Chen opens exhibition
The four-day e-commerce exhibition "2003 e-ASIA Expo" began yesterday at the Taipei World Trade Center Exhibition Hall II, with enterprises from 11 Asia-Pacific countries demonstrating the latest global e-commerce developments.
At the opening ceremony, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said that he could see before him the future of the Asia-Pacific region, as information industry professionals from around the area had gathered to contribute to the development of the Internet.
According to Chen, in the 21st century, the extent of e-society reflects a country's power. The government has been making great efforts in this regard, and these efforts have borne fruit, as many prestigious institutions have given Taiwan high rankings, Chen added.
This year, Taiwan ranked second in terms of government network readiness in a survey conducted by the Switzerland-based World Economic Forum.
Maersk payment system opens
Maersk Taiwan Ltd (台灣快桅) and Citibank N.A. yesterday jointly announced the launch of electronic payment services to the shipping company's customers in Taiwan. Through the integration of Citibank's online services into its partner's e-commerce solutions, Maersk's local customers can check schedules, place bookings, submit shipping instructions, print out bills of landing, track cargo and now pay the ocean freight anytime, anywhere via the Internet.
Niels Hansen, managing director of Maersk Taiwan, yesterday vowed to fulfill customers' needs by offering a full scope of e-commerce solutions, and added that he is proud to be the first carrier announcing e-payment in the local shipping industry.
FPG wants new seaport
Formosa Plastics Group (台塑) is proposing to build a new seaport in in Taoyuan County for NT$57.1 billion (US$1.69 billion), a government official said yesterday.
The port would have 27 berths with cargo capacity reaching 56.6 million tonnes in 2021, or 40 percent of northern Taiwan's total sea cargo volume, a local county official said.
"If the plan comes through, it will be very helpful in alleviating the growing demand for cargo shipment in northern Taiwan where many industrial parks are based," he said.
The new facility aims to link the CKS International Airport and the neighboring industrial zones into a global transport hub.
However, the proposal requires further evaluation by the county and central governments, he added.
Quanta forecasts sales boost
Quanta Computer Inc (廣達電腦) said it expects its shipments to rise by 42 percent next year because more personal computer buyers are choosing laptops instead of desktops, a Chinese-language newspaper said, citing executive vice president Wang Wen-hua (王文華)
The company will ship 13.5 million notebooks next year, accounting for a third of the world's production, and 9.5 million notebooks this year, the report said.
Quanta and Compal Electronics Inc (仁寶電腦), the world's second-largest notebook computer maker, expect shipments in the first quarter of next year to be about the same as in the fourth-quarter this year, the report said.
Some shipments this year were delayed because of flat-panel display shortages, the report said, citing Compal's chief financial officer Gary Lu (呂清雄).
NT dollar gains ground
The New Taiwan dollar yesterday turned strong against its US counterpart, rising NT$0.151 to close at NT$33.90 on the Taipei foreign exchange market.
Turnover was US$809 million.
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