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新型冠狀病毒威脅大眾健康，為防範疫情發生，南投縣政府決定自3月13日起實施出入口管制措施。縣府大門、地下車道口設立體溫檢測站，其餘出入口通通關閉，到縣府洽公的民眾得接受額溫測量，並要求縣府員工做好自主管理，不能讓疫情出現破口。

為避免新型冠狀病毒在社區擴散，南投縣政府展開超前佈署，除了日前宣布縣府員工目前禁止出國外，13日上午7時30分起實施出入口管制措施，要求縣府員工憑識別証到縣府上班，並自主管理健康，確實量測體溫並記錄。

縣府傍晚表示，縣府辦公處所大樓13日起，除了縣政中心大門、地下車道設置體溫檢測站，其餘出入口一律關閉；至於原民局及環保局進出處，則在三和一路原民局一樓，進行出入管制。

縣府表示，到縣府洽公的民眾，得接受額溫檢測體溫，必要時得登記並留下民眾到訪資料，俾便於日後追蹤；貨運、外送員等非必要人員，暫緩進入辦公大樓，縣府也在大門口設置取貨區，方便員工到門口拿取相關物品。

縣府說，額溫超過37.5度者，將禁止進入縣府，有感冒或咳嗽症狀者，得戴口罩才能進入縣府，並請民眾配合防疫。

title: 防範武肺疫情　3/13起投縣府實施單一進出管制


title: 俄羅斯Tu-142監視極地演習　美軍速派F-22伴飛4小時

countries: 俄羅斯 美國 加拿大

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▲ICEX 2020（圖／翻攝自海軍時報）

記者楊庭蒝／綜合報導

美國北方司令部在11日向國會報告，俄羅斯派遣2架圖-142偵察機（Tu-142）在9日於波弗特海（Beaufort Sea）附近徘徊，進入了阿拉斯加防空識別區（ADIZ），接近美軍正在進行ICEX 2020軍事演習的地點，偵查的意圖相當濃厚，美軍在得知消息後，也馬上派遣F-22和CF-18升空伴飛，最後徘徊飛行了約4個小時，直到離開阿拉斯加防空識別區。

ICEX 2020是美軍2年1次在北極海的軍演，於4日開始為期3周，目的是要鍛鍊在極地環境作戰，本次的主角為海狼級潛艦「康乃狄克號」（SSN 22）和洛杉磯級潛艦「托雷多號」（SSN 769），將由美國海軍極地海下實驗室（ASL）主導，與來自5個國家共數百人組成的團隊合作，完成這次的訓練。

US service members hanging out on the Arctic Ice off the Alaskan coast during the sub exercise ICEX 2020 took video of US and Canadian aircraft intercepting Russian reconnaissance planes flying. Does this count as a multi-domain operation? pic.twitter.com/gY4psDhVsP

— Chris (@chrstphr_woody) March 11, 2020
防空識別區是一國基於空防需要，單方面所劃定的空域，以利軍方迅速定位管制，沒有國際法效力，範圍大於領空，飛行器若是進入某國防空識別區內，需要進行識別、告知動作，得以判斷飛行器有無攻擊、危險性質，若無危險性且停留時間短，則會進行勸告、了解動作；若是停留時間長，則有可能驅離。

空軍將軍特倫斯·奧肖尼西（Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy）表示，這2架偵察機沒有進入美國和加拿大的領空，而是在波弗特海徘徊，美軍在下令F-22和CF-18升空後，也派遣KC-135空中加油機和E-3空中預警機前往支援，這次的事件充分展現出「持久防禦」、「領域意識」的能力，也意味著美軍可以在盟軍主權領空內或附近區域將要發生的事情，保有立即應對威脅的能力。


title: 范雲籲禁大陸影音平台 董智森：民進黨很多人都在追大陸劇

people: 范雲 蘇貞昌 侯友宜 蔡英文

references: 網友 PTT

countries: 台灣 中國

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民進黨不分區立委范雲。（資料照片，郭吉銓攝）

民進黨不分區立委范雲日前指出中國大陸的影音串流平台無法可管一事，資深媒體人董智森笑說，其實很多民進黨的人都在追大陸劇！

根據《報橘》日前報導，民進黨不分區立委范雲3月10日質詢蘇貞昌院長時指出，來自中國大陸的影音串流平台在台灣有超過600萬人次下載，但NCC都表達無法可管。蘇貞昌答詢時表示，對岸的「入島、入戶、入腦」政策，一定要防止。

不過諷刺的是，2018年九合一選舉時，民進黨新北市長候選人蘇貞昌連2天以大陸宮鬥劇《延禧攻略》角色「爾晴」，暗諷對手侯友宜。

根據《中國時報》記者2018年11月5日報導，蘇貞昌引劇中角色「爾晴」表示，如果只看5分鐘，會覺得爾晴很漂亮、可愛的小女生，但「看完70集」卻會覺得不得了，爾晴的心機怎麼那麼重，壞點子怎麼那麼多。

另外，如果Google「蔡英文」「延禧攻略」，也會發現蔡英文總統「吃泡麵看大陸宫鬥劇」的標題。當時PTT網友批評，「看甚麼大陸劇」、「總統要被統戰了？」「兩岸一家親！」

資深媒體人董智森今在《小董真心話》直播說，有人說大陸劇洗腦，他聽了很好笑，因為很多人都在追大陸劇，包括民進黨很多人都在追大陸劇。


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在爆出知名球員確診新冠肺炎後，美國職業籃球聯賽（NBA）宣布將無限期暫停本賽季比賽。由於這項運動廣受全球球迷喜愛，不僅年營收達87億美元，相關商機更是遍及許多產業，造成的經濟損失恐難以估計。

NBA爵士與雷霆隊11日晚間的比賽，在開打前幾秒鐘突然宣布延後，因為爵士隊的明星中鋒戈貝特（Ruby Gobert）確認感染了新冠肺炎。之後不到一小時，NBA宣布無限期暫停本賽季比賽。

NBA是全美第三大體育聯賽，僅次於美國職棒大聯盟（MLB）和美國國家美式足球聯賽（NFL），30支球隊在2018╱19賽季的總營收約為87.6億美元。相關商機非常龐大，包括門票收入、比賽轉播、廣告贊助、球星代言，以及球衣、球鞋等運動商品等。

目前聯盟尚未想出何時恢復比賽，原本賽季計劃打到4月16日結束，多數球隊都已打完規劃82場比賽中的64至66場比賽。

據體育新聞網站The Athletic報導，NBA球隊每場主場比賽平均賺不到200萬美元，雖然每隊的市場搶手度不同。

例如，金州勇士隊每場比賽可賺逾300萬美元，但像是曼非斯灰熊或紐奧良鵜鶘等小隊，每場就只能賺近100萬美元。

換言之，若NBA最後決定取消剩下所有的正規比賽，該聯盟將總計損失超過5億美元。

這將會嚴重打擊到NBA明年每隊所能提供給球員的薪資上限，因為最後的數字將取決於前一季的籃球相關收入（BRI）。

The Athletic報導指出，如果剩下的賽季都是在沒有觀眾的情況下舉行比賽，那麼明年的薪資上限理論上將會下滑800萬美元。如果季後賽受到影響，跌幅可能還會更深。

據Spotrac指出，目前NBA的薪資上限是1.09億美元，奢侈稅門檻1.32億美元；原本2020／21賽季的薪資上限預計達到1.15億美元，奢侈稅門檻1.39億美元。這代表著球隊將可能必須透過減少或交易球員來減少薪資開銷，以符合明年的薪資上限。

title: NBA染疫停賽 周邊產業叫苦


countries: 德國 日本 美國

title: 日債題材燒 資金湧進

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美國公債價格飆漲，意味美國投資人可從一個最不可能被想到的來源，取得最佳的零風險報酬，也就是日本公債。

乍看下好像無處可投資公債，因各國公債殖利率接二連三下滑，據摩根大通，負利率公債占全球投資級債券比重達25%，高於1月中的19%，例如德國10年期公債殖利率趨近負0.7%，日本公債殖利率則為負0.05%。

對美國投資人而言，一項重要的指標是，某類資產在避開匯率風險後能提供多少報酬。依據這項指標，日本公債的報酬率以9日收盤價來看約為1.4%，幾乎比美國公債高出一個百分點。

日本公債的報酬率差距在近幾個月持續擴大，甚至具有避險功能的日本公債報酬率，已超越同樣具有避險功能的德國公債。

原因在於，美國聯邦準備理事會（Fed）的利率以往高於已實施負利率的歐洲央行以及日本央行。因此，相對於日本公債，美國公債殖利率擁有更多下跌的空間。若運用完全到期的避險操作，10年期日本公債的報酬率，至少自2008年以來持續領先同期的美國公債。


title: 斷鏈效應 美下季GDP恐萎縮

countries: 中國 美國

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美國供給管理協會（ISM）的最新調查顯示，近75%的美國企業已遭遇新冠肺炎疫情導致的供應鏈受阻問題，給疫情擾亂世界各地活動、使全球經濟聯繫承受壓力再添證據。經濟學家也紛紛調低對美國第2季經濟成長率的預測，甚至預估將陷入2014年來首見的萎縮。

ISM於11日發布的報告顯示，每六家美國公司就有一家因斷鏈影響而調降營收目標，平均下修5.6%。調查在2月22日至3月5日執行，共訪調628家公司，製造和服務業大致各占一半。

預料供應鏈會受影響的受訪企業認為，第1季過後情況會更嚴重。ISM執行長戴里11日說：「疫情爆發後，企業營運要恢復正常，還有漫長的路要走。」

戴里強調，經歷關稅衝擊而分散供應商基地的企業，可能更具備化解疫情對供應鏈影響的條件。」

調查也顯示，在中國大陸營運的製造業者目前產能利用率僅50%，人力也只有平常的56%；逾44%的受訪者表示，並未備妥因應當地供應斷鏈的計畫；62%的受訪者經歷大陸供應商出貨延遲，另有46%的公司在大陸港口卸貨遭到耽擱。

有鑒於新冠疫情打擊需求和支出，民間經濟學家紛紛調降第2季美國國內生產毛額（GDP）成長預測，有的經濟學家甚至認為下一季可能出現2014年來首見的經濟萎縮。

根據各家研究報告和彭博初步調查結果，富國銀行等六家金融公司的美國經濟分析師認為，4月至6月一季的美國GDP季增年率將萎縮0.1%到2%不等。

BMO金融集團的珍妮佛．李指出，新冠疫情激起消費者恐慌，將衝擊需求，進而傷害企業，而這又會影響企業決策、造成投資縮手。BMO已下修第2季成長率至萎縮2%。

貝倫貝格銀行（Berenberg）經濟學家雷維也認為，消費支出可能減緩，尤其上餐館、服飾店這類非必需消費，而美股暴跌也會打擊消費者信心。


title: 義關閉全國商店 重擊經濟

countries: 奧地利 義大利

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新冠肺炎疫情持續擴散，義大利11日晚間下令關閉藥局、生活必需品商店之外的全國商店，預料將使義大利民眾的一般生活陷入停擺，再重擊經濟。全球第三大半導體矽晶圓廠環球晶昨（12）日則表示，旗下義大利廠目前原物料運輸、產品出貨仍正常，工作人員也未受義大利封城影響，生產線仍24小時運轉，營運正常。

義大利總理孔蒂11日晚間宣布，除藥局和蔬果雜貨店外，全國所有營業場所都關閉，12日生效。孔蒂先感謝民眾配合10日生效的旅遊和社交限制，但表示須「再進一步」關掉所有商店和公司行號，僅蔬果雜貨、藥局和加油站等其他銷售「生活必須品」的商店可以繼續營業。他呼籲民眾不要囤積食物，因為可以買到食物的商家將維持開放，所以無囤積必要。

被下令關閉的還包括義大利生活不可或缺的咖啡店。餐廳也要關門，但允許接單外送。加油站不在被迫關門歇業之列，孔蒂宣布，對大眾運輸沒有新的限制。

最新之舉也將進一步擾亂一般民眾的生活，再度重擊經濟。依據稍早的全境封鎖規定，民眾可以出門工作、看醫生或照顧有需要的家人。奧地利已經禁止外籍人士從義大利入境，從義大利返國的奧地利公民也必須自我隔離14天。

在義大利宣布一連串的境內管制措施之際，環球晶是台廠當中，少數在義大利設廠的科技指標廠，主要生產6吋與8吋半導體矽晶圓，更是該公司最重要的8吋矽晶圓長晶生產基地，其義大利廠動態，備受關注。

環球晶義大利廠離觀光大城米蘭僅一個多小時車程，也在這次義大利封城區域的管制範圍內。環球晶表示，由於義大利廠的員工多住在廠區附近，上班進出仍可憑工作證進出，只是管制會比較嚴格，生產線仍維持24小時運作。


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紐約時報報導，美國總統川普正大力鼓吹規模近1兆美元的財政刺激方案，比2008年金融海嘯時期紓困銀行業的規模還大。但一些經濟學家批評此舉並未把錢花在刀口上、救濟最需幫助的人，且提振經濟效用緩不濟急。

紐時報導指出，川普幾乎一夕間改變說辭，從原先堅稱美國經濟不需財政刺激協助度過新冠肺炎危機，改口提議一套代價高昂的刺激計畫，規模超過2008年的銀行業紓困方案、或2009年為協助美國經濟從大衰退復甦的刺激法案。

川普的提案仍在研議中，主軸是一項暫時性的減稅措施，單是這項措施就可能讓美國國債再添近1兆美元：年底前暫停課徵社會安全薪資稅。有些經濟學家對此構想報以喝彩，認為在勞工被隔離檢疫、學校停課、大型集會取消之際實施，是正確行動。

但另有經濟學家，包括力促國會採取積極行動的學者在內，認為川普的計畫在供應短缺和愈來愈多人遭隔離的此時推動，不足以刺激消費者需求。

共和黨和民主黨陣營對川普提案都反應冷淡。共和黨籍參議院財務委員會主席

Charles E. Grassley認為，此刻並無調降薪資稅的迫切必要。民主黨眾議院第二號人物Steny H. Hoyer更直言，此案注定失敗。

傳統上立場支持減稅的稅務基金會（Tax Foundation）聯邦稅與經濟政策副總裁Karl Smith則說，若是完全凍結薪資稅，「不但會提高勞工可帶回家的薪酬，也會紓解雇主的現金流壓力」，他因此對川普提案表示支持。

民主黨人士則反對，理由很多。包括自由派和保守派在內的多位經濟學家說，另有比降低薪資稅更好的辦法，能在疫情蔓延期間有效刺激需求並支持成長；降低薪資稅只能協助在職勞工，而不是被隔離或被裁員的勞工；降薪資稅的效益只會透過薪水支票逐步顯現，不能立竿見影收到刺激效果。

保守派的American Enterprise Institute經濟學家Michael R. Strain說：「降低薪資稅不能幫助老年人、未受雇者，而這些人受疫情威脅最大。這對生活過得不錯的人利益更大，並未瞄準最需要幫助的人。」

自由派的Washington Center for Equitable Growth經濟學家Claudia Sahm指出，國會議員仍可能藉刺激方案擊退衰退，但「降薪資稅辦不到」。她和Strain都主張直接發現金給民眾。

Sahm說，藉調降薪資稅刺激經濟「太慢了，效果也太小，小到大多數人都不會察覺」，而且無法幫助沒工作或失業人士。

紐時指出，若把對觀光旅遊等產業的紓困金以及給被隔離勞工帶薪病假的花費也算進去，則川普提案的總規模可能比單降薪資稅多出數百億、甚至數千億美元。若果真立法實施，可能把美國2020年度聯邦預算赤字推升到超過2兆美元，比目前估計的近1.1兆美元大增。先前年度赤字最高紀錄是1.4兆美元，在金融海嘯期間所創。

title: 紐時：川普若降薪資稅  美國債將暴增近1兆美元


content_text:
根據美國航空巨擘波音公司（Boeing）今天公布的數據，新冠肺炎疫情衝擊旅遊業前景，加深波音737 MAX的困境，波音客戶已取消43架737 MAX客機訂單。

波音在公司網站每月更新中報告，截至2月底，客戶於2020年已取消43架737 MAX客機訂單，消息傳出後波音股價進一步下跌。

波音的交機數量也大幅下降，相較於去年同期交機95架，今年2月底僅交機30架。

全球各大航空於去年停飛737 MAX型客機，因為兩架737 MAX型客機墜毀，導致346人喪生，引發大量訴訟及調查。

波音先前宣稱，預期737 MAX將獲監管當局批准，得以在今年中復飛，但果如預期，737 MAX將在航空業面臨高度不確定性時機復飛。

title: 新冠肺炎衝擊  波音客戶取消43架737 MAX訂單


content_text:
美國企業界由於承受新冠疫情擴散及國際油價大跌的雙重衝擊，多家超大公司都爭相用盡信貸額度，搶奪現金唯恐不及。商業票據利率也急升，與隔夜交換利率的差距擴大到2018年以來高點。

許多企業的財務長及財務主管本周都打電話要求銀行提供頭寸，企業名單已陸續流出。最早是波音公司提用138億美元的定期貸款額度，接著是希爾頓控股與永利度假村利用信貸額度共取得超過25億美元現金；黑石集團與凱雷集團也通知旗下機構考慮類似作法，以免資金短缺。

截至去年底止，美國銀行業持有的企業未動用信貸額度共達2.5兆美元，其中約64%是由摩根大通、美國銀行、花旗集團與富國銀行所提供。

由於銀行業一直擁有超額準備金，因此企業爭搶現金還不致對銀行構成壓力，但也凸顯出新冠肺炎擴散後美國企業信心正迅速下降，以及對企業市場造成多大的動盪。銀行主管紛紛預測那些其他產業也開始搶錢，並表示接到更多企業執行長的電話，涵蓋各大產業。

專家指出，美國銀行業目前並不缺資金；而且由於股、債大跌，投資人更會把現金存入銀行。但問題是根本無法預測疫情將如何發展，對全球經濟衝擊有多大。

另一方面，美股雖跌入空頭市場，但最安全的資產美國公債也連袂下跌，顯示一些投資者為增加手中的頭寸而不得不拋出公債。企業界動用銀行信貸額度，也顯示無法再靠發行公司債籌資，公司債基金投資人也紛紛要求贖回；即使是還能夠發債的企業，也因為市場震盪劇烈而被嚇跑。

things: 經濟 油價

title: 美企搶錢 爭用信貸額度


title: 油市崩跌 拖累糖價

content_text:
本周油市崩跌或許為時短暫，但油價波動劇烈已震撼蔗糖市場，可能影響未來兩年的糖價展望。

全球最大糖供應國巴西的榨糖廠把收割的甘蔗製成糖，或生質燃料。如今油價崩跌使生質燃料後市展望變差，推升提高蔗糖產量的可能性。因此，巴西加工業者一窩蜂趕著鎖住未來一、兩個榨糖季的售價。這股避險狂潮先是在今年初匯率波動加劇時湧現，本周又因能源價格崩跌而變本加厲。

巴西糖廠Usina Lins執行長畢亞吉表示，現在看來生產蔗糖的獲利展望較佳，因此打算把大約40%的甘蔗用來製糖。對照下，在生質燃料乙醇比較有賺頭的產季，只有32%用於製糖。

紐約糖期貨價已從今年高點回跌19%，巴西增產可能使糖價跌幅超過20%。


countries: 德國 義大利 美國

title: 經濟快評／各國央行寬鬆之際...為何ECB獨不降息？

content_text:
美國聯準會（Fed）上周已經緊急降息2碼，英格蘭銀行11日也緊急降息1碼，但歐洲央行（ECB）12日決策會議卻決定暫不降息，只是延長量化寬鬆（QE）措施的實施期間六個月。ECB為何相對淡定？顯然是因為總裁拉加德還擺不平內部的爭議。

由於歐洲新冠肺炎疫情快速擴散，且美、英央行都已降息，因此金融市場普遍預期ECB本周會議將再降低存款利率0.1個百分點，到負0.6%；一些專家也預期ECB還會推出其他寬鬆措施，例如擴大QE規模，以及鼓勵銀行業對中小企業提供低利貸款的新措施。

然而ECB決策委員會對於是否進一步降息仍缺乏共識，尤其是德國及歐洲北部會員國更反對再降息，並認為貨幣政策並不能夠緩和新冠肺炎對經濟的衝擊。上任才四個月的新任總裁拉加德要在「鷹」、「鴿」兩派中取得平衡，處理相當艱難，不得不採取折衷的政策立場。

於是ECB決定先不降息，也不立即提高每月購債金額，是對「鷹派」做出讓步；但將購債期間延長半年，使QE總規模擴大，再給予銀行業更多的融資能力，則是向「鴿派」妥協。整體來看，ECB是在「以時間換取空間」。

不過由於歐洲肺炎疫情日益擴散，義大利已經淪陷，一旦德國疫情也告升溫，「鷹派」的態度可能軟化，因此可能到4月會議再降低存款利率。


countries: 阿聯 俄羅斯 中國 沙烏地阿拉伯

title: 油價大戰 阿聯靠向沙國

content_text:
石油輸出國組織與夥伴國（OPEC+）內部的齟齬加深，取銷技術委員會原定18日舉行的電話會議，凸顯主要產油國仍無意協商彼此對產油量的看法歧見。阿拉伯聯合大公國（UAE）更加入沙烏地阿拉伯的增產行列，4月石油產量將提高至創紀錄的水準，試圖在與俄羅斯的僵局中增加籌碼。

彭博資訊引述知情官員報導指出，聯合技術委員會（JTC）原本預定18日舉行電話會議，但之後決定取消。俄羅斯表示，目前不打算和沙國討論，並且認為OPEC+聯盟崩解並非俄國的責任。

路透報導，阿聯也已加入沙國的增產行列。阿聯國家石油公司ADNOC表示，將提高原油供給至每日400萬桶以上，並加速增產計畫，將產量提高至每日500萬桶；該公司先前預計在2030年達成這項目標。此前沙烏地阿拉伯國家石油公司（Saudi Aramco）已宣布，將竭盡全力提升產量，由每日1,200萬桶增至1,300萬桶。

這兩個波斯灣產油國計劃提升的產量，相當於全球原油工供應量的3.6%，此刻正逢肺炎疫情衝擊，導致今年的全球原油需求預料為十年來首度下滑。

OPEC也在11日大幅下修全球石油成長預估，認為今年全球石油每日需求將僅增加6萬桶，較之前的預測減少了92萬桶，也形同今年全球原油需求將幾乎毫無成長。OPEC的月報指出，新冠肺炎疫情將嚴重影響中國大陸以外國加與地區的石油需求成長，若目前情況持續下去，可能會再下修需求成長預估。

OPEC+的同盟關係幾乎破裂，因為兩大產油盟友沙國和俄國對擴大減產需求的意見分歧，雙方因此開打價格戰。


countries: 越南 巴西 中國 美國 日本

title: 咖啡豆供過於求 價格有壓

content_text:
新冠肺炎疫情衝擊全球咖啡市場，中國大陸消費者宅在家導致咖啡豆需求降溫，加上咖啡豆生產大國巴西和越南可望大豐收。分析師表示，供過於求將使今年上半咖啡豆價格受壓沉重。

日經新聞報導，中國大陸是巴西咖啡豆的最大進口國，但疫情爆發導致需求銳減，星巴克在元月底關閉逾2,000家門市。再加上全球最大的咖啡生產國巴西將在截至2021年9月的一年迎來豐收，恐導致供過於求。Wataru & Co顧問小澤志乃表示，預計今年上半的咖啡豆價格，仍將繼續受壓。

截至今年2月底，紐約洲際交易所（ICE）阿拉比卡咖啡豆期貨價，報每磅120美分，較去年12月初下跌逾10%。

在疫情爆發前，美國農業部（USDA）預估在2014年9月至2020年9月間，中國大陸咖啡豆消費量將躍增51%至330萬袋（每袋60公斤）。但疫情蔓延開始抑制需求成長，小澤志乃表示，相較於日本人多半在家裡喝咖啡，「大部分中國民眾則偏好在咖啡廳或餐廳消費」。

全球第四大咖啡豆消費國日本同樣面臨疫情衝擊，隨著赴日遊客數減少且民眾深居簡出。一家日本知名飲料企業說：「主要觀光景點的飯店、餐廳及咖啡廳營收均下滑。」小澤志乃預測，全球咖啡豆需求前景「可能也遭到調降」。

在全球咖啡需求預估將走下坡之際，咖啡生產國預期將迎來豐收年。許多研究機構預估，在截至2021年9月的年度，巴西將生產6,700萬至6,900萬袋咖啡豆，超越前一年度創下的6,480萬袋歷史新高；世界第二大咖啡豆生產國越南同期也有望豐收。


title: 塗翔文／「史賓賽的機密任務」：老派的陽剛

content_text:
這是個很老派的類型電影，正義、正直且衝動的警察，失手打了警長而入獄，也成為警界公敵。在他出獄後，沒想到故事未了，這個失去警察身分的人又忍不住正義感因子，努力挖掘出更大的驚天秘密。「史賓賽的機密任務」由馬克華伯格挑大梁，沒有特效、沒有誇張的槍戰或爆炸，賣的是硬橋硬馬、扎扎實實的警匪片路線，想像一下，如果沒有Netflix，大概它只會變成一部Ｂ級片或更小規模被拍掉。

演員出身的導演彼得柏格多次與馬克華伯格合作，兩人擅長這種陽剛類型，兼帶喜劇成分，過去已有戰果。「史賓賽的機密任務」改編自叫做「Wonderland」的小說，故事從史賓賽戲劇性的出獄那天說起，周邊人物與故事也漸漸浮出：包括總是默默支持他的老友、只會使蠻力卻充滿格鬥天分的黑人傻大個室友，還有一出場總是搶盡鋒頭的前女友。這組人各在史賓賽的生活中占有一席之地，也在查案之餘增添輕鬆多樣的副線情節。

主線則是在他出獄當天，過去曾有恩怨的警長被殘忍殺害，警方懷疑起史賓賽，最終卻嫁禍給一個沒有不良紀錄的年輕警察。史賓賽看著電視新聞中痛哭不甘心的遺孀，他決心出手調查。電影就在他一點一滴查出越來越複雜的真相的過程之間，讓我們看見史賓賽真正的背後故事與性格，他憑著過去做警察的直覺與不怕死的正義感，在一場又一場鋌而走險的事件裡過關斬將。

電影拍得中規中矩而流暢，對白寫得頗精采，無論是幾個男人之間的耍嘴皮，或是女友既想棄愛又捨不得的酸狠勁，都有高度的幽默感。打鬥追逐場面都不算厲害，可是也有模有樣。整部電影還是在主打那股一如片中開玩笑說「像蝙蝠俠一樣」單純到近乎不可思議的正義感，層層揭露的警匪勾結越看越深，也就引得觀眾也跟著更加同仇敵愾。這種非常老派的類型現在很少見了，雖不新鮮，亦不失為本片獨有的另一種魅力。

馬克華伯格帶有一種憨憨的、莽撞的，卻也陽剛味十足的平凡英雄神采，顯然是全片烘托的主力。幾個配角也都很搶戲，亞倫阿金的冷調，溫斯頓杜克的看似無腦卻忠誠，加上飾演女友的艾莉莎施萊辛格更是每每出場都是焦點，尤其一場兩人在餐廳廁所的性愛戲，果然還是此類型必備元素，火辣好看。

黑人
 馬克華柏格


title: 放閃無罪！喜歡曬恩愛星座Top 5　第一天生就是高調王

content_text:
編輯／Molly 圖／翻攝自unsplash、pexels

你身邊是不是也有那種一談起戀愛就很愛曬恩愛的朋友？滑IG、FB時常看到他們的甜蜜放閃照，聊天也是不時散發粉紅泡泡氣息，撒狗糧猶如不用錢，撒好撒滿！那他們很有可能就是以下這5個星座之一，怕閃光的人在他們開啟新戀情前請先準備好墨鏡。

Top 5：射手座

能讓喜歡自由、討厭被拘束的射手座願意放閃，那一定是他們真的非常喜歡的人也有這個機會，而且一定認定了對方，射手曬起恩愛來是沒在客氣的！任何大事小事都能拿出來秀，他們巴不得所有人都能看到另一半所有的好。

Top 4：牡羊座

向來直來直往的牡羊座喜歡曬恩愛的原因，除了希望得到大家的祝福外，通常也因為覺得自己的幸福很值得炫耀，另外也想藉此讓自己的親朋好友知道自己的另一半有多好，也希望讓朋友更了解他／她，幫助另一半更好融入自己的朋友圈中。

Top 3：處女座

陷入愛情裡的處女座像變了一個人，就算是平時不怎麼用發IG、用FB的人，一旦戀愛了就變得常常更新動態，不是另一半送了什麼禮物，就是今晚去哪約會了，或是對方最近又有什麼貼心事跡……等等，反正就是要讓所有人知道，「我的愛人是最好的，歡迎羨慕我」！

Top 2：天秤座

天秤座本來就很喜歡分享各種事情，有了甜蜜戀情後就會更喜歡分享自己的喜悅，尤其發些照片、po些動態對天秤來說，這也是一種紀錄兩人之間幸福時刻的方式，可以為自己留下美好回憶，有什麼好避諱的。

Top 1：獅子座

霸氣十足的獅子座向來就是不知低調為何物的高調王，就連戀愛也是走張揚路線，既然談戀愛了就是要大方放閃以告訴大家：這是我的另一半、我的對象好優秀、我的愛情好幸福。

►最有撩妹潛力的星座TOP3 第二名開口就甜到蛀牙

►擅長用「甜言蜜語」哄女生的3大星座男 雙子超會說但不一定做

►提分手最怕一時衝動！不想後悔，先思考這3個問題


title: Czech Republic willing to work with Taiwan: ministry

content_text:
The Czech Republic has expressed its willingness to continue working with Taiwan in several areas, despite political pressure from Beijing, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, welcoming more visits by Czechs.

On Wednesday, Czech President Milos Zeman met with other top officials for a diplomatic policy discussion about a threat from Chinese Ambassador to the Czech Republic Zhang Jianmin (張建敏).

China would retaliate against Czech businesses reliant on the Chinese market, including Skoda and Home Credit, if then-Czech Senate president Jaroslav Kubera visited Taiwan, Zhang said in a letter.

Kubera died in January before his visit scheduled for last month.

Without breaching its own “one China” principle, the Czech government said in a statement after the meeting that it would maintain collaboration with Taiwan in economic and cultural areas, and voiced dissatisfaction over Beijing’s menace and bilateral trade relations.

Taiwan and the Czech Republic share the values of democracy, freedom and human rights, and have maintained long-term collaboration in trade, technology, culture and education, ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said in a statement yesterday.

Taiwan welcomes a visit by Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil and other friends from the country, she said.

The Czech Republic is Taiwan’s fourth-biggest investment target in Europe, with many Taiwanese firms investing in the high-tech, electronics, and information and communications technology fields, creating 23,000 job opportunities there, she said.

Last month, the two nations signed an agreement on preventing tax evasion or double taxation, which is to take effect in January next year, and further bilateral trade and personnel exchanges, she said.

Additional reporting by CNA

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content_text:
DBS Bank Taiwan (星展台灣) yesterday said it faces mixed effects from the COVID-19 outbreak, with its traders benefiting from a volatile equity market and wealth management business growing amid interest rate cuts, but its credit card business has been affected.

“It is certain that some of our businesses would face challenges due to the outbreak, but we still need to find new opportunities,” DBS Taiwan general manager Lim Him-chuan (林鑫川) said at a news conference in Taipei.

As people refrained from making big-ticket purchases and canceled overseas travel, the bank’s credit card business took a hit in the first two months, despite some consumers increasing their spending at e-commerce outlets, Lim said.

“[Credit card spending in] the second half of this year is expected to be better than the first half if the virus could be contained by June,” he said.

The bank said that the central bank is expected to lower interest rates in the near term in step with its global peers, which would give its wealth management business an opportunity to grow.

“The lower the rates become, the more eagerly our clients would look for products with good yields,” Lim said.

The lender yesterday launched a new program for US dollar-denominated deposits, offering a 0.66 percent interest rate for deposits of US$10,000 or greater.

DBS Bank expects to see deposits to grow at about 10 percent this year, while some clients might cancel their fixed deposits if the central bank cuts the rates, it said.

As for other investment tools, gold is likely to be in high demand due to investors’ need to hedge, DBS consumer banking vice president Chen Yu-chia (陳昱嘉) said.

Meanwhile, DBS said it would focus on providing loans to small and medium-sized businesses, e-commerce companies and firms that have plans to digitize their operations, the bank said.

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title: DBS faces mixed results from effects of outbreak


content_text:
The final investigative report on a ship collision in the Port of Taipei on Monday night should be released in November, the Taiwan Transportation Safety Board said yesterday during a legislative session.

The accident happened when Hong Kong-registered cargo ship the Godspeed allegedly collided with the port’s pilot boat.

The pilot boat, which guides ships in and out of the port, capsized after it was damaged.

The accident killed the boat’s captain, surnamed Yang (楊), and a crew member surnamed Lee (李).

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hung Mong-kai (洪孟楷), who represents New Taipei City’s first electoral district, asked board Chairman Young Hong-tsu (楊宏智) why the final report would not be released before November when the Maritime and Port Bureau said that it could complete its investigation in seven days.

He also asked Young what the board would do if the two agencies reached different conclusions about the accident, and whether the board could speed up its process.

Young said that three investigations, not just one, needed to be completed for shipping accidents.

The bureau investigates whether administrative procedures were followed, which does not take long to complete, Young said.

However, prosecutors and judges investigate whether the accident was a criminal offense, where the party at fault could face a punishment.

“The board is conducting a maritime safety investigation, where we examine the sea vessels’ procedures, management, operating systems and design, among other things. We follow the regulations set out by the International Maritime Organization, and the conclusions of our investigation will not be made public until they are approved by the board,” Young said, adding that these procedures were established by the Aviation Safety Council, which was later expanded into the Taiwan Transportation Safety Board.

The board’s investigation would not conflict with investigations conducted by other government agencies, Young added.

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title: Final report on ‘Godspeed’ collision due in November


title: China pressured media outlets: report

content_text:
PRESS FREEDOM:
 The US State Department report voiced concern over Beijing’s efforts to influence Taiwanese media outlets to promote Chinese political priorities

China has pressured media outlets in Taiwan to produce news in line with its political priorities, a human rights report released by the US on Wednesday said.

The Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, issued annually by the US Department of State, analyzed 199 countries and regions last year.

The section on Taiwan covers the nation’s judicial system, government transparency, workers’ rights, freedom of expression, citizens’ involvement in politics, and cases of discrimination and abuse toward minorities.

On the issue of press freedom, the report said that independent media outlets were active in Taiwan and freely expressed their views without restriction from the Taiwanese government.

The only concerns about censorship were efforts by Chinese authorities to pressure media organizations in Taiwan, the report said.

“Senior PRC [People’s Republic of China] officials used the fourth Beijing-Taiwan Media Forum to call on Taiwanese media outlets to shape their coverage to promote PRC political priorities,” it said.

The report cited the case of Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Chairman Wang Yang (汪洋), who told journalists to promote policies such as the so-called “1992 consensus,” China’s “one country, two systems” and the peaceful unification of Taiwan and China.

The “1992 consensus” — a term that former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up in 2000 — refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.

“Wang also invoked the possibility of war with Taiwan if progress is not made toward these goals,” the report said, adding that “experts considered Wang’s remarks to be the most open and direct case of a PRC official exerting pressure on Taiwan’s media organizations to date.”

Another example raised was that of the Want Want Group, the owner of several media outlets in Taiwan, including the Chinese-language China Times, and described in the report as having “substantial operations” in China.

The group in July last year sued a Financial Times journalist “in apparent retaliation for a report she authored exposing coordination between Want Want media outlets in Taiwan and the PRC Taiwan Affairs Office regarding the content of Want Want publications,” the report said.

The report also said that Chinese authorities pressured companies to pull advertisements from Taiwanese publications whose coverage was “deemed to be insufficiently consistent” with Chinese policies, but it did not name any of the media outlets affected.

In terms of discrimination and abuse toward underprivileged members of society, the report said that foreign spouses in Taiwan have been “reported targets of social discrimination” in their homes and in society.

Non-governmental organizations have also reported inadequate facilities for people with disabilities in terms of transportation and education, especially outside of Taipei, the report said.

As for workers’ rights, the report focused on the plight of migrant workers, who “were most susceptible to forced labor, especially when serving as crew members on Taiwan-flagged fishing vessels.”

Some brokers charge high fees that plunge migrant workers into “debt bondage,” the report said, and there are no laws to prevent these brokers from simply reopening their businesses under different names after being caught.

Although there are laws against the mistreatment of workers and Taiwanese authorities seek to enforce them, the penalties are not sufficient to deter contraventions, the report said.

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content_text:
Taiwan lagging in English education, NTNU study shows

Taiwan lags behind Japan, South Korea and China when it comes to teaching English vocabulary and total class hours, a study released yesterday by National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) showed.

The study on English education in Taiwan and neighboring countries was conducted following the government’s announcement in 2018 of a policy to turn Taiwan into a bilingual nation by 2030, NTNU Department of English professor Chen Hao-jan (陳浩然) told a news conference in Taipei yesterday.

English classes start in the third grade in Taiwan, China and South Korea, with South Korea leading in terms of total number of class hours in elementary school at 200, followed by 190 in China, 150 in Taiwan and 100 in Japan, Chen said.

Researchers from National Taiwan Normal University, including Department of English professor Chen Hao-jan, fourth right, pose for a photograph yesterday at a news conference in Taipei.
 Photo courtesy of National Taiwan Normal University via CNA

For junior-high schools, Japan had the highest number of class hours at 350, followed by 340 in South Korea, 315 in China and 250 in Taiwan, Chen said.

Japan and China led in English vocabulary taught in elementary school, ranging from 600 to 700 words, followed by 500 in South Korea and 300 in Taiwan, Chen said.

For junior-high schools, Japan had the largest vocabulary taught, ranging from 2,200 to 2,500 words, followed by 1,500 to 1,600 in China, 1,300 in South Korea and 1,200 in Taiwan, he said.

Taiwan had the smallest vocabulary taught in elementary school and the fewest class hours in junior-high school, but the vocabulary required in the high-school curriculum is 4,500 words, Chen said.

The study load in elementary and junior-high schools could be increased slightly for a more balanced distribution across different stages, he said.

To bridge the education gap, the government should utilize technology and online platforms to provide more English-learning resources to the public, Chen said.

For example, Taiwan can follow South Korea, which used artificial intelligence to develop a platform for students to practice English speaking after class and to upload a English courses on e-learning sites.

NTNU vice president Sung Yao-ting (宋曜廷) said the university had also conducted a study to see if the study load in the elementary-school curriculum — which specifies that graduates should have a vocabulary of 300 words for listening, speaking and reading — is sufficient.

The study, conducted from 2016 to 2017, tested 1,903 graduates of elementary schools in Taipei and New Taipei City on their English vocabulary and reading comprehension skills and found that 75 percent of participants met the requirement, and that 57 percent had a vocabulary of more than 400 words, Sung said.

Most participants tested above the threshold set by the curriculum, but to fully comprehend a 300-word article, which is also a proficiency requirement in the curriculum, a student would need a vocabulary of at least 450 words, Sung said, adding that vocabulary taught in elementary school should be enhanced.

To bridge the education gap between rural and urban areas, supplementary measures, such as deploying more learning resources and teachers for underprivileged students, should be rolled out, he added.

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title: Virus Outbreak: WHO declares coronavirus pandemic

content_text:
CALL TO ARMS:
 Tedros said that the global health body was concerned about ‘alarming levels of inaction’ and called on nations to take ‘urgent and aggressive action’

The WHO on Wednesday called the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic, issuing a grim warning that the global spread and severity of the illness was due to “alarming levels of inaction.”

The call came as Europe faced a mounting number of cases — including a slew of new countries clocking first deaths — prompting governments to roll out increasingly tough measures to slow the rapid spread of the virus.

The number of cases across the globe has risen to more than 124,000 with 4,500 deaths, including a jump in fatalities, particularly in Iran and Italy.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), informs the media about the update on the situation regarding the novel coronavirus, during a new press conference, at the World Health Organization headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, Feb. 10, 2020.
 Photo: EPA

The majority of cases have been in China, where the outbreak first emerged in December last year, but as the number of new infections has steadied in the country, hot spots have emerged elsewhere — namely Italy, Iran and Spain.

“We have never before seen a pandemic sparked by a coronavirus,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday, adding that the declaration would not change the organization’s response to the outbreak.

“We’re deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity and by the alarming levels of inaction,” he said.

He did not single out any nations for not doing enough — or what further measures were needed.

Instead, he called on “countries to take urgent and aggressive action.”

Signs of a widening European crisis emerged on Wednesday, with Ireland, Albania, Belgium, Sweden and Bulgaria registering their first deaths. The surge brought Europe’s total number of cases to more than 22,000, with 930 deaths.

Millions of people in Italy are grappling with a nationwide clampdown that has emptied streets, shuttered shops and disrupted train and air travel.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said that Italy would shut all stores except for pharmacies and food shops to curb the disease.

Factories and other big businesses can remain open as long as they adopt “appropriate security measures to prevent contagion,” Conte said

His government vowed to spend up to 25 billion euros (US$28 billion) to help contain fallout from the pandemic, including cash injections for hard-hit hotels and restaurants, and allowing families to suspend some mortgage payments.

Even places with no significant outbreaks like Poland and Ukraine announced school closures and other restrictive measures.

Austria said that it would shut museums and halt train services to and from Italy.

In the Middle East, hard-hit Iran reported 63 new deaths, its highest single-day toll, which brought total fatalities to 354. It has yet to impose quarantines, but has closed schools, universities and hotels, and called on people not to travel.

Tedros said Iran, which has 9,000 cases, was “doing its best” to control the spread of the virus, but that it needed more supplies to cope.

Elsewhere in the region, Kuwait said that it was suspending all commercial flights in and out of the country, after it and other Persian Gulf nations had already adopted travel restrictions.

Offering a sliver of hope to the rest of the world, China again announced negligible new daily infections and only a relatively small number of deaths. Some businesses in China’s Hubei Province — where the virus was first detected in December — were told they could restart work, reducing fears of a prolonged disruption of supply chains.

However, China remains the worst-affected country with more than 80,000 confirmed cases and more than 3,000 deaths.

Disruption to supply chains from China, flagging demand and wildly fluctuating stock markets have sparked a series of profit warnings from companies and pushed governments into action.

The UK promised US$39 billion in fiscal stimulus and the Bank of England slashed its main interest rate to 0.25 percent following a similar move by the US Federal Reserve last week, intended to make borrowing cheaper and boost economic activity.

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content_text:
Transport safety board urged to join military accident probes

The Taiwan Transportation Safety Board should be more actively involved in the investigation of accidents related to military aircraft after a second Black Hawk helicopter crash in January, a lawmaker said yesterday at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee.

The Jan. 2 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crash killed eight military personnel on board, including then-chief of the general staff General Shen Yi-ming (沈一鳴).

In its investigation report released on Feb. 14, the Ministry of National Defense attributed the accident to the weather, terrain and human factors.

Taiwan Transportation Safety Board Chairman Young Hong-tsu speaks at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee yesterday in Taipei.
 Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) questioned the validity of the report, as the investigation was conducted by the air force itself.

Modern technology has enabled pilots to set a safe operational altitude and flight route, as well as obtain instant weather information in flight, Lin said, adding that the weather radar would have informed the pilots where thick clouds had formed along the route.

“If flying through the clouds would cause a helicopter to crash, then the air force might as well only allow them to fly if it is sunny,” Lin said.

The board should do more than just decoding information from flight data and cockpit voice recorders, also known as “black boxes,” he said.

“People across the nation were pained to hear that high-ranking military officials died in the helicopter crash. How can anyone expect the truth behind the crash to surface if the air force was also responsible for conducting the investigation? It was the same reason that we did not let the Taiwan Railways Administration [TRA] investigate the Puyuma Express derailment in 2018,” he said.

Lin said he also disagreed with the ministry’s solution to the problem, which is to have experienced air force pilots and pilot trainers operate the helicopter if it is carrying top military officials.

The board was established in August last year to have an independent third-party investigate the causes of major transportation accidents in a fair, just and open manner, he said, adding that the board should speak up.

Some of the board’s members should be pilots as well, he said.

In response, board Chairman Young Hong-tsu (楊宏智) said that the air force had formed a committee to investigate the helicopter crash, but it did not ask board officials to attend the committee meetings.

The board, previously known as the Aviation Safety Council, signed a memorandum of understanding with the ministry 10 years ago, allowing the board to assist the ministry when there is an accident involving military aircraft.

Young said the data collected in the past two decades showed that 80 percent of aviation accidents were caused by human errors.

However, the board is only authorized to investigate accidents involving civil aircraft, he said.

Young also dismissed a report that the ministry is investigating if the board had leaked crucial information to the news media.

The source of the false report was an academic institution, which meant to sway public opinion through the messages it posted on Facebook, he said.

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content_text:
GLOBAL DASHBOARD:
 John Hopkins’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering changed its label for the nation back to Taiwan after a protest by MOFA

A top US school, Johns Hopkins University, has backed down on how it refers to Taiwan on its Web-based map detailing the spread of the new coronavirus after the government protested at the institution’s inclusion of it as part of China.

Beijing has been exerting pressure on foreign companies and organizations to identify Chinese-claimed Taiwan as part of China, and often to label it as a Chinese province.

The issue has come to a head again with the COVID-19 outbreak, with the WHO listing Taiwan’s case numbers under China’s, referring to it as “Taipei and environs.”

The designation “Taipei and environs, China” began to be used on Monday by Johns Hopkins on an interactive Web-based dashboard created by its Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) that tracks the virus outbreaks around the world (coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html).

However, in a rare diplomatic victory for Taiwan, the university has now changed that, and again calls the nation simply “Taiwan.”

The Ministry of Foreign Ministry (MOFA) on Wednesday said that it had asked the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Washington to lodge a protest with university in Baltimore, Maryland.

“During a comprehensive review of the dashboard this week, professor Lauren Gardner and her team decided to align the names of nations with the World Health Organization’s naming conventions to achieve consistency in reporting,” the university said in an e-mailed statement to Reuters, referring to the CSSE codirector who oversees the mapping project.

“Upon further consideration, the team now uses US State Department naming conventions, including the use of Taiwan,” the statement said.

Ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) yesterday said the government appreciated the university’s quick action in making the correction, and she thanked US Senator Marco Rubio and Representative Michael McCaul, as well as US think tank members for raising concern about the issue.

Taiwan is now listed as an independent entity, without being downgraded, she said.

The nation looks forward to deepening cooperation with Johns Hopkins in various fields, and at the same time, it thanks US President Donald Trump’s administration for showing support for Taiwan, she said.

Taiwan and the US would continue deepening collaboration to curb the spread of COVID-19, she added.

Additional reporting by Lin Chia-nan and staff writer

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title: Virus Outbreak: ‘Taiwan’ returns to tracking map


content_text:
Three Chunghwa Telecom employees under investigation for fraud

Three Chunghwa Telecom Co (CHT) employees and two contractors were yesterday released after questioning about alleged financial irregularities relating to CHT investments in wind power projects.

The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office on Wednesday summoned the three CHT employees for questioning and later listed engineer Tsai Cheng-feng (蔡政峰) and two section chiefs — Hsu Yung-chang (徐永昌) and Yang Chun-chi (楊俊吉) — as suspects facing charges of special breach of trust and fraud, along with contravening the Securities and Exchange Act (證券交易法).

Prosecutors also summoned for questioning contractor Taiwan Wind & Solar Co (TWS) owner Lin Chun-cheng (林俊呈) and top executive Lin Shu-ting (林舒婷) for allegedly colluding with the CHT staff in six bogus tender projects from which they made a profit of about NT$15 million (US$497,512).

Four of the five were ordered to post bail: Tsai and Lin Chun-cheng, NT$1 million each; Hsu, NT$200,000; and Yang NT$100,000.

When Tsai could not come up with the NT$1 million, prosecutors later lowered the bail to NT$200,000 and released Tsai.

Lin Shu-ting was released without bail.

The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau started an initial investigation after being tipped off about the alleged irregularities.

Investigators said that from 2015 to 2016, Tsai headed the CHT engineering unit responsible for investing in wind power generation.

They alleged that Tsai, acting in complicity with his superiors — Hsu and Yang — colluded with the Hsinchu-based company, which described itself as a provider of renewable energy services and a specialist in wind power generation projects.

Tsai allegedly falsified accounts to make it appear that CHT secured six wind power generation projects by TWS, which turned out to be bogus projects, investigators said.

The projects included procurement for telecoms equipment and power generation machinery, with Tsai directing some purchasing and engineering works to two other subcontractors of CHT, which played along with the scam, investigators said.

Through the bogus projects, the contracting companies received about NT$15 million in funds from CHT, which TWS executives used to obtain bank loans and offset their debts, they said.

However, as TWS’ finances worsened in the following years, its bad check record prompted an investigation.

Prosecutors said that the investigation was ongoing to verify if there were more CHT officials involved in the scheme.

Formerly a state monopoly, CHT was privatized in 2005, but is still the nation’s largest telecoms, with 35.29 percent of its shares owned by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications.

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title: Virus Outbreak: NT$100bn stimulus being prepared: Tsai

people: 蔡英文 陳時中

content_text:
By Sherry Hsiao
and Jake Chung / Staff reporter,
with staff writer and CNA

The government is preparing a NT$100 billion (US$3.3 billion) stimulus package and monitoring global financial markets amid COVID-19 outbreaks worldwide, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday.

The Legislative Yuan, following its passage of the legal basis for a special budget, is now reviewing the details of the NT$60 billion budget, Tsai said, after convening a high-level national security meeting.

An additional NT$40 billion would be sourced from existing government budgets and other funding, such as the Employment Security Fund and the Tourism Development Fund, and added to the stimulus package, she said.

A woman wears a mask to protect herself from COVID-19 while preparing offerings at Longshan Temple in Taipei yesterday.
 Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters

The Executive Yuan should inventory all government business and, with the exception of the national defense industry, implement all domestic demand projects with maximum efficacy, Tsai said.

The government should also increase investment in the private sector, particularly Taiwanese businesses returning to invest in the nation, she said.

Tsai instructed the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Financial Supervisory Committee and the central bank to monitor international markets, especially Wall Street.

Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung, left, talks with National Health Insurance Administration Director-General Lee Po-chang at a daily Central Epidemic Command Center news conference in Taipei yesterday.
 Photo: CNA

The government should endeavor to stabilize domestic finances and, to the best of its ability, prevent the public from being overly pressured by the coronavirus, Tsai said.

Earlier yesterday, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced a new confirmed case of COVID-19.

The nation’s 49th case is a woman in her 40s living in northern Taiwan, who traveled through the UK, Ireland, Belgium and Turkey from Feb. 21 to Sunday, said Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, adding that she exhibited no symptoms on her return.

The woman on Tuesday visited a hospital after experiencing a headache, fatigue and a sore throat, and was yesterday confirmed to have contracted COVID-19, he said.

Based on her activities prior to the onset of symptoms, she likely contracted the disease abroad, the center said.

She did not leave her home after returning from her trip, except to seek medical help, and none of her relatives who live with her have exhibited symptoms, the center said.

A group of 361 Taiwanese who were evacuated from Wuhan, China, late on Tuesday and early on Wednesday had all been tested for the coronavirus as of Wednesday afternoon, the center said.

Among them, 280 had tested negative, it said, while the results for the other 81 were not available when the center held a news conference at 3pm yesterday.

None of the 361 had fevers or other symptoms, it added.

Asked whether the government would adjust control measures on foreign travelers after the WHO on Wednesday declared COVID-19 a pandemic, Chen said that authorities are considering expanding coronavirus testing if needed.

If testing is expanded to foreign travelers entering Taiwan, they might need to pay for the tests themselves, he said.

Asked under what conditions testing would be expanded and who might be tested, Chen cited as an example foreign officials on short visits.

Under such circumstances, the center would allow travelers to be tested, depending on the nation’s testing capacity, he said.

However, because a person’s viral load might be too small to be detected when they are asymptomatic, the center is still assessing the proposal, he added.

Asked whether travel measures would be adjusted for the US, Chen said that “overall, the number of confirmed cases per 1 million people [in the US] is not that high,” adding that the US’ population and size are also relatively large.

The center would probably next implement measures by state and region, he said.


title: TAIPEI Act waits for Trump’s signature

content_text:
MAKING ‘REAL PROGRESS’:
 An American Institute in Taiwan spokeswoman said that although Taiwan-US relations are imperfect, they are the best in the nations’ history

The US Senate on Wednesday unanimously passed the Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) Act, designed to help Taiwan stabilize diplomatic ties, which awaits US President Donald Trump’s signature to take effect.

The passage came just one week after the legislation unanimously cleared the US House of Representatives on Wednesday last week.

First introduced in the Senate in May last year by Cory Gardner, with US Representative John Curtis proposing a similar version in the US House in October, the bill is aimed at showing US support for Taiwan’s diplomatic alliances around the world amid growing pressure from Beijing.

American Institute in Taiwan spokeswoman Amanda Mansour addresses US-Taiwan relations in a video clip released on Facebook on Tuesday.
 Photo: Screen grab from American Institute in Taiwan’s video

The bill authorizes the US Department of State to consider “reducing its economic, security and diplomatic engagements with nations that take serious or significant actions to undermine Taiwan.”

It also calls on Washington to help Taiwan gain participation in international organizations, either as a member or an observer, and shows support for Taiwan’s international participation when it interacts with Beijing.

US legislative procedure requires a proposed law passed by Congress be presented to the president, who then has 10 days to approve or disapprove it.

Normally, bills not signed or vetoed within 10 days become law, even without Trump’s signature.

The bill’s passage at the US Senate shows that Taiwan-US ties are growing closer, Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃) said on Facebook yesterday, thanking the US Congress and Americans.

In related news, American Institute in Taiwan spokeswoman Amanda Mansour said that Taiwan is one of the US’ best friends and most important partners, and the US’ Taiwan Relations Act, which took effect in 1979, was designed to promote close collaboration and communication between the US and Taiwan.

Mansour, speaking in Mandarin in a video clip posted on Facebook on Tuesday, was answering online questions about why the US has not established formal relations with Taiwan.

“We think that maintaining the ‘status quo’ has brought about peace and prosperity across the Taiwan Strait over the past 40 years,” she said. “Any attempt to change the ‘status quo’ will threaten the stability.”

While current Taiwan-US ties are imperfect, they are the best in history, she said, adding that bilateral relations are “real friends” making “real progress.”

The US switched diplomatic relations from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, leading many other nations to cut ties with Taiwan.

Taiwan now has 15 diplomatic allies.

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people:
陳時中
Kolas Yotaka

content_text:
Virus Outbreak: Foreigners required to register NHI card for mask preorders

TAKE YOUR TIME:
 The health minister said people should not rush to order masks, as they would have until Thursday next week before orders are fulfilled

Foreigners working or living in Taiwan must have a National Health Insurance (NHI) card and register it before they can preorder masks on the government’s online system, officials said yesterday, as the new system began a week-long trial.

Foreigners must have an NHI card to use the mask preorder system, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Ho Chi-kung (何啟功) told a news conference at the Executive Yuan in Taipei, when asked whether foreigners working or living in the nation would be able to preorder masks online.

Those who access the system via the NHI Administration mobile app (全民健保行動快易通) must properly register their NHI cards before they can order masks, he said.

Depending on demand, the Ministry of Health and Welfare might ask the NHI Administration or Chunghwa Telecom (中華電信), which built the system, to create an English version, he added.

Separately yesterday, the NHI Administration said that foreigners should use the Web site version (https://emask.taiwan.gov.tw) rather than the app to preorder masks, as the former entails an easier process.

First, they would need to have a card reader to register their NHI card online (https://cloudicweb.nhi.gov.tw/cloudic/system/mlogin.aspx), NHI Administration associate researcher Chen Tzu-yu (陳孜瑜) told the Taipei Times.

A plug-in would need to be installed on the computer they use to complete the process, she said.

After inserting their NHI card into the card reader, a column would appear on the page asking them to fill in their Alien Resident Certificate information, she added.

If a foreigner chooses to access the system through the app, they would have to go through an additional step of authenticating their mobile device, Chen said.

This would require them to log on to the NHI card registration page using a card reader and request a quick response code, which can be scanned with their mobile device to complete the authentication process, she said.

Alternatively, they can request a password on the registration page before inputting it in the app, she added.

People who want to register their NHI card or authenticate their mobile device should keep in mind that there are only Chinese instructions throughout the process.

The app was temporarily overwhelmed yesterday morning due to a large amount of online traffic, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka said, adding that the NHI Administration and Chunghwa Telecom would increase the system’s bandwidth.

From 9am to 2pm yesterday, the system had received 88,000 preorders, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) told a news conference at the Central Epidemic Command Center in Taipei.

People should not scramble to order masks, as they have until Thursday next week before orders start to be fulfilled, said Chen, who heads the center.

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content_text:
Virus Outbreak: Coupons may be delinked from hotel stays: minister

ECONOMIC INCENTIVES:
 The Executive Yuan plans to give each ROC citizen NT$800 worth of coupons that could be used for shopping and seeing movies or live shows

The Executive Yuan is mulling additional coupons to revitalize sectors hit by COVID-19 that do not require people to stay at a hotel or bed-and-breakfast (B&B) before they can use the coupons, and the budget for the coupons would exceed the NT$2.3 billion (US$76.29 million) already earmarked, Minister Without Portfolio Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said yesterday.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs had budgeted NT$2 billion for the coupons, which was raised to NT$2.3 billion after the Ministry of Culture’s plans were included.

Under the Executive Yuan’s current plan, each Republic of China (ROC) citizen would receive NT$800 worth of coupons when they stay at a hotel or B&B, which can be used at night markets, other markets, shopping districts and cultural and art venues, Kung said.

Asked by reporters whether the government plans to issue coupons that could be used without having to present proof of a hotel stay, as previous tourism-industry booster coupons linked to hotel and B&B stays did, Kung said that the possibility was under consideration.

If additional coupons were to be introduced, the budget would exceed what has been earmarked, he said, although he declined to provide any specifics.

Asked when the coupons would be distributed, Kung said when the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) deems it suitable for people to go shopping.

A computer yesterday displays a virtual alter that allows people to offer sacrifices and say prayers to their ancestors without leaving their homes. The Tainan City Government has announced that all state-run columbariums would be closed on Tomb Sweeping Day as part of its disease prevention efforts to counter the COVID-19 outbreak.
 Photo: Hung Jui-chin, Taipei Times

Later in the day, the Ministry of Culture said in a statement that its coupons, which would have a face value of NT$200, would not be bound to hotel stays.

Its coupons would be redeemable at more than 10,000 venues, stores and performances nationwide — including movie theaters, record and bookstores, and concert venues — and when purchasing tickets via nine online ticket booking services, which have teamed up with more than 6,700 local performing groups, it said.

In related news, the Executive Yuan green-lit eight sets of regulations to complement the Special Act on COVID-19 Prevention, Relief and Recovery (嚴重特殊傳染性肺炎防治及紓困振興特別條例), each tendered by a central government agency, as well as three accompanying regulations laid down by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

The complementary rules include qualifications for businesses eligible for compensation, while the regulations set the daily compensation for people quarantined or taking care of quarantined family members at NT$1,000.

Employers who voluntarily pay workers who are quarantined or on leave to take care of a quarantined family member would receive an income tax break equivalent to twice the salary payout during the quarantine period.

People who are convicted of hoarding resources that the CECC has deemed as necessary for containing the COVID-19 outbreak or those who drive up the prices of such items could face a prison sentence of up to five years.

The health ministry on Wednesday declared N95 respirators an item necessary for COVID-19 prevention efforts, and more items could be added at the ministry’s discretion, Minister Without Portfolio Lo Ping-cheng (羅秉成) said yesterday.


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Virus Outbreak: Taiwanese elected next head of global med student group

A sixth-year medical student at National Cheng Kung University in Tainan has been elected as the next president of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA).

Li Po-chin (李柏錦) was elected at the IFMSA general assembly meeting in Rwanda last week by a vote of 51 to 27 against a candidate from Tunisia and his term is to run from October to September next year.

Li is now IFMSA’s regional director for the Asia-Pacific and previously was Federation of Medical Students in Taiwan president.

The spread of COVID-19 in Europe had made some IFMSA members hesitant about attending the meeting and concerns were raised about whether staff needed to make special arrangements, he said.

People had reservations about the WHO’s view and asked about Taiwan’s travel advisories for various nations and its understanding of the situation to compare it against the WHO’s, so he provided IFMSA with information about the measures adopted by the Centers for Disease Control and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

An IMFSA general assembly was held in Taiwan in August last year, and in the past its members were interested in Taiwanese culture and its bubble tea, but now they want to know about the government’s response to COVID-19, as well as the nation’s healthcare system, Li said.

At a time when Europe is facing a shortage of masks, people were also curious why Taiwan still has masks to use, he said.

He and other IMFSA representatives from Taiwan explained to federation members about the government’s disease prevention measures, he said.

In the past, many people did not know that Taiwan was not in the WHO, but now newspapers and medical students in many nations believe there has been a problem with the WHO’s response to COVID-19 and think that it is biased in favor of China, he said.

What the Taiwan’s IMFSA delegation and future medical students need to do is continue to convince the international community of the importance of Taiwan’s inclusion in the WHO, he said.

Li said that he hopes to help IMFSA members, future leaders in the field of medicine, to understand Taiwan so that there can be a better foundation for Taiwan’s cooperation with the international medical community.

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Virus Outbreak: Pandemic designation too late: vice president

The WHO’s designation of COVID-19 as a global pandemic came too late, Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) said yesterday.

Chen, an epidemiologist by training, made the remark at a tree-planting event in Taichung.

On Tuesday, Chen said on Facebook that WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’ warning to nations that the mortality rate of the disease was increasing was empty, as Tedros failed to look at individual nations’ testing policies.

Vice President Chen Chien-jen, left, helps plant a sapling yesterday in Taichung to mark Arbor Day.
 Photo: Chang Hsuan-che, Taipei Times

“When you see the number of confirmed patients decreasing and the mortality rate increasing, you should pay attention to how that nation is conducting tests,” Chen said.

The number of confirmed cases is related not only to the nation’s population, but also virus test coverage, he said.

Nations only testing people with evident and advanced symptoms will see a low number of confirmed cases and low incidence rates, while those that inspect all who come in contact with confirmed patients would see higher numbers of confirmed patients and incidence rates, he added.

Italy, South Korea, Iran and China lead the world with five confirmed cases per 100,000 people, while the incidence rate in Taiwan, Japan and the US are among the lowest globally at less than 0.5, Chen said.

When fatality rates are included in the equation, nations that limit their calculations to confirmed patients with advanced symptoms will see a higher mortality rate, he said.

The fatality rate is determined by age, history of chronic disease and quality of medical care, he added.

Tedros’ comments simply sparked unnecessary panic and were unbecoming of someone in his position, Chen said.

Prior to his entry into politics, Chen was trained in the field of public health and holds a doctorate in epidemiology and human genetics from Johns Hopkins University. He is also a former president of Academia Sinica.

Additional reporting by CNA

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Virus Outbreak: Trump orders 30-day ban on US travel from Europe

US President Donald Trump has announced a shock 30-day ban on travel to the US from mainland Europe due to COVID-19 that has sparked unprecedented lockdowns, widespread panic and another financial market meltdown yesterday.

Trump’s unexpected move in a primetime TV address from the Oval Office pummeled stock markets, as traders fretted about the economic effects of the pandemic, which is on a seemingly relentless march across the planet.

“This is the most aggressive and comprehensive effort to confront a foreign virus in modern history,” Trump said.

Travelers look at screens displaying flight departures at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport yesterday.
 Photo: AFP

Trump’s ban affects travelers from Europe — but not Britain — as the continent grapples with a burgeoning crisis.

Hardest-hit Italy on Wednesday clocked more than 2,300 new cases in 24 hours and infections in Spain jumped by one-fourth to more than 2,100.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel quoted experts as saying that “60 to 70 percent of the population will be infected if the situation” continues, with no vaccine in sight.

Italy is in the grip of a lockdown never before seen in peacetime, shutting all stores except pharmacies and food shops in a move that has emptied world-famous tourist sites in Rome, Venice and Florence.

People in Italy have been told to keep at least 1m from each other and shun handshakes. Many are now talking to each other a few steps apart.

Trump announced steps aimed at inoculating the world’s top economy from the pandemic, including deferring tax payments for some individuals and businesses — a move he said amounted to US$200 billion in liquidity.

However, markets still took fright. Australian stocks suffered their worst one-day drop since the 2008 financial crisis, dropping 7.4 percent, despite the earlier announcement of a multibillion-dollar stimulus package in the country.

“Travel restrictions equal slower global economic activity, so if you need any more coaxing to sell, sell, sell, sell after a massively negative signal from overnight trading in US markets, it just fell in your lap,” AxiCorp chief market strategist Stephen Innes said.

White House officials were also forced into a clarification after Trump announced the “tremendous amount of trade and cargo” from Europe would be banned.

Washington later said that the measures, in effect from “midnight Friday,” would apply only to humans, not goods or cargo.

The US Department of State later advised Americans to reconsider travel abroad, as Johns Hopkins University’s coronavirus tracker put the number of known US cases at about 1,300, with 36 dead.

On Wednesday, US National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien accused China of a slow response to the initial emergence of the coronavirus, saying that this had probably cost the world two months when it could have been preparing for the outbreak.

Asked about O’Brien’s comments, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Geng Shuang (耿爽) yesterday told a news conference in Beijing that “immoral and irresponsible” remarks would not help US epidemic efforts.

China’s efforts had bought the world time to prepare against the epidemic, he said.

“We wish that a few officials in the US would at this time concentrate their energy on responding to the virus and promoting cooperation, and not on shifting the blame to China,” Geng said.

Additional reporting by Reuters

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title: Gogoro eyes 20% market share through subsidies

content_text:
The government’s new and larger-scale subsidies for scooter replacements would drive electric scooter demand, Gogoro Inc (睿能創意) said yesterday, boosting electric scooter’s market share to about 20 percent this year, from 15 percent last year.

The spread of COVID-19 has also helped propel electric scooter sales as people avoid public transportation to prevent contracting the virus, the company said.

“The epidemic gave an unexpected boost [to sales],” Gogoro chief marketing executive Chen Yen-yang (陳彥揚) told the Taipei Times at the launch of the Gogoro 3 Delight, a new addition to the Gogoro 3 series.

A Gogoro 3 Delight scooter is pictured yesterday in Taipei at an event to launch the new model.
 Photo: Yang Ya-min, Taipei Times

“People are more willing to spend on new scooters now,” Chen said. “In February, we saw sales of Gogoro 2 and Gogoro 3 series jump 300 percent from January, as those models are suitable for long commutes.”

Growth is expected to continue the rest of the year, he said.

In the first week of this month, electric scooters accounted for 15.33 percent of overall new scooter sales in Taiwan, up from 11 percent at the end of last month, he said.

For this year, Gogoro forecasts that about 200,000 new electric scooters would be sold, versus the whole scooter market, totaling 950,000 units.

Central and local governments are providing subsidies for riders who replace their old four-stroke scooters with electric scooters or new gas-fueled scooters, starting this year. More than 5 million scooter owners are eligible for the subsidies.

The subsidies have a wider coverage than a previous program, which was available to only between 700,000 and 800,000 two-stroke scooter owners in the past few years.

Based on new subsidy schemes, owners are eligible to receive as much as a NT$28,000 (US$929) subsidy for replacing an old four-stroke scooter.

To cope with increased electric scooter demand, Gogoro aims to add 1,000 traditional scooter stores to its sales network to promote its scooters and provide maintenance services, Chen said.

Last year, only 100 traditional scooter stores teamed up with Gogoro.

As Gogoro has found success domestically, it plans to expand to Israel this year by selling its ultralight model, Gogoro VIVA, it said, but declined to provide more details about its overseas expansion.

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title: Interest rate cuts might negatively affect CTBC

content_text:
A ‘VOLATILE’ MARKET:
 CTBC Financial said that COVID-19 would likely subside by June, which could lead to a slow economic rebound in Asia, but would affect the company

CTBC Financial Holding Co (中信金控) yesterday forecast that the central bank would cut interest rates by as much as 25 basis points next week to support the nation’s economy, which would negatively affect the company’s profitability.

Every 12.5 basis points the central bank cuts its interest rates, CTBC Financial’s net interest margin, a critical gauge of its profitability, decreases by 2 basis points, CTBC Financial head of financial management Chiu Ya-ling (邱雅玲) told investors in Taipei.

As a result, CTBC Financial’s profits might be reduced by NT$1.6 billion (US$53.1 million) in such a scenario over the next 12 months, Chiu said, adding that the company holds interest-generating assets of NT$4 trillion.

Last week, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group predicted a rate cut of 12.5 basis points by the central bank.

“Rate cuts by the central bank used to be 12.5 basis points, but it is likely to trim the rates more this time,” CTBC Financial president Daniel Wu (吳一揆) said.

The US Federal Reserve and several other central banks trimmed their interest rates earlier this month, and the Fed is likely to cut rates by another 50 basis points next week and adopt more emergency measures as it did during the global financial crisis in 2008, Wu said.

Some investors anticipate that the Fed would reduce rates to near zero next month, he said.

CTBC Financial also forecast that the New Taiwan dollar might trade at NT$29.5 to NT$31.5 against the US dollar after next week’s predicted rate cut, Wu said.

With the WHO designating COVID-19 a pandemic, CTBC Financial has been preparing for the possible economic fallout under three scenarios, Chiu said.

The first is that COVID-19 would be contained this month or next month, which would have a limited influence on the company’s business, as the Asian economy would stage a “V-shaped” recovery, she said.

The company’s credit card business would still be hit by an annual decline of 8 percent in spending in the first two months, but the value of fixed-income assets would likely rise after rate cuts worldwide, she said.

“However, with the virus spreading to Europe, the possibility of this scenario is comparatively small,” Chiu said.

The second, and more likely, scenario is that the outbreak would subside by June, which would lead to a slow economic rebound in Asia, but the company’s wealth management business would still be affected negatively, Chiu said.

“The Asian equity market would be volatile under the second scenario, which actually gives our traders a chance to make a profit,” she said.

The third and worst-case scenario is that the pandemic would continue spreading until the end of this year, which would result in lasting effects on the economy in Asia and even cause a recession, she said.

CTBC Financial’s Chinese operations contributed only 3 percent of total profit last year, meaning that the outbreak in China would have limited effects on the company, which expects its lending business in China to recover in the second half of the year following a slowdown in the short term.

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Virus Outbreak: WHO should say if China underreported the severity of COVID-19: KMT’s Chiang

The WHO should clarify whether China underplayed the severity of COVID-19, the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) chairman, Legislator Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), said yesterday, adding that Taiwan’s inclusion in the WHO is vital to prevent loopholes through which the virus could spread.

Chiang made the remarks after leading KMT members in presenting their respect to Sun Yat-sen (孫逸仙) at the National Sun Sat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei on the 95th anniversary of his death.

WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus on Wednesday told reporters that the agency now considered the COVID-19 outbreak to be a pandemic, the same day that US National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien suggested that China had understated the severity of its initial COVID-19 cases, delaying an effective global response by two months.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Johnny Chiang, the new party chairman, talks to reporters yesterday in Taipei.

Photo: CNA

As Taiwan is not a WHO member, and cannot attend the annual World Health Assembly (WHA) meeting, it would be impossible for Taiwan to know if China underplayed the severity of COVID-19 if the WHO could not, Chiang said.

Chiang, who was sworn in as KMT chairman on Monday, also called on the five permanent members of the UN Security Council to make it clear that it is vital that Taiwan is granted access to the WHO.

Turning to cross-strait relations, Chiang said the reduction of the political “gray area” afforded by the “1992 consensus” stemmed from Beijing’s actions, causing the consensus to be misinterpreted within Taiwan.

The so-called “1992 consensus” — a term that former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up in 2000 — refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge that there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.

The consensus, as well as the party’s stance on cross-strait relations, is an important topic for party’s reform affairs committee, and the KMT would try to form a consensus of party member opinions and public opinion on the issue, Chiang said.

The party’s basic premise on the issue — peace across the Strait; setting aside the issue of sovereignty and politics; resolving issues shared by the people on both sides of the Strait; and function-based interactions — has not changed, he added.

Meanwhile, former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said that while the “1992 consensus” could be discussed, the existence of the Republic of China (ROC) should be recognized by all.

Consensus is the best way to ensure the recognition of the ROC, he said.

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people: 馬英九 江啟臣


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Resumption of production at Hon Hai Precision Industry Co’s (鴻海精密) factories in China has “exceeded expectations” after a prolonged halt as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted supply chains, founder Terry Gou (郭台銘) said yesterday.

Hon Hai, the world’s largest contract electronics maker and Apple Inc’s major manufacturing partner, bases most of its production in China, where many of its suppliers are, and as a consequence was hit hard by coronavirus-related curbs that have hurt demand and upended supply chains globally.

The company, known internationally as Foxconn Technology Group (富士康科技集團), in February suffered its biggest monthly drop in revenue in about seven years as the pandemic played havoc with its business.

A man takes a photograph with his iPhone next to Terry Gou, founder of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, during a news conference in Taipei on June 22, 2017.
 Photo: Reuters

Hon Hai’s revenue is expected to drop 15 percent this quarter, the company said last week.

The return to work at Hon Hai’s factories in China has “exceeded our expectations and imagination,” Gou told reporters in Taipei, adding that supplies to its factories there and in Vietnam have returned to normal.

However, weak consumer demand would result from the coronavirus pandemic, especially in the US market, Gou said.

“In the United States, what we are worried about is the market. If production is resumed quickly, but consumers stop spending ... that will be key to the economic recovery,” he said.

Apple, Hon Hai’s top client, rescinded its quarter sales guidance for this month, citing a slower ramp up of manufacturing in China after travel restrictions and an extended Lunar New Year holiday.

Gou said that he has “concerns” over the electronics supply chain in Japan and South Korea, which are grappling with their own serious outbreaks of the virus, and cited rising prices for DRAM memory and supply issues with display panels, without elaborating.

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title: Hon Hai returns to work in China


title: Stocks, crude fall on Trump travel ban

content_text:
‘MASSIVELY NEGATIVE SIGNAL’:
 An Analyst said the travel restrictions ‘equal slower global economic activity,’ giving more reasons to sell during an already jumpy market

Equities and oil prices yesterday fell again after US President Donald Trump banned all travel from Europe to the US for a month to fight COVID-19, ramping up fears that the global economy would careen into recession.

The news came after the WHO officially labeled the outbreak a pandemic and hit out at “alarming levels of inaction” for its spread.

Asian equity markets, already deep in the red in reaction to the WHO announcement, fell further after Trump’s address.

Tokyo ended down 4.4 percent, while Sydney lost 7.4 percent in the ASX 200’s worst day since the 2008 financial crisis. Hong Kong fell 3.7 percent while Shanghai was off 1.5 percent.

Seoul, Singapore and Jakarta each lost more than 3 percent, while Mumbai tanked more than 6 percent and Bangkok more than 8 percent.

Manila fell almost 10 percent after it emerged that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte would undergo a precautionary test for the virus, while he, his finance minister and head of the central bank were among several officials who were to go into quarantine. Wellington lost 5 percent and Taipei retreated 4.3 percent.

The Japanese yen, a key haven in times of crisis, jumped more than 1 percent against the US dollar.

“Travel restrictions equal slower global economic activity, so if you need any more coaxing to sell ... after a massively negative signal from trading in US markets, it just fell in your lap,” AxiCorp Financial Services Pty chief market strategist Stephen Innes said.

The losses followed another brutal session on Wall Street, with wave after wave of bad news, including Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc withdrawing its earnings forecast, and Boeing Co saying it would suspend most hiring and overtime pay.

The Dow Jones fell into a bear market having lost more than 20 percent since its recent high, and futures pointed to another rout in New York and Europe.

The COVID-19 outbreak has left virtually no sector untouched, though travel and tourism have been particularly hard-hit as countries institute travel bans and quarantine requirements, with Italy in a countrywide lockdown.

Oil prices were also affected, with both main contracts falling about 6 percent at one point before edging back slightly. The oil market was already under pressure after Saudi Arabia and Gulf partner United Arab Emirates stepped up a price dispute with plans to flood global markets.

“We are now staring at the whole world going into a lockdown,” Vanda Insights Pte Ltd founder Vandana Hari said. “Oil demand can be expected to crash through the floor and all previous projections on oil consumption are now out the door.”

The drops across global trading floors have come despite a raft of measures by governments worth at least US$150 billion to offset the effects of the outbreak, while central banks would be called upon to cut already low interest rates and introduce other fiscal measures.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she would do “whatever is necessary” to help the economy, while the European Central Bank was to hold a policy meeting yesterday at which it was under pressure to open up the taps.

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content_text:
Average monthly take-home wages picked up 1.5 percent to NT$42,348 (US$1,405) in January, while total pay, including overtime and perks, grew 8.95 percent to NT$102,561 on the back of Lunar New Year bonuses, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said yesterday.

The latest wage data have yet to reflect the effects of COVID-19 that have increased the number of people on unpaid leave to more than 2,200 as of Wednesday, it said.

Firms selling metal and machinery products have been hardest hit, while a reduction in working hours is quickly extending to hotels and restaurants.

Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics Deputy Director Pan Ning-hsin attends a news conference yesterday at the department’s offices in Taipei.
 Photo: Cheng Chi-fang, Taipei Times

“The virus outbreak could weigh on wage data from last month and the agency would closely monitor evolving changes,” DGBAS Deputy Director Pan Ning-hsin (潘寧馨) told a news briefing in Taipei.

In January, take-home pay declined to the slowest rate in three years, DGBAS said, attributing it to fewer working days.

After adjustments for inflation, real average wages fell 0.29 percent from a year earlier, the agency’s data showed.

Wages among companies in the tourism sector fell within normal seasonal rates in January, but things could change going forward, Pan said.

Economists have said that the COVID-19 outbreak could push back an expected recovery in the tech cycle by one to two quarters, if not snapping it altogether.

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title: January take-home pay grew 1.5%, could fall soon


title: Domestic shares plunge 4.33% over COVID-19 scare

content_text:
The TAIEX plunged again yesterday after the WHO upgraded the status of the COVID-19 outbreak to a pandemic, ending 471.43 points lower, or 4.33 percent, to close at 10,422.32.

Turnover totaled NT$270.063 billion (US$8.96 billion), with 103.778 million shares changing hands.

Following a 5.8 percent fall on the Dow Jones Industrial Average the previous night after the US barred travel from Europe, the TAIEX opened down 48.36 points.

A man stands in front of an electronic display board at a brokerage firm in Taipei yesterday.
 Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times

When selling set in later, the index at one point plummeted by more than 500 points due to a loss of investor confidence.

During the session, 60 stocks fell by the daily maximum of 10 percent, triggering heavy selling pressure, especially on high-tech shares — the bourse’s mainstay.

Heavyweight electronics firms all suffered heavy losses, with Largan Precision Co (大立光), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) and Taiwan Semicondcutor Manufacturing Co (台積電) dropping 9.24 percent, 4.96 percent and 2.65 percent respectively.

With the COVID-19 pandemic rapidly worsening in the US and Europe, global stock markets have been overcome by a growing panic.

As a result, the domestic market might continue to sink in the short-term, testing 10,000 points, analysts said.

Amid weak investor confidence, the TAIEX has dropped by more than 900 points this week, suggesting that even a technical rebound in the short-term would not help recover the losses, unless there are signs that the pandemic is easing, they said.

As the short-term outlook for the local bourse remains pessimistic due to the turmoil in global markets, in particular the US market, it is likely that the domestic market would soon see the TAIEX fall below 10,000 points, they added.

Deputy Minister of Finance Frank Juan (阮清華), the executive secretary of the National Stabilization Fund, tried to calm investors, saying that the fundamentals of the local bourse remain healthy and that authorities are keeping a close eye on developments.

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content_text:
EQUITIES

Investors need calming: FSC

The Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) on Wednesday said that it would encourage publicly listed companies to hold earnings presentations or conferences in an attempt to reassure investors at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic and a price war on the global oil market have caused valuations on the local bourse to tumble. The commission said that it would ask listed firms to buy back shares of their stock in light of volatility in local equities. It would consider imposing a ban on the short-selling of stocks if irrational heavy selling emerges, Chairman Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said at a meeting of the legislature’s Finance Committee.

ELECTRONICS

Marketech avoids closures

Marketech International Corp (帆宣), which supplies semiconductor equipment to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電), yesterday said that it did not need to shut down any factories due to the pandemic. The company’s clarification came after shares tumbled 9.93 percent to close at NT$61.7 amid speculation that a person whose infection was confirmed on Tuesday was linked to the company. Marketech said that its seven factories worldwide, including five local clean rooms, and all of its sales offices have been operating normally, a company filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange showed.

APPAREL

Makalot profit falls 12%

Makalot Industrial Co Ltd (聚陽) yesterday reported that pretax profit last month fell 11.9 percent annually and 23.8 percent monthly to NT$160 million (US$5.31 million), as the pandemic affected its factory operations in China and reduced capacity utilization. The manufacturer of ready-to-wear apparel said that its revenue last month fell to NT$1.69 billion — the lowest in 15 months — down 18.4 percent from a year earlier and 19.1 percent from January. In the first two months of this year, Makalot said that its pretax profit fell 3.1 percent to NT$370 million, or earnings per share of NT$1.68, while combined revenue totaled NT$3.79 billion, down 10.3 percent year-on-year.

ELECTRONICS

Holy Stone profit drops 72%

Holy Stone Enterprise Co (禾伸堂), a multilayer ceramic capacitor producer, on Wednesday reported that its net income last year fell 71.52 percent year-on-year to NT$793 million, or earnings per share of NT$5.02. It blamed the decline on volatility in the passive components market last year. The company said its consolidated revenue fell 10.7 percent to NT$14.6 billion. The pandemic has not significantly affected its business, as most of its manufacturing is local, it said. Holy Stone said that its board of directors has approved a proposal to pay a cash dividend of NT$7 per common share, which represents a payout ratio of about 140 percent.

AIRLINES

Air France-KLM stops flights

Air France-KLM on Tuesday announced that flights from Paris to Taipei and Hong Kong would be stopped, while flights to other cities in Asia and Europe would be reduced. After a drop in passengers due to the coronavirus, Air France-KLM said that it has suspended services between Taipei and Paris, and between Hong Kong and Paris until March 29. Flights to Seoul would be reduced from seven to four per week, and flights to Singapore from seven to five per week, the carrier said, adding that the reduction in service would continue until April 12.

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title: Taiwan Business Quick Take

companies: LINE 台積電


content_text:
WATCH LIST FEARS:
 The central bank said that the US could put Taiwan on its watch list next month, as it meets two of the US’ three currency manipulator factors

The central bank is to consider pre-emptive measures at its policy meeting next week to handle repercussions from the COVID-19 outbreak, Governor Yang Chin-long (楊金龍) told the legislature yesterday.

Yang made the statement when asked by lawmakers if he would follow global central banks and lower borrowing costs to support economic growth.

“Economic growth takes a backseat to the stability of the financial system and consumer prices on my list of concerns,” the governor said, adding that targeted fiscal tools are more effective in fostering growth.

However, Yang said that he understood why central banks in other nations made pre-emptive rate cuts in response to the fast-spreading COVID-19 and he would discuss the matter with board members in a policy meeting on Thursday next week.

Yang, who has a doctorate in economics, said that the US Federal Reserve might make further rate cuts after a similar move last week to calm market anxiety that had little long-term effect.

Wall Street fell nearly 6 percent overnight, adding to a 20 percent correction in less than a month, following the WHO’s declaration of COVID-19 as a pandemic.

Likewise, the TAIEX yesterday shed another 4.33 percent to 10,422.32 with a cumulative retreat of 14 percent since China locked down its Hubei Province, at the center of the outbreak, on Jan. 23.

Taiwan’s GDP growth might slip below 2 percent if world governments fail to contain the outbreak by June, Yang said.

The board meeting would also update the bank’s forecast for the nation’s economy and consumer prices.

The outbreak appears to weigh on economic and consumer activity beyond the current quarter, as infections sweep across Europe and escalate in the US, the governor said.

“The situation looks quite serious and Taiwan is taking a hit through trade channels as well as a sharp decline in consumer spending,” Yang said.

However, it is unlikely that COVID-19 would evolve into a world crisis like the global financial storm in 2008 that pushed Taiwan’s GDP to a recession and put many people out of work, he said.

In other news, Taiwan looks set to be placed on the US currency watch list next month when US policymakers review trade deficit figures, Yang said.

Taiwan could have met two of the three criteria — retaining a trade surplus of more than US$20 billion and a current account surplus accounting for more than 3 percent of GDP, he said.

Taiwan could avoid the label if the US alters its criteria, which is possible, he said.

A spot on the currency watch list suggests currency intervention on the part of the central bank and could lead to punitive measures from Washington.

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title: Central bank considers virus measures


title: Aten bullish for Q1 as its Shenzhen plant resumes

content_text:
STABILIZATION IN CHINA?
 Aten International Co chief financial officer Alex Chen said production is at about 50 percent, with full production expected by mid-April

Aten International Co (宏正自動科技), which offers information technology infrastructure solutions, yesterday offered an optimistic outlook for this quarter as it gradually resumes production in China amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“While we posted a small NT$25 million [US$829,187] revenue loss in China last month [from a year earlier] due to a halt in production and shipments, the market is starting to recover,” Aten chief financial officer Alex Chen (陳健南) told a quarterly investors’ conference in Taipei.

“We have resumed about 50 percent production this week at our Shenzhen plant, as workers return from quarantine,” Chen said, adding that the company would recover full production by the middle of next month.

Reassuring investors that the company is not low on raw materials, Chen said that Aten has adjusted inventories across its sales channels to ensure steady shipments.

As the Chinese market appears to be stabilizing, Aten’s gross margin this quarter would improve from 61.2 percent last quarter as the company deploys price control tactics, Chen said.

The pandemic might increase market demand as more companies seek to hold conferences online, so Aten has shifted its focus to enterprise solutions for smart meeting rooms, it said.

Aten said that it is to relocate part of its Chinese production — about 60 percent of its overall capacity — to Thailand.

“Since we already own a piece of land in Thailand, that is the most logical choice for us,” Chen said, adding that the company plans to set up manufacturing facilities there by the first quarter of next year.

“We will start out with entry-level products, such as secure KVM [keyboard, video, monitor] switches, which will also help us gain a stronger foothold in the Thai market,” he said.

Asia remains the company’s largest source of revenue, contributing about 48 percent of overall sales last year.

Aten reported that consolidated sales last year declined 6 percent year-on-year to NT$5.03 billion, while net profit fell 55.49 percent to NT$703.29 million, mainly due to a high comparison base the previous year, when the company posted an asset disposal gain after selling its stake in server management specialist Aspeed Technology Inc (信驊).

Aten reported that earnings per share last year were NT$6.05.

The company said that its board of directors on Tuesday approved a proposal to pay a cash dividend of NT$5.3 per common share, representing a payout ratio of 87.6 percent.

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title: Highlight to invest NT$600m locally

content_text:
The Ministry of Economic Affairs yesterday approved Highlight Tech Corp’s (日揚科技) application to invest NT$600 million (US$19.9 million) in Taiwan through a government program.

The vacuum chamber systems and components manufacturer has been heavily affected by US tariffs imposed on its products made in China, and decided to move part of its production from Shanghai to Hukou Industrial Park (湖口工業區) in Hsinchu County, the ministry said.

Highlight Tech plans to expand its services toward local and overseas semiconductor makers, the ministry said.

The ministry also approved two other companies’ applications to invest in Taiwan.

Original equipment manufacturer of aluminum forging products ALFOT Technologies Co Ltd (盛復工業) — which supplies Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz, Bavarian Motor Works AG and Jaguar Land Rover Ltd (JLR), among other automakers — plans to invest NT$300 million to set up smart production lines at the Taichung Industrial Park (台中工業區), the ministry said.

The company has obtained orders for electric car chassis components from BMW and JLR, and it plans to use automated equipment at its Taichung plant to increase production efficiency, the ministry said, adding that ALFOT’s investment would provide 25 local jobs.

Chen Yi Paper Container Co Ltd (誠毅紙器), which provides food packaging to chain restaurants such as McDonald’s, MOS Burger and Starbucks, plans to invest more than NT$400 million to set up smart production lines at its existing plant in Kaohsiung.

Seeking to profit from a growing anti-plastic packaging trend, the company plans to expand its production of paper packaging from recycled containers, the ministry said.

The government investment program, which was launched early last year amid escalating trade tensions between the US and China, has to date attracted more than NT$719.4 billion in investments from 174 Taiwanese firms.

Although firms initially sought to expand production in Taiwan mainly to avoid US duties, the move is also proving beneficial as the COVID-19 outbreak disrupted production in China.

Following a meeting with local information and communication technology businesses, Minister of Economic Affairs Shen Jong-chin (沈榮津) yesterday said that Taiwanese companies are boosting domestic production as they transfer orders from their Chinese manufacturing facilities.

To fulfill shipments, local manufacturers have asked the ministry to assist in securing labor by extending employees working hours and accelerating logistics through quicker inspection of imported materials, Shen said.

The ministry plans more meetings with other industries across the manufacturing, retail and services sectors within the next two weeks, he said.

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people: 陳水扁 蔡英文 游錫堃

title: You Si-kun and ties with the US

content_text:
American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Chairman James Moriarty met with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃) on Thursday last week.

When You raised the question of re-establishing diplomatic relations between Taiwan and the US, Moriarty said that “the two countries” share common values and interests, and that “the two countries” have open and transparent market mechanisms.

Moriarty’s reference to Taiwan and the US as “two countries” was an indirect response to You’s question and an extension of his own remarks at the start of his meeting with Tsai, when he said: “I look forward to discussing the next chapter of US-Taiwan cooperation with President Tsai.”

This is a big change of direction by Moriarty.

When Moriarty arrived on Dec. 1, 2003, as the envoy of then-US president George W. Bush, he urged then-president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to cancel a referendum regarding Taiwan’s relations with China to avoid angering Beijing.

When he came to Taiwan again in December 2017, his purpose, according to former US deputy national security adviser Stephen Yates, was to keep an eye on proposed amendments to the Referendum Act (公投法) and stop them from being enacted.

Given this background, it is remarkable that he is now speaking openly about Taiwan and the US being two countries, with no concern about angering China.

On Feb. 13, You told AIT Director Brent Christensen that he hoped Taiwan and the US could establish diplomatic relations, but Christensen did not dare to reply.

The next day, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) accused You of using the COVID-19 outbreak as a cover for promoting Taiwanese independence.

You responded with a Facebook post thanking TAO spokesman Ma Xiaoguang (馬曉光) for raising his international profile, so that more attention would be paid to his efforts to promote diplomatic relations between Taiwan and the US.

Four days later, You received a letter from an 88-year-old former Nationalist Army soldier that threatened You and his family; the same writer threatened You at the beginning of this month, warning him not to promote Taiwan-US diplomatic ties.

You has scored this step forward in parliamentary diplomacy after being legislative speaker for just over a month.

It is ridiculous that his achievement should be obscured by a tide of silly reports about something he said about police patrol boxes.

[Editor’s note: You on Thursday last week said that the police patrol box next to his residence was empty, implying that officers had not been patrolling the neighborhood or checking the box.]

Sim Kiantek is a former associate professor of business administration at National Chung Hsing University.

Translated by Julian Clegg

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