Month: August 2022

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China’s drone incursions to set new normal unacceptable: U.S. official

The United States will not accept Chinese maneuvers that attempt to establish a new normal across the Taiwan Strait, a White House official said Monday about recent drone incursions from China to Taiwan’s offshore islands.

China has been trying to turn up the heat on Taiwan in response to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei early this month, White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said.

He was answering to a question during a conference call about how the U.S. might react to a recent spate of drones from China that have been spotted flying over Taiwan’s offshore islands.

If this is true, it would appear to be in keeping with the People’s Liberation Army’s efforts, including Chinese warplanes overflying the median line of the Taiwan Strait, to establish a new normal regarding their activity across the strait, Kirby said.

“We are simply not going to accept whatever new normal the Chinese want to put in place,” he said.

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) has called the repeated Chinese drone incursions near some small islets in Kinmen County as examples of China’s “cognitive warfare” campaign against Taiwan.

Premier Su Tseng-chang (???) said Tuesday that the Cabinet would fully support the MND’s needs to deal with the threat, a likely reference to the MND’s proposal to install a new anti-drone system by 2023 on Taiwan’s offshore islands that lie close to the coast of China’s Fujian Province.

Separately, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday the U.S. would continue to conduct standard air and maritime transit where international law allows across the Taiwan Strait to show its commitment to freedom of navigation and to protect the region.

“You will see in the coming days and weeks and months that our presence, posture, and exercises account for China’s provocative and destabilizing behavior, with a view towards guiding the situation in the Western Pacific towards greater stability,” she told a news conference.

Two U.S. Navy warships transited the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, the first such passage since China launched days of intensive military drills encircling Taiwan after Pelosi’s visit.

According to a statement released by the 7th Fleet under the U.S. Pacific Command, the two ships were identified as the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers USS Antietam (CG 54) and USS Chancellorsville (CG 62).

“The ship’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The United States’ military flies, sails, and operates anywhere international law allows,” the statement said.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

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Visiting Guatemalan foreign minister encourages cross-strait dialogue

Guatemalan Foreign Minister Mario Búcaro, who is on a five-day visit to Taiwan, on Tuesday reaffirmed his country’s support for Taiwan, while encouraging dialogue between Taipei and Beijing to ease tensions.

During a meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen (???), Búcaro said his current visit is testament to Guatemala’s support for Taiwan in an increasingly volatile world.

Guatemala believes that a nation’s people are entitled to lead a peaceful life and that such a right, along with national sovereignty, is not exchangeable, said Búcaro, who is on his first visit to Taiwan since taking office as foreign minister in February.

He also encouraged Taipei to engage in dialogue with Beijing, saying that the Guatemalan government firmly believes such dialogue is necessary to defuse tensions.

Guatemala will “always support Taiwan” and has showed solidarity with Taiwan since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1933, Búcaro said.

That support is not just verbal, as it includes concrete actions such as trade exchanges and other efforts to deepen the bilateral relationship, the foreign minister said.

He said Taiwan and Guatemala are “like-minded” countries that will continue to engage in dialogue and build their cooperation to the benefit of their people.

Tsai, meanwhile, thanked the Guatemalan government for voicing concern over China’s recent military exercises around Taiwan, which started after a trip to Taipei by United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Aug. 2-3.

Democratic countries must strengthen their partnership in the face of authoritarian expansion, Tsai said, adding that Taiwan is looking forward to further cooperation with Guatemala in the areas of economic transformation and women’s empowerment, among others.

While in Taiwan, Búcaro is also scheduled to meet with Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (???) and visit several government agencies and governmental organizations, including the Mainland Affairs Council, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council, and National Defense University, before his departure on Sep. 2, according to Taiwan’s foreign ministry.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

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Taiwan’s top male singles, doubles shuttlers advance at Japan Open

Taiwan’s top male singles and doubles badminton players advanced into the second round of the Japan Open on Tuesday after clinching their opening round matches in Osaka.

Fresh off a bronze medal performance at the World Championships in Tokyo last week, world No. 6 Chou Tien-chen (???) toppled world No. 15 Lee Cheuk Yiu (???) of Hong Kong 18-21, 21-17, 21-15 in 75 minutes at the Super 750 tournament.

The 32-year-old Chou had a similarly taxing three-game marathon to top Lee in the third round of the World Championships last week, but he seemed in bigger trouble after blowing a 17-14 lead to drop the opening game in Osaka.

He sped out to an 11-5 lead in the second game, but needed to rally late after Lee came back to tie it up at 16-all.

In the final game, Chou again held a commanding edge after an eight-point run that put him up 14-7, only for Lee to rattle off five straight points to pull to within 14-12.

But the Taiwanese veteran, who has a habit of playing long, drawn-out matches, took the next four points and was not threatened after that.

He will next play world No. 23 Lu Guangzu (???) of China.

Chou’s world ranking actually dropped two spots this week despite his third-place finish in Tokyo, because he picked up fewer ranking points (9,200) than the 12,000 he lost when the Blibli Indonesia Open in July 2019, which Chou won, was cut from the rankings.

Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Olympic gold medalists Lee Yang (??) and Wang Chi-lin (???) were pushed by compatriots Lu Ching-yao (???) and Yang Po-han (???) before prevailing 21-12, 28-26 in 41 minutes.

Lee and Wang, who were ousted in the third round of the World Championships men’s doubles last week but are seeded fourth in Osaka, will next face world No. 15 duo Ben Lane and Sean Vendy of England in the second round.

The Japan Open, held Aug. 30-Sept. 4 in Osaka, carries a total purse of US$750,000 (NT$22.839 million).

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

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President asks military to strengthen Chinese drone incursion response

President Tsai Ing-wen (???) on Tuesday said she has instructed the armed forces to take “strong countermeasures” when necessary to protect Taiwan’s airspace, in response to frequent Chinese drone incursions, amid widespread criticism the military has done little to counter such incidents.

During an inspection tour of troops stationed on the offshore island of Penghu, Tsai reaffirmed the country’s stance that it will not provoke or start a war with China and has refrained from taking more aggressive militarily moves, amid heightened cross-strait tensions.

However, that does not mean Taiwan will not counter People’s Liberation Army (PLA) provocations, especially when China is sending drones to Taiwan’s outlying frontline islands and conducting cognitive warfare to lower morale among Taiwanese, the president said.

“I have ordered the Ministry of National Defense (MND) to take necessary and strong countermeasures at appropriate times, to defend the security of the nation’s territorial airspace,” she said.

Tsai’s statement was made after Taiwan’s armed forces came under heavy criticism after their apparent lack of a serious response to more frequent Chinese drone incursions in the airspace around Taiwan-controlled offshore islands.

Chinese netizens have recently released a series of clips taken by civilian-operated drones showing them flying close to and filming military lookout posts, which have embarrassed Taiwan’s military.

The MND has refrained from more aggressive countermeasures such as shooting the drones down to avoid further escalating cross-strait tensions, it said

Military experts and specialists are now urging Taiwanese soldiers to not hold back on using counter-drone weapons when spotting them in the nation’s territorial airspace.

Amid criticism, Taiwan’s Army on Tuesday made public for the first time what it described as its four-step rules of engagement for drone encounters; “firing warning flares, reporting the incursion, expelling the drone and ultimately shooting it down.”

To deal with the rising drone threat over the long term, the MND said it is working on a drone defense system that will be installed by next year in Taiwan’s two offshore counties located close to China’s coast — Kinmen and Lienchiang.

In her Tuesday address, Tsai said amid Beijing’s increasing military coercion, Taiwan’s government continues to strengthen its resolution and capability to defend the nation.

Citing the central government general budget plan for fiscal 2023 proposed last week, the president said proposed spending on national defense next year is increased by nearly 14 percent or more than NT$70 billion (US$23 million).

The money will be used to promote the development of indigenous-built warships and warplanes; improve the equipment and weaponry available to troops; elevate the nation’s reserve forces and develop asymmetrical warfare.

Tsai’s inspection tour of armed force units stationed in Penghu County, located in the Taiwan Strait, was intended to thank them for their service ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday next week.

Tensions between Taiwan and China have recently soared to their highest level in decades, with China conducting live-fire and other military exercises around Taiwan following a visit to Taipei by U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi earlier this month.

China also responded by suspending imports of some Taiwanese food and agricultural products.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

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Michelin Guide lists 38 starred restaurants in Taiwan this year

Thirty-eight restaurants in Taiwan have earned Michelin stars this year, according to Michelin’s 2022 gourmet food guide on Taiwan released Tuesday that covered Tainan and Kaohsiung for the first time.

“This year, we have the extreme pleasure of adding to our new edition two new territories whose gastronomic richness impressed our inspectors. I’m of course referring to Tainan and Kaohsiung,” said Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides.

While Tainan is known for its many snacks and popular culinary culture, Poullennec described Kaohsiung as a destination that delights lovers of seafood or rice specialties.

Tainan did not place any restaurant on the list of 38, while Kaohsiung had two restaurants earn one star — Liberté, and Sho?.

There were a total of 30 restaurants that got a star in Taiwan, including the two in Kaohsiung. Twenty-others were in Taipei, while four were in Taichung.

Aside from Liberté, and Sho?, five other restaurants were starred by Michelin for the first time — Holt, Paris 1930 de Hideki Takayama, Shin Yeh Taiwanese Signature, Sushiyoshi, and Yu Kapo.

The 23 one-star restaurants that were holdovers from last year included Danny’s Steakhouse, De Nuit, Fujin Tree Taiwanese Cuisine & Champagne (Songshan), Golden Formosa, Impromptu by Paul Lee, Ken Anhe, Kitcho and Longtail, all in Taipei.

Also earning one star again were Ming Fu, Mipon, Molino de Urdaniz, Mountain and Sea House, Mudan, Sushi Akira, Sushi Nomura, Sushi Ryu, T+T, Tien Hsiang Lo, and Ya Ge in Taipei, and Fleur de Sel, Forchetta, Oretachi No Nikuya, and Sur- in Taichung.

There were seven two-star restaurants this year, all of them in Taipei and Taichung.

They were JL Studio in Taichung and L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Logy, RAW, Shoun Ryugin, Taïrroir, and The Guest House in Taipei.

Cantonese restaurant Le Palais in Taipei remained the sole three-star restaurant in the country for the fifth year in a row.

Awarded for the second time in Taiwan, the Michelin Green Star for 2022 went to Mountain and Sea House, Yangming Spring (Shilin), Embers and Little Tree Food (Da’an Road).

The Green Star is awarded to restaurants that value sustainability and offer their customers gourmet experiences that combine both gastronomic and eco-friendly excellence, according to the guide.

Kei Too (???) and Johnny Tsai (???) of T+T also won this year’s Michelin Young Chef Award, with the guide praising the two for their “strong culinary background and creativity in their Asian-inflected cuisine, showcasing the food culture of Asia in their menu.”

A Michelin three-star rating denotes “exceptional cuisine worth a journey,” while the two-star and one-star categories recommend excellent cooking worth a detour and high quality cooking worth a stop, respectively.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

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Consumer confidence index levels off but worry remains over economy: NCU

Taiwan’s consumer confidence index (CCI) recovered slightly in August after six months of decline, but there is still concern about the outlook for the domestic economy, National Central University (NCU) said Monday.

Citing a survey it conducted Aug. 18-21, NCU said the CCI rose 0.03 points in August from a month earlier to 63.08, after dipping in July to its lowest level of 63.05 since November 2009, when the index stood at 62.47.

The CCI gauges the level of confidence people have regarding employment prospects, family finances, consumer prices, the local economic climate, the stock market, and the likelihood of purchasing durable goods over the next six months.

In August, two of the six sub-indexes — the likelihood of purchasing durable goods and the local economic climate — rose by 0.4 and 0.15 points, respectively, from a month earlier to 109.4 and 79.7, the survey found.

However, the sub-index for consumer prices dropped by 0.4 points to 26.5, its lowest level since November 2008, when the sub-index stood at 24.70, the survey indicated.

The sub-indexes for family finances, employment, and the stock market remained unchanged at 74.35, 63.7 and 24.8, respectively, according to the survey.

Dachrahn Wu (???), director of NCU’s Research Center for Taiwan Economic Development, said the CCI increase in August was marginal, statistically, so he would prefer to say it had leveled off from a month earlier.

With interest rates on the rise, private consumption and investment may weaken in the months ahead, which would stifle domestic economic growth, he said, noting that the global economy continues to be affected by rising inflation.

In a bid to tackle the inflation problem, the U.S. Federal Reserve has been aggressively hiking interest rates, implementing an increase of 225 basis points since March, and it is likely to raise them again, by 75 points in September, Wu said.

The interest rate hikes may hamper consumption in the U.S., the world’s largest economy, leading to reduced imports, he said.

Such a cutback would have a big impact on Taiwan’s exports, as the U.S. is one of its biggest buyers, Wu said.

In addition to the worry over Taiwan exports, there is also growing concern that high inflation will affect domestic consumption, he said, adding that those are some of the factors contributing to his downbeat outlook for Taiwan’s economy in the second half of the year.

In July, export orders in Taiwan fell 1.9 percent from a year earlier, ending two months of year-on-year growth and missing a forecast of a 0.4-3.1 percent year-on-year increase.

Also in July, the CPI rose 3.36 percent from a year earlier, recording an increase of more than 3 percent for the fifth consecutive month, driven primarily by higher food and fuel prices.

Meanwhile, another NCU survey conducted jointly with Taiwan Realty, showed a monthly increase of 0.2 points in August of the index that indicates whether it is a good time to buy homes.

Wu said while that may have been a signal that investment in the housing market would be one way to deal with inflation, the very small rise of the index indicated lingering caution amid uncertainties over the economy.

According to NCU, a CCI sub-index score of 0-100 indicates pessimism, while a score of 100-200 shows optimism, NCU said, noting that optimism was seen only in the sub-index on the likelihood of purchasing durable goods over the next six months..

The NCU survey in August collected 2,773 valid questionnaires from consumers in Taiwan aged 20 and over. It had a confidence level of 95 percent and a margin of error of plus or minus 2.0 percentage points.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

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Virtual branded Love island villa: Driving user engagement, in-game purchasing and new experiences in Hotel Hideaway

Azerion partners with ITV  Studios‘ Love Island to create a social experience in Hotel Hideaway, opening up opportunities for brands and players

Amsterdam, NL – 29 August 2022 – Azerion, the digital entertainment and media platform, has announced the results of its first virtual branded hangout room in Hotel Hideaway for Love Island and ITV Studios, creating higher user engagement than any of the other rooms since its launch eleven weeks ago. Following the partnership’s immediate success, Azerion and ITV Studios continue to bring new experiences to players and are launching the first of a monthly World of Love Island quiz series.

In the first 15 hours of launching the branded room,135,000 items were sold. This increased to 545,000 after 30 days, with blue and pink caps the most popular items. This exceeded previous campaigns run on Hotel Hideaway, which saw an average of 75,000 items sold in the first 15 hours and 360,000 after the first 30 days. The branded room attracted 3 million visits in 30 days with 46,000 daily visitors on average, spending an average of 52 mins in total over the period.

With the Love Island season drawing to a close, as the reunion in the UK happened on 7 August and in the US season ends on 28 August, Azerion in partnership with ITV Studios will be rolling out new features.

Relive the Love Island magic with the World of Love Island Quiz in Hotel Hideaway!

Azerion and ITV Studios are delighted to announce the first of a monthly World of Love Island quiz series being hosted in Hotel Hideaway on 1 September, as part of their global digital content partnership. Players can now join other beach-body ready avatars in the Love Island Villa as they are shown iconic footage from Love Island shows from around the world to test their knowledge.

With the new immersive World of Love Island quiz experience, players must answer questions such as: What happens next? What colour swim shorts was he wearing? Which country is this Islander from? The game works by stepping on platforms A, B and C until the platform with the right answer lights up. With three rounds, each containing five questions, being broadcasted four times a day (to cover all time zones), players will never miss out on proving who’s the biggest Love Island expert around; with all participants receiving an exclusive pin to show off. A special release of new clothing and furni, plus the extension of the existing Love Island room into the World of Love Island area will guarantee to keep the summer vibes flowing.

Kim Dingler, CCO, Global Entertainment at ITV Studios, comments: “Love Island  has such a loyal and engaged fanbase, by bringing the show to Hotel Hideaway players feel actively involved as they experience the life of an Islander in the Love Island villa.”

Jurriaan van Teunenbroek, VP Games and Content at Azerion, comments: “The Love Island experience in Hotel Hideaway has been such a great success, showcasing the many possibilities for brands to engage with consumers in an organic way. This partnership demonstrates the opportunities of in-game advertising and branding, capturing the attention of millions of actively engaged audiences and coupling it with a successful TV show to increase cross-marketing strategies.”

Contact

press@azerion.com

investorrelations@azerion.com

About Hotel Hideaway

With over 17.5 million registered users, Azerion’s Hotel Hideaway is a 3D social virtual community full of opportunities to meet new people and make new friends. The Hotel is a lively and vibrant world full to the brim with social adventures and fun activities! Dress to impress and stand out from the crowd with an abundance of stylish clothing, items and accessories. Customise your room with a variety of furniture items and decorations. Learn secret gestures and dance moves – and then party into the early hours inside unique public rooms. No matter what you like to spend your time doing, Hotel Hideaway is the place to be. There’s oodles of fun to be had and secrets to discover, so jump in and make sure the other guests recognise your name!

About ITV Studios

ITV Studios is a creator, producer and distributor of world-leading programmes and formats that people can’t get enough of. Connecting millions of people every day and shaping and reflecting the world they live in, ITV Studios is More Than TV. Its Brand & Licensing department is responsible for all global commercial activities including sponsorship, brand licensing, consumer products, gaming, and live events. It represents a diverse portfolio including scripted and non-scripted content, game shows and kids titles, which offers a wide range of commercial opportunities. Brands include The Voice, Hell’s Kitchen, Love Island, I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, The Chase, Coronation Street, Schitt’s Creek, The Last Unicorn, Thunderbirds, Space: 1999, The Prisoner, and more.

About Azerion

Azerion is a high-growth digital entertainment and media platform. As a content-driven, technology and data company, Azerion serves consumers, digital publishers, advertisers and game creators globally. Azerion’s integrated platform provides technology solutions to automate the purchase and sale of digital advertising for media buyers and sellers, supported by in market sales and campaign management teams. Through our technology, content creators, digital publishers and advertisers work with Azerion to reach the millions of people across the globe that play Azerion’s games and view its distributed entertainment content to increase engagement, loyalty and drive e-commerce. Founded in 2014 by two Dutch entrepreneurs, Azerion has experienced rapid expansion driven by organic growth and strategic acquisitions. Azerion is headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands and is a publicly traded company listed on Euronext Amsterdam.
For more information visit: www.azerion.com

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Taiwan’s Lo Chia-ling wins gold at taekwondo competition in Estonia

Taiwanese Olympic medalist Lo Chia-ling (???) bagged a gold medal in the taekwondo women’s under-57-kilogram division at the Tallinn Open G2 in Estonia, which concluded Sunday.

Lo beat South Korean Kim Yu-Jin 2-0 in a best of three-round match held under a new sparring rule introduced by World Taekwondo (WT) in June to replace the previous total points system.

Prior to Lo’s gold on Sunday, her last medal was won in May, when she took the bronze in the women’s under-62 kg at the Taekwondo Austrian Open. Last year, she brought home a bronze medal from the Tokyo Summer Olympics for her performance in the women’s under-57 kg event.

Liu Tsung-ta (???), coach of the Taiwan team at the Tallinn Open, said that while Lo lost her first two matches in women’s under-57-kilogram category, she regained her rhythm as the competition progressed and was able to beat Kim on Sunday.

Lo’s early losses in the preliminaries motivated her to adapt and improvise, and she trained harder ahead of every game, the coach said.

Commenting on the WT’s new competition rules, Liu said Lo had adjusted in Tallinn by “being a bit more offensive, rather than counterattacking all the time.”

The Taiwan team at the Tallinn Open, which included Chuang Hsin-hsuan (???) and Chen Po-yen (???), bagged one other medal, when the latter won a silver medal in the men’s under-58 kg division.

The Tallinn Open G2 tournament was held Aug. 22-28 in Estonia.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

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76% of enterprises only accept up to 3% hike in minimum wage: Poll

About 76 percent of polled enterprises will only accept a hike of up to 3 percent in the minimum wage for 2023, well below the more than 10 percent increase urged by labor unions, a survey released by the Chinese National Federation of Industries (CNFI) showed Monday.

In the survey, 76 percent of 209 survey respondents said they would only accept a hike of up to 3 percent while about 22 percent were against any hike in the minimum wage for next year.

The survey, conducted during Aug. 1-15, was released before the Ministry of Labor’s (MOL) Minimum Wage Review Committee will convene on Sept. 1 to discuss the 2023 minimum wage increase.

Last week, the Taiwan Confederation of Trade Unions (TCTU), one of the major labor unions in the country, urged the MOL to raise the minimum wage by about 11 percent or NT$2,750 (US$90.75) to NT$28,000 for 2023.

Taiwan raised the minimum wage by 5.21 percent from 2021 to NT$25,250 starting Jan. 1, 2022 with the minimum hourly wage hike rising to NT$168 from NT$160, marking the sixth increase since President Tsai Ing-wen (???) took office in 2016.

Citing the survey, the CNFI said many small and medium-sized enterprises earned relatively low profits and would pass on the impact from a wage hike to their customers by raising product prices, which could lead to higher inflation, increase the financial burden on the public, and create more problems for society.

According to the survey, 51 percent of the respondents said their revenue fell from a year earlier in the first half of this year, while 56 percent said their profitability deteriorated from a year earlier in the six-month period.

In addition, only 5.3 percent of the respondents said they recorded an increase in both revenue and profit in the first six months and remained upbeat about the local gross domestic product (GDP) growth for 2023, while 38.3 percent said their sales and profit fell in the six-month period, and appeared pessimistic about the economic growth for next year.

The CNFI survey found 64 percent of the respondents said they were cautiously downbeat about Taiwan’s GDP growth, expecting that growth will moderate from 2022.

In mid-August, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) lowered its forecast of Taiwan’s GDP growth for 2022 slightly by 0.15 percentage points to 3.76 percent in the wake of weaker exports and a fall in private consumption. The DGBAS has also forecast GDP would grow by 3.05 percent in 2023.

Small and medium-sized firms accounted for 62 percent of the total respondents in the CNFI poll, and their prompt responses to the survey indicated their worries about the upcoming minimum wage hike, the business group said.

The CNFI said an increase in the consumer price index (CPI), which largely resulted from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and a spike in COVID-19 infections, had adversely affected many small and medium sized firms by pushing up their operating costs.

In July, the local CPI increased by 3.36 percent from a year earlier, marking a rise of more than 3 percent for a fifth consecutive month, driven primarily by higher prices for food and fuel prices.

The CNFI said the economy was expected to face more downside risks in the near future and urged the government to take a prudent attitude in considering the next minimum wage hike.

On Monday, several labor unions, such as the TCTU, the Taiwan Federation of Financial Unions (TFFU), the Taiwan Labor Front (TLF), the Taiwan Women’s Links (TWL), and the Taiwan Alliance for Advancement of Youth Rights and Welfare (TAAYRW), reiterated their demand that the government should raise the minimum wage to NT$28,000 for 2023 as rising inflation has hurt purchasing power.

Despite the interruptions by the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan is still expected to enjoy relatively high GDP growth this year so increasing the minimum monthly wage to NT$28,000 and the hourly wage to NT$186 will allow workers to share in economic benefits, Han Shih-hsien (???), secretary general of the TFFU, said at a news conference.

Yang Shu-wei (???), deputy secretary-general of the TLF, told reporters that the minimum wage law draft was still pending in the Executive Yuan after being submitted by the MOL to the Cabinet in 2018, and urged the government to speed up sending the bill to the Legislative Yuan for approval to develop a legal mechanism to approve a hike in the local base wage.

Chen added that currently wage hikes are solely dependent on an executive order after a meeting by the MOL’s Minimum Wage Review Committee.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

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CORONAVIRUS/Taiwan receives shipment of 600,000 Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines

Taiwan took delivery Monday of a shipment of over 600,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, which will be prioritized for use as booster shots for children aged 12-17, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

The 602,550 Pfizer-BioNTech doses arrived at Taoyuan International Airport on Monday morning, and were transferred to a cold chain logistics center to undergo inspection, CECC head Victor Wang (???) said at a press briefing.

Wang said the new batch of vaccines expires on March 21, 2023, and will be used primarily as booster shots for children aged 12-17, many of whom received first and second shots of the same brand in the second half of 2021.

Earlier this year, Taiwan inked deals to purchase 3.3 million Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines for children aged 5-11, 1.9 million doses for young children aged 6 months to 4 years, and 1.8 million doses for adults, with an option to buy an additional 4 million adult vaccines if needed.

To date, Taiwan has taken delivery of 2.20 million vaccine doses for children aged 5-11, 1.27 million doses for children aged 6 months to 4 years, and 2.46 million doses for adults, according to the CECC.

As of Aug. 22, 92.4 percent of those eligible in Taiwan had received a first shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 86.4 percent had received a second shot, and 72.0 percent had gotten a first booster.

Among children, 94.7 percent of those aged 12-17 had received at least one vaccine shot, compared to 78.1 percent of those aged 5-11 and 19.2 percent of those aged 6 months to 4 years, the statistics show.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

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