Taiwan is planning to open its doors to direct investment from mainland China, which is the latest and most significant step in the recent economic rapprochement between the two states. On August 20, Fu Dong-cheng, the vice chairman of Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), announced the government would be making public draft plans to allow Chinese investment in the Taiwanese economy. After…
Having emerged as a major global player in the technology hardware sector, Taiwan is turning its attention to digital content. Premier Chang Chun-hsiung described it as "one of the hottest industries of the future". Premier Chang Chun-hsiung announced this month the government would allocate NT$4.12bn (US$125m) for the development of the industry over the next five years. A target has been set to…
This month the bureau of energy, under the ministry of economic affairs, finalised guidelines for a programme to encourage companies to develop offshore wind turbines. The new programme comes just as sites for onshore wind turbines on the island are reaching saturation point. Six key areas have been identified, most along the western coast of Taiwan, where businesses will be allowed to build wind…
From its humble beginnings as a small light indicator in electrical devices such as hi-fis and clock radios, the light emitting diode (LED) has grown into a multi-application global industry of which Taiwan is keen to secure an even bigger slice. The country is second only to Japan in terms of annual LED production worth $1.4bn, which is 23% of the global market. This month the Industrial Development…
Like other forms of renewable energy, the solar power industry is undergoing increased international demand as concerns over global climate change mount and as the price of crude oil rises. Taiwan is looking to harness this growing demand to spur its solar power industry to even greater heights. The photovoltaic process is the conversion of solar power into electricity. Taiwan's photovoltaic industry…
The bulk of Taiwanese exports are IT-related and account for about half of the country's GDP, so a rise in exports is a major boost to the economy as a whole, which grew 6.9% in the third quarter of this year. Third quarter reports showed that Taiwan's exports increased 17.99% after five consecutive months of growth. The growth was attributed to robust IT-related exports, including notebook PCs,…
The year 2007 was Chen Shui-bian's second and last term as the president of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Although Chen has made independence from mainlaind China a major theme for his Taiwanese Democratic Party (DPP) since his election in 2000, the end of his tenure signals a different direction for the island. The DPP's seven-year stint as the ruling party is likely to see a challenge this year…
Taiwan's Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) on January 28 approved a request by UNI Airways to end flights by March 1 between the northern city of Taipei and the southern city of Kaohsiung. This is the third approval for flight cancellations issued by the CAA since last August when Mandarin Airways cancelled its Taipei-Taichung flight and UNI Airways cancelled its Taipei-Chiayi route in October.…
Taiwan has responded to soaring international metals prices by announcing it will temporarily suspend exports of some processed steel products, with the possibility of extending the ban to include other items in the future. On February 20, the Ministry of Economic Affairs announced it would prohibit the export of locally produced steel reinforcement bars and billet for at least three months, as of…
Buoyed by incoming head of state Ma Ying-jeou's commitment to closer economic ties with mainland China, Taiwan's real estate sector is looking optimistically at the future. While on the hustings for the March 22 election, Ma promised to improve relations with the People's Republic of China and push for direct air links between Taiwan and the mainland, as well as follow policies that would revive…
