主機Switch可能在今年4月就無法充分供貨給美國和歐洲市場。

據統計，任天堂主機銷售在美國的營收占比達43%，歐洲占27%，日本占21%，一旦美國和歐洲市場無法供貨，整體營收衝擊巨大。該公司產品目前雖在越南組裝，但部分零件還是來自中國，一旦零件和產品庫存用罄後，4月以後就無法保證產品全面供貨。

蘋果公司的情況也不樂觀。該公司最大的組裝供應商富士康集團一方面加緊生產口罩，另一方面爭取盡速復工，但由於開工率短期間無法拉上，預計未來幾週的產量將無可避免大量下滑，進而衝擊蘋果公司近期的銷售業績。

蘋果公司週一（17日）表示，受到iPhone手機供貨不足和中國需求下滑影響，今年1月發布的第二財季營業額630億~670億美元目標恐無法達成。

日本另一家遊戲機大廠索尼（Sony）也預計推出造價450美元的下一世代PlayStation 5主機，迎戰微軟自豪最強的Xbox Series X遊戲主機。

該公司稱武漢肺炎疫情並未影響到該款遊戲主機的推出進度，但最頭疼的反而是如何與需求強勁的5G手機爭奪閃存和內存記憶體的貨源。所幸，記憶體主要在韓國生產，這方面躲過了武漢肺炎疫情的威脅。

武漢肺炎疫情的爆發，重創全球供應鏈體系，突顯全球各大品牌廠商將生產基地孤注於中國的風險極高，去年美中貿易戰已將產能移出中國的部分廠商或許此時有些慶幸，但更重要的是當疫情緩解之後，是否進一步大幅地分散生產基地將成為全球品牌大廠難以忽略的課題。◇

title: 疫情衝擊大陸工廠開工 任天堂4月供貨吃緊


countries: 中國 義大利

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國各地因武漢疫情肆虐封城、封路、封村，四川有養蜂人因此血本無歸。示意圖非當事人。（Getty Images）
【記者駱亞／報導】中國各地因武漢疫情肆虐封城、封路、封村，四川養蜂人劉德成因為在雲南調不到車輛載運蜜蜂，導致蜜蜂因農藥中毒，血本無歸，2月13日自縊身亡。

養蜂人相關的網站「蜂蜜知識網」證實上述蜂農自殺消息，該網站報導稱，當前因疫情原因，各地都封路封村，各處的蜂場都無法轉場。所謂的轉場，就是一個地方的花期已經過了，養蜂人就帶著蜂群去另外一個花期正好的地方，讓他們傳播花粉、採蜜。

報導介紹，大批養蜂人都被困在雲南境內，因花期已過，農戶開始噴灑農藥，蜜蜂再採蜜就會中毒，養蜂人也沒錢買飼料餵養。據熟悉養蜂的網友介紹，「有些轉場，需要跑上百公里。轉場過程中，養蜂人得把蜂群密封在蜂箱裡，給蜜蜂餵飼料（比如蜂蜜水）。非疫情期間，這個轉場時間可能會很短，最多一兩天。」

該網友還介紹，現在中國大部分是這種依賴養蜂人的義大利蜜蜂。養義大利蜂很辛苦，吃住都在戶外，通常是在油菜花田、果園之類的地方搭個帳篷自己生火做飯，最苦的部分是要跟著花期到處轉場，一處花期過了就要去下一處。

據養蜂人微信群內的人介紹，44歲的劉德成，為了蜜蜂轉場，到處調車調不來，加上他投資了很多的錢，本身家庭也不富裕，走了極端的路。

養蜂人的自縊也令網上很多網友感到痛心，指出養蜂需要轉場，如果封了路不讓蜂農走，蜂農和蜜蜂都是死路一條。◇

自殺不能解決問題

title: 四川因疫情封城 養蜂人血本無歸


title: 貿協推專案 助廠商抓住轉單商機

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【記者徐翠玲／綜合報導】武漢肺炎（COVID-19）造成產業供應鏈轉移，形成新商機。中華民國對外貿易發展協會指出，海外買家透過全台最大經貿B2B平台「台灣經貿網」詢價，比武漢肺炎疫情爆發前增加數百倍，顯示國際買主尋求新供應商，以彌補中國產能空缺。貿協表示，將透過專案協助1萬家台灣廠商抓住轉單商機。

貿協推出「數位貿易鳯凰專案」協助國內廠商抓緊轉單商機，將加強廠商海外宣傳力道、強化台灣品牌形象，也會協助建立運用虛擬實境（VR）技術的虛擬展示間，不僅讓業者省下海外參展費用，也使得無法實地參展的海外買主能透過網路，清楚了解產品運作與廠房配置等細節。

數位貿易鳯凰專案也將提供廠商各項網路行銷所需的資助，包括跨境運費補助、產品拍攝、優化商品文案等，也與國際知名電商平台Amazon、eBay及Rakuten合作輔導國內業者，享進駐優惠與增加曝光等實質幫助。

貿協表示，今年將透過AI科技擴大開發視訊採購案件，協助廠商接觸海外買主，讓買主隨時能連接台灣供應商。同時也導入線上小型機動拓銷團，提供線上專人採購顧問諮詢服務，協助買主了解台灣廠商。

貿協預估，這項專案受惠廠商將超過1萬家。貿協亦提及，除數位貿易鳯凰專案外，亦推動「數位健檢列車」，依據廠商數位化程度的不同，提供數位行銷微診斷、跨境電商及台灣經貿網營運等3類型健檢服務，協助廠商了解自身拓銷全球的行銷狀態。

countries: 中國 台灣 中華民國


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【記者鄭宜芬／台北報導】受到新型冠狀病毒影響，近來不少演藝圈活動紛紛取消，蕭煌奇與Lulu（黃路梓茵）18日出席全新台語歌唱綜藝《上奅台灣歌》開播記者會，坦言自己有10幾場活動已取消，不過他仍然看得開，表示這樣就可以好好寫歌。

不過蕭煌奇爆料Lulu在短期間內逼他交歌，忍不住笑罵：「真是死小孩！」他透露去年十月出國前，Lulu表示要錄音了，拜託他趕快交歌，蕭煌奇在短時間內完成任務，也順勢擔任歌曲製作人

Lulu馬上求饒說：「不然我嫁給你報答恩情！」蕭煌奇笑回：「那妳也要顧慮我的心情。」妙語如珠逗笑現場眾人。◇

title: 疫情致通告取消 蕭煌奇：專心創作


countries: 瓜地馬拉 海地 中華民國 台灣 貝里斯

events: 武漢肺炎 冠狀病毒

content_text:
【記者吳旻洲／台北報導】中華民國總統蔡英文18日接見「友邦駐聯合國常任代表訪問團」時表示，台灣位於這次新型冠狀病毒疫情的最前線，不該因為政治因素被排除在世界衛生組織的參與，台灣擁有完善醫療體系與累積對抗疫情經驗，支持台灣參與世界衛生組織（WHO），可以確保全球更有效、更快速掌握疫情。

此次「友邦駐聯合國常任代表訪問團」共4人應邀訪台，成員包括，貝里斯駐聯合國常任代表楊恩（Lois Michele Young）大使、瓜地馬拉駐聯合國常任代表林路易（Luis António Lam Padilla）大使及海地共和國駐聯合國常任代表聖伊萊（Patrick Saint-Hilaire）大使伉儷。

蔡英文致詞時表示，友邦一直是協助台灣通往世界最關鍵、最重要的通道，這幾年來，中共不斷的用各種方式來打壓台灣的國際空間，我們要感謝我們的友邦，總是在最重要的場合持續為台灣發聲，讓全世界聽到台灣的聲音。

談到武漢肺炎，蔡英文表示，目前台灣和全世界一樣，共同面臨新型冠狀病毒的威脅，世界衛生組織卻因為政治的因素，把台灣排除在外。

她強調，政治因素不應該凌駕健康的權利，防疫是全球性的事務，更不應該讓全球的防疫網絡出現破口，台灣就在這次疫情威脅的最前線，不該被排除在外，台灣除了有先進的、完善的醫療體系之外，從抗SARS（嚴重急性呼吸道症候群）時期就累積了豐富的專業跟經驗。

她表示，支持台灣參與WHO可以確保全球更有效、更快速的掌控疫情，台灣會繼續努力，也希望友邦夥伴繼續幫忙台灣發聲，給予支持。

title: 挺台參與WHO 總統：可快速掌握疫情


title: 鴻海口罩廠落腳土城 最快3月量產

things: 經濟 防疫

taiwan-subdivisions: 土城 新北市

content_text:
【記者莊麗存／綜合報導】由於國內目前口罩仍供不應求，鴻海集團將在新北市土城廠區新開設十條口罩生產線，預計3月開始量產，目標日產100萬片口罩。新北市政府經濟發展局長何怡明表示，預計這個月底口罩工廠就會建置完全，3月起日產百萬片口罩。何怡明證實，2月初鴻海集團有提出回台設立醫用口罩工廠需求，便主動協助盤點其旗下子公司硬體、土地等設廠條件，最後由有醫材產線的「鴻騰」出線，打造醫用口罩產線。新北市政府會全力協助鴻海集團縮短行政流程，以及掌握原物料和設備等需求。

鴻海集團最初曾提出口罩優先回饋新北市弱勢民眾，後來因應政府提出徵用政策，新北市府鼓勵業者配合中央防疫政策，共赴國難。鴻海也已表態，徵用期間不會將醫療口罩留為自用。


title: 疫情衝擊陸餐飲業 老闆賣房苦撐

content_text:
【記者張玉潔／綜合報導】疫情當前，中國餐飲業者要想店面重新開張不易，大多數只能以經營外賣為主，無法真正盈利，已經有餐飲業老闆做好了倒閉的準備。

受疫情影響，中國知名潮汕牛肉火鍋店「八合里海記」從大年初二開始逐漸關掉了廣州、北京、武漢等13個城市全部的132家門市。門市全面停業後，相關的管理公司、供應鏈、中央廚房、屠宰廠、物流車隊、養殖場等配套服務也只能全部停掉。

這家火鍋店的老闆表示，從全面停業開始，月損失高達約6千萬元（人民幣，下同），現有資金只能撐2個月，實際上很多餐飲公司的資金還頂不了2個月。界面新聞引述這位老闆的話表示，原本以為只停業十天半個月，但沒想到會這麼慘，越來越嚴重。

「八合里海記」約有5千名員工，目前自願返工的員工主要處理外賣業務。「但只有20多家門店開通外賣，而營業額只達到原本這些門市的30%，如何彌補？杯水車薪啊。」老闆說。

由於停業，公司現在面臨「只有支出，沒有收入」的困難，外賣業務的配送也缺少快遞員。在營收銳減的情況下，公司只能分批發放員工工資。「目前每天虧損200萬至300萬元左右，最壞的打算就是賣物業、賣房子來支撐，把最後一套賣完就解散。」他說。

另一家燒烤業龍頭企業「木屋燒烤」的老闆表示，公司有140多家門市，大約5千名員工，現在每天的虧損大約150萬元，一個月虧損大約5千萬元，如果不採取任何措施，帳面上的資金只能撐3、4個月。

他說，最大的成本是房租和人工成本，一個月差不多有近3千萬元的房租成本，還要有員工的吃住費用。目前很多員工1月的工資都還沒發放，公司的狀況也很艱難。

恆大研究院的數據顯示，僅在中國新年假期的7天內，武漢肺炎疫情已對中國餐飲業的零售額造成了5千億元左右的損失。◇


title: 內政部：公務員赴陸返台 7工作天內應通報

content_text:
【記者袁世鋼／台北報導】《台灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例》(簡稱《兩岸條例》)於去(108)年9月1日修正施行，明定公務員赴陸返台後須通報，且涉密程度較高的退離職人員許可管制期屆滿後仍須申報。對此，內政部18日依《兩岸條例》授權發布2項辦法，強化公務員赴陸管理機制。

內政部表示，這次修正發布「臺灣地區公務員及特定身分人員進入大陸地區許可辦法」(簡稱許可辦法)，主要是依照《兩岸條例》規定，將涉及「國家機密」人員修正為涉及「國家安全、利益或機密」人員；並明定公務員及退離職人員，應於赴陸返台後7個工作日內，填具通報表申報，且訂有「機關可要求限期補正、說明及定期抽查等機制」。

此外，依《兩岸條例》規定，公務員赴陸為事先許可制，大陸委員會於106年1月即函釋，不論是「過境轉機」或「入境轉機」均應事先獲得許可，實施至今已有3年，故這次許可辦法修正，也一併將「轉機」增列為赴陸申請的事由之一，以完備法制。

內政部指出，這次也訂定發布「從事涉及重要國家安全利益或機密業務之退離職人員應經審查許可期間屆滿後進入大陸地區申報辦法」，主要也是依照《兩岸條例》授權，訂定申報對象、期間、程序及其他應遵行事項。內政部強調，並非所有退離職人員赴陸均需申報，且若經原服務機關核列為赴陸應申報之「重要退離職人員」，僅須向原服務機關申報，不必向內政部申請許可。◇

countries: 台灣 臺灣


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【記者張原彰／台北報導】全台高中以下學校25日開學，台大公衛系的學者18日召開記者會，分享開學後師生集體授課時的防疫知識。學者表示，由於教室容易變成密閉空間，讓室內師生暴露在較高的風險環境裡，因此建議天冷時，教室需要每20分鐘開窗1~3分鐘，在天熱開冷氣時，同樣得適時開窗或使用換氣系統，若教室沒有窗戶則要避免開啟冷氣。

台大公共衛生學院環境與職業健康科學研究所副教授陳佳堃表示，如果在密閉空間的教室裡面，有一個同學生病，那整個教室的同學與老師都有極高的被傳染風險，因此，室內換氣相當重要。

陳佳堃表示，即使開冷氣或空調，未必代表室內有換氣，真正的換氣得通過開窗，引入外面新鮮的空氣，以替代掉室內汙濁的空氣，不代表室內有風等於是在換氣。

陳佳堃表示，開窗每分鐘可讓室內空間完成一次換氣，因此如果天氣冷，還是建議教室每20分鐘得開窗1~3分鐘，人數多要再增加換氣時間。天氣熱的時候，即使教室開空調也得這麼做，如果有換氣系統要開啟，沒有窗戶或是換氣系統，則是要避免開冷氣。

另外，陳佳堃表示，如果得使用無窗的辦公室，以7坪大、人數不到5人的空間為例，民眾可把門完全打開，讓電風扇立在正對門距離2.5公尺處，使用第一段風往門外吹拂，且室內人員得戴上口罩，這麼做可強迫室內空氣往外推，讓外面的新鮮空氣往內流。◇

title: 下週開學 公衛專家建議：每20分鐘開窗1~3分鐘


countries: 台灣 美國 中國

taiwan-subdivisions: 新興 成功

content_text:
全球晶片製造商在使用美國設備為華為生產晶片前，未來恐須先獲得美國政府許可。（DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP via Getty Images）
【記者張原彰、吳英／台北報導】《華爾街日報》報導，美國商務部擬修改法規，要求全球晶片製造商在使用美國設備為華為生產晶片前，須先獲得美國許可。分析師認為，這代表台廠未來無法出貨給中國，但由於台廠產能吃緊，預計中國的需求可由其他廠商補足，因此對台廠短期的影響不大。

《華日》2月17日引述知情人士的話報導說，美國商務部正在修改的「外國直接產品規則」，要求全球晶片製造商在使用美國設備為華為生產晶片前，須先獲得美國政府許可。「外國直接產品規則」主要是限制外國公司，將美國技術用於生產軍事或國安產品。

知情人士說，「他們的目標是不希望世界上任何一家晶圓廠，為華為生產任何產品。」美國業內人士說，商務部增修新規的目的是減緩中國發展技術的進程，但是否會對全球半導體供應鏈構成影響仍有待觀察。

一些知情人士告訴《華日》，川普政府內部並非所有人都支持這個主意，美國總統川普也還沒有看過這些內容。

知情人士說，商務部同時在研擬另一項規定，限制美國公司從其海外據點向華為供貨。

一位知情人士說，商務部有可能在限制全球晶片製造商使用美國設備前，對含有美國技術的晶片出口實施更多限制。

路透社報導，據中國光大證券去年的報告，大多數晶片製造商都依賴科磊（KLA-Tencor）、科林研發（Lam Research）、應用材料（Applied Materials）等美國公司的設備製造晶片，而「中國沒有一條產線完全使用中國製設備」，這意味著缺少美國設備，中國生產不出晶片。

新規將限制台積電賣產品給華為

台灣的台積電是全球最大晶片製造代工業者，美國新規將限制台積電與華為的生意往來。半導體業內人士估計，去年台積電總銷售額超過350億美元，其中10%以上來自華為的晶片製造子公司海思。

對此，瑞銀亞太區半導體產業分析師呂家璈表示，未來全球晶片廠若使用美國設備替華為製造晶片，必須取得許可，這代表包括台灣大廠在內等業者，可能都無法出貨給中國，但這措施對台灣大廠的影響不會這麼直接和立即，因為台灣業者曾表示，即使中國需求受影響，但別的地區可以補足需求，而且台灣7奈米的產能吃緊，除了中國的5G
 需求外，中央處理器（CPU）、高效率運算（HPC）的需求也不錯。

呂家璈說，中國半導體業勢必受到衝擊，中國半導體業預估在PA、手機晶片等零件上，較容易以中國供應鏈替代，但半導體設備、晶圓代工、動態隨機存取記憶體（DRAM）則難以取代；中國自行發展晶圓代工，技術上挑戰很大，即使成功也未必能賺錢。呂家璈說，如今人工智慧、監控、數據中心等新興科技，對資安要求更高，這使美國更想脫離對中國的依賴，未來美中供應鏈分散、自主發展會成為趨勢。

武漢肺炎疫情對中國半導體業的影響，呂家璈說，由於武漢當地沒有半導體廠，且產線人工用的少，因此推估，中國半導體業短期較不受疫情影響，特別是晶圓代工及記憶體廠商，比起上游半導體設備及下游封裝，被影響的程度更少。不過，由於運輸業復工率偏低，可能多少產生衝擊。◇

title: 華府又出招 擬再收緊供貨華為


title: 時力提18歲投票權修憲 盼朝野共同支持

people: 王婉諭 陳椒華 邱顯智

countries: 香港 台灣

content_text:
時代力量立法院黨團總召邱顯智（中）、副總召陳椒華（右）、幹事長王婉諭（左）舉行「投票年齡18歲，修憲就是現在」記者會。（中央社）
【記者吳旻洲／台北報導】時代力量立法院黨團18日舉行黨團會議。總召邱顯智會後召開記者會表示，公民權下修是國際趨勢，目前台灣社會與朝野黨團對於投票權下降至18歲也有共識，因此，時力將會提出修憲草案，希望各黨立委能夠支持連署。

時力黨團18日召開「投票年齡18歲，修憲就是現在」。邱顯智說，從2015年的反課綱、2019年的香港反送中等社會運動可知，台灣、香港或全球各地公民參與的年紀皆愈來愈輕，年輕世代對於公眾參與的思維已經非常成熟，公民權下修已是全球趨勢。

他表示，時代力量2017年時提出18歲公民權的修憲案，目前已成為社會共識，各黨團也高度認同，因此，時代力量會就此議題積極尋求各黨派支持，也希望18日拋磚引玉提出版本後，各黨也可以提出草案，由立法院長召開修憲委員會，讓公民權下修為18歲的目標可以早日達成。

時代力量立委王婉諭說，青年朋友在許多議題都有自己的聲音，青年的聲音及權利義務都需要被正視。雖然18歲在法定年齡已經成年，但是可以行使的權利與義務卻不相等，希望透過降低投票權，讓權利義務相等，避免混亂繼續維持下去。◇


content_text:
中央流行疫情指揮中心18日宣布，自即日起，將鑽石公主號郵輪列為武漢肺炎感染區。（Carl Court/ Getty Images）
【記者賴玟茹、張原彰／台北報導】目前鑽石公主號郵輪停靠日本橫濱港，截至目前，船上累計確診病例445人，中央流行疫情指揮中心18日宣布，自即日起，將鑽石公主號郵輪列為武漢肺炎感染區，船上所有我國籍乘客，包括旅客及工作人員如欲返台，必須依指揮中心安排統一搭乘包機回台，並遵守相關隔離檢疫措施。

中央流行疫情指揮中心18日下午五點半召開記者會，到目前為止該郵輪有445個確診個案，其中有192人採檢時無症狀，船上有台籍船員2名、乘客共計20名，其中包括4名確診案例。

中央流行疫情指揮中心指揮官陳時中表示，有鑑於鑽石公主郵輪確診個案不斷增加，考量疫情及國人回國權益，自即日起，將該郵輪列為武漢肺炎感染區，船上所有我國籍乘客(含旅客及工作人員)如欲返台，都必須依指揮中心安排統一搭乘包機回台，並遵守相關隔離檢疫措施。

現在待在鑽石公主號遊輪的乘客，預計19日結束隔離，台灣包機原訂於19，但因台灣旅客中仍有2人尚未完成武漢肺炎篩檢，可能會延後。對此，陳時中表示，目前還在跟日本政府研議最後細節，根據確診的案件部分，也能夠體諒日本政府面對的負擔，因此就是互相尊重不要增加困擾。

countries: 日本 台灣

title: 鑽石公主郵輪確診不斷　指揮中心：列武漢肺炎感染區


title: 武漢醫護死亡恐破5千 醫院院長也在內

countries: 中國 美國

references: 臉書 網友

events: 死亡 冠狀病毒 武漢肺炎

content_text:
有中國網友爆料，僅武漢本地去世的醫護人員可能就超過5千人。（STR/AFP via Getty Images）
【記者林詩遠、李怡欣／報導】2月17日週一晚，武昌醫院院長劉智明因感染武漢肺炎於2月17日去世，終年51歲。也有中國網友爆料，僅武漢本地去世的醫護人員可能就超過5千人。

紅星新聞從武昌醫院多個訊息來源證實了該消息。一位和劉智明熟識的醫生稱，劉智明此前在武漢市第三醫院當副院長，前幾年調到武昌醫院當院長，劉也是首個死於武漢肺炎的前線醫院院長。

據了解，武昌醫院是這次肺炎疫情武漢市的首批定點醫院之一，劉智明是主任醫師、博士、神經外科專家。

日前，網上也傳出武漢中心醫院後湖RCU（呼吸重症監護病房）的護士長給院領導的求救信。

信中說，後湖RCU是該院首個重症隔離病房，近日面對自己的同事頻繁的瀕臨生死的搶救。除了媒體關注的李文亮醫生已經去世，還有胡衛峰醫生插管，易凡、梅仲明主任插管搶救。這些慘痛的狀況讓處於崩潰邊緣的醫護人員澈底崩潰了。她建議，應讓最早上前線的後湖RCU醫護人員隔離兩週。

有一位中國網友向《新聞看點》節目爆料，他的朋友是武漢一家三甲醫院的醫生。據他的朋友說，很多醫生被感染了。但是上面要求不准對外透露此類消息，後果很嚴重，照片和影片就更不用說了，所以最近很難了解到第一手消息。網友用了一個驚悚的表情：「傳消息出來會被槍決！！」

網友表示，中國的醫院把疫情當作是敏感話題，絕不向外透露半個字，「一切服務於政治」。

醫師：醫院死人堆裡挖活人

另一位網友從北京支援武漢的一位呼吸科主任那裡得來「小道消息」，一共是四點。第一點就是武漢本地去世的醫護人員可能要超過5千人了；二是感染的醫護人員家人一定超過10萬人；三是很多是由於病毒引起的呼吸衰竭進而引發心肌炎或者其他合併症而去世，真正因為呼吸衰竭而憋死的不多；四是那位呼吸科主任的原話：「醫院裡現在就是死人堆裡挖活人」。

草協聯盟發起人李正皓18日臉書公布1/2～1/3的24小時中共官方文件，文件顯示：一、武漢P4病毒實驗室所長王延軼對P4實驗室人員下封口令。二、解放軍海軍工程大學發出通知，要求嚴控外來人員、體溫超過38度者禁入，作為「不明」原因肺炎的防疫控制。

三、中共外交部2月3日記者會上，發言人華春瑩表示，中方自1月3日起，開始向美方通報疫情訊息。四、截至1月3日，中國相關部門已向WHO報告44例病因不明肺炎患者。

五、上海復旦大學附屬公衛臨床中心1月5日發給衛健委的內部報告，說明從武漢市華南海鮮市場一名不明肺炎患者身上測出類SARS冠狀病毒，推測檢驗時間應為1月2日、甚至更早。六、1月3日，武漢市公安局要求吹哨人李文亮醫師簽署訓誡書，要求不准對此再發言。

李正皓歸納出三點結論：第一、1月2日，中共官方已知武漢肺炎即將失控，並開始採取相應作為；第二、最晚在1月3日，美國或WHO接獲疫情通報。第三、反觀中國民間，當時僅有李文亮等8名吹哨者推測真實狀況，隨即被封口，大多數中國人被矇在鼓裡。

官方文件證明 中共防疫慢17天

李正皓表示，整件事很清楚，共產黨在武漢肺炎疫情撒了瞞天大謊，這個謊讓中國防疫整整慢了17天，直到中國國家主席習近平1月20日「公開」要求各地政府須做好防疫和控管後，整個中國防疫才動起來。

李正皓認為，如果1月3日中共第一時間就對內公布疫情，並提早「封閉式管理」，不要舉辦莫名其妙的萬家宴、不要把精力放在封李文亮醫師等人的口，現在湖北會如同人間煉獄般實施戰時管制嗎？中國會死這麼多人嗎？「官字兩個口，一個口欺上、一個口瞞下。武漢肺炎這筆帳算誰的？當然算在共產黨那群欺上瞞下的狗官身上！」◇


title: 下週開學 台大公衛：建議分批下課

content_text:
台大公衛學院院長詹長權表示，校方應讓學生分批下課，且避免使用無窗教室，另外，若疫情擴大，政府應該做停課的相關規劃。（中央社）
【記者張原彰／台北報導】武漢肺炎疫情使全國中小學延後至本月25日開學，台大公衛學院18日召開記者會，針對開學後的校園防疫提出建議，該院院長詹長權表示，校方應讓學生分批下課，且避免使用無窗教室，另外，若疫情擴大，政府應該做停課的相關規劃。

台大公衛學院院長詹長權表示，防疫分成圍堵與減災兩時期，圍堵期政府通過延長寒假縮短暑假減少學生互動的機會，避免出現社區感染的可能，並藉此時間，了解病毒的傳染途徑並予以防範。

詹長權表示，由於周邊國家的疫情持續發生，使得台灣社區感染的可能持續存在，而在圍堵期後也要進入減災期，讓台灣即使發生疫情也不會變得太嚴重。校方針對可疑病例跟確認病例的師生，可要求他們不必到校，降低疫情對學校的傷害。

詹長權表示，如果社區流行擴大規模，建議政府要做停課規劃，以進行有效的校園疫情控管，這在過去腸病毒疫情期間也曾經實施過。至於開學時間是否要再延後，他說，延後開學是防堵期在做的事，如果現在已經是減災期，則沒有再延後開學的必要。

在校園內的防疫上，詹長權表示，校園內有病或是可疑病例的師生，首先要做的是不要免強到校上課或教課，疫情期間把健康擺第一，並安排就醫告知旅遊史，這是最有效的方法。

詹長權表示，接著，校園內得增加人與人間的互動距離，目前2人間的建議距離是1.8公尺，教室內的座位距離也得朝此規範。目前國內中小學由於小班化，每班人數20~30人較容易達成，但對每班超過40人的高中班級則是具有較大的挑戰。

另外，詹長權表示，建議下課時間也要進行隔離，把學生的下課時間稍作分開，學生分成兩、三個群體，每隔5、10分鐘分批下課，減少學生接觸的機會，這也是增加社會距離的方式。

詹長權表示，校方也應減少會發生身體碰撞的運動，包括：籃球、足球等，改成田徑等運動，並減少室內大型活動，改成在校園外的操場等室外空間舉辦。

詹長權表示，校園環境更需要時常通風與清潔，應禁止使用沒有對外窗的教室，此外，桌面、門把、窗戶與廁所，以及手機、鍵盤等設備都需要時常用酒精擦拭。另外，會議室在沒有清潔前不能再次使用。同時，建議學生避免共食餐飲，也不要用手觸碰食物。學生在出門、下車、進校門、進教室與吃東西前、上廁所後都應該洗手。

things: 防疫 腸病毒


title: 陸網路禁談病毒 立委：中共掩耳盜鈴

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【記者吳旻洲／台北報導】中國武漢爆發的新型冠狀病毒引發的肺炎（COVID-19，武漢肺炎），目前疫情仍持續延燒，不過中共卻下令禁止網路言論出現「病毒」二字。民進黨立委林俊憲18日表示，難道禁止人民談論病毒，病毒就會消失了嗎？批評這種做法無非就是掩耳盜鈴。

目前武漢疫情未見緩解，中共目前雖然仍無法有效控制疫情，但卻用高壓手段封鎖敏感詞彙，試圖讓人民不要關注疫情，甚至連熱門線上遊戲「英雄聯盟」裡的中國中國伺服器中，角色攻擊招數含有「病毒」兩個字，也無法正常顯示。

對此，林俊憲表示，新冠疫情在中共的掩蓋下仍快速蔓延，中共讓網路上的病毒消失，那真實世界的呢？

他表示，即便現在武漢肺炎疫情大爆發，中共依舊不改本性，只想著用高壓手段控制言論，絲毫沒有反省本身極權統治為疫情帶來多嚴重的後果。中共禁止網路言論出現「病毒」二字，試圖營造出在網路上看不見病毒的假象，但這種做法無非就是掩耳盜鈴。難道禁止人民談論病毒，病毒就會消失了嗎？難道控制人民的言論自由，武漢肺炎的疫情就會得到控制嗎？

他說，武漢肺炎吹哨者李文亮醫師去世之後，中國倡議人士發起網路連署活動，要求中共把李文亮忌日定為「言論自由日」，並開放媒體自由報導、和網路自由言論。

林俊憲說，結果中共是怎麼回應人民的？是警方傳喚、甚至是恐嚇參與連署的中國公民。「再一次看到，中共現在控制言論上比控制疫情還嚴格，到底是把人民的生命安全放在第一線，還是自己手中的權力視為一切？」

他表示，反觀台灣政府實實在在地在做防疫控制，由政府建立的60條口罩產線已於上週正式交機，下週就可全數開出90萬片新增產能。往後在新產線、國軍及藥局的支援下，可以多讓一倍的民眾買到口罩，孩童每周能購買的片數也提升為4片。

他說，由次可見，台灣是用務實在做防疫，中共則是用掩耳盜鈴在防疫；台灣是用國家機器來「控制疫情」，中共則是用國家機器在「控制人民」。

events: 武漢肺炎 COVID-19 冠狀病毒

countries: 中國 台灣


title: 武漢被爆去年9月進行新冠病毒演習

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陸媒報導透露中共也許早在去年9月便知道有新型冠狀病毒的存在。圖為2019年9月26日中共湖北政府網報導。（網頁擷圖）
【記者方曉／報導】越來越多的證據顯示，中共對新型冠狀病毒（COVID-19）早就知情。去年9月，在武漢舉行「世界軍人運動會」前，在武漢天河機場舉行的應急處置演練活動中，就以實戰形式，模擬機場口岸通道發現一例新型冠狀病毒感染的處置全過程。

第七屆世界軍人運動會（7th
 CISM Military World
Games，簡稱「武漢軍運會」），於2019年10月18日在武漢開幕，賽期10天，共有來自109個國家、9,308名軍人報名參加，是世界軍人運動會歷史上規模最大、參賽人員最多的一次運動會。

2019年9月26日，中共湖北省政府網站引用《湖北日報》的報導稱，除有眾多國家的運動員參加「武漢軍運會」，還有降落傘、警犬、軍用槍枝等特殊物品、器材入境。

報導還稱，9月18日，武漢天河機場軍運會航空口岸專用通道開通測試。當日，武漢海關聯合軍運會執委會在武漢天河機場舉行應急處置演練活動。演練以實戰形式，模擬了機場口岸通道發現一例新型冠狀病毒感染的處置全過程，演練了從流行病學調查、醫學排查、臨時檢疫區域設置、隔離留驗、病例轉送和衛生處理等多個環節。

上述報導引起外界質疑：中共是否在2019年9月就知道有「新型冠狀病毒」？不然為什麼當時要進行模擬演練應急處置？

除此之外，日前網上也流出兩份中共內部文件，一份來自中共海軍工程大學，另一份來自上海市復旦大學附屬公共衛生臨床中心，這兩份文件都顯示當局知曉武漢不明防疫疫情，因此頒布防控文件。

中共不但對中國人隱瞞疫情，還抓捕第一時間傳播疫情真相的醫護人員及民眾。而武漢疾控中心、中共衛健委到1月19日還在宣稱，疫情「可防可控」、「不排除有限人傳人的可能」。◇

events: 新冠病毒 COVID-19 冠狀病毒


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【記者盧莉之／綜合報導】以電影《與神同行》紅遍亞洲的41歲韓國演員河正宇，18日被韓媒爆料染毒，使用弟弟的名字，購入並使用了管制藥物「異丙酚」，目前正在接受調查。對此，其經紀公司聲明表示，河正宇是為了治療疤痕去過該間診所，並未注射藥物。

韓媒報導，日前警方調查非法施打異丙酚的10多位對象中，包括知名演員河正宇，本名金聖勳的他，以親弟弟金永勳（車賢宇之本名），在首爾江南區一家整形外科長期施打異丙酚。

異丙酚是靜脈注射麻醉藥，為一種醫療用麻醉劑，因外觀呈乳白色，素稱「牛奶針」，部分毒癮患者會以此解癮而遭濫用，被列為管制用藥，已故巨星麥可傑克森也是注射此種藥物過量死亡。

title: 《與神同行》河正宇陷染毒疑雲 警方調查中


title: 台是否有防疫漏洞？  醫師：可能有5項

events: 死亡 武漢肺炎

content_text:
【記者賴玟茹／綜合報導】日前國內出現首例武漢肺炎死亡個案，中央流行疫情指揮中心表示，目前已鎖定特定的感染源台商，但仍未有定論，引發民眾擔心，是否可能出現防疫漏洞。對此，醫師提出，我國可能面臨5大漏洞，而政府持續加強因應外，醫師、民眾也要提高警覺。

台灣兒童感染症醫學會理事長李秉穎表示，就目前觀察，防疫可能出現5個漏洞，包括：居家隔離檢疫的民眾趴趴走、二代以上的隱性傳染、潛伏期超過14天的罕見案例、台灣未對中港澳等流行地區全面斷航，另外，國外社區感染疫情不明確或不即時，所以無法透過世界衛生組織（WHO）的病例數，來統計、推估各地是否出現社區感染。

對此，李秉穎認為，還是能夠透過一些對策，像是對進行居家隔離檢疫的民眾，在隔離期間卻到處趴趴走，應加重罰款，若部分人不擔心被罰，建議若民眾違規一次，就轉移至檢疫所強制安置。

李秉穎指出，二代以上隱性傳染的情形，就是當事人沒有旅遊史，但有接觸過輕症或無症狀感染者，像是計程車司機經常接觸國外旅客等，此時除藉由醫師仔細詢問患者的接觸者外，民眾也要自行提高警覺並及時告知，以利台灣防疫。

另外，李秉穎也表示，有少數個案潛伏期超過14天，因此即便超過居家隔離、檢疫14天的期限，民眾在第15、16天出現不適症狀，還是要就醫告知醫師相關旅遊史、接觸史。◇


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【記者蕭律生／綜合報導】新型冠狀病毒被指具有隱蔽性，此前曾出現潛伏期長達20多天的案例。2月16日，河南信陽出現兩起異常案例，潛伏期分別長達34天、94天。

河南省信陽市新縣新型冠狀病毒感染的肺炎疫情防控工作指揮部，2月16日公布了兩起異常病例，被指潛伏時間長、傳染源不明確、具有較強傳染性；其中一人從武漢返鄉34天後出現症狀，另一人與感染源接觸長達94天才確診。

其中一患者是吳姓男子，他於1月14日從武漢返回信陽，到2月16日才被確診。而這期間，吳男曾先後3次進行核酸檢測，前2次均為陰性；吳男返回新縣後還曾2次參加家庭聚餐，先後有10人參加，其中2人被確診，3人被確定為疑似病例或留院觀察。

另一患者是寧姓男子，他於2019年11月13日起，一直住在岳父家（湖南省新縣金蘭山街道白果樹居委會），照顧從武漢返鄉的岳父；岳父於2019年11月30日去世後，寧姓男子仍住在岳父家中直至2020年1月31日，才與妻兒回到湖北省孝感市陳店鄉政府家屬院的家中。

寧姓男子到2020年2月16日才確診，但從1月31日以來，寧男僅出門買菜2次、出門買藥1次，並無其他外遊或外出活動。2月12日，寧男出現發熱症狀，14日到醫院留院觀察，16日確診。寧男從開始照顧其岳父到確診，長達94天。

河南省疾控中心專家稱，去年11月武漢還未爆發疫情，且潛伏期未免太長了點，不符合疾病發展規律，不排除是之後感染的。然而，該專家並未拿出證據來證實自己的說法。

此前，吉林省一女子第一次病毒核酸檢測為陽性，之後連續5次均為陰性，第6次再現陽性才被確診；還有四川遂寧一男子20多天體溫無異常，但最終被確診。◇

title: 河南異常病例 潛伏期達94天


taiwan-subdivisions: 大武 萬里

content_text:
【記者張原彰／台北報導】228連假下週來到。公路總局18日公布連假期間國道客運優惠，14家公路客運業者將提供90條國道客運路線，票價是平日優惠價或原票價的八五折。

公總表示，預估228連續假期車潮自2月27日下午起陸續出現，返鄉、出遊車潮將集中於2月28日，觀光風景地區車潮及人潮則集中於2月28日至3月1日上午，西部返回工作地車潮預計2月29日晚間陸續出現，尖峰時段在3月1日中午後湧現。

公總表示，研判省道易壅塞路段，包含往來東西部之主要幹道，如：台9線蘇花公路、南迴公路；銜接高速公路之路段，如：台65線、台74線、台86線快速公路等，以及重要觀光熱點鄰近路段，如：台2線福隆－瑞濱及萬里－大武崙路段、台21線日月潭周邊等。

公總表示，疏運期間2月27日0時起至109年3月1日24時，有14家公路客運業者提供90條國道客運路線平日優惠價或原票價八五折優惠。民眾搭乘所有國道客運路線、臺鐵及高鐵，於10小時內轉乘在地公路客運或市區客運，提供基本里程或一段票免費優惠。

公總表示，針對COVID-19（武漢肺炎）疫情，已依照中央流行疫情指揮中心制定之指引，督導所轄公路客運業者執行相關防疫措施。◇

title: 90條國道客運路線 228連假票價85折


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行政院長蘇貞昌（左2）、副院長陳其邁（左1）18日到立法院拜會立法院長游錫堃（右2）。（記者陳柏州／攝影）
【記者吳旻洲、袁世鋼／台北報導】行政院將於本週四（20日）院會通過「武漢肺炎紓困條例」，行政院長蘇貞昌18日特別前往立法院拜會立法院長游錫堃與在野黨團，尋求支持。游錫堃表示，他與蘇相識超過38年，2人情同兄弟、手足；他也引老子所言：「爲之於未有，治之於未亂」，稱讚蘇貞昌的團隊真得做到了。

為因應武漢肺炎疫情，行政院提出「紓困振興特別條例」及特別預算，並送立法院審議。行政院長蘇貞昌18日拜會3個在野黨團尋求支持。蘇貞昌與游錫堃進行閉門會談近20分鐘，會後蘇貞昌表示，政院院會將於後天通過武漢肺炎紓困條例，希望游院長及各政黨立委能夠大力支持。

蘇貞昌說，當前武漢肺炎疫情險峻，受衝擊的人民、產業非常多，行政院20日將通過特別條例，並以最快速度送請立院審議，盼立院幫忙能快速通過，只要一通過行政院就會立刻編列特別預算，再送請立院審議。

他強調，人民現在最期待的，是怎麼防疫、紓困、振興，這都需要立院的立法及預算的通過支持，非常高興得到游允諾大力支持，讓國人所期待的條例跟預算，能夠趕快付諸實施，福國利民。

游錫堃則說，這次武漢肺炎在防疫、檢測都做得非常好，不但國人讚賞，國際都非常肯定。他引用老子所言：「爲之於未有，治之於未亂」，稱讚蘇貞昌的團隊真的做到了。

國民黨：只要福國利民 黨團都支持

隨後蘇貞昌也接連拜會在野三黨團，國民黨團方面，黨團書記長蔣萬安表示，大家都非常關心因武漢肺炎疫情滯留在對岸的台灣民眾，希望政府能夠儘快將他們安全送回台灣。他強調，只要是福國利民的議案，國民黨都會支持，也會站在民眾的立場，扮演好在野監督的角色。

肺炎傳染性高 時力籲改健康人不戴口罩政策

時力立委陳椒華則表示，她肯定行政團隊防疫努力，但她從事細菌病毒教學已30年，從沒碰過沒症狀卻有高傳染性的病毒，郵輪鑽石公主號的乘客已有沒症狀，卻有傳染性的現象，呼籲蘇揆應改變「健康的人不用戴口罩」這項政策。

民眾黨籲改口罩政策 蘇揆：盡量雨露均霑

民眾黨立委賴香伶則說，期許政院能列出更詳細支出項目供國會監督；未來口罩產量若提升，希望調整現行政策，改為一週7片，否則不知國人恐懼心理會怎麼發展；她也要求，蘇揆能責成外交部，對模里西斯更強硬表達抗議，在政治環境不利台灣時，讓台灣的努力被看到。

針對政府因應武漢肺炎所提出的紓困方案，賴香伶表示，政院最終以600億元「特別預算」因應，但民眾黨團原本希望以「追加預算」的方式進行；在首波紓困條例中，經濟部、農委會、交通部等三大類總金額424.8億元，但目前各部會提出的預算皆較為粗略，難以評估預算是否合理，民眾黨基於「財政紀律」的主張，期許能檢視更詳細的預算支出。

民眾黨團表示，目前也正在研擬民眾黨的紓困方案版本，擬將加入檢討及監督機制，除了可讓政府施政受民意監督、符合民主基本立場外，更可因應瞬息萬變的疫情；若出現疑似社區感染案例時，定會對防疫及紓困政策產生影響。

蘇貞昌表示，台灣極具寶貴的防疫經驗，卻被中共以政治阻擋，導致無法前往WHO提供相關資訊協助其他國家，仗義直言的友台國家也被中共批判，但台灣政府仍在第一時間公開、私下努力解決問題；至於台灣受衝擊的行業，蘇貞昌允諾，特別條例會盡可能針對不同情形做到雨露均霑、立竿見影，並在危機中找轉機。

此外，經濟部17日宣布，口罩日產能提升至550萬片，蘇貞昌日前也稱，最快在本月底、下月初就能達到日產千萬片，成為世界第二大的口罩生產國；對此，賴香伶表示，目前每人7天限領2片口罩的政策，藥師們反應工作量吃不消，民眾黨團建議可改為每7天領7片。

people: 蘇貞昌 陳椒華 蔣萬安 游錫堃 陳其邁 賴香伶

countries: 模里西斯 台灣

things: 防疫 經濟

title: 拜會立院 蘇貞昌：盼支持紓困條例


title: 首批包機返國台商 正式解除隔離

content_text:
【記者賴玟茹／台北報導】首批武漢包機返台台商3日回台、4日進駐檢疫所進行為期14天隔離，18日上午6時正式解除隔離。醫福會執行長王必勝18日表示，247名台商中有1人確診，其餘246人都很順利在上午6時半離開檢疫所，整體秩序都很良好。

中央流行疫情指揮中心記者會在下午5時半召開記者會，王必勝表示，首批台商除了1名確診個案外，其餘246人已在18日隔離滿14天，在18日上午6時正式解除隔離，246名台商中，103人由親友接送離開、143人則分成5輛遊覽車，載送至兩個特定地點搭乘交通工具，「整體秩序都很良好」。

中央流行疫情指揮中心18日表示，截至下午4時為止，國內新增28例嚴重特殊傳染性肺炎通報個案，目前累計通報1,897名個案，含22名確診、1,795名排除，餘隔離檢驗中(44名初驗陰性、其餘待檢驗)。22名確診個案中，1名死亡，2名出院，其餘19名個案病況穩定，持續住院隔離。

除中部家庭群聚個案接觸者持續追蹤外，其餘個案接觸者尚有87人持續居家隔離，其中7人有症狀已通報，其中有4人二採陰性、3人檢驗中。指揮中心指出，針對中部家庭群聚事件，已掌握4名個案的接觸者共235人，其中有200人完成採檢、32人有適當防護無需採檢，其中3人確診(已分別於2月16日及17日公布)，並將持續監測這些接觸者健康情形。


content_text:
【記者徐翠玲／綜合報導】針對武漢肺炎疫情，北市府17日宣布擬成立防疫計程車隊，預計最快本週正式上線，立刻引發熱議。北市交通局18日表示，目前初步規劃是居家檢疫者或居家隔離者提出就醫需求時才會派車，收費比照一般計程車跳表計費，若有駕駛因而感染或必須居家隔離14天，會賠償營業損失。

據統計，北市目前居家檢疫民眾共2,566人。北市交通局18日和衛生局、民政局等相關單位緊急開會，討論防疫計程車隊相關事項，會中確認三大方向，包括當居家檢疫者提出就醫需求時，由北市府衛生局等評估後才會派車；計程車收費方式比照一般計程車跳表計費；若司機不幸感染或遭居家隔離時，市府會以災害準備金賠償其14天營業損失。

交通局表示，招募條件還在和車隊討論中。目前暫定不納保，保險部分則因為涉及險種，保險業須訂出費率、保單規劃，產險公會正在處理中。此外，是否提供額外補助等配套措施，也還在評估中。

交通局強調，居家檢疫者或居家隔離者，如果沒有出現呼吸道症狀，但有就醫需求，像是不慎在家中摔傷，沒有急迫性，才會由防疫計程車載送，如果是有急迫就醫需求，則改由救護車載送。◇

title: 北市擬定3方向 本週設防疫計程車隊


people: 邱素貞 張耀中

content_text:
Posters depicting ‘Chinese police’ recalled

ERROR:A designer who was contracted to create a poster to teach children about crosswalks used the wrong image for reference, the Taichung Police Department said
By Chang Jui-chen, Chang Ching-ya and William Hetherington / Staff reporters, with staff writer
A flier commissioned by the Taichung City Police Department, bottom left, depicts what appears to be a drawing of a Chinese police officer next to the photograph of a Chinese police officer in a screen grab from Facebook taken on Monday.Photo: Chang Jui-chen, Taipei Times

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The Taichung City Police Department is recalling thousands of traffic safety posters after a city resident noticed that they depict what appeared to be a Chinese police officer.

The department six months ago commissioned a designer to create the posters, but did not notice the error until it was pointed out by the resident earlier this month, it said.

The department would investigate those responsible for the oversight and update the public on its actions this week, it said, adding that a committee would be formed to inspect all public documents produced by the department before they are released to the public.

The posters, which were intended to teach children how to safely cross the road, bears cartoon images of two children and a female police officer, along with the message: “Please use the crosswalk. Do not contravene traffic laws when crossing the road.”

The officer is depicted wearing the white enlisted service bucket hat, neon yellow vest and light-blue shirt worn by Chinese police officers.

The resident brought the issue to the attention of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) City Councilor Chang Yao-chung (張耀中), who quoted them as asking: “Have we become ‘Taichung, China,’ or is the Chinese police force now stationed in our city?”

The department should find out who is responsible for the error, as well as whether it was intentional or a simple oversight, he said, adding: “There are plenty of images of Taiwanese police officers that could have been used.”

That the department did not notice the error when it received the poster from the designer also shows a great level of carelessness on its part, he said.

The city often contracts out the design and publication of public notices, and it has regularly failed to oversee the work, DPP Taichung City Councilor Chiu Su-chen (邱素貞) said.

The city should review its procedures to avoid wasting public resources and harming its image, she said.

The department is recalling the posters due to the controversy, but they do not contain any Chinese flags or other references to China, department traffic division Deputy Captain Lin Cheng-che (林鉦哲) said.

The mistake was caused by the designer accidentally downloading the wrong image from the Internet, he said, adding that the uniforms of female police officers used worldwide are similar.

The department spent NT$5,300 on 5,000 posters, he said.

Separately on Sunday, the Kaohsiung Police Department reprimanded the officers responsible for allowing a traffic safety pamphlet containing the Chinese flag to be released to the public.

The officers received demerits and demotions, the department said, adding that it has asked the contracted designer to correct the design and reprint the pamphlets.

The department in August last year contracted the designer to create 18,000 pamphlets for NT$0.3 per piece, it said.

The department distributed the pamphlets to passersby on the streets over the course of the Lunar New Year holiday last month, it said, adding that it did not notice the error until a resident brought it to its attention on Sunday.

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title: HSBC seeks revamp by axing 35,000 jobs

content_text:
A man stands in front of a HSBC advertisement outside the bank’s headquarters in Hong Kong yesterday.Photo: AFP
Asia-focused banking giant HSBC Holdings PLC yesterday axed 35,000 jobs, far more than expected, and posted slumping annual profits, as it warned over the financial impact of COVID-19.

Pre-tax profits tumbled by a third to US$13.3 billion last year from a year earlier, largely owing to a US$7.3 billion write-off related to its investment and commercial banking businesses in Europe.

The London-based lender added in a results statement that it hopes to cut its global workforce by 15 percent to 200,000 staff over the next three years.

Commentators had expected 10,000 job cuts.

The radical overhaul comes as HSBC streamlines operations in the US and Europe, although no details were given on where the axe would fall.

HSBC has been trying to lower costs as it faces a multitude of uncertainties caused by the grinding US-China trade dispute, the UK’s departure from the EU and now COVID-19 in China.

“The group’s 2019 performance was resilient. However, parts of our business are not delivering acceptable returns,” interim chief executive Noel Quinn said.

“We are therefore outlining a revised plan to increase returns for investors, create the capacity for future investment and build a platform for sustainable growth,” he said.

“We have already begun to implement this plan, which my management team and I are committed to executing at pace,” Quinn added.

While its Asia business has done well in the past few years — fueled primarily by China — Europe and the US have disappointed.

Quinn, who took over as acting CEO after the shock ousting in August last year of John Flint, has been tasked with transforming the sprawling international bank, which spans more than 50 countries, but makes the vast majority of its profit in Asia.

Turning to COVID-19, HSBC said the outbreak in China had impacted its outlook.

“We continue to monitor the recent coronavirus outbreak, which is causing economic disruption in Hong Kong and mainland China and may impact performance in 2020,” the bank said.

The restructuring plans are the biggest shake-up since 2012, when HSBC was caught up in a Mexican money-laundering scandal.

The bank said it was targeting US$4.5 billion in cost cuts by 2022, with restructuring costs of about US$6 billion.

Many of the cutbacks will be in the European and US investment banking sectors, while units in more profitable Asia and the Middle East would be bolstered.

In the US, the bank said it planned to reduce its branch network by about 30 percent, consolidate back and middle-office activities, and lower operating expenses by 10 to 15 percent.

For its non-UK Europe sector, the bank said it would “reduce our sales and trading and equity research in Europe and transition our structured products capabilities from the UK to Asia.”

Riskier assets would be reduced by 35 percent in Europe and 45 percent in the US.

Overall, the bank said it hoped to achieve a lower adjusted cost base of US$31 billion or below in 2022.

The disappointing results sent HSBC’s shares sliding 5 percent in London and by 2.2 percent in Hong Kong, as it also reported a loss before tax of US$3.9 billion in the fourth quarter.

The bright spot for HSBC remains Asia, which has accounted for half of its revenue and 90 percent of the group’s profit in the past few years.

Adjusted profit before tax in Asia last year was up 6 percent to US$18.6 billion.

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title: World Business Quick Take

content_text:
AIRLINES

Singapore slashing flights

Singapore Airlines Ltd is to temporarily cut flights across its global network in the three months to May, it said yesterday, as the COVID-19 outbreak hits demand for services to the city-state, as well as through the key transit hub. Key affected destinations include Frankfurt, Jakarta, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai, Paris, Seoul, Sydney and Tokyo, the airline said. It declined to say what percentage of capacity it had cut, citing commercial sensitivity.

KYRGYSTAN

Chinese investor pulls out

A Chinese investor that planned to pour nearly US$300 million into a trade and logistics center yesterday said it quit the project on Monday over local protests. Men on horseback were among those rallying against the construction of the facility in a remote mountainous region in the latest show of anger over Beijing’s growing influence. “We are therefore forced to make a decision to close [the project],” said the company — registered as Kyrgyz-Chinese Free Economic Zone “At-Bashy.”

AUSTRALIA

Record low crop forecast

The nation’s hottest and driest year on record has slashed crop production, with summer output expected to fall to the lowest levels on record, according to official projections released yesterday. The Department of Agriculture said it expects production of crops such as sorghum, cotton and rice to fall 66 percent — the lowest levels since records began in 1980 to 1981. “It is the lowest summer crop production in this period by a large margin,” Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences senior economist Peter Collins said.

BANKING

Intesa makes bid for UBI

Intesa Sanpaolo SpA launched one of the biggest European banking deals since the financial crisis with an unsolicited 4.9 billion euros (US$5.3 billion) bid for smaller rival Unione di Banche Italiane SpA (UBI). Under the offer, UBI investors would receive 17 new shares of Intesa for every 10 UBI shares they hold. That valued UBI at about 4.25 euros a share, Intesa said. The all-share offer, announced late on Monday, was made without the knowledge of UBI Banca’s board, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. Intesa said it expects to finalize the UBI purchase this year and sees the deal boosting its earnings per share by 6 percent from last year’s levels.

AUTOMAKERS

Europeans record sales drop

European firms started off the year with their first sales decline in five months after changes to emission rules and consumer incentives crimped demand for some models. Passenger-car registrations last month declined 7.4 percent to 1.1 million vehicles, according to a statement yesterday from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association. Some sales that would otherwise have taken place last month were pulled into December last year, when volumes jumped 21 percent, as dealers rushed vehicles to buyers ahead of tax increases.

EXCHANGES

NASDAQ Dubai loses stock

NASDAQ Dubai is about to lose its most valuable stock after DP World Ltd announced plans to go private. The departure of the ports operator, which has a market capitalization of US$11 billion, would increase the gap in trading turnover between NASDAQ Dubai and the two larger United Arab Emirates exchanges.

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title: EDITORIAL: Vocational school reform needed

content_text:
While survey results over the past few years have indicated that parents are starting to favor practical skills over academic credentials, enrollment numbers at vocational high schools seem to contradict the apparent shift. The Taipei Times yesterday reported that the number of students at vocational high schools has not only dropped by 160,000 since 2009, but is set to be surpassed for the first time in the summer semester by enrollment at regular high schools.

While the nation’s low birthrate is a major factor in the overall drop in high-schoolers, the drop in vocational students accounted for 75.3 percent of the total decrease, the report showed, despite vocational schools being tuition-free since 2014.

This underscores the continuing problem where parents prioritize academic success and college degrees over practical skills to the point where students attend university out of obligation and college graduates are unable to find a job — or end up doing menial office work. Meanwhile, industries are facing a serious shortage of skilled workers.

Deep-rooted cultural norms dictate that “successful” students go on to regular high schools, while those with bad academic results end up at vocational schools, regardless of the student’s interests.

Although surveys conducted in 2017 and 2018 by the Professor Huang Kun-huei Education Foundation showed that significantly more parents preferred that their child attend a vocational high school or college, and two-thirds of respondents did not agree that higher academic qualifications necessarily led to better career advancement, the enrollment numbers show otherwise.

Union of Private School Educators president Yu Jung-hui (尤榮輝) has said that overemphasis by families on academic success has played a role in the drop in enrollment at vocational high schools, but private vocational schools have also been affected by scandals and poor management.

Desperate for students, vocational schools have poured their resources into training students for trendy industries, such as fashion, animation and design, without regard to real-world needs — prompting the government to ban them from opening new performing arts programs for the next school year, as the number of students would oversaturate the Taiwanese market.

However, the measure does not solve any problems as vocational schools still need to prioritize survival over meeting industry demand. Can they survive and still provide quality education?

Misguided past educational reforms have led to the current monster of a system, where even students at vocational schools face pressure to study at a university, when they should be preparing to enter the workforce after graduation.

Even more alarmingly, Yu adds that the quality of faculty and occupational training at vocational universities, mostly attended by graduates of vocational high schools, are “not as industry-related” as those at regular universities.

It is not surprising that parents are reluctant to send their children down this path.

Government officials can promote vocational education all they want, but something more drastic needs to be done instead of waiting for the herd to thin out, as these schools close down due to lack of enrollment.

This might happen unevenly across disciplines and geographical location, and might put certain students at a disadvantage when it comes to their educational opportunities.

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content_text:
US mulls cutting Huawei off from global chip makers

TSMC IN CROSSHAIRS:Washington might require foreign firms that use US chipmaking equipment to get a US license to be able to supply Huawei
US President Donald Trump’s administration is considering changing US regulations to allow it to block shipments of chips to Huawei Technologies (華為) from companies such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, two sources familiar with the matter said.

New restrictions on commerce with China’s Huawei are among several options to be considered at high-level US meetings this week and next.

The chip proposal has been drafted, but its approval is far from certain, one of the sources said.

The measure would be a blow to the world’s No. 2 smartphone maker, as well as to TSMC, a major producer of chips for Huawei’s HiSilicon Technologies Co (海思半導體) unit and mobile phone rivals Apple Inc and Qualcomm Inc.

“What they’re trying to do is make sure that no chips go to Huawei that they can possibly control,” the second source said.

The US is trying to convince allies to exclude Huawei components from next-generation 5G networks on grounds its equipment could be used by China for spying.

Huawei has repeatedly denied the claim.

Under the draft proposal, the US government would force foreign companies that use US chipmaking equipment to seek a US license before supplying Huawei — a major expansion of export control authority that could anger US allies worldwide.

The US Department of Commerce declined to comment on the proposal.

However, a spokesman for the department said that US charges against Huawei, including conspiring to steal trade secrets, “reaffirm the need for caution in considering license applications. The US continues to have major concerns about Huawei.”

Huawei did not respond to requests for comment.

A spokeswoman for TSMC said the company does not answer “hypothetical” questions and does not comment on individual customers.

The US placed Huawei on a blacklist in May last year, citing national security concerns.

That forced some US and foreign companies to seek special licenses from the department to sell to it, but China hawks in the US government have been frustrated by the vast number of supply chains beyond their reach.

Others in the Trump administration fear antagonizing Beijing, which last month signed a trade deal with Washington.

They also worry the restrictions would drive innovation offshore and benefit foreign rivals.

Most chipmakers rely on equipment produced by US firms, such as KLA-Tencor Corp, Lam Research Corp and Applied Materials Inc, according to a report last year from China’s Everbright Securities Co (光大證券).

“There is no production line in China that uses only equipment made in China, so it is very difficult to make any chipsets without US equipment,” Everbright wrote.

See TAIEX on page 11

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content_text:
Kwang Yang Motor invests in GrabWheels in Indonesia

ELECTRIC SCOOTER MARKET:KYMCO Capital said the talks lasted eight months, and officials says GrabWheels is to adapt Kwang Yang’s battery-charging system Ionex
Kwang Yang Motor Co (光陽工業) is expanding its electric scooter business to Indonesia, its second market in Southeast Asia after India, with an investment of US$30 million in Grab Holdings Inc, the biggest ride-hailing service operator in the region.

Venture capital fund KYMCO Capital (金庫資本), which counts the Kaohsiung-based Kwang Yang as a major investor, yesterday said that it has secured a 25 percent stake in Grab’s new electric two-wheeler sharing service provider, GrabWheels, with an investment of US$24 million after eight months of talks.

The venture capital fund participated in Grab’s newest round of financing by investing US$6 million, along with other investors such as Microsoft Corp, Softbank Group Corp and Toyota Motor Corp.

“Grab is a start-up with great growth potential, as it has developed into the biggest ride-hailing service provider in Southeast Asia in a short period of time. The company has garnered 2 million drivers to offer ride-hailing service in eight countries in the region,” KYMCO Capital managing partner Gary Ting (丁學文) told a media briefing in Taipei.

This year, the electric scooter-sharing market would experience explosive growth, Ting said.

The scooter-sharing market in Southeast Asia has expanded to US$12.7 billion and the market is to grow to US$40 billion by 2025, thanks to soaring demand from the food delivery sector, Ting said, citing forecasts by Google and Temasek.

Southeast Asia is one of the world’s fastest-growing electric scooter markets, given that it has 250 million scooters, 110 million of whom are from Indonesia, said GrabWheels, which was launched in November 2018.

With the partnership with KYMCO, GrabWheels found the last piece it needed to build a supply chain to tap into Southeast Asia’s electric-scooter market, Chris Yeo, head of Grab Ventures and New Platform Business, said in a joint statement.

GrabWheels said that it is soon to deploy electric scooters produced by Kwang Yang in Indonesia and Singapore, and plans to expand to the rest of the region’s 11 nations.

The company would also adopt Kwang Yang’s battery charging system, called Ionex, and its fleet managing solutions, it said.

GrabWheels operates a fleet of 4,000 scooters and expects the number to more than triple to 15,000 by the end of this year, the company said.

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title: Agency fines Cathay Life NT$5.6m for lax controls

content_text:
The Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) yesterday fined Cathay Life Insurance Co (國泰人壽) a total of NT$5.6 million (US$185,892), the most severe penalty levied against the insurance unit of Cathay Financial Holding Co (國泰金控) in the past three years.

An examination conducted in late 2018 found that some of the insurer’s salespeople improperly encouraged their clients to cancel old insurance policies to buy new products, to apply with Cathay Life for mortgages to buy policies or to borrow money against their policies, the commission said.

Even though 14 clients later regretted their decisions and filed complaints with Cathay Life, the company failed to improve its internal control system for its sales agents and underwriting mechanism, which led to a fine of NT$3 million for breaching the Insurance Act (保險法), the commission said.

Some salespeople admitted to misleading clients after the examination, FSC Insurance Bureau Chief Secretary Lin Yao-tung (林耀東) told a news conference in New Taipei City.

“It is not always improper for salespeople to encourage their clients to cancel old policies and buy new ones, but they should clarify the advantages and disadvantages,” Lin said.

The insurer’s unit in China’s Liaoning Province was in March 2017 barred by Chinese regulators from selling new accident insurance policies for six months as punishment for not precisely recording the information of clients, Lin said.

However, Cathay Life did not report the ban to the commission in time — a contravention of the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) — leading to a NT$2 million fine, he said.

The insurer also sold three controversial policies to three institutions, including a personal insurance policy to an employee of a temple, which was named as the beneficiary, Lin said, adding that the commission fined the firm NT$600,000.

Cathay Life said that it would enhance its supervision of salespeople, its internal control system and its underwriting process in accordance with regulations.

The firm said that since 2018 it has required its unit in China to report any punishment in time and would ask its staff to call clients who borrow money within one month of buying a new policy.

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title: Macronix quarterly net profit plunges 59%

content_text:
Macronix International Co (旺宏) yesterday said net profit slumped 59 percent last quarter as an unfavorable foreign-exchange rate and lower utilization added to already weaker gross margin.

The COVID-10 outbreak has created a significant level of uncertainty, so the outlook for the current quarter is unpredictable, said the Hsinchu-based chipmaker, which makes memory chips used in Nintendo Co’s game consoles.

“We felt the [chip] price would trend up in 2020, due to supply constraints, but the Wuhan coronavirus has disturbed [the pace of a price pickup]. The outlook has become foggy,” Macronix president Lu Chih-yuan (盧志遠) told a teleconference.

Macronix now expects chip prices to be stable this quarter, after the industry experienced a drastic price correction last year, Lu said.

Macronix might see an impact from a shortage of Nintendo Switch, if the production of the game consoles is delayed or disrupted due to disruptions in components supplies from China caused by the outbreak, Lu said.

The company is closely monitoring developments, he said.

However, the company is not entirely pessimistic, as it expects to benefit from releases of new Nintendo game titles, Lu said.

It expects limited impact this quarter from the outbreak, as it has very few Chinese clients, he said.

In addition, “we have not seen any customers slow their 5G deployment so far. The 5G market looks healthy and in line with our expectations both in China and around the world,” Lu said.

Macronix supplies memory chips used in Huawei Technologies Co’s (華為) 5G base stations.

The company’s net profit dipped to NT$754 million (US$25.03 million) last quarter, compared with NT$1.85 billion in the previous quarter, and a contraction of 74 percent from NT$2.87 billion a year earlier.

Earnings per share dropped to NT$0.41 from NT$1.01 the previous quarter and NT$1.57 a year earlier.

Gross margin fell to 26 percent from 30 percent and 28 percent a year earlier, and the firm attributed the decline to lower prices, foreign-exchange losses and lower factory utilization.

It reduced production last quarter to alleviate inventory burden, and booked a NT$300 million impairment loss on inventory.

As inventory returns to normal levels, it is fully utilizing its factories and no impairment loss is expected this quarter, it said.

Macronix’s full year net profit tumbled 67 percent to NT$3.01 billion from NT$8.99 billion in 2018. Earnings per share dropped from NT$4.94 to NT$1.64.

The company plans to spend NT$8.7 billion on new equipment for 3D NAND flash memory chips this year, down from the NT$12.79 billion it spent on capital investments last year.

It plans to ramp up production of its first 48-layer 3D NAND flash memory chips by the end of this year.

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content_text:
KMT youth leader calls for an end to infighting

’LIKE A TIME BOMB’:Lin Hsing-er said that younger KMT members should not become ‘puppets’ and inherit older members’ squabbles, which she said has harmed the party
Lin Hsing-er, the head of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Department of Youth Affairs, center, speaks at a news conference in Taipei yesterday.Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
Lin Hsing-er (林杏兒), head of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Department of Youth Affairs, yesterday called for an end to infighting after former KMT secretary-general King Pu-tsung (金溥聰) joined party members opposed to the reinstatement of Independent Legislator Fu Kun-chi’s (傅崐萁) membership.

King in a Pop Radio interview said that Fu was “like a time bomb,” adding that the decision regarding his reinstatement should not be made until the party elects a new chairperson and Central Standing Committee members on March 7.

Reinstating Fu, who was expelled from the party in 2009, would be a “hasty and wrong decision,” King on Monday told a news conference held by a group of younger KMT members, including Taipei City Councilor Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯).

Lin, who is also on the KMT’s Central Standing Committee, urged younger party members not to become “puppets” in what she described as a continuation of the infighting that had damaged the party in the past.

Infighting has re-emerged just as the KMT is about to reform, Lin said.

“Do not leave the previous generation’s fighting to our generation,” she said. “Our generation hopes for and needs change.”

“The DPP [Democratic Progressive Party] should be the first to oppose Fu Kun-chi’s return to the KMT,” Lin said. “But oddly, it was KMT people who came out to stop it.”

“Right now, the KMT’s primary battleground is in the Legislative Yuan,” she said. “We need to unite more forces.”

Lin asked why the party would close its doors to Fu “when the KMT is most in need.”

“Would it be bad for the KMT to have one more [legislative] seat?” she asked.

“The edges of [the KMT’s] knives should be pointed outward,” she said, calling for party unity amid plans for reform.

KMT Central Committee member Chen Mao-chia (陳茂嘉) echoed Lin’s call, saying: “It is the KMT that needs Fu Kun-chi and not Fu Kun-chi who needs the KMT.”

The KMT’s Party Disciplinary Committee was scheduled to review Fu’s case yesterday, but the KMT in a statement on Monday said that the meeting would be canceled because a quorum would not be reached.

Additional reporting by CNA

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title: Virus Outbreak: Traveler likely source of fatal infection

content_text:
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung, center, speaks at a news conference held by the Central Epidemic Command Center in Taipei yesterday.Photo: CNA
A Taiwanese man who returned from China’s Zhejiang Province late last month has been identified as the suspected source of infection for the nation’s first COVID-19 death, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said.

The death of the nation’s 19th confirmed case of COVID-19 was announced on Sunday: a 61-year-old Taiwanese man who was hospitalized for suspected serious flu complications with pneumonia on Feb. 3 and died of sepsis on Saturday, shortly after he tested positive for the virus.

The man was an independent taxi driver who late last month transported at least three Taiwanese passengers returning from China before he began exhibiting symptoms on Jan. 27, the center said, adding that it was working to trace everyone who came into contact with him for COVID-19 screening as soon as possible.

The man’s 51-year-old brother, who lived with him, tested positive for the disease on Saturday and was on Sunday announced as the nation’s 20th confirmed case.

The driver’s mother and nephew-in-law, who joined a family reunion lunch on Jan. 27, were on Monday night announced as the nation’s 21st and 22nd confirmed cases.

Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, on Monday night said that the center found that a Taiwanese man, who returned from Zhejiang on Jan. 27 and had a severe cough when he took a ride with the driver, had sought treatment in the following days.

The traveler was considered the most likely source of infection in the driver’s case, although his first test was negative for COVID-19, Chen said.

The man’s blood would be tested to determine if he developed antibodies for the disease, which would indicate whether he had been infected, Chen added.

Chen yesterday said that the center has identified 235 people who had close contact with the driver and his three relatives, of whom 200 have undergone testing for the disease, while 32 had adequate protection and did not require testing.

As of yesterday afternoon, 175 of the people tested negative for COVID-19 and 22 were awaiting test results, the center said.

“From the test results and our contact investigation so far, we think that this cluster of cases [involving the family] is unlikely to spread further in the community,” Chen said.

Separately yesterday, Chen said that the center has designated the Diamond Princess cruise ship anchored near Yokohama, Japan, as an epidemic area.

As of yesterday the ship had 542 confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection, including four Taiwanese passengers.

All Taiwanese passengers and crew on board the Diamond Princess are to return to Taiwan on a charter flight arranged by the center and must cooperate with quarantine measures after arrival, he said.

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content_text:
TAIEX drops on negative outlook for TSMC clients

CHINA:Apple said that it was unlikely to meet its sales target because of the coronavirus and the US government is mulling new rules targeting Huawei
Local shares yesterday fell sharply, losing more than 100 points, as contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) came under heavy pressure due to a negative outlook for two of its major clients.

Selling also focused on other firms in Apple Inc’s supply chain after the US consumer electronics giant warned overnight that it was unlikely to meet its sales target because of an outbreak of COVID-19 in China.

The TAIEX closed down 114.53 points, or 0.97 percent, at 11,648.98. Turnover totaled NT$138.775 billion (US$4.61 billion).

The market opened down 0.53 percent shortly after it was reported that the US government was considering new restrictions against China that would limit Huawei Technologies Co’s (華為) use of US chipmaking equipment, as a way to cut off China’s access to key semiconductor technology.

Selling on the main board escalated as Apple suppliers took a beating, pushing the TAIEX even lower by the end of the session.

Apple and Huawei are major clients of TSMC.

“As TSMC shares plunged, investors rushed to dump other tech stocks amid worries that the stock would drag down the bellwether electronics sector and the broader market,” Tachan Securities Co (大展證券) analyst Jerry Chen said.

It is too early to say whether the US will impose further sanctions against Huawei as reported, as US chipmakers are expected to lobby against the proposal, he said.

Nonetheless, investors were pocketing their significant recent gains in TSMC based on the reports, he added.

TSMC shares fell 2.87 percent to close at the day’s low of NT$322, with its losses accounting for more than an 80-point drop on the TAIEX.

Among Apple suppliers, iPhone assembler Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海) lost 0.6 percent to close at NT$83.4 and Largan Precision Co (大立光), a supplier of smartphone camera lenses, slid 4.44 percent to end at NT$4,630.

“I think foreign institutional investors stood on the sell side today,” Chen said. “They have been cutting long position contracts in the futures market and wanted to take profit, as February contracts will be settled tomorrow.”

Foreign institutional investors sold a net NT$21.42 billion of shares on the main board yesterday, Taiwan Stock Exchange data showed.

“TSMC’s losses today put it closer to its nearest support point of NT$321, and if the stock cannot hold above that level, the TAIEX is expected to fall further,” Chen said. “In addition, the spread of the coronavirus is expected to continue to dictate market sentiment.”

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content_text:
Mark Veteto, camp ranger for the Maple Dell Scout Camp outside Payson, Utah, closes the front gate on May 8, 2018.Photo: AFP
Barraged by hundreds of sex-abuse lawsuits, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) yesterday filed for bankruptcy protection in hopes of working out a potentially mammoth victim compensation plan that would allow the hallowed, 110-year-old organization to carry on.

The Chapter 11 filing in federal bankruptcy court in Wilmington, Delaware, sets in motion what could be one of the biggest, most complex bankruptcies ever seen. Scores of lawyers are seeking settlements on behalf of several thousand men who say they were molested as scouts by scoutmasters or other leaders decades ago, but are only now eligible to sue because of recent changes in their states’ statute-of-limitations laws.

By going to bankruptcy court, the Scouts can put those lawsuits on hold for now, but ultimately they could be forced to sell off some of their vast property holdings, including campgrounds and hiking trails, to raise money for a compensation trust fund that could surpass US$1 billion.

The bankruptcy petition listed the Boy Scouts’ assets as between US$1 billion and US$10 billion, and its liabilities at US$500 million to US$1 billion.

“Scouting programs will continue throughout this process and for many years to come,” the Boy Scouts said in a statement. “Local councils are not filing for bankruptcy, because they are legally separate and distinct organizations.”

The bankruptcy represents a painful turn for an organization that has been a pillar of American civic life for generations and a training ground for future leaders. Achieving the rank of Eagle Scout has long been a proud accomplishment that politicians, business leaders, astronauts and others put on their resumes and in their official biographies.

The Boy Scouts’ finances have been strained in the past few years by declining membership and sex-abuse settlements.

The number of youths taking part in scouting has dropped below 2 million, down from more than 4 million in peak years of the 1970s.

Most of the newly surfacing cases date to the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s; the organization has said there were only five known abuse victims in 2018. The Boy Scouts credit the change to an array of prevention policies adopted since the mid-1980s, including mandatory criminal background checks and abuse-prevention training for all staff and volunteers, and a rule that two or more adult leaders be present during all activities.

“We are outraged that there have been times when individuals took advantage of our programs to harm innocent children,” BSA president and CEO Roger Mosby said. “While we know nothing can undo the tragic abuse that victims suffered, we believe the Chapter 11 process, with the proposed trust structure, will provide equitable compensation to all victims while maintaining the BSA’s important mission.”

The BSA said it is encouraging all victims to come forward to file a claim in the case.

A deadline for filing claims has not yet been set by the bankruptcy court, but the BSA said that would likely happen later this year.

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title: Boy Scouts files for bankruptcy due to sex-abuse cases


title: A KMT-TPP alliance would sour

content_text:
After the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) retained its legislative majority as a result of the legislative elections, calls to abandon ideology and make room for reconciliation emerged.

Newspapers have reported that members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) are calling for cooperation between the pan-blue camp and the “white” camp.

Although the KMT lost the Jan. 11 presidential and legislative elections, it holds 38 legislative seats and remains the second-largest party — and thus is the major opposition party — in the Legislative Yuan. The TPP won five seats and is a rising star.

Only if the two largest opposition parties join hands can they avoid becoming a silent “unimportant minority” in the legislature.

Very few people would disagree that calls for cooperation are natural and rational — it is common sense.

However, it is easy to talk about the necessity for cooperation, but it has in the past been extremely difficult for parties to truly become a positive opposition party.

This leads to the question of whether the pan-blue and white camps would be able to form an opposition alliance — here are some observations and possible consequences.

First, the KMT’s core voter base is shrinking. The party was formed by the politicians and military forces of a foreign regime, and its membership has been mainly comprised of military personnel, civil servants, public-school teachers and corporate leaders.

Their national identity is the Republic of China (ROC), a Chinese regime that occupied Taiwan with military force. They could not care less about Taiwan, and even take a hostile attitude toward Taiwanese culture and history, while the ROC that exists in their minds perished in 1949.

As these people die off, their descendants — second and third-generation mainlanders — become so-called “natural Taiwanese” (天然台), as they have grown up in Taiwan and accept it as their home — to a greater or lesser extent.

Just imagine how absurd it would be if a group of people in the US established a “British Democratic Party” that identifies with the UK.

Following this logic, if the TPP were to form an opposition alliance with the KMT, but the KMT did not break free from its “China obsession,” the national identity issue would become a stumbling block for the TPP when it tried to continue to garner support among young people.

Second, the TPP made a quite astonishing debut and made the jaws of many commentators drop when the party received 1,588,806 votes, or 11.2 percent of the political party vote, in the process gaining five legislator-at-large seats.

During its election campaign, the party did not present any special policies or governance ideals, and its stance on cross-strait relations was particularly ambiguous, revealing that its discourse is based more on opportunism than idealism.

Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), the TPP chairman, is reportedly well-versed in ‘Mao Zedong (毛澤東) Thought.’

Mao is famous for his political scheming and caprice, which has also caused the KMT a great deal of pain and suffering. It remains to be seen whether the KMT would collaborate with the TPP and once again fall prey to Mao-style scheming.

Third, when voters abandon their parties and lend support to a new political party, they tend to choose parties with similar ideas and views.

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content_text:
Virus Outbreak: Over 200 evacuees freed after 14-day quarantine

A family returns home from a quarantine center in Taichung as more than 200 Taiwanese who were evacuated from Wuhan, China, two weeks ago due to the COVID-19 outbreak were released from quarantine yesterday after being cleared of infection.Photo: Liao Yao-tung, Taipei Times
More than 200 Taiwanese and their family members who were evacuated from Wuhan, China, to Taiwan earlier this month were yesterday released after a 14-day quarantine, with a number of them praising the conditions they faced while in isolation.

“It’s good to be home,” a 55-year-old engineer surnamed Chou (周) said, as he exited a tour bus at Chao Ma Bus Station in Taichung.

Chou was one of 247 people brought back to Taiwan on a charter flight on Feb. 3 after being stuck in Wuhan, which was sealed off on Jan. 23 to contain the spread of COVID-19.

One of the evacuees tested positive for the virus upon arrival and remains hospitalized, while the other 246 were put in quarantine in three facilities — two in New Taipei City and one in Taichung.

Their quarantine was officially lifted at 6am yesterday and after undergoing a final temperature check, they boarded buses that took them to public transportation stations.

Chou, who works at a technology company in Wuhan, was one of the 69 evacuees placed in the quarantine facility in Taichung.

He described the past two weeks he spent in quarantine as “pretty good.”

Another evacuee, a 68-year-old Taiwanese businessman surnamed Cho (卓), praised the food, living space and service he received during his quarantine, saying that he was very content throughout his stay.

Asked if he experienced any inconveniences, Cho said no, adding that “everyone was very cooperative during the process.”

The 246 people will still have to follow a “self-health management” protocol, which entails wearing masks whenever they go out, taking their temperatures twice a day and reporting any potential symptoms to authorities.

There are hundreds more Taiwanese stuck in Wuhan who want to be evacuated, but they have become political footballs, as Taiwanese and Chinese authorities squabble over arrangements for future charters, with each side accusing the other of blocking progress on the issue.

Disputes arose over the first charter flight because of the presence of one infected person and the passengers who took the flight did not match a previously agreed upon list of passengers.

Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) yesterday said that Taiwan, following public health and humanitarian principles, prioritized “people with poor health, the elderly, women and children, but China has played politics to interfere with the charter flights.”

“Beijing is deceiving the world by blaming Taiwan for the flight impasse,” he said.

“However, it is they [Chinese authorities] who are imposing unacceptable conditions, drafting their own passenger lists and refusing to let us conduct medical tests [on passengers]. They are playing politics to undermine the Taiwanese government,” Wang said.

Additional reporting by Jason Pan

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title: Virus Outbreak: Premier talks strategy with caucuses

content_text:
Premier Su Tseng-chang, third left, and officials visit the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday.Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
Lawmakers yesterday expressed concerns regarding disease prevention and relief measures to Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), who was visiting opposition caucuses after new legislators took office last month.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Lin Wei-chou (林為洲) in a meeting with Su asked the Executive Yuan to implement measures to make sure that home quarantines are strictly enforced so that they do not become a weak spot in disease prevention efforts.

KMT caucus secretary-general Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) lauded the Executive Yuan for planning to unveil a special relief bill tomorrow, calling for nonpartisan efforts to help industries affected by the outbreak of COVID-19 in China.

Hopefully, relevant agencies would make the arrangements necessary to evacuate Taiwanese stranded in Wuhan, China, the outbreak’s epicenter, as well as other Chinese cities hit by the coronavirus, many of whom are eager to return home, Chiang said.

Taiwan People’s Party caucus whip Lai Hsiang-ling (賴香伶) said that due to increased production of masks, the TPP caucus hopes that the rationing policy could be relaxed so that each National Health Insurance cardholder could purchase seven — instead of two — masks weekly.

She also asked Su to instruct the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to strongly protest Mauritius’ ban on travelers who visit Taiwan 14 days prior to their scheduled arrival in the island nation.

Su said that relief measures in response to the outbreak would be carried out in a way that is fair and immediately effective, adding that the Executive Yuan’s bill would cover all aspects relating to relief funds and reviving sectors affected by the disease.

A relief plan, to be financed from tax surpluses from previous fiscal years, is to be submitted to the Legislative Yuan for review after the Cabinet’s approval. If passed by the legislature, it would be in effect for one year.

Su attributed Mauritius’ ban to its failure to understand that China and Taiwan have different governments and disease-prevention systems, which has led it to associate Taiwan with China, Hong Kong and Macau.

“Overall, people strongly feel that if Taiwan cannot make it clear to the world that Taiwan is Taiwan, not a part of China, then the Taiwanese government would continue to be subject to unfair treatment, even though it has effectively taken care of its people and contained a disease,” Su said.

The government would step up its efforts to prevent “undue political influence” and misinformation from hurting the nation’s interests in the international community, he said.

New Power Party (NPP) caucus whip Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智) said that the Executive Yuan’s bill should not only address companies, but also workers who are involuntarily furloughed due to economic losses incurred by the disease.

NPP caucus secretary-general Chen Jiau-hua (陳椒華), an associate professor at Chia Nan University, told Su that she taught microbiology for 30 years before becoming a lawmaker, but had never encountered a virus that could be transmitted without the host displaying any symptoms.

She asked Su to have the Executive Yuan clarify its stance that “healthy people need not wear masks” and more clearly explain to the public when they should wear masks so they can better protect themselves from the disease.

On Monday, Minister Without Portfolio Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) affected by the coronavirus would have access to credit as part of a NT$60 billion (US$1.99 billion) government proposal to support domestic businesses.

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people: 蘇貞昌 賴香伶 陳椒華 邱顯智 蔣萬安 林為洲


content_text:
French company Alstom SA on Monday said it had agreed to buy the rail division of Bombardier Inc, speeding up the Canadian firm’s fire sale.

Alstom is to pay up to 6.2 billion euros (US$6.7 billion) in a mix of cash and shares, according to a memorandum of understanding between the firms.

The Quebec pension firm Caisse de Depot, which owns 32.5 percent of Bombardier Transportation, would become Alstom’s biggest single shareholder on completion with about 18 percent of the French company.

Alstom said it planned to move its Americas headquarters to Montreal.

“This acquisition will improve our global reach and our ability to respond to the ever-increasing need for sustainable mobility,” chief executive Henri Poupart-Lafarge said.

“There is no idea of restructuring or threats to jobs, but rather the opposite,” he later told journalists.

The acquisition stood to boost Alstom’s presence in markets where Bombardier is strong — notably Germany, Britain, North America — and also in China, where the Canadian company’s position is “unique,” he said.

Alstom’s move comes a year after the European Commission blocked an attempt at a mega-merger of its rail activities with those of Germany’s Siemens AG.

Berlin, Germany-based Bombardier Transport last year posted sales of US$8.3 billion, ending the year with US$35.8 billion of business on its order books.

Alstom’s sales for 2018 and last year came in at US$8.1 billion and the firm had outstanding orders of US$43 billion at the end of 2018.

The company, which makes France’s TGV high-speed trains, employs 36,300 staff, a quarter of them in France.

Adding Bombardier Transport would position Alstom as a global rival to China’s CRRC Corp (中國中車), which boasted sales of about US$30 billion in 2018.

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title: Alstom SA agrees to buy Bombardier Inc’s rail division


title: Beijing to grant tariff exemptions on 696 US goods

content_text:
China is to grant exemptions on retaliatory duties imposed against 696 US goods, the most substantial tariff relief to be offered so far, as Beijing seeks to fulfill commitments made in its interim trade deal with the US.

Yesterday’s announcement came after the “phase one” trade deal between the two countries took effect on Friday last week and is the third round of tariff exemptions China has offered.

China has committed to boosting its purchases of goods and services from the US by US$200 billion over two years as part of the agreement, and has already rolled back some additional tariffs on US imports after the deal was signed.

US goods eligible for tariff exemptions include key agricultural and energy products such as pork, beef, soybeans, liquefied natural gas and crude oil, which were subject to extra tariffs imposed during the trade dispute. Other products are some medical devices, pharmaceuticals and metals.

However, the COVID-19 outbreak has raised concerns about China’s ability to meet the purchasing targets. Authorities nationwide have imposed major restrictions on travel and transportation to curb the spread of the virus.

Beijing’s announcement emphasized that Chinese firms would submit applications for tariff exemptions based on market conditions and commercial considerations.

“Unless the state forcefully asks firms to apply for tariff exemption and buy US soybeans, crushers would still go for Brazilian beans, based on market free will,” a trader said.

Firms can start submitting their applications on March 2, and any exemptions granted would be valid for one year.

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content_text:
Sales of Taiwan’s computer and information technology (IT) service sector last quarter hit a record high of NT$111.8 billion (US$3.71 billion), a 12 percent year-on-year increase, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday.

The increase was mostly driven by strong sales from the computer programming industry, which jumped 13.1 percent annually to NT$86.7 billion, a ministry report said.

“Over the course of last year, we witnessed steady and robust growth from the computer programming industry as an increasing number of local companies seek digital transformation,” Department of Statistics Director-General Wang Shu-chuan (王淑娟) said by telephone, adding that many more firms are boosting their spending in areas such as cybersecurity and switch data networks.

The IT service industry, which contributes about 22.45 percent to the computer and IT service sector, also posted record-high revenue of NT$25.1 billion, an 8.2 percent increase year-on-year, on the back of promotional sales by online auction sites and rising spending on servers, the ministry said.

Overall revenue for the computer and IT service sector expanded 9.7 percent annually to NT$380.4 billion, a record high.

The technical support and professional service sector also posted record-breaking revenue of NT$96.6 billion, following three consecutive quarters of annual declines.

The sector’s recovery was principally due to annual growths of 0.8 and 13.7 percent in the management and consulting industry and the professional design industry, which posted sales of NT$27.3 billion and NT$23 billion respectively.

There were also downturns. Advertising and market research industry sales fell 4.5 percent to NT$43.8 billion, the ministry said.

The technical support and professional service sector saw its revenue slip 0.8 percent from the previous year to NT$331.9 billion.

In other news, the ministry said Taiwan’s rental and leasing sector last quarter reported its highest revenue at NT$36.3 billion, an 8.2 percent increase year-on-year.

Wang said the vehicle leasing sector showed healthy growth, but the machine equipment rental industry continued to slow.

“We are hoping for market demand to recover this year as investments from Taiwanese companies returning home start to materialize,” Wang said.

Total revenue for the rental and leasing sector hit a new high of NT$137.6 billion, a 3.5 percent increase over the previous year.

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title: Taiwan’s IT sector sales soar 12% to record high


content_text:
Nissan shareholders vent anger over Ghosn scandal and dismal results

Nissan Motor Co shareholders yesterday vented their outrage at the Japanese automaker’s top management for crashing stock prices, zero dividends and quarterly losses after the scandal-ridden departure of former chairman Carlos Ghosn.

They got up, one by one, at an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting, demanding that Nissan quickly fix diving vehicle sales, work harder to repair its battered brand and have executives give up their pay.

Ghosn, a superstar executive who had led Nissan for two decades, was arrested in November 2018. He was awaiting trial on financial misconduct charges in Tokyo when he skipped bail late last year and escaped to Lebanon.

New chief executive Makoto Uchida apologized to shareholders for having “allowed the misconduct” of Ghosn, and promised better governance, transparency and financial results, but pleaded for more time.

He said a turnaround plan would be announced in May, which one shareholder immediately criticized as too late.

“We are in a disastrous situation,” Uchida said of the Ghosn scandal. “It was shocking, and I denounce it.”

Uchida is among the four directors whose election was up for vote at the meeting held at a conference center in Yokohama, near Tokyo.

Uchida was tapped in December last year to replace Hiroto Saikawa, who was Ghosn’s successor and who tendered his resignation after allegations surfaced about his own dubious personal income.

His resignation became final at the end of the meeting.

One shareholder asked if Saikawa was giving up his retirement pay.

Another asked why Jean-Dominique Senard, chairman of French alliance partner Renault SA and a Nissan board member, was seen leaving a previous shareholders’ meeting in a Toyota.

While Saikawa did not reply, Senard apologized and said it was a mistake that had upset him as well.

Also up for approval at the meeting was the appointment of Nissan chief operating officer Ashwanti Gupta, who joined Renault in India in 2006, and has since worked for the alliance, and the appointments of Nissan’s production expert Hideyuki Sakamoto and Pierre Fleuriot, a risk management specialist and independent director at Renault.

The appointments were welcomed by clapping at the end of the two-and-a-half hour meeting.

However, hanging over the entire meeting was Nissan’s plummeting fortunes, its reputation tarnished over not only the Ghosn scandal, but the shaky way it was handled at the company.

Shareholders said they saw confusion in management.

Global sales of Nissan vehicles have plunged. Nissan recorded red ink for the quarter through December last year.

One said no one would want to buy a vehicle from a company that looked as disorganized as Nissan.

At one point, several shareholders began shouting at each other.

Uchida repeatedly tried to assure shareholders that Nissan was standing up to wrongdoing, leveraging the Renault alliance and working on new products.

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title: Virus Outbreak: Apple will not make revenue forecast

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Employees wait for customers in a reopened Apple Store in Beijing on Friday last week.Photo: AP
Apple Inc is to miss its revenue forecast for the quarter to next month due to the coronavirus epidemic, the US tech giant said on Monday, warning that iPhone supplies worldwide would also be impacted, underlining the economic cost of the health crisis.

The COVID-19 death toll now exceeds 1,800 in China, where it has infected more than 72,000 after emerging in Hubei Province in December last year.

“We are experiencing a slower return to normal conditions than we had anticipated,” Apple said in a statement. “As a result, we do not expect to meet the revenue guidance we provided for the March quarter.”

Apple had forecast revenue of US$63 billion to US$67 billion for the second quarter to next month.

It said that worldwide iPhone supply would be “temporarily constrained” as its manufacturing partners in China were only slowly ramping up work after being closed due to the virus.

Consumer demand in the Chinese market has also been dampened after all Apple stores were shut.

“Stores that are [now] open have been operating at reduced hours and with very low customer traffic,” the company said. “We are gradually reopening our retail stores and will continue to do so as steadily and safely as we can.”

Asian markets tumbled yesterday after Apple warned the new coronavirus had hit output and demand in China, fueling fears over the wider impact of the epidemic on corporate earnings and economic growth.

Apple’s shares yesterday fell 4.1 percent in premarket trading in the US, while shares of its European suppliers fell in early trading.

“Best to buckle in as we could be in for a bumpy ride [over] the next few weeks,” AxiCorp Financial Services Pty Ltd chief market strategist Stephen Innes said.

“I’m struggling to find any research report that doesn’t suggest [COVID-19] could significantly affect short-term earnings,” he said.

Mirabaud Securities Ltd global thematic group cohead Neil Campling said that Apple’s warning threatens to open the “floodgates,” as the virus affects supply chains around the world.

“The semiconductor industry and supply chain is both complex and truly global,” Campling said in an e-mail to Bloomberg. “As we navigate through the rest of the quarter, we continue to see a high probability of there being a plethora of downward revisions.”

However, Goldman Sachs Group Inc analysts said that they see the impact from the virus as a “temporary issue” for Apple, even as they reduced their forecasts for the March and June quarters.

Supply chains of global firms such as Apple supplier Foxconn Technology Group (富士康) and auto giant Toyota Motor Corp have been disrupted as key production facilities in China were temporarily closed.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, Hyundai Motor Co and General Motors Co have said their auto production lines were, or could be, hit by Chinese factories that are slow to restart because of the virus.

Additional reporting by Bloomberg

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Hundreds of cetaceans, sea turtles washed up last year

The Ocean Conservation Administration last month in Taitung County documents what might be the first blue whale stranded in Taiwan.Photo courtesy of the Ocean Conservation Administration
Last year, 150 cetaceans and 269 sea turtles washed up on the nation’s shores, the Ocean Conservation Administration (OCA) said yesterday, blaming improper fishing activities for many of the injuries.

Most of the animals were dead when they washed up, the agency said.

Of the beached whales and dolphins, the bodies of 77 were severely rotted, making it difficult to determine why they became stranded, while 33 were bycatch, it said.

Of the beached cetaceans whose species were identified, 43 were finless porpoises, followed by 30 bottlenose dolphins, 13 pygmy killer whales, 10 Fraser’s dolphins, six pygmy sperm whales, six dwarf sperm whales and six Taiwanese humpback dolphins, it added.

Of the beached turtles, 240 were green sea turtles, 13 were hawksbill sea turtles, eight were loggerhead sea turtles and eight were olive ridley sea turtles, the agency said.

Data from the agency showed that 207 sea turtles were dead when found, while 31 were bycatch and seven were entangled in discarded fishing nets.

Plastic debris was found in the feces of 24 sheltered sea turtles and the digestive systems of dozens of dead sea turtles, the agency said, drawing attention to the effects of human activities on marine life.

The number of beached cetaceans and sea turtles has been rising over the past three years, the agency said.

People becoming more active in reporting beached marine animals might have contributed to the increase, while long-term research is needed to determine the cause, OCA Marine Conservation Division senior specialist Ko Yung-chuan (柯勇全) said.

The agency last month in Taitung County documented the biggest marine animal to wash up on the nation’s shores — a 24m whale entangled in fishing nets.

It was first thought to be a fin whale, but after dissecting and analyzing the carcass, the agency on Feb. 10 announced that it was likely the first blue whale to wash up on Taiwan’s shores since records began.

The agency plans to hold a symposium on the whale in May to share its findings with experts, Ko said, adding that some Japanese researchers have expressed an interest in the issue.

A video showing the dissection has been posted online at youtu.be/IW5a8wKW0Ak.

While the agency’s Marine Animal Rescue Network, which involves dozens of non-governmental groups and research institutions, has been active for nearly a year, rescue work has been mainly supported by volunteers, including veterinarians, who are not properly paid or covered by insurance, Ko said, adding that the agency is seeking a larger budget to fund rescue efforts.

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HEALTHCARE

Dr Wu to issue dividend

Dr Wu Skincare Co Ltd (達爾膚生醫科技) yesterday said that shareholders approved its proposal to issue a cash dividend of NT$10 per share this year. With shares yesterday closing 9.92 percent higher at NT$90.90, the proposed payout represented a dividend yield of 11 percent. Shareholders also approved another proposal to give the board of directors greater flexibility in planning future cash dividends, the company said in an e-mail. Dr Wu reported consolidated revenue of NT$1.01 billion (US$33.5 million) for last year, up 5.32 percent from a year earlier. In the first three quarters of last year, earnings per share reached NT$2.46, compared with NT$1.17 in the same period in 2018.

SEMICONDUCTORS

Mosel Vitelic reports losses

Mosel Vitelic Inc (茂矽), which provides wafer foundry services, yesterday reported net losses of NT$397 million for last year, as the company booked asset impairment charges on reinvestment businesses, while revenue and sales volume declined from a year earlier. The company posted losses per share of NT$2.56 for last year, compared with earnings per share of NT$1.54 the previous year. Order visibility remained good through the end of this quarter, although it would be too early to gauge the effects of an outbreak of COVID-19 in China on its business, it said.

FINANCE

FFTC secures NT$6bn loan

Fina Finance & Trading Co (FFTC, 合迪) yesterday secured a three-year, NT$6 billion syndicated loan from a group of banks, the company said in a statement. FFTC is a subsidiary of Chailease Holding Co Ltd (中租控股), the nation’s top leasing services provider. The banks involved in the loan package are led by Taiwan Cooperative Bank (合作金庫銀行), while Bank of Taiwan (台灣銀行) and Far Eastern International Bank (遠東國際商銀) are to serve as mandated lead arrangers, FFTC said. The firm said that it aims to diversify funding resources for business expansion, adding that the new funds would be used to improve its financial structure.

EQUITIES

Market fundamentals strong

Strong market fundamentals are good for the local stock market, the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) said yesterday, adding that the dividend yield ratio remains high and listed companies show a strong willingness to deliver dividends. The exchange said in a statement that the yields of Taiwanese stocks are higher than their global peers. Last year, TWSE-listed companies distributed cash dividends totaling NT$1.3 trillion and the price-to-earnings ratio averaged about 19.57 as of Dec. 31 last year, with the cash dividend ratio reaching about 3.67 percent, it said. “These solid share dividends have kept loyalty high among both domestic and foreign investors,” the exchange said.

INVESTMENT

Nomura eyes sale of unit

Nomura Holdings Inc is exploring a sale of its Taiwanese asset management unit, people with knowledge of the matter said. The Japanese firm is working with Goldman Sachs Group Inc on the potential sale of Nomura Asset Management Taiwan Ltd (野村投信), the people said. Nomura aims to value the unit at about US$500 million, they said. Nomura bought the unit from ING Groep NV for an undisclosed amount in 2014, becoming the first Japanese company to enter the Taiwanese asset management market. The unit could draw interest from other global asset managers, the people said. Representatives for Nomura and Goldman Sachs declined to comment.

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title: Taiwan Business Quick Take


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Virus Outbreak: Hon Hai to produce masks in Taiwan

NEW TAIPEI CITY:It plans to establish 10 production lines at a subsidiary’s facilities in the city and the aim is to start producing 1 million units per day next month
A man fills out a job application yesterday at Motex Group in Changhua County’s Tianzhong Township. Taiwan’s leading mask-maker is hiring new workers to meet the growing demand for masks nationwide.Photo: Chen Kuan-pei, Taipei Times
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) yesterday confirmed rumors it plans to produce masks in Taiwan amid the expanding COVID-19 outbreak.

The world’s largest electronics contract manufacturer said it has contacted suppliers of raw materials and machinery equipment to produce masks for its home market.

While it gave few details about its production goals, the company, headquartered in New Taipei City’s Tucheng District (土城), said it hopes to contribute to Taiwanese society through its mask production.

The company’s statement came after New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said in an interview yesterday morning that Hon Hai had earlier reached out to the city about manufacturing masks for the domestic market as Taiwan continues to face a shortage, the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) reported yesterday.

Hon Hai plans to set up 10 mask production lines at facilities held by its Hong-Kong listed subsidiary, FIT Hon Teng Ltd (鴻騰精密), in the city by the end of this month, the company said.

Mass production is scheduled to begin next month with an estimated daily output of 1 million units, Hon Hai said.

The company, known internationally as Foxconn Technology Group (富士康科技集團), has been hit by production delays at its Chinese assembly plants caused by the outbreak, and has already planned to produce masks in China so that it can ensure a steady supply for its China-based employees.

Earlier this month, it began trial production of masks through its Foxconn Industrial Internet Co Ltd (富士康工業互聯網) subsidiary at its Longhua Park plant in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province.

The Longhua Park plant is expected to produce 2 million masks per day by the end of the month, the company said.

Its mask output in Taiwan would also contribute to the government’s centralized mask distribution policy, which has been extended until the end of April.

Domestic production of masks, which the Ministry of Economic Affairs is supervising, has increased from 4.2 million units per day last week to 5.5 million units per day this week, ministry data showed.

Total production is expected to amount to 10 million masks on a daily basis by the end of next month, the ministry said.

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