Eye On Taiwan

AU Optronics Corp. Files 2019 Annual Report on Form 20-F Posted: 27 Mar 2020 01:38 PM PDT Taiwan News Date: 2020/03/27 By:  prnasia.com HSINCHU, March 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — AU Optronics Corp. ("AUO" or the "Company") (TWSE: 2409; OTC: AUOTY) today announced that it has filed its annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2019 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). The 2019 20-F is available on AUO's website at http://auo.com and on the website of the SEC at www.sec.gov. Hard copies of the audited financial statements included in the 2019 Form 20-F are available upon request to shareholders free of charge. To request a copy of the 2019 Form 20-F, please forward your request to https://app.irdirect.net/company/49733/hotline/. ABOUT AU OPTRONICS AU Optronics Corp. ("AUO") is one of the world's leading providers of optoelectronic solutions. Based on its profound R&D and manufacturing experience, AUO offers a full range of display applications and smart solutions integrating software and hardware, and leverages its core expertise to enter new business areas such as solar, smart retail, general health, circular economy and smart manufacturing service. Additionally, AUO has also been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index since 2010. AUO's consolidated net revenues in 2019 were NT$268.79 billion. For more information, please visit AUO.com.    [FULL  STORY]

MOEA launches hotline to help businesses access economic stimulus funds Posted: 27 Mar 2020 01:33 PM PDT Focus Taiwan Date: 03/27/2020 By: Tsai Peng-min and Matthew Mazzetta Taipei, March 27 (CNA) Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) on Friday launched a free hotline to help businesses determine whether they are eligible for special funding amid government efforts to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The Cabinet approved a NT$60 billion special budget bill on Feb. 27, and announced Monday that it is planning to unveil a second economic stimulus package of around NT$40 billion. The purpose of the 1988 hotline is to help businesses and members of the public to determine whether they are eligible for assistance, and connect them with designated contacts at the government agencies handling the funds, the MOEA said in a press release. The services available to businesses include loan deferments, subsidized training programs and discounts on utilities.    [FULL STORY]

ECFA deadline jeopardizes trade Posted: 27 Mar 2020 01:30 PM PDT UPGRADE AND TRANSFORM: Although the cross-strait trade deal might remain, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said businesses should prepare for any disruptions Taipeio Times Date: Mar 28, 2020 By: Natasha Li / Staff reporter Taiwan might face a decline in foreign trade with China if the cross-strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) ends this year, Minister of Economic Affairs Shen Jong-chin (沈榮津) said yesterday. The agreement, which was signed and put into effect in 2010 to reduce trade barriers across the Taiwan Strait, is expected to end this year, despite not having an exact termination date. “We have not received notification [from China] that it wishes to terminate ECFA,” Shen told reporters prior to attending a meeting at the Legislative Yuan. “Even if we are notified, the agreement would only cease after six months.” While acknowledging the potential effects on Taiwan’s economy, Shen said termination of the agreement would affect less than 5 percent of commercial exchanges with China. [FULL STORY]

Trump signs TAIPEI Act into law Posted: 27 Mar 2020 01:27 PM PDT Radio Taiwan International Date: 27 March, 2020 By: John Van Trieste US President Donald Trump has signed the TAIPEI Act into law. US President Donald Trump has signed the TAIPEI Act into law. The act had earlier passed both houses of the US Congress unanimously. The act is designed to help Taiwan keep its diplomatic allies in the face of Chinese pressure. Since 2016, eight allies have broken off ties with Taiwan in favor of ties with Beijing. Under the act, the US may reward countries that stick with Taiwan with an increased diplomatic presence or expanded assistance. It can also reduce or terminate its diplomatic presence in countries that move to downgrade their ties with Taiwan, and limit or cut off aid to them as well. [FULL  STORY]

China angry as US bolsters Taiwan Posted: 27 Mar 2020 01:23 PM PDT 9 News Date: Mar 27, 2020 By: AAP US President Donald Trump has signed into law an act that requires increased US support for Taiwan internationally, prompting a denunciation by China, which said it would strike back if the law was implemented. China claims democratic and separately ruled Taiwan as its own territory, and regularly describes Taiwan as the most sensitive issue in its ties with the United States. While the United States, like most countries, has no official relations with Taiwan, the Trump administration has ramped up backing for the island, with arms sales and laws to help Taiwan deal with pressure from China. The Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) Act, signed by Trump into law on Thursday with strong bipartisan support, requires the US State Department to report to Congress on steps taken to strengthen Taiwan's diplomatic relations.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan doctor urges total lockdown to avoid collapse of medical system Posted: 27 Mar 2020 01:08 PM PDT Medical experts worry country’s hospitals will be overwhelmed should cases soar Taiwan News Date: 2020/03/27 By: Huang Tzu-ti, Taiwan News, Staff Writer Kaohsiung hospital conducts drill for coronavirus. (CNA photo) TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Medical experts in Taiwan are raising the alarm over how strained the country's resources will be in the event of a larger spike in coronavirus cases, with some suggesting the country should order a complete lockdown to stem the tide of imported cases. Shih Jin-chung (施景中), an obstetrician at the prominent National Taiwan University Hospital has expressed concern about a shortage of negative pressure isolation rooms, which are designed to contain airborne contaminants, as those under quarantine in Taiwan reach 40,000. He called for stricter measures to prevent human movement, from a comprehensive lockdown to mandatory quarantine at designated accommodations for Taiwanese returning from abroad. Taiwan has counted 267 COVID-19 cases as of Friday (March 27), with a steady double-digit rise of mostly imported infections every day over the past two weeks. The situation is alarming, according to Chan Chang-chuan (詹長權), dean of National Taiwan University’s College of Public Health (CPH). He cautioned that the country’s medical system could be overwhelmed by a sudden influx of Wuhan virus patients needing special care if the number of new cases exceeds 100 a day, wrote Liberty Times.    [FULL  STORY]

AIT partners with local group to combat COVID-19 disinformation Posted: 27 Mar 2020 01:00 PM PDT Focus Taiwan Date: 03/27/2020 By: Chen Yun-yu and Matthew Mazzetta Image taken from AIT’s Facebook page Taipei, March 27 (CNA) The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) announced Friday that it is partnering with the non-profit Taiwan FactCheck Center on a series of Facebook posts to combat disinformation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative, called "COVID-19: Just the Facts," provides the de facto American embassy's response to topics identified by the Taiwan FactCheck Center as the most frequent subjects of disinformation. The goal is to correct false narratives being spread by "actors hoping to exploit the current crisis to stoke anxiety and division within societies, deflect blame away from irresponsible actors, and erode public confidence in democratic institutions," the institute said in a Facebook post. The first post of the series, which focuses on the origins of the pandemic, criticizes Chinese authorities who it said "actively censored and punished journalists and whistleblowers like Li Wenliang."    [FULL  STORY]

Discipline in KMT is critical: Chiang Posted: 27 Mar 2020 12:53 PM PDT Taipei Times Date: Mar 28, 2020 By: Shih Hsiao-kuang and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer Party discipline is a make-or-break factor to rehabilitating the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) public image, KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) said yesterday. Chiang made the remark in a Hit FM radio interview on the party’s relationship with the media, characterizing his efforts to communicate the party’s ideals and plans as “tiresome” due to a “severe imbalance” in reporting. The party’s relationship with the media is rocky and, as such, the KMT is absolutely at a disadvantage in terms of news coverage, he said. He cited as an example a rumor that Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) had quaffed three bottles of kaoliang liquor to secure the party’s presidential nomination.    [FULL  STORY]

National Immigration Agency sanctions Air New Zealand for error Posted: 27 Mar 2020 12:14 PM PDT Radio Taiwan International Date: 27 March, 2020 By: Leslie Liao An error made by ground staff with Air New Zealand left three passengers stranded in Taipei  The National Immigration Agency has sanctioned Air New Zealand for an error that left three passengers stranded in Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport. Taiwan is barring entry to foreign visitors as part of its efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19. It has also recently banned travelers from using its airports for layovers. However, due to an error by Air New Zealand ground staff, two Japanese nationals and a British national were allowed onto a flight from Auckland to Taipei on Thursday. When these passengers arrived in Taiwan, they found themselves stranded in the airport terminal. [FULL  STORY]

China rejects US act on Taiwan and warns about countermeasures Posted: 27 Mar 2020 12:03 PM PDT Prensa Latina Date: March 27, 2020  Beijing, Mar 27 (Prensa Latina) China strongly rejected the approval of the so-called Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) Act, and demanded its revocation after it warned about countermeasures. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Geng Shuang told a news conference that this action by US President Donald Trump violates the One-China principle and the three joint communiqués that govern relations between the two powers. He added that the US act prevents other sovereign nations to develop normal relations with China. 'We strongly urge the US to correct its mistake, refrain from implementing this act and obstructing other countries' pursuit of relations with China. Otherwise, it will be met with resolute countermeasure from the Chinese side,' Geng added.    [FULL  STORY]