Month: December 2021

Hsinchu Mayor Lin Chih-chien (???) of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) announced on Monday that he will not run for mayor of greater Hsinchu in 2022, following the likely re-designation of the area as a special municipality.

In a statement posted on his Facebook page, Lin said after days of careful thought, he decided not to run for mayor of the merged Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County next year, to stop political maneuvering by opposition parties and help accelerate the passing of an amendment to allow for the establishment of the new special municipality.

Lin expressed concern that the likelihood of him running for mayor of the new administrative area could hold up the re-designation process.

Lin also said he hoped his decision to not run, which he noted was approved by President Tsai Ing-wen (???) and Premier Su Tseng-chang (???), would force opposition parties to focus on the merger and support local people’s desire to see a merged Hsinchu area upgraded to a special municipality.

“Although I will not run for mayor in 2022 of a greater Hsichu area, I’m still committed to pushing for the merger of the Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County,” he said.

Lin has been mayor of Hsinchu since 2014, and his second term ends in December 2022.

Talks on the merger first surfaced in September, when Lin said it was important for the greater Hsinchu area to become a special municipality in order to speed up its development.

Opposition parties have been strongly critical that the merger would allow Lin to run for mayor of the planned new special municipality, and thereby promote the political interests of the DPP.

Lin’s announcement came days after a Local Government Act amendment bill sponsored by the DPP’s legislative caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (???) was sent to committee stage after clearing its first legislative hurdle last Friday.

The amendment seeks to lower the bar on the establishment of special municipalities in Taiwan so that regions hoping to upgrade to special municipality status no longer have to meet the minimum population requirement.

Currently, only a region with a population of 1.25 million and above that has “special needs for political, economic, cultural, and metropolitan developments” can be re-designated a special municipality, according to Article 4 of the Local Government Act.

The bill is part of the DPP’s efforts to merge Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County, a region that is home to the Hsinchu Science Park, where contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and many other hi-tech companies are headquartered.

As of November 2021, approximately 1.02 million people resided in the region, 452,665 in Hsinchu City and 575,131 in Hsinchu County, local government figures show.

Ker has argued that establishing special municipalities will help close the gap between urban and rural areas while boosting the country’s competitiveness.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

Those caught smoking outside of designated smoking areas around Taipei Main Station will face fines of up to NT$10,000 (US$361) beginning Jan. 1.

The restrictions, part of a raft of city government measures designed to improve quality of life in the capital, will be effective within the area covering Gongyuan Road to the east; Section 1, Zhongxiao West Road to the south; Section 1, Chengde Road, and Section 1, Chongqing North Road to the west; and Section 1, Civic Boulevard, and Beiping West Road to the north.

Those that smoke in a restricted area will be fined between NT$2,000 and NT$10,000 for violating the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act, the Taipei City Government’s Department of Environmental Protection said.

The ban is one of three new measures the capital will implement from the beginning of 2022.

The second involves a NT$5 parking discount for scooter and motorcycle riders who park their vehicles in public parking areas in the city and then transfer to the MRT system within one hour of paying for parking with an EasyCard.

The preferential treatment, which is being expanded from roadside parking to public parking areas, is designed to encourage commuters to complete their journeys by MRT, according to the city’s Department of Transportation.

The city will also create “air quality control zones” covering Taipei Songshan Airport and three city-owned garbage incinerators in Neihu, Muzha, and Beitou districts.

Starting Jan. 1, diesel-fueled vehicles that have not had their emissions rating certified by the city government and motorbikes that have not passed an annual check will be restricted from entering the air quality control zones.

Those violating the new restrictions will be fined NT$500 for two- and three-wheeled vehicles, NT$1,000 for a small-size diesel-fueled pickup, and NT$2,000 for a large diesel-powered truck or bus, after a three month grace period from Jan. 1-March 31, the city’s environmental protection department said.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

Hehuanshan recorded snowfall of 5-6 centimeters Monday morning, the winter’s heaviest, with snow also seen on several other high mountains in northern, northeastern, and central Taiwan, according to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB).

Frigid temperatures and ample moisture brought by a cold air mass together with a wet weather system from southern China prompted snowfall on Hehuanshan at an elevation of 3,422 meters on the borders of Nantou and Hualien counties.

It started snowing on the mountain around 1 a.m. with snowfall lasting until 7 a.m., according to the CWB.

In addition, 4-5 cm of accumulated snowfall was also recorded at Lodge 369 in the Shei-Pa National Park between 1 a.m. and 7 a.m.

Taiwan’s highest peak, Jade Mountain, also known as Yushan, saw brief snowfall from 3:15 a.m.-3:50 a.m. before it started snowing again at 5:20 a.m.

As of 9:30 a.m., about 2 cm of accumulated snow had been recorded on the 3,952-meter mountain, according to the CWB.

The lowest temperature on Yushan, which stood at minus 2.8 degrees Celsius, was recorded at its north peak, according to data posted on the CWB’s website.

A continuing cold front will affect Taiwan until Tuesday, with wet and cold weather forecast during Tuesday morning, according to the weather bureau.

On Monday, the weather on the outlying islands will remain cold, with Dongyin in Lienchiang County to experience temperatures as low as 7 degrees at 2:30 p.m., while Wuchiu in Kinmen can expect temperatures of 9.3 degrees at 3:50 p.m.

In addition, as the continental cold air mass continues to linger from Monday night to Tuesday, temperatures are expected to fall to below 10 degrees Celsius in parts of Keelung, Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu City and County, Miaoli County, and Kinmen County, the CWB’s Lin Ting-I (???) said.

Meanwhile, Taipei, New Taipei, Keelung, and Yilan could see rainfall, while heavy rain is forecast for mountainous areas in Greater Taipei, according to Lin.

There is still a chance of snow on mountains at elevations of over 3,000 meters around Taiwan, Lin said.

The cold weather would ease slightly on Wednesday before a cold air mass gains momentum Thursday afternoon to bring the mercury down in northern and northeastern Taiwan.

The next cold air mass is expected to affect Taiwan until Jan. 2, with the temperatures likely to drop to as low as 14-15 degrees between the nighttime on Dec. 31 and early morning Jan. 1, 2022, according to Lin.

There is a slim chance of getting a clear view of 2022’s first sunrise, Lin added.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

Taiwan’s online newspaper Apple Daily, which has been put up for sale, said on Monday that more than one potential buyer is interested in purchasing the publication.

The newspaper is in the process of being sold, with more than one potential buyer, and Avengers Ltd. is the most active one, Apple Daily said, citing a notice issued by the Hong Kong-based accounting firm Kenny Tam & Co., which serves as the provisional liquidators of the daily’s parent company Next Digital Ltd.

Taiwan’s Apple Daily, a sister publication of Hong Kong’s Apple Daily, which stopped publishing both its print and online versions in June, said Avengers does not get any funding from China and doesn’t have any background related to the mainland.

The publication said the main shareholder of Avengers’ has been living in Taiwan for years with a lot of experience in running media, and has shown strong interest in Apple Daily.

Apple Daily said if the transaction is completed, the publication is expected to maintain its long term neutral editorial stance, adding that it is also planning to increase coverage of entertainment and food-related stories.

Apple Daily added that Kenny Tam & Co. hopes that the deal to dispose of the Taiwanese publication will be completed as soon as possible to allow a smooth liquidation of the parent Next Digital. The liquidation order was issued by the High Court in Hong Kong on Dec. 15.

Taiwan’s Apple Daily was founded in 2003 by Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai (???), who is serving a 20-month sentence in jail after being convicted in four unauthorized assembly cases.

On May 18, the publication went online by stopping its print edition, but it has reportedly run out of funds.

The Taiwan version of the tabloid Next Magazine, also owned by Next Digital, ceased its online publication on Feb. 29, 2020, less than two years after closing its print edition and almost two decades after launching its product in the Taiwan market.

The 18 million Hong Kong dollar (US$2.3 million) assets of Next Digital, which was renamed from Next Media in October 2015 but became defunct in June, have been frozen by a court. The order to wind up Next Digital will bring the 40-year-old company to an end.

Trading of shares of Next Digital have been suspended on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange since June 17.

In April, Taiwan’s Presidential Office condemned the sentencing of 74-year-old Lai and others in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, saying that the move will further curtail Hong Kongers’ right to public assembly.

Lai is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 28 for his national security case.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

The Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) officially launched its new EMU3000 intercity express train, which is the railway operator’s only model with business-class seats, with a special trip from Taitung Station in southeastern Taiwan to Shulin Station in New Taipei on Sunday.

The new EMU3000 trains, which offer more seats than existing express services, are part of the government’s plan to improve highways and railways in eastern Taiwan, Premier Su Tseng-chang (???) said at a ceremony at Taitung Station, located in the county of the same name, before the trip.

Each EMU3000 train, which was built by Japanese conglomerate Hitachi, has 538 seats in 12 cars, including one car with 30 business-class seats, according to the TRA.

This means the train has 40 percent more seats compared to the Taroko and Puyuma express trains which have eight cars, said Liu Chao-hao (???) — the legislator for Taitung County — at the ceremony, which was also attended by Taitung County Magistrate Yao Ching-ling (???).

Liu invited 200 Taitung residents to travel on part of Sunday’s journey with Su, Transportation Minister Wang Kwo-tsai (???), and Mitsuaki Hoshino, a deputy representative of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association. The residents disembarked at Chishang, in the northern part of Taitung.

According to the TRA, the new train will be deployed for three daily return services between Shulin and Taitung, starting on Dec. 29.

The train used for Sunday’s special service was delivered on July 30 and certified for operations on Dec. 21, according to the TRA.

The TRA said that by the end of this year, it expects to have received seven out of 50 trains ordered from Hitachi.

Tickets for regular seats on the new train, which is listed as “Tze-Chiang Ltd. Express (3000)” on the TRA website, went on sale on Dec. 1, while tickets for the business-class seats became available on Dec. 15.

A single business-class ticket between Taipei and Taitung costs NT$1,145 (US$41.30), while a regular ticket for the same journey on the EMU3000 train or on other express trains costs NT$783, according to the TRA.

Passengers with a business-class ticket will be offered a drink and a food item free of charge.

The food items available on the new train include boxed meals, crackers, ice cream, and cakes, the TRA said.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

A record number of exhibitors will participate this year in SEMICON Taiwan, an annual international trade fair in the semiconductor technology sector, when it opens Dec. 28 in Taipei, the organizers said Sunday.

The annual event, which was postponed from September due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will feature 2,150 booths by 650 exhibitors, the highest number since it was first held in 1996, according to SEMI, an organization that connects some 2,400 member companies and 1.3 million professionals worldwide to advance the technology and business of electronics design and manufacturing.

In a press release, Terry Tsao (???), chief marketing officer at SEMI and president of SEMI Taiwan, said the record high number of exhibitors this year is evidence of Taiwan’s central position in the global semiconductor industry.

Tsao said participation in the show will not be affected significantly by COVID-19 travel restrictions, as most of the buyers are based in Taiwan, and the international clients also have representatives in the country, which is a semiconductor manufacturing powerhouse.

One of the highlights of 2021 SEMICON Taiwan will be a special Compound Semiconductor Innovation Zone, Tsao said, adding that compound semiconductors seem to be the future of the industry, as silicon chips are reaching their limits.

Under the theme “Forward as One,” the SEMICON Taiwan 2021 will also showcase cutting-edge advances and solutions in critical semiconductor areas such as heterogeneous integration, green manufacturing, smart and advanced manufacturing, advanced testing, and strategic materials, SEMI said in the press release.

The fair, which will run from Dec. 28 to 30 at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, will be SEMI’s last international show of the year, according to the press release.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel