Taiwan yesterday renewed a bilateral investment agreement with the Philippines as part of the government’s efforts to protect the interests of Taiwanese firms in that nation, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said.
The Philippines is the first of the nations targeted by the government’s New Southbound Policy to renew its investment agreement with Taiwan, the ministry said in a statement.
INSPIRATION
“It is a milestone for Taiwan. We hope the achievement with the Philippines will inspire other Southeast Asian countries to renew their investment agreements with Taiwan,” Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花), who participated the agreement renewal in Manila, said by telephone.
OTHER TALKS
Wang said Taiwan is in talks with three other nations on agreement renewals.
The original agreement with Manila was inked in 1992.
The renewed pact covers not only the manufacturing sector, but also investments in financial derivatives, public infrastructure projects and intellectual property rights, Wang said.
SAFEGUARDS
The revised agreement also provides a government-level dispute settlement mechanism to safeguard the interests of investors, she said.
Taiwan signed six memorandum of understanding with Manila, including ones on collaborating on “green” energy industry development, supervisory measures for the insurance industry and professional training, the ministry said.
The domestic unit of the Chinese-owned, Dutch-headquartered chipmaker Nexperia BV will soon be able to produce semiconductors locally within China, according to two company sources. Nexperia is at the center of a global tug-of-war over critical semiconductor technology, with a Dutch court in February ordering a probe into alleged mismanagement at the company. The geopolitical tussle has disrupted supply chains, with some carmakers reportedly forced to cut production due to chip shortages. Local production would allow Nexperia’s domestic arm, Nexperia Semiconductors (China) Ltd (安世半導體中國), to bypass restrictions in place since October on the supply of silicon wafers — etched with tiny components to
Singapore-based ride-hailing and delivery giant Grab Holdings Ltd has applied for regulatory approval to acquire the Taiwan operations of Germany-based Delivery Hero SE's Foodpanda in a deal valued at about US$600 million. Grab submitted the filing to the Fair Trade Commission on Friday last week, with the transaction subject to regulatory review and approval, the company said in a statement yesterday. Its independent governance structure would help foster a healthy and competitive market in Taiwan if the deal is approved, Grab said. Grab, which is listed on the NASDAQ, said in the filing that US-based Uber Technologies Inc holds about 13 percent of
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday received government approval to deploy its advanced 3-nanometer (3nm) process at its second fab currently under construction in Japan, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said in a news release. The ministry green-lit the plan for the facility in Kumamoto, which is scheduled to start installing equipment and come online in 2028 with a monthly production capacity of 15,000 12-inch wafers, the ministry said. The Department of Investment Review in June 2024 authorized a US$5.26 billion investment for the facility, slated to manufacture 6- to 12nm chips, significantly less advanced than 3nm process. At a meeting with
Taiwan’s food delivery market could undergo a major shift if Singapore-based Grab Holdings Ltd completes its planned acquisition of Delivery Hero SE’s Foodpanda business in Taiwan, industry experts said. Grab on Monday last week announced it would acquire Foodpanda’s Taiwan operations for US$600 million. The deal is expected to be finalized in the second half of this year, with Grab aiming to complete user migration to its platform by the first half of next year. A duopoly between Uber Eats and Foodpanda dominates Taiwan’s delivery market, a structure that has remained intact since the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) blocked Uber Technologies Inc’s