CIP unveils proposed wind farm sites

GOING DEEPER: The Danish company called on the government to initiate a pilot project for floating wind farms to open up capacity and minimize controversies Danish firm Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners K/S (CIP) yesterday announced six proposed sites for offshore wind farm projects for its phase 3 development. Together, the six sites add up to 6.3 gigawatts (GW) in potential capacity. Four of the proposed sites are in waters more than 50m deep — the limit for fixed-bottom turbine technology. While floating turbine technology is still in the experimental phase, CIP Taiwan Round 3 Projects chief executive Jesper Krarup Holst described the decision to go into deeper waters as a “no brainer” and urged the government to initiate a pilot project for floating wind farms. “It’s just a matter of time before the shallow sites are fully utilized,” Holst said. “If Taiwan expects to have more offshore wind, naturally we will have to go further and further offshore.” “We expect a large part of the capacity in round 3 will be floating technology,” he added. Aside from opening up capacity, other benefits of going into deeper waters includes fewer controversies to be resolved, Holst said. Offshore wind farm developers in Taiwan have run into a series of conflicts ranging from fishing rights to aviation safety concerns. However, floating wind farm technology is not yet ready for large-scale development. Holst urged the government to enact two or three pilot 100-megawatt (MW) wind farms immediately to gain experience with the emerging technology. “What’s crucial here is that the pilot project should be delivered fast,” Holst said. “This will allow commercial projects to be delivered after 2025.” The six sites will be submitted for phase 3 or “zonal development” of the government’s offshore development plan, which will see 1GW of offshore wind capacity allocated per year between 2026 and 2035. The Ministry of Economic Affairs is still in the process of finalizing the framework for zonal development. CIP Taiwan project office director Marina Hsu (許乃文) called for continued

New mid-range phones help lift HTC’s revenue

DOUBLE 11: The company received a revenue boost by bundling its latest mid-range smartphones with VR products during the Singles’ Day sales event Beleaguered smartphone maker HTC Corp (宏達電) yesterday reported a year-on-year increase in revenue last month, snapping 13 months of decline, backed by strong demand for its mid-range phones, it said in a filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange. HTC reported revenue of NT$555 million (US$19.46 million), up 0.96 percent from a year earlier and 29.3 percent from October, the filing showed. Despite the improvement, which it attributed to new mid-range handsets and successful online sales promotions, it was still the second-worst November revenue for the Android phone pioneer. Revenue in the first 11 months of the year totaled NT$5.19 billion, down 44.81 percent from a year earlier. While the company has shifted its focus to virtual-reality (VR) devices, it released two mid-range handsets that have been well received in the latter half of this year. In September, it released the HTC U20, the first 5G phone made in Taiwan. Priced at NT$18,900, it is relatively affordable compared with other 5G models. In October, it launched the 4G HTC Desire 20+. Priced at NT$8,940, it features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 720g processor, four cameras and a 5000mAh battery. The company took advantage of the Double 11, or Singles’ Day, sales event to promote its smartphone and VR product bundles, which helped boost revenue last month. HTC on Thursday announced the release of its true wireless earbuds. Priced at NT$999, the earbuds come equipped with a 400mAh charging case, capable of holding 24 hours of charge.

TSMC to work with suppliers on 3nm process

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, on Thursday pledged to forge closer ties with its suppliers to boost efforts in developing 3-nanometer (nm) process technology. “While the global economy has been ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, TSMC still leads the world in the development of 5nm process technology, with strong support from its suppliers,” TSMC senior vice president for information technology and materials and risk management J.K. Lin (林錦坤) told a supply chain management forum on Thursday. “As TSMC has started development of the more sophisticated 3nm process, it is determined to strengthen its cooperation with suppliers to enhance its global competitive edge,” Lin said. Mass production of 5nm process technology started in the second quarter and accounted for 8 percent of TSMC’s total sales in the third quarter. TSMC has started developing the 3nm process by building a production site in Tainan and expects to start commercial production in 2022. The chipmaker added that it is already eyeing development of 2nm process technology. Almost 700 suppliers attended the forum, including semiconductor production equipment makers, raw material producers, back-end integrated circuit packaging and testing services providers, and environmental protection and waste treatment firms. Lin thanked the suppliers for their contributions, saying that their efforts have not only helped TSMC upgrade its technology, but have also enhanced its energy conservation, carbon reduction and pollution prevention capabilities, allowing it to meet its corproate sustainability targets. In related news, the TAIEX yesterday rose to at an all-time high, boosted by a rally of TSMC, the most heavily weighted stock in the local market, dealers said. The index climbed 1.11 percent to close at 14,132.44, on turnover of NT$286.966 billion (US$10.06 billion). “TSMC served again as the main driver of the TAIEX as investors remained upbeat about its shipments on solid demand for the

EDITORIAL: A way out of the pig pen mess

Representatives of 70 pork importers stepped up on Thursday, announcing that they would not import pork with traces of ractopamine, after weeks of uproar over the government’s decision to relax its ban on certain US beef and pork imports. President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) triggered the furor on Aug. 28 when she said that Taiwan would ease the restrictions, while setting standards for ractopamine levels in pork, in an apparent attempt to pave the way for a free-trade deal with the US. Allowing more US pork and beef imports has been one of Washington’s prerequisites for talks on a bilateral trade agreement since 2012, when it threatened to discontinue new trade agreements unless Taiwan established maximum levels for ractopamine residue. Tsai’s announcement, with her comment that the decision was “based on national economic interests and is in line with future comprehensive strategic objectives,” was clearly aimed at removing one of the roadblocks to Taiwan-US talks. The debate over US beef and pork imports goes back two decades, and the stances of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Democratic Progressive Party have flip-flopped, depending on which party is in the Presidential Office. Promises by Taiwanese presidents — Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and now Tsai — that their proposed easing of import restrictions would be matched by a commitment to food safety — and in the latest case, the establishment of maximum levels for ractopamine residue, factory inspections and strict labeling — have failed to appease their political opponents and the public. Premier Su Tseng-chang’s (蘇貞昌) declaration to lawmakers on Sept. 18 that the government’s ban on ractopamine use by the domestic hog and cattle sector would stay in place only left the administration open to accusations that it was willing to use the public’s health as a bargaining chip with the US, or that lifting

The Liberty Times Editorial: KMT ‘porkfest’ reveals old habits

So frequent are scuffles between Taiwan’s legislators that when punches fly on the floor of the Legislative Yuan’s main chamber, it is no longer considered newsworthy to a domestic audience. However, an international audience unaccustomed to Taiwanese lawmakers’ rambunctious style of “debate” was left captivated and baffled by a “food fight” that broke out in the chamber on Friday last week over the government’s decision to allow the import of US pork containing residues of ractopamine. International news media carried a flurry of reports depicting messy scenes as Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers attempted to obstruct Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) from delivering his administrative report to the chamber with an impromptu “butcher demonstration.” In addition to the usual waving of placards, shouting of slogans, blowing of whistles and sounding of klaxons, KMT legislators dumped bucketfuls of pig hearts, lungs, stomachs, intestines and other porcine internal organs onto the carpeted floor of the debating chamber. As the offal went flying, lawmakers began trading blows. Fisticuffs in the nation’s legislature has become an unwelcome trademark of Taiwanese politics that has — once again — caused the nation to lose face on the international stage as people around the world saw the standards of Taiwan’s lawmakers. According to the Legislative Yuan’s secretariat, replacing the heavily stained and unpleasant smelling carpet in the main chamber is to cost Taiwanese taxpayers more than NT$1 million (US$34,763). However, instead of offering an apology, KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) defended his party’s actions, saying: “If we had not protested with a robust demonstration, we would have been complicit in the birth of a dictatorship.” Chiang’s explanation failed to cut the mustard. The Republic of China Swine Association, for one, is unhappy, saying in a statement: “Internal organs of pigs should not be abused and wantonly flung about as political props.” In a spectacular own-goal, the

RCEP will strengthen Taiwan-US relations

Just as Taiwanese were worrying that US president-elect Joe Biden might shift US policy on China and revamp its relationship with Taiwan and Japan, the China-led Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the world’s largest free-trade agreement, was formally signed on Nov. 15. Pro-China academics and media have said the partnership would condemn Taiwan to being the “orphan of Asia,” but this is based on a myopic, deep-blue ideology. From a bird’s-eye view, the signing is positive for Taiwan. When former US president Barak Obama took office in 2009, he inherited the US’ longstanding belief that a rising China would adopt liberal democracy and coexist with the free world. As China took off, preparations for the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) began. In March 2015, the UK, ignoring Obama’s opposition, joined the China-dominated bank, as did several European nations. In the end, the bank had 57 founding members, outdoing the US-dominated Asian Development Bank. Beijing’s move angered Washington and it changed Obama’s China policy, leading to the US’ “pivot toward Asia” strategy. In September 2015, China expert Michael Pillsbury published The Hundred-Year Marathon: China’s Secret Strategy to Replace America as the Global Superpower, in which he expressed regret over the US’ weak China policy. This might have contributed to US President Donald Trump’s win in 2016. In other words, the AIIB’s establishment was a historic turning point that changed the direction of the world. The RCEP has been seen as a major achievement in China’s pursuit of economic hegemony in Asia and its significance is of the same magnitude as the AIIB. Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) was elated about the agreement among China, Japan and South Korea, and at an APEC forum said that China would pursue membership in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. The question is whether Xi’s clear expression of his intentions is to

Virus Outbreak: Indonesian doctor’s death stokes alarm

ILL-EQUIPPED: Pamekasan — a modest district by the Java Sea, where Sardjono Utomo worked for years as a hospital director — did not even have one ventilator Sardjono Utomo, a senior Indonesian physician, late on Tuesday afternoon admitted himself to his local hospital in East Java. In just over 24 hours, as his fellow doctors phoned hospital after hospital in search of a ventilator in Surabaya — Indonesia’s second-largest city and a few hours’ drive away — the doctor and his wife, Sri Martini, would both be dead. The death of Sardjono and his wife from COVID-19 has raised alarm bells in the world’s fourth-most populated nation, where the pandemic has steadily gone from bad to worse and is putting a significant strain on the country’s poorly equipped healthcare system. In the past 10 days, Indonesia has posted four daily record-high numbers, the highest was on Thursday with 8,369 new cases, while local news channels have run headlines of more regional hospitals reaching capacity. “It seems like the current overcapacity situation is the worst it has been throughout the pandemic in Indonesia,” Indonesian Medical Association spokesman Halik Malik said. Public health experts have said that Indonesia has struggled since March to get the pandemic under control, now with 563,680 cases and 17,479 confirmed deaths — plus another nearly 70,000 suspected cases — it has by far the highest caseload and death toll in Southeast Asia, and the data show that the situation is intensifying. In Pamekasan, a modest district on Madura bordered by the Java Sea, where Sardjono worked for years as a hospital director, there is not even one ventilator. However, when the 67-year-old radiologist arrived at Pamekasan’s Muhamad Noer Hospital, he desperately needed one. “Everywhere was full — and everything is full here in Pamekasan,” said pulmonologist Syaiful Hidayat, who treated Sardjono. “Now it is peaking.” Sardjono’s son-in-law, 41-year-old Arif Rahman, said the deaths of his in-laws highlighted how ill-equipped the nation’s hospitals were to handle the pandemic. “Ventilators are important,” he said, “In

Trash-tracker satellites help Indonesia tackle sea waste

Every year, pounding rains wash away mountains of plastic waste from the streets of Jakarta, with some of it ending up as far away as Bali’s beaches, so scientists are turning to satellites to trace the rubbish and figure out how to tackle the problem. Indonesia allows more waste to enter the ocean than any other country, apart from China. The archipelago of nearly 270 million people dumps a whopping 620,000 tonnes of plastic into its waterways annually, a figure that the government said it wants to cut by two-thirds over the next five years. Scientists hope that following the waste’s movement would help them understand the full extent of the problem and decide how best to collect it based on seasonal, wind and water current patterns. The World Bank-backed project is a collaboration between a team from the Indonesian Ministry of Maritime Affairs and CLS Argos, a subsidiary of France’s space agency. The project is an indication of the issue’s global importance — today, an estimated 150 million tonnes of plastic are circulating in the world’s oceans, with more being dumped every minute, the US-based Ocean Conservancy said. Since February, the team has deployed satellite beacons at the mouths of rivers around Jakarta, Bandung in Central Java and Palembang on the island of Sumatra. “Today, we’re launching GPS beacons to learn how the plastic debris gets into the sea,” said CLS Argos technician Ery Ragaputra, as he tossed a yellow device wrapped in a waterproof cover into the Cisadane River, which empties into the Java Sea near Jakarta. “These trackers will follow where the trash gathers and where it lands,” he added. Data collected by the beacons, which have a one-year battery life, are transmitted hourly to a satellite that pings the information to CLS Argos headquarters in France, and then back to screens at the maritime affairs

Extreme poverty over, Xi says

‘MODERATELY PROSPEROUS’: Xi said that nearly 100 million were making more than US$1.68 per day, which was still below the World Bank’s absolute poverty level Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on Thursday declared victory in an eight-year drive to eradicate extreme poverty in the world’s most populous nation, a key goal of the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP). “We have achieved in a timely manner the poverty alleviation goal of the new era,” Xi said at a meeting of the seven-member Politburo Standing Committee, China’s supreme decisionmaking body, the official Xinhua news agency reported. The incomes of nearly 100 million people had moved above China’s official poverty line — defined as those who earn less than 11 yuan (US$1.68) per day, he said. After assuming leadership of the CCP eight years ago, Xi made the drive to eliminate extreme poverty by this year one of his top goals. The party defines it as a step toward achieving what it calls a “moderately prosperous” society, a key part of its moves to improve living standards and underpin its claim to political legitimacy. The anti-poverty campaign has been focused on rural areas which largely escaped COVID-19 transmission in China this year. Tens of millions of migrant workers from the countryside were estimated to have lost their jobs due to the closure of factories in the first quarter of the year when China implemented nationwide lockdowns. Gauges of employment have largely recovered since then. “The declaration tells us more about how the Chinese government defines poverty than about actual levels of deprivation and substantive improvements in people’s lives,” said Sarah Rogers, a lecturer in contemporary China studies at the University of Melbourne who has studied the anti-poverty campaign. “I’m not convinced the campaign has addressed the underlying drivers of deprivation, disempowerment and stark inequality in China” Earlier this year, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s (李克強) set off a nationwide debate on poverty alleviation when he reminded the public that two-fifths of China’s population earned just 1,000 yuan

Cycling Shorts: The essential factor

What does it take to get a local bike brand into the Tour de France? “About US$5 million,” says Rob Gitelis, “if it’s a poor bike. Or US$2 million with a great bike. Ours is a great bike.” Former-professional Gitelis is the owner of Factor Bikes. Since the beginning of this year he has sponsored the bicycles of Israel Start-up Nation (ISN), the newest team on the Tour de France (TdF) start line. With Giant rumoured to be without a team next year, this could leave Factor as one of only two Taiwanese bike manufacturers (along with Merida, which sponsors the Bahrain-Mclaren team) appearing in the World Tour flagship race. To be accurate, Gitelis says around 40 percent of Factor bikes are made in Taiwan (the other 60 percent in his China factory), but all designed, assembled and finally distributed from its headquarters in Taichung. And, for largely historical reasons, Factor is listed in TdF statistics as a British brand. This dates back to 2009 when Gitelis was asked by BF1 Systems to help design a high-end bike to accompany the launch of Aston Martin’s One-77 sports car. This was followed by the 2013 Vis Vires, which won a Eurobike Show gold award. With then-partner Baden Cooke, Gitelis was looking to launch his own company, and buying the Factor brand made more sense than plucking some new name out of thin air. The Factor name plus their personal connections on the world circuit, where Cooke won the 2003 TdF green jersey for top sprinter, took the new company straight to sponsoring UK’s ONE Pro Cycling team at the second-tier pro continental series in 2015. Back in Taichung they continued to focus on quality, there being no way to take on Giant and Merida in the mass market. Combining their experience from racing with Taiwan’s cutting edge

Highways and Byways: Handcuffed to the past

When Japan seized Taiwan in 1895, establishing control of the island’s major settlements and harbors was fairly straightforward. But imposing colonial rule on people who’d never encountered effective modern government was altogether more difficult. If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Japan’s initial efforts to govern Taiwan therefore relied on the firepower and mobility of an army that had needed less than four months to sweep aside opposition to the takeover. According to Gunnar Abramson, writing in PSU McNair Scholars Online Journal in 2004, the first governors-general appointed by Tokyo, “instituted a large-scale policy of bandit suppression [using] military forces to patrol rural areas and police to patrol the cities.” Abramson says that the colonial regime’s draconian methods backfired. The Japanese eventually recognized that their approach, “did little to dent criminality or anti-Japanese agitation… Sometimes the tactics transformed once placid areas into locales rife with anti-colonial sentiment.” It was into this morass that Goto Shinpei stepped. Goto, who served as chief civil administrator in the colonial government from 1898 to 1906, believed that (to use Abramson’s words) “perpetuating native traditions where they happened to converge with Japanese interests” would help avoid antagonizing the population of Taiwan. Building on the Qing Dynasty’s baojia (保甲) system of neighborhood and community responsibility, he instituted what became known as the Hoko system. The Hoko system became a mechanism through which the authorities kept tabs on the population, communicated new laws and regulations, tried to rehabilitate opium smokers, and encouraged residents to report infectious diseases and suspicious-looking outsiders, while collecting taxes and issuing fines. A failure to obey the rules could bring punishment for the entire ko (usually 10 neighboring households). Whenever a person was convicted of a serious crime, the others in his ko were fined for their “negligence.” Integrating the Hoko system with

Movie review: Twelve Nights 2

The sequel to the highly influential 2013 documentary Twelve Nights (十 二夜) probably won’t have as much impact or emotional sway as its predecessor, even though the issues it tackles are arguably more relevant and urgent. Shot almost entirely in a government shelter from the perspective of the dogs, Twelve Nights was meant to shock the public so as to draw attention to the plight of stray animals. With big-name author and filmmaker Giddens Ko (柯景騰), better known as Jiu Ba Dao (九把刀) attached as producer, the documentary’s title referred to a law, since changed, that allowed shelters to euthanize animals if they were not claimed or adopted within 12 days of public notice. It grossed NT$62 million in box office sales as awareness soared, which eventually led to the government enacting no-kill legislation for shelter animals in 2015. The euthanasia ban took effect in February 2017. Given the situation today, it’s clear that Taiwan was unprepared for this hastily pushed through change. In fact, the adoption rate dropped that year (perhaps since people were no longer worried about animals being put down) and shelters became horribly overcrowded, while irresponsible owners continued to abandon their pets. Puppy mills remained an issue, and owners not spaying or neutering their dogs also contributed to the large number of strays. Proper pet ownership education remained lacking. Raye, the director, faced criticism after the first film for just showing the plight of the animals without explaining the difficulties and challenges faced by the shelter workers and animal welfare activists. This sequel feels like a redemption of sorts, as it actively addresses all the aforementioned problems and follows the humans who dedicate their lives to solving them. Going “back to day zero” in this sense, means returning to the root of the issue. Raye captured

Photo News: Americans celebrate Thanksgiving with scaled-back Macy’s parade under pandemic 從照片看新聞：受疫情影響 梅西感恩節大遊行縮水

SPEAK UP ! 雙語會話

I can’t believe they’re only asking NT$500 for it (5/5) 我不敢相信這只賣五百塊（五） A: The problem with charity stores is that they are often full of items that the original owners no longer want. Maybe they’re broken, outdated, out of fashion or obsolete. B: There is a very fine line between out of fashion and “vintage.” Look at that swallow-tail leather jacket. It shouts “1970s,” but it would look very cool on the right person. A: I guess you’re right. And look at that blender over there. That’s a reputable brand, and it’s still in the original box. I can’t believe they’re only asking NT$500 for it. That’s a real find. B: Yes, but you have to question why it’s still there, collecting dust. Why is nobody buying it? It must be faulty. I wouldn’t touch that with a barge pole. A: Yeah, sure. Get out of my way. You’ll be back tomorrow to buy it. I’m going to get it now. Finders, keepers. A: 慈善二手店的缺點是，那裡都是一些原來的主人不要的東西，可能是壞了、過時了、不流行了，或是被淘汰的。 B: 「不流行」和「有年代」之間的界線是很微妙的。你看那件燕尾皮夾克，它明顯傳達出一九七○年代的味道，可是穿在對的人身上，看起來就會很酷。 A: 你說的大概沒錯。你看那邊的果汁機，它是很好的牌子，而且還在原來的盒子裡。我不敢相信這只賣五百塊。這真是打著燈籠都找不到的。 B: 是沒錯啦，可是你會想問說，為什麼它還在那裡長灰塵。為甚麼都沒有人買？這一定是瑕疵品。這東西我是碰都不想碰的。 A: 對啦，沒錯，你閃開點。你明天就會回來買。我現在就要把它買到手。誰找到就是誰的。 （Paul Cooper, Taipei Times／台北時報林俐凱譯） English 英文: Chinese 中文:

SPEAK UP ! 雙語會話

B: I love sorting through antiques stores, especially in unfamiliar areas. A: Yes, you have to rummage through a load of old tat, but occasionally you might find something really unexpected. B: I’m always on the look-out for vintage Italian leather boots, hoping that the store owner wasn’t aware of how valuable they were. A: You could be waiting a long time. I think the owners have an eye for valuable items, or get somebody to evaluate them before they put a price on it. B: You can always live in hope. Look, there’s a charity store over there. You might be able to pick up something unexpected and cheap there. And if you buy something, the money will go to charity. B: 我很喜歡到古董店去好好逛一逛，尤其是到了新的地方。 A: 對呀，你得要仔細過濾一大堆舊的便宜貨，可是有時候會發現完全意想不到的東西。 B: 我一直注意在找有年代的義大利皮靴，希望店家不知道它多有價值。 A: 這樣你可能會等很久。我想店家很識貨，或是會先請人估價以後才標上價格。 B: 你可以永遠抱著希望啊。你看，那邊有一家慈善二手店。說不定可以找到一些意想不到而且便宜的東西。而且買東西的錢，會給慈善機構。 （Paul Cooper, Taipei Times／台北時報林俐凱譯） English 英文: Chinese 中文: