title: 台中男花9840元PTT搶買「Switch動森機」　收到一張寄貨收據照悲劇了！

content_text:
▲刑事局對switch遊戲夯片「動物森友會」網購詐騙提出預警 。（圖／記者邱倢芯攝）

記者張君豪／台北報導

新冠病毒疫情持續延燒，導致許多人選擇宅在家防疫，玩遊戲成不少人選擇殺時間居家良伴，但警方發現詐騙集團也看準「商機」；刑事局指出，有部分詐騙集團成員，透過社群網站兜售當前全球熱銷的任天堂Switch主機與「動物森友會」、「健身環」等熱門遊戲，藉機騙取財物。

刑事局統計案例：中市一名30歲男子，日前在PTT向陌生網友購買「動物森友會」特仕版主機跟健身環，雙方談好以新臺幣9840元成交，並約定以超商店到店方式出貨，不久男子便收到對方用LINE傳送一張寄貨收據照片表示已出貨，男子依約匯款，卻遲遲沒收到商品，傳訊詢問對方都無回應，LINE也遭對方封鎖，這才驚覺遇上詐騙怒而報警。

刑事警察局165反詐騙專線統計，從今年３月迄今，民眾網購任天堂Switch遊戲主機及周邊商品遭騙案件共71件，詐騙案例以臉書發生56件最多，PTT 10件次之，警方呼籲民眾如有網路購物需求，應選擇具第三方支付功能，且商譽良好的正規網購平臺，切莫與賣家利用通訊軟體私下交易，或者選擇面交驗貨付款，才能降低被騙風險。

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events: 死亡 新冠病毒

references: PTT 臉書 網友


content_text:
▲美國新冠肺炎確診人數已突破50萬，其中紐約更是重災區。（圖／達志影像／美聯社）

實習記者周依儒／綜合報導

新冠肺炎疫情衝擊美國，超過50萬的確診人數也讓美國國內醫療系統瀕臨崩潰，全美各地皆傳出醫療設備短缺、醫護人員過勞等問題。美國國防部於本月11日起依據《國防生產法》（Defense Production Act）開始提高N95口罩供給數量，來解決國內第一線醫護人員個人防護裝備不足的問題。

▲五角大廈11日啟動《國防生產法》。（圖／路透社）

根據《紐約時報》報導，五角大廈發言人麥克（Mike Andrews）表示，他們將會花費1.33億美元（約39.9億新台幣），在未來90天內將國內N95口罩的產量提高到3900萬片。據悉，五角大廈在上周五從白宮防疫小組獲得批准後，首次使用在韓戰時期頒布的《國防生產法》，而《國防生產法》則授權總統在國家安全需要和特殊原因時，可以擴大特定關鍵材料或產品的生產。

▲3M口罩。（圖／路透）

不過美國總統川普卻在本月初砲轟美國企業龍頭之一的3M公司，指責該公司不該繼續出口口罩到美國以外的地方，並簽署了一項命令，禁止「不肖業者和奸商」出口防疫相關用品。而3M公司隨後則透過聲明表示已和美國政府達成協議，每月將提供超過5500萬片口罩給美國，同時也可以向加拿大和拉丁美洲國家出口口罩，因為3M是這些國家主要的口罩供應商。

countries: 加拿大 美國

title: 五角大廈啟動《國防生產法》　斥資40億產3900萬片N95口罩


title: 台東驚見神秘火光「10秒直衝雲霄」　「強弓專案」可攔截中程彈道導彈

countries: 美國 台灣

taiwan-subdivisions: 中山 恆春 蘭嶼 綠島

content_text:
▲中科院新聞稿。（圖／翻攝自中科院官網）

實習記者周依儒／綜合報導

國家中山科學院於本月9日晚間近8點時在台東試射飛彈，居民表示當天晚上突然傳出一聲巨響，隨後便看到一陣火光直衝上雲霄，且速度在10秒內就穿透雲層，讓不少民眾感到十分震撼。對此，中科院也在10日發出新聞稿表示當天試射飛彈為「本院例行性研發測試」。據了解，這次射擊是執行代號「強弓專案」，為了驗證國產天弓三增程型防空飛彈，以汰換美國鷹式防空飛彈。

中科院新聞稿表示「有關媒體報導本院飛彈試射乙情，屬本院例行性研發測試，請國人基於國家安全與國防自主，能夠給予鼓勵和支持。」據悉，此次飛彈試射也和中科院的「強弓專案」有關，此專案為「天弓三型防空飛彈」的加強版本。

相關人士透露，可攔截敵方飛彈高度可達45公里的天弓三型目前正在大量生產，中科院也根據此性能打算進行飛彈的增程計畫，希望能將攔截高度加強到70公里，而代號就是「強弓專案」，目前已完成研發，正進行各項系統測試。

此外，中科院飛彈測試預計在本月9日、10日、13日和14日，每晚7點40分到8點45分在台灣東南部海域上空進行試射，範圍涵蓋綠島、蘭嶼和恆春。

據了解，九鵬基地這項射擊是天弓三增程型防空飛彈「強弓專案」的驗證。「強弓專案」編列編列70億1875萬2千元，2019年上半年完成作戰測評工作，計劃將現役天弓三型防空飛彈的射程高度從45公里增程到70公里，同時將彈體緊緻化，強化推力，希望能在50至150公里之間的高空攔截敵方中程彈道導彈，被稱為「台灣版薩德」。


title: Necropsy reveals how bear died

taiwan-subdivisions: 淡水 卓溪

content_text:
A necropsy of a female Formosan black bear found dead last month near a mountain village in Hualien County indicates it had most likely fallen from a cliff and was unable to defend itself from attacks by other wildlife, which led to its death.

No bullet wound was found, nor was there any other trace of bullets, said Forestry Bureau Hualien Forest District Office head Yang Jui-fen (楊瑞芬), who presented a report on the bear on Thursday, discounting rumors that it might have been shot by poachers or local villagers.

Blood tests also ruled out rabies, canine distemper, canine parvovirosis, canine adenovirus Type I, coronavirus, influenza A and other common viral infections, the report said.

The bear’s carcass was found on March 17 near a chicken coop outside the Lamuan Community, a Bunun village in Jhuosi Township (卓溪), with its lower abdomen torn open and some internal organs missing.

The carcass was transferred to the Animal Health Research Institute in New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水) for examination.

The necropsy found that the carcass had signs of a fall, severe internal bleeding, a laceration on the right chest and gnaw marks on the lower body, Yang said.

A Forest Bureau team also conducted a field inspection, which found that the ground under a nearby cliff showed traces of debris having rolled down from above, Yang said.

During its fall, the bear likely suffered a blow to its chest, given the laceration and internal bleeding, and was likely in a weakened or unconscious state when other animals discovered it and began to gnaw on it, which led to the bear’s death, Yang said.

Black bear expert Huang Mei-hsiu (黃美秀), who was contacted after the bear was found, thought that the bear might have been lactating and urged bureau officials to search for a cub.

However, the institute’s report said that there were no signs that the bear was lactating and it was not pregnant at the time of death, Yang said.

Forestry Bureau officers and Lamuan villagers stepped up patrols in the area and set up motion-trigger cameras to check for a cub, but no sign was found.

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content_text:
Political Developments: HK bookseller to open Taipei store on April 25

RESPONSIBLE MOVE:
 Lam Wing-kei said there would not be any special activities on the opening day to avoid overcrowding amid the COVID-19 outbreak

A Hong Kong bookstore that sold books critical of Chinese leaders, resulting in staff and shareholders being arrested by Beijing, would reopen in Taipei on Saturday next week, its former manager, Lam Wing-kei (林榮基), said on Saturday.

The new Causeway Bay Books store is on the 10th floor of a building near Exit 3 of the Taipei MRT metropolitan railway’s Zhongshan Station, Lam said.

“Public health and safety come first,” Lam said, adding that anyone who is interested is welcome to visit.

Lam raised nearly NT$6 million (US$199,316 at the current exchange rate) through an online fundraising Web site from September to November last year to fund his plan to reopen the bookstore, which he said would serve as a space “for free souls.”

He fled to Taiwan two months after the Hong Kong government proposed a controversial extradition bill in February last year, fearing he would be extradited to China under the bill to face charges of running an illegal business.

He was among five men connected with Causeway Bay Books who disappeared in late 2015. He reappeared in Hong Kong in June 2016 and said he had been abducted and then imprisoned by Chinese security agents.

He said he had been released on bail and allowed to return to Hong Kong to retrieve a hard drive listing the bookstore’s customers, but he refused to return to China and went public, detailing how he was blindfolded by police after crossing the border into Shenzhen and spent months being interrogated in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province.

There was no particular reason he chose April 25 to open the store, Lam said.

There would not be any special activities on the opening day to minimize the risk of overcrowding amid the COVID-19 outbreak, he said.

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references: PTT Facebook

content_text:
Virus Outbreak: CIB cautions gamers about online scam attempts

As people try to keep themselves entertained at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, many Taiwanese gamers have been reporting online scams, particularly those involving the sale of popular game consoles and related merchandise, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said yesterday.

The nation’s anti-fraud hotline has received 71 reports since last month of scams involving sales of Nintendo Switch consoles, games and merchandise.

Of those reports, 56 were conducted via Facebook and 10 on Professional Technology Temple (PTT), the nation’s largest online bulletin board, neither of which require netizens to show their real names, the bureau said.

In one case, a 30-year-old man in Taichung tried to buy an Animal Crossing: New Horizons edition of the Switch console and the Ring Fit Adventure game for NT$9,840 via PTT, but he never received the products, the bureau said.

After he a received a copy of an invoice via the Line app purportedly showing the merchandise had been shipped, he wired payment to the seller, who then blocked him on Line, the bureau said.

Buyers should exercise caution in online transactions, the bureau said.

They should avoid purchasing expensive merchandise from strangers and should use third-party payment processors for online purchases, it said.

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content_text:
Virus Outbreak: MOFA thanks European lawmakers for their support

More than 100 European lawmakers have signed letters voicing support for Taiwan’s bid to participate in the WHO’s World Health Assembly (WHA), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday.

One letter on Wednesday sent to EU High Representative Josep Borrell was signed by 67 members of the European Parliamentarians from six party caucuses, it said.

“The WHO’s treatment of Taiwan as part of China has caused problems for Taiwan,” according to a copy of the letter that was posted on Twitter by one of the signatories, former Polish minister of foreign affairs Anna Fotyga.

The WHO logo is pictured on the door of the ogranization’s headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, on Feb. 24.
 Photo: AFP

Not only is Taiwan’s democratically elected government barred from participation in the WHA, but Taiwanese experts are also arbitrarily prevented from attending the WHO’s technical meetings, the letter said.

“In these difficult times, the substantial cooperation in areas such as medical supplies, research and development of vaccines between Taiwan, the EU and its Member States would be beneficial in order to curb the further spread of the pandemic and better prepare for any future outbreak,” the letter reads.

A letter signed by 60 German lawmakers on April 2 was addressed to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who has been heavily criticized by the US and several other countries for his response to the pandemic, the ministry said.

German-Chinese Association-Friends of Taiwan chairperson Anita Schafer wrote in that letter that the WHO’s treatment of Taiwan was inconsistent with its organizational values, the ministry said.

The ministry thanked the 127 lawmakers for their support, saying they were the “voice of justice,” adding that their empathy for Taiwan stands in sharp contrast to Tedros’ statements about Taiwan.

Tedros, an Ethiopian microbiologist and the first African to lead the WHO, on Wednesday said that he had been the victim of months of racially abusive attacks from Taiwan, and that the foreign ministry had failed to condemn the attacks.

The government has strongly denied that Taiwan had instigated the attacks.

Separately, a 31-year-old Ethiopian doctor who spent three months at the Taiwan International Healthcare Training Center in Taipei said that Tedros’ accusation did not match his experience.

While Wondwossen Mengistie Ayele declined to comment on the political dispute between Taiwan and the WHO, he said Tedros’ comments had left him “perplexed,” because of his own experiences from October to December last year.

“What I can say about my stay in Taiwan is: The people of Taiwan were very hospitable and very respectful,” Wondwossen said. “We had a great stay there and learned a lot during our stay.”

He thanked the staff at Taipei Hospital and Cathay General Hospital, where he was trained in laparascopic surgery.

Ultimately, “time will tell” whether Tedros’ allegations are true, Wondwossen said.

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content_text:
AMONG PEERS:
 First-quarter revenue at other major contract electronics manufacturers also fell as the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed manufacturing and affected shipments

Pegatron Corp (和碩), one of Apple Inc’s iPhone assemblers, on Friday reported that first-quarter revenue declined 33.38 percent from the previous quarter and was 5.31 percent lower than a year earlier, reflecting lost sales due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Consolidated revenue in the January-to-March period totaled NT$278.49 billion (US$9.25 billion), compared with NT$418.01 billion in the previous three months and NT$294.11 billion a year earlier, the electronics manufacturer said in a regulatory filing.

Last quarter’s figure was its lowest in nearly two years, but higher than the NT$274.4 billion Taishin Securities Investment Advisory Co (台新投顧) had estimated.

Apart from handsets, Pegatron manufactures notebook and desktop computers, wearable devices and game consoles, with major clients such as Apple, Sony Corp, Microsoft Corp and Asustek Computer Inc (華碩).

Pegatron is expected to see a sequential increase in revenue this quarter, as it last month resumed full production in China and is ready to produce new products for clients, as well as orders from the first quarter that were delayed due to COVID-19, Taishin said, adding that second-quarter revenue might grow 18 percent from the first quarter to NT$324.2 billion.

Despite recovering market demand for the company’s products and the rise of remote schooling and telecommuting, potential delays in the mass production of new products and weak demand would still likely affect Pegatron’s sales in the second half of the year, Yuanta Securities Investment Consulting Co (元大投顧) said in a note.

The pandemic has also caused Quanta Computer Inc’s (廣達) first-quarter revenue to decrease 36.02 percent quarterly and 14.04 percent annually to NT$190.264 billion, its lowest in 10 years, the contract maker of laptops, servers and smartwatches reported on Friday.

Quanta said that the pandemic had especially affected its laptop production in China in the first quarter, but it expects laptop and server shipments to grow this quarter after production resumes at its Chinese plants and with deferred orders from the first quarter.

The company is still uncertain about sales in the second half of the year, which depend on how long COVID-19 persists in the US and Europe.

Other major contract electronics manufacturers also reported an annual decline in sales last quarter as the coronavirus outbreak affected shipments, with Inventec Corp’s (英業達) revenue decreasing 22.8 percent to NT$88.58 billion, Wistron Corp’s (緯創) falling 15.8 percent to NT$173.68 billion and Compal Electronics Inc’s (仁寶) dropping 13.56 percent to NT$182.05 billion.

Analysts said that one potential catalyst for contract electronics makers this year is the deployment of 5G infrastructure, while gaming-related businesses would also benefit from Nvidia Corp’s major upgrade to its graphics processing units later this year.

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title: Pegatron reports 33% Q1 decline


content_text:
DBS Bank Ltd (星展銀行) last week lowered its forecast for Taiwan’s GDP growth this year to minus-1 percent, down from the 0.9 percent growth the bank predicted on March 23, as the COVID-19 pandemic is projected to deal a serious blow to the nation’s exports.

“A decline in exports as a result of the lockdowns and shutdowns in Europe, the US and Southeast Asia is the biggest challenge facing the Taiwanese economy for the coming quarters,” DBS economist Ma Tieying (馬鐵英) said in a report on Wednesday.

“Taiwan’s exports, industrial production and purchasing managers’ index data held up well as of February and last month, but a sharp contraction could be expected ahead in the second and third quarters, when global recession, job losses and income declines start to emerge,” Ma said.

Singapore-based DBS’ forecast was more bearish than the 0.2 percent growth Moody’s Investors Service predicted on Monday last week.

The central bank on March 19 revised downward its GDP forecast this year to 1.92 percent, but some research institutes have placed their estimates at about 1 percent.

The latest government data released last week showed that Taiwan’s exports last month declined 0.6 percent from a year earlier to US$28.27 billion, while its combined exports in the first quarter expanded 3.7 percent year-on-year to US$78.7 billion.

The Taiwanese economy would fare better than during the global financial crisis of 2008 to 2009, DBS said, adding that electronics exports should remain relatively resilient, thanks to the rise in telecommuting and the resultant demand for laptops, tablets and other electronic devices.

“We also expect the economic losses in Taiwan to be smaller than that in Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea,” Ma said, adding that the spread of COVID-19 in Taiwan is relatively under control in light of the government’s early response and its fast expansion of mask production capacity.

In addition, Taiwan’s domestic transport, retail and recreation, and work activities also remained at about 75 percent, 90 percent and 100 percent respectively of normal levels as of the end of last month, making it one of the highest in Asia, she said, citing Google’s COVID-19 Community Mobility Report.

DBS has also trimmed its GDP growth forecast for South Korea from 0.8 percent to minus-1.1 percent for the same reasons, meaning that South Korea’s economic performance this year would likely be worse than in the global financial crisis.

Singapore’s GDP growth estimate has been further lowered to minus-2.8 percent and Hong Kong’s growth has been downgraded to minus-4 percent this year, which would be deeper than the Asia financial crisis and the global financial crisis, DBS said.

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title: DBS lowers GDP growth forecast to minus-1 percent


content_text:
Checks on nighttime entertainment venues in major cities were conducted over the weekend, including raids in Taoyuan and Kaohsiung and fines to those found contravening the government’s COVID-19 prevention measures.

Taoyuan police expanded their checks after the Central Epidemic Command Center on Thursday ordered all hostess clubs and dance halls to temporarily suspend operations after a woman who reportedly worked as a hostess at several clubs in Taoyuan and Taipei became the nation’s No. 379 confirmed COVID-19 case.

Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) yesterday said that police found 66 cases of clubs still operating or residents contravening quarantine and handed out fines totaling NT$13.84 million (US$459,755).

A notice pictured on Thursday outside a nightclub in Tainan’s Anping District says that the club is closed until further notice to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
 Photo: Wang Chieh, Taipei Times

Kaohsiung police and health officials raided four KTV parlors and restaurants where tip-offs said female hostesses were working.

Hostesses were working at two of the sites and the owners face fines ranging from NT$3,000 to NT$15,000, officials said.

In related news, a 23-year-old woman who reportedly works as a club hostess was detained for questioning in Tainan after she allegedly ran over an elderly woman yesterday morning.

She could face charges of driving under the influence as a breath test indicated she had a blood alcohol level of 0.5 milligrams per liter, Tainan police said.

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title: Virus Outbreak: Taoyuan, Kaohsiung check clubs


content_text:
Virus Outbreak: Graduates should take advantage of workshops: MOE

New university graduates should take advantage of employment resources as they hunt for jobs in a market heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said yesterday.

It, along with the Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, provide relief resources in terms of job opportunities and skill enhancement workshops, it said.

Universities that receive subsidies from the education ministry’s Higher Education SPROUT Project are required to prioritize new graduates when hiring research assistants and post-doctoral researchers for the studies of the “five plus two” innovative industries, it said.

The “five plus two” refers to the government’s plans to develop an Asian Silicon Valley, biomedical tech, green energy, industry 4.0 (robotics), defense and aviation, as well as innovative agriculture and a “circular economy.”

The education ministry offers short-term, customized courses that teach professional know-how and skills and help strengthen students’ knowledge of interdisciplinary subjects; while the Youth Development Administration offers projects in cooperation with local startup ecosystems aimed at encouraging entrepreneurship, it said.

Universities are required to collaborate with the labor ministry in creating a database that tracks graduates’ career development, it added.

National Sun Yat-sen University president Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) said on-campus recruiting fairs were canceled this year due to COVID-19, but he hoped that the pandemic’s effect on Taiwanese industries would be addressed by the nation’s prevention efforts before the end of the second quarter.

The pandemic has resulted in rising demand for slash workers, who specialize in interdisciplinary fields and provide various services, Cheng said.

The university has prioritized its doctoral graduates in the hiring of new teachers, he added.

Wuu Dong-sing (武東星), a professor at National Chung Hsing University, said that at such a difficult time, graduating students should look for jobs in government’s employment programs, which would allow them to transform academic knowledge into practical skills.

Workforce demand would resume once the pandemic is under control, and that is when graduates with work experience will be able to seek jobs in industries that show the most potential, Wuu said.

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content_text:
Political Developments: KMT appoints Dcard cofounder as digital chief

Chien Chin-yu (簡勤佑), cofounder of Dcard — an online forum popular among young people — was on Saturday appointed the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) digital marketing technology chief.

He said he is confident he can lead the KMT in turning defeat into victory in the online world.

He would begin by improving the Web literacy of KMT legislators, many of whom are not very familiar with the online ecosystem, Chien said.

Dcard cofounder Chien Chin-yu speaks at the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) headquarters in Taipei on Saturday.
 Photo courtesy of the KMT via CNA

Speaking to reporters before attending the final round of interviews for the position, Chien said that he had left Dcard some time ago and was searching for his next “big stage.”

As the KMT is clearly behind in terms of its support online, it can improve in all areas, such as shortening the videos it shares or improving the design of the images it posts, to better meet the needs of Internet users, he said.

Asked whether it would be difficult to turn the KMT’s online image around given young people’s aversion to the party, Chien said that if it was no challenge, he would not be competing for the position.

He said he was waiting to find out when he would have an in-depth discussion with KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) about strategy and ideas.

The role of the digital marketing technology chief would mainly be to create an overall online strategy for the KMT, said a source within the party who is close to Chiang.

The person would have to understand the direction of online opinion and bring together online opinion leaders for the party, the source said, adding that the person would also have to be familiar with social networking platforms and online tools, and be able to use online marketing resources.

The KMT’s Culture and Communications Committee produces content for the KMT, while the new media division is mainly responsible for “technical execution,” the source said.

The digital marketing technology chief would work closely with the committee and new media division towards the same goal, they said, adding that the KMT believes Chien can help the party win the support of young people.

In a statement on Facebook, Dcard said that it hopes Chien, who left the company in 2017, will listen to the voices of young people and reflect their ideas truthfully.

Many people are concerned about whether Chien’s appointment would affect the Dcard platform, the company said, adding that Dcard would strongly maintain a position of fairness and allow different voices to be heard on the platform.

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title: Some brokerages cut target prices on Largan shares

content_text:
Several foreign brokerages have cut their target prices on Largan Precision Co (大立光) shares, as the supplier of smartphone camera lenses to Apple Inc expressed caution about second-quarter sales.

Although Largan reported that sales last month rose 48.26 percent month-on-month and 38.67 percent year-on-year to NT$5.44 billion (US$180.7 million), the company on Thursday told investors that client demand has declined this month and is to worsen next month.

In a research note, a Japanese brokerage said that Largan’s caution came after the company accounted for the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global market.

The Japanese securities house said that it has lowered a target price on Largan shares to NT$5,000 from NT$6,000, expecting that the company’s net profit this year would fall about 12 percent from a year earlier.

Another Asian brokerage said that Largan’s caution toward the second quarter came after its Android phone clients cut orders to the Taiwanese supplier due to concerns over the effects of the pandemic on the smartphone market.

The brokerage said that while demand for low to mid-range smartphones remains solid, Largan, which has commanded the lead in high-end smartphone camera lenses, has no immediate plan to compete in the low to mid-range smartphone segment.

That is why the securities house said that it has cut a forecast of the company’s second-quarter sales by 31 percent to NT$13.1 billion, down 1 percent from a quarter earlier and 7 percent from a year earlier.

The brokerage has lowered its target price on Largan shares to NT$4,810 from NT$5,730.

A third brokerage based in Asia said that uncertainty over the smartphone market could lead Largan’s clients to scale back their orders, adding that it has lowered a target price on Largan shares to NT$4,000 from NT$5,400.

Largan on Thursday posted NT$6.72 billion in first-quarter net profit, a 33 percent increase from a year earlier, but down 17 percent from a quarter earlier, with earnings per share of NT$50.1, while consolidated sales rose 34.52 percent from a year earlier to NT$13.21 billion.

Largan shares fell 3.03 percent to close at NT$3,685 on Friday, underperforming the broader market, where the TAIEX closed up 0.38 percent at 10,157.61 points.

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content_text:
DISRUPTIONS CONTINUE:
 Although Advantech’s production in China has resumed, overall shipments were still capped by logistics and supply chain issues

Rush orders might boost Ennoconn Corp’s (樺漢科技) sales in the second quarter as clients increase their inventories due to logistics disruption concerns following COVID-19 lockdowns in Europe and the US, analysts said last week.

The industrial computer manufacturing arm of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) on Friday last week reported revenue of NT$6.54 billion (US$217.25 million) for last month, a 4.87 percent increase from a year earlier and 25.79 percent from the previous month.

Combined first-quarter revenue increased 1.46 percent year-on-year to NT$17.86 billion, which was relatively strong compared with its peers, as Ennoconn has relocated part of its capacity to regions outside of China amid the COVID-19 pandemic, while its capacity utilization rate in China has gradually recovered to a normal level since the middle of last month, analysts said.

“Although Ennoconn’s first-quarter revenue was affected by the coronavirus outbreak in China, the company’s design and manufacturing segment may start to contribute to the company’s second-quarter revenue at the earliest,” Capital Investment Management Corp (群益投顧) said.

With contributions from its subsidiaries — industrial handheld device vendor Goldtek Technology Co (沅聖科技) and network security equipment vendor Caswell Inc (瑞祺電通) — and its acquisition of Germany-based S&T AG, Ennoconn’s design and manufacturing segment is expected to post higher growth this year compared with its system integration segment and brand business, Capital said, adding that Ennoconn’s quarterly revenue is forecast to increase sequentially this year.

Separately, Advantech Co Ltd (研華), the largest industrial computer maker, on Tuesday reported that revenue last month declined 10.46 percent annually to NT$4.08 billion as the spread of COVID-19 affected market demand.

While resumed production in China drove its revenue last month to grow 26.2 percent month-on-month, overall shipments were still capped by logistics and supply chain disruptions.

In addition, there was still a shortage of mechanical parts, power supply products, and cables and connectors last month, Credit Suisse AG said in a note.

Advantech’s first-quarter revenue fell 8.36 percent from a year earlier to NT$11.27 billion, but remained at the high end of its sales guidance for last quarter, as its embedded Internet of Things (IoT) and applied computing group (ACG) units posted relatively stable sales compared with other segments.

The company’s material shortage issues are expected to resolve this month and return to normal next month, while orders pushed back in the first quarter should help boost sales in the second quarter and help it return to its annual growth track, Credit Suisse said.

“As most of its business is multiyear and project based, orders are being delayed, but not being canceled,” Credit Suisse said.

“Risks are arising in the second half of 2020, as COVID-19 has led to project delays and logistics constraints outside of China,” Credit Suisse said, adding that retail and gaming areas are more likely to be affected by order delays.

The embedded IoT, ACG and Service IoT segments have greater exposure to the retail and gaming markets, it added.

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title: Rush orders at Ennoconn to help boost its Q2 sales


title: Fuel prices to rise after six straight weeks of cuts

content_text:
State-run oil refiner CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) yesterday announced that it would increase gasoline and diesel prices by NT$0.6 per liter from today, ending six consecutive weeks of price cuts.

Based on CPC’s weighted oil price formula — which is composed of 70 percent Dubai crude and 30 percent Brent crude — its average crude oil costs jumped to US$23.77 per barrel last week, an increase from US$21.53 a week earlier.

IMPROVING OUTLOOK

After factoring in the appreciation of the New Taiwan dollar, which was up NT$0.111 against the US dollar last week, fuel prices would be hiked by 8 percent this week, CPC said in a statement.

CPC attributed the hike to positive sentiment in the crude oil market, with investors expecting major oil producers such as Saudi Arabia and Russia to finalize a deal with producers over output reduction.

After the adjustments, prices at CPC fuel stations are to rise to NT$17.9, NT$19.4 and NT$21.4 per liter for 92, 95 and 98-octane unleaded respectively, while premium diesel is to increase to NT$15.0 per liter, the company said.

Privately run Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) yesterday announced similar cuts in a separate statement.

AGREEMENT INCOMING

Prices at Formosa’s fuel stations, also effective today, are to rise to NT$17.9, NT$19.3 and NT$21.4 per liter for 92, 95 and 98-octane unleaded respectively, while premium diesel is to increase to NT$14.8 per liter.

However, Formosa said that while major oil producers are close to reaching a production cut agreement, the scale of the reduction might be insufficient to offset the sharp decline in demand.

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content_text:
Treatable condition can cause nausea, dizziness at work

People who experience dizziness or nausea whenever they are at work might have a medical condition that is treatable with medication and exercise, a psychiatrist in Kaohsiung said.

The condition, in which some people feel sick at work, but then feel better as soon as they leave, might go undiagnosed, and in some cases they might be misdiagnosed as having autonomic dysfunction, Prospect Clinic psychiatrist Tseng Ping-tao (曾秉濤) wrote in an article in the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) yesterday.

In most cases, the condition is related to migraines, and is often caused by vestibular migraines, Tseng said.

In many cases there is something at the workplace affecting the person that cannot be solved, he said.

For example, a person might be dealing with poor relationships with coworkers or even emotional abuse, or they might often be told at the last minute that they need to put in overtime, he said.

Constant pressure in the work environment, combined with an imbalance in a person’s calcium channels, can reach a critical point, causing neurons in the brain stem to send out electrical pulses, which lead to nausea, he said.

When these pulses pass through the inner ear they can cause tinnitus and dizziness, and when they pass through the spinal cord they can cause numbness in the limbs and muscle aches, he said.

They can also cause headaches and blurred vision when they pass through the brain, he said.

The condition can be “memorized” by the nervous system so that it reoccurs at the same time every day, he said, adding that it might even occur on a person’s day off, although with less intensity.

The condition can be treated in a manner similar to how migraines are treated, with patients given painkillers and medication to combat vertigo, he said.

They might also be told to take beta blockers or gamma aminobutyric acid — a medication used to relieve anxiety — every day before he onset of symptoms to break the cycle, he said.

Those with the condition might also be given botulinum toxin injections, which can help them relax, he said.

Regular exercise is also helpful, and people can achieve a healthy level of exercise by walking or cycling to and from work, he said.

As other pre-existing conditions can also lead to dizziness in the workplace, people who suspect they have the condition should visit a doctor, he said.

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people: 賴香伶 林佳龍 王定宇 洪孟楷 邱顯智 陳柏惟

content_text:
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is open to renaming China Airlines (CAL) so that it is not mistaken for a Chinese airline, but the company’s shareholders and the public would have the final say, Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Saturday night.

Several lawmakers have proposed renaming the airline.

The public was deeply touched when the government dispatched a CAL charter flight on Feb. 21 to repatriate 19 Taiwanese who had been stranded aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship amid a COVID-19 outbreak on board, he wrote on Facebook.

Airport staff unload 600,000 masks sent from Taiwan at an airport in the Netherlands on Saturday.
 Photo: Screen grab from Facebook page of Netherlands Trade and Investment Office

“Although the air transport business has declined dramatically due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the airline is still on the front line of disease-prevention efforts and is in charge of repatriating compatriots,” he said.

The airline has also been entrusted with the task of delivering the 10 million masks Taiwan has donated to other nations affected by the pandemic, and its hard work is appreciated by all, Lin wrote.

“We have heard from many people who think that the airline should change its name and we are open to this proposal. However, a name change is no small matter for an airline, as it involves changes in the aviation rights and routes. The airline is a publicly traded firm, which should respect the will of its shareholders and the public. It is our hope that we can continue to build consensus on this matter,” he said.

The first batch of masks sent to the EU for distribution arrived on Thursday at Luxembourg Airport aboard a CAL cargo plane and the EU posted photographs on its Web site of the plane and the shipping containers of masks being unloaded, with each container decorated with a banner emblazoned with the slogan “Taiwan can help” and the national flag.

Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) suggested changing CAL’s name to “Chunghwa Airlines” as a transitional step, as it would not change the airline’s name in Mandarin and would allow it to differentiate itself from Air China.

Foreigners might not know what “Chunghwa” means, but they know that China is a country, he said.

While it is better to use Taiwan as the name of an airline, the feasibility of such proposal as well as how fast such a change could be made needed to be considered, he said.

Taiwan Statebuilding Party Legislator Chen Po-wei (陳柏惟) suggested three options: auctioning the name “China Airlines,” which China in the past had expressed interest in using for its own flag carrier; retaining the name, but not operating any flights under it, and establishing a new carrier under the company; or adding “Taiwan” or “ROC” in brackets after “China Airlines,” much as has been done with the nation’s passports.

“The airline could face suspension of flights if it unilaterally changed its name without first securing permission from the International Civil Aviation Organization,” Chen said.

The public needs to reach a consensus on the name change of the airline, he added.

New Power Party caucus whip Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智) and Taiwan People’s Party caucus whip Lai Hsiang-ling (賴香伶) said the nation’s “mask diplomacy” has highlighted the need to change CAL’s name.

Noting a French television reported mask donation to the EU was from China because CAL’s name has “China” in it, Chiu said all the hard-earned publicity on Taiwan was in vain.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hung Mong-kai (洪孟楷) said Taiwan’s extraordinary performance in curbing the spread of COVID-19 is the result of the collective efforts of the nation’s 23 million people.

“Preventing the spread of the pandemic should remain our top priority. People should not politicize the disease-prevention issues by raising complicated matters such as changing the name of an airline,” he said.

Additional reporting by Hsieh Chun-lin and Wu Su-wei

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title: Virus Outbreak: MOTC open to renaming CAL: minister


content_text:
Virus Outbreak: Make shopping traffic flow venue-specific, Huang says

Customer flow management will be tailored to reflect the different types of shopping facilities as part of the efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Taipei Deputy Mayor Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) said yesterday as she toured Chengde Market (成德市場) and Yongchun Market (永春市場) to inspect their disease-prevention efforts.

She praised the markets for having instituting temperature checks at their entrances and having hand sanitizers there as well, in line with the central government’s push for shopping venues to open only a single entrance/exit.

Huang said she had discussed the customer flow at public markets with the Taipei Market Administration Office.

A single entrance/exit improves customer flow management, but maintaining a single entrance/exit at night markets and shopping districts would be difficult, she said.

The city government would ask businesses to come up with customer flow management plans for it to review, she added.

Asked if Taipei would follow New Taipei City in fining night market customers or stall owners who do not keep a mask on except for when they are eating, Huang said: “We would not let people who are not wearing a mask enter public markets, so there is no need to impose a fine, unless an individual refuses to obey the rule and insists on entering.”

However, punishments should not be the only option, and the city government would prefer to use persuasion, she added.

Wearing a mask is part of efforts to ensure people can continue to work, so keeping markets safe for stall owners and customers is crucial, she said.

Asked if movie theaters, pubs and other recreational spots should be closed, Huang said such sites might not be dangerous if proper social distancing is practiced.

Very few people are going to movies these days, and those that do wear masks, and so far there have been no confirmed COVID-19 cases traced back to a recreational site, so people do not have to be too worried, she said, adding: “Social distancing is key.”

Taiwan has done a good job in keeping its case numbers low, and it is one of the few nations where schools and workplaces are still open, so everyone should maintaining safe social distances and personal protection, she said.

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content_text:
Virus Outbreak: Amid pandemic, Taiwan first to restart baseball

Taiwan yesterday became the first nation to open its professional baseball season this year amid global lockdowns that have seen most sports events canceled or postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The nation also launched its soccer season with four matches in its top division, joining a handful of nations that have begun to restart their leagues.

The Uni-President Lions took on the Brothers Baseball Club at the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium to launch the Chinese Professional Baseball League’s (CPBL) 2020 season.

The Uni-President Lions’ Chen Chung-yu, right, swings on a pitch from Brothers Baseball Club pitcher Ryan Feierabend in front of empty seats during the first game of the CPBL’s 2020 season at the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium yesterday. No spectators were allowed into the stadium to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
 Photo: CNA

Local and foreign news outlets reported the opener as the “world’s first,” as the US’ Major League Baseball has yet to determine a starting date for its season, while the opening dates of the Korean Baseball Organization and Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball have been postponed to Tuesday and Friday next week respectively.

The Mexican Baseball League has delayed the opening of its season to May 11.

CPBL games are to be played without spectators for the time being to prevent virus infection. Authorities have limited the number of attendees to 200 people, including players, team personnel, umpire crew, ground staff, cheerleaders and journalists.

People entering the stadium for yesterday’s game were required to register beforehand, have their temperature taken at the entrance and fill out a health declaration form.

American pitcher Bryan Woodall of the Fubon Guardians was quoted by Sports Illustrated as praising Taiwan’s work in combating the COVID-19 outbreak, while a sizeable contingent of Japanese sports journalists covering the game yesterday said that Japanese fans are envious of Taiwan’s ability to get the games under way.

The Brothers’ Cuban starting pitcher Ariel Miranda threw the season’s first pitch and struck out the Lions’ leadoff batter Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) on three pitches for the first out in the opening frame.

However, the Cuban pitcher was tagged by Lions outfielder Cheng Kai-wen (鄭鎧文) in the next inning, who unloaded for a solo shot over the leftfield wall for Cheng to collect the first homer and post the first run of the season.

The Lions scored three runs at the top of the 11th inning to defeat the Brothers 4-1.

The job of throwing the opening pitch fell on Miranda by chance. The Rakuten Monkeys’ American starter Ryan Carpenter was supposed to throw the first pitch at Rakuten’s home field in Taoyuan on Saturday, but the game was canceled due to rain on Saturday and again yesterday.

Rakuten had placed robots and cardboard cutouts of spectators on the bleachers to lighten the atmosphere until fans return to the stadiums.

Meanwhile, on the first day of the men’s Taiwan Football Premier League season, Kaohsiung-based Taipower FC prevailed 3-2 over Taipei-based Tatung FC, last year’s champions, at the Taipei Municipal Stadium.

The other matches saw Taichung Futuro beating TSU FC 2-1, Hang Yuan FC crushing Red Lions FC 4-0 and Taiwan Steel-Tainan City doubling up on Ming Chuan University 4-2.

Taiwan joined Belarus, Tajikistan, Burundi and Nicaragua as one the only five countries to launch regular competition in their top soccer division, according to news site Eurosport.

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content_text:
Virus Outbreak: US virus death toll overtakes Italy’s as Christians celebrate Easter in lockdown

The death toll in the US from the COVID-19 pandemic eclipsed Italy’s for the highest in the world, surpassing 20,000, as Pope Francis livestreamed Easter Mass from a virtually empty Saint Paul’s Cathedral in the Vatican amid worldwide lockdowns.

With the New York area still deep in crisis, fear mounted over the spread of the scourge into the US’ heartland. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has been going around the city telling groups of people to “break it up.”

The outbreak’s epicenter has shifted from China to Europe and the US, which now has by far the largest number of confirmed cases — more than 530,000 — and a death toll of 20,608, higher than Italy’s count of 19,468, according to the tally kept by Johns Hopkins University.

The death rate — the number of dead relative to the population — is still far higher in Italy than in the US, which has more than five times as many people.

Worldwide, the true numbers of dead and infected are believed to be much higher because of testing shortages, different counting practices and concealment by some governments.

About half the deaths in the US were in the New York metropolitan area, where hospitalizations are nevertheless slowing, and other indicators suggest lockdowns and social distancing are “flattening the curve” of infections and staving off the doomsday scenarios of just a week or two ago.

New York state on Saturday reported 783 more deaths, for a total of more than 8,600.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the daily number of deaths is stabilizing, “but stabilizing at a horrific rate.”

“What do we do now? We stay the course,” Cuomo said.

With authorities warning that the crisis in New York is far from over, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the city’s 1.1 million-student school system would remain closed for the rest of the academic year.

However, Cuomo said the decision is up to him and no such determination has been made.

In the US midwest, pockets of contagion have alarmed state and city leaders and led to stricter enforcement. Nearly 300 inmates at the Cook County Jail in Illinois have tested positive for the virus and two have died.

In Wisconsin, health officials expect to see an increase in cases after thousands of people went to the polls on Tuesday last week for the state’s presidential primary.

Meanwhile, Francis broke with centuries of tradition to livestream Easter Sunday Mass to those suffering in the solitude of a coronavirus lockdown that forced the world’s Catholics to improvise on their holiest day.

“For many, this is an Easter of solitude lived amid the sorrow and hardship that the pandemic is causing, from physical suffering to economic difficulties,” the pope said.

Francis urged the world’s leaders to put aside their political fights and call back their armies during a global health emergency of a magnitude not seen in 100 years.

“This is not a time for division,” Francis said.

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title: Virus Outbreak: Disease prevention center to be set up

people:
蘇貞昌
Kolas Yotaka

content_text:
GOAL OF 2027:
 The center would fight viruses and communicable diseases, with key tasks including inspection, and vaccine and biopharmaceutical development

By Chen Yu-fu
and Dennis Xie / Staff reporter,
with staff writer and CNA

The government is to establish a dedicated center to improve disease prevention, injecting NT$4 billion (US$132.88 million) over the next seven years into the project, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka said yesterday.

Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) on Wednesday approved a Ministry of Health and Welfare proposal to build a center for disease prevention, which is to be in the ministry’s compounds in Taipei’s Nangang District (南港), with construction scheduled to begin next year and be completed in 2027, Kolas said.

The center would fight known viruses and communicable diseases, with key tasks including inspection efforts, and research and development of vaccines and biopharmaceuticals, Kolas said, adding that it would also serve as a hub to ration out goods during epidemics.

Starting next year, costs would be included in annual funds for general public affairs, Kolas said, adding that no special funds would be used for the project.

In other developments, a Cabinet official said that from Wednesday next week, people would be able to preorder their two-weekly quota of masks at the nation’s four major convenience store chains.

People would be able to preorder masks every two weeks at FamilyMart, 7-Eleven, OK Mart and Hi-Life convenience stores using their National Health Insurance (NHI) cards, the official said.

They would also be able to have masks delivered to Pxmart or Simple Mart outlets, but the supermarket chains cannot take orders, as they do not have NHI card readers, the official said.

Payment methods for the store system have yet to be determined, the official said.

Convenience store services are expected to ease congestion at NHI-affiliated pharmacies, where people usually have to wait in long lines to buy masks.

The Cabinet official said that 240 of the more than 6,000 designated pharmacies have asked to withdraw from the program because they do not have enough staff to handle daily sales.

Since the mask rationing program started on Jan. 31, the quota for each person has been increased from two to three per seven days and then to nine per 14 days, with the sales platform expanding from pharmacies to a government Web site and a mobile app.

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content_text:
The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday announced three new cases of COVID-19 — two imported and one domestic — bringing the total in Taiwan to 388.

Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said that the domestic case (No. 386) is a man in his 20s who lives with the nation’s 195th case — a woman in her 20s who returned from the US on March 19 and tested positive on March 23.

The man had respiratory allergic symptoms when he was put under home isolation after case No. 195 was confirmed to have COVID-19 and he was released from quarantine after 14 days, but the local health department reviewed his symptoms and asked him to undergo testing, Chen said.

Police officers hold signs at a night market in Nantou County yesterday to remind visitors to maintain social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Photo: Chang Hsieh-sheng, Taipei Times

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said that the man had had a meal with case No. 195 for about two hours when she returned from the US, which could be the cause of his infection, but as he has chronic allergies, it is difficult to determine when his symptoms began.

The man told authorities that he wore a mask when he went to work and shopping after he was released from quarantine, Chuang said, adding that the local health department would visit his workplace to conduct contact investigations today.

CECC advisory specialist panel convener Chang Shan-chwen (張上淳) said that many people have allergic reactions and respiratory allergy symptoms, such as a runny or stuffy nose — the most common type — so people with chronic allergies do not have to be too worried or ask to be tested for COVID-19.

However, if they have been exposed to an infected person or those later ordered into home isolation or quarantine, they should inform a doctor and let them decide whether testing is needed.

Case No. 387 is a man in his 40s who worked in the US from Feb. 20 to Friday, and reported coughing and a sore throat on March 25, but did not seek treatment, Chen said, adding that he was tested on arrival at an airport.

Case No. 388 is a woman in her 40s who is also the wife of the 358th case — a man in his 40s who visited family in the UK from Jan. 22 to April 2 and tested positive on April 5, Chen said, adding that she visited the UK with her husband and experienced loss of taste and smell during home quarantine.

Among the 388 confirmed cases in the nation, 109 people have been discharged from hospitals, Chen said.

Asked to comment on reports on Friday from South Korean officials that 91 people thought to have recovered from COVID-19 have tested positive again, Chang said that most experts believe that the people had the virus all along and the tests returned false negatives.

There have been cases where they tested negative twice, but were positive on a third test, so maybe some countries only test people once or twice before discharging them, he said.

Taiwan makes sure that infected people test negative three times and have doctors examine them to ensure that they show no symptoms before they can leave the hospital, he said.

Meanwhile, Ho Ching (何晶), wife of Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (李顯龍), on Saturday posted a link to a news report titled: “Taiwan to donate medical masks to Singapore,” with the comment: “Errrr...”

The comment sparked controversy over the negative impression it appeared to convey.

Mask donation operations had been coordinated by Taiwan’s diplomatic system with each respective country before they were sent, Chen said.

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title: Virus Outbreak: CECC reports three new infections


content_text:
Virus Outbreak: Executive Yuan hopes apps can help limit travel

PREVENTING CROWDS:
 The government is trying to improve a Freeway Bureau app to determine if too many people are headed to specific areas

The Freeway Bureau’s smartphone application, “Freeway 1968 (高速公路1968),” could be used to restrict traffic and visitors headed to popular scenic areas during the Workers’ Day long weekend next month, the Executive Yuan said.

The government decided a new method was needed to remind people to observe social distancing rules and other restrictions after the number of text messages it sent over the Tomb Sweeping Day long weekend angered travelers as well as hoteliers.

The bureau’s app, which was developed in-house, could be upgraded to allow the government to monitor the flow of traffic and people into scenic areas and determine if additional travel warnings are needed, Vice Premier Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said on Saturday.

He hopes the improvement would be available by the next holiday weekend from May 1 to May 3.

Department of Cyber Security Director-General Howard Jyan (簡宏偉) said the app was designed to help drivers follow the traffic flow on freeways, but it could not determine the exact number of people traveling to scenic areas.

A new function would be added to enable the app to conduct big data analysis and issue alerts when there are large numbers of travelers headed to specific travel destinations, Jyan said.

The alerts would be graded by color from green to yellow to red, with red meaning that scenic areas are too crowded, he said.

Asked if the government was developing a specific app that could remind the public to observe social distancing and sound an alarm if a user is near a crowded place or too close to a confirmed COVID-19 case, Central Epidemic Command Center spokesperson Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said the technology is available, but officials are discussing how it could be used to ensure that people’s right to privacy and other interests or legal rights are not compromised.

These problems need to be addressed before the government could launch such an app, he said.

The Executive Yuan said that engineers are testing such an app, but the public’s response to it would be crucial.

Many other nations have asked about working with Taiwan to learn how it has been able to use big data to help limit the spread of COVID-19, it added.


title: Canada passes vast salary aid program to weather outbreak

content_text:
‘MODERN-DAY HEROES’:
 The US$52 billion program aims to pay companies 75 percent of their workers’ salaries to prevent mass layoffs amid the pandemic

Canadian lawmakers on Saturday passed a wage subsidy program heralded as the largest economic measure in the country since World War II to help businesses and their employees get through the COVID-19 crisis.

Canadian Parliament is suspended, but held an exceptional session in the middle of Easter weekend to adopt the C$73 billion (US$52 billion) program, which aims to pay companies 75 percent of their employees’ salaries to avoid massive layoffs.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attended the session. He had been in isolation in his home for a month after his wife contracted the coronavirus.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, center, speaks in the Canadian House of Commons in Ottawa on Saturday.
 Photo: Reuters/Adam Scotti/PMO/Handout

Apart from leaders of the main parties, only about 30 lawmakers out of 338 attended to comply with “social distancing” orders.

The Canadian House of Commons passed the bill in the afternoon, followed in the evening by the Canadian Senate.

Trudeau, referring to Canada’s sacrifices in both world wars, said that the fight against the coronavirus “is not a war,” but “that doesn’t make this fight any less destructive.”

“The front line is everywhere, in our homes, in our hospitals and care centers, in our grocery stores and pharmacies, at our truck stops and gas stations. And the people who work in these places are our modern-day heroes,” he said.

This was the second financial assistance bill proposed by Trudeau’s government since the beginning of the crisis.

Its purpose is to “enable Canadians to keep their jobs and get a paycheck,” the prime minister said.

The 75 percent wage subsidy, which is for three months and retroactive to March 15, is for businesses that have suffered or would suffer a 15 percent drop in revenues last month or 30 percent this month and next month, Canadian Minister of Finance Bill Morneau said.

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content_text:
HEALTH RISK:
 Breast milk is still sold on e-commerce platforms, and if it has not been tested properly, babies consuming it could contract diseases, the legislator said

New Power Party (NPP) Legislator Claire Wang (王婉諭) on Friday called for breast milk to be regulated after a YouTube channel drew criticism for its descriptions of breast milk purchased online.

In a video posted on Tuesday last week, YouTuber Hsiao-yu (小玉) was seen tasting breast milk purchased online and describing it as spoiled soy milk.

The video met with angry responses from the public, including mothers who breastfeed their children.

New Power Party Legislator Claire Wang, second right, speaks at a news conference in Taipei on Friday.
 Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times

At a news conference with lactation experts on Friday, Wang said that the video communicated incorrect information and was disrespectful toward mothers.

For several years, local representatives and groups have been drawing attention to the “chaos” that is the sale of breast milk online, she said.

Citing information from the US Food and Drug Administration, Wang said that a baby could risk contracting HIV, hepatitis and other diseases if they drink breast milk that is not from their birth mother and which has not been tested.

However, breast milk is still listed on major e-commerce platforms and regulations do not specify whether it can be sold as a product, she said.

When similar incidents have occurred in the past, local governments have only been able to use the Consumer Protection Act (消費者保護法) to order sellers to take down listings of breast milk of unknown origin, Wang said.

This is a “passive” and “unreasonable” measure, she said, adding that the act regulates products that are being sold legally, but breast milk has never been a legal product.

Moreover, responding to lawmakers’ questions in 2016, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said that breast milk was a “bodily fluid and not a product,” she said.

The Food and Drug Administration identifies breast milk as a bodily fluid and not food, and thus it is not subject to the regulations in the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation (食品安全衛生管理法), Wang said.

The Centers for Disease Control said that although breast milk is a bodily fluid and has certain transmission risks, it is not considered a “specimen of communicable disease” as defined in the Communicable Disease Control Act (傳染病防治法), she said.

While the Health Promotion Administration said that it does not support any form of breast milk trade, it does not have clear rules restricting it, Wang said.

As the government does not support the public sale of breast milk from unknown origins, the Ministry of Health and Welfare should lay out clear regulations, Wang said.

Taiwan Academy of Breastfeeding representative Fang Li-jung (方麗容), who is responsible for Taipei City Hospital’s Human Milk Bank, said that as some diseases can be transmitted through breast milk, the purpose of the bank is to provide safe breast milk.

The institution uses a meticulous process to ensure the milk is safe, she said.

Consuming breast milk purchased online is very risky, she said, adding that it is “absolutely unfit” for children to consume.

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title: NPP’s Claire Wang calls for breast milk controls


title: Massive slump in South Asia forecast

content_text:
WORLD BANK WORRIES:
 A bank official said that ‘the priority for all South Asian governments is to contain the virus spread and protect’ people, especially the poor

India and other South Asian countries are likely to record their worst growth performance in four decades this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Bank said yesterday.

The South Asian region, comprising eight countries, is likely to show economic growth of 1.8 percent to 2.8 percent this year, the World Bank said in its South Asia Economic Focus report, well down from the 6.3 percent it projected six months ago.

India’s economy, the region’s biggest, is expected to grow 1.5 percent to 2.8 percent in the fiscal year that started on April 1. The World Bank has estimated it will grow 4.8 percent to 5 percent in the fiscal year that ended on March 31.

“The green shoots of a rebound that were observable at the end of 2019 have been overtaken by the negative impacts of the global crisis,” the report said.

Other than India, the World Bank forecast that Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh would also see sharp falls in economic growth.

Three other countries — Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Maldives — are expected to fall into recession, the World Bank said in the report, which was based on country-level data available as of Tuesday last week.

Measures taken to counter the novel coronavirus have disrupted supply chains across South Asia, which has recorded more than 13,000 cases so far, which is still lower than many other parts of the world.

India’s lockdown of 1.3 billion people has also left millions out of work, disrupted big and small businesses, and forced an exodus of migrant workers from the cities to their homes in villages.

In the event of prolonged and broad national lockdowns, the report warned of a worst-case scenario in which the entire region would experience an economic contraction this year.

To minimize short-term economic pain, the World Bank called for countries in the region to announce more fiscal and monetary steps to support unemployed migrant workers, as well as debt relief for businesses and individuals.

India has so far unveiled a US$23 billion economic plan to offer direct cash transfers to millions of poor people hit by its lockdown.

In Pakistan, the government has announced a US$6 billion plan to support the economy.

“The priority for all South Asian governments is to contain the virus spread and protect their people, especially the poorest who face considerable worse health and economic outcomes,” World Bank vice president for the South Asia Region Hartwig Schafer said.

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title: Three Asian powers take stage amid pandemic

people: 習近平 蔡英文

content_text:
The past few months have seen an unprecedented crisis unfold across most continents. The coronavirus pandemic and the disease it causes, COVID-19, have infected nearly 1.6 million people and led to more than 100,000 deaths. These numbers are expected to rise.

Perhaps just as shocking as the virus and the social and economic destruction it has brought with it is the lack of leadership from China and the US and their mishandling of the situation.

Maybe even more surprising is the responsibility and adeptness shown by middle powers in Asia, such as Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore.

China, led by the Chinese Communist Party, originally silenced journalists and doctors who tried to inform the world of the virus, first reported in Wuhan.

After weeks of denying the seriousness and spread of the virus, as well as spinning shifting narratives, Beijing locked down hundreds of millions of citizens, including entire cities. Information related to the public made many skeptical about the validity of the number of reported cases and casualties.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) disappeared for 12 days, leaving many to wonder what kind of signal this sent.

Under the leadership of US President Donald Trump, the US has not fared any better and has arguably failed much worse. With a near three-month head start, the Trump administration seems to have pre-emptively acted on very little.

Now, with more cases than anywhere else, and with dire death rates in cities such as New York and New Orleans, the US seems to be inundated in its own mismanagement.

Over the past few weeks, Trump has attempted to monopolize a potential virus cure, lied to the public by saying “anybody that needs a test gets a test” and stirred up anti-Chinese rhetoric endangering Asian-Americans.

This amalgamation of selfishness, deceitfulness and hatred is not what the country, nor the world, needs in a time of panic.

While these superpowers have blundered their responses to the crisis, Asian middle powers have stepped up by showcasing swift government responses, transparency and accountability.

Contrary to China’s lack of openness, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) mandated that Taiwanese media relay information related to the coronavirus hourly for near-constant updates. Taiwan also implemented initiatives the day the virus was reported to the WHO, of which it is not a member.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s government acted swiftly after an initially slow start; mass testing, social distancing and listening to medical experts all helped flatten the curve throughout the country.

Singapore kept infected patients in hospitals over concerns of a second wave and has contact tracing teams investigating potential transmissions.

That Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore have different forms of governments proves that the comparison of whether a democratic or authoritarian regime works best in times of duress is moot.

Rather, what theses nations have proven is that middle powers rose to the occasion when larger ones did not. With transparent and competent leadership nationally, regionally and globally, the ascendancy of these nations offers much to hypothesize on what the world order would look like after the pandemic has ended.

Will the squandered leadership by China and the US be forgiven? While it is certain the globe would still need these behemoths to play a pivotal role in geopolitics, perhaps some of the social, political and economic power the bipolar world once saw would diminish, leaving a vacuum for middle powers to fill.

Will Doran is an independent researcher who lives in Jakarta. He is a graduate of the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies.

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title: EDITORIAL CARTOON

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content_text:
Virus Outbreak: France sees drop in daily deaths as toll hits 13,832

France on Saturday reported a lower daily toll for deaths from COVID-19, saying that a “plateau” had been reached in the country’s coronavirus epidemic, albeit at a very high level.

The French health authorities said in a statement that 345 people had died in hospitals and 290 in nursing homes — 635 over the past 24 hours — to bring the total death toll to 13,832.

The day earlier, 554 had died in hospitals and 433 in nursing homes for a total of 987.

The Notre-Dame cathedral and Pont de la Tournelle are reflected in the Seine River yesterday.
 Photo: EPA-EFE

“A very high plateau for the epidemic appears to have been reached, but the epidemic remains very active,” top French health official Jerome Salomon told reporters. “We must absolutely remain vigilant.”

France has been in lockdown since March 17 in a bid to slow the spread of the virus, with only essential trips allowed that must be justified with a signed piece of paper.

For the third consecutive day, the number of people with COVID-19 in intensive care was down, with 121 fewer people in such units for a total of 6,883.

France has more than 130,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, although the real number is likely far higher due to a lack of testing, the statement said.

Salomon said that if the plateau trend continues, it means “we have succeeded in reaching a first step together and the lockdown is showing its first effects.”

However, “it remains a very high plateau ... there are still many hospital admissions... It is far too early — and not reasonable — to make predictions about the future,” he said.

French President Emmanuel Macron is today due to address the nation for a third time during the crisis and is expected to announce that the lockdown would be extended beyond its Wednesday expiration date.

Macron would have to steer a careful course amid the tentative signs of improvement, telling people they must still stay at home, while giving indications about how the confinement might be relaxed.

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content_text:
Singapore is to start imposing fines on first-timers who flout “social distancing” rules, while those who are not wearing masks may be barred from entering some premises that provide essential services, as the spread of COVID-19 in the city-state shows few signs of abating.

“In theory, we could keep most places open, so long as safe distancing measures are strictly adhered to,” Singaporean Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong (黃循財) wrote in a Facebook post on Saturday. “But increasingly we see that this is hard to achieve.”

The city-state on Thursday reported its highest daily increase of infections, with more than 200 of the 287 new cases linked to foreign worker dormitories.

A woman looks at a closed public beach at East Coast Park in Singapore on Saturday.
 Photo: Reuters

The number of new cases were at 198 on Friday and 191 on Saturday, with many infections as yet unlinked to known clusters.

Starting yesterday, people visiting markets, convenience stores, pharmacies and shopping malls have to wear masks, or be denied entry, authorities said in a statement.

The Singaporean government, which has distributed masks to each household, is to make it compulsory to wear them on public transport after the partial lockdown is over and buses and trains become crowded again, Singaporean Minister of Transport Khaw Boon Wan (許文遠) said.

Enforcement officers would impose a fine of S$300 (US$212) even on first-time offenders who violate “circuit breaker” rules, Singaporean Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli wrote in a Facebook post.

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title: Virus Outbreak: Singapore tightens virus restrictions


content_text:
BOOKSTORES

Taitung Eslite to close

Eslite Spectrum Corp (誠品生活), which runs the Eslite bookstore chain (誠品書局) and other businesses in Taiwan and abroad, on Friday said it would close its Taitung store at the end of this month when the lease for the site expires. The announcement comes after the company closed an outlet in Tainan’s Anping District (安平) at the end of last month. The company had previously announced plans to close its landmark 24-hour outlet on Taipei’s Dunhua S Road at the end of next month, when its lease expires, which would reduce the number of outlets in Taiwan to 42.

AIRLINES

CAL delays new flights

China Airlines Ltd (CAL, 中華航空) on Friday announced that it would delay the launch of its flights to Cebu in the Philippines and Chiang Mai in Thailand until October. It pushed back a planned launch date of June 12 for six weekly flights to Cebu until Oct. 1 and postponed the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Chiang Mai route from the original June 23 launch date to Oct. 2 amid concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, CAL said in a statement.

INVESTMENT

CDFHC unveils dividend

China Development Financial Holding Corp’s (CDFHC, 中華開發金控) board of directors on Friday announced that it would distribute a cash dividend of NT$0.6 per share, which represented a payout ratio of 68.18 percent based on the company’s earnings per share of NT$0.88 last year. The company is the only financial holding firm among its local peers to provide a dividend yield higher than 7 percent — 7.38 percent, based on the stock’s closing price of NT$8.13 on Friday.

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title: Taiwan Business Quick Take


content_text:
JAPAN

Abe video sparks anger

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe yesterday prompted an angry response from some Twitter users after sharing a video of himself lounging on a sofa with his dog, drinking tea and reading, along with a message telling people to stay at home. “Who do you think you are?” became a top trend on Twitter, with users saying Abe’s message ignored the plight of those who were struggling to make a living amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Abe’s video, which featured his pet dog, was a response to popular musician Gen Hoshino, who uploaded a video of himself singing about dancing indoors and invited people to collaborate. “At a time when people are fighting for survival, to show a video of such luxury ... one can’t help but wonder, ‘who do you think you are?’” one Twitter user said. The country has nearly 7,000 cases and 108 deaths, but the numbers are growing.

JAPAN

Groups issue warning

The Japanese Association for Acute Medicine and the Japanese Society for Emergency Medicine have issued a joint statement warning about a “collapse of emergency medicine” in the country, which might lead to the collapse of medicine overall. The statement said many hospitals were turning away people rushed by ambulance, including those suffering strokes, heart attacks and external injuries. Some people who were turned away later turned out to have the coronavirus, it said. Masks and surgical gowns were running short, the statement added.

VENEZUELA

Lockdown extended

President Nicolas Maduro has extended a nationwide quarantine for another 30 days to prevent the spread of COVID-19 throughout the crisis-stricken nation. Maduro announced the measure on Saturday, the same day a fourth shipment of medical supplies arrived from China to fight the virus. Officials have said that 175 people in the country have fallen ill and nine have died from the virus. Medical workers have said the country is vulnerable given the rampant malnutrition and poor condition of hospitals that lack basic supplies such as soap and water.

SRI LANKA

Church forgives bombers

The country’s Roman Catholic Church yesterday said that it had forgiven the suicide bombers behind the attacks that killed 279 people in Easter last year. Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith told an Easter Mass — broadcast from a TV studio because of the pandemic — that “we offered love to the enemies who tried to destroy us.” “We forgave them,” he said, adding that instead of retaliating, the nation’s Catholic minority had contemplated Jesus’ message of hope, and reduced tensions. The bombers on April 21 last year targeted three churches and three luxury hotels, killing 279 people and wounding 593.

MEXICO

Journalist found dead

A journalist who disappeared more than a week ago in the southern Guerrero State was found dead close to where his family last saw him, a local prosecutor said on Saturday. Forensic tests on human remains in the seaside resort of Acapulco were identified as belonging to Victor Fernando Alvarez, who disappeared on April 2. He is confirmed as the second journalist to be murdered in the country this year following Maria Elena Ferral, who was shot dead by two assailants on motorbikes when getting into her car in Veracruz State last month.

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title: World News Quick Take


content_text:
‘PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE’:
 Officials in Pyongyang have often said that the North has no COVID-19 cases, but yesterday’s report did not make that assertion

North Korea called for improved measures against the rapidly spreading COVID-19 pandemic at a meeting presided by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, state media reported yesterday, without acknowledging whether the country had reported any infections.

The already isolated, nuclear-armed North quickly shut down its borders after the coronavirus was first detected in neighboring China in January, and imposed strict containment measures.

Officials in Pyongyang and its state media have repeatedly said that the North remains totally free of the virus.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks during a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea in Pyongyang on Saturday.
 Photo: AFP/KCNA VIA KNS

However, yesterday’s report did not make that assertion.

The coronavirus epidemic — which has infected more than 1.78 million worldwide — has become “a great disaster threatening the whole mankind, regardless of borders and continents,” the North’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

“Such environment can become a condition creating some obstacles to our struggle and progress,” it said, adding that Pyongyang maintained a “very stable anti-epidemic situation.”

The meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea on Saturday discussed changing policy tasks due to COVID-19, KCNA reported, as officials called for strict and thorough checks of the infiltration of the virus.

A joint resolution was adopted “on more thoroughly taking national measures for protecting the life and safety of our people to cope with the worldwide epidemic disease,” it added.

Photographs carried by the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper showed none of the officials — including Kim — wearing masks and sitting close to each other around a round table.

Experts have said that North Korea is particularly vulnerable to the virus because of its weak healthcare system, while defectors have accused Pyongyang of covering up an outbreak.

As part of its anti-virus efforts North Korea put thousands of its own people and hundreds of foreigners — including diplomats — into isolation and mounted disinfection drives.

The WHO said that 709 people — 11 foreigners and 698 nationals — have been tested for the virus as of April 2, while more than 24,800 people have been released from quarantine.

Nearly every other country has reported coronavirus cases. Aside from China, South Korea endured one of the worst early outbreaks of the virus.

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title: Virus Outbreak: North Korea calls for better virus measures


content_text:
‘SERIOUS CONCERNS’:
 The Scottish club said a ‘lack of leadership and responsibility’ from the league was shocking and decisions were being made behind closed doors

Rangers have demanded that Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) chief executive officer Neil Doncaster be suspended over the vote about how to end the season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The league on Wednesday submitted a resolution that said the three lower leagues would finish in the positions they stood at when play was halted in March. A decision on the Scottish Premiership would be taken at a later date if the first proposal was passed.

The Premiership and clubs in League One and Two have backed the plan with the required 75 percent of the vote, but it now rests on one Championship club, with seven having voted for it and two against.

Scottish Professional Football League chief executive officer Neil Doncaster, center, attends a Scottish League Cup semi-final at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on Oct. 28, 2018.
 Photo: Reuters

However, Rangers, second in the Premiership behind leaders Celtic, said that a whistle-blower has provided the club with allegations that the vote on how to end the Scottish Championship, League One and League Two was not carried out fairly.

“We have been presented with evidence via a whistle-blower that raises serious concerns surrounding the SPFL’s processes relating to its stewardship of the voting on the resolution presented to member clubs,” a Rangers statement said on Saturday. “Rangers interim chairman Douglas Park attempted to discuss this evidence with SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster, who initially refused to do so. The SPFL followed up that call with an e-mail, which we believe was a thinly disguised attempt to silence legitimate concerns.”

“Rangers will not be bullied into silence. We believe it is in the interests of all Scottish clubs and supporters that the evidence, which is alarming, be addressed as quickly as possible,” the club said.

Rangers’ protest came after the league rejected their proposal to pay prize money early to help ease the damaging financial effects of the virus lockdown.

“The lack of leadership and responsibility from the SPFL as a members’ organization has shocked me,” Park said. “If ever there was a time for complete openness and transparency, it is now. Crucial decisions are being made on the issues of promotion and relegation behind closed doors and without proper time for consideration or debate.”

“The farcical conduct of this affair seems to me to bring the corporate governance and business operations of the SPFL into sharp focus,” he said. “It is an example of an undemocratic culture, which has existed within the SPFL for far too long.”

“We call for the suspension of the SPFL’s chief executive, Neil Doncaster, and its legal adviser, Rod McKenzie, while an independent investigation is conducted,” he said.

SPFL chairman Murdoch MacLennan said that he was concerned about Rangers’ allegations and has called on them to show him the evidence.

“It is extremely concerning that Rangers have chosen to make a number of very serious allegations against the SPFL, its corporate governance, its culture, its office-bearers and its business operations,” MacLennan said in a statement. “In the often-heated atmosphere of Scottish football, rumor and misinformation can very quickly reach fever-point.”

“However, allegations of a lack of even-handedness and fair play go to the very integrity of the league and I would expect Rangers interim chairman Douglas Park to present compelling evidence to back up his claims, or to withdraw them.”

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title: Rangers want league’s head banned


content_text:
WIDE-RANGING TESTS:
 The increased number of diagnoses came as a record 110,000 tests were conducted over the past few days, with confirmed cases reaching 152,271

Italy on Saturday reported its highest number of new COVID-19 cases in a week, a day after the government moved to extend the country’s lockdown with only slight concessions to businesses demanding a restart of the economy.

There were 4,694 new cases, compared with 3,951 a day earlier, civil protection officials said.

The rise came as testing continues to surge, with a record number of tests conducted at the end of the week and about 110,000 performed in the past few days, health officials said.

The number of confirmed cases in the country totaled 152,271.

Italy registered 619 deaths linked to the virus in the past 24 hours, compared with 570 the day before. That brought the total number of fatalities to 19,468.

Separately, the mayor of an Italian town famous for its bonfire celebrations on Good Friday was forced to apologize after locals turned up to pray with the town priest in defiance of the lockdown.

The southeastern town of San Marco holds an annual ritual that sees huge trunks of hollowed out trees thrown onto wagons and set alight.

The event was canceled this year because of the pandemic.

The local priest intended to broadcast a video of his silent prayer in front of the town’s main church.

However, San Marco Mayor Michele Merla said families with children and the elderly showed up, and began to pray alongside the priest.

“I made a mistake. I know,” the mayor said in a video posted on Facebook.

“When these people arrived and began to pray on their knees before the Virgin Mary, it was difficult for me to interrupt,” he said.

The incident sparked a lively social media debate in a heavily Catholic country that has been under lockdown longer than any other in Europe — and where the patience of some is wearing thin.

The bishop for the town’s Foggia Province expressed outrage at the act of civil disobedience by the town’s faithful.

The participants “showed neither common sense nor prudence,” Bishop Vincenzo Pelvi said.

At such a difficult time it was important for clergy to act responsibly, local media quoted the bishop as saying.

“Parish priests are still required to adhere categorically to [the lockdown] and to avoid putting citizens and the faithful at risk,” he said.

The priest expressed his sincere regret at what had happened.

“The situation got out of hand,” Don Motteo said tearfully in a TV interview. “I am sorry. I apologize.”

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title: Virus Outbreak: Italy reports most new cases in a week


content_text:
Vietnam is challenging China’s dominance of coronavirus diplomacy with the donation of medical supplies to Europe and Southeast Asia and even winning plaudits from US President Donald Trump for a shipment of protective suits.

China is looking to burnish its credentials as a responsible power by sharing expertise and donating masks and other protective equipment to countries seeing a surge in cases and to repair an image dented by the disease that originated there late last year.

Vietnam, despite its lack of resources compared with its giant neighbor, has donated 550,000 face masks to France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Britain, and 390,000 to Cambodia and 340,000 to Laos.

It has also capitalized on the US government’s purchase of 450,000 made-in-Vietnam DuPont hazmat suits by expediting the shipment of the protective equipment, and using it to highlight its medical donations in public statements and state media.

Trump on Thursday thanked “our friends in Vietnam” for that shipment.

Helped by a mass quarantine and aggressive contact-tracing, the Vietnamese Ministry of Health has recorded 255 cases of COVID-19 and no deaths.

Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, who has been widely praised for his role in leading the effort against the coronavirus, on Monday last week said the outbreak was under control.

The next day, state media showed photographs of European ambassadors receiving boxes of masks from the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a ceremony showcasing the donation.

“Vietnam appears to have gained in confidence by managing to deal successfully with the coronavirus,” said Carl Thayer, an expert in Vietnam’s diplomacy at the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra.

“While Vietnam is bracing itself against a second wave of the virus, it is also beginning to look ahead to a revival of economic activity,” Thayer said.

Key to spurring that activity is to be a much-anticipated EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement, which the Vietnamese National Assembly is to ratify later this month, Thayer said.

There are now 40 firms producing 7 million fabric masks a day in Vietnam, the government said on Thursday.

An additional 5.72 million surgical masks can be produced daily, it said.

However, Vietnam is not the only country keen to show that it is able to offer its support to the world.

Taiwan is donating 16 million masks, mostly to Europe and the US, earning it rare prominence on the world stage.

The government of Taiwan, which like Vietnam has managed to keep its tally of coronavirus cases low, with just six deaths, has not drawn a direct link between its virus diplomacy and that of China, but has been keen to show how “Taiwan can help,” especially as it can make more than 13 million masks a day.

South Korea has also won attention for its campaign against the virus and on Thursday it hosted an online presentation outlining its containment measures for about 400 health officials and experts from 13 countries, including the US, Mexico and Italy.

“We’ve been getting requests from many countries for us to share our know-how,” a South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said.

Vietnam has also not explicitly compared its virus diplomacy to China’s, but it was quick to send supplies to old allies Laos and Cambodia, where its influence has waned in recent years while Beijing’s has surged.

Even though Vietnam needs similar equipment in its own efforts against the virus, it has made donations to neighbors with large Vietnamese communities “on the basis of traditional friendship and relations,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said.

Vietnam could also be pushing the quality of its medical supplies in light of mounting returns to China of faulty equipment, Thayer said.

Vietnam’s biggest listed firm, Vingroup, two weeks ago said it would start producing up to 55,000 ventilators a month, including for foreign markets.

“Vietnam cannot hope to match China in the volume and dollar value of its aid, but Vietnam can provide assistance where it counts,” Thayer said.

Additional reporting by Khanh Vu, Phuong Nguyen, Ben Blanchard and Josh Smith

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title: Vietnam challenging China’s monopoly on virus diplomacy


title: TSMC posts higher Q1 revenue than previously forecast

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Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) on Friday reported that first-quarter revenue exceeded its earlier guidance, thanks to record sales last month.

The world’s largest contract chipmaker posted NT$310.6 billion (US$10.32 billion) in revenue for the January-to-March period, a 42 percent increase from a year earlier, but down 2.09 percent from the previous quarter.

That beat the NT$304.98 billion to NT$307.97 billion guidance that TSMC told investors in January.

The first-quarter results reflected solid global demand for 5G applications and high-performance computing devices, despite the COVID-19 pandemic and a typically slow season for the company, analysts said.

Last month, revenue grew 21.5 percent month-on-month and 42.4 percent year-on-year to NT$113.52 billion, company data showed.

TSMC is scheduled to hold a quarterly earnings conference on Thursday to detail its first-quarter results and give sales guidance for the second quarter.

Market researchers have warned that sales in the semiconductor industry would likely fall this year due to the pandemic, with Gartner Inc predicting an annual 0.9 percent decline and IC Insights Inc forecasting a 4 percent decrease.

Separately, contract chipmaker United Microelectronics Corp (聯電) on Friday posted a 7.08 percent month-on-month increase in revenue last month to NT$14.57 billion, an increase of 41.11 percent from a year earlier

UMC’s first-quarter revenue rose 29.72 percent from a year earlier to NT$42.27 billion, setting a quarterly record for it.

Handset chip designer MediaTek Inc (聯發科) reported revenue for last month of NT$22.82 billion, an increase of 25.27 percent month-on-month and 2.27 percent year-on-year, the company said in a regulatory filing on Friday.

First-quarter sales rose 15.44 percent to NT$60.85 billion, it added.

Vanguard International Semiconductor Corp (世界先進), which supplies driver ICs for flat panels and power management chips, on Thursday posted revenue for last month of NT$2.88 billion, an increase of 29.59 percent from a year earlier, while first-quarter revenue rose 13.57 percent annually to NT$7.84 billion.

Vanguard chief financial officer Amanda Huang (黃惠蘭) said that last month’s revenue grew 10.99 percent from the previous month due to an increase of wafer shipments.

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